Another Closet Done

With our master bedroom and closet done, we tackled the kids' room and closet this week. It was a BIG project, but the end result is awesome. We moved in so quickly that we didn't have a chance to put everything where we wanted it. Plus we have discovered through our weekly projects that the previous owners were not very suave in the way of home improvements (and that is an understatement!). James had to take down all the shelves in the kids' walk-in closet, straighten them, and re-install them in studs. He added another shelf, plus some hooks to hang jackets and backpacks, shuffled around some furniture, and we organized all the kids' toys in clear totes. Now they have plenty of space for their clothes, a reading nook for the boys, and a changing station for Emma. Yeah, we're feeling pretty proud of ourselves. :)

We also worked in the garage quite a bit. We unpacked another 15 boxes or so, put aside several bags for the Good Will, organized, organized, and then organized some more... and set up Savanna's craft nook. There is still a lot of work to do out there and plenty of boxes left to go through, but it was a great start!

We also hung all of our pictures and art on our walls- finally! I think we've lived with bare walls so long, that I'm not sure if I like it. The rooms seem very busy now...I'll give it a week or two and see if I want to change it up.

It was a REALLY hot week here. After all the rain, it kind of took us by surprise. We headed to the beach on the hottest day...it was better there, but still too hot. We are pretty spoiled. But since we have pretty perfect weather most days and no air conditioning, our house was very uncomfortable, especially our second story. My poor, little girl did not like it. She did not sleep well (worse than usual- which is really bad!), and I finally stuck her in the sink with some cool water! I love those little rolls. Only a baby can get away with chunky thighs like that!!

All that plus studies, having the missionaries over for dinner, going to the dog park, the library, and grocery shopping- I can't seem to get this simplifying thing down. I keep thinking, "once we are unpacked, I can relax," or once I'm finished with this or that... but there will always be a this or that, won't there? Oh, well. It was a good week. We enjoyed General Conference immensely today, and are looking forward to two more great sessions tomorrow. So, I guess I am getting my "rest" this weekend after all. :)

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

March 29, 2011

Goals & Lessons Revisited

This week we finally made our annual dream posters and set some personal and family goals for 2011- only 3 months late but better late than never, right? As you can see from my poster, I am revisiting the lesson of simplification. As much as I try, I can't seem to do EVERYTHING...imagine that. After several talks with my wonderfully supportive husband, inspired Bishop, Heavenly Father, and myself, I have set some very simple goals for myself for the rest of the year. We have scaled down several of our activities, gotten rid of a few more, and I am feeling MUCH better already. A friend recommended I make a list of everything I do and then cross out anything that wasn't necessary. That was a very hard task for me. We are involved in so many good things...but even good things can lead to a negative reaction depending on the quantity and circumstances. In a recent talk by one of our modern day prophets we were counseled to slow down when experiencing turbulence in our life, just as a pilot would decrease speed when experiencing turbulence in the air. I would definitely describe a new baby, a new house, and home schooling 3 older kids as turbulence. They are all good things, but they can still be daunting with a dozen or more other commitments surrounding them. Like I said, this is not a new lesson for me but one I have been revisiting and have another opportunity to ponder and implement.

Savanna's Dream Poster- I was pretty impressed with her poster this year. Covered some great things- education, health, exercise, spiritual goals, shoes- all the necessities for a young girl!

Bradley's Dream Poster- He said this was what he wanted his life to look like when he was a grown up. He wants to have a family, a cell phone, a BBQ, go to the water park, be with Jesus (that's him and Jesus on the bottom left), and eat jelly beans- not necessarily in that order!

Benjamin's Dream Poster- Can you tell he likes burgers? In an effort to curb my husband's fast food outings we have been making burgers one night a week for about a month and a half. We've made all sorts of different kinds, and recently bought a little charcoal BBQ. The boys LOVE this new tradition. Let's see what else...I see Slurpees and the bottom left is a picture of Dad teaching him how to ride his bike, and taking him hiking and swimming. :)

It will be an exciting year at whatever pace we trek because let's face it, our family is awesome and always entertaining!

Other News

Emma is becoming extremely animated lately, and busy, busy, busy! She grabs at anything and everything in her reach. The other night we were out to dinner and she grabbed my tall glass of water and threw it off the table! I love to watch her discover new things. She purses her lips together when she is concentrating very hard- it is the cutest thing. I can't seem to concentrate when she is in the room. My brain just turns to mush and all I can do is admire her. I remember feeling this way with all my babies, but there is something sweet and special about this little girl. We are thoroughly enjoying her.

James set up her high chair yesterday. Even though she isn't eating in it yet, we thought it would be a good idea to get her used to it. She loves to sit at the table with us and play with her toys. We have to get more of those toys that suction to the table top- those are ingenious!

Emma loves her Daddy. She started saying "Da Da Da" the other night. James sat straight up in bed with the biggest grin on his face. She's been saying "Ma ma ma" for about a month, and he was feeling totally jealous!

And now...the Emma Reel:

This week we actually unpacked some boxes- 12 of them! James cut us more custom shelves for our master bedroom closet, and we unpacked a bunch of books and personal items. I even have empty shelves left! We are going to try to be completely unpacked and have the garage set up as play/school room by the time James starts his new post May 2nd. It's a lofty goal, but it will feel SO good to have that done.

And here's my cute husband, grilling on our new portable BBQ. He's making our weekly burgers- this week they were grilled pineapple, Teriyaki burgers- Yum! We'll be taking our BBQ to the beach often this summer, but we are breaking it in at home first.

And here's our Benbo, finishing off the pineapple juice!

Overall, it was a fairly successful week in the Wyett household. Off to do some yoga, and hit the sack. :)

March 21 - 27, 2011

Emma Emma Bo Bemma

I took Emma to her 6 month check up this week. She is perfect, of course. A whopping 18 lbs and 28 inches long, she is in the 70th percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for height! We are holding off on starting solids for several reasons. First, she is definitely getting plenty of nourishment! Second, the doc says with our family history of allergies it is better to wait until closer to 9 months to introduce foods (after our issues with Brad, that's what I did with Benjamin and he has had no signs of any allergies). Third, there is a ton of research that supports that until a baby has teeth, they do not have the digestive maturity to eat solid foods. With the teeth come several enzymes needed to properly digest foods and prevent allergies and other problems. Totally makes sense to me. When a child is ready to move on to that stage teeth grow to enable him to chew and absorb his food efficiently, right? God thought of everything! Emma doesn't have any teeth and isn't even showing signs of teething, so it's a liquid diet for her for a bit longer!

And here is my $30 craigslist find- Emma's new crib set!

This set was immaculate! I couldn't believe she was selling it all for so cheap. It's absolutely perfect, and Emma loves it. It even came with soft, velvety sheets. She is super spoiled now. :)

We received this crib for free from a friend at church. I love the big drawer in the bottom. Overall, I say we scored!

March 15- 17, 2011

Movie Fun Plus Extras

This week we took Emma to her first movie. I hadn't been to a movie since she was born so we decided to try it out as a family. We went to see "Tangled" (really cute movie by the way) in the middle of the day on a Tuesday so there were only 3 other people in the theatre. But as it turns out, Emma did great! She was amazed by the huge screen and even fell asleep in her daddy's arms towards the end. Ben found this tree in the parking lot and attempted to climb it. He didn't get very far, but was super proud of himself any way!

Our beauty queens. :)

The boys and I have been exploring different trails in Nipomo for our daily walks. I'm really bummed that the rain is coming. I've just gotten into a groove with my walking!

With all the talk of Japan and other quakes, James and I took some time this week to earthquake proof the house. He strapped our bookcases to the wall, and we bought some extra batteries and canned goods. We also did our bi-annual earthquake and fire drills with the kids. All good stuff. I'm not expecting anything, but it always feels better to be prepared.

Our ward had a great dutch oven gathering Friday night. What is a dutch oven? It's a large cast iron pot that you can virtually cook anything in over hot coals. It's a big hit on camp outs, and is very popular with our group of friends out here. People did cakes to corn bread to soups to shepherd's pie. It was awesome! We had our adopted grandma, Rita, come with us too. She is always fun to have around and enjoyed all the food and new friends. Bradley was his usual sweet self. Rita was cold so she went into the church foyer to eat, and he kept coming in from the party outside and bringing her food and water and asking how she was- he is just the best!

Speaking of Bradley- he is doing AMAZING since he met with our homeopath! He had about a week of intense discomfort (it is common after finding the appropriate remedy for symptoms to get worse before they get better), but for the last 2 days he has had no symptoms at all. His cheeks are rosy, his eyes are clear and aren't bothering him at all, he has been sleeping better- he even ate a bunch of stuff at the ward dinner that he usually can't have with no reactions at all. I feel so relieved, and only wish we would have done this sooner.

Overall it's been another great week in the Wyett household.

Except for one thing:

You can click the picture to make it bigger. Another unique sign taped up in my house by the Wyett brothers. This is the big closet under the stairs. It was originally meant to be a play closet for the boys, but they grew tired of it after about a week. Now some interest has sparked again and they have made it their "special club." They even put their big stuffed dogs in there and instructed them to eat whoever goes in there without their permission. Whatever. Like I want to go in their silly closet any way.

March 14 - 19, 2011

The Elfin Forest

This week's field trip took us to Los Osos to the Elfin Forest. Nope, no Elves here (to Benjamin's dismay), but there is mile-long wooden track that took us through this "forest" with spectacular views of the marshlands and estuary by Morro Bay. All along the path are signs like this one with facts about the animals or plants, and a story told by a Chumash Indian girl. Each story told about what her family ate or where they would sleep or how they would hunt- the boys were riveted. They loved the idea of sleeping outdoors and can't wait to go camping with Dad for the first time. We are signing them up for 4-H in the fall, and they are both joining a camping and outdoors group (Oh, James got the court job so he will be home every weekend for a whole year starting in May! All their camp outs are on the weekends, and they are going to have a ball!).

You can see Morro Rock way in the distance. For some reason my boys are obsessed with Morro Rock. Ben asked if there was any rock in the world as big as Morro Rock.

Emma liked the outing too!

Off the track were several groves. This one was our favorite. We could just imagine the Chumash Indians huddled in one of these groves building huts out of the Pygmy Oaks that grow here.

We ended our day with a trek down the Embarcadero, and dinner out at one of our favorite cafes in Morro Bay. Pretty perfect day!

March 10, 2011

Another Week in the Wyett Household

Well, this week the sickies have continued to be passed on. Savanna came down with whatever Brad and Emma had around Wednesday, and is still in bed today (Sunday) but is doing much better. James, Ben, and I have escaped it luckily!

Emma and I have been walking 2-3 miles a day. I can't tell you how great that feels! I was feeling so stressed out about losing all my baby weight. I felt like I had to go on a strict diet, start up my p90x again, count calories, etc. The baby still has me up all night and I can't fathom anything too strict right now. So all I have been doing is avoiding white flour and sugar, and walking. I already feel like I'm losing weight and gaining energy. Sometimes the answer is simple.

Speaking of simple answers, we finally were able to take Bradley to our local homeopath for his allergy issues. He spent over 2 hours with us asking a ton of questions. Homeopathy deals with the entire person- physically, mentally, & emotionally. Unlike conventional medicine where the doctor sees the symptoms someone is having as a disease or malfunction of the body, homeopathy sees symptoms as a healthy body's way of telling us that their is an imbalance that simply needs to be corrected. So instead of giving drugs or other treatments to stifle symptoms (In Brad's case: cortisone cream to stop a rash or an antihistamine to stop allergy symptoms, etc.), homeopathy deals with remedies that stimulate the body's own ability to heal itself and restore its proper balance.

(I am paraphrasing from the website of our homeopath, Dr. Fine. For more info, check him out at http://www.howardfine-nd.info/articles.html).

We have been to every kind of allergist, immunologist, pediatrician, and nutritionist. They all have recorded Brad's symptoms and then lumped him in a "category." That category determined the drug or treatment he was given to stifle his symptoms. The problem is once we have stopped the treatment, all of his symptoms keep returning!

According to Dr. Fine, the key to finding the right remedy is to actually find those symptoms that are unique to just Bradley. That is why he spent hours with us asking him questions that ranged from what Brad dreamt about to what position he sleeps in to what is his favorite food. He really got to know Bradley on many levels and was able to select a remedy based on Brad's particular situation, not just give us another cookie-cutter Band-Aid.

We are anxious to see how Bradley will be doing in the next few weeks or months. Since his problem has been chronic it may take awhile for his body to balance out, but already he is showing signs of progress and it has only been 3 days!

Our little Emma is better now, too. She had a 102 degree fever for about 24 hrs, a little cough for a couple days after that, and she's great now! Back to her happy self (actually this was taken the night of her fever- she looks pretty happy, but only because Daddy was making funny noises at her).

We finally put up her crib (well, James put up her crib). It was a sad moment for me...she just looks so big in that crib. Where is my little baby?? But, we must move on. I found the bedding I want for her crib. It's $250 at Babies R Us, but I found it on craigslist for $30- score! I'm picking it up next week and then I'll post more pics. :)

Monday nights are Savanna's night to cook dinner. I love this! She has become quite the chef. Here she made us Nori rolls with Tamari dipping sauce, brown rice, and Caesar salad. It was very good (Can you guess who taught her??)!

Bradley is quite the chef as well. He loves to make his own salad. Here he is making a kale salad. No pics of Chef Benjamin. We don't dare give that kid a knife!

Marley ate some kale too!

The strawberry stands are open again, and the boys helped me make some quick freezer jam. For my canning experts, can anyone tell me why the fruit and juice separated like that? I followed the directions exactly...not sure this batch set correctly. We'll have to eat it quick- darn!

James asked the boys if they wanted to sit on his lap and read a story before bed. Marley jumped right up and joined them. Ever since our friend Anna came over, Marley thinks he is lap dog. He doesn't realize that he is almost 50 lbs!

Marley's new bed.

Brad reading the gang a story.

Oh, and here is my thrift store find of the week- $2! Isn't it cute? Savanna and I love checking out the thrift stores.

March 8 - 13, 2011