Disgruntled Employee

I'm kind of unhappy with my job lately. Through the years my role at work gradually changes and shifts. Sometimes I'm happy with what my job entails, and sometimes it's just not for me. Here's some things I'm not loving about my job lately:

The Hours: I swear I never get a break. I used to be off at around 7pm, but now I am working around the clock. I am on call all night, and I feel like work is all I think about all the time. I've forgotten what it is like to NOT be working.

The Repetitiveness: It is the ABSOLUTE SAME THING EVERY DAY! Wake up, make a sack lunch for firstborn, organize backpack, carry around third born the entire time because he is completely attached to me, try and feed third born breakfast, family scriptures and prayers.....that's just the first hour of my day. The list is much longer and exactly the same every day. But if there's ever a day where something is 'different', that usually means I'll be cleaning up throw-up or taking a trip to the ER for stitches, so 'different' isn't necessarily a good thing either.

Group Work: This is the one that is killing me the most at work lately. I'm a very independent person. All growing up, I just liked to work and be alone. If the whole family was going to be cleaning the house on Saturday, I would beg my mom to just give me my list of chores - I didn't even care how long it was - so that I could just go off and do all those things by myself and be done. And group projects in high school and college - the worst! I just like to work independently, no matter what the task. But my job description lately includes a lot of group work.

"Make a sandwich, Mindy. But your 'interns' need to be watching, participating, and asking a lot of questions." "Make your bed, Mindy. But see if you can do it while your 'interns' are 'helping' or climbing on it." "Shower, Mindy. But we want you to have a meeting with your 'interns' at this time discussing the many questions they have had for you lately."

I could do all my tasks 10 times faster and better if I could do them independently. I think I may even enjoy doing them. I just don't deal well with distractions and group work. I think some people LOVE working in groups, and I bet those with the same position as me right now aren't having as hard a time.

The Rules: There have been some new, really weird rules enforced. Like, "You're not allowed to have a warm meal." I swear I haven't eaten a warm meal in weeks! I heat it up, then I'm unable to eat it until it's already cool. I repeat the heating, and the same thing happens. Another new rule is, "When you are called, you must respond to that call IMMEDIATELY. No more 'Just a minutes'." I used to always be able to buy time with 'Just a minute.' But they're not allowed anymore. I am needed IMMEDIATELY. It makes my day pretty stressful, and it's all I can do to keep it together.

So these are some reasons I'm kind of unhappy with my job. But I've weighed my options, and I just can't bring myself to go look for something different. I LOVE the people I work with. They are great. The job's not my favorite, but the people in the office are one of a kind, and I don't think I could find a better group to work with. And I have a co-worker who comes to relieve me a little bit, but he only works evenings and weekends because he has another job. It would be ideal if he worked my same hours so that we could each take turns manning the 'interns'. But that's not a possibility. Something about 'supporting his family', or something like that.

Also, just as I was gradually promoted to this position at work, my role will continue to change. So I know that if I'm unhappy at work now, if I just wait awhile, things may get better....or worse. We'll see.

And lastly, this job offers way early retirement. In the long run, if I stick with it, I will get to retire much earlier than most of the world, so I'll get plenty of that 'independence' in due time. For now, I'll just try to learn as much as I can with this job and do my best to train my 'interns' without letting them know that they're driving me crazy. I'm a great actress.

Ketchup

Kobe lost his first upper tooth yesterday! It has been loose for awhile, and even shifted positions in his mouth so it kind of already looked like something was missing from up there. He wiggled it out yesterday and was so excited. The tooth fairy came last night and nothing is sweeter than a dollar from the tooth fairy.

Kobe has also been hit hard with his infamous cough. It had been SO LONG since he has had a coughing episode, that we hoped that maybe he had grown out of it. But it is back full force and I have kept him out of school the entire week. It sounds so bad that I know I couldn't send him to school, plus it keeps him up all night so he is very tired. I think I'm going to take him to the doctor today, even though I know there's nothing they can do for the maybe asthma/maybe reflux/maybe croup/maybe allergies cough. It is incurable.

Have you seen that they cast the Cullens for the 'Twilight' movie????? So exciting! I think they all look great. They also cast James and Victoria. And I think James is better looking than all the Cullens put together, but maybe that's just me. They also had open casting for extras in the movie, but you have to live in Portland. So bummed! If I was single, I swear I would move to Portland for the taping and just get an apartment there. They were also looking for extras who have beat-up, small town cars to drive around town. It was like they were just begging for me to be in that movie! (PS I changed my mind about Bella. I am not loving her. She looks too normal. I know that's the point, but I am such a snob when it comes to who I watch on TV or in movies. I want them to be beautiful. I get to see average everywhere I go.)

Speaking of cars....Jude had his two-year-old doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Kobe was home sick so I gathered all of us into the car and got on the freeway to head to the office. I was going @ 70 mph when I started to feel the steering wheel lock up. Was I imagining this? No, it was definitely locking up. So I exit at the next off ramp and the steering wheel is getting so much worse. At first I was able to gradually veer one direction or another, but by the time I pulled into the Target parking lot, I was having to us all my strength to jerk the steering wheel and make a very wide turn. I was all over the curbs and it was very scary. I could not believe this was happening! Well, I mean I kinda could. Our cars are both pieces. We called AAA and Jake came and took us home. It turns out that the container that carries our power steering fluid burst and we had none. I do want to say how completely blessed we were that day, though. My steering wheel could've completely locked while I was going 70, but it allowed me a few minutes to exit the freeway before it did that. We could've been in a serious accident. Also, the weather was so pleasant that day. What a blessing that I didn't have to walk around and wait for AAA with the boys in a snowstorm or something. And last, the closest exit just happened to be the exit of Super Target. Could I be anymore blessed? Heavenly Father is definitely mindful of my little family.

While surfing blogs, I read about Denae's sister, Angie's, chore chart that she has set up for her kids. It was such a revelation! I knew that I was really bad about teaching my kids to work, and I definitely wanted to change that. But I had no idea that my kids were capable of vacuuming and cleaning toilets all ready! Well, they're not really that capable, but they are capable of learning how to work and starting to learn how to do these things. I was so inspired that I made up a chore chart for my boys. Toilets, Sinks and Mirrors, Vacuuming, and Stair rails. Jude's chores are mostly just so he doesn't feel left out. It has been going SO WELL! I actually despise the chore chart, though, because it's basically a chore chart for me that is enforced by my children. I need to do these chores with them at this stage, and I haven't done these chores regularly our whole marriage. But I know it's good for me to upkeep the house better, and good for me to work along side my kids. And I am very lucky to have something that motivates my boys more than anything else - video games. We are whipping out the video games now every Friday if they do their chores all week. They are so excited.

I NEED everyone's help in coming up with a great talk on Baptism for tomorrow. I am giving the talk on Baptism at the baptism of two of my 8-year-olds. I'm searching everywhere for some great ideas, but have found none. Do any of you have any great object lessons or twists on a baptism talk that 8-year-olds would love? Please send any of your ideas my way. Thanks!

Now I'm off to make a doctor's appointment!

Jude's 2nd Birthday Party

This year we had a family party for Jude. Just the five of us. When Jude woke up from his nap, there were balloons, decorations, cake and presents all waiting for him. He was SO EXCITED! He spent a good bit of time going crazy with balloons.

Next was cake and ice cream. He was so cute as we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He was singing right along, even though he doesn't really know the words.

Then there was more playing with balloons.

Then onto the presents. Jude had a big group of presents, and unlike at Christmastime, he was really excited to unwrap them and get a bunch of new toys. He would grab a present and then say, "One, Two, One!" And then start frantically unwrapping the present. His brothers, of course, helped and they all had fun playing with Jude's toys.

Among his favorite gifts were an Alligator Phone from Grandma Judy and Grandpa Dave, a Basketball Hoop from his Uncle Erik, and two new Power Ranger movies from his brothers.

Another gift from Mommy only was a little baby carrier and bottle for his baby, Little Judah. He is such a good daddy and I knew he'd love being able to carry around and feed his little baby doll. But lest anyone worry I am making him a 'mommy', he loaded his baby into the carrier and fed him his bottle while he was watching his new Power Ranger movie. He seems very 'daddy' to me.

It was such a riot to watch him be so excited for that hour or so, and we were so happy to spend this special day with our special guy!

Happy Birthday to Jude!

Today is Jude's 2nd birthday! I cannot believe that he's been our little baby for two years. He has added so much fun to this family and I can't imagine our lives without him. I hope to record everything that I want to remember about this little guy at this stage of his life.

Jude speaks so well. He is way more advanced in his language than any of the other boys were. I definitely think it is because he has two older brothers to listen to and speak to. He says things that sound so funny coming out of a toddler’s mouth, and is able to communicate what he wants to us very well. He is also the master imitator and copies off of a lot of things he hears other people say. His big thing to say right now is, "Not necessary!", which is a line from one of his favorite Power Ranger movies.

He loves Power Rangers right now, as well as the Wiggles, Harry Potter, Mickey Mouse, and Star Wars. Quite mature tastes for such a little guy, but that comes with being the third boy, I guess. He LOVES to watch 'T.D'., and is asking for one show after another all day. He has two Power Ranger movies that he cycles through, and his favorite TV shows are Caillou, Doodlebops, Yo Gabba Gabba, Barney, Teletubbies, Blues Clues, Diego, Wiggles, Backyardigans, Charlie and Lola, and Max and Ruby.

He loves to wear things on his face and head. Most of the day he has some sort of hat or mask or glasses on. He LOVES his sunglasses and I try to keep them hidden or else there's no tearing them away from him. For some reason he feels pretty cool when he's wearing a hat, and seems to walk a little taller.

He loves to be around people. He's a very social guy. He loves when people are over here or when we go over to friend's houses. However, he is a little shy in the nursery, but I think that's because it's a little chaotic in there. Along with being such a nice, social guy (like his Dad and brothers) comes a little naiveness and optimism. What I mean is that he trusts other kids way too much and usually is the one to get hit or pushed by other kids. I've kind of wanted to do a separate post about this, but I fear it is too sensitive of a subject. But what is up with so many kids being physical with other little kids????? I believe that it is the nature of this age group to try and solve their problems or get their way physically, but parents need to be punishing their kids more effectively so that they do not think that that is an option. Each of my boys has hit each other once. ONCE. That is all it took for them to get the biggest immediate spank of their lives, an intense, "NO!", and be quickly taken to a place for a time out. This was all when they were about one, and it never happened again. Instead, they are always the ones being beaten up by other people's kids and those parents respond with a soft, "We don't do that, Junior," if anything at all. So frustrating. But I would definitely rather have children who get bullied over those who are bullies. Eternal perspective. ANYWAY, Jude gets beat up a lot by other kids. But he's so happy-go-lucky that he quickly forgives them and is their friend again. (And then they hit him again.)

Jude loves baths. He takes at least 1 to 2 baths a day, just for fun. He'll play by himself in there for a long time with his Power Ranger toys. He is constantly taking off his clothes and diaper, which is something my other boys never did. He loves to be naked.

He still sucks his thumb constantly. He is a horribly, picky eater. Sometimes I marvel at how he survives. He doesn't even drink 1/2 as much milk as the other boys did; yet I still think that's where he gets all of his calories. Whenever anyone comes home or wakes up, he is so excited to see them. It's like he won the lottery and he just runs around screaming, "Mommy's awake! Mommy's awake!"

Lately he will not stay in his crib at night. From the moment we put him down he is sneaking out to surprise us. But it is just so dang cute when he does it that it’s hard to be angry with him. He never refers to himself as Jude. Only as 'Baby'. If we show him a picture of himself he says, "Cute baby." And if we tell him its Jude he says, "No Jude." If we ask him his name he says, "Kobe, Lukey." And when we tell him he is Jude he says, "No Jude." He is deeply offended by his name.

He still has very little hair. He likes to play with swords and weapons. He is obsessed with playing pretend guitars. He still is very snuggling and likes to sit on my lap during meals. His breath is uncharacteristically stinky for someone so young. I'd rather take him on errands with me than leave him home because he cracks me up. He has the biggest brown eyes. He loves to chew gum. He walks on his tippy toes all the time. He calls Lukey, "Nucky" or "Nooky". Everytime he gets in the bath he asked for 'Soda' (which is what he calls adding soap for bubbles). And he plays with those little tiny Lego guys and calls ALL of them 'Harry Potter'.

So that's all I can think of about little Jude Davy. He lights up our lives and the boys love him so much, too. Happy Birthday, Jude!

Valentine's Day Continued

I love to make Valentine's Cards for my boys every year, but that is about the extent of my Valentine's Day spirit. Holidays can be a lot of work, so I opt out of celebrating this one in a manner that requires any effort. Result = no gifts, no breakfast in bed, no card (I know!), etc. But I'm not a Valentine's humbug or anything. I threw out at least 100 "Happy Valentine's Day!"'s yesterday.

But Jake always writes me the sweetest card on Valentine's Day and yesterday he surprised me with another box of my favorite candies from 'See's Candies'. (This is my third mention of this candy on my blog, so if you don't know which candy I'm referring to then where have you been?)Not only does this gift require a lot of effort to get because there's only one store in this state, but it also really is something that makes me super, SUPER happy! And I believe it sends a much deeper message than just 'I Love You'. It says 'I Love You No Matter What Size You Are'. And isn't that the greatest message a spouse can send? :)

I am feeling a little guilty about not proclaiming my love and adoration for my husband yesterday, so I thought I would sit before you today and publicly tell my husband what a great guy he is. Jakob and I were definitely made for each other. Our personalities, strengths, and weaknesses are so different, and thus, so compatible. We were very young when we started dating and our courtship was kind of short. And I know there was no way that we could've figured out in that time that we were perfect for each other in every way. But we are. We grow together, help each other to become better people, listen to each other, and enjoy being together. There's nobody else I'd rather be with than Jakob, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way - despite what my dreams tell me.

(So I guess I'll insert a little bit about my crazy dreams lately here. I do get crazy dreams when I'm pregnant, but I've had these kinds of dreams our entire marriage, just not in the massive quantity I've been having them lately. Basically, every night when I go to sleep, Jakob cheats on me in my dream. All my dreams have Jakob having affairs! Now for anyone who truly knows Jakob - actually, even if you've only met him one time - you know that it is absolutely ridiculous to think that he would ever have an affair. For one, his morals on this issue are so high that I know for that reason alone something like that would never even enter his thoughts. For two, he loves me and the boys so much and I know that he would never search for any other 'love' outside of our marriage. For three, he could not even have a conversation with another woman without me sensing it. I'm like a hawk. I hover over him. And I would know. And he knows I would know. And for four, Jakob is innocent and naive. And that is what I love about him. He only sees the good in people, and would never even be aware if someone was trying to hit on him. So he would never encourage it. I imagine he would act much in the same way as Mr. Turnblad in 'Hairspray' if being approached by a woman.

But my fourth point is kind of exactly how it works out in my dreams. He is always cheating on me with a very aggressive woman who makes all the first moves. In real life, Jake is quick to admit that he's wrong and never puts up much of an argument. But in my dreams, my subconscious is arguing for him, and he puts up a good fight. He is constantly pointing out in my dreams why he needs to be with someone else and why I'm no good. I always wake up tearful and a little angry with him. I asked my mother-in-law while they were visiting if she ever had dreams like this in her life and she said never. NEVER!!!! Am I the only one?)

ANYWAY, now that I've written half of my 'I Love Jakob' post about how he cheats on me in my dreams, I better bring this back on track. Jakob is very thoughtful of my needs. He is constantly trying to make me happy, and very willing to learn how to be a better husband. He does WAY more at home than he should have to, but I truly appreciate it. He is the best father to the boys. It's not a chore or responsibility to spend time with them and father them, it is just his nature and he wants to. And they love him. He is such a grown-up. We were both so young when we got married, and it is so fun to see what a man he has become. He totally takes care of us financially - with investments, financial plans, retirement, life insurance, taxes, etc. - and I feel totally safe with him in this way. He goes to work everyday and knows so much about what he does. I love to hear him talk to work people on the phone (in moderation) because I get to hear what a head honcho he is and how much responsibility he handles every day at work. He is definitely the spiritual leader of our home and raises me up by his example. Sometimes I like to joke on Sundays and say, "Let's just not go to church today," just to see the nervous look on his face and the smiley, "Nooooo," come out of his mouth. Of course I'm not serious, but it gets him every time. Nothing will bring his testimony or dedication down.

So that is just a slice of why my husband is the best. In my line of work, I get to interact with many other people who are married. ;) And I must say, I could not be married to anyone else. It astonishes me when I hear that other husbands aren't as selfless as my Jakey, and I count myself one lucky woman. I love you, Jakob!

(All of the pictures posted are of our first year of marriage. While it was probably the worst year of my entire life - we had a lot to work out in the beginning - it was the year we took the best pictures!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

OUT SICK

I have been sick with a little stomach bug since Saturday. I didn't think it would last this long, but it has. It's getting passed around the whole family, and Kobe randomly got Strep yesterday. So I'm not really in a blogging mood. But I found an old post that I never published from a long time ago. Here it is:

Wall Lettering
I've been wanting to post pictures of the wall lettering that I got from my party A LONG time ago. Jude's room is where the majority of it is. And I knew that I wanted to take the foil off of his windows before I took pictures. But I didn't want to take the foil off of his windows. I've grown attached to the darkness. What if I take the foil off and he stops taking naps? So after much delay, I've just decided to leave the foil on. So the lighting isn't great and the foil is ugly. But you'll get the general idea. Here's some pictures of Jude's room:

Here's the lettering in Kobe and Luke's room (Can you believe I bought a fourth frame like these from Target over a year ago, just in case? I clearly knew it was coming on an unconscious level.):

This is in Jakob's and my room. I know it's kind of sappy, but it's a good reminder. I'm sure many objects will eventually be thrown at this very spot.

And this is by our front door:

We also have a 'Welcome' on our door that I don't have a picture of. Finally I've posted these pictures! It's like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders!

Bi-Yi-U

Last Saturday we took a family trip to Colorado Springs to go to the BYU vs. Air Force basketball game. It was the first basketball game that we've taken the boys to, and Jake was so excited. Even a heavy snow and broken windshield fluid didn't stop us. We creeped there, with me throwing bottled water over the windshield every few miles.

It was the perfect arena for the boys first game. It was very small so we had great seats, and I was very impressed with the Air Force crowd. Very respectful and clean. We sat in the BYU section. Kobe was into it the most and loved following the game and cheering for BYU. He even started a chant on his own at one point during the game.

Luke was excited by the atmosphere, but not quite able to follow the game yet. But he loved the hot dogs, soda, popcorn and being all together. Jude is the master immitator and was chanting 'Bi-Yi-U' at the top of his lungs the whole time. He would cheer when the crowd cheered and even pump his chest when he was super excited.

Even though it's a lot of work for me to do these family things, it is always so worth it in the end. And soon my boys will grow a little bit and I'll get to sit and watch the game, too, instead of just juggling potty breaks and spilled soda. And BYU won to top it off! I think my boys bring good luck.

I'll Take Another One, Please

Are you freakin' kiddin me???? Look at this picture. Isn't it beautiful? I really love that my boys take a good picture. I can't take any credit or anything. But I'm glad that I ordered another boy when they come out looking like these boys. :)

We took these pictures in December before we left for Thailand and only now am I getting around to posting them. I also still need to post our Christmas card picture and just say "Merry Christmas" to everyone. Next time.

We also took this family picture. Not my favorite. I'll probably still hang it up just because it's the only family picture that we've taken with all three boys. Fortunately, it will expire soon. I can't exactly pinpoint why I don't like this picture.....but I'll try. 1. I think this is a cute hairstyle, it just doesn't make me look that cute.

2. I have a large head and face. I have always known that I do. Large heads and faces were kind of big in the 80's, and I think I resemble the large heads of actresses like Kelly McGillis (Top Gun), Kathleen Turner, and Sharon Stone. It's a proportional head, but it's just like someone right-clicked it and zoomed in a little bit. Just bigger than normal.

3. Jakob has a small face and head. He hasn't always known this. Just since he's been married to me and I've told him....many times. It's still the cutest face and head in the world. And it is so subtle that nobody would ever notice it....unless you get married to a large-headed woman. (I have placed the exact size of his face on Kobe, Luke, and my face in this picture. He's basically the same as the boys, and do you see how much extra space is on my face? I'm a giant.) Some angles of us together are fine. But this picture is an example of an angle that is not. I look like I could gobble up the heads of my husband and three children for lunch.

So now I've identified why I don't love that picture. I label it "Four Jack Spratts and the Big Headed Woman".