Thursday, September 4, 2008

Sit Back, Relax and enjoy the ride down Summer Memory Lane!

Thanks to my awesome brother in law, Josh, and his sweet wife, Sarah, we are up and running again. Hopefully, what he did has allowed me to deal with my pictures again. If it is working, sit back....there is a ton!!! If not, I guess we will have to see what our next step may be. Now that school is back in session, time on the computer is little for me. Some of you may say, but she only works part time..... That's right, but the other part time job is watching 5 children under the age of 4. Teaching school is actually easier than being home with the kids.
So onto the summer report. I am going to start with May, as that was the beginning of MY summer. It was very nice to have an extra 5 weeks off this year. Are you ready??

May:
Our sweet son was born at the beginning of this month. What a great experience!! Everything went smootly and my recovery was great. Our sweet boy came into the world weighing 8 lbs. 10 ozs and was 22 inches long. He has a head full of black hair and quite the allstar around here.




Memorial Day: We headed to Delta to decorate my dad's headstone. DD#1 had a hard time understanding that Grandpa was in heaven, when her Grandpa Rick (my mom's husband now) was home and alright. It was nice to remember my sweet dad.






June:
We used our rebate this year for Lagoon passes. We went the first time on June 14th. DS was only 5 weeks old. It has been great fun being able to go whenever we wanted. We would go on Monday nights when it wasn't busy. Having the passes allowed us to go for a few hours here and there and not feel guilty for wasting all that money on one ticket. After the second time, we were attending for free. The girls have absolutely loved going all summer. It was (and still is) well worth our money. We are off this Saturday for DH's work party there. We will be doing Frightmares as well. So, we are still enj0ying that purchase. I don't have any pictures of the first few times. I knew I had all summer to take pictures and here we are at the end of the summer and well....no pictures. This is a picture of DD#2 after spending the day at Lagoon-A-Beach all day. She was falling asleep on the cooler.

We celebrated DD#2 second birthday. We had a playgroup that morning with water and a bbq that night. She chose to have a Winnie the Pooh cake. Needless to say, her birthday approached way too quick and I didn't plan her bday cake that great. Luckily, my sister gave her a cute card and I quickly cut it up and placed it on top.



DH and I took a quick weekend getaway and went to St. George for the night. We left on a

Saturday morning and came home Sunday night. Thanks Dad and Mom J for watching the girls. While in St. George, we went to Tuachan and saw Les Miserables. What an amazing and fun thing to do. I will NEVER grow tired of watching this musical. When the opening song began, I got teary eyed. I don't know if it was post partum emotions or emotions that reminded of my time on my mission. I think it was a little of both. We had a great time. DS (who we took with us) didn't want to sit the entire time, so I spent some time at the top holding him. He was so little. I can't believe that I thought he was so big. Thanks Dan and Kim for letting us stay with you. It was tons of fun. ** The picture is on the other camera. Sorry.

We attended DH's family reunion the next weekend. It was in a Monroe. It was great fun. They only hold it every 3 years. It was nice to see family members. The theme was Faith of our Fathers. Friday night, they had a Buckin Bronco and a rodeo for the kids. DH's cousin brought some of their farm animals and let the kids feed them and pet them. It was so much fun. On Saturday, the family gathered together and were placed in Hand Cart companies. DS didn't want anything to do with the Trek. He screamed and screamed while in the stroller. I made the decision that it was not worth it to go. It was a sad choice to make. I realized just what some of the pioneers faced. They didn't get to not go just because their baby was screaming. They had to push on and trek in all kinds of weather. I stayed back and watched all the items of the family. A funny side note. I was sitting in the town's park and enjoying the quiet time. There is a small hamburger joint across the street. I watched cars pull up and leave. I was quite shocked when a four-wheeler pulled up to the drive up window and ordered. That is one SMALL town. It made me miss my hometown. I enjoyed the quiet, slow pace of the place. All the companies came back with beet red faces and were so hot. I was glad that I didn't go with DS. The girls loved it and got to ride in the handcarts. It was so much fun.

July

July seemed to be a little less hectic than June. We didn't travel as much. It was nice.

We headed to Delta for the 4th. We love, love the 4th in Delta. It was so good to see family and enjoy the parade. We especially love to go to the park afterward and catch up with old friends. DH and DD#1 went to the derby. DD#2, DS and I stayed at Grandma B's and blew bubbles and watched the fireworks from her lawn. (So, it was only me. The other two were sound asleep) DD#1 had a blast and talked about it for days. For pictures watch this slide show.

We spent the 24th of July at home. DH had to work. We did go down to Lehi to have a bbq with my mom. Thanks mom. That night we lit fireworks. The girls had a blast except DD#2 when the neighbors let off the noisy ones. It was fun to be together as a family.

We blessed DS during this month. It was very nice and special. We also had our transformer catch on fire that day. I blogged about it a few blogs back. You can read about it here.













We celebrated DD#1's fourth birthday at the end of the month. We did almost exactly what we did for DD#2's. She wanted a princess cake. I don't know why my white cake sunk, but it did. The decorations were cute and then she got to enjoy them. She was thrilled to receive dress up items. She has got a lot of use out of that present.

August:
We went to St. George for an impromptu family reunion. We had a blast. On Saturday we went out to Sand Hollow and enjoyed riding in the boat and on the 3 man tube. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. The next day we had lunch (after church) at my mom's condo that they got. We enjoyed swimming in the pool later, as well. Monday, we went shopping for school clothes for DD#1. I am waiting on these pics from my sister in law.

School began. It was really hard going back to school this year. I think it was because DS was such a hard baby this summer. He really was very, very fussy. It made it very hard to handle. I really worried about the babysitters. I just didn't know if he was going to be okay with them or scream the entire time. I have had to watch screaming babies before and it is not fun. I just wanted him to be okay. he did pretty well over all. He is getting better and better everyday. I think that establishing a routine will help him out a ton.

We had some cousins over to make an invitation for a sister in laws baby shower. We pulled out the dress up and some make up that DD got for her birthday. They had a blast getting all dolled up.






September:
We spent the last weekend of August and the first day of September camping in American Fork Canyon. Labor Day in our family equals our HUGE family reunion. This is my family reunion. We are talking about 350 people attending. The girls had so much fun sleeping in the tent the first night with dad. I went down to my mom's because DS is still too young to sleep out. We had a great time seeing family members that we hadn't seen in a year.
On a sad note, my great uncle passed away a few days before, so we attended his funeral that Saturday.
DH's and my team took 2nd in the volleyball tourney. We had to alternate playing this year because we have so many children. :) Thanks mom for taking the girls to the children's crafts during the tourney. We appreciate all the help you give us with our kids.
That night during dinner, it started pouring rain. It was pouring so HARD!! Luckily our tent was under a huge oak tree, so most of the family congregated under there. Needless to say, DH went down the mountain that night. There were a few die hards, but not many. We are now just putting away things and getting things washed. It took a few days to get it all dried out.
My mom took pictures of the reunion and hasn't emailed me them yet. I will get this updated when I receive them.

On Sunday morning at 2:45 am, my youngest brother called and let us know that his wife had their 3rd child. They now have 2 girls and 1 boy. My mom, my sister, me and my youngest brother all have 2 girls and a boy. My brother just younger than I has 1 girl and 1 boy. We will see if he will follow the family plan. She is a cutey and we are excited to have her join our family. They are stationed in Japan with the Marines, so it may be a little while before we see her in person. They named her Raegan Aoibheanne. She is beautiful.

We have had a GREAT summer. DH, after 7 years of working Saturdays, finally had them off. We took full advantage of this. It has been so much fun. DD#1 starts preschool next week, so this is where I will end. I hope you all had a great summer as well.


DS has began to really show his personality lately. He has the cutest little laugh. He has started sitting up and eating. These are two big milestones. He also has finally started acting a little more calm. We are pretty sure he had colic and his stomach was bothering him. We are grateful he is calming down. We love him to bits.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Clarifying!!

So, I just read the comment wondering what is 9 wonderful years. So for you Lisa, yes, we have been married for 9 years. Can you believe it? It was 10 years ago that we were first roomates. Are we really that old?
I had to go back to work this week, so no pictures yet. I am exhausted!! I will hopefully be back sometime in the near future (not promising anything) to update you all.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

9 Wonderful Years!!

It's another be back tomorrow with pictures and an update. We just got home and it is late. Just wanted the date to be posted.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Turning the Big 4!!

DD#1 turned the big 4 today. She was so excited. What a wonderful day we had. We had a playgroup with friends and cousins in our backyard. We filled the small pool and had the sprinkers running under the tramp. I was running everywhere and completely forgot to take pictures. It was so fun to have cousins and friends come over for cupcakes and celebrate her birthday.
Tonight we had a BBQ with friends and family. We invited my side of the family and had so much food that we invited some friends over. It was fun and yummy. DD#1 wanted a princess cake for her birthday. I had been told that it was cute to buy a toy that they wanted and use it for the decorations. So, I attempted this. I don't know why white cakes never work out for me. Does anyone know the secret?? Anyway, it turned out pretty cute. The black writing icing was at it's end. The writing is a little skewed because of this. She loved it and then had a crown, earrings, a ring, and a necklace to play with later.
She got some great presents. She got a chest full of dress ups. She was in heaven tonight when she opened them and tried them on. She also got a Dora game and some fun magnets. From Grandpa and Grandma O, she got a singing machine that hooks up to the TV and lets them watch themselves sing and dance. So fun. From Aunt S. and her kids, she got a complete bedding set, with pillow and all, of Tinker Bell. She is so excited to go to sleep tonight.
We had a great day, but boy am I exhausted tonight. I'm glad that birthdays only happen once a year. Too bad that we have kids with May, June and July birthdays. Makes for a fun summer!!
Happy Birthday my doll!

ughhh!! I am seriously ready to throw this computer out the window. When I can get pictures off my camera and onto the computer, I will post them. Sorry!

Blessing Pictures






We got his pictures back. Not too bad, aye?? I was glad that they turned out so well. We were in such a hurry. A good fried of ours had just got home from the hospital from having her baby. I had offered her to bring in dinner. I had one hour. When we got to the studio, DS was so cute and smiley. He was so happy. The people there were helping others and didn't get to us for about 20 mins. Well, as it always goes, DS got the hiccups and wasn't happy anymore. Everytime we tried to place him in the thing that sits them up, he would throw himself out of it. We did get a few good shots. We love him and think he is absolutely adorable.


Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Translating DD#2's language

DD#2 has really begun to take off with her talking. I am really enjoying that she can speak to me in sentences. Things are still a little bit confusing, but with my translations right behind her speaking, most people can understand her. I am having to translate less and less though, because everyone says they are understanding her more and more.
Last night, we went to a nephew's birthday party. It was a swimming party and we had the entire pool to ourselves. It was so much fun. The only thing was in order to reserve the pool it had to be from 9 PM - 11 PM. So needless to say, I am awaiting the dreaded tantrums from lack of sleep.
Anyway, on the way home, DD#2 was asking for something. For the life of me, I couldn't understand her. She would say her word, and I would repeat what I thought it was that she wanted. She would then reply, "No". This went on for about 4 other times. She then gave up knowing that I was not going to understand.
This morning she came into me and said, "I want walka". I looked at her puzzled and said, "walka?" She looked at me with this "oh, here we go again." look and said "yes". So if any of you know what walka is. Please let me know, because she is still waiting for it.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

7 years ago today...

my dad passed away. In a way, I can't believe that it has already been 7 years, but in others it seems like it has been forever since hearing his voice or seeing him. We all still miss him terribly. We are so grateful for the knowledge of seeing him again. I love the memories that I have of him. My heart aches that my children will never know him in this life. But, we are so grateful to know that we will be with him again and for eternity.
I miss the talks that we would have. I miss hearing his voice. I miss his willingness to help in any way, shape or form. I miss the way that he would treat DH. I miss the gentleness of his spirit and how he was a peace maker to everyone.
I love him and I know that I will be with him again. Time does heal some of the pain, but not all. We love you Dad and miss you everyday.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Blessing Day and some Excitement!!



We blessed DS on Sunday. It was a beautiful blessing and he was so calm. It was actually amazing how calm he was. I had many comments of how different he seemed today. Maybe we have turned a corner and he can be a bit happier with life.
DH did a wonderful job. I was more emotional with his blessing than with my DD's blessings. Unfortunately, because of all the running around, we didn't get a picture of him in his little outfit. It was also very hot and we took him out of the tux so he wasn't roasting hot. I think I might have to stage it and get some photos. I did take him to JCPenney's on Friday and will post those pictures of him in his outfit when we get them.

We had a lot of family, which is always fun. Thank you all for supporting us. We love our family and it is so nice to get together.

At 3:30, I was in my room feeding the baby when DH received a phone call. I then heard my sil say "What's going on?". This immediately piqued my interest and I finished nursing the baby. When I came out and asked I was told the Transformer in our backyard was on fire and smoking. DH told me that he had already called the Fire Department and they were on there way. I laughed and wondered what the neighbors were going to think when they saw the Fire Department in our front yard again.



**For those who don't know, in January of 2006 our oven malfunctioned and we had a pretty good house fire. We were out of our home for about 5 months while some of it was rebuilt.
Well, to make a long story short (because the baby is waking up). We waited 4 hours, without power, for the Power Company and then another 2 hours while they replaced the Transfomer. We got to chat a lot with our neighbors which was nice. The whole block was without power. We joked about having a lot of power over our neighbors :).

The power was turned on around 9:45 pm last night. Thank heavens we had overcast yesterday. It was hot, but not as hot as it could have been.

Monday, July 14, 2008

More Pages



I am busily trying to get these done. Does anyone else think that the summer is moving WAY to fast?? I guess when you are having a ton of fun, it goes by quickly. All too soon, I will enter back into the working world with a new school year. Until then, I will try and get DS's pages done.






Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Scrapbooking

We went to DH's family reunion (I have yet to blog about it) a few weeks ago. They had a silent auction and I donated some scrapbook pages to do for a family member. She hasn't sent me her pictures, so I thought it would be smart to get going on DS's pages before I am buried. Here are a few that I finished in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep. Enjoy!






Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Big Boy!!

DS had his 2 month appointment today. Everything went well. He only cried for about 20 seconds after his shots. Poor little guy. We are going to be putting him on Zantac and see if it helps him with the acid reflux that we think he might. Another option is to put him on formula that supposedly doesn't have a lot of allergen ingredients for 3-4 days and see if it helps. I will have to pump so that we can return back to nursing. If this helps, it looks like I may have to go off of dairy, wheat and soy. Supposedly soy is in alot of food. I hope that the Zantac works because the formula is SO expensive. I don't know if I could go off of all those things either.
Anyway, the pediatrician was pleased with his progress. She was impressed with how he holds his head up.

His stats at two months are:
Head circumference: 16 inches (55%)
Weight: 13.5 lbs (75%)
Height 24 1/2 inches (95%)

He is growing great and we love every bit of him. I hope to get pictures up soon. Sorry to those that love to see pictures. I hope to resolve our computer problems soon.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Two Months Old!!

I will be back tomorrow with pictures (hopefully) and stats on our little guy at 2 months.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

He did it!!

DS slept through the night. Yippee!! Happy, happy day for us. I went out to go grocery shopping and left ALL the kids with DH. When I came home, DS was asleep in the swing. When I headed off to bed, I was sure he would want to nurse before sleeping in his bassinet. He didn't even stir. So I got myself prepared for waking up an hour or two after I fell asleep. I heard him stir and looked at the clock... 6:30 AM. Are you kidding me?? I was so happy. He has finally calmed down some (knock on wood), as well. It sure has helped with my sanity.

In other news, we are headed to Delta for the 4th of July. This will be the 3rd weekend in a row for us to go somewhere. I guess after having a husband who has worked almost every Saturday in 7 years and then finally having them off, makes for a whirlwind of fun. We are making up for the lack of being able to go anywhere for that long of a time.

I have been having trouble with "my pictures" on my computer. It seems to freeze up when I want to upload to Blogger. This is why I have been absent for a few weeks. I went to the hospital to have DS and all was well. When I returned, my computer was slower and "my pictures" have been acting out. Hmmm?? Could it be some games that were installed and unistalled while I was gone?? I guess I will never know. Anyway, I will probably have a huge post with many, many pictures to share when we get back and get it looked at. But for now, Happy 4th of July everyone.