Memorial weekend has been productive!  We stained and put in all the plugs to our stair banister (finally finishing it after almost 5 years).  Jaron did half of our brick mail box.  We had bids to have it done for $600-1000.  We had enough brick left over from building our house just sitting.  I'm glad Jaron decided to just try it himself and save all that money.  It may not be perfect, but in my opinion it looks pretty dang good for just watching a you tube video and giving it a first time try!

Savannah has a school bike ride fieldtrip coming up.  They did it last year as well, but she couldn't ride without training wheels, so I let her stay home.  This year we have been working hard since the snow melted to get her confident without her training wheels and she has done great.  I wanted to take her through Parker to practice since the school just rides around the town.  So Hudson and Savannah rode bikes, I jogged and Jaron took Avynlee on the 4 wheeler.  It was a beautiful morning and so much fun!

I also got a green accent wall painted that I have been wanting to do ever since we moved in.  My mom got me motivated and offered to help, so I took her up on it and I am sooo happy with how it turned out!

Took the family to Pizza Pie Cafe in Rexburg (their all time favorite all you can eat pizza bar).  Avynlee told me she had to go to the bathroom once, then began eating pizza again.  I figured I'd take a few more bites then take her to the bathroom.  Two seconds later.  "Mommy, I wet."  "What?!?? No not here!"  Yep.  nice little puddle on the restaurant floor.  So I was able to whisper a request to the bus boy for some antibacterial spray and a rag.  He brought it (such a nice boy, very discreet).  I cleaned up the puddle, wrapped her in my raincoat and we finished our dinner.

This morning I went to the temple to do some initiatory work.  The Spirit was unusually strong.  Three different workers got emotional while performing the ordinance.  Specifically when talking about the protective power of the Holy Garment.  It was weird.

NATIONAL ENTITLEMENT AWARENESS DAY

About a year ago I discovered a resource that has been a lifeline for me to hold to.  April Perry and Saren Eyre Loosli run a website called the Power of Moms.  I love being a mom.  It's all I've ever wanted to be.  I am also a big advocate of intentional living.  Through this website I have found a set of principles called the powers of motherhood.  The articles and podcasts are strengthening and guiding to me.  I find solutions and answers to how to raise my children and strengthen my family.

Last April I was lucky enough to attend a Power of Moms Retreat.  It was AMAZING to meet in person April, Saren, and Saren's parent, Richard and Linda Eyre (NY Times bestselling parenting authors).  The concepts taught and ideas I took home were very influential in my life as a wife and mother. 

Today is National Entitlement Awareness Day.  I think entitlement is a pretty important topic.  My personal opinion is that many of the problems we see in the upcoming generation stem from entitlement.  Kids today don't have to work like they used to.  Life is pretty cushy. This can cause a lot of problems as people emerge into adulthood and expect they should never have to cut back financially, compromise in relationships, or find joy and fulfillment in the small and simple things of life.

As a mom it can be very hard to find the balance between giving stability/nurture/love and overindulging/spoiling.  I've heard the Eyres talk about the fact that helping children take ownership in their lives can be a antidote to this problem.  I am excited to read about strategies that will help me teach my children become responsible, appreciative, contributing people as well as taking ownership in their lives in the Eyre's new book, The Entitlement Trap.

Richard and Linda Eyre are promoting their new book through an exciting giveaway!  Click here to read more about how to win a chance for some awesome prizes!

I know it's been a year since I last made a post. I thought I would quickly type something cute Hudson said to me just now as I sit outside the kids bedroom working on the computer as they fall asleep, and I will do that at the end of this post. The last post hit me as very ironic, though and has made me stop to think for a moment.

Avynlee is 18 months now and still not walking. My family doctor suggests we start her in physical therapy and get her walking asap. I'm not opposed to that, but I have decided to consider all avenues to addressing this situation. Two very good friends of mine whom I highly respect and admire are each taking one of their children to a sensory specialist in Idaho Falls, both for completely different reasons. Each friend has noticed Avynlee scooting on her bum and not crawling and mentioned to me that I ought to have Dr. Monika Buerger (Eagle Canyon Wellness Clinic) evaluate her because scooting instead of crawling can be a sign of a neurological disorder.

After procrastination because of the expense and the fear of having to commit to a treatment plan that would greatly interrupt the flow of our lives, I finally brought her in for an evaluation. It turns out that according to Dr. Buerger, Avynlee missed critical neurological development as a young baby due to not enough tummy time. She was very late in rolling over and when she finally did, it wasn't from the hips first as it should be, but from the shoulders. I attribute that to the fact that I put her in the bumbo chair far too much and for too long. I have never read one bad article on the effects of letting your baby sit for long periods in a bumbo chair. Everyone knows that tummy time is important for infants, but I always thought it was so they didn't get a flat head in the back and so they could strengthen their neck muscles (which are both true), but it seems the more important effect of tummy time is the brain development. It is absolutely essential that babies lay, roll, push and pull themselves around on the ground for healthy brain development. Make sense, but Avynlee was always much more content to be sitting up, whether it was on my lap, in the bumbo, propped up with a pillow, ect. If I'd have known, I would have made her spend more tummy time on the ground, but I didn't and I do the best I can (AND she was child #3, that's hard in and of itself).So we are starting a not-too-intense treatment plan with movement exercises meant to help fire up those critical neurological pathways and help her to let go of some of the primitive reflexes she is hanging onto (go google primitive reflexes to see why it is significant).

Here is Hudson's cute thing:

As he was falling asleep he popped his head up and said, "Mom! I have exciting news! I don't have to say beeskwetti (spaghetti) anymore! Now I can say bssget....bssget...the real word!"