Our Family Recently

I can't believe how little I've updated the blog recently. I usually find it faster to snap a quick picture with my phone and post a quick update to facebook or instagram. I suppose this is better than not documenting at all, but it's still good for me to write about our life when I make time.  Here is an update on each of our family members. We are doing great. We are busy, healthy, happy and excited for warmer weather for certain!

-Jon. Jon is extremely busy with another semester of Electrical Engineering courses. He works so hard, is on campus for 9-12 hours a day, and comes home exhausted. This semester ends in April, then he has an internship in Dearborn, MI with Ford Motors. We are so excited about this opportunity! After the internship he will have two full semesters (Fall and Winter) and then one term (either Spring or Summer) and then GRADUATION! The end is in sight.

-Aubrey. I am happy to be busy with our two beautiful boys! I have been reading more and more about Waldorf education and philosophy and am so drawn to the Waldorf parenting, education and developmental practices. I have been taking an 8 week webinar course that delves into the Simplicity Parenting principles. I love it! It is taught by Kim John Payne, the author of the book and a veteran in the field of Waldorf education. I will share more about this in another post, but it is my main focus of study right now. I have also been reading a lot of other books for leisure. I think my favorite thing about being done with my degree is the opportunity to read and study whatever I want, all the time! I have learned more about Montessori and Reggio Emilia principles in the past, and hadn't even heard of Waldorf, but more and more I am feeling like I am totally Waldorf at heart. The principles really just make sense to me and put ideas into words that I have thought for years! 

In November we moved into a basement apartment in a home that my parent's are renting. It has been very nice having my Mom's company and some help with the boys since Jon is gone very long days. Because of some changes with the home owners, it looks like we will be moving again this month. This was an unexpected change, but we adapt pretty quickly and I'm sure that there will be a silver lining to the whole situation. I am also hoping to start teaching Baby Signs (R) classes in the near future! Now that Declan is almost 11 months old, I am finally feeling like I can take on new things. (Yes, the transition from 1 to 2 children was a big one for me. Even with an easy baby and an easy toddler, it has still been a big adjustment for me. I will also probably write a post about that some day...)

-Aaron. Aaron is a happy, wonderful, energetic, busy little boy. I can't believe that he will be 3 in only 2 months! He has been fully potty trained since December and even stays dry every night. His favorite things to play right now are pirates, cowboys and nights. He loves to be in the world of imagination and is often on a boat sailing somewhere - usually to Neverland. He loves to sing and sings outloud while he plays all the time. He also really enjoys his wooden instruments, books and playdough. Aaron has become so much more social over the last 6 months or so. He begs to play with friends and is so nice to other children. He is always so excited to go to nursery on Sunday. Aaron keeps telling me that he needs to go to school and have homework. I'm so not ready for him to be away from home, I can't even think of sending him away to preschool next year. However, Shanna and I plan to do our own preschool with the boys. Aaron is hilarious! He says the funniest things every day. He loves his baby brother and gives him hugs all the time, checks on him at Declan's slightest sound of distress and always tells him he loves him. He also has a very hard time sharing with Declan and it is something we are working on. I'm hoping that this dynamic will improve when Declan "plays with" more than "destroys" everything Aaron tries to set up. 

-Declan. My baby is almost 1! What a wonderful year it has been. Yes, like I mentioned above, I have definitely had to adjust to the balancing act of meeting the needs of 2 children. Having said that, I am so glad that we had Declan when we did and he has been such a pure joy in our family. He is such a happy, sweet baby and everyone falls in love with him. He gives amazing hugs and has the greatest smile and laugh. Declan is a busy, busy boy! He is so fast at crawling and already taking some steps toward walking. I'm hoping he sticks with crawling for a little longer, but I guess we will see. Declan is starting to use sign language and to say a few words. He signs "hat" and "water" and has tried a few other signs as well. He says "Dada", "Momma", "Dec", "Wawa", "Baby", "Hi", "UhOh" and a few other words now and then. He also sings and dances which we love! Declan loves to play peek-a-boo and to read books. He loves to play with his instruments, the toy kitchen and to push anything around like a walker. He mainly just wants to play with whatever Aaron is playing with. Today Aaron was tired of Declan getting into his toys. Aaron took his toys, went into their room and shut the door. Declan crawled after him as fast as he could and then sat outside the door crying and patting the door. Declan sleeps through the night great now, takes 2 naps a day and very recently weaned from nursing to a bottle. 

And some recent pictures...

It can be hard to get a picture of this boy when he is awake. He is always on the go and doesn't like to pose for pictures unless he and Declan are posing together. Notice that most of his pictures are sleeping, action shots or him holding Declan. He took a nap holding a flashlight :). 

 Aaron is awesome at Just Dance!

 Jon is making fun of me for taking a picture of my outfit here. Can't you tell? :)

 Gotta love Declan's cheesy grin. He does this on purpose when he is being silly :). 

 Eating toilet paper... I have to watch this little guy closely. He eats anything in sight!

 Jon takes Aaron to the free Home Depot workshops on the first Saturday of the month. Aaron has become very proficient at hammering! He seriously hits the nail on the head so well, it's impressive. This is him practicing at home. 

 They got much needed haircuts after this picture. Aaron still wants to hold Declan all the time. Luckily for him, Declan doesn't mind. 

 Me heading to a cub scout banquet. 

 On a Sunday walk today. We love this beautiful, sunny weather. Hoping it STAYS!!!

Declan the Climber

Our little Declan boy is such a climber! At church this week he was climbing up the back of the piano in Relief Society, at the library I turned away for a second and found him two shelves up on the tiered bookshelf and he quickly climbs two flights of stairs (from our basement apartment up to my parent's second floor). He is also a very fast little guy. He crawls so quickly, especially when he wants something he knows he's not allowed - like if he sees that the bathroom door is open, or if he has a chance at unplugging his Dad's computer. I already know that I am going to have my work cut out for me when he starts walking! I'm hoping that this isn't too soon, but he is in the phase where EVERYTHING is a walker, so I guess we will see :). We love our sweet Declan so much! He is such a joy and we love seeing him learn and grow every day.

Moments

The last couple weeks have been rough. It started with Jon and the boys all having awful colds and ended with another of Aaron's bouts of horrible constipation. We are talking up until 3 a.m. with a screaming 2 year old bad. (I have realized that he is intolerant of lactose and I am still trying to figure out what dairy products to limit and how much he can tolerate). All of these fun things have resulted in many hours of lost sleep, lots of fussiness/clinginess from the baby and whininess/clinginess from the toddler and way too much frustration on my part. I have had moments where I was just certain that I could never handle more than 2 kids and I seriously couldn't imagine meeting the needs of one more tiny, crying person. Just fitting a shower in between both kids clinging to me seemingly 24-7 has been a big accomplishment, let alone making a decent meal or showering before 8 at night. This evening I mentioned to Jon, "I actually put on make-up today." He replied, "Good job babe!" Wow, that's a little sad...

And then there are these beautiful moments of motherhood. The kind that remind me why I CHOSE to be a mother and why I LOVE this divine role. Aaron smiling his handsome, sweet smile and saying, "Mommy, you make me happy!" Declan lighting up from head to toe the very second I enter the room. Sitting on the floor stacking blocks, coloring, cuddling, rocking and singing songs. Moments when I see a lightbulb go off in their little heads as they learn a new skill or suddenly understand something I've been trying to teach. Aaron reminding me a few bites into lunch, "Mommy, we need to say prayers!" The proud look of accomplishment on Declan's face as he figured out how to pull himself to standing recently. Those are the moments of light, the bright spots, that make the bleak moments (scrubbing poop out of a bathtub, wiping snotty noses for the hundredth time, staring in the mirror in dismay at the 10 lbs I still haven't lost from Declan's pregnancy) bearable.

I realize that one day I will be sad these days are gone. Sad my babies no longer need me like they currently do. Yet I also realize that I will be happy that I WAS there when they needed me. Happy that I got to be with them through the shining moments and even through the rough ones. I hope that they grow up understanding that any job or role will come with lots of hard works, problems to solve and tasks we would probably prefer to avoid. I pray that they will have the desire and faith to accomplish hard things.

Aaron and His Great-Grandpa McLaughlin

I can't get over the similarities between Aaron and his Great-Grandpa McLaughlin, especially the older Aaron gets. Face shape, lip shape, nose, ears, even their hair looks like a similar texture! I just wish this photo were in color because Great-Grandpa McLaughlin had blue eyes (that's where our boys get them from on Jon's side and they get them from my Dad on my side). I also wonder what color his hair was at this age. It wouldn't surprise me if it were similar :).

Sweet Declan

I have recently been marveling at how blessed we are to have Declan in our family. I honestly can't imagine a more sweet, loving, happy baby! He has such a peace about him that everyone comments about. His presence lifts anyone's mood and he adds so much sweetness to our family. Some things I adore about Declan at this stage are...

-He is so chubby and cuddly. He loves to be held and snuggles right into me.
-I love how he lights up as soon as he sees me and has started reaching for me. Best thing ever!
-He laughs so hard at just about everything Aaron does and he thinks Jon and I are pretty hilarious too. We love his laugh!
-He still sleeps in a crib right next to my bed. When he wakes up in the morning he just babbles and coos happily until we pick him up. I can't imagine a better way to wake up than to those sweet noises.
-He is starting to get pretty mobile with rolling both ways, scooting and trying to crawl. I love when he rolls on his back and grabs his feet, it's actually a yoga pose called "happy baby pose."
-I love this stage of babyhood and I am so blessed to be Declan's Momma!
 

 

My (Newest) Favorite Parenting Books

So, I have read a lot of books on child development, family development, early childhood, parenting, etc, etc. Some of these books were for courses for my degree, others for jobs I've held and many were just for my own enjoyment. I have recently come across one book that I ADORE!!!! It's called Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. It may have a lot to do with the fact that the principles in this book really resonate with me as a mother. Also, I have been feeling really overwhelmed with having four people and all of our "stuff" in a 900 sq ft home. So I have been seeking to simplify, declutter, reorganize, streamline, etc. This book not only helps parents understand why these things are important (in more ways than just the physical environment), but it provides practical applications of the principles presented. The above clip is a short interview with the author of Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne, check it out and let me know what you think :).

Another book I finished reading recently that I also loved, and that is very similar in methodology is How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin. Again, this style of parenting is really in line with my views on child development, childhood, early education, how I want my home and family to function, etc. What are your favorite parenting reads?

How We Chose the Name Declan

We have received a lot of questions regarding our choice in name for Declan. I have been meaning to blog about it and finally decided to sit down and write. I figure that at the very least, Declan will find it interesting when he is older.

When we found out we were pregnant this time around we realized that if we were having a boy, we didn't have a single boy's name we both agreed upon. We started talking about names before we knew the gender and had pretty much settled on Declan by the time we had our gender ultrasound at 15 weeks. Where did we come up with the name? We found it in a baby name book of all places :). Yep. We literally went through a baby name book, name by name, until we found something we liked. I remember the night Jon came across the name Declan. He found it on a list called, "Boy names most likely to be mispelled by teachers", or something random like that (that's not why we chose the name). Jon said, "I found a name I like. Don't say 'no' right away, okay? Just think about it." When he first said and spelled it I actually liked the sound of it too. I didn't know anyone by that name, but it seemed cool, fresh, we liked the meaning and it sounded good with McLaughlin. So of course I then had to research EVERYTHING about the name. Here is what I found out;

Declan means; Full of goodness, prayerful.

The name Declan is actually Irish, after St. Declan (this is the English rendering of his name) of Ireland. He was a contemporary with St. Patrick and actually preceeded St. Patrick in bringing Christianity to Ireland. Here is a quote about St. Declan that I liked;

"…he received marks of honour and sincere affection from the people and clergy of Rome when they came to understand how worthy he was, for he was comely, of good appearance, humble in act, sweet in speech, prudent in counsel, frank in conversation, virtuous in mien, generous in gifts, holy in life and resplendent in miracles." source

Another little excerpt I liked was this;

"Declan is special, marked out for a higher purpose, even before his birth; events in the night sky herald his arrival to those with a mind for such things. His coming into the world is easeful - his mother Deithín knows neither sickness nor pain."  source

Random facts:
-Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus. When I originally read this on a website I just remembered that Elvis was born "Declan" and I was thinking Elvis Presley but it was actually Elvis Costello. Elvis Presley was born Elvis Aaron Presley. I thought that was funny since I guess that means both our boys, Aaron and Declan, have names associated with the name Elvis. Maybe our next boy will be named Elvis... kidding!
-Declan is the name of a main character in a movie I like, Leap Year. There are apparently a bunch of characters named Declan in various popular TV shows.
-Since choosing his name, we keep hearing about other Declans. In fact, the nurses at the hospital where I delivered said that he was the second Declan born there that very week! We have met one other baby named Declan and heard from friends and family of their friends who have used the name as well. I think it is gaining in popularity and will probably not be so rare in a few years. I have noticed that most of the people around our age really like the name but some of the older generations have given us a little grief about it. :)

We chose Levi as a middle name because it was another of my favorite boys names and Jon liked it better as a middle name. I like it as a sibling name with Aaron because of the biblical and Priesthood connections of Aaron and Levi.

We hope that both of our boys will be righteous men and faithful missionaries for the Lord, just like some of their namesakes.

Some pictures of Declan at 3 months.

 Declan is such a happy baby!