Back on Track

Oh, man, has it really been almost 3 months (1/4 of a YEAR!!!) since I last posted. It's not like life has slowed down around here (au contraire!) but I haven't been recording or documenting it and I know, know, know I'm going to regret that. The boys are growing up so fast and I really want to be able to read and remember what it was like at this stage. I feel so rusty writing. I have a million things that I've been thinking about regarding the boys. For instance: Ollie's eating/weight/gut issues--I thought this was behind us, but he's had ongoing stomach aches and is losing weight again so we are seeing a pediatric G-I specialist. Elliot's behavior- it's improving but does he have ADHD???? Why is he such a handful??? Is it birth order? Are we not giving him enough attention? Are we not being consistent enough??? Is he just immature and is this something he'll outgrow?? Will he ever have friends if he keeps being such an annoying pest (his signature preschool move is to knock down other kids' Lego towers). Could Andrew be any cuter? How can I ever get enough of his adorableness??? Is there something I can do so that he doesn't turn out to be a picky-eater like his brothers? Is that genetic or does it have to do with my cooking/parenting?

These are just a random sampling of the million-odd thoughts that are banging around my head like so many loose pinballs. Maybe I'm experiencing so much mental chaos because there is this backlog of things that I need to address. I wonder if I wrote more often, perhaps made myself write a short little something every day, I wouldn't feel like I have cobwebs in my head or that I have mental constipation.

So, with that being said, I will not *YET* commit to writing every day, but I have already decided that my goal for 2012 is to focus on and improve my daily habits. I need to do a better job of attending to those little daily habits that become routines that shape our character. Broadly speaking, it is really so hard for me to be constantly vigilant and consistent. It is just not my strong suit. I am good at spontaneity and short bursts of energy and productivity, but not really great at sustained effort. So I'm hoping that if I change my daily habits I can just re-train myself to be conscientious without having to constantly think about it, it will just become my habit. So I won't try to change my nature (which I don't think will work anyway and will just result in frustration) but I'll just try to improve my "autopilot" so that certain things will just become routine. Some of the things I need to do DAILY are: floss, take a multivitamin, read my scriptures, work with Oliver on his reading. The things I do on a daily basis already that I am proud of are: exercise (running), generally being organized, keeping the house uncluttered, having one-on-one time with each of the boys, not letting the boys watch TV (except the occasional half-hour of this show called Wild Kratts on PBS Kids).

Non sequitor: I have been reading the boys Charlotte's Web each night before bed. It is wonderful! Even Elliot is interested and cuddles close to hear the drama going down in the Zuckerman's barn. This is one of the BEST parts of being a parent.

We are hosting two of Ryan's brothers, Taylor and TJ, for Thanksgiving this year. TJ arrived with his 7 year-old daughter Macy on Monday night. The next day we took them to the Lindsey Wildlife Museum, had a picnic at Larkey Park, and rounded out our day visiting the dogs and cats at the animal shelter. Taylor and Lisa arrived that evening with their kids. It's been fun seeing the boys developing good relationships with their cousins. Macy and Oliver get along really well. They are both pretty mellow and tender-hearted. David is sweet and funny too.

Thanksgiving dinner went fairly well. It was not the least bit stressful because we used the same menu and recipes we did last year. Ryan had created a spreadsheet that showed what needed to be done at each 15-minute interval (I've got to say I love having such an organized husband!). We made sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, and turkey with maple-apple cider glaze. It was pretty good, but for some reason throughout the whole meal I kept thinking about Thanksgivings at my grandparents' house on Long Island. The food that we served tonight was good, but something was missing. It didn't fill me up the way Thanksgivings at Grammie and Poppop's filled me up. It wasn't as exciting (and Ryan even got out the crystal and china and we set the table so beautifully). I don't know what it was. It seemed sort of just ordinary. It was a feast in terms of the amount and quality of food, but there wasn't that same feeling of it really being an event that will last in memory. The kids were watching a movie while we were eating, so it was all very civilized for us, but nevertheless, it seemed like just a nice Sunday dinner. I'll have to give that some more thought because I can't put my finger on it.

Here are some pictures of the boys that don't go along with the post but I figure it needs some photos! Since we've switched to Mac, I am not using Windows LiveWriter anymore so I'm going to have to figure out a better way to post pictures than with Blogger. Anyway, here are the boys playing with sidewalk chalk in our backyard.