Not Enough Sleep

My husband is a very busy man. He works full time, goes to school full time, holds two callings at church, and is an incredible helping-hand around the house.

So when I opened the closet door this morning to put away some clean towels, washcloths, and sheets - I was a little stunned to see this:


Don't see it? Look closer...


Yes, that is a diaper in the linen closet. He was helping me get Sariah ready for bed last night, and somehow the wet diaper that was intended to be deposited in the trash ended up next to the fresh towels! Thankfully, it was only a wet diaper and didn't have much pee in it. Thank you, hunny, for having your heart in the right place.

Helping with the laundry

"Babies at this age are more inquisitive about house-hold items than their toys. They are more apt to play with Tupperware, pots, pans, wooden spoons, hairbrushes, LAUNDRY BASKETS, and other common items around the house. Your little one has noticed the items you use everyday and is now trying to figure out what they are, and how they work."

Does this include taking one piece of laundry out of the basket at a time, and throwing it on the floor?

Sariah Update

I realize that I haven't posted in a while, so here is an update on Sariah!

* 9 months old!
* Standing and balancing with no hands for about 3 seconds
* 8 teeth
* Still not eating "big people" food - she's just not interested! She'll eat in her own time.
* Continues to be as cute and fun as ever. She loves life, loves her dad, and loves the dog!

She has started playing with stuffed animals and realizing that a face means something. She has these really soft stuffed animals that Grandma Wilkes gave her and she is attached to them. She sleeps with one every night, and totally cuddles with it. When she's awake, she kisses it, talks to it, plays with its tale, and drags it around the house with her. Here she is, sleeping with the monkey:


Here's a cute picture of her sleeping with her bum in the air (just like her dad used to do!):


She LOVES Baby Einstein. I don't show them all, and the TV isn't a babysitter. However, once in a while, there will be an evening where she is cranky and just needs to settle down. I'll put in the animals video and she'll eat her bottle and relax. There's this cute dog puppet that she LOVES. She squeals, claps her hands, and will crawl as close to the TV as she can when she sees it. Here's a cute video of her watching the puppy. You can hear it sniffing in the background!



What's better than a dog playing with a laser pointer? A baby playing with a laser pointer!



One of her latest tricks - fart noises on the ottoman! My brothers would be so proud.

Foot-long corndogs and other food on a stick

One of the Wilkes' family traditions has been going to the Pima County Fair. This entails a mass race to the gate, a foot-long corndog, a deep-fried twinky, ice cream on a stick, The Wave, and standing next to the Budweiser Clydesdales (whose feet are as big as my head). We had so much fun with all of our family! 22 people and 3 strollers is quite a group. By the end of the night, we were all doing our own thing and had a blast doing it. Here are a few highlights:

Courtney and Matt with our baby girl (and Matt with Sariah's hat on):


Aiden and Parker wouldn't have dinner or do anything until they rode the ferris wheel.


Jared and I with the horses (the smell seriously reminded me of the Tanque Verde house):


Sariah got thirsty...


And finally, the boys going down the big-boy slide on gunny sacks! Aunt Courtney was brave:



We had so much fun! It will be a whole different story next year when Sariah is old enough to go on some of the small rides. Yee-haw!

Our new live-in

A while ago, we opened the door to the garage and found this amazing creature. It is some kind of bug - not sure what kind, but it's really ugly!! The cool thing is because it got smashed in the door hinge, it's perfectly flat! Eeeewwww.

Carbs Anyone?

Those of you who know me know that I have had a weight problem almost my whole life. When I got pregnant, I had to really be careful about how much weight I gained, and my doctor told me to shoot for 20 pounds. Check! I gained 18 pounds, and had an 8 pound baby. That weight was gone almost instantly. Since going on Vemma and having my thyroid surgery, I have lost a pretty considerable amount of weight. However, I have hit a plateau. Those of you who have ever tried to lose weight know exactly what I am talking about. Thus, I need to modify what I am eating.

I have decided to go low-carb. Not NO CARB...being a biology teacher and including a huge nutrition unit, I will never cut out all carbs because they are oh so imporant for your body. Whole wheat bread, the right fruits, oatmeal, etc. The good carbs that my body needs I will keep.

Here's the problem...I'm not a big meat or veggie person. I've also heard that those who are on low-carb diets get bored pretty easily. Before I start this journey, I'd like to arm myself with some great low-carb recipes. New chicken dish? New way to use ground beef? I'm all ears! If you have any great dishes that are easy (I work full time, teach piano, and chase a little 9 month old), I beg of you to share! You can post them as a comment, or email me (franklinmrs01@yahoo.com). You all are the best!!!

Feelings From The Heart

As I put Sariah to bed last night, I had a very strong desire to express the feelings of my heart. I love being Sariah's mother, I love my role as a mother. Sometimes I just feel like I can't hug her enough, or kiss her enough, and I definitely don't have the words to describe what I feel inside my heart every time she looks up at me and smiles. I almost feel like her smile, her laugh, could just heal any part of me that is sad, or lacking, or incomplete. I am reminded of a scripture in Alma where he (Ammon) says that his joy was so great it consumed his soul and made him weak. I have felt that joy and am blessed to feel it on a daily basis, and feel it every time I have the sense to put down my to-do list and just play with Sariah. I love just being on the ground with her playing - nothing makes me so happy.

I know this is cheesy, but once I put Sariah to bed, I felt the way that you feel in Fast and Testimony meeting when you know you need to bear your testimony, I just had to tell someone (and in this case - everyone) that I love my daughter and I love being a mother. I am more grateful than I can express for Heavenly Father giving me the chance to feel this kind of love, and I am grateful for the kind of person this child wants me to be, because now I know what a special spirit she really is.

The only kind of love that comes close is the love I have for my husband. The first time I saw him, I thought, "That is one hot guy!" No one can make me happier than him, no one could lead our family better, and no one can set a better example for our beautiful daughter than him. My husband is amazing, sweet, tender, strong, dedicated, and will do anything for his family. Every girl should be so lucky to be married so someone so incredible. Thank you, Jared, for being the love of my life.

Spring Break!

For most of us, Spring Break was full of vacations, partying, and craziness. For a working mom, it means vacations from work, partying with an 8 month old, and cleaning/organizing craziness. This week is my spring break and I'm so glad I get to be home with my little one for a whole week!

Here are a few videos of what she has been up to.

First, her favorite "Up-Down" game. All this entails is me saying "uuuuuuuuppppppp, dooooooowwwwnnnnn" and she squats or stands accordingly. We could play this all day!


Next is mommy's little namesake. She LOVES playing with the keys on the piano. Probably because she has figured out the action/reaction part of life - if she hits the keys (action), they make a funny sound (reaction). Personally, I like to think she'll play like her mommy.


Finally, here she is figuring out how to push her walker. Just after I shut off the camera, she did a face plant. However, she got back up and started again. That's my girl!

Update

Not much new on our end. Just a few notes of interest. Jared and I made a decision that I will not be returning to work next year. I want to stay home, and Jared is supporting me in that. I handed in my letter of resignation, told my classes, and cried for two days. It was a bittersweet moment, but I love my daughter and want to be home. I had to work this last year, and Jared was grateful for that. He graduates in May, after 6 long years of full time school, and is ready to be the bread winner. I agree! Speaking of Jared, his job search continues. Once he lands something awesome, I'll be sure to let you all know!

Well, just a few pictures and movies on our precious little cargo. She is doing MANY things, including emptying our bookshelf of all our DVD's 1 by 1, starting to push a little walker, playing the piano, and playing her favorite "up-down" game.

Who's ready for a walk? Sariah is!!!


Sariah's new toy - a "Little Mermaid" scooter. If you can tell me what a dinglehopper is, you watched this movie as many times as my sister, Courtney, and I did.

Reflections of Christ

There is a touching exhibit right now in the Arizona Mesa Temple Visitor's Center called "Reflections of Christ." It is a gallery of pictures about Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection, and visits to the people after his resurrection. What makes this exhibit different? The pictures are with real people. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time picturing Christ sometimes with the paintings and other portrayals of Christ. Because the artist used real people, it makes me able to picture Christ as a person, and imagine what is happening in the picture. If you get the chance to go see it, please do. My testimony of the Savior grew, and my love for Him and His purpose is now deeper.

If you would like to see some of the pictures, visit www.reflectionsofchrist.org