luC, luC, luC

Back when little jC turned 3, I did a birthday questionnaire with him.  I thought it would be fun to do it with all of the kids, every year on their birthday, starting when they turn 3.  jC turned 5 in September, and I have yet to do his for the year.  luC turned 3 in December, and I finally got around to it.

The girl is hysterical.  I swear, if I could keep her this exact age forever, I would totally do it!!  She always says the funniest things.  And always says things that just don't make sense.  So asking her these questions was no different.  It's like she would just say the first thing that popped into her head, even though it wasn't even close to being true!

1.  What is your favorite color?  Purple and Pink (it's true!  I tried, but she still fell for pink.)

2.  What is your favorite toy? Car (Really!?  First she said train, which is random.  Then she said something else.  I finally settled on a car.)

3.  What is your favorite fruit?  Bananas

4.  What is your favorite tv show?  Strawberry Shortcake (I can't tell you the last time she's watched that show.  Which is fine by me.)

5.  What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Grilled cheese (and by that she means "my favorite sandwich to take apart but not eat for lunch.")

6.  What is your favorite game?  Mario Bros.  (Ok, when she said this, I laughed so hard!  I had no idea she knew what Mario Bros was!  Pretty certain she's never played it in her life!)

7.  What is your favorite snack? Raisins

8.  What is your favorite outfit?  Yellow outfit (Ummm...ok?)

9.  What is your favorite animal?  A duck (I guess to match her yellow outfit. I don't think she even owns a yellow outfit
.)

10.  What is your favorite song?  I Am A Child of God

11.  What is your favorite book?  The Mickey book (luC has a lot of books she loves to read.  Not many of them have anything to do with Mickey.  In fact, every time we go to the library, she picks out a million Curious George books and doesn't care about anything else.)

12.  Who is your best friend?  jC (awwww!)

13.  What is your favorite cereal? Cocoa Pebbles

14.  What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with chalk (At first she just said play.  I made her expound.)

15.  What is your favorite drink?  Juice

16.  What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

17.  What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Juice (Her first answer was toys.)

18.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  cereal (When I asked her this question she said "You already asked that."  I had to clarify that I'd asked what her favorite cereal was...not what her favorite breakfast was.)

19.  What is your favorite dinner?  Pizza.  (First answer out of her mouth, with out hesitation was broccoli.  You couldn't bribe her with all the cookies in the world to eat broccoli!!)

20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? A fighter fighter (also known as a fire fighter)

We're Having Another Baby!

In case you missed it (how could you have missed it?)  the C Clan is having another baby.  Yes, ANOTHER baby.  (Believe it or not, there are people out there that have more children than us.  WAY more children than us.  Stop acting so surprised by us having our 4th.)

It's funny.  I hate making lists...like, to do lists.  HATE it.  If I had to choose between making a to-do list and digging a 4x4 foot deep hole with a kitchen spoon, I'd choose the latter.  But for some reason, when it comes to blogging, I'm all about the lists.  Which is something you've probably realized if you've read more than a few of my blog posts.

So of course, I have to make a list, for you, about why we are having another baby.  Not that I really think I owe an explanation.  But hey,  if it helps, why not.

--I gave our first reason on facebook, when announcing our pregnancy.  And I quote, "So here's the thing. I personally think it is important for all of the really good parents in the world that raise smart, nice, well behaved children to have lots of children so as to populate the world with. Conversely, I think it is equally important for all of the inadequate parents in the world that raise sassy, ill-behaved children to have lots of children to even things out. Which is why we are having another baby. Coming to even things out sometime around August."

--I love changing diapers!  Love it, love it, love it.  The more, the merrier.  It's right up there on my list of loves next to making to-do lists.

--juC looks super cute holding a newborn baby.  (And changing their diapers, when he begs me to let him have a turn.)

--When we moved into our house, I did pretty well get unpacked in an appropriate amount of time.  However, it wasn't very organized.  I had cC, at home, a little over a year after we moved into our house.  Those few months leading up to his birth, I was a machine.  I got the house cleaned and organized like never before.  It was awesome.  Then cC was born and it took approximately 3 days 14 hours and 27 minutes for all of the cleaning and organization I did to come undone and only decline since then.  Soooo, have another baby at home = motivation and energy to get the house cleaned and organized to the max.  It's a win-win.  Cute newborn baby AND an organized house.  (Even if it doesn't last very long.)

--Newborn babies smell like heaven. 

--little jC started asking for another baby when cC was like, a week old.  And I give my children everything they want, soooo...

--I wouldn't have said this when I was pregnant with little jC, but I LOVED my pregnancies with luC and cC.  No joke.  I was miserable with jC.  MISERABLE.  And I fear that this pregnancy will have the same outcome.  BUT, I really appreciated the next two pregnancies.  Feeling a growing baby inside of me...that is an amazing, AMAZING experience.  It is something I will forever, and ever be grateful I have been able to experience, and I am thankful for the opportunity to experience it again.  Being able to experience a tiny, growing babies movements is definitely a on the top of my list of why we are having another.  It's truly a huge blessing.

--juC and I love sleep deprivation.  There is nothing like being awake 27 times a night with a newborn baby.  Bring it on!

--Babies are just cute.  Even ugly ones.  How could we not want to stare at another one for hours on end?  Their tiny fingers, and tiny noses, and tiny lips, and tiny feet.  Oh my goodness!! 

--I touched on it already, but seriously, babies are such an amazing blessing.  How could we not want to take advantage of the blessings that we have been given?  People say we are crazy and that's fine (I guess).  Having children is definitely seen as a sacrifice by many, but we are willing to sacrifice for these amazing little humans that our Heavenly Father has so graciously blessed us with.    Although I'm not always as grateful as I should be, and don't always appreciate my children to their fullest, I love them more than I ever knew I could.  There was no denying it was time for another, and we are unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to have another sweet spirit join our family.

**It should be noted that having children has made me appreciate so much the struggle that others have in being able to have children.  Having children made me realize what an amazing miracle it is that not everyone gets to experience, and for those of you that have struggled or are struggling, my heart truly goes out to you!  And I know that you will be blessed beyond measure for your struggle.

Identity Crisis

I hate to say it, but I'm having a major identity crisis.  Now before I go into details, I'm not trying to have a pity party here.  I'm just expressing myself...on my blog...because that's what people do.  Or perhaps I am secretly seeking some sort of validation.  But, it is what it is, and I feel what I feel, and this is what I feel:

So, I jokingly made a post several months ago about my "talents".  As is usually the case with me, it was loaded with sarcasm, and none of the talents I listed were actually really talents.  I mentioned how I'm surrounded by so many talented people that it makes me feel inadequate.  The truth is, that was the truth.  I know, I know...you aren't supposed to compare yourself to others.  But, I'm human, and I do.

It seems that everything I'm good at, there is someone that's way better.  I love to write. I know so many others that are way better.  I love taking pictures.  I know so many others that are way better.  I love to do certain crafts (admittedly, it's a short list).  I know so many people that are way better.  I love to sing.  But I know so many people that are way, way, way, way better.  I love to bake.  I know so many people that are way better.

I could go on, but the point is, no matter what I do, I can't help but compare myself.  And when I compare, I can't help but feel like I just...suck.  And then when I start thinking about all of the things I can't do, that other people do, it makes me feel even worse.

But there's 1 thing...just 1 thing, that I always thought I was really good at.  Being funny.  Jokes, sarcasm, lightening the mood in stressful situations, being ridiculous to get a laugh, the girl with the good come backs, and being witty.  I kept thinking if I had nothing else, at least I had that.

However, lately, I'm realizing that not everyone agrees with me.  Not everyone thinks I'm very funny, or even a little funny.  And not only do they not think I'm funny, but they find me offensive, hurtful, and/or mean.  Never in my quest for funniness have I intended to hurt feelings or cause harm.  Perhaps I shouldn't be so easily offended myself, but I can't deny that when people stop talking to me, tell me to stop,
or avoid me because of it, I can't help but be hurt by it.  It is so hard to realize that there are people that don't like you.  (Am I the only one that was living in a dream world where everyone liked you and is now facing reality?)

So if I'm not good at the one thing I'm supposed to be good at, what am I good at??  If I'm not the funny person, what is my identity?

After several months of trying to figure this out, I still don't have the answer.  Instead, I've just become unbelievably paranoid about everything I say, yet unable to change what I thought was my 1 good "talent".

Living Life With Purpose

You guys!  The other night, I was looking for a specific picture.  I could remember posting this picture on my other blog (the private one that only important people were invited to read).  I couldn't find it with all my pictures so I set off to find it on the other blog, and I ended up taking a lovely, emotional stroll down memory lane.  Back when my kids were wittle, and sweet, and cute, and frustrating.  Oh wait, they're still at that stage, huh?
As I read through these posts filled with pictures of my kids and silly stories, I couldn't help but fall even more in love with them.  And I couldn't help being reminded of the struggles I had during my first couple of years of parenting, and the struggles (STRUGGLES!!!!) I had adjusting to 2 kids.  It was hard!  (It's soooo easy now, though!)(By easy I mean, so completely hard for different reasons and I know that will keep happening as they keep growing.)
Also, as I read through these posts, I was so thankful for them because I have been horrible...HORRIBLE at keeping a journal since becoming a mother.  If it weren't for those posts, I'd have nothing to look back on but 3.5 million pictures, with no stories to fill in the gaps.  And I thought...I need to blog!  Truly, I NEED to.  Blogging is what got me through things.  It's what helped me add a twist of humor to the struggles I had.  I may not be good at much.  And what I'm good at may not be that good.  But I do feel like I'm relatively good at writing and it helps me focus.  It helps me express my thoughts, and come to conclusions, and focus on humor.

The last couple of days, I've been thinking about my kids, and their purpose in life.  I swear, there are some things that they do that I'm convinced someone sat down with them before they were born and said "Your purpose in life is to ______."  And they were given a specific list, and they are determined to do it, and take it very seriously!

jC's Purposes in Life
-His single most important purposes in life are to dance and to play tickle monster.  Everything else are things he just feels obligated to fulfill, but if given the chance, he'd do nothing but dance and play tickle monster all the day long!
-Second, though, is to ask for things to have or do that he knows we will say no to, just so he has a reason to whine.  I swear he does it on purpose.
-Oh wait, I just thought of another thing that should be among the most important in his purposes with dancing and tickle monster.  If he could do those two things, while simultaneously lying under a soft fuzzy blanket in nothing but his underwear, he'd be ALL about it!  He loves, LOVES him some soft blankets.  And the joy of a soft, fuzzy blanket with no clothes to stand between the two of them is pure joy.
-Less important on the list of his purposes is his need to stay up late, no matter how tired he may be.
-His purpose in life is to also be very sensitive to the feelings of others.  (well, he often takes exception to his siblings when he is choosing to be mean to them.)  But if someone is hurt, he hurts.  If someone is sad, he's sad.  He wants them to be better...ASAP.

luC's Purposes in Life
-For a while there I was convinced that luC's only purpose in life was to scream...about everything!  Not a baby screaming, but a toddler, who just likes to scream, if any possible reason is given (or no possible reason is given) to scream.  I have since learned that she does have other purposes.  It's just hard to see them some times, due to all the screaming.
-luC's purpose in life is to tell me she loves me, daily, multiple times.  When I'm saying multiple times, I don't mean 4 or 5 or even 6 or 10.  I mean 239 times.
-Her purpose in life is to do what others do.  If she sees jC doing something she's not doing, she has to do it.  If she sees cC doing something she's not doing, she has to do it.  If she says anyone in her radar doing something she's not doing, she has to do it.  Luckily (so very luckily) this does not include having meltdowns and freak outs.  Not that she doesn't do those things, but when others do it, she doesn't let it influence her.
-Her other purpose in life is to be the wiggliest human being on the face of the planet when she's sitting in your lap.  She fulfills this purpose to perfection.  And since she loves to sit in laps, she has many opportunities to fulfill and continue to perfection this purpose in life.
-And last, but not least is her hugging.  She hugs like there is no tomorrow and they just might be the best hugs I've ever experienced.  The hugging coupled with the almost constant declarations of love are probably the only things that get me through some days.

cC's Purposes in Life
-cC is just a little guy, but he has some very clear purposes in his life.  #1 on the list, the very top, very most important purpose in his life is to pull luC's hair.  And pull it.  And pull it.  And pull it some more.  Which totally helps luC fulfill her purpose of screaming.  So they were clearly meant to be siblings. Oh, the joy he finds in pulling her hair.  Oh, the determination.
-cC has done really well in his purpose of staying bald.  All of my babies came out baldies.  But cC...well he has gone the extra mile.  By this age, jC and luC had hair.  cC?  He's going for a record.
-cC also was apparently told to be the funniest kid around.  I don't know how kids his age can have such a sense of humor, but he's got one.
-There's this one purpose in life he has that's really throwing me off.  And that is having a pacifier in his mouth at all times.  Now, you may be thinking this is totally normal for a kid his age, but jC and luC were well before 1 when we removed theirs from their mouth never to return it again.  cC, though, he is addicted.  Addicted, I tell you!
-Last on his list, but certainly not least is fulfilling his experiment to see how much he can get by using no words at all, but simply grunting and yelling.  I fear he is being so successful in his purpose that he will never have the desire to get what he wants by any other means.

Now if only I could figure out my purpose in life, we'd be good to go.