Gil the Man!

It seems lately that I don't get all the things accomplished that I would like to.

Each day I try to tackle my huge list of things to do,
but each day it seems that I just get farther and farther behind.
I cannot stress over it, and I will not stress over it.
I just take each day as it is.
I know that this time is short, that I must love each moment that I have.
There may be dishes all over the counter, but Gil has a clean diaper.
There may be baskets of clean laundry waiting to be folded, but I am watching Gil jumping in his johnny jumper. Laughing!
My 'mail pile' is piled high, but I've got my camera out and I'm taking pictures of the little Man.
I may only make my bed 3 times a week, but I am playing peek-a-boo with Gil in the sheets.
My bathrooms should be sparkling, the bills paid, the car vacuumed, my basement organized, and the garage cleaned out...but who would teach Gil to wave "HI"? He has the cutest little wave, elbow and all.
I should have dinner on the table @ 6pm, but who would feed Gil?
I have weeds out in my (weed)garden that are 3 feet tall,
but Gil is growing big too!
Gil seems to be my main focal point...which I love.
He is at the top of my "list" everyday...which I love.
I love each moment that I have!

Gil is 9 months old today!

• He has almost mastered sitting up. I still put a pillow 6" behind him because after a few minutes he most likely will fall.(Yep...he is taking it slow.)
  
• He sleeps through the night til about 6:30 a.m.
• Gil has the cutest little wave ever. He gets his whole hand and elbow moving.
• He tries to say "hi" when he waves. Sometimes no noise comes out, but his mouth opens big.
• He loves his baths. Loves to kick and splash.
• ADORABLE!
  
• Ella calls him Dilbie because she can't say Gilbie, like Dad calls him.
  
• He got his first (much needed) hair cut just 1 1/2 weeks ago.
• He has the cutest blue eyes.
• Gil is a sweetheart. He has the cutest personality.
  
• Gil gets so excited when his Dad comes home from work.
• Tears! Gil is having his little "boy" surgery next week. Mom's a little nervous.

I love my little Gil!

Let's Celebrate!!

Today is Aspen's 10th Birthday.

I can't believe that it has been a decade since she was born. We had a lot of fun today. It was a great day for a birthday even though it was Sunday. The night before my kids have a birthday, I clean off the kitchen table and set out their presents for them to see when they wake up. I hang streamers in their doorway, blow up balloons and get ready for the big day. The kids love to wake up in the morning to see their birthday surprise! Aspen said that she (for 1 minute) forgot about her birthday, until she saw the streamers in her doorway. Usually I do crepe paper streamers, but ironically, one of her presents were ribbons streams that I had bought so she could decorate her new bedroom. I decided to hang them up instead. She really likes them. They remind me of the 70's.


She was so excited to open up her presents, but we made her wait til 9 am. Torture! Her big present was a new camera. I think she will love it and get a lot of use out of it. I can't wait to see all the fabulous pictures that she will take. Today we went to church and relaxed the rest of the day. It was her request to have steak for lunch and chocolate cake for dessert. We usually take the family out to dinner on their birthday, but since it is a Sunday, she choose to go out on Friday. Panda Express was where she wanted to go. Orange chicken.

Aspen has been a lot of fun to have around for the last 10 years. She has kept me on my toes. She loves to eat spaghetti and Chinese food. She likes school but doesn't like math. She loves to go shopping. Michaels, Justice, Claire's and Dollar Tree are her favorite places to shop. Right now she is having a "Cherry" fetish. She likes anything that has cherries on it...even real cherries. Her favorite color is orange. She wants to decorate her new bedroom in Orange. Orange it will be! She is taking piano lessons right now, but the question is...does she enjoy it? She is learning to sew. She is making her school teacher, who is expecting, a pink rag quilt.

We also celebrated Gil's big day today! Gil is 5 month old today.
Aspen helped me take pictures of him with her new camera.

• Gil is turning over from his tummy to his back. We had to stay so close when we were taking this picture so he didn't roll off.
• His neck and legs are getting stronger.
• I get soaked when he takes a bath because he splashes so much.
  
• He loves it when people talk to him.
• He is starting to reach for objects.
  
• Still sleeping through the night!!!!

4 months old

Gil is already four months old (and 6 days). I wish I could just freeze time. He is getting so big...Please stop! I soooo love the baby stage.

• Gil found his fingers!
• He loves it when people get close to him and talk in his face. He becomes ALL SMILES.
• Gil is still sleeping through the night. I am so thankful for this. I am a much nicer mom when I get my sleep.
• He has found his voice. He likes to talk(coo) to us. He coos just seconds before he falls asleep, as if he is trying to resist it.
• It is so much fun to listen to Gil giggle when we tickle under his chin. It is one of the highlights of my day.
• His neck is getting stronger, but not strong enough for his bumbo chair yet.
• Gil knows when I am fixing dinner. This seems to always be his fussy time.
• His hair is getting even longer. I get so many coments about how much hair he has. So cute!

I love my Li'l Gil

Credits to Malori. She is my photographer.

Braces!

Caleb got braces this last Monday (April 19th).
I think he was so excited.
I think he was excited to be checked out of school.
I think he couldn't wait.
I think he was in some pain after the Orthodontist put them on.
I think he was sore for a few days.
I think he lost a pound or 2 this week.
I think...actually, I know...that he likes them.
I know that he thinks he is cool!

He was sure a tease this week. When the subject of 'braces' came up he kept cool. He didn't want everyone to know that he got braces. I kept asking him if he needed any Tylenol, but he wouldn't admit to much discomfort. When he didn't eat much...I knew though. Feel special if you were one of those lucky ones that got to see his braces. He didn't smile to just anyone. He intentionally kept his smile closed. I think it was Thursday night before Aspen got to see them. We were all very surprised to see that he chose BLUE rubber bands. I would have bet money that we would have chose RED because he is a dedicated University of Utah fan. I think he looks handsome in blue braces! Caleb is growing up right before my eyes.

Blonde hair

Seriously?? I think every mother has to experience this at least once. Last night just before bed Malori came running into my room with a lock of blonde hair. "Mom, look what I found on the ground." The lock of beautiful blonde hair could only be little Ella's. When I confronted Ella she said, "But...but...but...but...I wanted to get my ponytail out." Thank goodness that it was only cut by her neck and chin, giving her a section of longer bangs. (It is really not that noticable.) A good learning experience for her though. It was just yesterday that I said out loud, "Ella's hair is getting long, she needs to get a hair cut." I wasn't meaning for her to do it though.

3 Months Old

Gil is now 3 months old. Seriously? It makes me sad to think that he is not a newborn anymore. He has been so much fun to have in our family. I don't get much done around the house anymore, but that is okay. I love the baby stage. I enjoy just holding him. I love this picture that I took today. I mimicked the picture that was taken of him when he was 12 days old. It is amazing what a baby learns in just a short time. He is getting some strength, he would not even hold still for a second. He is now 12.7 lbs and 23 inches long. After having 5 children I have realized that they don't stay little for very long.

Gil- 12 days old

• Last week he started sleeping through the night. 8 p.m.-7 a.m. I hope I don't jinx it. It feels wonderful to finally get some sleep again...notice that I am blogging this at 12:30 am. I should be sleeping too.
• He has been smiling when we talk to him for about a month now. So cute!
• I got him to laugh 1 time the other day when I was tickling under his chin.
  
• He knows who his mom is. Naaman says he calls me "FOOD."
• He is starting to hold up his wobbly head.
• He follows objects with his eyes and keeps eye contact with us if we are talking to him.
• His dad calls him "Gilbie." (What is wrong with Dad?) I definitely prefer "Lil' Gil."
  

HAIR! Gil definitely has some hair. Where ever we go people always say, "Look at his hair." I even hear bystanders whispering, "Look at that babies hair." Gil had a lot of hair when he was born and he never lost any, it is just getting longer. It is actually out of control. It just stands straight up or which ever way it wants to go. I tried putting gel in it the other day, but it just made it curly and then he looked like a girl. I didn't like that so I guess we will just stay with the out of control look. That is the style these days...right? We love our lil' Gil.

Gil's Blessing

Today was such a beautiful day! It was a great day for a baby blessing. The weather was nice; it was warmer than 40 degrees. The sun was gorgeous and the birds were singing. My heart was full and I felt very close to my Heavenly Father today. Lil' Gil was blessed by his father. The words in the blessing were beautiful. He was given the name Gilbert Ledger Jones. As we all know, I struggled a little with his name in the beginning, but I have had 2 experiences (today being one of them) since his birth confirming to me that Gilbert should be his name. I love his name and I hope he does too. I can't believe that Gil, my Lil' guy is almost 3 months old. He is so sweet and special. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has trusted me enough to let me teach and raise another one of his precious spirits.

Myself and My Lil' Gil

Grandma Kearl and Gil

Gil received 2 blankets: Grandma Kearl gave him a soft white crocheted blanket and Grandma Jones gave him cute doggie blanket. Oh, he is going to love them.

After the blessing today we all crowded into our home and had a wonderful lunch; sandwich foods, salads, veggies, beans and the cutest ever desserts! It was so wonderful to spend time with our families. I am grateful that we could all be together. I doesn't happen often that I get to be surrounded by all the people I love. Some of our family traveled here to be able to share this exciting day with us, I am so grateful for them. My heart was definitely full today!