MISSED MILESTONES

This post is definitely more for personal purposes then anything else. I wish I would have gotten to the blogging world about 7 years earlier. I would have loved to blog about my personal journey that began that long ago and that created the beautiful family and journey I now have. Anyways in my lack of blogging or writing in a journal I have missed recording some of those important milestones in my children's lives. I would suggest to all you mommies out there if you happen to read across my blog to keep a record of all those fun first your kids do. First smile, tooth, laugh, etc.

I will be posting the very basics of what I can recall of my kids milestones. I do have some things written down for Aiden but did not manage to do so for all of them.

Aiden--

First tooth- 10 months

Walked- 11 months...He did this one day all on his own. I had sat him down in the kitchen so that I could get him a bottle and as I turned around to check on him he had stood up and was walking in this perfect little circle. It was one of the best moments ever.

I also recorded Aiden's first snow storm on video but I am not sure what age he was, but it is an amazing video that I treasure dearly!

Aiden rolled over a little late as he had acid reflux and was held pretty constantly I don't think he rolled over until he was 5 months old.

He crawled shortly after that somewhere between 6-7 months.

Aiden's first word was dada 

It makes me sad that I can't record more of his milestones but I am very glad that I do remember some of them

Ian--

First tooth- 6 months

Walked- 1 week to the day before his first birthday. It was fun to watch him walk back and forth between Aarron and me and to watch him feel sure enough of himself to walk.

We got a funny video of Ian when he was a baby eating a chicken nugget while asleep but it got lost off of a phone. Part of me is glad cause the poor kid would have never lived that down, but I still chuckle about it sometimes. It was very cute.

Ian rolled over at 3 months I believe

He crawled at 5 1/2 months I think...I do not enjoy that there is guess work in these milestones but better to have some idea then none at all.

Ian's first word was dada

Owen--

First tooth- 6 months as well

Walked-- 11 months and then he started running after his brothers about 2 weeks later :) It hasn't stopped yet.

Owen rolled over between 2 1/2 months

He crawled finally at 7 months

He first word was mama which he said at almost 8 months and then he stopped making noise at all once he hit about 9. He would later begin to grunt but did not make sounds anymore.

After that we missed a lot of milestones because Owen was missing some important developmental moments. This was because his ears were so full of fluid that his ear drums wouldn't move. I think he was like that from the time he was 8 months until we got tubes for him right before he turned two. I felt like such an awful mom because I had somehow missed that he was struggling to hear. Aiden had bad ear infections and had ended up with tubes when he was just over 1 so I felt like I really should have caught Owen's issue. Looking back at it all now though how was I honestly suppose to know when he wasn't getting ear infections and the few times he showed signs we asked a doctor and it looked like he was getting over an ear infection. We did the best we could with what we knew, and my lack of knowledge does not mean there was a lack of love on my part. I am glad I learned that and that we are getting to watch him progress so quickly now. He is doing amazingly well. He has picked up huge amounts of speech in the last 8 months and he also has improved his fine motor skills greatly as well. I love my boy and am glad that I can help him through this trial in his life and hope that I can continue to do that for him as he grows up and has to face more challenges.

Iradessa-

First tooth-- to this point that has not happened which is good to some degree because it will allow her teeth to be healthier and we don't have to worry about teeth until she hits 18 months and then they would just take x rays to make sure they are there :o)

Walked- She is our only baby that has not walked before one but that is okay with me to and I am glad that she is still tiny since I have to carry her around still. She is a girl so of course she has to take make her mark right ;o) Plus she only just turned one on Halloween

Her first word was mama of course and she started saying that at 4 months old but I think she realized that mama was me around 6 months.

Dessa rolled over when she was 3 months old

She army crawled clear up to 9 months and then would get on her hands and knees and rock by 10 months she was finally crawling that way most of the time...I think she army crawled because she is so tiny. At 10 months she finally was weighing in at 14 pounds so she is our teeny tiny little girl. This momma isn't complaining about that. 

Really Aarron and I are so blessed with such wonderful and amazing children. They are happy, smart, and have such fun and unique personalities. I love them so much more then they will probably ever know. I have spent just about every second of their lives with them at this point and I wouldn't change that for the world. I love that I get to experience them growing up to its fullest. I know sometimes people think I am crazy and that I "need" time away from them, but really what I need is to not miss the moments that I get with my kids. You don't get that many years with them and I don't want to give those moments away. I use to feel bad that it bothered people but now I think people just need to accept that I do things my way and that they can share time with my kids with us or miss out. There choice. Nobody has to agree with me accept Aarron and everyone else just ought to respect the way we do it. I hope that through all of this though my kids will know that I love them more then anything in the world!!!

Essential

So I have been involved with the doTerra essential oils for almost 8 months now. I can't imagine not having them in my home at this point. They are the best things ever. I love that when we are starting to feel sick that we can start using the oils and keep it very mild or get rid of it all together. I have been using On Guard on my kids since September daily and the worst they have come down with to this point is a cold. That was even through a pretty yucky flu that went through the schools. I have been lucky enough to completely stay away from getting sick which has been nice so that I can stay up on all my mommy jobs. : )  It isn't only the On Guard that has been nice. Anyone with a kid knows that they can pitch pretty big fits when you have to clean out a cut. Well nice to say those days are behind us. I have been using an oil for that to and it not only is not painful for them which mean less painful (in regards to fighting) for me, but it also keeps the cut cleaner allowing it to heal faster. I could say this over and over again I LOVE THESE OILS! I am so grateful that they came into our lives and that Heavenly Father has put such wonderful things on this earth that can be so helpful to us. Aiden said to me the other day mom I love your oils which is just one more reason that I love these. When my children can tell me that they like these oils and that they know they work how can you go wrong. Another wonderful experience we have had with these oils is we have had kiddos with upset tummies and they end up feeling like they will throw up and I have just had to mix some coconut oil and peppermint oil together and put it on their belly and they start to feel so much better. I am glad that I know these oils work and that they are CPTG (Certified Pure Theraputic Grade) which lets me know they are safe and pure oils. I wouldn't trust using any other oils. I just had to share that and how grateful I am to have them in our lives.

Important to Me

 It was easier for me when I was younger to turn to my Heavenly Father for things. It did not really matter what it was I would pray to him. I remember the day I gained a true testimony of prayer and that Heavenly Father answers your needs. I was helping my dad clean the church. We opened up one of the rooms that was locked and then the keys would not come out of the door. My dad tried to remove them for a few minutes and then I tried a time or two well he was standing by me. My dad then stated that we ought to just finish cleaning the church and we would come back to get them out afterwards. I was uneasy with that idea so I quickly said a prayer, waited a moment, and then I decided I would try to remove the keys just this one last time. I remember saying a silent prayer again as I reached out for the keys and as soon as I tried to remove them they came out so willingly. It may seem like such a simple thing that one would wonder why that would make such an impact. I have no doubt in my mind that my Heavenly Father was letting me know that he was there for me and that he did not want me to be so uneasy. I am grateful for that moment and for the strong testimony that followed it and is still strong today. I love my Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for him. Years later I had another testimony builder. Ian was two years old just barely and for selfish reasons I was thinking about being done having children. Knowing that I was being so selfish I decided I needed to pray about whether I should have another baby. I prayed about this quite a few times. One night after a few weeks of praying I had a dream. It was the most vivid dream full of such pure and peaceful feelings. I saw some of my Tongan family who have passed on. They were there with me holding my sweet son in their arms telling me that I had this baby coming to me. I spent some time with them just following them as we shared feelings. Even though it was all wordless I knew without a doubt that I had gotten my answer. I awoke the next morning and told Aarron that we had a baby waiting for us and that he was ready to come down here. It was such an amazing experience in my life that I cannot really explain it in words even. I do however still remember the peace of the place I shared with my relatives and the unbelievable joy! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see them and to have such a special experience. There was more then one testimony I got from that. One was that we do receive personal revalation when we need them, Two that there is beyond any doubt a beautiful life for us after this, and Three that there is so much love and joy to share with our families here and beyond and with many others from this gospel. I do know that God and Jesus Christ love us and want what is best for us. I know they are there for us in our times of joy and sorrow. I am grateful for my experiences and the gospel in my life. I am overjoyed to have the knowledge that I do and the chance to learn the many things I do not yet understand. I also know that it is okay that I do not have all the answers because when I need to know something I can ask my Heavenly Father and he will let me know in his time.

Ramblings

So I know that god has plan and purpose for me life which is a great thing. Sometimes though it would be nice just to see a layout of the next few months in advance. I am not asking for a detailed description, but a little hint maybe. :) No really I am glad I get to enjoy life as it comes! We have hard days around here just like everyone else, but at the end of the day I get to walk in to my kids bedrooms at night and cover them up yet again and enjoy their sweet innocence. My kids hold my heart in their hands. They are my whole world. I know I am such a blessed woman to have such sweet beautiful children, an amazing husband, and a wonderful father in heaven. I have struggled lately mostly due to stress which leaves me feeling overwhelmed. I wish I could say my first reaction was to get down on my knees and pray to my father in heaven for help. Sadly that is not the case. It took me the last month and a half or so to finally go what are you doing Brisha...he is always there to answer your prayers and he has never left you out there on your own. Needless to say yesterday was a good turning point for me and a great wake up call. I am hoping that I will continually remember to ask for his help as I need it during my prayers. I think I had just gotten myself to a point where I felt like I should not ask for things from him because I felt like I was asking for to much. I mean look at what he has already given me. I don't know why I would feel bad for asking for help because that is part of what the atonement is there for. I want to be a great example to my children, and I want to have the spirit be a strong presence in my home. I hope I can instill that in my children so that as they face their own challenges they never doubt where to turn at every needed moment!

Some things on my mind...

So Ian broke his arm almost a week ago now. A year and two months before this he broke his collarbone. I am not sure that I like the current trend and I am hoping that he fixes it so we don't have another broken bone in a year. The frustrating thing about him breaking his arm was that he was told all week to stop jumping off his dresser. I am not sure why my kids continue to cycle through this particular situation. I am at a loss as to how I am going to get them to stop jumping off of my stuff and being so destructive. I love them very much but they do need to learn to behave better in that regard.

My more current worry was brought to my attention today. I do have to say I am glad that Aiden has a great teacher who brought this to my attention after just two days as she tried to fix the problem herself first. Anyways so I got a call today informing me that Aiden wrote on his table with crayon yesterday which she made him clean off and also talked to him about. Then today he colored on the rug in marker. The thing is I know that he knows better then that and also knows that it is breaking a rule to do this. We discussed why he did this some and I he told me it was because he is bored at school. I am not really sure what to do about this. He enjoys the interaction he gets at school, but his attitude towards school is starting to change for the worse. He use to love to learn and do "homework" and at this point he is bored by it all. I don't think there is much point to this post other then I need to let these feelings out in hopes to find the best solution for Aiden so he can succeed.

Sweet Season

I am always a little sad when this time of year comes to an end. I love Christmas because of the sweet spirit that comes out around this time that is unless you are at the stores and then it is just pure madness. This year we started a new tradition in our home for Christmas day. We have decided to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus so that we can make sure we bring the true meaning of Christmas back into focus for our children. Aiden can tell us what the true meaning of Christmas is which is so great to me, but the younger ones are not to the point to really understand that. Aiden this year told us that Santa is not real and he figured it out from movies. We countered that with the statement that Santa is the magic of Christmas. It is a little sad that he came to us with that this year, but he still enjoyed seeing Santa and putting out treats. Maybe he will change his mind (fingers crossed). We are so grateful to all of our family for the wonderful gifts they gave to our kids. It was such a great Christmas for us. I unfortunately slacked and did not get pictures that morning, but we recorded it like always so we will always be able to look back at the fun Christmas mornings we have had :o)

Oh Our Precious Treat

So trick or treat now has a new meaning for us. We got the best treat possible on Halloween. Iradessa Ana Po'uha arrived at 8:05 that night. She weighed in at 7.3 and was 19 1/2 inches long. Sadly we did not get to spend Halloween with our boys, but our amazing neighbors took them trick or treating. We are very lucky to have such wonderful neighbors. I am sad I missed Owen's first trick or treating experience, but I think we all feel like Dessa was more then worth it. Our boys are loving their baby sister. Owen is beyond attached and thinks he should just get to hold her all the time. It makes me smile to see Dessa fit in so well with our family. She is such an adorable amazing little baby. I have got to be the luckiest mommy on the planet. I still look at her sometimes and it is crazy to me that we have a beautiful baby girl. Though I really did not plan on her I am unbelievable grateful that I was blessed with a daughter of my own. She did end up on lights for jaundice when we first got home, but they helped quickly and we were lucky enough to avoid the need to have her go back to the hospital to get treated which was very nice. Here are some of my favorite pictures of our baby girl over the last two weeks and the boys in their costumes. :)

 This is the normal way of life in our house now...everyone crowds around Dessa :)

 Loving the brown eyes, but it will be interesting to see if they do stay brown.

 My boys heading back home after a field trip for Aiden's school. My kids have an amazing daddy!

 My cute little monkey man.

 Aiden was our ghost this year.

 Which leaves Ian the growling werewolf

 First time I got Dessa to sleep in her bed with her Nala stuffie from us :)

 This is the baby dress I wore when I was little, and now my daughter gets to wear it.

 Here is Owen holding baby sister again...he really does love her like crazy.

We all love this little girl beyond words, and are lucky to have such a cute sweet little girl in our lives!