Ending the Electronic Addiction

Sunday I was really sick. I noticed that Zach was strangely ok the whole day without any interaction with me. Why? He was playing on the wii and ipad All Day Long. Not only were these activities not very appropriate for Sunday, he played all day! We were disappointed in him when he saw Josh wake up Kayla from a nap and didn't care or try to stop him. Why did Josh wake Kayla? Because his BABY sister is more fun to play with than his five year old brother. We decided something needed to change. Yes, Josh was in trouble for being bad, but Zach was the bigger issue. His addiction is out of control. It's like pulling teeth getting him to play outside. After five minutes he'll come in and say, "Am I done yet?" Seriously? Its like time out to him to make him play toys. We have taken the ipad and wii for the week. It's been Awesome! He's playing with toys, playing with JOSH, and finding other ways to have fun...like the pillow fight they had today. It was loud and my pillows look sad now, but I'm so happy to see him play like I did at his age. Some kids don't struggle with this addiction as much. Josh still can't sit still through most tv shows, but there are many in this generation that do. They have struggles that mine didn't. We had 13 channels growing up (mostly soap operas) and no computer. We played outside all day. We made mud stews, played drive thru, and bred  snails. (My parents loved that one,) but it was fun. We used our imaginations and learned social skills. Zach doesn't love this week, but I do. Someday he will be used to it and not miss the ipad and wii so much.

The month of August.

For the millionth time I am really going to try to blog. Pics and all. Well these past few weeks have been a lot of fun. Last week Josh and I were in Houston visiting the Cuevas fam. It was a ton of fun and sad to say goodbye. Unfortunately I totally forgot to take any pictures. Josh played with his cousins. He and Morgan got off to a rough start, but by the end were sad to say goodbye. I got to catch up with Holly which is always fun and then a little with Ryan for the last few days. I wish we lived closer so we could see them more. Josh talked a lot while we were down there (mostly about food of course) but when we came back he didn't talk so much. Zach and Brett stayed home. Zach had a blast. He went to the movies, playgrounds, up to the mountains and had sleep overs. He missed Josh. He made up a shadow kid who would go with him everywhere. Ironically (or not so ironic) he disappeared when Josh came home. Josh obviously missed him too because he spent the next few days following Zach everywhere he went.

Zach was on a soccer team for Lehi city this past month. He loved going even though he wasn't all that involved once we got there. --Often times you could find him talking to the teacher on the side of the field rather than playing. :) At least he had fun! He also started neighborhood preschool last Tuesday. He loved it so much he threw a temper tantrum when it was time to leave. That part was embarressing, but at least he liked it. He is going to start Legacy preschool this Tuesday. Pictures to come. I sure hope he likes that too. I wanted him to have some structure and I hope Legacy provides that.

Brett wasn't there to see Zach off on his first day of neighborhood preschool because he was on a plane to Atlanta. He had an interview with Express Jet for a dispatch job. It went pretty well but it will take another week or more to hear whether or not he got it....Time has dragged since then.

Lately Josh has been trying so hard to be a big boy. He spends a lot of time in the bathroom "brushing his teeth, and puts on Zach's underwear. Its pretty darling. I wish this meant he was ready for potty training!

Yesterday the boys and I went with the Pettit's to the Zoo. They had a lot of fun and I'm glad we were finally able to go this year. Zach will really miss Brikelle and Kohan if we move. They would fight over who could sit by him. I think he felt pretty special.

Its oh,.. more than a year later...

So I looked on the last blog and realized that was when we were living in Clearfield and also that Zach was only a few months old. Ok, Zach will be 19 months old this week....uhh...needless to say its been awhile....

Happenings here in the Pettit home:
We are now living in Lehi. We moved here a few months ago. Our first house!! :) We honestly just LOVE living here! We have the perfect size backyard and its totally flat and green. We have plenty of space to grow into (with a finished basement)...not that we use it for anything beyond storage. We are backed up to our church which is nice to look at and also kind of private. Its a two-story which is what I really wanted, but didn't know if we could get. I just LOVE our house!! I just feel SOO blessed to be here. I think it was good that we had to live in Orem for a little while with no breathing room to really appriciate what an amazing blessing it is to live here, but I just feel so in awe and totally content. I dont want anything bigger or "better" I just love our home and plan to stay for years to come. That is a nice feeling for me and I plan to keep it!
Zach is growing and growing. He is such a fun little guy.. I say guy because he is no longer a baby...sad. He's a little boy. He is in the 88th percentile for his height! Yeah! I am SOO proud. He is saying a few words, but mostly he points or gets out what he wants and then brings it to you. He is quite a resourceful little guy. He opens the fridge and will pull out the cheese or fruit and bring it to you to open if he cant. He also knows how to find all of the other little treasures around the house. He is so cute and such a tease. His favorite game is tag. He will "tag" you and want you to chase him. I think the other nursery kids are a little confused sometimes though when he pokes them and he's confused as to why they dont poke him back. ....I hope they dont think he is being mean :/. We our going to get his pictures taken again soon. I hope they turn out cute!
Brett is working hard in school and work. He is doing well! Better than he gives himself credit! I don't know how he juggles all thats on his plate, but he is amazing! He is having so much fun doing the yard. Its cute to see him be so proud.
I am still working on my classes. I am taking it slow now. I realized, I dont really care WHEN I graduate as long as I do. I do not want to miss this precious time with Zach just to finish earlier. Some would be so proud I am finally COOKING! I have to say its not all that bad. Brett's schedule has him home for dinner, so I cook. I am doing ok. Its not great, but I am a beginner!
Other than that... Brad is engaged to Rachel are getting married July 23rd. I am really excited! They are in love and Rachel will be a great addition to the family, she fits.
We are going to H-town (Houston) in a few weeks and a Disney Cruise in August. More to come on those later! :)

So now we are caught up! Pictures to come!

So I can now see that me writing on this thing has now become a "can sleep in the middle of the night" kind of a thing. Its now 4:51. I really wish this insomnia would go away. Its better, but obviously is still a problem! 

I have been thinking lately about what I want to do at our townhouse. I have come to the conclusion that I really do love our little place. I guess that I never thought that I didn't, but just weeks after we moved in there was the possibility of moving again so I didn't get too attached at first, but now that I know we are staying at least until probably May, things have changed. I am finally making some of the changes that really are making it feel more like a home and not just a pit stop. 

This morning I have been thinking about the curtains, and yesterday I spent a great deal of time cleaning out closets etc. I have realized that we have more room than I thought, not a lot I'll grant you, but enough to live in, we just need to de-junk and rearrange. Its funny, even on my mission I had a hard time trying to stay clean and certainly before that I was a mess, never in front rooms, I was always taught to keep those clean, but my own space. Now that I am married its funny how some switch in my head has suddenly made me hungry for cleanliness. I think its a good thing since its my job. I have realized how much harder it is for me to enjoy living here, being with my family, and feeling the spirit in a messy home. I never realized before how much it affected me, but it does now. Maybe part of it is because its now no longer just my mess, its Brett's and Zach's too. Whatever the cause, I am glad that I desire a clean home. I just wish I had the same feelings about cooking. I am working on it though. Its hard to find the motivation when there is no one here to cook for. On the days Brett works he doesn't get home til long after dinner, and on the days he doesn't, we don't stay around the house much. 

I have been thinking a lot lately about the things I have been blessed with and as I walked through the house today it made me feel it even more. I was in Zach's room for a little while (which by the way I think its so stinken cute that he's just this little guy and he has his own room)! Anyhow, I went in to watch him sleep. He is so peaceful and darling. I have always loved him, I adored him even when he was born, but the way I feel about him now is so much stronger. I guess I thought the love you feel when they are born is the amount you will always feel, but thats not true, at least for me. I love him so much more now than I did even a few months ago. I know him now, I know what makes him smile and what scares him, when he feels lonely, and when he just doesn't feel good etc. I love his little personality, he is such a happy baby and I can see now why he was sent to us. I am so glad he took after his daddy in that! Maybe some of it also has to do with loving those you serve, but I think I will always continue to love him more and more throughout his life. Its funny as I look at him I can see now that there was something missing in my heart until he came. I can feel that there is others that still have their void to fill as well. I just love him.

I also have such a wonderful husband. I fell in love with him because he could make me smile. I think sometimes I take for granted how much happier he makes me. Its easy to think that I do that myself, but its not me. I am not naturally a happy person. I am easily depressed and a worry wart, but lately I have noticed how much Brett has worn off on me and thats a good thing! 

Brett is the most open hearted person. I am naturally suspicious of people and scared to be myself around people. I am always afraid people don't like me, but Brett either doesn't notice or doesn't care about that. He seems to think everyone likes him and in turn likes everyone. Its funny how that comes back to him and most people just love him for it. He is so willing to love everyone. He doesn't judge unless he feels like he needs to help. I want to be more accepting.

Second Brett is not scared of what people think of him. He just acts like himself all the time and doesn't mind if that bothers anyone. I am trying to be more like that. I am who I am, if you don't like that, then thats that, but I can pretend not to notice and still like them back in return.

Third, Brett brings fun back to life. I am such a miser. I would rather save money or spend it on something I feel will last a long time or is needed.  Brett loves to spend money on fun. He would rather make a memory than have a nice car etc. At first I thought I was the one who was good with money because I know how to save money, budget, and if there is a little extra spend it on something that will last a long time, but I have realized thats not the case. I am good for providing safety and security, but Brett is good at the long hall kind of stuff. Its because of Brett that we ever take vacations or go do something fun. When I look back at my childhood the things that stand out are the times we did something special, like family vacations or going to Lagoon etc. I guess we both have our place, going to Lagoon would not be any fun if we had no financial security and could not pay our bills. I have lived too many years with worrying about money to know about that, but its nice to have that balance and I am glad that Brett brings that sparkle to my life! I know that we will make a lot of fun memories and will do all the things we have dreamed of because Brett will make that priority while I pay the rent. 

Well its the middle of the night. I am awake I guess because I am used to being awake for Zach, but I think we figured out how to get him to sleep through the whole night. My what a blessing that is! 

He really has been quite a joy in our lives. I think we are finally starting to get the hang of having him here too! Its been nice lately cause he is finally starting to like his bouncer, it gives me the freedom to clean the house while he is awake and just have him follow me. That really helps out! Now I can relax while he is sleeping instead of trying to stuff that time full of cleaning that house and getting ready. 

Zach is getting so big! I cant even believe it! He is so much more aware of people and things around him! He is smiling a lot lately which is just about the cutest thing ever EXCEPT for when he coos, oh my gosh that just about melts my heart every time he tries to talk! What a cutie! He really is such a blessing in our lives! 

I think we are finally starting to get our own relationship back too. For awhile we were so overwhelmed with being parents and using all of our time with Zach that our relationship was kind of put on the back burner, but now its been fun to be able to have some time to just spend with each other when Zach goes to bed etc.

Well its official, I will be able to go back to school! I am so excited! I have been hoping soo bad that I would be able to. I just feel so incomplete. I will be taking online and independent study classes, I think that will be a good and bad thing, but it will be soo fun to continue to learn and grow and progress. I really do love learning. I guess thats partly due to the fact that I was born to two school teachers, but I have missed taking classes. I always want to be learning something new, there is such a thrill in gaining more knowledge to me. I am sure that sounds nerdy, and maybe it would be if I was a better student, but I think I am safe to say it. I just want to be careful. My mom and I were having a conversation about how Satan makes us women feel like "just being a mom" isn't enough, that we should be able to do more than that too. I will need to be careful not to let school interfere with my being a mother and wife. That is my first and really only priority that matters. I guess when I think about it when I come to stand before the Lord someday thats really one of the only things that will matter to him. I would not want to stand there and say, "well I would have been there more for my family but I was just so wrapped up in my career and education and things of the world that I just didn't have time for them." I don't think that would go over well. 

I guess what I am saying is that I need to be careful and realize that most of the feelings of "just being a mom" come from Satan who his main goal is to destroy the family unit. Being a full time mother IS what I was always meant to do. That is no small task and working etc. is not going to make me a better person, even though the world says you are better if you can do it all. It doesn't make you a better woman, it makes you a distracted woman, distracted from the things that really matter in life. My children will grow up so fast and I don't want to miss this time just because I was afraid I didn't get in all the stuff that I wanted to do. I will continue my education, as long as it doesn't interfere with my family life. 

Brett is getting excited about school and doing well right now! Its so cute to see him so excited about his classes! I am so proud of him! I think now that we decided to have him just take a few classes at a time it will be so much easier to do it all! I think he has just had too much on his plate, working 30 hours, school and being a dad! Thats  a lot for anyone to take in! He is a great dad to Zach, very attentive. I have been so blessed to have him as a husband! He is such a family man. I hear of so many woman that have problems with their husband after they have a baby because they become jealous of the baby taking away all or their wives time, but Brett is fully apart of Zach's life and helping me take care of Zach that its something we do together. I just goes to show you that you can be a happy person who loves life and still be responsible! Brett is great at doing that! 

Brett is also such a great husband. He is always trying to help me and take care of me. He never complains that I am not working, instead he is glad that I don't. He always tries to appreciate what I am doing and always wants to spend time with me.  I am so glad that I don't have one of those husbands that just comes home and wants to watch sports and tune out the world. His family is his world and its so much fun to me to have a friend like that! He is also a good caretaker. Whenever I am tired or sick he will make me something to eat or give me a chance to sleep and take care of Zach or whatever. He always does it without complaint. He makes it possible for me to do what I need to do in life, ex. be a mother because he helps me when I dont have the strength. He is truly a very Christ-like person and I have a lot to learn from him. I makes me mad when people don't see how amazing he is! A few people think that just because he smiles a lot that he only can play but doesn't do responsible things, that is SO not true! He is a great example of being able to enjoy life and still do what needs to be done. 

Well its late and I am finally getting tired so I will retire to bed! Happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be grateful for! I have a wonderful family and the gospel and able to pay the bills etc. I am truly blessed!

 

Well all is well on the Pettit front. We are having fun with Zach now that he can do a little more. Each day we have dance time where we put on some music and move his little arms and legs to the beat. Sometimes he resists, but for the most part he enjoys it and smiles along. We are getting more used to each other. We are starting to learn his little cries and all his other little tells of what is wrong. All in all though he is a really good baby! He is usually quite content unless he needs something! We love him and are so grateful he is apart of our family! 

Me and Brett had our first date since he has been born last Saturday. It was soo much fun! We went to Olive Garden (my favorite restaurant) and then to Boondocks for go kart racing. I tried to remember my old tricks to get ahead. It worked, I caused a 7 car pile up behind me, which made it even easier to keep my lead! It was soo much fun! We are going to try to do that more often. It felt like when we were dating with no cares in the world! 

Being a mom is a really neat experience. I love little Zach. He is such a sweetheart, but sometimes it can be hard. I am finding more things to keep me busy throughout the day so that I don't feel quite so lonely like reading books and visiting friends and family. The only thing that is kind of hard is the time in our life right now. Brett still has a few years of school left and so do I. I am not sure if I will get a chance to finish anytime soon. I REALLY hope I can! I miss school and I love learning. I never imagined I wouldn't get my degree. The last few years have been a surprise to me. I always thought I would just get married and finish school and still only be like 22 or 23 so I could start my family then. I guess things started to change when I decided to serve a mission. I had to take time off of school and really have only had one full semester since that decision. I will NEVER regret that decision! It was the best thing I had ever done to that point, but it put me behind. When I got home and got engaged we still planned on waiting a few years, but felt so strongly that we needed to try right away. We shortly after found out we were expecting Zach. Again, a decision I will never regret, we love him and know he is supposed to be in our family, still its hard to feel like I skipped over some things that I never dreamed I would miss out on. Plus also making Brett's life harder by having to work and going to school at the same time has brought on a lot of guilt, but I guess the only things that have postponed my degree are things Heavenly Father asked me/ us to do so it must be part of the plan for us. I guess we just need to realize that God has his own plan for us. Sometimes we may not get the chance to do some things that we always imagined we would, but in return we get to do other things far more amazing. We just need to put our trust into him and keep following. It reminds me of a quote I heard on my mission "if you want to make God laugh, show Him your plans!"