Update

I just can't seem to get myself updating regularly these days. There are so many things I want to talk about and so few pictures that I have taken. I am sooo bad at taking pictures - I guess I am just having too much fun doing the activities & projects that I don't want to take the time to snap a pic! And while I don't mind posting without pictures (I am a writer, ya know)...I'm pretty sure I know a few people who get bugged by it:) so that's why I haven't posted in a while. But tonight I don't care - so here's your update...without any pictures.

Mads lost her first top front tooth (I know - I really should have a picture of this one). She came home from school one day with her tooth super duper loose. So she wiggled and wriggled and jiggled it until it was barely hanging on. Jeff tied some dental floss around it and attached it to one of our GeoTrax trains. He put Mads in charge of the remote and so she started it and sent it wildly careening down a steep slope...er, she sent it haltingly down the slight incline. It didn't work. She tried one more time...no luck. She decided she'd had enough of the train idea and so we cut the floss off (some was still wrapped around her tooth) and she hung out like that for a while. Finally...after lots of drama & complaining & threatening by Mom to just pull it out, Dad helped her hold her mouth in warm water to soften the gums and she pulled it out, all by herself. Of course, the tooth fairy didn't show up the first night, or the second night. I'm pretty sure it will not be long before the jig is up with Maddie. Not because she's not innocent and trusting and believing but because seriously, how long can you really believe that the tooth fairy is that forgetful?

Cade is stinkin' funny. The other day we were looking at a shape book together and he asked me what a star says. "Stars don't say anything," said I. "Yes they do, Ma. They say...Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are...." Cade is definitely a challenge for me as a mother (not because he isn't smart, funny, or cute but because...well, you know). But I feel like we are making progress in our communications together and he seems to be more happy & well-adjusted these days. It is wonderful!

Cole is also hilarious. I work really hard to give him choices & options because he does NOT like to be told what to do. The boy cannot be rushed either. I can often be heard saying some of the following,

"Cole, if you don't do your chore then Mommy will do it because I need a clean house. But if Mommy does your chore then you will have to do one of mine in exchange."

"Cole, it is your responsibility to take care of this because it is yours and you got it out. If you don't take care of it, then it might get lost or taken away."

So in theory, this works. And it actually does much of the time. But lately, this is what I've been hearing from Cole.

"Mom. You need to do this job because you have to do jobs for me."

"Who got my pajamas out for me? You. So that means you are responsible for putting them away."

Do you see how things have gotten a little distorted? I haven't quite figured out the best way to handle this one:)

Lane is a little blabbermouth. He talks a lot and it is really cute. The only problem being that you can't understand anything he says. He still hasn't said Mom or Dad where I know that's actually who he is referring to. The other night I was making pizza and he was "helping" me and I asked him to say 'pizza'. He did. It was soooo cute! So I kept making him say it over and over again so Jeff & the other kids could hear it. I think now he knows that he's performing and every once in a while, he'll say pizza just to see our reaction! Since then, he has imitated a couple of other words but I can say without a doubt that pizza was his very first word! Oh, Lane had a well check-up last week and he is in the 35th percentile for his height & weight. Can you believe that my 10 lb. 4 oz. baby is only in the 35th percentile? Crazy...

In other news, Maddie tried to watch TV this morning before church (we have 9am meetings). I had to ask her several times to turn it off. So...I decided that we need to take a little hiatus from the television and told them that we would not be watching at all this week (even Mom). They played so well all afternoon and didn't even ask to watch but this evening, Mads kept saying, "Mom...I really NEED TV." Um, do you think maybe she watches too much? I usually keep their TV time pretty regulated but the past couple of weeks I've been pretty lenient and obviously it is no good. Haha. Although, I probably should have thought before I gave my verdict because Jeff's out of town all week and I have a hard time going to sleep with him gone and I usually watch television until I can't stay awake any longer. Oh well, I'm sure this purging will be good for me too - it's not like I don't have plenty of other things to keep me busy. Like homework, right Mom??

Well...that's it for now. Maybe I'll update a little sooner this time...and with pictures!

Round 10

We're sick at our house...AGAIN. I swear, I think someone in the family has been sick every day since before Thanksgiving. Of course, we've had short breaks where's everyone has felt good but even then, Lane's had a constant runny nose. Which doesn't help his ears one bit. Ugh!

Cole has been throwing up tonight. When stomach stuff comes around, I just dread Cole getting it because it always seems to hit him the hardest. Or maybe it just manifests itself in different ways with him. With the little guys, I get to change a few extra fun diapers. With Cole, he pukes. A lot. When he was about 15 months, he got the stomach flu and threw up for 11 days. It was terrible. We had just moved into our house and I remember sacrificing myself many times just so he wouldn't get it on the carpet. Those were days of many showers and many many loads of laundry.

So tonight Cole gets to sleep with us (trust me, it's a rare treat) so he doesn't have to climb all the way down from his bunk bed to make it to the bathroom. When I gave him the news, he smiled his sweet smile and said "Thanks Mom." I told him he just couldn't throw up on me:) He agreed.

Here's hoping that the rest of us stay healthy this weekend!

Two Funny Stories For Today

We were out until bedtime last night so I had Maddie wake up early to take her shower this morning. She came out of the bathroom protesting, saying that "someone else is in the other shower and I don't want the water to be cold". I assured her that Dad would only be a few minutes and that the water wouldn't be cold. We checked it just to make sure and so she climbed in. As she was finishing, I went to check on her and she was not happy with me. Apparently, I was wrong and her water was COLD. She wrapped up in her towel and refused to get dressed because she was too cold:) Anyways, just a little bit later, Jeff came out and asked Mads how her shower was, if it was cold or warm. She gave him that look you saw in the picture (yes, she's good at it) to let him know that she was not happy to report that it was cold. I sheepishly asked Jeff how his shower was and he informed me that it was FREEZING and that hot water can't be used in two different places at the same time or it will just be cold for both. Sorry guys:)

This afternoon I opened the garage to go get Maddie from school and two dogs that were just roaming around the neighborhood decided to grace us with their presence. They ran into the garage, jumped up on me, and then proceeded to climb in my van! So if you know me at all, you know that I am not a dog person...AT ALL. I was totally chicken! I started yelling at them to get out and was so afraid to touch them lest they turn on me or one of the boys. They made themselves at home, one climbed up in an empty carseat and another walked all the way to the back seat (and they were not small dogs). I could NOT get them out. I was desperate. We were trying for several minutes and I was late to get Maddie and I didn't want her to be standing outside in the cold for too long...I wasn't sure what to do. But then I remembered the leftover ham I had in the fridge - I was saved! I ran inside, grabbed the meat, tempted the doggies with a couple of pieces and then threw it away from the driveway. They ran out and got their meat, we closed the doors as fast as we could, and we high-tailed it out of there. Of course this would happen to me.

Anyways, hope we gave you a little chuckle!

Christmas 2009

We had such a lovely, relaxed Christmas. Jeff had to work on Christmas Eve so that kind of stunk but it gave the kids & I the chance to do some cooking & sewing together. I had decided to make stockings for the kids this year but procrastinated and ended up starting & finishing all 4 of them on Christmas Eve. They liked helping me, especially Maddie. We also made a chocolate cheesecake, cheesy potato casserole, and bundt rolls together. Mads & Cole kept saying, "This is the best Christmas Eve ever." It was so perfect. We were all working together and enjoying each other's company and I was keeping my patience and everything:) Cade came walking into the kitchen, "Mom...it's snowing!" So we looked out the window and sure enough, there it was! It didn't snow for too long and it didn't really stick but it was so magical. We haven't really had snow on Christmas so it was exciting for the little ones. Later in the evening, we had dinner with our friends, the Stirlands. It was freezing cold outside with the wind howling and I just kept thinking how peaceful & calm it felt in their home that evening. While we were there, we looked out the window and saw that the lawn was covered with white. Again, magical!

Before we went to bed, we gave the kids one present to open and they were surprised to find....a pair of new jammies! I know, we're so original. But they were excited and they all put them on and posed for some pictures...except Cade. He had even picked out his new Lightning McQueen jammies by himself and he absolutely refused to put them on. Funny kid.

Christmas morning dawned (way too early since I had stayed up until 3:00 am finishing the stockings, cleaning the house, & playing Santa), and Cade was the first one up! So we chilled for a little while, Jeff built a fire (the coolest thing to have a fireplace), and then we woke Mads & Cole up. We let Lane sleep for the main event and then he had his own private gift-opening party. Santa brought Razor scooters for the oldest 3 and they were pretty happy about that. We were all pretty spoiled and spent a fun day playing with our new toys.

In the afternoon, our friend Erin & her son Dillan came over to hang out & eat some Mexican haystacks. The kids had fun playing with Dillan and I loved chatting with Erin. I think Jeff enjoyed just relaxing and letting someone else listen to my chatter:) We finished up the evening by watching the last half of Home Alone...classic.

It was such a wonderful holiday. I absolutely loved just being with my family and enjoying the spirit of Christmas. We've also had such a fantastic Christmas break and I am super sad to see it come to an end.

Here are a few pictures to document our day:

I'm not sure what Mads is doing here but I just thought it was a funny shot of her...and so typical. I think she might have been trying to convince me that it was time to eat a snack:)

Here is a close-up of Cole & Maddie's stocking...Mads' is the one on the left. I made all of the boys' ruffles out of the same fabric and then Maddie's stocking was made with that fabric.

Here are all of them in order of age, with Mads' being on the left. I know, I'm a terrible picture-taker.

Here's Cole enjoying his new ride.

Cade playing with the GeoTrax they got...and he's pajama-less. That's right, he didn't wear any jammies that night. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drummer, that's for sure.

My sweet Lane baby smiling for the camera. He loved everything about Christmas!

Mads & Cole eating their breakfast Santa left them in their stockings. Surprisingly, they weren't very impatient to open presents...they were just content to enjoy their stockings. I loved it!

Cade checking out the stockings before anyone else was up. Funny thing about his new jammies...every night since Christmas, I have given him the option of wearing his new ones and he has refused to. Last night, he reluctantly decided to wear them but took them off several times before finally getting into bed (they're the cozy feet kind and he can unzip them). And he ended up taking them off sometime in the night (the boy gets hot). But then tonight he asked to wear them again...so maybe we have a new favorite!

One quick story about Cole: for a few weeks now, he has been begging me for exercise pants. Cade & Lane both have some and for some reason, he decided that he needed some. So like everyday he would ask me if I had found any yet...so funny. Well, I bought him some for Christmas and it was the present he opened last. He just looked at them for a few seconds without saying a word, and then he quickly came over to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. "Mom, I love you." It was really so sweet. I loved how out of everything that he got, that small gift of the exercise pants seemed to touch him the most. Cute kid.

Well, that's about it. We hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!

We're Alive!!

Yes, we are still here. Life is busy and good here in the LeCheminant household. I have plenty to post about but facial infections, bursting eardrums, sick husbands, sick self, Christmas planning/shopping, Christmas movie-watching, treat-making (and eating) and other fun things just keep preventing me from posting.

This picture doesn't have anything to do with anything; it's just a cute picture that I thought I'd share since no one likes a post without pictures, right?

I'll be posting again soon to tell you about our Christmas, which was FANTASTIC!!

When I Grow Up...

I love being a mother. I know it is a sacred responsibility and I take it very seriously; I also love my children and have so much fun with them. I feel like I have been a little bit down on my role as mom lately (perhaps not too much on my blog but more in person). Maybe my bad attitude is warranted (I am the mother of 3 lively boys) but probably not and so I don't want to be that mom anymore. I want to take a quick minute, for my own sake, and talk about why I love being the mother of my children.

Reason #1: my kids are cute! Maybe I'm a little biased but seriously, who can resist Cole's big blue puppy eyes? And Madlyn's curls are so darling - I LOVE them! And Cade's mischievous grin & Lane's happy, accepting face are just to die for! They are all so different and unique in their looks but everytime I look at them, I see some of their dad...or their uncle or aunt, or their grandpa in them. I love that!

Reason #2: my kids are smart! They are all very unique in their mental capacities and it is so much fun to watch and to help them develop their own strengths! Madlyn is so quick and loves learning. She is a very good reader and mathematician. So far we've been lucky and school has come very easy to her. Cole has such a good memory and loves learning as well (he just doesn't like to be pushed). Cade loves to color and count and is very curious about the world. Lane is always exploring everything around him and is very curious. They get all their smartness and hard work ethic from their daddy:)

Reason #3: my kids are funny! I wish I always wrote down the funny things my kids say but here's a little sampling: As I was getting some eggs out for boiled eggs one morning, Cade asked, "Mom, can I help you hatch them?" He likes to crack the eggs - haha! When they were finished cooking, he asked, "Mom, can I have a rotten egg?" Yesterday the boys & I met Jeff for lunch and as we were driving away, Cole forlornly said, "Mom, I am going to miss Dad." "Me too, Cole." Thoughtfully, "But Mom, if you miss Dad, why don't you whine?" About a year or so ago, Madlyn started calling me "Ma" and now it has passed to Cade. It is so funny for me to hear my little kids call me "Ma!"

Reason #4: my kids are valiant spirits! Some of my favorite moments are listening as my kids give a Family Home Evening lesson about the topic of their choice, listening to them recite Articles of Faith, and listening to them sing hymns! My heart is touched as I hear my 2, 4, and 6-yr. olds sing "Behold a royal army, with banner sword and shield is marching forth to conquer on life's great battle field..." And then with gusto (especially Cole - it's hilarious) "Victory, Victory, thru Him that redeemed us. Victory, Victory, thru Jesus Christ our Lord. Victory, Victory, VICTORY! Thru Jesus Christ our Lord."

There are many other reasons but these are my favorites. I am truly blessed to have these strong, courageous spirits in my home and my heart. If I am ever a bit depressed about my role as their "Ma" it is only because I feel inadequate.

Today is Good

Today finds me in northern Arizona with my parents & younger brother. After a L O N G day, we pulled in about 9:15pm on Saturday. Mom had some yummy taco soup waiting and so we ate and visited and laughed at Lane squeezing his arms around my neck every time someone would look at him. We enjoyed a relaxing Sabbath day. I did feel a little bit like a teenager when we sat on the 3rd row at church with my dad's stern eyes looking down at us from the stand if we were misbehaving. Only this time we were on the 2nd row and it was my children misbehaving. And Dad's eyes weren't quite so stern. It was good to see some of the good people I know so well, to sit in on Jerry Brewer's SS lesson, and to visit YW with my mom. We spent the evening at Granddad Kenneth & Grandma Hope's house. It was great visiting with them and listening to some stories. I need to go back sometime and record a bunch of stuff so we can always remember.

Today has been spent doing chores to earn some money, visiting Grandpa's store so we could spend our earned money, and making 6-grain sunflower bread in the solar oven. Maddie has been at a "lunch date" with her friend Hunter who lives here and the boys are getting ready to go out to do some shooting and I'll be hanging out at the store with Mom. Uncle Lincoln is going to do some Pilates with me later this evening - maybe we'll be able to limber that boy up.

I love being here. It's been a good day.