Bath Time

Bathing the kids is one of my least favorite tasks.  No matter what we do, they play in the tub the way they play in our pool...which involves lots of jumping and splashing.  Usually by the time we are finished the floor is wet and I am drenched (and grumpy!).  The kids love it, even though they no longer get bath toys to play with!

Anyway, on Monday night I threw dinner in the oven and decided to bathe the kids before it was ready to be pulled out.  I am proud to say, I had all three kids bathed, diapered, and dressed in 12 minutes!  I walked into the kitchen when there was one minute left on the timer.  Needless to say, by the time all three kiddos were in bed and asleep, I was exhausted as well!

All about Zach

It is so easy to jump on this site and quickly post funny things the kids say.  However, by doing this Zach is very often left off since he isn't talking.  I have been feeling badly about that so I thought the best way to fix it is to post something about him and only him!

We love our Zachy-Zach.  He is such a cute baby who is full of life.  I love when we go in to get him up after a nap and he just grins from ear to ear and kicks his feet as fast as he can.  All of this is usually accompanied with a loud squeal of excitement.  As we bring him out of his room, he is frantically looking around for Kennedy and McGuire.  As soon as he spots them or hears them, the squealing starts again and he starts kicking his legs and bouncing up and down as if to try to get us to move faster because he wants to be near his brother and sister RIGHT NOW!

Zach loves to eat!  He loves anything you put on his tray or in his mouth.  He gets frustrated when we put him in his chair and put the tray on and there isn't food there immediately.  He pounds his tray and whines until you give him food.  He is learning he has to eat it fast or else McGuire comes over and steals the food away.  It is funny to watch Zach try to protect his territory...I can only imagine how it is going to be as he gets older!  He LOVES to drink water and he especially loves it from his straw cup.  He likes his sippy cup, but he LOVES his straw cup.  He will guzzle a whole cup of water in no time flat, it is pretty amazing.

He is trying so hard to crawl and gets very frustrated when things are just out of his reach.  His latest thing is to bury his head into the ground and KICK his legs up in the air.  Then, right before his legs hit the ground, he turns in the direction he is hoping to go and pushes as his legs touch the ground.  This little maneuver will usually move him a couple inches.  It is a very interesting thing to watch (and makes him mad when he realizes we are watching and not HELPING!)

Zach LOVES to be outside.  He likes the feel of the grass and watching the chaos that usually ensues as the entire neighborhood comes out to play in the evening.  We love everything about you Zach!!

Things that made today great

• Zach slept through the night.  He usually sleeps through the night, but has a nasty cold.  The night before, he was up every 45 minutes to an hour.  I think I averaged about 2.5 hours sleep that night and Rich wasn't far behind that. YIKES!
• Two sessions of Stake Conference were planned to accommodate our entire stake.  I went to the morning session without any kiddos and was able to listen to and enjoy every talk.
• When Rich was getting ready to go to the afternoon session, Kennedy asked if she could go to church.  It makes me happy that at four years old, she understands the importance of going to church (Yes, we were planning to keep the kids home from conference this time around....the first time we have ever done that).
• McGuire and I enjoyed some fun one on one time while Kennedy was with Rich and Zach was down for a nap.
• When Zach woke up from his nap, his fever was gone and he didn't seem as congested.  HOORAY for a good night's rest and a great nap in the middle of the day!
• Kennedy challenged Rich to a game of Wii baseball and me to a game of Wii golf and tennis.  We had a great time playing!
• While we were distracted with Wii, McGuire found a half full can of Dr. Pepper on the kitchen counter.  He ran into the playroom and GUZZLED the remaining liquid.  We didn't realize what he was doing until he came out to show us he had Dr. Pepper on his shirt.  When I went to the playroom to find the can, it was nowhere to be seen.  When I asked him where it was, he immediately ran into the room and showed me where he had HIDDEN it on one of the shelves.  Sneaky kid!
• McGuire decided he wanted to wear big boy underwear!!  He wore them for about 1.5 hours, had no accidents, and went potty twice in the toilet!
• Zach amazed us with us talent of drinking from a straw cup.  He LOVES water and has mastered both the sippy cup and straw cup.
• We sat down to our traditional Sunday night dinner of waffles and had no major spills, food on the ground, or screaming.  We must savor these littel moments!
• We enjoyed a family walk around the block
• And most importantly, while Rich beat me at Wii golf one time, I beat him THREE times.  Oh yeah, and today was my first time playing golf!

Update on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 11:05PM by Miriam

Rich didn't like that I mentioned I beat him in golf so I was challenged to a re-match.  Sadly, I didn't do so well this time around...he won twice and we tied once.  We would have played again, but it is 11:00 and apparently, that is a reason to not play anymore. 

I am typically not a very competitive person, but this game has changed that.  I will probably lose sleep over this as I strategise winning in the near future.  If Zach is up during the night, it will be a hard to not turn on the Wii and have a little extra practice time! :)

Only in AZ....

Only in Arizona can the kids run through the sprinkler at 5:00 at night in the middle of February! 

FYI: The Book of Mormon

My sister posted this article on our family website last week. I am really excited to look up the scripture references and use these scriptures as I encounter my day to day challenges. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the testament of Christ and his gospel it provides to all who read it. I am grateful we each can gain our own personal testimony about the truth of the scriptures and the teachings therein. Enjoy researching the scriputres below!

FYI: For Your Info,” New Era, Jan 1993, 34–37
The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon offers you just the right tools to fix almost anything. Here’s a handy guide to help you know where to look.

When Douglas Holt of Tucson , Arizona , was asked to speak to a Young Women’s group about applying the scriptures in their lives, he asked his 18-year-old daughter Marianne what helped her. They sat down with the family during a home evening and came up with this guide.

When—
You are sad about your sins and mistakes, 2 Nephi 4:17–35.
You want to know why there is so much opposition in your life, 2 Nephi 2.
Your faith is tried, Alma 32:21–43; Mosiah 24:13–14, 21.
You feel that God has abandoned you, Alma 36:27; Mosiah 4:9; 7:33 .
You feel inadequate, Alma 37:6–7.
You don’t feel like praying, 2 Nephi 32:8–9.
You’re depressed, Alma 26:27.
You’re overwhelmed by your weaknesses, Ether 12:27–29.
You need your batteries recharged, Mosiah 4:27 .

If you—
Need guidance, 2 Nephi 32:3.
Are tempted to do wrong, 2 Nephi 28:21–23.
Lose patience while waiting for an answer, 2 Nephi 28:30.
Are sick of being an example, Alma 17:11.
Feel like sinning now and repenting later, Alma 34:32–34.
Are following the crowd, 2 Nephi 28:7–11.
Need forgiveness, Enos 1.
Lust, Mosiah 3:19.
Don’t know what to pray for, Alma 34:17–28; 37:36–37; 38:14.

When you want to know what to do—
After baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, 2 Nephi 31:18–20.
When surrounded by darkness, Mosiah 16:9.
With contention, 3 Nephi 11:29–30; Mosiah 18:21.
When you fear death, Alma 40.
To come to Christ, Omni 1:26 ; Moroni 10:32 –33.

To find—
The Psalm of Nephi, 2 Nephi 4:17 –35.
Alma ’s conversion, Alma 36.
The account of Christ with the little children, 3 Nephi 17.
Lehi’s dream, 1 Nephi 8.
King Benjamin’s address, Mosiah 3–5.
Moroni ’s promise, Moroni 10:3–5.
Sacrament prayers, Moroni 4–5. [Moro. 4; Moro. 5]
The Beatitudes, 3 Nephi 12:12–24.

How to—
Be born again, Mosiah 5; 27:24–25.
Have faith, Alma 32.
Judge between good and evil, Moroni 7:5–28.
Learn from others’ mistakes, Mormon 9:31.
Survive the adversary’s attacks, Helaman 5:12.
Deal with apostates, Alma 24:30.

Why—
Listen to the Spirit? Jacob 4:13.
Did Christ need to die? Alma 34:8–16.
Rejoice in Christ? Alma 26:11–16.
Bear affliction? Jacob 6

If you do not have a copy of the Book of Mormon and would like a free copy sent to you, go to http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/the-restoration-of-truth/god-is-your-loving-heavenly-father#d and scroll to the bottom of the page.