5 Months

Here are pictures of Collin. These have been taken over the last 3 days. He actually turned 5 months on the 30th.

OK, here is Collin's Halloween outfit- he's an ewok. The sunglasses are on just cause they were there :) He really liked his costume, it was really warm and soft so I think thats why he liked it.

These are his new favorite toys. Kimberly gave us the farmer truck with the animals that stack on it. He really likes them. The other toy is a weird flag type thing that came with his high chair. Chase and I think its funny that we spend so much money on toys and he loves this random toy that we don't even know what it is...

This is Collin and his cousin Tyler. They are 6 weeks apart but very close to the same weight, Tyler is just over 17 lbs and Collin is just over 18 lbs.

He just learned how to sit up by himself on Monday. Its been really nice for me since he can now play with himself little better.

If this looks like our front room, it is. We decided to put him out there on Monday night and he has slept so great since then we've just left it out here.

We got him these sunglasses a few days ago and he loves them. He'll just leave them on until I take them off, he won't even try to grab them (yet...)

We bought him this little hat as well, probably to wear mostly to church, but we'll see. He really likes hats as well. I think the sun really bugs him so he likes things that keep it out of his face.

Money

So I know that we're all probably having hard times right now with having enough money. I know that earlier this year when they started talking about food prices going up and such, I thought, "I don't feel like Chase and I have been affected by this yet." But now that Chase is only working part time, I really feel that we are just going down hill with our debt. And a lot of that is my fault. I am addicted to shopping. Some of you might read that and think, come on Jen, its not that big of a deal. But it actually really is. Its not just that I randomly pick up a few things here or there. Its hundreds of dollars. Its hard for me to write this, but for some reason I feel like I need to. I don't have the greatest credit (mild understatement...) because I can not handle having a credit card. My thought process is totally messed up when it comes to credit cards- for some reason I think its just free money. I've actually been really good since Chase and I got married, making good payments on our credit cards and such. But Christmas time is the hardest by far. My addiction doesn't just lie with buying stuff for me. Its just buying in general. So I buy Chase lots of expensive things. I get presents for people because I want to give them something.

People who do not have this problem don't really understand why its hard for people like me. They just think- ok, you don't have the money, don't buy it. But a lot of times it doesn't even really have to do with what I'm buying. I feel happy when I spend money, but its short lived once I see the bill. Its not real happiness. Real happiness comes from being debt free and being able to control your addictions. I hate that I feel anxious when I get paid and I don't go buy something. I can't focus on anything else, and I don't like that I am allowing my addiction to control me.

Another part of this is when there is something I need, or Chase, or Collin, I will just go and buy it. I have a hard time when I know there is something that needs to be done, and its not getting done.
Example- On Monday Chase went to the bike rack to ride his bike to work, and found that someone (probably Wymount because a lot of people saw them collecting bikes this week) had taken his bike. Now this creates a lot of problems for us because I have to drive him to school, which is usually right during Collin's nap time. So not only do I not get my time to clean or read or eat while Collin's sleeping, but I have to wake him up, which means I have a crabby baby for the rest of the day. Tuesday I told Chase we've got to figure something out. We need to go buy a new bike. But we don't have the money to do that right now (we would just go get it from Wymount but they have no records of the bikes they have, and they have hundreds of bikes. So Chase has already looked for around a half an hour, but will have to spend a lot more time looking). This is somewhat ligament to go and buy the bike to save my sanity, but I know that we could probably figure something out.

I think the reason I got back into this spending problem is because as I said- we don't have enough money anymore to meet all our bills. So we have to put some stuff on credit. And once I start, I have to train myself again to stop. Because of this I've decided to apply for a crossing guard position so that I can help make up the money we lost when Chase went back to part time. This way hopefully we'll be able to at least pay all our bills without putting anything on credit, and when Chase goes back to work full time in the summer we'll be able to pay off our credit cards.

Later today I'll post pictures of Collin's Halloween costume. He turned 5 months old yesterday. So cute.

More pictures

Sorry for all the pictures of Collin- I promise I do more then just take pictures of him all the time :)

On Wednesday Chase and I went and ate lunch at my parents house and took some pictures of Collin in the leaves in their front yard.

Our trip to Arizona

These are the 4 new babies on Chase's side of the family. I'm not sure on the exact birthdates, so I'll just put months. From left to right: Aadyn (September), Colter (July), Collin (May 30th), Greysen (September)

There are more pictures that show Greysen starting to cry and then this last picture of Collin just sinking into the hay. But I couldn't make them work in order, so I gave up.

This last weekend Chase and I went to Arizona to some family baby blessings. Both Brindee and Kristen blessed their babies, Aadyn and Greysen. We went to a pumpkin patch and a corn maze while we were there. We were a little worried about how he would do on the plane ride since he likes to scream, but he did really pretty good. There were a few tense moments, but for the most part it was just because he was tired. We decided that it is defantely worth flying now, so I think we're going to look into some rewards programs that we can work on getting plane tickets.

Grandma Brimhall made pj's for all the babies: Greysen, Colter, Aadyn, and Collin

We Support Proposition 8

So. Proposition 8. California's thing about their definition of marriage. That's California right? We live in Utah right? It doesn't affect us right? --WRONG!! Proposition 8 is a big deal for everyone in America, and for anyone who belongs to a religion that believes that marriage is designed to be between a man and woman.
We are talking about a definition of the term "marriage." When was the last time the government defined what a word meant? Does that really matter? Well if that word was defined by law to mean what government said it meant and only that, yes, it would matter. Could anyone object to it? Not really. What if government's definition went against their beliefs? Could the government force their belief or religious standards to be changed? You bet!
We don't really want the government (even if it is just California's) defining "marriage." In this case, California is trying to say that marriage is between the following options:
A) Between a Man and a Man
B) Between a Man and a Woman
C) Between a Woman and a Woman
Because of that change in definition, the schools will probably have to change what they teach. Same sex marriages will be put on the same level as heterosexual marriage. What about churches in California? They too will actually have to be adjusted in what they can teach marriage to be. Think about it, The Church wouldn't be able to teach as official doctrine in California that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God" and "the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife." (That's from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” - See The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
So that is just in California right? Well, if California can all of a sudden define what marriage is, then there would be a lot of repercussions felt throughout the U.S. Suddenly there could be other states who would try to define it too. (Everybody wants to be like California, right?) Just imagine what that would do to the United States. Suddenly we don't have the freedom of speech about that kind of "stuff" anymore. In reality, it does affect us here in Utah, or Arizona, or anywhere else.
We don't really have the option to vote yes for Proposition 8 in California because we aren't from California. We just hope that you will talk to everyone that you know about it. Maybe if its talked about enough then people in California will realize that it isn't just about changing the definition of marriage. If we can just "up and change" the definition of marriage, then what is stopping the government from changing the definition of other words in the dictionary like "freedom" or "liberty" or "family" or "rights" or "religion"?
Please. PLEASE don't be passive about this. Find out about it. Talk about it. Tell others how you feel about it. If you know anyone in California, teach them what you learn! Supporting Proposition 8 means government doesn't have the right.
We learned a lot about Proposition 8 from a few sites. Here are some links if you'd like to learn some more:
http://www.protectmarriage.com/
ProtectMarriage.com

Sunday

So 2 weeks ago I found this cute suit for Collin and he wore it for the first time yesterday. It came with a little tie that matched the vest, but at the same time I got the suit, I got Collin and Chase matching ties. So they wore them yesterday as well.

Also, yesterday we went on a drive up the cayon and decided to stop at Bridal Vail Falls. I love this place. As a little girl we used to go there ALL the time. I remember watching people ride the tram and thinking "I would never do that!" and now I really wish that we had. I also remember the "petting zoo" which was pretty much 2 goats and some rabbits, but it was so fun as a 6 year old. And they had a little place to "mine for gold". It was so much fun. I just hope that someday they will be able to fix it up so that we can take our kids there.

Yep, I love the hair cut too :) I don't know how old I am in this picture, I'd guess probably around 6 or 7. Thats my brother Dave in the bottom picture with me, and then Stu, Dave, Richard (is sliding out of the picture), and Kim (who is behind Stu.)

Baby cards

So I decided to play around with some pictures that I took today, and ended up making these cards for each month. Just thought it was fun :)

Projects

Here are my new signs. Collin's says "Nothing prepared us for your smile". I'm not a huge fan of the two browns that I chose for Collin's, I keep thinking it says Color, or something... anyway. Good times!

So I've been working on some projects with my new Cricut, but I forgot to take pictures of the first two. I really liked them though, so I'll probably make them again. But I did take a picture of this last one I finished, and I have two more almost done, so I'll add those pictures when I get them. This is one for my sister and her husband, Kim and Bryan. Hope they like it :)

High Chair

So we decided to put Collin's high chair together on Saturday and let him try it out. I was hesitent to put it together before because we don't have a ton of room here in our apartment, and I thought it would really be in the way. But after putting it up I've found that there are some really cool things about it. 1st, the seat moves up and down. So we can wheel him into the front room and put the seat down so he is level with us while we are sitting on the couch. Then we can move him into the kitchen and move the seat up and he's level with the table. Its really nice, and he loves it. 2nd, it folds up so we can pull the legs together real quick and just put it against the wall. 3rd, I love the cover. Its way cute.

The other new thing we got for Collin is an activity center. We borrowed it from my brother and sister-in-law and I am really glad I did. Collin loves to stand, so this was perfect for him.

Here's a few pictures :)

What, a camera??!

Ok, so I just have to say that I am very jealous of people who have babies that will pose. Collin is so stinkin' cute, and then as soon as we pull out a camera, he just stares at it with really wide eyes... (see picture)

Even when we try to trick him with our cell phone cameras, its like he knows. It takes a lot of work to get a picture of him smiling at the camera. We usually have to have 2 people to get him to smile, but then he's looking at the other person, not the camera... needless to say, the day that he will actually look into the camera and smile all on his own will be a great day.

Yesterday Collin turned 4 months old. I would have posted some pictures, but was having a very hard day. So he was crying for most of the time that he was awake. Maybe I'll post some pictures later in the week.

My mom's birthday was also yesterday, so I just wanted to say happy birthday mom! I am so grateful for my mom. She does so much for me. Chase and I are so lucky to be part of such amazing families!

Maybe its the red...

Notice the shirt... oh the irony
'

Planet Earth

So my sister and her husband got the series Planet Earth for a wedding present last year, and after we found that out we borrowed them and watched the whole series. It is amazing. So we decided that we wanted to watch it again and borrowed one of the DVDs. This show is incredible. I am just amazed at how everything works on the earth. That it rains and floods African deserts just at the right time so the animals can get the water they need. How there are fungi's that live in the rain forest and makes sure that no certain insect can become too dominating in their population. Its crazy! I'm just so grateful for this planet and how everything works. I'm really glad they decided to do this series, there are so many things that I don't know about or would even think of that make this plant work how it does. So incredible.

ps

I just have to add this to my post from yesterday. I feel guilty about going on and on about how grumpy Collin is. I know that he is such an amazing guy, and when he is happy it is so fun to have him. I am so grateful for him, and that he is healthy. I mean, there are a lot of things that could be wrong with him, but every time we bring him to the doctor he tells us everything looks great. Which is really nice. And in a way, its nice that most of the time I know that I can calm him down just by holding him. And that he likes me holding him so much that he wants it all the time. But it adds a lot of stress when I do have to leave him, and when I can't calm him down its like there is nothing I can do. I just have to lay him in his bed and let him cry.
But the bottom line is that I am so lucky to have him, and I am so grateful for him. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for him.

I think another thing that helped me really get things in line yesterday was when I went to visit my mom and dad, and found out that my dad broke both the bones in his leg. For those who don't know, my dad has MS and is pretty much to the point where he can't move too much from the neck down. I guess that last week he fell off his bed. My mom has been watching him the since then and noticed a big yellow bruise on his leg. She decided yesterday that it just wasn't getting better so she took him to the doctor. Its hard because my dad can't feel anything so he couldn't tell my mom that he was in any pain. The doctor took an x-ray of him, and found the break. My mom and dad are such amazing people. My dad is such a trooper, no matter what is going on, whenever I ask him how he is, he always says Good. And he really means it. And my mom takes care of him 24/7. She does everything for him and does such a good job. I love my parents so much and am so grateful for them. I just realized yesterday that even though sometimes I feel like things are so hard, I just look at my parents and see how well they handle everything that has been given to them. And I think how much of a pansy I'm being :) I just need to buck up and realize how lucky I am. Anyway, sorry about the long blogs lately...

Crying

Let me just say that I am so happy and lucky to have Collin. He is such a fun kid when he has slept and been feed, and will smile at most anyone during the 15 minutes or so that he's usually happy during the day :)

But, I have really been struggling these last few weeks. After he was about 2 weeks old he started crying a lot more. My doctor told me that was normal, and that they usually start settling down around 3 months. After that, Collin started having his on and off weeks, usually off, but sometimes we'd go a few days where he would be happy. Around that same time he would cry unless I was holding him. At that time it was ok because he only weighted about 8 pounds and so I could do most things one handed.
That was hard for Chase since he really wanted to play and hold Collin, but about 95% of the time Collin would just start to cry if he would hold him. It was hard for other people as well, like my mom who wanted to play and hold him, but Collin just wouldn't have any of it.
Now that Collin is almost 4 months old I was hoping that he would start to kind of grow out of this stage, but it doesn't seem like anything is getting better. He still just screams most of the time unless I'm holding him, although he's getting better with Chase. But we can't leave him with anyone unless we've already put him down because he will just cry the whole time.
I knew that having a baby was going to take a lot of work, but it just seems like once or twice a week Chase comes home to me and Collin sitting on the couch crying. I feel like I'm surrounded by babies that sleep, and Collin still only takes an hour nap during the day and then wakes up every 2 hours during the night. I keep trying to get him to sleep though one of the feedings, but he will just lay there and scream unless I feed him. I would try letting him just cry it out, but I feel so bad for our neighbors. We had a family that lived next to us for about 3 weeks and they would just let their twin girls cry for an hour or more, usually around 3 am. So not only was I up with Collin, but then I'd have to sleep on the couch because the next door neighbors were crying. Anyway, I'm hoping that someday it will get better. I just needed to vent a little because I know that I'm doing all I can, but I just can't hold a 16 pounder all day and night. I've still got to do stuff, and get sleep. I love him to death, but I'm going to be very happy when he starts letting other people help him.
Thanks to all my family who is willing to watch him when I have stuff that I have to do (like get a crown put on) even though he screams most of the time they are with him. He's going to have to start settling down or else he's not going to get a brother or sister in a few years :)

question

Ok, so randomly Collin will have days or nights when he wakes up from his nap just screaming like he's having a nightmare. As soon as I pick him up and kind of wake him up, he stops crying and just looks around. As he's gotten older he's done it less, but he still does it every so often. Anyone had any experiences like this? I'm just wondering if he really is maybe having nightmares, or if he's just uncomfortable, and I'm also wondering if he'll grow out of it.

Thanks for any help...