Olive turned 3!
I am so far behind on all my blog posts. It's so hard in the summer! I have made it my goal this weekend to try to catch up on all my little projects. One of them is this blog post about my little Olive, because now she is 3!
Olive turned 3 on July 29th. For her birthday I told her she could give a little tour for her friends and family at the BYU museum of paleontology. It is only like 5 minutes away, small, very casual, and free! Olive was very excited about this. She loves going to that museum, we went there yesterday (we go there or thanksgiving point about once a week if we can.) She also requested an orange brachiosaurus cake. I searched pinterest high and low and found an example I was pretty happy with- a cute little arrangement made out of cupcakes. She was so excited when I was putting it together and was fixated on each cupcake I added to form the dinosaur. It made me so happy that she loved it so much cause making cakes is always way more laborious and time consuming than you think it will be. Olive's party was fun, she loved it and got lots of dinosaur presents (of which she was very protective.) After everything was said and done she informed me that for the next day she would like a T-Rex cake... ooooohhhh really Olive.
Olive has been three for a month now and it's crazy how mature and old she is getting. I love our conversations, we love to talk to each other about all sorts of things. She has started to love Elijah, she will tickle him, play with him, or help him. She says "mom, elijah likes me," or "mom elijah likes it when I tickle him" (not always Olive.) At the same time she gets very frustrated with him. Elijah likes to scream for attention or if I am not feeding him fast enough (good grief child I can only shovel food in your mouth so fast,) and I'll admit, it can get very irritating. Olive will say "mom, elijah is being mean to me" or "mom, elijah took my toy." It's just a hard stage because he is crawling around and grabbing things and I can't discipline him, he's just a baby. At the same time I feel so bad for Olive who constantly gets told that Elijah is just a baby, he doesn't know, and please share Olive. I try so hard to give her her space and tell Elijah, "no no, this is Olive's" (even though he doesn't understand) just so she feels defended- but it just is what it is. Despite him grabbing her things and her getting upset, and her grabbing them back and him getting upset- there are these moments I walk by her room and see them happily playing in there together with each other and my heart goes aaahhhhhhhhhhh. I know this is just a hard stage and it will get better (and probably worse in some ways.)
Olive gets up several times a week and comes and crawls into our bed. When she first started to do this I was very strict on putting her back into her bed, but then I got tired :) She's got a great set up because she either comes in before kc has come to bed or she comes in after I have left for work and so she usually gets half the bed to herself, and we don't even notice most the time that she has crawled in. However, if we are both in there and she is moving a lot, I will definitely put her back into her bed. Ain't no one got time for that.
She loves to be really goofy, which is ok because I like to be goofy too. We like to talk to each other in these silly deep tones where we are pretending to yell to one another. Sometimes we do it in gibberish. She loves to giggle. She has the hardest time keeping a straight face, sometimes she wants to be mad at me but I give her a silly look and she breaks immediately. She has this little mouth half open look she does when she is trying really hard not to laugh. She is never successful.
She loves to eat eggs. She knows how she wants the eggs and in the morning she asks for over-easy and in the afternoon she asks for hard boiled. No matter what kind of eggs she asks for the most delicious ones are whichever ones you have made for yourself to eat. She doesn't always eat all of her plate, but she can devour a plate in seconds that I have made for myself. She walks up to me multiple times during the day and says "You wanna play with me?" in the cutest tone. It's impossible to say no, and so even if I am busy I always say yes because I love hearing her say "ok." If I need to get something done I try to sneak away while she is playing, but I have such a hard time saying no! And even when I do say "no, mommy is busy doing dishes" (or whatever) she will just ask again as though I didn't quite understand the question the first time. She says little words funny and I always want to use sentences with those words because it's my favorite to hear her say them. Her backpack is her "pack-pack" and she calls a popsicle a "pot-stickle" and granola is "gra-wa-wa." She loves being with her daddy more and more, but she is still a momma's girl, and I think (hope) that will never change.
I've been a little bit harder on her than I use to be, and I think that's good because she is getting older and she is starting to learn that sometimes the things she does hurt others feelings, even mommas, and that sometimes we don't always get what we want, or what is fair- but we try our best. I've thought a lot about motherhood, and I had some thoughts that I had wanted to compile into a blog post but I haven't really had the time to because I've got so many things on my plate and I only see things getting busier in the near future so I thought I would add some of these thoughts in a shortened version to the end of this post.
I recently read a post on facebook titled "Why millennials don't want to have children." The list stated very obvious reasons that would be a concern for anyone considering having children. Money, time, responsibility, and just an overall change in personal lifestyle. All legitimate concerns, of course. The saddest listed however was just an overall loss of the desire to have children. I think back on all the blog posts and articles I have read on motherhood and they mostly talk about how having children is really hard but it is also really gratifying. This is most definitely true, but what I don't see (although I am sure it is out there) is articles on how becoming a mom makes you a better person.
Now I know there are not many people that read my blog, it is mostly for my close friends and family, but I thought I would state for the record that I don't think that people who are mothers are better than people who are not. There are lots of people who can't have children, and those people are often the strongest of all because they would have children but can't and so they go out in the community and change lives and sacrifice in so many ways without it being an immediate force on them everyday, and those people are the highest form of self sacrificers. Also I really don't care if other people have children or not, if you don't want to have them, then don't. I only wanted to share my personal experience on how motherhood has facilitated me to become the most caring and compassionate version of myself.
Before I had children I cared a lot more about clothes, my hobbies, personal travel... more about myself really. I still do care about those things I just care a lot less about them and I do them with the thought of someone other than myself in mind. You see the number one complaint about motherhood is that many people feel you have to give up yourself, who you are, all those things that make you tick. But to me, this is the most beautiful part. Once you give birth (really once you get pregnant), it's not all about you anymore. Don't get me wrong, everything in life requires balance and moderation. I have carved out time in each week for my personal yoga or little things here and there that are really important to me, but really the biggest beauty of motherhood (in my opinion) IS that you have to give up so much of yourself, and giving up part of ourselves in the end is what makes us a better person. Caring less about ourselves is the result that comes from caring more about our children, our spouse, our neighbors, our friends, and ultimately caring more about God. There is nothing in this life that will teach you more than self sacrifice.
I've had so many thoughts on this subject, and I feel I could go into great detail- but I just haven't had the time. So if I don't do a short version, I just won't write anything! This is one of the many small things I am always trying to carve out time for but there is always something more pressing, and ultimately, more important. Currently giving my baby a bath is one of them, and cleaning the floors, and making baby food, and doing the dishes... (also ten knitting projects and 20 other small projects I have on my back log.) I think I just wanted to write something because I was so sad after I read that article because it sounds like there is rising generation who is starting to care more about themselves than about others. A generation unwilling to have children because they would have to give up too much. And this type of world seems like a darker world to me. I wish I could put this in a way with more eloquence, the thoughts and feelings are there but they are not flowing out of my fingers onto the page- but if I wait for that then I think the thoughts may be gone so I present here the few coherent (I hope) thoughts that I do have on the subject.
Being a mother is hard, but few things bring you closer to seeing through the eyes of God than being a mother.
I love my children. I love what they have taught me and who they have helped me become. Nothing will allow you to love more than putting someone else's needs, whoever they may be, above your own. Nothing.
I was so busy I never got a good shot of her cake :(
This is the best shot my sister got of Olive and the brachiosaurus cake (the feet had melted a little from the sun.)
This was taken outside the Museum of Paleontology.
Olive has been three for a month now and it's crazy how mature and old she is getting. I love our conversations, we love to talk to each other about all sorts of things. She has started to love Elijah, she will tickle him, play with him, or help him. She says "mom, elijah likes me," or "mom elijah likes it when I tickle him" (not always Olive.) At the same time she gets very frustrated with him. Elijah likes to scream for attention or if I am not feeding him fast enough (good grief child I can only shovel food in your mouth so fast,) and I'll admit, it can get very irritating. Olive will say "mom, elijah is being mean to me" or "mom, elijah took my toy." It's just a hard stage because he is crawling around and grabbing things and I can't discipline him, he's just a baby. At the same time I feel so bad for Olive who constantly gets told that Elijah is just a baby, he doesn't know, and please share Olive. I try so hard to give her her space and tell Elijah, "no no, this is Olive's" (even though he doesn't understand) just so she feels defended- but it just is what it is. Despite him grabbing her things and her getting upset, and her grabbing them back and him getting upset- there are these moments I walk by her room and see them happily playing in there together with each other and my heart goes aaahhhhhhhhhhh. I know this is just a hard stage and it will get better (and probably worse in some ways.)
Elijah was quite pleased with himself that his older sister had lifted him to the couch. His momma... not so much.
Olive gets up several times a week and comes and crawls into our bed. When she first started to do this I was very strict on putting her back into her bed, but then I got tired :) She's got a great set up because she either comes in before kc has come to bed or she comes in after I have left for work and so she usually gets half the bed to herself, and we don't even notice most the time that she has crawled in. However, if we are both in there and she is moving a lot, I will definitely put her back into her bed. Ain't no one got time for that.
She loves to be really goofy, which is ok because I like to be goofy too. We like to talk to each other in these silly deep tones where we are pretending to yell to one another. Sometimes we do it in gibberish. She loves to giggle. She has the hardest time keeping a straight face, sometimes she wants to be mad at me but I give her a silly look and she breaks immediately. She has this little mouth half open look she does when she is trying really hard not to laugh. She is never successful.
She loves to eat eggs. She knows how she wants the eggs and in the morning she asks for over-easy and in the afternoon she asks for hard boiled. No matter what kind of eggs she asks for the most delicious ones are whichever ones you have made for yourself to eat. She doesn't always eat all of her plate, but she can devour a plate in seconds that I have made for myself. She walks up to me multiple times during the day and says "You wanna play with me?" in the cutest tone. It's impossible to say no, and so even if I am busy I always say yes because I love hearing her say "ok." If I need to get something done I try to sneak away while she is playing, but I have such a hard time saying no! And even when I do say "no, mommy is busy doing dishes" (or whatever) she will just ask again as though I didn't quite understand the question the first time. She says little words funny and I always want to use sentences with those words because it's my favorite to hear her say them. Her backpack is her "pack-pack" and she calls a popsicle a "pot-stickle" and granola is "gra-wa-wa." She loves being with her daddy more and more, but she is still a momma's girl, and I think (hope) that will never change.
I've been a little bit harder on her than I use to be, and I think that's good because she is getting older and she is starting to learn that sometimes the things she does hurt others feelings, even mommas, and that sometimes we don't always get what we want, or what is fair- but we try our best. I've thought a lot about motherhood, and I had some thoughts that I had wanted to compile into a blog post but I haven't really had the time to because I've got so many things on my plate and I only see things getting busier in the near future so I thought I would add some of these thoughts in a shortened version to the end of this post.
I recently read a post on facebook titled "Why millennials don't want to have children." The list stated very obvious reasons that would be a concern for anyone considering having children. Money, time, responsibility, and just an overall change in personal lifestyle. All legitimate concerns, of course. The saddest listed however was just an overall loss of the desire to have children. I think back on all the blog posts and articles I have read on motherhood and they mostly talk about how having children is really hard but it is also really gratifying. This is most definitely true, but what I don't see (although I am sure it is out there) is articles on how becoming a mom makes you a better person.
Now I know there are not many people that read my blog, it is mostly for my close friends and family, but I thought I would state for the record that I don't think that people who are mothers are better than people who are not. There are lots of people who can't have children, and those people are often the strongest of all because they would have children but can't and so they go out in the community and change lives and sacrifice in so many ways without it being an immediate force on them everyday, and those people are the highest form of self sacrificers. Also I really don't care if other people have children or not, if you don't want to have them, then don't. I only wanted to share my personal experience on how motherhood has facilitated me to become the most caring and compassionate version of myself.
Before I had children I cared a lot more about clothes, my hobbies, personal travel... more about myself really. I still do care about those things I just care a lot less about them and I do them with the thought of someone other than myself in mind. You see the number one complaint about motherhood is that many people feel you have to give up yourself, who you are, all those things that make you tick. But to me, this is the most beautiful part. Once you give birth (really once you get pregnant), it's not all about you anymore. Don't get me wrong, everything in life requires balance and moderation. I have carved out time in each week for my personal yoga or little things here and there that are really important to me, but really the biggest beauty of motherhood (in my opinion) IS that you have to give up so much of yourself, and giving up part of ourselves in the end is what makes us a better person. Caring less about ourselves is the result that comes from caring more about our children, our spouse, our neighbors, our friends, and ultimately caring more about God. There is nothing in this life that will teach you more than self sacrifice.
I've had so many thoughts on this subject, and I feel I could go into great detail- but I just haven't had the time. So if I don't do a short version, I just won't write anything! This is one of the many small things I am always trying to carve out time for but there is always something more pressing, and ultimately, more important. Currently giving my baby a bath is one of them, and cleaning the floors, and making baby food, and doing the dishes... (also ten knitting projects and 20 other small projects I have on my back log.) I think I just wanted to write something because I was so sad after I read that article because it sounds like there is rising generation who is starting to care more about themselves than about others. A generation unwilling to have children because they would have to give up too much. And this type of world seems like a darker world to me. I wish I could put this in a way with more eloquence, the thoughts and feelings are there but they are not flowing out of my fingers onto the page- but if I wait for that then I think the thoughts may be gone so I present here the few coherent (I hope) thoughts that I do have on the subject.
Being a mother is hard, but few things bring you closer to seeing through the eyes of God than being a mother.
I love my children. I love what they have taught me and who they have helped me become. Nothing will allow you to love more than putting someone else's needs, whoever they may be, above your own. Nothing.
