First Day at Banner

It's after 9:00pm.  I have to be up at 5:00am to get my tired little booty out to Banner Thunderbird by 7:30.  I may as well drive to California.  And yet, I am determined to sit here and blog so that I can remember today.

I carpooled with my dad to get to my first day of orientation at Banner Good Sam.  It was a VERY rainy day.  Lucky for us, the windshield wipers on my dad's car might as well be water skis as well as they work...it was awful.  I arrived in plenty of time, though, and figured I would get a head start on my day by pumping (breastmilk, that is).  I am such a good mom.  Except that I am missing vital pieces of my pump.  Great...

Orientation is orientation, complete with complimentary orange juice, bagels and cream cheese, fruit, etc.

Meanwhile, back at home, Husband is trying to get my siblings ready and out the door for school while also wrangling Hyrum and Lindi.  He needs a shower, so he leaves our children in the care of my mother's children.  Lindi poop 'splodes.  Leslie and Sydney ditch out because they're going to be late for school.  Brooke (10) is left to clean up the 'splosion.  It gets on her pants.  She reports she threw up in her mouth.  She did an excellent job of cleaning Lindi.

Husband gets the kids to school and comes home to feed Miss Lindi before bringing me my pump pieces.  She fusses and fights.  I guess we're going to have to become acclimated to the bottle again.

The rain has made for terrible traffic, but Husband finally makes it to Good Sam so that I can pump.  I give my babies hugs and kisses.  I cry because Husband reports that Hyrum "wants to hold Mommy!"  My sweet little babies need their Momma not to be working all day!  Then, Husband makes it home just in time to discover that Hyrum has thoroughly peed his car seat.  Oh joy!  He scrambles to change Hyrum, strip the car seat, feed the three of them, get dressed and ready, and out the door to pass the kids to Grannie and get to his interview.  He makes it with one minute to spare.

Of course, once we're all home, it's time to make dinner, do dishes, catch up on laundry, iron uniforms (don't say it...who irons these days?), brush teeth, and watch the old school "Johnny Lingo" as the kids go to sleep.  Phew!  Tomorrow is a new day.  Just as busy, too!

Creative Mothering

Child number two ushers in a whole new phase of mothering. What's a mom to do when she finds herself with a poopy diaper and a diaper bag wipee thief?

Creative thinking, I tell ya!

Here's to Lindi! Alive, freshly diapered, and happy to boot!

Now to discover the wipee thief!

Jeri Lin Brown, RN

I accepted my first position as a Registered Nurse.

What?!

I will be working at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.  I will float between the Cardiac PCU, Neuro PCU, and Outpatient Observation Unit.  I will work three nights a week.

I'm super duper excited and super duper want to cry and pee my pants and what am I thinking?!  I'm not sure I know how to be a full-time nurse and a full-time mother.  I can see myself evolving into my own mother.  Never sleeping, constantly going.  Somehow I will have to figure out how to learn and grow and enjoy working while still loving and holding and squeezing my sweet babies and Husband too.

Blessing Day for Lindi Beth

What a beautiful little family!

And what a special day to share with grandparents and great-grandparents!

I was so grateful to have my daughter surrounded by her father, her Pops, her Grandpa, and her Papa!

Three generations of faithful Priesthood holders!

A beautiful day for a beautiful girl!

After Lindi's blessing, as I held her and had my boys on either side of me, I was overwhelmed with a love for my little girl and for my family.  I felt as if my heart would burst!  I am so grateful for Priesthood keys that allow us to be sealed for eternity!

A Visit from the Browns

Grandma and Grandpa Brown came to visit for the week.  They rented a house nearby and we enjoyed having lots of space, a pool, and (of course) GRANDPARENTS!

We spent a few afternoons in the pool.  Even Missy Lind joined us once.  She's to-die-for-cute in her little swimmer suit.

 Another family photo...we're on a roll.

Aside from swimming, we enjoyed playing board games, eating yummy food, touring model homes, and just being together.  On Saturday night we went to Benihana's. It was a little bit of a fiasco.  We should have known better than to wait for over an hour with two little kids.  Then, we finally got seated and Hyrum fell over in the high chair and cracked his head.  As awful as that was, he recovered fairly quickly and enjoyed the rest of the evening.  He loved watching the chef cook our food right there in front of us and he love love loved the chicken fried rice.  I'm still glad we went and I'm glad it's a night we will never forget, even if it is at the expense of Hyrum's head.

We sure do love Grandma and Grandpa Brown.  They always spoil us.  Hyrum loves playing with them.  Grandma is so good about entertaining Hyrum.  She took him to the park multiple times, even though most people (like me) would never go out in the heat for that.  We were sad to see them go and hope we can see them again lickety split.

The Coolest Thing Since Otter Pops

I read somewhere online that, for Arizona kids, splash pads are the coolest things since otter pops.  True story, I say!

Hyrum and I did a lot of splash padding earlier in the summer before Lindi arrived.  We were so excited to find out that there's one not too far from our new place.  It's a great getaway in the late afternoon/early evening when you need something fun to do.  Plus, Hyrum has enjoyed having aunts and an uncle to join in on all the fun.

 P.S. Don't you just love Husband's farmer's tan?  It could win a competition.

Sad story...this is the first picture of all four of us. Yes.  Lindi is almost two months old.  Major mom fail.

 I think we"ll take Grandma and Grandpa to check it out this afternoon!

Loving Two

Hi, my name is Jeri Lin and I love my children.