Beckett 10 Months

I'm a little late with this month, but at least it's still getting recorded.  Since none of my kids (except Weston) have baby books I figure I better at least document their milestones on the blog.  Beckett is still our most adorable, sweet, mellow baby.  This month he is pulling himself up to standing on everything!  He loves standing up to the piano and the dishwasher especially.  He can take a few cruising steps too.  We all have to be really careful about what we leave lying around and about keeping the door to the basement closed.  

So far he hasn't managed to climb up any of the stairs, but I'm sure it's not far away.  In the meantime I just make sure he's with me at all times when we are upstairs and we keep the basement door closed when we are on the main level so he can't fall down there.  I really hope he figures out stairs quickly because we aren't going to do baby gates.  Just help him learn how to navigate.

Waiting for Daddy to come home!

Last week he cut his first molar!  I felt so bad that I didn't even know it was coming in.  On Sunday I looked in his mouth and there was this huge molar in the back!  I had wondered why he was sleeping so much.  I'm so grateful that he is such an easygoing little guy.  He now has 9 teeth.  Top front 4 and bottom front 4, plus his new molar.

Beckett is a good eater but is rapidly deciding he's not so much into baby food.  He eats Nutella sandwiches, cinnamon bread, yogurt, applesauce, and still some baby food oatmeal and veggies.  Sometimes I try giving him whatever we are eating if I think he can chew it and he does ok.  He likes pieces soft fruits like peaches or bananas and he's starting to turn down baby puffs.

Being possessive of the big kid toys he managed to get his hands on.

Beckett is wanting to play with all of his siblings' big kid toys now, so Talia is having to defend her territory a little more.  When he does get his hands on something of his brother's he is pretty excited.  When he's really happy or excited he does this big inhale gasping noise.  It's so funny.  We love our little man.  I can't believe how quickly he is growing through his first year!

Responsibility

One part of my growing up years that I remember vividly is chores.  We had daily chores and Saturday chores.  There was no incentive (prizes, money, etc.) for doing them, but we were expected to get them done and there were consequences for not doing them.  Even though I know I did my fair share of complaining about chores (including a particularly embarrassing time when I thought my mom was straight up lazy and didn't do anything.  Sorry Mom!!!) I wanted to teach my kids to contribute to our household and to learn how to work.  

My kids are still pretty young, but they are old enough to help out.  In the past I have tried assigning Weston jobs.  He would do them grudgingly for a few weeks then it would peter out.  Finally this summer I knew we had to figure out a system.  Ian and I decided we would pay them to do their jobs since they are always asking if they can do stuff to earn money.  We sat down at FHE at the very beginning of the summer and outlined what their jobs would be and what the rewards/consequences associated with them were.

Here's how we set it up.  The boys each have a list of jobs they have to do every day.  They earn .25 each day that they do these daily jobs without whining (if there is whining then they still have to do the job but don't earn any money for it).  Monday is our big cleaning day, so on Mondays they each have a few bigger jobs to do.  They earn $1.00 for doing their Monday jobs without complaining.  If they don't get them done on Monday or they whine then they still have to do them on Tuesday and they don't earn any money for them.  We record everything on their weekly chore chart and after FHE on Monday nights we go over their charts and pay them for the past week.

If you can't see what their jobs are, here's the list.
Every day jobs for both boys: Get Dressed, Make Bed, Brush Teeth, Read 15 minutes, Clean up Toys, Empty Dishwasher
Monday jobs for Weston: Clean bathroom sink and counter, stick vacuum hard floors, and empty trashes.
Monday jobs for Davin: Clean kitchen chairs and water plants.

It has gone even better than I expected it to.  There have been very few times that I have heard whining and had to impose consequences.  I usually will remind them that if they whine they don't get paid.  That seems to cut it off pretty quickly.  One of the things that works so well about this is that we have a set time that we go over their charts and pay them.  I'm not constantly being asked when I will give them their money.  Or forgetting all about it and negating the incentive.  I have also really liked that they are learning more about money management.  They pay their tithing right when they get their week's money.  They have each saved up enough to buy a 100 pack of Pokemon cards (about $10).  They have each experienced losing their money and how crappy that is, but I'm hopeful they learned their lesson and will keep it where it belongs from now on.

They also learned that we are serious about not paying them when they don't do their jobs/whine.  This was a note I found outside the boys' room one night when they hadn't cleaned up their room and I told them "Too bad. You'll have to clean it up tomorrow and not get paid for today."  They were pretty upset about it.  Apparently they stayed up a little longer and cleaned it up.  They still didn't get paid for that day though.  There were a few tears.

Sometimes I feel like a tough mom, but I really think they are learning valuable lessons about work, money, and disappointment.  And sometimes they work together so very well and it's like utopia in our house.  Fingers crossed I am slowly molding them into productive human beings.  And I sure don't mind them taking a few jobs off my plate! :)

You may have noticed in the picture of the fridge that Talia has a chart too.  She was having a really hard time being obedient and helpful, so we started a Good Girl Chart for her.  She just earns stickers every time she does something nice or is good for a period of time.  For example she can earn a sticker for not screaming while I do her hair. Or for being a happy girl all morning. Or for cleaning up her toys. She loves it and has earned two prizes so far.  Her first was this cute crown and wand set.  Last weekend she earned her second prize, a slurpee.  Gotta love bribery!

I am so glad that our chore charts are working.  I'm sure we will re-vamp the system eventually but for now we will stick with it!

Fun Continued

Like I said, we have been going on lots of fun outings in the last week or so.  On Pioneer Day we decided to brave Trafalga, even though I knew it would be crowded and I try to avoid places like that during busy times.  Ian didn't have the day off of work so I was on my own and I felt like I needed to do something fun.  We did have a great time.  It wasn't too hot outside when we got there so we mini golfed outside and did some rides while we waited for the boy's laser tag time.  

The kids had a blast on the mini golf course.  I just observed and pushed Beckett's stroller. We didn't keep score, so there was no pressure or fussing about not doing well.  Talia only golfed a few of the holes.  She just like having a ball and putter to hold.

After mini golf we ran into my friend, Natalie, who was there with her four boys.  It was perfect because her older boys took my boys on the bumper boat ride that they were too small to go on by themselves and I got to chat with my friend!  Talia was big enough to go on the other outside ride and she loved it!  There was no line so she rode it over and over and over again.  At least 20 times.

When we were done with the outside we headed in.  The boys played a game of laser tag while I took Talia and Beckett to do mini bowling.  We had to pay for that separately with a arcade card.  When we were done we had a few arcade credits left so Talia helped me play another game to get tickets.  The boys found us and then everyone got to pick an arcade prize before we went home.  We were all sweaty and tired by the time we headed home, but it was a good outing.

We didn't really do anything else to commemorate Pioneer Day, but that morning I sat down with the kids and told them the story about my great great grandmother, Jane Peart, who came to Salt Lake with a handcart company when she was only four years old.  We talked about the sacrifices the pioneers made to come to Utah and establish this place where the church was able to flourish.  I am very grateful for those strong saints who gave up so much for their faith.  So inspiring!  I was crying as I finished up the story of Jane's father dying on the trek, and I think even Weston was tearing up and understood the significance of what the pioneers did.  It was a good teaching moment.

Next up, a few pics from a recent trip to the dino museum.  This was the day after Ian's birthday.  He wasn't feeling well so I took the whole brood out to give him some quiet time in the house.  The kids sure love that museum.  And I love that we have a pass and it's about 5 minutes from our house!

The weather has been so awesome lately and we are really enjoying playing in the backyard.  Ian's new ladderball set has been the main event, but the kids still all love the water table too.  Beckett is so much more mobile now and can stand up to the water table by himself and crawl around to steal the big kids' toys.  I love quiet summer afternoons/evenings in our backyard!

Finally, we went to our neighbor's for a BBQ and fireworks this last Saturday night.  This was their annual "Cul-de-sac of Fire."  All of the houses in the circle and nearby get together for a potluck BBQ and then set off tons of fireworks.  The night ends with our friend, Ben, pouring gasoline around the empty fireworks and lighting it on fire, and running lines of gasoline fire all the way down the cul-de-sac.  It was super fun to visit with everyone and see all the fireworks.  It made me a little nervous.  Mostly because there were about 40 children running around, but it was definitely good times.  I hope we are still here to go next year!

Ahhh . . . Summer!

Bowles-ing

We had a jam packed week of fun!  Tuesday we checked out the Seven Peaks bowling center since Talia pretty much begs to go bowling every single time we go on an outing.  I figured since games are free with our Pass of all Passes, we could swing just paying to rent shoes.  It ended up costing about $10 for all of us to bowl one game.  

The place was a little ghetto, but the lanes worked well and the one time we had a problem an employee was there to fix it within 2 minutes.  I think they will probably add arcade type stuff in the front since right now it just looks like a construction site, but it was a great place for the kids to run around and play tag while we waiting about 10 minutes for a lane to open up.

We had so much fun and the kids were all so well behaved.  Even Talia only fussed every once in awhile when it wasn't her turn.  Weston bowled almost the whole game without using the ramp.  Davin was big enough to position the ramp and get the ball and roll it down all by himself.  I only had to help Tal.  Beckett carried on his streak of being the best, easiest baby ever and just sat in his stroller playing with toys or watching the whole game.  Even I played and managed to do alright.

Davin beat us all with his ramp rolling skills.  Weston was upset at the end when he realized he got the least points, but he snapped out of it after a few minutes.  I think he did awesome!  And I was proud of him for not using the ramp.

We bowled next to these two middle aged ladies who were very nice.  When they were finished they brought over some extra cups and gave us the other half of their pitcher of soda.  The kids were super excited.

It was definitely a fun outing that we will repeat.  It will be fun to just take Talia too when the boys are in school.  I really am thankful to have such great, fun kids who are easy to take out.

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Last Thursday was Ian's 32nd birthday.  It was a whirlwind day, but we had a lot of fun.  Ian opened his presents before he left for work since we were going to be gone that night.  We gave him The Dark Knight Rises on bluray, a new ladderball set, a stunt kite, and a 90 minute massage.  

He went to work while I got things done at home.  Thursday also happened to be the 20th birthday party for Verite (the company Ian works for), so at 5pm our friend, Erin (Ian's boss, Steve's wife) brought her daughter Marion to babysit while Erin and I went to the Verite 20th birthday party.

The party was a success.  It was at a country club and it looked fantastic.  The new Verite reel, which Ian did a lot of work on, was playing on a screen by the cupcakes.  The food was delicious and the cupcakes were so good.  There was a photobooth, which was really fun.  But the best part was that our friends from our old ward came!  It was a blast to get to hang out with them for the evening.  I also enjoyed visiting with Ian's colleagues and their spouses.

At the end of the Verite party we packed up a few things to take back to Verite, then went there to drop them off and change our clothes.  Next up on the birthday agenda was a Jimmy Eat World show.  We got there about 10 minutes before Jimmy went on, which was perfect.  We found ourselves a little spot where we could both see and enjoyed the show.  Jimmy was great and played a lot of our favorites.  We sure love live music.  On the drive home we both talked about our top 5 shows we have seen.

We ended up doing Ian's birthday dinner and cake on Saturday night.  He requested Russian chicken for dinner and I made his favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting for dessert.  Everyone enjoyed their cake.  I even shared some with Beck!  That night we watched Batman.

I hope Ian had a fun birthday.  I sure enjoyed the festivities!  He deserves to celebrate.  Ian works so hard and does such a great job taking care of all of us.  He is a wonderful husband and my best friend.  I am beyond grateful he was born!  Happy Birthday Babe!

Here are my Top 5 Shows in chronological order:
1. Ozma at The Glass House, CA (2000ish sometime in late high school); What Made it Great: All the awesome instruments (flute anyone?), small venue, and good friends.
2. Jimmy Eat World at the McKay Events Center, UT (2004 Junior year of college right after we got married); What Made it Great: We were right in front and got to see everything, I was with Ian (I think this was the first show we went to together since Hootie and the Blowfish doesn't count), I knew all of the music and it was all so good!
3. The Get-Up Kids at Webster Hall, NY (2005 during our NYC internship before Senior year of college, I was pregnant with Weston); What Made it Great: Really cool venue, part of their farewell tour so all the best songs, watching from the balcony, nostalgic.
4. Headlights at Kilby Court, UT (2010?); What Made it Great: Such a cool, tiny, intimate venue. Amazing music and fun instruments (accordion!).
5. Blind Pilot at Urban Lounge, UT (2012); What Made it Great: We were super into this music and knew every song, loved the Pacific Northwest vibe, lots of plaid flannel shirts, trumpet and upright bass, such a cool sound.
Honorable Mention: Something Corporate at the McKay Events Center, UT (2002 Freshman year of college); What Made it Great: They were the opening band (for Newfound Glory) so I was nice and close, they played all of my favorite songs, made me feel like I was in California again.

My Weekend

Last Friday I flew with just Beckett back to California for my very own weekend at home.  Before I went I was kind of second guessing my choice to go back so quickly after our last CA trip, but after the first day I realized how much I really needed that more relaxed time with my family.  It was such a blast!

My happy little traveling buddy

Friday my mom picked me up from the airport and we went to visit all of my grandparents.  Beckett was perfect on the airplane and was pretty happy and just played while we visited grandparents even though he only got about a 15 minute nap in the stroller while we got our luggage at the airport.  I was impressed.  He is just such a good little man.

We made it home in the late afternoon and just played with toys and hung out until dinner time.  Jules and Rick picked up Joy from the train station and they came over.  We all went to dinner at this little Italian place.  The garlic cheese bread was amazing.  We had a ton of fun chatting and teasing each other at dinner.  Beckett chowed down on cinnamon bread and played with Grandpa's watch while we had adult time.  Later that night us girls made a grocery store/Golden Spoon run and we watched some Studio C together. Mom, Joy and I stayed up way too late talking, but it was the best.

Saturday morning we were slow movers.  Mom made us a beautiful breakfast of Amish baked oatmeal with berries and sausage.  Beckett took a morning nap while we showered and then finally we were ready to head out around noon.  We went to the traveling Vietnam Memorial wall first.  It was neat to see and talk with some of the vets there.  I especially liked the trailers with letters and memorabilia from that time and the map/chronology of the war.  I didn't know a whole lot about it.

After the wall Dad went home and us girls took Beckett and did a little shopping.  I was kind of unsuccessful with the shopping (although Ian would call it successful since I didn't buy anything). :)  We got Beckett home for a nap that afternoon and then while he was sleeping Mom, Joy and I went and got pedicures.

That night we had my favorite dinner, carnitas tacos with fried tortillas and homemade guacamole.  Oh it was delish.  Jules and Rick came for dinner and stayed and hung out that night.  Mom took Joy to the train station.  Later when Mom came home we played a new conversation game.  It was fun.  I discovered that my Dad wishes he had kept his old Mustang and that Jules' favorite book is a weird young adult book called Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging.  What?!? (love you Jules!!!)  Good times.

Sunday we went to church and even managed to stay for the whole block.  That afternoon we all napped and read our books.  Jules and Rick came over again for dinner and Dad made salmon, brown rice, broccoli and fruit.  Jules and I baked cookies that night and we played some cards.  It was super fun.  I just loved that I didn't have to constantly cater to all of my kids and got to do all the fun grown up things with my parents.  It was also SO fun to get to spend so much time with Jules and Rick and that I got to see Joy!

Monday morning Mom and I (and Beckett of course) drove up to LA to go to the Grammy Museum.  It was awesome.  So much stuff to do and see.  We didn't even get to half of it.  One of my favorite things though was this touch screen counter where you could click on any genre of music and hear examples of it and read about it and see all of the related genres.  I could have explored that for a couple of hours.  I also loved some of the memorabilia from old artists like Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash.

Several of the exhibits had headphones so you could listen to the music that was being displayed and Beckett really liked wearing the headphones and hearing music.  It was cute.  He fell asleep in the stroller for a little while, which was nice.  They also had a Ringo Starr exhibit while was really fun to see all of the Beatles' costumes and a concise timeline of what the Beatles were doing during their career.  Anyway, we loved it and I definitely want to take Ian there the next time we are in California.  He would love it.

After the museum we had lunch at the Lawry's Carving restaurant.  I had an amazing prime rib sandwich with bleu cheese spread, arugula and onion.  Yummy.  It was such a fun outing!  We didn't even hit much traffic, so that was a bonus.  Monday evening we were on our own, so we took Beckett in the spa for a little bit and then watched While You Were Sleeping before bed.  Definitely a wonderful weekend.

Tuesday morning Beckett and I headed home.  I missed Ian and the big kids, so it was fun to see them again.  Talia has been really adamant about me staying home with her every day since then.  She was quite upset about me going on a date with Ian for his birthday last night.  Luckily when the babysitter actually came she was fine.  Anyway, I am so glad that I was able to go visit my parents and relax and be taken care of for a few days.  I so appreciate my friends (Thanks Natalie and Carrie!!!) who watched the kids and Ian for making it possible for me to have that time away.  It was very much needed and appreciated.  :)

Talia wearing the cute shirt Grandma B made for her.