Funny things they say

After two accidents yesterday, I made Noah wear a Pullup for the rest of the day. He was not happy. The next day I told him he could wear underwear again and he said, "Good job mom! I'm so proud of you for saying yes to my underwear". He is SOO funny!

After a good morning of hard playing and a big lunch, Noah sighed and said, "I pooped!"  I looked at him in shock and said, "What! On the stool just now?" He looked confused and then explained that he was so tired and ready to have quiet time.  He meant he was pooped.  I explained the difference.  :)

I asked Hyrum if he handed his permission slip in to his teacher for his school field trip. This was his response: "Yes. (Then he looked unsure and paused for a minute)  Well, actually most of the answer is yea, but only a little bit of the answer is no, but mostly yea. Sooo, I think my answer is yea."

Hyrum had a hard time on the bus the first couple of weeks of school because he couldn't get anyone to sit with him.  He would come home sad.  Then one day he got two pieces of colorful pipe cleaner I used for a craft project awhile ago and twisted them around each other and made it into a cool shape.  I asked him what he was making and he got really excited and said, "This is my invention, it's called the 'Sit-by-me-on-the-bus-inator'.  I'll hang this on my backpack and when other kids see it they will want to sit by me and be my friend."  It was very ingenious.

I was leaving to go visiting teaching on a Saturday morning and Brett was home with the boys.  As I was getting in the van to leave, Noah called out to me, "Mom! I will miss you so much!  I love you! I will very miss you!  Don't forget my kisses!"  Then he blew me kisses over and over again.  I kept catching them and blowing kisses to him. As the garage door shut he just kept crouching down lower and lower with it, while still blowing me kisses, until he was laying on the floor blowing kisses when the door shut.  

We introduced the boys to the old movie classic Hook.  The boys were intrigued and Hyrum especially loved it.  Anyway, we were talking about Hook and the bad choices he was making during the movie.  Noah said, "He is not following Jesus' plan."

Owen is ONE!!!

I can't believe our little Baby Bubbles is already one year old!  Owen is such a sweet addition to our family.  He is loving and gives kisses.  He loves his Momma and Dad and loves to be held.  He loves toilet water. . yea, that one is not so cool. He loves his brothers and they make him laugh everyday.  He says Mom, Baba (brother), Da (Dad).  He can walk!!! He's not fully confident in his abilities yet, but he takes four and five steps all day long.  We've caught him taking as many as thirteen steps.  It won't be long before he's running after his brothers.  Owen is a major climber.  He climbs onto everything already and is an expert at unloading kitchen drawers and cupboards.  We love him so much and are so blessed to have him in our family. 

We were so happy to share his birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Partridge, and Ryan and Jennifer's family.  

I've been sick this week so I didn't make anything for his B-Day.  Krispie Kreme saved the day.  Owen didn't seem to mind. 

Here's the birthday boy in his seat of honor.  He loved his balloons. 

Opening presents was exhausting so he plopped down on the floor to rest.  Trust me, he's not the hold-still type, so I thought it was pretty funny.   

First Day at Joyschool

I now have two boys in school.  Our little Goose started Joyschool last week.  He is loving it!  We have a great group of kids and Moms and we’re all so excited to see these kids having fun and learning together.

Letter to myself (Past, Present, Future)

I don't feel any different today then I did yesterday, but I guess I am in a new age bracket which means I should be so much smarter, wiser, patient. . . or something like that.  In 10-20 years I'm sure I will be saying the same thing and look back to this time and think about how young and crazy I was right now.  My parents sent me a birthday card and my mom said that the next 10-15 years of my life are the summer years.  I agree.  I feel like the greatest times of my life are at the door.  I am in a reflective and contemplative mood so I thought I would journal it down here.  I know this is really weird but I strangely fear having amnesia(yes I realize its not something you just get like a cold or something, but still I worry), which is why I'm a bit obsessive about journaling, scrapbooking, and keeping things up to date. So, for my 1/3 of life complete post I wanted to write this to my amnesiac self.

Basics I've learned:

      2. Say no to drugs:  I've learned repeatedly that my body is very effected by what's put into it.  If I take a sleeping pill I will sleep for twelve hours, have restless leg syndrome, wake up really groggy, and still need a 3 hour nap during the day to sleep off the pill.  Caffeine will keep me wired.  I have about twenty minutes to get ready for bed after taking Nyquill before I literally collapse asleep.  After going to a Third Eye Blind concert when I was 14, it took me three days to get rid of the headache and hangover-type feeling from just being around all the weed and cigarette smoke.  And more recently, I have learned to stay away from metabolism boosting vitamins, because my body acts like its crack.

    3. You faint:  The first time I can remember fainting was at an eye appointment when I was little.  The doctor dialated my eyes and it really scared me, so I passed out.  Then, when I was 11 I was in a horrible horse accident.  The doctor on call attemped to get an IV in my hand and failed at least 5 times before he finally found a vein in my arm.  I fainted.  Then in 8th grade my home-ec teaher was visiting with the girls and discussing how a tampon worked.  I fainted (that one took a while to live down).  After attempting to donate blood 4 times and passing out each time, a nurse told me that I should just refrain from trying.  I've learned that its not the action itself that makes me faint, but only when I think about/dwell on it.  I have learned that the less I know about certain things the better.  When I'm pregnant I am fully aware what's happening with my body, but I also know that when I am having my c-sections I have to be completely distracted and unaware of what's going on or I will not make it.  So, if you want specifics about certain things, you'll have to ask Brett, because I choose to stay out of the loop for a reason.  I have low blood pressure which contributes to my fainting.  When I am prego I tend to pass out/faint/get dizzy pretty frequently.  I've learned to control it.  I know when it's about to come on, so I can stop before anything happens and rest for a while.  Sometimes I try and push through it and end up on the floor somewhere.  I'm glad that I've learned to recognize the feeling and know when to sit or lay down.

Present Self:
 1.  It's hard being a Mom.  Take a breath.  Take a walk.  Go to the gym.  Plan a date.  This phase of your life takes a lot out of you.  There is a time and season for all things and your time for sleep, reading lots of books, having an immaculately clean home will come, but it is not right now.

2. When you are pregnant you need to remember a few things. (No, this is not an announcement) First, you should spend more time enjoying the life in you and less time stressing about the messes around the house, which means you need to ask for help.  Do it!  You always think you're going to die when you give birth because it freaks you out.  You are not going to die!  You've made it through 3 births and you can do it again. Lastly, after the baby is born remember that you have tried to loose weight while nursing three times now and it doesn't work very well.  Don't beat yourself up about it, and remember that you won't see the baby weight start to come off until you're done nursing.  Be happy with the moment you're in.

3. Make meaningful memories a priority.  I don't have a lot of memories of when I was really little, but the things I do remember are little memories that meant a lot to me, even though they may seem insignificant.  I remember the first time I saw an owl.  I was about three and we lived in Sumner, WA.  It was in our yard and it was amazing and magical.  I remember it.  I want to be more careful to recognize these simple things that are magical to a young mind.  Be more patient with the things they don't fully understand or haven't experienced yet.  Understand that everything is new to them and it may take time.  Look at the newness of life through their eyes before you loose it because they are making you run late, or aren't catching on to something that seems simple to you.  They look to you and your reactions to things as an example, make it a good example.  When you forget to be a good example, then apologize.  Give them good memories to carry with them

(My high school drama queen self is still here:)

Future Self:

1.  There is only one thing I want to remind my future self.  I'm sure there will be times when you are sitting alone in an empty house and you will wish desperately to have little feet running around you and you will miss being needed as much as I am needed now.  It is a wonderful time and it is incredibly rewarding to be so loved and so wanted. I love this phase of my life, but it is not easy.  This is what I need from you.  When you see a young mother looking frazzled and stressed, try and help her.  If she is in front of you in line at the grocery store offer to hold or play with her baby while she checks out.  If a mom leaves during sacrament meeting holding two screaming children in her arms, follow her and take one so she can calm them down one at a time.  If you visit teach a young mom, ask her if you can come over for 45 minutes so she can shower and get ready for the day while you play with the kids or take them on a walk.  And most importantly, assure all these moms that they are doing a good job.  Don't tell them that you hope they love every minute with their babies, but tell them that you hope they treasure the special moments and forget about the crazy moments.  Because when you are living each day on less then recommended sleep, clothes that can not remain clean for more then 10 minutes before snot/sticky fingers/bloody nose. . .destroy every thread of looking presentable, when it's been months since you last went to the bathroom in privacy,  when you are bit/hit/spit on/kicked at least once every day, and when you feel like every single part of you has given all it can with very little thanks, the last thing you want to hear is how much someone 40 years older loved everything about when they were in your place.  I guarantee to you, future self, that this phase of your life has been very hard and trying sometimes to the point of feeling like you can't do it another day, but it is also the most rewarding experience I have ever experienced up to this point as well.  I love my sweet boys and I want you to know that I do cherish those precious moments.  I love snuggling them close to me, blowing them kisses, tickling their ridiculously ticklish thighs, listening to them tell me stories about their adventures, watching them take their first steps, and holding them as infants for longer then I needed to just to have their warm bodies close.  I will always cherish those milestones of beauty in life.

In the News

So, a few weeks ago I got a call from a lady at the Daily Herald.  She said she wanted to do an interview with me because I won a baking contest.  My first thought was, 'Wow, we really don't have any news here.'  But, it ended up being kind of fun.  She came to the house in the morning.  I made her a pie.  She did say a few things that were not exactly correct in the article.  I do not bake bucket loads of food everyday.  Here's the article as it appears in the paper (I've removed the name of my town).

Karissa Neely - Correspondent

 -- Banoffee. Odd sounding name, but absolutely deliciously winning treat.

C.H. resident Stephanie Partridge won this summer's Family Festival Taste of C.H. contest with her Banoffee Pie -- a bit of some old recipes from England, and a bit of Partridge's additions.

"My husband used to rave about this banana cream pie he had on his mission in England. At Thanksgiving one year, we had banana cream pie, and he said, 'That's not banana cream pie!' But it was," Partridge said. "In England, it's much different, all caramelly."

The pie traditionally has bananas, coffee, toffee and caramel. Partridge changed it up a bit, substituting more caramel, toffee and chocolate for the coffee, creating a yummy success.

"I pretty much add everything scandalous and naughty and call it good. If you're going to go decadent, you might as well go all the way," Partridge said with a laugh.

Partridge calls herself a "domestic nerd" and has a love for all things domestic. Though she wasn't much of a cook when younger, once she married and started having children, she felt the need for a skill she could enjoy. She has developed a deep love for cooking; it is now an essential outlet for her creativity.

"Cooking is something you have to do, so you might as well enjoy it. With three kids under 6 years old, you need an outlet. So I do my cooking late at night when my kids are in bed, and I have fresh food at 10 p.m.," she said with a smile. "My kids get the leftovers in the morning."

Her creativity not only paid off with the Cedar Hills contest, but more importantly, it's paid off with her family. Her oldest son has developed his own love of cooking. Partridge said he loves to create "concoctions," which sometimes turn out, and sometimes are "a bit weird."

"But it's important for kids to learn how to cook," Partridge said. "If you involve them in what you love, they gain confidence, because they see how much you enjoy it and your success."

Her son found that confidence, and has wanted to share it -- even convincing his mother to videotape him teaching viewers how to crack an egg -- a skill he's worried many people in the world don't have.

Her husband Brett readily admits he didn't grow up with home cooking. "We did have a garden, it was called Taco Bell," he said joking, but also said he is grateful for how Stephanie's skills benefit his family.

"I'm used to sticking to the same recipes so it's an adjustment and always a surprise to see how Stephanie might change things up," he said. "The vast majority of time, her changes are for the better. Often because it's 'sneaking' in veggies or other healthy ingredients into the meal. Besides the food itself, the biggest blessing of her love for cooking and baking is that she's instilled that love in our kids. They are very open to different foods -- far more open than I ever was as a child."

She cooks and bakes buckets of yumminess each day, but she shares her treats with as many others as possible, so she won't end up on the rotund side.

"I eat small portions, and give the rest away. You have to really savor your food," she said.

She also shares her recipes on her website, www.triedandtruesday.com. Originally, the site was simply a way to organize the "pile of recipes in a corner" of her kitchen, and she didn't remember what worked and which ones were good. Now, every day she simply props up her iPad, goes to her site, and decides what to fix.

"It's nice, because my husband can troll through it at work and tell me what he wants for dinner," she said.

Even better, all of her recipes have pictures she's taken herself so when other people ask for a recipe, which they do often, she can just send them to her site and they can see how to cook it and how it should look.

And yes, the Banoffee Pie looks good on her site, but it tastes even better.

Letter to my kids on my 30th Birthday.

Dear Kids,

I know I will never be young in your eyes.  In your mind I will be your Mom and that is all I will be to you.  I am not only okay with that, but I embrace this honor and all the roles that go along with it.  Being a Mom means that I will be a lot of things for you and a lot of things to you.  Sometimes I am the bad guy, and other times a warm embrace and a shoulder to cry on.  I am not a perfect person, which means I am not a perfect mother either.  I wish I could be more for you, and I hope that you can embrace the good, and learn from my mistakes as you find yourself and build your own family someday.  I want you to know that I love you.  You can't fully understand the love I have for you until you have children of your own.  But in case you are wondering I will never stop loving you.  I love you when you snuggle into me.  I love you when you laugh.  I love you when you explore.  I love you when you play together.  I love you when you hate me.  I love you when you make mistakes.  I love you when you sleep.  I love you when you drive me crazy.  I love you always and there are no limits.  With that said, I also love you enough to let you fail.  I love you enough to look away so you can learn on your own.  I love you enough to make you do things on your own.  I love you so much that I want you to leave me someday and find happiness for yourself.  Even if I forget to say it or you feel that your Dad and I are in a different world that you want nothing to do with, we both love you and nothing can take that love away.

I am now thirty years old. When I was little I thought the big 3-0 was the first passageway to being old.  Say goodbye to youth, beauty, and pretty much all fun in general.  Hello to responsibility, wrinkles, and a tired body.  Now that I am here I have discovered that I was very wrong.  Thirty is really just the beginning.  I spent the first 18 years of my life being trained how to be on my own and find myself.  The 20's became the time of discovery and experimentation to see where I want to belong and creating the architecture of the adult person I hope to become.  Yes, I feel as though I'm just growing into becoming an adult. I feel so young and full of adventure.  Never be afraid of a year, or an age.  You define yourself by who you choose to be.  A number is a number and a title is just a title.  I think everything comes down to finding happiness, true happiness, the kind that makes you content and look forward to getting older and letting that happiness expand within you as it grows with time.  I am happy and the best part is that I know that my happiness will increase.  I know that life is hard and I also know what true pain feels like, what depression and heartache feels like, and what discouragement and disappointment feel like.  I know that hard times will inevitably happen again, but I have confidence that things will be okay.  Things will be okay because no matter how lonely I feel, or hopeless things may become, my Savior will be my hope, my constant, my forever companion in finding forgiveness, strength, and guidance.  Until you've experienced His miraculous Atonement you may not understand how He can possibly fix things that seem un-fixable, but I encourage you to try your faith in the unknown.  He is my Savior and He is yours as well, but you must turn to him in humility to fully receive the healing power waiting for you.  Your Father in Heaven loves you more than even I can fathom.  This knowledge brings me peace and calm in the storms in my life.  You have a network of family, church, friends, and ancestors who genuinely care about you and your future.  You can be and do anything you want, so do the right thing and be the person you were born to be.  If you're not sure who you are, pray and ask.  If you need help, ask.  '. . .ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you.'  If you can't fix it, work with it.  Worry less, work more.  

Right now, I'm watching you sleep as I write this.  I embrace the time I have alone, my girls nights out, my date nights with Dad, and my late night grocery runs, but I love my full time job of being your mom and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Love,
Mom, Mommy, Snuggle Buggle, Buddy

Kindergarten - The Big Day

 We've spent the last week preparing ourselves and Hyrum for today.  I really didn't think that I would be one of those moms that gets all emotional to send their kids off, but I did.  I think today went really well.  Last night we had a special Family Home Evening and Brett gave Father's Blessings to the boys and I.  It was a great experience.  The boys were more quiet, still, and reverent then I have ever seen simultaneously before.  The spirit of peace and comfort was very present and it allowed a great starting point to the day ahead of us today. 

When the boys woke up Brett and I got to work making a special breakfast, Orange Julius', pancakes, and bacon. 

Having so many kids in such a concentrated area makes putting him on a bus less stressful.  The school only has one bus and the bus only has 2 stops.  One stop is at the bottom of one side of our street and the other stop is at the bottom of the other side of our street; very little chance of getting lost.  

For his first day I followed the bus to the school and got to be there when he went to find his seat and meet his new friends at his table.  He was pretty nervous and was so happy when I surprised him to take him to his class.  Thank you Courtney for watching my little munchkins so I could be there for Hyrum one on one!

I was so excited to see so many kids from our ward (congregation), so Hyrum already has friends that he knows.  

Isn't he such a little stud?!  When we picked him up at the bus stop I kept asking him questions about how it was and what they did.  His response was, "it was kinda exciting weird."  Later I got out of him that his favorite part was recess and riding the bus.  It's going to be a fun year!