Nothing groundbreaking

 I have been lacking creative juices. Even the  thoughts in the shower are hardly worth mentioning. Is it true that I was more creative when I was sleep-deprived on night shift? It's like how some artists perform better and come up with better ideas, lyrics and poetry when they are strung out. I am not sure that I am mentally healthier post partum than I am on night shift though.
 I have nothig profound or groundbreaking, nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that Jenna is growing up and a lot of fun. My neighbor told me that her dentist-brother said there is a relationship between initial tooth eruption and maturity. (I haven't seen the research) The sooner a baby gets teeth, the sooner they hit puberty. Great!!, Jenna got her first tooth the week she was 4 months old. There is no point to that statement except that it made me think that she is growing up and more growing up is coming. She had school pictures again. I may scan her and Zac's in later. 
 I have enjoyed this nice weather and have taken an interest in the trees and pruning them and hopefully not to the point of killing them. They are apparently red plums that have been dormant. I hope that I didn't wake a sleeping, messy giant, but they are a little less unruly-looking now.
 We have been geocaching, I really enjoy that. The GPS unit is finicky, and even though we drove for a hour+ and once we reached our destination there were some guys shooting their guns and we couldn't find the "treasure", we still had fun.
 What else? ...the baby is sleeping better at night. Like 9-4am. 'Tis sweet to sleep. He is 5 months now!
 Daylight-savings is responsible for 2 days of tardies for the near truant kids. I dropped out, no flunked out, of the 5 o'clock club and right now, I don't even feel bad about it.
 I finally broke down after 6 months of regrowth and got my hair done and now I have a mullet, but my roots are gone. The girl who did my hair was a breath of fresh air, except that she gave me a questionable cut. A dear friend hooked me up with MK, and I testify that it is the best! Thank you!
 Gage is rolling. He likes to go to the left more than the right. Once he gets to his belly, he is so proud. He is, hands down, the cutest, most smiley, dimply baby ever! I am not partial!
 Zac is into basketball. We have a b-ball goal that is adjustable. Steve got a ball and lowered the goal, now our driveway is the best part of the neighborhood, at least to about 4-5 little boys.
 Trev is beautiful and his eyes are looking greenish.
 Steve is getting fit and feeling good.
 I start "Feel great in 8" again next week. I lost 13 pounds last time. 13 more would be amazing. I have a pair of pants that I would love to be able to zip up without laying down.
 I am paying out the nose in childcare and it makes me crazy.
 Work is good at the clinic, but I miss my girls in Lexington...and the babies. I do miss labor and delivery, but this job is much less stressful, although it is surprisingly busy.
 Oh, and yes! My mom is coming next week!

I love my family and am grateful for the change of seasons.

Geocaching to Eagle Mtn. I love Zac's folded ear!

Jenna picture day morning . All of her jeans, minus 2 pair have holes in the knees. This is her trademark.

 

Not eating solids yet, but so cute in the highchair.

Jenna and Zac found on the back deck, made a picnic in honor of the weather. I love how the old dirty rug is a plate.

"I two!"

Trev had his 2nd birthday last Wednesday the 23rd. He is stinkin' cute. We would tell him that "it's your birthday!" and he would say, "Yeah! It my birthday!" We went to play at Carl's Jr playland that afternoon. The kids thought that it was wonderful (who would have thought I could be so wonderful by taking them there for free!?) Later that night, he got to choose what he wanted to eat for dinner.  He said that he wanted a burr-ee-toe for his birthday dinner. 
We had icecream and cake this past Saturday to celebrate. We made party hats, decorated cupcakes and ate icecream and cake. The kids had fun with Trev's new toys. Trev also liked his new Dora shirt and DVD.

 Sporting his new Dora Shirt.

 Trev loves Uncle "Ke'in"

 Jenna and Gage in their hats.

 Clown Cupcakes

 The toy cart from ma was a big hit.

 Dino jammies!

 Elefun!

The toy store

I read about this toy/candy store called Blickenstaff"s in North Provo and thought that it would be fun to go to as a family. (I wouldn't dare brave it parent-solo.) It was one of those things that could go either way. There could have been whining and destruction and wildness, and thus yelling, frustration and tears, but instead there was minimal whining and wildness (and no destruction that I know of.), and smiles. Plus we were essentially the only ones there for the 40 minutes or so that we perused the toys and tested them out. I did hear about a million times, "do I have enough money for this?"  and I responded nearly a million times, "no, you have $5.00". So they opted for a happy meal to spend their money on and 2 dollars change, except Zac, who bought a 3-foot gummy snake for $2.35. Thanks Ma for the Valentine dollars. It was a fun time!

4 months Happy

Gage was 4 months on the 13th. He is a happy boy. He does have the loudest cry of all the kids, and he uses his cry effectively when he is tired or hungry. Otherwise, he will smile at the drop of a hat and drools buckets.
This picture is at the Hogle Zoo last Saturday. It was nice to get outdoors, the 40s left like a heat wave.

Well Gage's stats at 4 months are
26 1/2 inches (92%ile)
16 lbs 8 oz (78 %ile)
43.2 cm head (72%ile)

Hats

What is it about a baby in a hat? Is it that their eyes stand out or the adorable squeezy cheeks? Maybe they look less bald. Whatever it is, I have always loved my babies in a hat.
 This is Gage, looking cute. Week-daily, we bundle up and get in the van and drive down the street to the bus stop and wait for Zac's bus. When we get back, this is where Gage lands until Trev and I get our coats and shoes off.

100 days of school

They did this in Kentucky for Jenna, and this year the kids are doing it here- celebrating the 100th day of school.   Last week, Thursday, was Jenna's 100th day of school, but she stayed home from school playing very convincing hooky, and was devastated when she realized that night that she missed her 100th day party...that was, according to her friends, AMAZING! They had donuts and ate the 100 pieces of cereal they had counted out and brought earlier in the week.  I did feel bad for her. Steve and I are hoping that it was a lesson that she learned the hard way. No lecturing was necessary after that sad consequence.
 Zac started Kindergarten the week after the rest of the elementary, so his special day is tomorrow. He has to bring 100 pieces of cereal to eat for the celebratory breakfast and also  a poster with 100 items. Googly eyes it is! The poster reads in his "best" handwriting, "100 eyes for 100 days". This is his alien that he glued 100 assorted googly eyes to, that we had in 1 of our many crazy craft Tupperwares. It's always fun to look in those- rubber bands, clothes pins, Popsicle sticks and always an item that makes me say, "that is where that is!".

Anyway, when the little boys were sleeping and Jenna was still at school, Zac and I counted and created. He is good with numbers, now if he could just be a little better with his ears and agreeability.

Park

Playing at the park sounded like a good idea. The sun was shining, and it was above freezing after all.
 Actually, if I was honest I would say that Jenna and Zac had a good time playing pirates and running on the play ground, and the fresh air did us all some good. It wouldn't be lying to say that Trev sat in a wet, cold, puddle, had difficulty traversing the crunchy snow, and had to be carried football style while kicking and screaming when we left. Gage was strapped to me and seemed snug, but for some reason couldn't settle-in with the sun shining in his face, his hat in his eyes and the freezing temperates in January.

 So for now, we will stick to indoor swings. The bigger kids can bundle up and play pirates in the yard without an emotional mom brother or a restless baby.