Hurry Up and Slow Down!

"Hurry Up!"
Those seem to be two of the most said words that come out of my mouth.
"Hurry up and eat your breakfast."
"Hurry up, Kalei is crying."
"Hurry up, it's time for naps."
"Hurry up, we're late."
"Hurry up, we have things to do."
Hurry, hurry hurry.
As adults, especially as parents of young children, we constantly feel the stress of a to-do list a mile long. I find myself having a difficult time focusing (or enjoying as I should be in most cases) the moment at hand because in my mind I'm going through what else I need to be getting done.
This is the exact opposite of how the minds of young children work. They don't care about what else is on the to-do list. They live for the moment. They could spend an hour going out to the mailbox to get the mail. There's the blooming flower to look at, the trail of ants to observe, the rocks to pick-up and throw, the dirt to dig through to look for worms etc.
Over the past few weeks I've found myself wondering how much of their imagination, their zest for life, their desire to learn am I squashing because I'm so worried about making sure the bathrooms are cleaned, the dishes washed, the shopping done. All things that can wait for another time but the moment that I'm hurrying my children through will never come back.
I've had a lot of those "Stand back and realize how much your children have grown" moments. Little things like:
Brayden getting himself a snack and cleaning it up or making his bed and getting himself dressed every morning.
Tavita having grown tall enought to turn the lights on and off on his own.
Kalei sleeping in Junior's lap and church and realizing she no longer fits in the crook of his arm, rather she sprawls across his lap and her feet hit the bench.
Brayden having his days where he just finds his parents so annoying (see previous post) and constantly wanting to be off playing with friends.
Tavita constantly talking about getting bigger and having big susu's (like Daddy's so he can make them dance) or just the fact that he's talking SOOO much now.
Kalei crawling and pulling herself up to stand.
Or the fact the my two boys are starting to rival teenagers with the way they eat (no joke!)
The list could go on and on as to ho many moments over the past few weeks where I just sat back and thought, "Wow, could they really be that big already."
It's at times like these that the words "Hurry Up." are at the very bottom of my list of what I want my kids to do.
I want them to stay young and innocent. Constantly savoring every moment of life rather than hurrying through it to the next tasks. All too often I find myself saying, "Well, today I've got to get this done but tommorrow I'll spend the whold day jsut playing." I realize that those responsibilities still need to be met and I can't spend all my time playing with my kids. However, I've made a renewed goal to keep my kids my #1 priority. Even if it means leaving the floor in desperate need of a mop so I can play superhero and villans.
Then there are the sweet moments that I'm taken back and I realize that they will always be my babies. Like when Brayden lays next to me and plays with my eyebrows (something he's done since he was just a few months old) or when Tavita asks nightly for his blankie he's had since he was a newborn and wants someone to sleep with him. Or the way Brayden will come up and tell me, "Mommy, did you know I love you to the moon and back." Or Tavita will say, "Mommy your cute."
The bottom line is I feel so blessed to be their mother. The 3 of them can make for some real insanity at times. Sometimes I find myself questioning if I can make it through the day without having a total meltdown or wondering if I'm succeeding at all as a mother. Then one of them will do something that will melt my heart (usually something small and insignifcant) and it makes all the stress and work so worth it. I will always be worrying if I'm doing enough, if I'm teaching them enough, if I'm loving them enough. But those little moments make me realize that while I'm far from being the perfect mom, I'm their mom and that seems to be good enough for them so it should be good enough for me.

Anyway, here are some pics from the past few weeks (for when that time comes that they really are all grown up). Brayden and Tavita got hit with a NASTY virus of some kind, it was the 1st time Brayden's been sick since Tavita was born. So we haven't done very much over the past bit.
One of the days when Tavita was so sick he couldn't think straight Junior found him crying and stuck like this. The poor kid couldn't understand why his pants wouldn't go over his head.

Tavita decided to wash the windows for me. Apparently a shoe and some water are the secret ingredients to sparkling clean windows

Princess Kalei her usual smiley self!

Santa bought these flashlights at the dollar store for a quick stocking stuffer. They have been the most loved and used toy ever! I love the nights when I find the boys like this, or when we find them with blankets pulled over their heads and all you see is the glow of flashlights and the sound of a lot of giggling.

Time for Valentine cookies!!!

Adding the sprinkles

Tavita cared far more about eating then decorating

Brayden enjoying his cookie

A finsihed product!

We now have 11 o'clock church which is the WORST schedule in the world for Tavita who is very set on his nap time (how many 2 year-olds do you know who tell you they're ready to sleep). This Sunday at dinner we were in the middle of a conversation and realized Tavita had been quiet for awhile. We looked down to find this:

After 2 1/2 years we're finally getting some decorations up!

Mouthing off with an Imagination

Before I begin I just need to point out that Brayden is normally a very level headed kid and listens surprisingly well. Rarely will he talk back or throw fits. This said, two weeks ago he was on a real roll. We don't know if it's because he had spent the previous day playing with a friend who tends to be pretty disrespectful to his parents, or if he was overtired, or overstressed and felt the need to vent feelings. Whatever it was he was angry at just about everything and was letting us know it. However, instead of the normal yelling and screaming, Brayden decided to throw a little creativity into his attitude. Here's just a few samplings of what we heard that day:
He was upset at me because I wouldn't let him play the DS and told him do something that didn't involve video games or tv.
his response (while waving his hand over his head): "Why don't you just get a bunch of balloons and float away."
Yeah, I was just randomly laughing out loud for days whenever I thought of that because I'm sure Brayden had a very clear picture in his head of me floating off into the sky with a handful of balloons.

Junior had put Brayden into time out for throwing a fit and hitting at him when he tried to go over and talk to him. Junior continued to go upstairs with Tavita for baths but I was around the corner in the kitchen but I don't think Brayden was aware of anyone else around. This is what I heard.
"I'm so angry at Daddy. I'm just gonna leave and go live with some nice pirates."
Apparently the idea of a carefree, pirate life was just what he was in the market for but he didn't go to much for the mean side of pirating.

I was asking Brayden to do something as he was walking down the stairs. He froze, let out a long grunt and said, "That's it, your over."
I asked him what he meant and he yelled, "Your boring days are over! This always telling me what to do, and not to play PBS kids and games. It's over, you're through! Do you understand me, you're through!"
We didn't even have a response to this one. Junior and I just busted up laughing which made him even more upset.

All three of these lines have now become a joke in our home. Brayden laughs along with us. It's days like this that makes me so grateful that Brayden is normally such an easy going kid. He's usually so quick to obey and always very willing to help me out around the house.

The monstrosity

When we first got Bowzer he was this tiny, innocent, little thing only weighing 10lbs. He's now a crazy little beast weighing 30+ lbs and is only half done. Needless to say he's outgrown his first kennel so it was time to move him up. Being the cheapos we are, and since we have wonderful neighbors that don't mind us mooching off of them, Bowzer now owns a castle. Our neighbors dogs are giant Newfounlanders and this kennel was the one they used. When we first set it up the boys and Bowzer played in there for a good hour. Kalei had to join in the fun so she watched from above.

The added bonus, now I have somewhere to lock the boys when they get out of control! he he
I know I've been a slacker but there are two new post below. One of them's HUGE!

Weekly update on the happenings in the Shum house

Okay, so I started this last Saturday but it is now Sunday night so you get two weeks of updates.

Brayden: A conversation I had with Brayden about our good friends/neighbors across the street who somewhat recently added on to their home.
B: Mom, why did the Shorts make their house bigger and brown? I like their small, blue house better.
M: Because they wanted a bigger house so they had more space.
B: I think it's cause they wanted to get their big tv
(Yes, that is why everyone spends $100,000 for an addition)

Another one on the way to a birthday party that had a costume theme. Brayden was going in his army costume and we were walking.
M:"Here, I found your army helmet"
B:"But I'm already wearing my beanie, you hold it til we get there."
M:"Just stick it on top of your beanie."
B:"No way! I will look ridiculous!"
Since when does a 4-year old care about looks.

Then to add on to the worry about his image this conversation happened
B:"Mom, why do you and Daddy drink one milk and me and Tavita a different one?"
M:"Because your milk has more fat in it and that's not good for adults so we drink one with only a little"
B:(utterly horrified)"Why do you want to make me fat?"
We had a little talk about how little kids need healthy fats in their diets to help them grow big and strong. He now is always pointing to junk food saying he should eat it because it has "a lota lota fat". Apparently he didn't get the "healthy" part.

Junior got this huge bright red and orange stuffed iguana from work. Brayden thought it was the coolest thing in the world and took it everywhere and kept it in his bed. One day I noticed it on his dresser instead of in his bed. I asked him why it was there and he replied,
"Mom, that igunadon is giving me issues. He's hard and pokes me and makes me uncomfortable at night. So that's why he's on the dresser because he gives me issues."

Brayden is very thoughtful of others and also tries to mind his manners. One of his latest obsessions is "opening the door for ladies".


Brayden is sick for the first time I can remember since Tavita was born. He'd get sniffles now and then but nothing that put him out. He got a little bug on Thursday and is still fighting it. Does well during the day but it hits him hard at night. He insists that I tell both his primary teacher and his preschool teacher that "he went to a birthday party, ate pizza, then got sick. Now he has a fever, and a bad cough that sounds like this 'huhahuh'. And tell them that I miss them. Tell them all that okay Mommy."

Brayden and his girlfriend (actually these two fight more than most siblings so I had to capture them getting along!)


Tavita:Tavita didn't start saying my name until he was over two. He would say names like "Carson" and "Jandy" but never "Mommy". He's made up for it though with his new habit of coming up to me while doing dishes or driving in the car and saying, "Mommy, I love you."

Tavita always gets upset when we drop Brayden of at school because he wants to go to school too. One day we were going through the normal routine of getting Brayden ready for school and Tavita following me around saying, "I go preschool too." I told him that after we dropped Brayden off we were going to go see his new preschool (I'm sending them both to a new preschool that's closer by next year). He was so excited. I kept trying to tell him we were just lookig at the school. However, when we pulled up to the preschool, he walked out so proud, shoulders squared ready to go to class. Luckily the lady at the front desk was really nice and took him to go peek through all the windows of the classes. We left with him in tears because he wanted to stay and go to class. The poor guy can't wait to grow up.

Janessa got "Home Alone" for Christmas and it quickly became the boys favorite. They were pretty bummed when she went up to school and took it with her. Tavita has continued to hold a grudge against her for this unforgivable act. Almost daily he asks to watch Home Alone then instantly follows with, "Auntie took it." The other day her name came up and Tavita chimed in with, "She stole Home Alone." Don't know when he's going to get over it.

The boys love going to sleep with primary music playing. At first Brayden was the only one who would request it and show much interest in it. However, lately Tavita is always walking around singing songs and loves to have his primary music playing. A favorite for both the boys is, "Follow the Prophet." The both love to belt out the chorus. Whenever the song comes on and it gets to the chorus Tavita yells out, "Mommy sing with us." and will follow with, "Daddy, I can't hear you." Wherever we are in the house we need to stop and sing along.

The boys were watching me paint some shelves and Brayden asked if they could paint to. The next day I went to the store and bought some craft paint so they could paint these little wood art kits they got from Lowes (you paint them, then nail it together). I had everything sitting out ready to go, boys in paint clothes, newspapers on the ground etc. Then they decided to run over to the neighbors to play so I started making dinner for a family in the ward.
They came home ready to paint. I told them to give me a minute to finish cutting the broccoli, I'd change and we'd go ahead and paint. The next thing I know Brayden is screaming bloddy murder. I glance up and Tavita is just standing there pouring bright red paint over Brayden's head and it's pooling in his eye. Junior and I started yelling but Tavita didn't budge, he was facinated. (Brayden decided Tavita was just wanted to know what he'd look like with red hair.) I grabbed Brayden (in my new sweater and jeans) and started flushing his eye. Junior grabbed the paint. In the end we had bright red paint all over Brayden, my, Tavita, the dog (don't ask me how), kitchen cabinets, the floor, the walls going up the stairs (Brayden headed up there after I washed his hair not realizing he still had wet paint everywhere), and a bit on Junior's shirt. Tavita just stood there askig to get cleaned because he was all messy. I told him he could sit and wait until everythign else was clean. Miracloulsly, in the only thing that showed any sign of paint was a hand towel and the boys paint clothes.
The next morning I asked if we wanted to take another try at painting and Tavita replied with "Yes, but not on Brayden's head." At least a lesson was learned.
Here's us on take two. I didn't get any pictures of the chaotic paint episode, we were rushing too fast to clean everything before it dried.


Tavita showing of his Spiderman band-aid covering his split eye. He was leaping from Kalei's crib onto the guest bed. I've told him countless times he was going to get hurt and he learned the hard way I was being serious. (By the way we are making homemade pretzels in this picture. Thanks for the great idea Melyssa)


Things I'm a little concerned about regarding this boy. He's become OBSESSED with the color pink. It's his "favorite". If you ask him what color birthday cake he want's he'll proudly say, "PINK!" Second thing, when he's not talking about pink, he's talking about how he wants, "big susu" (boobies). Everytime he eats something he'll say, "My susu going big, big, big." We were pretty relieved when we finally figured out he wanted big susu like Daddy so he could make them "dance" like daddy does when he's showing off.

Kalei: Kalei continues to grow more everyday. She is now standing while holding on to something. She can't pull herself up unless she can get her hand completly around something (like our finger) but is constantly sliding off our laps into standing position. Still doesn't do the "normal" crawl. She goes into pushup position on her hands and the balls of her feet then lunges forward. She goes into the crawling position but has decided the "push-up" method is faster.

The other day she was playing with one of her toys that plays music and she was "singing" along. At first with thought it was just coincidental but she would push the put and start singing her "lalala". As soon as the music stopped, she stopped, the music started, she'd start. It was a crack up.

Confirmed today that she continues to be stubborn and refuses to take a bottle. We decided it's because she likes tagging along on our dates for some special alone time. Whenever we're out with just the three of us, she hams it up to no end.

Also continues to be the queen of blowouts. There's nothing girly about the way this girl answers to the call of nature. The other day she had one of her notorious blowouts while we were getting ready to go out. We stuck her in the sink to rinse her off, she got so comfy we left her in there while we finished getting ready.


Why pay all that money for teethers when you can just use a nice cold carrot! It was really cute, she kept wanting to share with Junior.



Junior's cousin reported to the MTC last week and we had the privallege of picking her up from the airport and dropping her off.
-I told the boys that Auntie Gesa was coming that day. They thought I said Auntie Janessa. Brayden got really excited and Tavita just went on and on about how she took Home Alone (of course).
-On our way home from picking her up at the airport we realized we were driving along side Elder Holland (an apostle for our church). Gesa and I got really excited and tried taking pictures but this was the best we got.

-They've really changed the way they do drop-offs. You're just supposed to drop them off at the curb instead of goig inside (started when there was the big to-do about Swine Flu). Since we didn't go during regular hours we went into the lobby for a bit. It was late and all the missionaries were scattered around doing the scripture study and our boys were running around all of them. You could tell two crazy little boys weren't the norm in the place, especially when one was dressed as Wolverine. Think it made a few of the elders day!
-They shooed us outside before the put her tag on her and what not. I tried getting some pics through the window of her meeting her companion and getting her tag on but they didn't turn out to great.
Good-bye world, hello mission life!

The boys and Gesa

The best I could do from the outside


This novel of a post is why I shouldn't wait 2 weeks to post!

Scary moment

A couple days ago I had Kalei playing on what I thought was a freshly vacuumed floor while I ran upstairs to vacuum real quick. She has a bucket of toys that I set next to her and she just grabs the toys out one at time, plays with it until she loses interest and then moves on to the next. It usually keeps her content for a pretty good amount of time.
Soon after I started vacuuming I could hear her fussing quite a bit. I did a rush job on the rest of the floor then went down to get her. By the time I got there she was pretty upset but her crying kept being interrupted by fits of coughing. She had a runny nose so I thought maybe she was just getting congested fast. I carried her around for about 5 min and every 20-30 sec she'd start in on this horrible cough that sounded really mucousy. I couldn't believe how fast her runny nose had turned into such a nasty congested cough. I took her upstairs, suctioned her nose only to get almost nothing out. I tried feeding her thinking maybe if she calmed down and got some rest she'd do better.
Every time she'd try to swallow she'd start coughing and bite me. The third time around she bit and wouldn't let go so I gave her a gentle flick to get her to let go. She started WAILING when I did that (I guess it startled her). With her mouth gaping open in a scream I looked in and noticed something at the back of her mouth. I swept my finger back in there and pulled out this.

It was heart-stopping for me to think about what the poor girl had been going through and what could have been the end result. I have no idea where it came from but this piece of plastic had been at the back of her throat covering her little pipes every once in awhile as it moved around her mouth. That "mucousy cough" I thought I was hearing was really her struggling to breath. I let the poor girl struggle through that for quite some time. I felt HORRIBLE for flicking her while she was choking but at the same time relieved that I did and that she had the reaction she did. Had she not started screaming who knows when I would've finally wised up and realized she wasn't coughing but choking. OR what if I never realized and that plastic got permanently wedged in there and I couldn't get it out.
Yeah, it took me awhile to get over this one!

Events!

Some memories for this week:
-Junior spent 3+ hours caulking baseboards and windows only to find out he accidently grabbed a caulk that goes on white and dries clear (he has a huge bag of caulk and wasn't paying attention) He know gets to go back and recaulk EVERYTHING!!!
-Brayden gave us a scare by disappearing after church. We enlisted the help of some ward members to help find him. Turned out he decided to walk home on his own and was perfectly content playing on his "ice castle" (the icy mound of snow from the plow). One neighbor brought him in the house for a snack until we got home (he had no jacket or anything) and another came back to the church to let us know where he was. When we tried talking to him about the importance of not taking of alone/stranger danger etc. His reply was: (with his muscles flexed)"No bad guy could take me, I'll beat them up."
-Kalei cut her first 2 teeth! Not much fussing or crakiness at all! Junior walked in the door and she exlaimed "Dadada." 3 in a row to pull "dada" over "mama"
-Tavita gave up his binky. He threw it in the trash outside and we gave him a V-Tech motion. Thought it was a great idea at the time but when it came bedtime, he was begging for some dumpster diving. Screamed for a little over an hour tonight, we'll see how it goes. Also pulled a new trick of hiding all his veggies in his mouth, getting down from the dinner table and laying on the floor with Bowzer. He was very stealth-like with the way he pulled the veggies from his mouth and placed them in Bowzer's.
-I ran to 3 stores today wondering why my pants kept falling down. Came home to find out my button was undone all the while. Hope it gave at least a few people a laugh.
-Bowzer was running so fast he couldn't stop and went sailing off the landing and flopped at the bottom of the stairs.
And that my friends is life in ths Shum household!

SHEESH!!!

Finally got all caught up on updates. They're ones I started a while back so they are below other posts. Just scroll and you'll see them. To start you off, here's a few random pics from the past bit!
A boy and his dog getting the mail

Our little fish. This girl LOVES her baths

So initial pictures we had of the boys and Bowzer were the boys running in fear of Bowzer. No longer the case! These guys love their dog and luckily for them, he puts up with a whole lot of harassment from them.

A worn out soldier from a hard days work!