Hyrum's Six Month Check

So yesterday Eric and I took Hyrum for his six month appointment. He is officially 26 inches long and 14lbs 5 ounces. He is only is the 3rd percentile for his weight. We are working on that. But the doctor was pleased with his progress. This little guy is so amazing. He only cried for a second or two and then was fine after the shots. I can not believe how quickly he has grown. He is babbling more and more everyday and is rolling everywhere. If there is a toy that Mackenzie has left near him he will get! He has such a sweet personality. He loves to giggle and eat and always wants to play with his sister. Hyrum is not the only one growing.

Mackenzie is a sharp little cookie. She loves to help mommy clean the house and wit her Spanish homework. We are starting potty training this coming week! Also she starts dance in the fall. She can now count from 1 to 10 and only misses the number 5. Hyrum is her favorite and she cries every time he goes to bed. We will keep you all posted on the fun with Mackenzie. The latest is this last Monday night Eric fell asleep for two hours while I was got class. Mackenzie got a hold of masacra and painted herself with it. Let just say when Eric woke up he was shock at what he found.

Eric is now working full time for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints Print Division. He is doing really well, just having a hardtime with the long hours. I started back to school and am working on finishing my lower level Spanish this summer. As a whole we are doing well and learning more about how to bring our little family together and be like Jesus all the time. We hope we are doing it right and can continue to improve and show greater love to each other.

Teach me to walk in the light

So lately I have been trying to sing a primary song to each of the kids before they head to bed. Mackenzie usually love "I am a Child of God" and will now even sing with me while Hyrum loves "Teach Me to Walk in the Light". However, lately Mackenzie has wanted me to sing the same song as Hyrum to her. Last night was a very sweet bedtime with our little princess. She was having a really hard time sleeping so I finally asked her what was wrong. She said she was scared. So I asked her if she wanted to say a little extra prayer to ask Heavenly Father to help her not be so scared. At first I wasn't sure if she understood or if she would be up for it. She wanted to try so I taught her how to say simply, "Dear Heavenly Father, Please help me. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen" Wouldn't you know it, the simple faith of a two year-old worked! She was out like a light. She did wake up a couple of times in the night and we had to say the prayer again both times but it taught me something important. Faith really is that simple. Mackenzie knows that her Heavenly Father loves her as much if not more than her earthly parents (who adore her). So she knows that he will help her. As I was singing "Teach me to Walk in the Light" to Hyrum later last night I realized that this little sweet moments are how I am teaching my children to walk in the light. As I try to help Mackenzie understand the importance of sacrament meeting and help Hyrum remember the love that his Heavenly Father and savior Jesus Christ have for him. I know that it is clicking. They my only be two years old and six months but they are getting it. I am also learning so much as I teach them. Sometimes I wonder if I am a good mother. There are so many things I want to do for my kids and wit my kids but I know that as long as my heart and mind are in the right place and I do everything I can, the Lord will make up for my short fall. I am so grateful for the power of prayer and that I can begin to teach Mackenzie how to pray on her own. I hope she will always feel the desire to talk to her Father in Heaven.

The Challenges of a two year old

So I know I am not the only mother to struggle with a stubborn two year old but I have to share the challenges of this weeks so far. First, Monday night Eric allowed me to take a nice hot 15 minute bath while he put Hyrum down to bed. While he was doing that Mackenzie was in our room watching a show on her computer. However, that was not all she was doing. During the 15 minutes I was in the bath she had gotten a hold of my deoderante and decided to paint it on her computer and mine along with herself. Well needless to say she had a time out and we cleaned everything up. Tuesday morning she decided she wanted to color. I told her it was time to get dressed not color, but she went ahead and started coloring while I was changing Hyrum's diaper. I found her in the bathroom with a gray marker. She had colored on the wall, bathroom door, coat closet door and our bedroom door. She went to time out again and then she was willing to help me clean up the mess. Wednesday I made pancakes for the family for breakfast and she loved them. So much that she wanted to make herself more. So, she got a pancake and proceeded to pour herself some syrup. Well she didn't know when to stop and she ended up with syrup all over her plate, on the table and on the floor. Amazingly she was clean. Eric was mad at first but then he started laughing with me. The hardest part was that she wanted to help clean it up. (I guess she is learning from me) However, Eric felt that it was too big of a mess, which is was and so I took Mackenzie and Hyrum for a walk around the neighborhood while Eric cleaned up the syrup mess. Today has been a pretty quiet day for Mackenzie, mostly because I think she has worn herself out. While these are big frustrating messes to clean there are also the amazing moments. Like when she say "Love you Mommy" or "Sweet Dreams Mommy". Or when she is silly and has a blast just playing to the water outside or helping mommy and daddy take care of the neighbors. While two year olds are challenging they are also amazing blessings. As much as they want to do their own thing they also want so much to help. Mackenzie doesn't like it when Hyrum cries. She has a hard time with daddy going to work and just loves cuddling. I am thankful for the challenges with her because it makes the nice times so much sweeter. I am grateful for this time to teach her for I am also learning so much and finding myself gaining strength in my convictions and beliefs from her.

Hyrum too is a wonderful blessing. He is rolling over everywhere, loving his baby food and trying to sit up and talk. Also he started holding a sippy cup this week! I can see what being a mother is a divine calling that is only for a short amount of time. I already feel like time is flying by. I just hope I can be patient and continue to find joy even in the most crazy and frustrating times. I know there are many more to come. I just have to remember what would a holy woman do?