Natural History Museum

So I promise I haven't forgotten about the blog - in fact I have been "blogging" I just am having a hard time getting my pictures off of my camera and onto the computer so I've been delaying posting.  Anyway, so here are a couple catching up posts!

 

Almost a month ago we went to the Natural History Museum.  It was a blast.  I definitely hope we get a chance to go back!

I loved the layout of the museum.  They had such a great collection of things to look at.  And they also had lots of little areas for hands-on learning that was great - and I definitely want to utilize it more next time!  Melina came with us and it was great to spend time with her. 

Also, my camera died right after we got there so hardly any pictures but it was still fun!

Is He Dead?

For Christmas, Megan got Mark and I tickets to go see "Is He Dead?" at the Hale Center Theatre.  I had never heard of this play before and knew nothing about it - which was kind of exciting!  It was fun going into something with no expectations.  It was a comedy and it was hilarious.  Megan got us amazing seats and we had a blast.  Included in this gift was free babysitting from Megan so it was great to get another night out for Mark and I.  We are definitely getting spoiled with all of these willing babysitters around!

We had a great time!  Thanks Megan!

4 Months

This little sweetie is four months old!  We love her so very much.  

Sarah continues to grow - and she is getting tall!  She is 25.8 inches tall (94%), weighs 15.0 pounds (81%), and has a head circumference of 41.5 cm (68%).  She is still in six month clothes and we couldn't be happier about that!  (Jacob was already over 20 pounds at four months and in 12 month clothes - WOW!) 

We have got a talker on our hands!  Sarah is all about the grunts these days.  This last month she seems to be talking it up!  And at all sorts of different volumes!

He favorite pastime is definitely sucking on her hands and fingers.  If she isn't "talking" she is sucking on her hands and fingers.  She definitely prefers them over her binkie.  And she isn't picky either - if you hold her little hand chances are she'll put it straight in her mouth!

Sarah has started to sit in her bumbo.  She still can be a little unsure about it at times but other times I think she really likes it.  We just started putting her in her high chair also during meals so she is more apart of things too and she seems to like that. 

She is also just barely starting to get interested in toys a little bit.  I think she still prefers to just watch Jacob play (who for some reason is far more interested in her toys than his these days) but she will occasionally try and bring things up to her mouth. 

Sarah is a wiggler!  She seems to always be moving!  If you put her down on the carpet she can go in a complete circle in a minute if she wants to by just pivoting her body!  It is actually pretty amazing but also a little crazy that she is so little and already ready to be on the move.

We love this little girl.  She brings such a sweet spirit into our home.  We can't to see what the next month has in store for her!

(So I feel like this just needs to be added - check out Jacob's four month post and enjoy!  Oh my goodness, what a chunker!  We love our little guy and gal!)

Painting

This last week was a little weird but great all at the same time.  Mark was supposed to start his rotation on Monday but it got delayed day after day after day.  Apparently there was some legal stuff that needed to be taken care of between the school and his assignment and it just kept getting pushed back.  BUT we did learn that he will FOR SURE be able to start tomorrow (Monday) so that is good - especially because that is the whole reason why we made this move!

But selfishly it was great for us because we got to enjoy another week together as a family!  We spent most of the time finishing the last little things to hang up or do for our little house to make it feel like home.  We worked on other little projects and Mark and I were even able to go on a date!

Another thing we did though was create the "fun room."  Yes, that is what we call it.  We have this room underneath the stairs and it is pretty incredible.  I will post pictures of the room later when I do the whole house but we did some decorating for the fun room.  

Melina got Jacob an easel with paints, markers, chalk - the whole shebang for Christmas!  And this week we finally got it out and set up.  It took some coaxing to get Jacob to put on the smock but then he just went to town!  He painted a "mural" for the fun room. 

We love our little Picasso!

Sledding

Last Saturday we did some family fun and went sledding.  We were going to go up to Big Cottonwood Canyon but we decided to just drive around and see if we could find a fun place a little closer.  I don't really know why I thought of it but we decided to drive up to Suncrest and while we were up there Mark spotted a trailhead and we decided to just go for it.  I put Sarah in the baby carrier and Mark put Jacob in the sled and we started to trek up.  It ended up being perfect.  The trail was a pretty gradual incline anyway so we trekked up that for awhile until we reached a flat-ish part.  Then we just let Jacob run around (though he didn't really know quite what to do!).  Then there was a perfect little hill off to the side that Mark and Jacob sledded down.  Sarah and I watched them do it once and then she was pretty done.  She was not a fan of the wind.  So we started to trek down while the boys continued sledding. 

It ended up being perfect timing because by the time Sarah and I got to the car walking, the boys had met up with us sledding down.  

Later that day we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Clegg's house and the boys played outside some more.  We love living closer to them and seeing them on a much more regular basis.  It was a great snow day!

New Years Eve

We invited my family over to our place to celebrate New Years Eve.  We ate pizza, chips and dip, veggies, and all sorts of other goodies!  Jacob got to play Hungry Hungry Hippo which he is loving right now!  

Once all of the kiddos went to bed we played lots of games and ended the night watching Maleficent.  It was a great evening!  

We said goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015.  

This year...it's all about survival!  

I think we got it!

Family Time

We headed up to North Ogden earlier this week for some post-Christmas family time!  It was great that so many people were able to come.  It was Grandpa and Grandma Berning, Grant and Kristen and their family, Brian, Todd, Daniel and Teresa and their family, and us.  We had a scrumptious dinner and then opened presents.  It was a great evening and I was really glad we could go up. 

The next day was probably the coldest, windiest day I have ever experienced!  Oh my goodness, I seriously felt like Jacob was going to blow away if I wasn't holding onto him.  We had hoped to go sledding but that was definitely not going to happen.  So instead we went to the Treehouse Museum.  It was a great children's museum.  

We had a great time...that is...until we didn't.  Jacob totally lost it.  All of a sudden we had the tantrum of all tantrums.  Jacob has definitely had his share of tantrums at home but we have been very blessed to have never had one in public...until this day.  It was horrible.  There is nothing like an entire room staring at you while you take your screaming child away.  And I am not exaggerating, the entire room.  And I can't blame them, I probably would have too.  It was one of those moments when you know every mother is just thinking, "oh my goodness, I am so glad it is not me." 

I thought if I just took him away from the area that he would calm down and I would be able to reason with him.  However, it was not meant to me.  And of course, we were on the top floor so I had to walk through the whole museum with my screaming child.  I was embarrassed.  I was very embarrassed.  And when I get embarrassed, I cry, which then only makes me more embarrassed because then I am crying.  

The snowball effect.  

We got to the car (and luckily didn't blow away) and I sat down with Jacob while I was crying, he said he was sorry, and we headed back home.  Of course, I continued to cry the whole way home.  And by that point it was just a combination to embarrassment and just that "bad mom" feeling.  That feeling that if I had just done something different than I could have avoided such an outburst.  I had heard people say that they had to leave a restaurant or the grocery store because of a tantrum but you just never think it is going to happen to you.  

Well...I guess I get to join the ranks.  

The thing was that I was never mad at Jacob.  I knew we had been pushing him too far.  We had just moved a week and a half before, had Christmas and now we were again away from home and it had all just been too much.  I understood.  And the thing was, we went home and he went down for his nap and was a perfect little angel the rest of the day.  

Parenting is hard sometimes.  It sometimes doesn't go the way you want it too.  But I guess all you can do is start over the next day and try your best.  

It unfortunately put a quick end to our trip with family.  But we still had a great time nonetheless and are grateful that we are closer and can do these 

get-togethers more!