So bad about updates.... :/

The last couple of nights I have had a hard time sleeping. The quiet is too appealing. Tonight I decided I'd make a much needed journal entry.

Matthew:

For a few months was obsessed with family history specifically revolving around his ancestor John William Baugh and figuring out which of the John Williams Baughs were related. In the process, work has been done for several other family members including his wife (whose name I was able to go through the temple for). I had the impression that once her work was done, doors would open enabling John William Baugh's work to be done as well. Indeed it has been so. We went to Utah Memorial Day weekend and on the way back home, Matthew had a dream that his dad was talking to Eliza about her son who died in infancy an the plan of salvation. She was so excited that she could have her son again that she began sharing the gospel with her family. Between Bob and Eliza, the family is being converted and allowing their information to be found and the work done. I don't remember exactly how the dream went, but basically he told Matthew (I think) to not be surprised that he is doing missionary work. It says in his patriarchal blessing that he would be the key to bringing his family to the gospel. When we got home, Matthew pulled out the blessing and found the paragraph referred to. It's pretty exciting.

Matthew has submitted a letter to have Bob's blessings restored. The plan is that Jared will get to be baptized on his behalf.

Jared:

Jared tried out for the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra and was shocked to find out that he made it. After a little deliberation, decided to accept the opportunity. We registered him and got his music last week. I am so proud of the young man he is and is becoming. He finished the year off strong with all As and Bs - even in English where he struggled the most. He accepted his nomination to the STEAM Magnet school next year as well so he could have an opportunity to do band AND computers. It was a heavy decision, but we felt it right.
Signs of growth and hormones are making their debut for him. Zits line his forehead. Occasionally I think his voice even gets a little warbly though I think he's still has a little bit of time before it changes.  His pediatrician said he's grown 5 inches this year - 2 of them just since November. His guess is that he'll continue to grow before the summer is over too. He is only an inch shy of 5 feet.

Aaron:

This has been a challenging year for him. He had a teacher who expected him to work and work hard. He has risen to the task for the most part. It was certainly a growing experience for him. He's made some great friends this year though.
He has also grown in height. Both boys got bunk beds in March and Aaron took to his rather well. Peter shares the bottom bunk with him. They make a pretty good team.

Peter:

Oh man. What an interesting child. We went to the ped in March for his checkup and Dr D gave a list of differences between an 18 mo old and a 2 yr old. One of them was walking down the stairs unassisted. It was like he took that as a challenge. That evening when we got back to Mark's house he insisted on going down the stairs by himself and started working on jumping. At this point he can jump. It's fun to watch him get excited about it.
Bunk beds - what a monkey!! Jared taught him to hang on the bars of the top bunk from the bottom bunk. He can hang a nice long time and climb the wall while he's at it. He's got quite the grip! He does pushups and situps for fun.
His vocabulary continues to amaze me. Jared was working with him today on the ABC puzzle and monkey was a favorite. He talks in more intelligible sentences every day. One of his newest favorite phrases is, "mine now" It's cute, but fiesty!
Around March Peter started getting interested in the toilet. For a couple of days he'd tell me when he needed to go and we'd run to the bathroom and he'd go. It passed quickly though and I realized it was a phase. Well, his interest has picked up again and for three days he's been using the potty more and more. He'll even poop! He freaked out a little bit the first time he pooped b/c he'd never really seen it before. It's something that gets wiped up in a diaper while he's told not to touch because it's yucky. He was saying, "Uh oh!" over and over again, but I'd counter it with, "Good job! You just went poop in the potty! YAY!!" I plopped it in the toilet, and we waved good-bye to it as he flushed. So now he tells his poop good bye every time (it's been a total of three times which is pretty awesome since he's been doing this for three days).  He is doing amazingly well with the concept and today he even went while we were at the store. Peter loves being able to do things like a big boy. His reward for pottying is a mint candy. Matthew started giving him these mint candies he got at work about a month ago. Peter LOVES them. They come in a little black tin that say Las Vegas on it - kind of like an Altoid tin. Matthew gave him an empty candy tin and every once in a while would put a mint in it. It was totally random, but Peter loved discovering when it was full. Then something happened to the tin and Peter didn't get them anymore. The first time Peter peed in the potty, we offered a mint to him and he got SO excited to have one of Daddy's mints. It's been a charm! I don't know how long he'll keep it up, but we'll go with the flow.  We have a few trips planned in the next couple of months. It'll be interesting to see whether we'll be making potty stops for him or if he'll be in diapers at that point still. It'd almost be easier to not be potty trained. But it'll be cheaper for us if he is!
Matthew was gone in March and April and it was my goal to have Peter in his own bed by the time he got back. Well, I did. Mostly. He starts in his bed and makes his way to our room in the middle of the night. Usually about 1:30 am. The transition of Matthew coming back was rough. Peter can be very possessive, and he did not like the fact that Matthew and I share a bed. Yesterday Peter found Matthew in the bedroom and actually curled up on him and went to sleep. This was a first. Tonight he's sleeping for a nice long time too. We'll eventually get to the point where our bed is empty again and we'll all sleep through the night.
Peter really is pretty fun and a light in our home. Sometimes it's hard to imagine how we got along without him.

Me:
I've been serving as the 2nd C in Relief Society. From the time I received the call up until a month or so ago, I had the feeling that I'd be called as the new RS Pres. There was a shift in the feeling, and I'm not sure what caused it, but in the end I was not called. I am however, the new 1st Counselor. It's an interesting position to be the old newbie. I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know these sisters though. They're pretty great.
I love the summer months with my kids home. So far this one has been challenging though. It's like I turn circles all day and get nothing done b/c everything that is done gets undone in my own wake. I was realizing that the heat of LV is very confining. The boys want to go to the pool all the time, but it is just isn't always practical. We were spoiled by our location in UT where we could just walk out the door and be there whenever we wanted. The boys could go outside and spend all day there too. The heat and the travel to the pool is just something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. This month is passing me by and I feel like nothing is being accomplished. I have this idea in my head of things that need to get done and they aren't happening. Today I realized that there is no down time for me. Today I was really frazzled by 4 pm. Productivity/Accomplishment is a really important part of my day and it just isn't there right now because there are so many people in the house. I need to figure out how to get a routine or expectation in order for the sake of my mental health.
However, we are enjoying some things too. Yesterday I played board games with Jared and today we had a small contest with a game as well. Aaron spends most of his time reading. Jared plays with Peter. These are moments that are precious. I feel like there is some good bonding going on - especially between me and Jared. We had some really rough years, but right now is really good. I'm so grateful for that!

It's 1:30 am. I should probably head to bed. Peter will be awake soon I'm sure.

There's been lots I've wanted to write, but haven't taken the time to do it. I don't have much time right now either, so I'll get straight to my points:

Peter
- becoming more and more articulate. Yesterday Jared said, "Hi, Peter" and he immediately responded with a clear, "Hi, Jared". He'll sign and say 'more' and 'please'. He gives enthusiastic yes's and 'no's and 'mine'.
- becoming more and more opinionated. He has a clear idea of what he wants and doesn't want.
- loves Masha and the Bear and Star Trek Voyager
- loves his back being rubbed. In the wee hours of the morning he wanted to nurse, but I told him I'd rub his back instead. I was able to get him to go back to sleep this way. I was excited that a little bit later when he woke again, I was able to rub his belly with the same results. Eventually he become more insistent, but I was able to hold his hands in the position as if he were nursing to sleep and he slept deeply at that point.
- is a great helper. The other day he spontaneously cleaned up all the toys he'd pulled out. On Thursday he vacuumed along side me and helped me sweep the floor too. He'll put dishes in the sink or hand them to me from the dishwasher. He'll wipe up spills.
- is becoming more independent. He wants to dish himself up at dinner and help make food. The other day he helped me make a batch of muffins. I got the ingredients in the measuring spoons and he dumped them in the bowl and helped stir. He will help me wipe himself when I change his diaper.
- likes things to be in order. We got new puzzles this week and I've allocated a shelf for them at the moment. I put them away on the shelf, and he had to rearrange the order so that they matched the order they were in originally. There was another example of this, but I can't remember at the moment.

Me - I am getting some moles checked out. I originally had an appt tomorrow, but the reviews on the office were so poor it made me nervous and found a different dr. Now I'll need to wait for an extra week. The mole on the right side of my neck has gotten extra itchy and irritated. Other spots on my skins have also started to raise red flags. It's been a bit of a wake up call as I consider the real possibility that it could be cancerous. I've always assumed I'd live longer than Matthew, and thought it was realistic that I'd only have another 15 years with him. This week the thought came, what if it's me instead? What if that is the reason my journals would be so important to my posterity? What if I don't get to watch Peter grow up? It's a sobering thought. I'm two - now three - months back into reading and praying regularly and it has made such a difference. I feel like I'm so much closer to my old self - who I really am. It's been amazing. I was able to be in the temple two weeks in a row thanks to Matthew's encouragement. Tuesdays are supposed to be night off to go to the temple or participate in other activities but only recently have I actually had the night free to go to the temple. The first week was sealings, but I desparately wanted to do an endowment session. It was too full, and I yearned to return soon. Tuesday rolled around, and I remembered I could go again. It was wonderful. Everything was so clear. I realized all the extra stuff is just that. What really matters is the gospel and my family. Now to translate that into action. I want my family to know how much I care.  I want them to know I love them. I want us to be together forever. I want my boys to know the Savior. I feel that burning inside that ignites a passion for sharing the gospel. It is reality.

I need to get the boys up for church now, but I want to share about Jared and Aaron too. Hopefully later on today.