Moments & Milestones

Inspired

2012-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to find some fun stuff to do with the kids while we are kinda wholed up with a newborn in the house. I stumbled upon an AWESOME website called Play at Home Mom and it gives tonz of recipes and ideas for stuff to do with kids. This is the "make your own silly putty"! It Worked! Kiya loved it, Garrin thought it was cool but hated the texture of it. And even Trevin who was home sick for the day jumped in to play with his new Ninja cookie cutters he got for Christmas.

Calton 2 Weeks

2011-12-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

At his 2 week appointment he weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 21.5" long. He has been growing so well. I cannot complain about this kid at all. He is so mellow. He nurses like a champ. Already has his schedule set to eating, playing then napping and gives us at least 3-4 hours in between and at night. The kids adore him and I cannot get enough of him. I am totally smitten.

Root Canal

2011-12-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

I think my first major dental surgery was in my late 20's for a crack that had broken down to the root it had to be fixed. Trevin's first one was when he was 12.

You see, Trevin cannot sustain an injury unless it is to his face. Earlier in the year Trevin had run into a metal pole at a playground and chipped his front tooth. We had gotten the chip repaired but it broke off a few days later. When we made it back into the dentist office again we were informed that the tooth had died and he needed a root canal and crown. awe.some. This is the front tooth too, folks.

So yesterday Trevin spent 3 hours in the dentist chair getting a root canal and having a temporary set. He'll get his permanent tooth set after Christmas. The poor kid looked so beat up coming out of there. He was hungry, tired and in obvious pain. He came home and curled himself into his comforter looking so helpless. He was saying how he didn't even want to go to his school ski day tomorrow! Something that he has been looking forward to for WEEKS. Once I got him some soup, some asprin and a nap his mood changed for the better. He's doing alright and has gotten all of his ski clothes ready to go. But oh, I don't think I will ever forget that poor face...

Just when you start thinking they are old enough to handle just about anything they show you that they are still in need of their mommies occasionally.

Calton Floyd

2011-11-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Good News. It didn't kill me. It tried, but my body did finally win out and forced the "issue".
I have told this story so many times I am under the delusion that I will never forget the details of it, but I know from experience that that is not the case. I will, in fact, forget some of the facts, feelings and faces if I do not write it down.

Contractions suck. Pure and simple. And I had them for days. And only made it to 2 cm dilated for it. Totally not worth it. There was the night when I was contracting for about 4 hours. They were perfectly timed at 4 mins apart. When I finally said, "yeah, call dad in the middle of the night and tell him to come hang with the kids so we can go to the hospital". About 4 minutes after my dad showed up, the contractions stopped completely. haha. very funny, kid. That was the day that we wanted the baby to make an appearance because we thought the birthday of 11-22-11 would be cool. And we were deluded enough to think we got a vote on the date...so much for thinking. After that I wanted (and was told very frankly) that I could not deliver for days because then it would just be inconvenient. You see, we were in the midst of Thanksgiving week. So I did as I was told and only contracted a little here and there for the next few days.

There were a few doozies on Thanksgiving Day where Joe simply turned to me and said "if this kid makes me burn the turkey there will be issues." So I crossed my legs and sat like a nice young lady that was not in pain. We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Joe is still an incredible cook and showed off his brining abilities with a fantastic bird, scrumptious cranberry dressing and his always fabulous cheesy mashed potatoes. I made stuffing from a box, steamed some green beans and stayed out of the way. My mom made rolls, sweet potatoes and pies. We had way too much food, but it was good eatin!

Since this child was obviously not on board with it's fathers and my idea of the ideal birthday I figured I'd try to wait it out until December anyway (much cooler birthstone). But again, my vote didn't count. On Saturday night, actually Sunday the 27th early morning about 1am I started having really hard contractions. I didn't wake Joe because he needed his sleep. They stopped by about 3:30 anyway and I was able to go back to sleep. Once again, just a few hours reminder of how much I do not have control over my own body.

There is also an important side note here. About a week previous to this Joe had completely thrown his back out. I mean out. Like he was on the floor. out. couldn't move. It was bad. 3 Trips a chiropractor and finally to our doc who prescribed steroids! for a week finally resolved the issue. But it was bad. I was more worried about how I would get Joe to hospital if labor actually came. There was a time that I was sure that he would wrestle me for the epidural once we got there too. It wasn't pretty, but luckily the kid stayed put through the worst of it. And for that, we thank you, little one.

Anyway, I had hard contractions, but they stopped. I got up Sunday morning needing to pee and thinking that I had already somewhat peed myself. Awesomeness of pregnancy. I waddled into the bathroom and more gushed. I had experienced this before with Kiya. My water had broken. I called back to Joe in the bedroom that my water had broken and he needed to call dad. I knew I had a few minutes while we waited so I jumped in the shower. This was a good idea. The water felt good and I got to feel like I was somewhat cleaned. The problem was that my contractions were super hard and really close together. After I had stood for as long as I could I got out and we headed to the hospital. The ride was not pretty. I had leaned my chair back and just braced my arms and legs against whatever was there and had hard contractions about every 2 mins. I was yelling the whole time. I'm sure it was hell on Joe who sped the whole way. We made it there and I told Joe to get a wheelchair because I could not walk. We got into the hospital about 7:30. It was no secret that I was in hard labor. I begged for an epidural and they said I needed an IV first. Fine, I thought. Not so fine, it turns out.

Since my water broke at 6:30 am. I didn't eat or drink a thing so I was REALLY dehydrated. So much so that 2 nurses took about 6-8 shots and finding a vein that wouldn't "roll". I was close to killing. Contractions were about a minute apart and honestly the urge to push was getting to real. I didn't want a natural birth. I'm not that much of a woman. I like medical advancement. Joe was trying to fill out paperwork too and I wouldn't let him because I needed him everyone of those minutes to get me through the pain. After both wrists, hands and elbow joints had been tried and bruised to the point that I looked like a heroin addict they asked the anesthesiologist to try. Thankfully, he got my vein then promptly told me to sit up and rushed my body with drugs. God bless this man.
Once I had my epi my doc checked me. As he was checking me he was telling me that he still had to prep me for a c-section since I had had one with Garrin. That made me mad and I just started pushing. The doc kept saying how low the baby was and I was bound and determined to not hear anymore about the possibility of surgery. It worked. When the doc checked to see how dilated I was he said "well, you're a 7, no 8...well 9! ok, you can push, but give us a second!". The nurses all scattered to get equipment that was needed and my doc hurriedly threw on his protective gown and gloves. The epidural that was given to me had worked and had worked so thoroughly that I was completely numb from the waist down. All my others had allowed me to still feel the pressure of the contractions but I think the anesthesiologist had taken pity on my and just dosed me to the highest degree. It was weird to not feel anything but since I had done this all before I just tried to squeeze what I thought were the right muscles. Turns out they were. About 4 or 5 pushes later a little boy was placed on my tummy. It was 8:35 am. He was perfect and I had such a flood of relief and joy.

He was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long. My biggest baby. As they cleaned and checked him Joe told me that under the light his hair was almost a reddish brown. His vitals were great, he was doing fabulously. I had torn a little bit and was getting some stitches as the nurse told me that he had some "road rash" on his face from his fast entrance too.

When everyone had left and it was just Joe and I we looked at our beautiful baby boy and both knew that of the list of names that we had, he would be Calton. We actually did take some time and spell out all the ways this name could be and mutually decided that we liked it best this way. His middle name is Floyd which is both Joe's middle name and his fathers.

He is a very sweet boy who loves to be cuddled and swaddled which is a first for my kids. He took to nursing automatically and has adapted to outside life so seamlessly that it's almost unfair.

I was worried most specifically about how Kiya would react but she has taken on the mother role so well that I have never been more pleased to be wrong. The boys love him too. It's so great to have him here. We are beyond blessed and I am totally in love.

My Daughter is Weird

2011-11-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

See Those?

Those are hair bands which have now all been thrown away because Kiya became obssessed with putting them on her foot like this and it would cut off her circulation. So if she did it at a time that I was not paying attention...her foot would go blue. Seriously. This kid figures out some weird stuff to entertain herself. *Her feet are fine and the blue thing only happened once later in the day after I took this picture...then I threw them all away.

Mind, Body & Soul (Or how a 4th pregnancy may kill you)

2011-10-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've been pregnant a few times. I'm aware of all the things that "can" happen. I'm also very blessed that most of my pregnancies have been terribly, terribly easy. Until this one. It still is on the low end of inconveniences compared to some, but it's been really hard on me. This one has been harder on my body, my mind and my spirit. I'll show you why.
I was okay when we learned we were pregnant. It wasn't planned, but it wasn't avoided and a complete surprise either. Joe and I had both accepted that one more would be good and at this point, we were both not getting any younger, so sure. This year, this'll work. The tax break should be good and apparently i can only birth children in odd years (99, 07, 09 & 11).
Having had both genders of children I figured that I'd be able to tell pretty easy what I was carrying. According to how I carry (low or high) this is a boy. According to how I feel (nausea and such) this is a girl. Awesome.
Long standing tradition is to not find out. I did this to myself. I actually did want to find out on this one. It won't kill me not to know, but I thought it would be fun to find out early on this time. Nope. Joe likes the tradition and the kid was not AT ALL cooperative at ultrasound time. So much for my vote.
I think I have gotten progressively more crazy with this pregnancy as well. I'm not really one to panic, but I have had some serious panic/anxiety attacks. I don't like this at all. Maybe part of me thinks that because I am messing with fate by always saying "this is our last one" that I'm just waiting for something to kick my trash for thinking I get final say in this. Joe has had to talk me down from the ledge several times on this. Thank goodness he is able to do so.
Now to the body....oh goodness, my body. Find me a woman that doesn't already have body issues, slip an extra 30 or so pounds on her, swell her joints, change her center of gravity, stretch out her skin to a bursting point and make sure that food is unappealing to her as well. good times.
Now, mind you, since all these things are intermingled as a human this continues through the pregnancy. only you don't get any control. So imagine being a schizophrenic where the smaller "inner voice" has all the power and you can't even take an aspirin to quiet it down. Body temperature? no control. Food cravings ALONG with nausea? nothing to do with you! Ability to walk and think at the same time? get serious. and LEST we forget I also have 2 other small people controlling my life from the outside as well. I am FAR outnumbered so the triple crazy makes perfect math sense, right?
You might also think that because your body has been through this, it would be easier. Not so much. I think my body remembers so well that it starts all the crappy stuff early. I had only gained 2 pounds in the first 20 weeks or so, but it made me feel like I was hefting around another 50 or so. My back was sore, my knees would give and oh. my. highness. I would not wish this hip pain on anyone. Since week 5 or 6 I have had to very strategically place pillows all around me to help alleviate the searing pain of this crap. And the position has to change every few hours. Maybe a quick map of my body would be helpful here just to make sure it's clear.
Head - messed with for above reasons. It's already crowded in there but add extra doses of hormones and lack of sleep and food. no bueno.
Eyes - dizziness is just part of excitement whenever I stand up.
Shoulders - for some reason I can only position my neck well on my pillow on my left side. My right shoulder rolls differently. I can't figure it out.
Boobs - oh the fun. but wait! those are not for fun! Those are medically needed to make sure that your baby eats so no touchy!
Stomach - um, I used to have a pretty nice torso area. Yeah, before all those previous kids and the scalpel that showed up to usher one of them out. Also, my belly is not round. It tilts to the left. Hopefully, I'm the only one that really notices this.
Hips!!!! - ouch. I've heard about prenatal massage and chiropractic care for this kind of thing, but I'm pretty sure I would bankrupt us in the matter of days if that did work so I'm just trying to work through it as best I can. I think they call it round ligament pain. I call it hell.
Thighs - The kid is being carried a good foot above these but apparently all the extra weight is just settling there in case it decides to move down.
Knees - does anyone not know that I have had like 13 knee surgeries? on BOTH knees. it's been great.
Ankles/cankles - I did NOT have this kind of swelling with any other of my pregnancies. This kid is gonna hear about this for years. Like how my mom tells me that she lost her curly hair for me (it came back like 30 years later)
Feet - I don't remember my feet hurting like this when I would work 10 hour shifts on my feet. how is that fair?
One more part that I'm sure everyone wants to hear about the digestive tract. hmmmm. how to put this delicately. See when you are preggo you have to take prenatal vitamins. these can either give you constipation, diarrhea or just plain nausea. Added bonus to the already nauseated. I get the added bonus of being IRON DEFICIENT with this particular kid too. One more pill that *may* cause constipation, diarrhea or nausea. Oh, and you have to take that one on an empty stomach, while standing and you can't lie down for at least 30 minutes. PLUS make sure your kids don't even look at these pills because iron poisoning is apparently the leading cause of all children's deaths. Ok, factor that into the already fabulous advice I have from everyone (docs included) to make sure I am taking it easy, lying down, with my feet up. all day. yeah, totally doable.
This is why I am crazy. Keeping all of this running through my head all day is exhausting. But I'm already the mother of 3 and have to keep their days going as well. It is a constant battle up in here to keep the hormones at bay, the kids calm, the food down and my spirits up. Most days I win, some days I fail miserably. But this too shall pass...
Soon enough I'll have a precious little one and then none of this will matter. Joe made the comment the other day that having this one on 11-22-11 would be cool. Now i have that to fixate on!

i loves...

2011-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

...that Garrin will always move to whatever couch/chair that i am on to cuddle with me.
....kiya has started to master using the word "please"
....Trevin will almost always do what i ask, when i ask. He makes my life a lot easier.
...i have tonz of family and friends that would be willing to help out at any moments notice.
....fall.
...that my kids play pretty well together and show each other affection.
...for all my shortcomings my friends will always help me focus on my strengths.
....that we have a beautiful home.
...that it is friday.

Rants!

2011-09-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

What's the opposite of post-partum depression? pre-natal depression? I'm just self diagnosing here. My mood swings which are hopefully much less noticeable on the outside are kicking my pregnant booty. and there's lots to kick at this point. I'm stir crazy. I was on employment websites yesterday totally convinced that I could start a job at a hospital doing the night shift tomorrow, if they would just give me the interview...
I can no longer use the back burners of my stove because if I am using the front burners and lean over them I will ignite the innocent child in my stomach. Hardly seems fair.
My boobs, though huge by normal standards look teeny compared to my big stomach now, dangit.
I got a call from my docs office that I am iron deficient. I blame the parasite. Means one more freaking huge horse pill I have to take.
This baby thinks that me sleeping is super boring and kicks me all night long. I'd really prefer the hours of a newborn because then at least occasionally it can kick someone other than me.
My kids watch too much tv because if I don't keep my feet up enough during the day my feet swell and my knees kill. So not fair to them.
It is month/quarter end which means Joe is working all. the. time. It's not news to me. Happens all the time, just annoying.
Pregnancy nightmares. these are just hell. added onto the already superb sleep I'm getting.

I know I have a good life and I am really really blessed, but egads some days...

lunch time!

2011-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Are you suggesting that relief society potatoes and twix is not an appropriate lunchtime for a 30ish weekly preggo mom? how dare you.

I'll have you know that I did start with the twix. But I rethought and then placed the twix back in the cupboard to heat up the potatoes first. Sacrifice, people, sacrifice. Besides I can only eat one of the twix bars a day so it's not completely insane up in here.

But what to do while the microwave is going?....hmmm. Well, looking past the fresh grapes, strawberries, yogurt and BBQ chicken that is staring at me as the logical choice my eyes instead wander to that HUGE container of cookie dough from Costco. yep, that would be an excellent appetizer.

Normally, this kind of thing would not be in my fridge. See, I can be a bit of a cookie snob. I am not a great cook, but I am a decent baker. So last week I suddenly had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. Not a big deal except to make my cookies I'd need a good 3-4 hour heads up and that wouldn't help with my RIGHT NOW craving. I asked Joe to make me some and he looked at me like I had asked him to make me cookies. See, this point was established very early on in our relationship. Once he discovered my ability to bake (which was even before we started dating) it was written into the contract that that was MY field and he would not step into it. In all fairness and sweetness though he did take me to get ice cream which helped.

So anyway, I decided we needed to be prepared for this type of emergency again. I remembered that Costco had a coupon for it's pre-prepared tub o'cookie dough and since we just happened to be going there the next day, I picked one up. I'm a sucker for a good cookie, I'm an even bigger sucker for cookie dough. and my kids have totally picked up on this horrible yet tasty habit of mine. Once they hear the kitchen aid going they both run for front row seats by the bowl. totally awesome.

So yeah, there is my lunch. a spoonful or so of cookie dough and then I had a bowl of funeral potatoes. I'm also drinking lots of water and will now take my pre-natal vitamin. Once that settles, we'll see how the twix sounds...

(I wrote this post because I realized how silly I was as I was doing it and sometimes you just need to memorialize your silly. Feel free to laugh with me)

Sixth Grade 4th school

2011-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Trevin is off to his first day of 6th grade. Which means that next year I will have a jr higher. And a kindergartner. And a preschooler, and a 1 year old. I'm just mapping out my insanity plea now in case you are wondering.

I'm very proud of Trevin's educational journey. He has always been a good student and gotten good grades. He's only had minor behavioral issues (like getting too excited to participate and forgetting to raise his hand first). I've had very little trouble dealing with the boy in the academic world. That doesn't mean that I'm not worried about his future. Jr high is a totally different beast as anyone who has lived through it understands. I'm just hoping he continues to improve or at least stay steady.

His teacher this year I am impressed with, just from the one meeting. She is very atune to the fact that her kids will be in jr high next year and she wants them to be ready. She doesn't assign homework. She simply assigns the work for the day and if you use your time to get it done, then wallah! no homework. If you don't time manage, then you'll probably have homework. She also believes very strongly in the fact that these "kids" need to be the ones in charge of their work and the communication that needs to happen between parents and teachers. She spoke of how this is how it is in upcoming schooling and work environments so getting them ready now is the best approach. I couldn't agree more. I hope Trevin really catches on so he has this little advantage and has a certain skill set in place by the time the nightmare and scare of jr high begins.

I am apparently lacking as a parent though as I did not get a picture of him this morning. I think I have pictures of his first day of preschool (with Miss Gina), kindergarten (Eaglecrest) and first grade (Fox Hollow), but beyond that, I've slacked. I just use school pictures. I will, however, post pictures soon of his chipped tooth before and after. It was the mark in my head of the beginning of school. Me getting him into the dentist in enough time that he wasn't known in his 6th grade class as "dumb and dumber". The chip was repaired and I can look at his smile without wincing anymore. Onward and Upward!

i'm sick

2011-07-29T13:52:00.001-07:00

This is newsworthy. I don't get sick often. I have a pretty hearty immune system thanks to my mom. I don't deal well when sick because it happens so rarely.
I can handle anyone else being sick, I prefer it that way. I can accommodate. But when my body takes a detour, I just can't cope. Even with the good Kleenex, cough drops and kids who still nap everyday. I hate being sick.

I blame California.

We had my brother and sister-in-law and their clan here for a while. It was great, but they had spent a few weeks in Cali with other family previously and those evil germs in California must have made the road trip with them. You just can't have that many carrier monkeys...i mean kids about without someone getting something. I just happened to be the lucky winner this time.

It's a head cold. Which may be completely managable for someone who was not incubating an already very opinionated fetus. You see, this pregnancy has sucked. And this is just the latest sucktastic thing to pile on. I got sick the other night when someone opened a bag of licorice...i mean, come on! This child inside has very particular tastes and when I do not obey those directions, I pay dearly.

This is where you feel bad for me. Because I've never been sick with pregnancy before, and I don't get sick regularly either. So here I am SICKLY pregnant and SICK. I'll wait while you all wipe the tears to continue reading.

The little things that we as mom's do daily are not getting done here. Like cooking, or cleaning up, or showering.... I suddenly have a deep appreciation for that scripture which says that cleanliness is next to Godliness because none of that is here in this house.

Joe has missed several days of work because of his useless wife and it's not exactly luxurious here. Listening to me moan, cough and generally mucus up the house is what is happening here. That and a lot of Phineas and Ferb. Because I can't actually get off the couch.

I think I am through the worst of it but I'm still exceptionally exhausted and with my little bits of energy I can only get so much done. I did get the toys in the toy box today and then ventured into the room that should be the kitchen but has now just turned into storage for dirty dishes. I was totally planning on unloading the dishwasher and getting all those dirty dishes into the dishwasher until I came upon a sippy cup of chocolate milk that had been lost and forgotten for a few days apparently and when I opened it to rinse it out the blob that came out followed by the serious odor was just enough to send me sprinting to the bathroom. I figured having vomit covering all the dirty dishes would be even too much for Joe to handle. Once I returned to the "kitchen" I ran the hot water and disposal for about 10 minutes and turned on the scentsy. Which should cover all that grossness in a lovely lavendar scent. I know what you are thinking and you are right...Joe is a lucky guy!

Family and such

2011-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

We had the great opportunity to house some extra family for the last little while. It was one of the main reasons for buying a house of this magnitude that I could have an extra 14 or so people staying with us, and no one was really cramped. It's awesome. Until I have to clean it.
It was great to see everyone and I am sick and seriously sleep deprived from it, but totally worth it.
From these late nights came some very interesting conversations amid all the games and I promised those invovled that I would blog some of the more memorable quotes of the evenings. Feel free to add if I forgot any because hey...I was up until 2 am or so most mornings....haven't done that in YEARS.

"You know what I like about the ______ family"..."not that I don't like everything else..."

"Justin is only so good with math" "Yeah, since I only use it every day for every facet of my job"

"You know how Joe is a player"

"what happens on Thursday nights, stays on Thursday nights"

"Dueces are wild" "right, what's a duece?"

"Did Justin win?" "Yeah" "Then it doesn't count"

"It's ok, because he didn't look"

Along with many others that I can't think of right now. I also want to give a big shout out to my little sister who shared with us her wisdom of "floating" and "gazing". Believe me, if you don't know, you don't want to.

Christmas come early....

2011-07-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm having issues with getting the pic big enough and posting correctly so this is what i can produce right now. Due Dec 1st!

(we don't know the sex)

Out and Over

2011-04-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

She has broken out.
None of my kids have had cribs. I saw them as a big pain so mine have always been in a pack n'plays for ease. Trevin was out of his around a year. Garrin made it to 18 months. Kiya almost made it 2 years. Last night we put her to bed as usual and came back down to finish watching a show. A few minutes later we hear a door open and some footsteps down the stairs. Joe and I both assumed it was Garrin, since he is the one that opens his door and comes out. We look up and see our little girl dragging her blanky behind. After we got over the shock and a few giggles we realized it would be an exhausting night/few days.
We had bought a "big girl" bed for her almost a year ago anticipating this very night. Luckily she did take to the idea of sleeping in her big bed and it only took us 3 more tries to get her down.
She did wake up around 2:30am and came into our room. LUCKILY, I have trained my kids well and she just walked in and said, "Daddy..." ha. That means I get to stay in bed while he takes her up. She stayed in bed until about 7am and then called for me to come and get her out. Which was nice. It took a few times this afternoon to get her settled, but hopefully she will get the idea quickly.
I've been very blessed with good sleepers and plan to ride the train as long as I can.
Now if I can just get her to keep her pants on....

Wanna Know?

2011-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

So, you wanna know how to let everyone know that you have arrived in a new neighborhood? You attend church and during sacrament meeting have your 3 year old yell out to the congregation that "HIS PENIS IS BIG AND HE DOESN'T LIKE IT!!!" Yep. About 3 times. That's right folks. Garrin announced us properly and let everyone know several things about our family right off. That his mother teaches him the correct names of body parts and he has no issue with letting you know what is happening with each and every correctly named body part. You will also see that the other menfolk of the family are useless when penis jokes abound. Joe went RED from laughing so hard and Trevin had to bury his head under Joe so he didn't make anymore noises. I, of course, simply kept my head up and my composure as everyone took it the fact that this little family is just bringing some class into the neighborhood. I'm sure they'll all thank me later.

MOVED IN

2011-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, we are in a new home! I am SO in love with having my own house. This thing is a monster though and everytime I have to clean it I regret getting so much sqaure footage. (poor me, i know) We are all civilized now with TV, internet and phone so I feel connected again. We have not moved our computer over that has all our pictures so I can't post anything with pics yet, but I invite you all over for the 5 cent tour. I have no problem showing off my new place that will not be "done" for months I'm sure. The home decore is the last thing on my list so the place is just functional, not pretty. At least not yet. I'll get it there eventually.

I quit my job as soon as we moved in too so I am the newest member of the stay-at-home clan and most days feel relatively sane about it. most days. Which is why I need lots of visitors to distract me. The kids have adjusted perfectly. Trevin has lots of friends already and the little ones have loved all the space in the house and outside.

Joe is uber busy with work and schooling but we both feel so blessed to be so adult right now. Lets hope we can keep it up!
So hit me up here or on my phone for the address and come see the new digs!

Pretend

2010-05-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here is what we are going to do, people.
We are going to pretend that I haven't neglected this and ya'll and I am going to go back through all my pictures and try to catch up and post the stories that I remember along the way.
alright?
alright.
let's do this.
ps. i will also be changing the dates on all the posts so that when someone in the far away future looks at this blog...it will be seemless. So it may not show on yours that I have updated, but i HAVE.

I got in so much trouble for this....

2009-12-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

See those cute little earings in Kiya's ears? Yeah, I may have pierced her ears without officially telling Above Average Joe about it. It's not that he is opposed to girls having thier ears pierced he just didn't like that he wasn't in the loop for the official happening. I always told him that if we had a girl that I would pierce her ears early in life. My mom did it with both my sister and I and I just think it is so much easier. Kiya agrees with me. She'll tell you. In a few years....when Joe starts talking to me again....

Kiya 6 Month

2009-11-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

Garrin had to get in on the photo action...and see that popsicle? that's the only thing he eats these days. Those with chips and salsa are the only nutrients this 2 year old accepts lately...sigh.

Kiya's Sweet Tooth (if she had teeth...)

2009-11-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

When daddy come home for lunch he sometimes splurges and makes himself an ice cream cone...Kiya has discovered that she very much like them.

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

I was trying to teach Kiya how to say "trick-or-treat" but as long as she held the bag people just threw candy at her. I always try to find a bit of a "theme" for my kids if I can, because I'm that cool. I thought of doing all M&M's or crayons or something like that but Trevin is only so willing to "theme" it these days if it doesn't go with exactly what is hip in 10 year olds world...
So I found THIS costum for Kiya...that I love....

Then I decided Garrin would have to be this...since he was going to fight me no matter what costum I put him in....

Trevin was a Ninja and Jessi was our little devil. The kids made a haul and had a great time!

Halloween Cookies

2009-10-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

My mom makes the bestest sugar cookies so we break them out whenever a holiday rolls around. She also have every type of cookie cutter so it's really fun for the kids to cut and frost all the fun shapes. Kiya was there to help pick out the best shapes for halloween...
she might have found the flour as well...

and grandma got into the fun too....

good times.....

This was at Trevin's school Halloween Parade so all the kids could show off thier costumes. Trevin ran through so fast I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of him but this shirt on Garrin was so cute I couldn't resist...

Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

We let the kids carve this year. Trevin did this cute guy, we had a small one that we cared "BOO" into for Garrin and I did the one that looks like it has stitches. Our neice Jessi also carved one. It was a fun night!

Double Digits

2009-10-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Trevin had a low-key birthday. Amidst the move we just didn't have the time or inclination to do much more, but he got what he wanted. Some cash some games and brownies. All that you need to be a happy ten year old.

love the boy.

Kiya 5 months

2009-10-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

McDonalds Made Me Do It

2009-09-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Before we moved into my parents house we had made the decision to let Trevin stay at his Elementary School for 2 more weeks before transfering him to the one by us now. We did this for a few reasons. First, Trevin loves his school. It's been the school that he has been at since 1st grade so he is very comfy there. I wanted to make the transition as easy as possible and a couple things were happening in the upcoming weeks that he had been looking forward to for quite a while. Every school has fundraisers. Every year. They may be different thinks like cookies, chocolates, wrapping paper or coupon books but they all have them. This year Trevin was one of the top sellers of the school. It doesn't hurt that he has aunts, uncles, grandparents and neighbors galore who just happen to love being sucked into these things (THANK YOU ALL). So with Trevin being the master salesman that he is (or just having such a HUGE family net) he got the grand prize of riding in a firetruck to McDonalds and eating lunch with the firemen. oh, hallah. He had a great time, as you can see below. The other reason that we waited a few weeks to move him was that his class was scheduled to go to Clear Creek and Trevin would have been devastated if he hadn't been able to go. So he went, and he had a blast and then he transfered and didn't like it, but he has lived through it and we are proud of him for it.

Memorialized

2009-09-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you know we decided to move our little family into my parents basement and rent out our condo for the time being. Joe is employed but not permanently yet. When we decided to do this it was a bit of an undertaking. For those of you who have been privy to my parents basement, you know of what I speak. If you haven't, just trust me and don't ask too many questions. We took over my fathers "man cave" as I lovingly called it and turned it into our master bedroom/bath. We painted, carpeted and cleaned like no one's business. In that transitional phase there is something that will live in my heart and in paint under the actual paint job forever. It is this...

Painted oh, so thoughtfully by above average joe.

Kids at home...

2009-09-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Now that Above Average Joe is working again the kids and I have a lot of time together. Kiya has a new bumbo that she loves...
Garrin likes it too...

...for several reasons...

Kiya has an exersaucer (thanks to a generous neighbor) and she loves playing with it...

...almost as much as Garrin does!

Garrin Hearts Spaghetti

2009-09-17T19:03:00.001-07:00

Kiya's 4 Months

2009-09-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Stats are as follows: She weighs 13.4 lbs and she is 25" long. She smiles, giggles, coos, blows bubbles like no ones business and has the family pretty much tied around her little finger.

This video shows what happens most nights. Trevin makes it his mission to get his sister to laugh for as along as possible, and does a great job of it!

Yummy Utah!

2009-09-14T12:41:00.001-07:00

For those who do not have or have had 4th graders let me show you the fun we have! They are learning about Utah's geographical mapping. To really help the kids learn this they get to make a cake! Luckily, Utah is shaped easily enough that all you have to do is cut out a square of a standard cake and you have UT! Then we just had to frost the 3 different sections to represent different parts and then Trevin got to take a bunch of candy to class to "make" things like the rivers, lakes and moutains of Utah. I don't know about you guys but I'd probably remember UT a lot better if I knew it in chocolate!

This picture is the night before school with just the frosting done representing the Great Basin in green, Mountain Range in red and Plateaus and rivers in blue. I particularly love this picture because of Trevin's blue teeth.
This was the finished product when he got home from school!

The Reces & Kisses were melted from the walk home in the sun but Trevin tells me it made it look even more like the real plateaus...so he was happy about it! Yummy!

Western Walkers

2009-09-09T20:20:00.001-07:00

We had a fun Labor Day weekend. It was quite labor intensive. We were able to visit Above Average Joe's parents in Delta to kick off our weekend because our little man kept climbing up the drawers in our kitchen and finally broke one. So daddy had to head down to the family wood shop to fix it. Any excuse is a good one though to visit. We love it down there and they love having the kids there.
We only stayed one night though. When we got back I phoned my parents and they were heading down to St. George to their newly purchased condo to move some furniture and spend some time with my sister who is getting her nursing degree. We decided to go down with them...why not? Just a few more clothes into the still packed bags was not a big deal. When we got all funned out in St. George we headed back home but not before going to Richfield to visit my grandparents (on my dad's side). Just enough time to have dinner and a minor visit, but again, worth it. We were all over Utah for the weekend. It was a lot of travel but great to see those we don't get to see regularly.
While we were in Delta I did get a few pictures of the kids that are pretty funny. Our Miss Kiya is so freakin' independent already that she won't sit in anything that reclines so the rocker was out. Well, grandma has an old walker and Kiya loved it. She spent a lot of time in there and we just wheeled her around with us. She looks too tiny for it, but I promise she was thrilled to be in it!

And Garrin discovered that Grandpa Western had this great stick that made it really easy for him to take him to wherever he wanted. Every time Garrin wanted Grandpa he would go grab his cane and take it to him and then lead him all over. Joe's dad was a great sport about it. I just kept thinking...talk about the blind leading the blind...

Thank all.

2009-09-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

Thankfully Above Average Joe has FINALLY received a phone call that made him happy. He has been offered a job at Symantec. Officially, it is a temporary job but Above Average Joe is crafty and will do everything he can to make himself indispensable. It came at a good time because that unemployment stuff was just about to run out...

Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and helping Joe get his resume out to everyone. He will continue to search for jobs that may be a bit more permanent but this gives our family another few months of non-panic, which is just nice.

He ain't bad to look at either...

2009-08-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Dinner time can be stressful, at least for me. There are some days that I plan a meal and can execute it well and most the time it's edible. That's when I plan ahead, follow a receipe of sorts and have all the ingredients at hand. But those nights that I have not planned, I can stare into our pantry/fridge/freezer and just be completely dumfounded. It's the same thing that we women go through when we have a special occasion and want to look really good and just stare at our closet as if we have never dressed ourselves before.

Now on those nights, my Above Average Joe can look at that same pantry/fridge/freezer and find ALL KINDS of things to make. I think it's magic, or witch-craft or something. Because I was just there...and there was nothing speaking to me other than a huge sign pointing to take out menus. One of these nights happened last week. We had a bunch of fresh veggies that parents dropped off so Above Average Joe decided to make a "veggie gulosh". I put that in quotes for a very specific reason. I have no idea how to make gulosh (and i don't think joe does either) but that was the term that we agreed upon as he started cooking all of this into a saute pan with oil and seasonings and ground meat. And here's the kicker...it turned out great. Well, not totally great, but not by any fault of Joe's. The cucumber was a bit bitter but that was the veggie's fault, maybe the farmer...but not ours! Otherwise, it was quite tasty and Above Average Joe was SO PROUD of whipping up this little meal that he made me take a picture.

He was mostly proud of how he browned his cheese to perfection. It was good, folks. And this is only one of the reasons that he earns his nickname over and over.

Hold, Please

2009-08-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Garrin has adjusted to having Kiya around in superhuman ways. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that he has very little to complain about in the attention department even with her around. See one of the blessings of Joe being unemployed is the fact that there are two loving (if occasionally sleep deprived) parents always around somewhere. So that natural "I-hate-this-new-thing-that-has-invaded-my-world-and-sucked-all-the-attention-away-from-me" phase, just really never happened. And I'm hoping never will now that there is a certain routine around the house.

Now because Garrin has no issues with his little sister he actually really likes being around her. He holds her hand, calls her cute, gives her his blanky when she is crying...all that good stuff. But my absolute favorite thing that he does is plunk him bum right down on the ground next to me and say "hold, PEASE". Not kidding, the first time he did it I welled up.

He sits very still and I put Kiya on his lap leaning against his chest for a moment and then pick her back up because even though he WANTS to hold her, he hasn't quite mastered how to. But everytime I pick her up for the first time I hear "PEASE, PEASE, PEASE!" And I place her on him again for a little bit. He will then turn his head to her and kiss her (or at least make the sound) and that is my cue to pick her up again. These are the things that I love about being a mom.

Miss Kiya's 3 month pictures (prof)

2009-08-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

A big THANK YOU to my neighbor who pulled out this dress and let me borrow it the night before pictures were taken. My beautiful baby girl...

Paper Bag

2009-08-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Trevin on the first day of 4th grade!

This will be an interactive post...I expect to see MANY comments!

Trevin came home from school today, and along with his math and reading homework he had a plain paper bag with instructions that were to fill it with 8 things that make him...him. It got me thinking what I would put in my paper bag today. Trevin filled his with great things that really show who he is and what he likes. The things in Trevin's paper bag are as follows:
1. A Movie (Specifically Pirates of the Carribean...could have been Star Wars too)
2. A CD (he wanted to take Barenaked Ladies but I didn't want to be called in on the first week of school so we sent the Shrek 2 soundtrack)
3. His pinewood derby car (because he likes boyscouts and building things)
4. His football trophy (he loves football)
5. A Baseball (he loves baseball)
6. A magnet of a lighthouse in OBX (this is a vacation that we have taken twice now and signifies how much he loves the beach...and vacations in general)
7. A picture of the family (because he LOVES being a big brother)
8. This one is still being debated but it's a toss between a soda can (because he likes soda) and his wallet (because he likes money to buy things).

The 8 things in my bag....

1. My wedding ring (i love this ring and i love what it represents)
2. Chocolate chip cookie (i do like to bake and i'm pretty good at it...never bad to have a little chocolate in your life too)
3. Picture of my kids (obvious reasons)
4. The Giving Tree book (i love this book)
5. A theater pin (i love the theater)
6. Sand from a beach (representing travel and the ocean)
7. a bracelet that my best friend gave me a few months before he died (to remember him and to remember how precious friendship is)
8. The song I Hope You Dance (which is how I try to live my life and in small tribute to the fact that I cannot dance as I once did)

So I put it to you...what are the 8 things in your bag????

Up & Coming

2009-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

I know I've been very photo heavy in my posts lately, but when you have little ones it is important to document anyway you can and things seem to slip by so quickly that I still feel very behind. Lucky for me we have scheduled more photos to be done! Let's hope they turn out as cute as I am hoping and that we only have so many breakdowns trying to achieve said cuteness.

In other wonderful news Above Average Joe has an interview tomorrow! I never thought and interview would seem so exciting, but tell you what...I have shivers. Let us all hope that the powers that be will see exactly how above average my Above Average Joe is and offers him a slew of work. If not, we'll just keep along. Contract work has started to spurt up and eased some financial burdens, and we are greatful for that. I'm just selfish, and want more. ;)

Haircut

2009-08-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

Garrin had his first real haircut this morning. I had buzzed his head before, but that's it.
This is how the hair started...
This was pretty much how the appointment went (sorry, angela) only WAY more tears, snot and screaming...Seriously, this kid does not do well in new situations.

He was happy it was over and the hair looks great.

A little gel in it makes it really cute! We'll be doing family pictures this week so I'm happy that his hair will at least look good in them...

Kiya's 3 months

2009-08-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Kiya had her first pedicure this week. she did a great job sleeping while mommy painted.

Kiya is now 23 inches long and i'm guessing a little over 12 pounds. She is, by far, my cutest girl!

2 Years In The Making...

2009-08-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Garrin was born via emergency c-section on August 7, 2007 at 9:34 pm. This is him and mom that night.
This is the day we brought Garrin home. Trevin loved being an older brother.

Daddy loved him lots too. Garrin is about 3 weeks here.

Garrin is 3 months here.

8 months.

1 year photo shoot.

Garrin at 15 months
Year and half and his first buzz haircut.

Big Brothers Rock

2009-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

I say this from experience because I have 2 older brothers...Big Brother's Rock. It's not that they are always nice to you or take care of you, but occasionally you have these moments where you really, really love having big brothers. I am documenting this first "my big brother rocks moment" for Kiya.

I was in the bedroom and Above Average Joe was in the front room but was called outside for a few moments to talk to a neighbor, without my knowing about it. In this time of non- parental exhistance in the front room Kiya decided she was not happy. I did not respond quickly because I thought AAJ was out there to handle any difficulties. When it became apparent that either Joe was not in the room or had decided to become a neglectful parent I went out to the front room to asses the situation. Kiya was still fussy but Garrin had taken the matter into his own hands. He had gotten his blanket that has been his comfort for his life thus far and placed it on his little sister and was patting her. I just about bust into tears, it was so sweet. AND, it had calmed Kiya down. She loves her big brothers.

Scarred for life

2009-07-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

You know how some kids have those memories of walking in on their parents doing things that they never wanted to know parents do? Trevin will now have one of them.

Now, before you click off my blog and report me to anyone...hear me out.

I worked out on Wednesday. An hour of aerobics that dern near killed me since I haven't worked out in some hrrrrmmmmffff months. I was gently explaining to Above Average Joe that I was so very sore and he replied in the most expected of ways by mocking me. I took it upon myself at that time, to pounce the man and beat on him to the best of my ability. In my pouncing his legs went up and so I decided that my best plan of attack would be one of bending Joe in half since he is not the most flexible of guys. So I have his feet up in the air and I am standing over him and I realize we are in the perfect position for an "airplane".
**For those of you unfamiliar with "airplanes" it is where one person lies flat on their backs and another is standing and facing them. The person who is lying down puts their feet on the other person's hips and then lifts them into the air with the greatest of ease**
....So I requested an airplane from my husband. And then Trevin walked in and yelled "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MOMMY!?!?!?!?!" Seriously, just like that. So now when Trevin is talking to his therapist about the many things we did wrong I'm sure this story will be at the top of the list. In the meantime Joe and I cannot stop laughing.

2 Months...kinda

2009-07-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a slacker and you'd think that I'd be able to get SO much done having Above Average Joe around all the time, but really we just end up being lazy together. So these are Kiya's 2 month pictures. My WONDERFUL NEIGHBOR took these shots and they make me cry, they are so gorgeous. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 11.5 pounds and was 23 inches long so obviously all the fat I am eating is spilling out a little into my milk, but mostly just clings to my thighs. Kiya was not terribly appreciative of the shots in her bum but she recovered quickly and has since forgiven her nurse.

The summer is only getting hotter so being outside is getting more uncomfortable, plus working around 2 kids naptimes makes it a bit tricky to be too outgoing but we are enjoying the family time together. Joe still has had no luck on the job front so I have gone back to part-part time work. Nothing too strenusous or gainful but helpful, none-the-less. In efforts to do something to bring money in Above Average Joe did help out his brother-in-law for a few days in his bee keeping business and it kicked his trash. It only confirmed that even though Above Average Joe rocks and stuff...he really prefers a desk job. But if you want any really good honey for your food storage, let me know. This stuff kicks any regular honey bear's butt!

Trevin is enjoying the days of summer by spending a lot of them with his dad and his new wife and 4 kids. Garrin is on the verge of turning 2 and so full of energy and fun. He keeps amazing us and I need to be better about posting all the greatness he is so that my sleep haze doesn't take away too much from these formidable memories.

We are just trudging forward waiting for fate/karma/employment to really take hold and give us a better sense of direction. Until then we will continue to enjoy our lazy summer days with our beautiful family.

Just Keep Swimming!

2009-07-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

My boys at the pool!

Garrin has the funniest run.

Trevin and my niece Jessi jumping into the pool.

Garrin has no fear of the water and swims really well already.

This is what happens when you ask Garrin where his toes are when he is in the pool. It's absolutely adorable and has only thrown himself back into the water once doing it.

Blessing Day Photos

2009-07-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

this and that UPDATED WITH PHOTO PROOF

2009-07-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

I have a ton of pictures to upload but honestly, I'm too lazy to do it today. So for today I will just say that Kiya now smiles! It melts both her father and I and it makes the sleep depervation a little more worth it.

Garrin has now learned to climb to the top of the bunk bed. The problem is he has yet to learn how to climb down so we get called in at random hours of the day (when nap time should be) and early in the morning (when everyone should still be asleep) to assist the small lad down to the floor. And just this evening we discovered that he can climb up on our bed on his own. This is no small feat. If you have seen our bed, you know of what I speak. I have to climb to get into our bed. It's tall enough for Above Average Joe...so it's high. This little guy is getting more and more difficult to keep up with. But his little sister does love watching him.

I'm HOW OLD?

2009-06-28T08:22:00.001-07:00

Blessing Dress

2009-06-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Can you stand how cute this dress is? My mom did it all. The crocheting, the ribbon, the beadwork. It will have a slip underneath as well so it won't be as drafty but, oh...mom, you just ROCK. I couldn't love this dress more.

Blankets

2009-06-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to be surrounded by talented people. I come from a pretty long and decent line of those handy with the needle. Because of this whenever there is an occasion (like a new baby) we get new blankets to show off. One of these days I'll post all the stunning quilts that tell various stories of times of my life but for now these are the adorable blankets we have recieved for Kiya. This one was crocheted by one of my visiting teachers (Tiff). I LOVE the colors and it's really soft.

My uncle (Dad's brother) is close to us and he brought us one of the cutest blankets ever for Garrin. To this day he still tells me he quilted it... THIS gorgeous quilt is for Kiya and when I saw it I decided that when this little girl has her own room this quilt will be the inspiration for the colors and pattern of it.
This patchwork quilt is from my step-grandmother Lavonne who is an incredible woman and quilter. She has sent so many lovely things for all of us over the years and did not fail Kiya with this beautiful and colorful quilt that Kiya loves to play on and look at.

My mother has also promised a crib quilt for Kiya (and Garrin) but she has been so busy making her blessing dress that we won't see it for a while. But WAIT until you see this dress. She brought it over today and I just about started crying with how gorgeous it was. I will post pictures soon. I am so lucky to have these people in my life...

Garrin

2009-06-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Because the house has been so busy with a little one I wanted to also try to keep up on my boys as well. Garrin is quickly approaching 2 and his little personality is coming out quickly. Here are some pics of my little boy and what he has been up to...

This is what Garrin does at the beginning of his day. He doesn't like eating at the table. He likes being in the kitchen with mom getting spoonfuls/bites as it gets made...

This is how Garrin watches tv. Most likely he is watching Cars.
This is what Garrin does with Kiya. He is very soft with his sister and very protective.

This is what Garrin does with his big brother. He is very rough and tumble with Trevin.

This is what Garrin does with mom...when dad has Kiya.

This is what Garrin does with dad. They love playing MarioKart on the Wii.

This is how Garrin's day finishes. He always has to take a toy with him to bed...

Kiya's 1 Month photo's

2009-06-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

Lindsey from the block

2009-06-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Because the fertilization fairy made it's way around our neighborhood my sweet neighbor had her baby girls a little while ago and they are home from the hospital now. I know many people know of who I speak and several have offered out of the goodness of their hearts to bring them a meal in exchange for letting them see these cute teeny girls. If you were one of those people (or are willing to do such a thing), please remind me...because I'm still not getting much sleep and can't keep as many things as fresh in my mind as I'd like.

3 weeks

2009-06-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

We went to Kiya's 2 week appt which is actually 3 weeks for her (mommy slacked on calling the dr's office so they couldn't get us in til' now). I'm posting this because if I don't write it somewhere, I will forget it and I don't have her baby book up and running yet...

She is now 22 inches long (that's an inch and 1/2 more than birth) and weighs 8 lbs 14 oz (starting weight 7.6). So she is growing well and there are no issues to be concerned about. I talked to the doc about her possibly having allergies and such and he informed me that the tests are expensive and you can't really treat them until they are at least 2 if they come back positive so there's not a lot we can do other than keep her nose as clean as possible. Quick fact for you: Babies are nose breathers. They have to breath through their noses according to how their bodies work in the early years so they can eat easier. So there's your knowledge for the day!

She didn't have to get any shots today but they did have to do a PKU test which means they have to drain blood from her. The good news is that my daughter has wonderful clotting abilities. The bad news is that because of that they had to poke the poor thing 3 times and kept asking me to make her more mad because the blood came out easier when she was mad. Yeah, totally awesome mom moment there. The nurses are quite sure that she will always and forever hate them.

Another little noteworthy part of the doctor visit was the fact that Garrin hates when someone he doesn't know tries to touch his sister. He freaks out. It really is adorable even though it's tough to calm him down after. Makes me happy to know that Kiya will always be protected by her big brothers when it counts.

Allergies

2009-05-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

Above Average Joe has always suffered from allergies. It's something that I have never had a problem with UNTIL I got pregnant (stupid hormone freaked body). Well, either father dear has given his lovely allergy issues to his 2 kids or both my little ones have a mild summer colds (I'm hoping for the later). Either way, it's been not so fun. Garrin has to have his nose wiped about every 3rd second and Kiya cannot abide being put down because then she cannot breath! It's been a long couple of nights with very little sleep. We're managing but seriously, if anyone wants to hold my precious 2 week old girl feel more than welcome to come by and give my arms a break...

Pinewood Derby

2009-05-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Trevin and his dad made his car this year because Above Average Joe was busy planning the derby and waiting for his wife to pop. Trevin's car is in the #2 lane and he was SO proud of how well it turned out because he actually got to weild the power tools to make his car this year and pick all the colors and such.

Trevin's car is in the #1 lane in this picture.

Trevin took 1st overall because every race his car was in, he won. He was so excited when he came home with his blue ribbon for the night. I was sad that I missed the fun but luckily Above Average Joe took these shots for me so we can still have the memories. Good job, Trevin!

Kiya's First Sunday

2009-05-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm still a week behind or so, but I'm trying to catch up! We actually went to church the Sunday after Kiya was born because I was getting a bit stir crazy after a few days in the hospital and the weather being so nice. I must admit that the cute little girl "dresses" with matching undies are a fun thing to dress babies in. I'm still mastering how to deal with all her hair. We have to do it a few times a day because she messes it up with all the nuzzling she does.

Backpeddling to Mother's Day...

2009-05-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't get this post up before my little stint in the hospital so forgive me for the out of order posting but I had to acknowledge what a great Mother's Day I had. Above Average Joe got up and made me stuffed raspberry and cream cheese french toast (so yummy). Then Trevin's class had a little program that I got to go to where they sang us some songs and did a little poem about all the hats that mom's wear. Trevin had the part about mom's being chef's.

And this is the really cute cards that he made me at school (on Friday, since Mother's Day was Sunday).
On the official Mother's Days is when I had my special breakfast and then after church where I got more cute notes from both my boys (thanks to their teachers) we went to my mom's house where Above Average Joe took over the cooking again for us and made up some superb fajitas at my request. It was a great Mother's Day and I was really happy that Kiya waited a few days to come after that.

ps. love you, mom.

Kiya Leanne

2009-05-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I went to bed on the night of the 13th feeling really good actually. I had done stuff around the house and even made dinner that night. I was worried about giving birth on the 13th because above average joe had told me that he really didn't want a child born on 13th because that would mean that this child's 2nd birthday would land on a Friday the 13th and he didn't think that was a good idea.

At 1:30 am I woke up with my tummy being really tight and figured I needed to swap sides and as I twisted, my water broke. I went into the bathroom to change and such and called for above average Joe to get all items into the jeep. We called sister louie to come and hang out on the couch while the boys continued to sleep and we headed off to the hospital. Above Average Joe made it there in 7 minutes! By the time we were at the hospital my contractions were 3-4 mins apart and hard. By the time they got me into a room and started filling out the info my contractions got even harder and less than a minute apart. I thought I might die. They checked me and I was almost 6 cm dialated and once they got me all hooked up to the machines and an IV in they got the drug man in to administer the epidural (thank you, paul...I remember his name). I also need to give a shout out to the L&D nurse (whose name I do not remember) because she worked miracles with keeping me calm and working pressure points on my feet and hands to make those killer contractions almost bearable. I think she has a special place in heaven for dealing with us women...So once I was properly drugged I got to relax for about 40 mins until the doc checked me again and informed me that it was time to push. sweet. 3 pushes later my little girl was placed on my tummy and I actually got to turn her to me and see for myself what we had. They left her on me for quite a while which was so nice and only took her away to measure her. She was 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.5 inches long. All scores were average or better so there were no worries and she had arrived at 4:40 am. So labor, all in all, was a little more than 3 hours. i rock. or she rocks, whoever you want to give credit to.

I felt so good after the delivery. I had not realized how useless I was after Garrin (who was an emergency c-section) until I had Kiya. It still isn't all roses, mind you...but a lot better than the last time around.

We went home on Friday night and have survived this long without any major problems. The boys have adjusted beautifully to having another one around and it's been nice to have above average Joe here as well to really make life that much easier (most of the time).

I appreciate all the love and support we have recieved (and food and clothes!) with our latest addition and will post more of the cute pics I have soon. Kiya already has her father tied around her finger and above average Joe has informed me that now that we have a girl he will be buying a shot gun...so fun. Everything is going well and we can't complain too much (other than the general sleep depervation and sore boobs thing). Thanks again to everyone! and welcome home my beautiful baby girl.

I made the nurse who bathed her go and find a purple bow for her hair...

Mom and Kiya

Trevin and Kiya who loved telling everyone that he had a baby sister

Garrin was really excited to see her....

Above Average Joe, Trevin and Kiya

Mom and Kiya getting ready to go home

All bundled up for the car ride home.

Mostly Right...

2009-05-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

According to the poll most of ya'll figured I was having a girl.
Well, good job! Here is a picture of her. I'll post more a little later.
http://www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?action=view&BabyID=051409klw

Mars & Venus

2009-05-09T19:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, so in case you were ever wondering the difference between how Joe and I get ready for this baby, this should answer those questions. It should also answer questions as to why I am a lucky, lucky, lucky woman to have this man as my husband. HANDS AND KNEES, ladies! SCRUBBING THE FLOOR. I did not ask him to do this and I wouldn't have even thought of doing it myself but this is how Joe works. and it's AWESOME.
Notice the little thing on the left of this picture...? That's a toothbrush. YEAH, he scrubed with a toothbrush! No military training at all, this is just how the man cleans. He did the same thing in the kitchen but I failed to get pictures because then he had the camera to show what I do to get ready...

I eat the food that he has cooked for me. I can request just about anything and the man will make it (or get it) and just let me sit on the couch propped by as many pillows as possible.

Seriously, he cooks, he cleans he doesn't mind that I look like this...I am a lucky woman. Just wish I would have had some make-up on or my hair kind of done. But yeah, this is what our planets look like...

As Requested...

2009-05-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have added a poll to my blog so that you all can tell me what I am having...
Feel free to leave comments as well!

Track & Field

2009-05-06T18:37:00.001-07:00

Trevin has been really interested in track and field since he watched the Olympics. I finally got him signed up for it this spring. Here he is coming off the line.
This is his personal favorite of the high jump.

The long jump...

And he can now tell you how many laps equal 400, 800, 1600 meters and a mile.

Garrin had to try his hand at the hurdles too.

Trevin's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day...

2009-04-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

When Trevin got home from school the other day he presented me with normal things, some homework that needed to be done, a paper to be signed, etc. He then proceeded to tell me something very out of the ordinary. "Mom, I have a piece of paper in my ear."

"Excuse me?"

"There is a piece of paper stuck in my ear."

"And how did this piece of paper get stuck in your ear?"

"I put it there."

..."WHY?"

"...cause I was bored."

u-huh. See I'm the type of mom who believes in scaring her kids straight. I have shown Trevin pictures of lung cancer when talking about smoking. I have shown him fried neurons in the brain after drug use. I've shown pictures of liver damage when discussing drinking and sever head wounds when talking to him about wearing helmets...I'm that mom. But I guess I was a little late on the whole don't stick things in your orafices. I know I had told him this but this day was the day I had to break out the full picture of the ear and expain the damage that can be done there. When I had him thouroughly convinced that he'd be deaf by the end because of this I figured I had proven my point.

Now, I know some stuff so I figured that I should be able to get this piece of paper out. I have suction instruments and enough bodily knowledge to be adequate in most things like this. But I couldn't get it. This bit of paper had made it's way too deep in for me to get it out. So we called the doctors office. This is when Trevin really got that this was a bonehead move.

After the tears of embarassment subsided Trevin resigned himself to losing the rest of his afternoon to that of a doctors office. Just having to deal with this little dilema is enough for a 9 year old but the fun didn't stop there. When one of his friends came over to ask him to play Trevin somehow forgot how to open doors and slammed the front door into his forehead leaving him with a nice goose-egg seen here. You can see the protrudence on the right side of his forehead and still today is has some bruising coloring to it but the swelling is finally down.

You can see how much a good day this was going to be for us. When we made it to the doctors office the doc glanced into the ear and easily saw the paper lodged in there and announced that he'd need to get his alligator clips to reach it properly. This terrified Trevin. Made me giggle a little. Now the reason you are getting pictures of all this is simple. The day before I had advised my lovely neighbor to remember that having kids is just something we have to take in stride (because her son had just done something a bit mischievious) and keep a sense of humor about it. Karma kicked my butt with that little nugget of advice but because I had said it only 24 or hours previous to this it was only fair that instead of seeing this as a big pain I grabbed my camera and decided to document this trip fully so I could humilate Trevin in later years. After all, isn't that part of the joy of parenting?

This is the spread of "cool tools" that the doctor got laid out. I think it was more for dramtic effect since he only really used some of them but that piece of white paper that has bent sciccors is the alligator clamp that he used to remove the piece of paper from Trevin's ear. After he got it out he looked in the ear again and announced there was something else in his ear as well...which he couldn't reach and it would need to be irrigated out. So the nurse came in for that part and got Trevin all prepped.

Trevin did really well with this. At first he was completely freaked thinking that that was a shot he would have to recieve but when she explained that it was just water he was more approachable. I think she irrigated 4 times and kept laughing that I was taking pictures about it. I told her I needed something for his wedding center pieces.

See that little thing floating in the ear cup? That would be a piece of eraser. Trevin swears he has no idea how it got in there with the paper...(Sorry I didn't get a picture of the paper the doc threw it away too quick). THEN the doc comes in to check his ear again and there is a huge piece of wax that is nowpushed up and scratched the membrane. Seriously, if there weren't witnesses I would have started beating Trevin right there. SO then, we get to have Trevin lie down and have oil put in his ear to break up the wax and irrigate a few more times. I didn't take a pic of the wax because, honestly...gross. So yeah, once we got those 3 THINGS out of Trevin's ear the doc pronounced him ok but the scratches and irritation was very apparent and now Trevin must lay each night with ointment in his ear for a few minutes to help heal the membrane....kids, I tell ya. The fun never ends.

Hair cuts

2009-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Just a few snaps of the boys hair cuts that they got. Trevin was SO shaggy I couldn't stand it anymore and Garrin was really getting outta control too so we just decided to buzz both of their heads. With Trevin I am used to it but it made my little guy look so different to me...he doesn't look all "little" anymore...oh well, just hair right?

This is Garrin before

And Garrin after

And one of the buzzed boys together...

ARGH

2009-04-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

I totally have an AWESOME post that I can't get up because my lame camera has decided to stop functioning for some reason. I promise once I beat this digital equipment in line you will see some super fun blogging.

In the mean-time here are the "fun facts" of my life right now...

I'm done with work...almost. I get to train the girl taking over my patients next week so that whole "no more working thing" isn't quite true.

I am seriously crippled. On Friday I must have overdone my last day because walking is now a thing of the past. My right hip is out or something and I cannot for the life of me get it back to a position that is even semi-comfortable some of the time. Seriously, I'm a sad big preggo woman now wobbling around from my bed to couch pretending to be of some use to someone. I'm so pathetic. Does anyone know a massure that is specialized in the severely pregnant?

Also, since I am so lame on the posting thing if you want to see some pics of me preggo check out my sister's blog who has some great photos of me and the boys.

Lastly, Sunday marks Above Average Joe's and I anniversary. FOUR YEARS baby. That's one year more than my last marriage (ka-ching!) and only one year more to beat his last record! It's on, baby. Since I am so broken right now and he just broke (cause he isn't working) I'm thinking this "fruit" anniversary will be celebrated by me slicing up a nice apple for him and maybe he'll make me a nice smoothy in the morning. Yeah, baby. That's how you keep the magic ALIVE people!

Dr. appt #4672

2009-04-21T11:19:00.001-07:00

At least, that's what it feels like...

So we went to the dr this morning to do all the doctorly things that happen when you are "with child". Garrin FREAKED OUT when the doctor came in the room. I have never seen him react like that. He's been with me to almost all my appt's and hasn't had an appt for himself in months. He even had Above Average Joe holding him the whole time. It was a little funny though whenever the dr would leave he'd calm but when he'd come back in the screaming started again. Poor doctor.

So here's all the stats that you may or may not be interested in. I am 1 cm dialated but the cervix is still thick so I am allowed to finish this week of work. I am having contractions here and there, but nothing I can't stop if I let myself relax. The doctor did say that the more pregnancies you have the harder and sooner the contractions come. Isn't that just the most soothing thing to hear? The baby is head down (thank goodness) and my blood pressure is up. This concerns my doc, but not me too much. My bp has always gone up when I am close to the end of pregnancies so I just see it as a sign instead of a red flag but because of that I'll be in the doc's office once a week now until I give birth. The doc did also say that the baby is pretty low which I already knew but it only magnified my mild anxiety attacks about my water breaking when I'm trying to help a patient and then having to get that patient out of their wheelchair so I can use it. Seriously, I have this odd feeling that will happen and how cruel is that?

I want to thank everyone who has been so interested in my well-being and my families. We feel so loved right now and it renews our hope that we are watched over by some of the sweetest angels out there. I promise I will keep everyone posted as this gets to it's climactic ending.

Stupid, snowy spring break.

2009-04-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, the weather has been quite the irritant for me this week. I needed a nice sunny week for my 9 year old and toddler to play outside in. Instead we wake up to snow. And NOT just snow...SNOW. So we had to be inventive...and spend money. We went to Kangaroo Zoo one day and I must say, fun place. I forgot my camera though so I have no photographic evidence that I actually do stuff with my kids. It was really cute to see Trevin hauling Garrin up all the ladders to do all the "big" slides with him because he was convinced that he wanted to. Turns out, Trevin was right. Garrin actually figured out how to climb those blow up ladders himself on some of them.

The funny story for the day at Kangaroo Zoo was witnessed by my niece and reported back to me. Trevin was helping Garrin up the stairs of one of these slides and some other little kid got impatient and "butted" in front of them. Trevin, being the awesome older brother he is automatically took his brothers defense and said, "just because he's a baby doesn't mean you should butt in front of him!" Ah, my son. The righter of all wrongs and injustices in the kid world.

Now that the weather is finally starting to look better we plan on taking the boys to play a little tennis this weekend (Trevin's dad is out of town for a few weeks so we actually get him a couple full weekends!) My sister will be in town and we'll be getting together with more family as my father just had another birthday. I'm pretty excited for a normal familyish weekend.
Next week will be my last week working and Joe is FINALLY getting some responses from all the resumes he has been sending out. So the sunny outcast may be spreading into regular life as well.

One of "THOSE" nights...

2009-04-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend a lovely little baby shower last night (Hi Linds!) wherein I saw so many cute baby girl things that it almost, maybe, a little, kind of made me think that having a girl would be fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the time out of the house and surrounded by other ladies who had no problem sharing in my utter detestment of my own body and my whiny attitude about this rapidly growing fetus that continues to kick the crap out of me. I very much enjoyed the conversations and the companionship.

When I got home though...

Above Average Joe waited until I got up the stairs but as soon as he had eye contact he looked at me and said "Do you know what *YOUR* son did?"

Ah, *MY* son. I know that this means that it was good. You never give up your part of parentalship unless it's really worthy so I sat down next to him and asked him what had happened. BUT, first I did clarify "is it a horror that I will be appauled by or will I weep with hilarity because it didn't happen to me?"
"A little of both, I think," responded my hubby.
And I braced myself.

Just so you have the scene in your mind. "The Son" was played by Garrin tonight. Trevin has had plenty of staring roles but tonight it was the little one. Above Average Joe had put Garrin to bed in his pack n' play, where he has slept since he was born. Garrin has ALWAYS been a great sleeper (I know what a blessing it is). Trevin and Above Average Joe were playing the Wii when all of this went down. *curtain up*
...as narrated by *The Father*
"*YOUR SON* had been put down for bed and about a half an hour later there were some noises coming from the room. Then I heard him squeeling like he was in distress so I went into the room just in time to see our little boy who had somehow figured out how to climb the side of his current bed and had himself high centered on the bar. As I entered the room Garrin made the final fall to the ground and squealed with delight."

Being the responsible parent that Joe is he picked him up and put him back in the pack n' play and didn't even make it to the door before Garrin had made it out again and actually ran past him to go into the front room where all the playing was happening. This is the point where Joe tells me that he laughed until he cried.

Apparently, Above Average Joe did succeed in getting Garrin back to sleep relatively soon thereafter and into his pack n' play. Having heard this story the parents of *THE BOY* decided that the next morning we would have to retire the pack n' play and actually start the transition to the bed. I went to bed and Above Average Joe stayed up and "geeked out" (read: played xbox360) for a few hours. I woke at about 3:30 this morning hearing the music to Curious George in my room and turned to see Garrin in his dads arms who had obviously been trying to soothe the little one back to sleep....again. I took over from there. I went into the boys room where Trevin was sound asleep on the bed (we have bunk beds) and I laid Garrin down next to him hoping that he'd just fall asleep next to his brother...not so much. An hour and a half later after being locked in the boys room waiting for Garrin to be tired enough to just fall asleep SOMEWHERE I was able to go back to bed...for an hour.

It's true folks. I witnessed it myself. The pack n' play is now useless because our little acrobat can so swiftly and gracefully get himself out of it that there is no reason for it to be there anymore. This morning we packed it up (until the next little one comes) and Garrin is currently napping on the bottom bunk. I am poised for a very long next few days/nights with this new situation. Feel free to chime in with any words of wisdom because I haven't had to deal with this in SO MANY YEARS that I'm not even sure I should be trusted with such a job. Hopefully, once Garrin gets the idea that the bed is now his he will return ever so angelically to his peaceful sleep routine of simply giving kisses and laying down with his blanket and binki to fall asleep all on his own...at least, that's what *MY* son would do.

I should be studied...

2009-04-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Not that I am egotistical enough to believe that I am a phenomenom of some sort but somewhere in the Abnormal Psych classes I am hoping that my dreams are evaluated so that everyone else can feel completely sane. I know that with pregnancy and all the fun hormones that scorch through our veins it is somewhat typical for your already fragile psyche to take some hits, but dood. I need a night of actual rest and without panic attack.

I just find it so odd because I am pretty level headed. I've never had panic attacks in real life and am pretty cool under pressure (which is why nursing fits in so well with me). But when I sleep now (which is in shifts at night thanks to all the joint pain that happens from this kid getting bigger) I have the most uncanny dreams. I have dreamt that Joe named this baby without any consent from me (because I was DRUGGED) a name that I would NEVER approve. I have dreamed that I had the baby in an ambulance...by my mother...? Last night I had the falling dream but I had the baby in my arms so it was SO TERRIFYING. Seriously, it's just crazy. I can totally handle the sleep depervation that comes with a newborn. There is a sense of calm that resides in me during those first few months because I know it will end and we're just getting used to each other. The kid cries, we change it, feed it, cuddle it...move on. The annoyance at my own body these days is getting really old. I want to be comfortable in my own skin. I want to not be kicked from the inside in ways that stops me dead in my tracks. I want to sleep on whichever side I deem worthy!!! I want my hands to not go numb when I'm not even sleeping on them...and really, I just detest that I have to waddle these days. I know this will all be over soon and I look forward to that but if you can't complain to the internet then who can we trust these days?

In my wallowing of self pity there has been many joyous events here that shouldn't be overlooked. Garrin's vocabulary is increasing by the day and it's just so darn adorable. Trevin's new constant phrase is "yes, mom" which just warms my heart everytime I hear it. He still tunes me out occasionally, but most the time it's a "yes, mom". Not sure why or when he picked it up, but I'm hoping it stays. Above Average Joe is still jobless and it's honestly looking pretty bleak but we are hopeful. Now if we could just get this stupid snow to stop falling so we can go back outside and play catch with the boys...that would be great. We have started a new thing in the evenings though that really makes all of us happy. We turn off the tv we turn on a fun cd and we dance as a family. It is so fun. Garrin moves to the music, Trevin has let me teach him the waltz and occasionally the boys will even let me and Joe dance together...It's a great thing, I suggest you all try it.

Yeah, see how all over that post was? THAT'S why I should be studied...if only for the humor of those around.

I hate it when people don't update...

2009-03-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am a slacker, and mostly, it's for your benefit. You really don't want to hear my generally onery outlook right now. In a nutshell, that whole "when it rains, it pours" saying keeps flashing in my head. Nothing so diabolical that you need to worry, just enough to keep me in a pretty pissy mood most the time. Which is so not like me and I don't want to "capture" it and remember it. So here is a nice way for me to update without all the blech. Since I didn't have a blog this time last year I figured I'd just time warp and show you what was up then. I had a momentary ideal that I could make cute photo's of all the holiday stuff happenings and had a decent little photo shoot with Garrin for St. Patty's Day...these are still some of my fav pictures of the little guy. He was about 7 months old.

I'm here...

2009-03-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

I promise, I've been around I've just been scuttling around much more than I normally do so I don't have as much time to keep ya'll entertained. I lived through my first week of "work" which was taking over another woman's schedule while she was on vacation and it was hard. It was hard on me and my family. I appreciate the unwavering support I have recieved though as I journey back into the working world for heaven knows how long.
This week I am working my own schedule with my own patients which helps a lot and actually gives me a couple days off. I am working M/W/F mornings. I have really enjoyed working in my field and it helps me remember why I started out this track of trying to secure a nursing degree and work all these hours for what most people may think is too little money and too much time. But I love it. I like that I have the knowledge and power to help these people who may feel completely powerless at times. Now, being 30 weeks pregnant I know that my doctor will be coming down on me hard and soon about some of my duties but I will keep it up as long as I can physically muster. I do have to be a little careful and mindful of my little one though because of the complications I had with Garrin I am at risk for a few things that must always be in the back of my mind.
The housework, meals and family time have suffered a bit this past week but with my current schedule I feel that I can mostly keep up. Joe is in the last week of his employment and we have no job offers in sight so me working right now is a little security until whatever is supposed to happen will happen. We both feel secure and are not in a panic for any reason....at least for now. The next few weeks should be interesting to see where our life will lead us and our family.

Feelin' It

2009-02-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

Last night Above Average Joe had his hand on my belly and he looks over at me and says, "Stop contracting your tummy."

"Yeah, dude, that's not me...that's the baby moving."

Now, above average Joe did not know this because NOT ONCE did he feel Garrin move. I kid you not that EVERYTIME I had him touch my belly it somehow calmed Garrin to instant sleep. Which was kind of a nice perk for me...but Above Average Joe did miss out. So at least NOW he has had the experience of feeling the baby move in my belly. Of course, because of this Above Average Joe tells me that it must be a girl because he has no control of her already...

Blue & Gold

2009-02-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

We had the annual scouting dinner/awards last night. Above average Joe is some kind of "master something" in the scouts so he had to actually plan AND participate in this one. Made me all kinds of happy to see him go through the same things I do whenever and Enrichment activity is upon me. Anyway, it was a nice little event. Trevin didn't get any awards this night but he helped with the flag ceremony, which I always love seeing.

This is Trevin and his friend Jamal who decorated our table cake in an American theme.

This is the finished project of the cake.

This is Trevin in the flag cermony.

Just in case anyone has not seen the new hair...here it is. Ignore the fat face inside the cute hair.

Questioning my sanity...

2009-02-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

You know, at 28 weeks pregnant, this may not be the BEST time for me to start work. This came to me this morning when I was in training and had to excuse myself from a patients room to get some fresh (cold) air or pass out. It's not that I'm not capable but I haven't exactly been working up to it.
I am SO greatful for the opportunity to work and this job just landed so squarely in my lap that it felt like I really needed to use it while I can. I don't have to work again until Saturday and honestly working 3-4 hours each morning for a week shouldn't kill me but I do have self doubt now. Let's hope my ambition and determination override whatever shanangins this little one may have about mommy actually being in the work force for a few weeks before making it's grand enterence.
So, to all of you lovely friends out there in cyberworld say a little prayer that I can be okey dokey through this and that above average Joe's job situation comes to us in a nicely tied package so that I don't have to think of increasing hours...
...if only the world worked like that huh?

notes from the heart

2009-02-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was spent down at above average Joe's parents place. We had a family member leaving on a mission and so we went down there to see the mass gathering...and I mean mass.

Since it happened to coincide with the actual Valentines Day on the calendar my sweet 9 year old presented me with this little note:

(to mom from boo-boo ((Garrin)) and trevin. Dear mom I'm sorry I didn't get you something for valentines but me and boo boo love you. your sons trevin and boo boo)

It was more than I could have ever asked for.

Valentines Day 2009

2009-02-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

When you have boys it makes Valentines Day a little trickier. When you have girls all you need is a shoe box, some red paper, heart stickers, maybe some glitter and walla! a perfect little mailbox. These things do not exist in my world. We have to be more creative. I remember as a kid all of us doing really cool things for our Valentine Boxes so I love that Trevin will have some of these memories as well.

We were originally going to do this with aluminum foil and flame stickers but when we couldn't find the right stickers we found this fabric. I think it turned out really well and Trevin is really proud of his box. I'm hoping he gets lots of attention for it!

Another one bites the dust...

2009-02-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Above Average Joe is the latest victim of the economy. His boss has informed him that they can only assure him a job through the end of the month. It wasn't a huge shock to the man who stares at the books all day and they did give him about a months heads up so we can't complain too much. His boss has offered all of his services possible to make sure that we are as taken care of, which is sweet as well.
With above average Joe's degree, experience and work ethic I don't worry about him finding another job it's just the timing that sucks the most. Nothing like entering your 3rd trimester of pregnancy with no medical insurance. So the hubbs is brushing up his resume, has contacted his head hunter and even got a spiffy new haircut to impress all the interviewers!
The are jobs in his field but I figured I'd also float it out there in case anyone knows of any assistant/controller jobs around to let us know. Worse case scenario above average Joe will temp at tax firms (it's the time of the year to be an accountant)!

GUESS WHAT!!!!

2009-02-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHH. I am officially a CNA, people! And, as you can see from the list above I have SO much to look forward to in this career.... Mind you, I doubt anyone is looking to hire a complete impregnanted woman who can't lift, bend or walk much these days but still...IT'S MINE!

FIRE!

2009-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

So if you ever wondered what happens at Joe's work when they get bored...this is it. check out the CarbonX liveburn!

http://www.youtube.com/user/chapmaninnovations

(Just so everyone is aware Joe is the controller for a company that makes fireproof material, so that's why you're seeing what you are seeing in the video)

Jinkies!

2009-01-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

It has happened...I have been pushed off the pedastool of the smartest woman Trevin knows. This morning when I could not calculate in my head, to the thousands degree the exact time that Trevin would make it home after school I was informed that I was obviously, not as smart as Velma. At least I can still kick the little boy's butt in Scrabble...

Details

2009-01-20T11:01:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm mean. At least, that's what my mom told me by waiting this long to tell people that I am expecting. The goal was to wait to tell family first around the holidays. We wanted to surprise above average Joe's parents with the news because it's a really big deal for them. This will be their 50th grandchild. It is also due right around my mother-in-law's birthday. So, in any case of c-section I will actually plan to have it on the 15th (her birthday) for her present.

My official due date is May 20th. I have never made it past 38 weeks though so I'm actually expecting it more early May. According to my previous births children will not make it in my womb after they have reached the 6 lb mark. We'll see if this one follows suit.

We have had our ultra sound and everything look fabulous. We did not find out the sex and this time you can't be mad at me about it. I gave all decision power on this one to above average Joe and he said he wanted to be surprised again. So all hate mail can go directly to him.

I'm feeling just fine. This pregnancy does not feel any different than my previous two. I am currently 23 weeks and have popped in a big way and can now wear maternity clothes proudly. Feel free to place bets now. Most people are sprinkling me with "girly" dust but in all honesty, either way I am fine.

We are still debating all kinds of names on either side of the gender scale. I like unique names, obviously so if you have any great ideas feel free to float them this way.

With this happy news we are also preparing our little home for departure soon. This wonderful 2 bedroom treasure will not quite fit our needs come summer time. We are still in the cleaning/packing/staging time but hope to have it up for sale next week sometime.

So there you go, I think everyone is up to date on all our current news!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T10:37:00.001-08:00

Transition Time

2009-01-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

It is time in this household to make a bold move. Garrin has officially been moved into Trevin's room. Garrin has spent the last 17 months in "our room" (we have a really big bathroom/closet that his bed has been in) and now it is time that his noises wake up his brother and not me. Garrin has always been a good sleeper it was just a matter of getting things organized enough to house a 9 year old and a toddler in the same room. As I mentioned in a previous post, above average Joe has built shelves so I can now place things of value too high for Garrin to destroy. His pack n' play (we never got a crib) is now positioned right next to Trevin's bed so that when he wakes up in the night he can climb out and land on his brother's face. I'm really looking forward to the next couple nights.

So far he has gone down for his nap with only minor resistance. Let us hope that this will be an easy transition for all!

***UPDATE*** Both boys slept marvelously through the night and at 7am Trevin came in carrying Garrin this morning. So Cute.

Spilled Milk

2009-01-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

You know, it started out fine. I was the first one out of bed (not surprising) and got everyone fed, cleaned and dressed on time for departures. This happens about once a week because I like to do my grocery shopping early in the morning when I am one of about 3 people in the store. Just makes it much lest hectic. I even bought some new storage devices because above average Joe has built shelves in the boys room so I can now organize it so, so well. When I got home it's always a bit of a juggle to get all the groceries and kid upstairs but I normally conqure the task with little aggitation. This morning that aggitation multiplied to the point that I now have to have Garrin's memory wiped because he heard several curse words come out of his mommy's mouth (and that never happens!...I always wait until they are out of earshot).

I had Garrin, the last bag and 2 gallons of milk in my hands and had to close the back of the jeep. I couldn't get it done without dropping one of the gallons of milk on the ground causing it to explode. (enter explatives here) For some reason this little mishap is still gnawing at me. I have gone and "washed" out the garage and gotten everything put away and still have this list of tasks to complete but I feel completely defeated all due to spilled milk. I may cry.

Feel free to tell me about how you cried over spilled milk to make me feel better...

Yes, I know...

2009-01-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm lame because I have no posts of our Christmas extravaganza. Well, let me tell you why. Both Joe and my (and Trevin's dads) families ALL LIVE CLOSE BY. So you know what that means for Christmas? TRAVEL. Now, I am a fan of traveling, always have been. But when it's 20 mintues here, hour and half there, 40 minutes after that...it tends to create long and dearly depressing days spent in cars hauling all the new schwack that MUST BE TAKEN EVERYWHERE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE!

Not sure why I was feeling so scroogy this particular year but I didn't even really break out the camera and take pictures. Before you all pass out and cry your hearts out for my missed scrapbook opportunities know this...I don't scrapbook. AND I did use my brain enough to get my video camera out and use that a bit so there is SOME documentation that we celebrated Christmas about 4 times on Christmas. No kidding. We started at my mom's and when Trevin was dropped off (from his first present opening ceremony) we all dug in there. Then we had breakfast and went home to our christmas opening. Then we got all packed up and went to above average Joe's parents. We even contemplated going to my grandparents house as well but I could not take another car ride that day.

All in all it was a great Christmas and all of us were spoiled above and beyond. There are some pictures on my sisters blog of us at my moms (babes blog) but otherwise I don't really have any pictures and I'm sure I'll look back on that and regret it eventually. I have also stripped the house down of all Christmas decor as well. I just couldn't wait to get my house back to the working order that I know. Call me crazy.

New Years was VERY uneventful here. Trevin goes with his dad who lets him stay up all night long. I have a toddler in the house and know that he'll be up at 7am regardless of how late I go to bed so there is no reason for me not to get some sleep and turn into Dragon Lady to jump start the new year. Above Average Joe and I did manage to stay awake a whole hour later than we did last year though. We made to 11.30 pm. rock on.

I will be posting more now that I have this guilt ridden post off my chest.

Dr.? Dr. Who?

2008-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

So I had to take this chance to be all braggy about my family. Well, not my WHOLE family but one in particular that has made a bit of a name for himself. My eldest brother Justin (pictured in the top center) has just gotten the green light to officially add the title of "Doctor" to his name. I swell with pride even though he won't hear me utter that title to him unless it is in some sort of sarcastic manner. Now, with this title he is not able to help the sick. That task will still be designated to myself or my sister with our nursing degrees. HOWEVER, if you need a bridge built or a structure tested to make sure the foundation will hold strong when a 5.8 earthquake hits...he's your man. My brother, the civil engineer with his shiney new Phd will now be moving his family to Auburn University to teach others with his doctery skills. Good job, bro. Much love.

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

Every year my above average Joe tries to convince me that we should buy a fake tree. Every year he gets rebuffed. I remember as a kid always going to pick out and cut down our tree as a family and I plan on keeping that tradition alive for my kids. Yes, I know it's more work for my poor pack mule to haul the tree home, up the stairs and into the perfect standing position to please me but the smell that fills the house is SO worth it. As a youngster I remember watching my parents debate over the merits of certain trees. My mom always like the tall lean trees and my dad believed the fatter the better. I have joined both my parents likes and really enjoy tall fat trees. The pickins were a bit more slim this year than in years past so this year we have a bit shorter but fatter tree. My dad will be so proud.
This is was we started with. I put on the lights all by myself because it's easier that way. I have both white and color lights for the tree. Then the decoration crew came in to help out.
Now I know that as a mother I will not be able to decorate my tree to my perfect taste until I send them all off to college so I am just happy that they will have these memories of making their Christmas tree all pretty.

I have the simple ornaments that are very child friendly and I have some cute memorable ones as well. I also have the glass/plastic ornaments as well and had deep, resonating fear that Garrin would break all of them as soon as he could get his hands on them. Garrin has broken one of those ornaments but it was purely by accident so I'm not as worried anymore.

Garrin was really good about actually putting the ornaments on the tree. Of course, he couldn't quite master hanging them so they more just "set" on the limbs. And he prefers the "bundled" look of the ornaments so there are about 10 just sitting in this one little spot of my tree, but I think it adds some character. Everyday I take a few out and hang them again and every day he gets them off and lays them back where they belong. There are always a few stray ornaments on the table or on the floor but I'm not nearly as worked up about it as I thought I might be. In the end the boys did a great job and now they are just so excited to see some presents under there! Merry Christmas, everyone.

OBX 2008

2008-12-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

Since a picture is worth a thousand words I will simply leave these many pictures to show you how much fun we all had on our vacation. I loved seeing my family and spending time with new friends doing things that we rarely get to do. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday as well.

ps. each poster may only use one crack about me in a wet suit!

These pictures are of us in Blacksburg VA where we spent a few days with my bro and his clan before returning home to UT.

The Secret

2008-11-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

Alright, ladies. I'm gonna tell you the big secret. If you really don't care about who wins the "Holy War" such as myself here's what you do...YOU PLAN A VACATION FOR THANKSGIVING! I did it and all the poor men in my family must now suffer through the indignation of missing this life changing event for time spent on the beach. I know, I'm a cruel heartless woman that obviously does not think of others needs but ya know what? We're gonna have so much fun I don't care what kind of numbers are up on a score board. I'm more interested in how many waves my son, hubby and I can catch on our body boards!

We will be flying out tomorrow to the fabulous east coast (Outer Banks for anyone who wants to know) and will be staying there for almost two weeks. Plan to hear little to nothing from me while there and then be bombarded by pictures and stories of our awsome adventures when we return...

Enjoy the game while I will be enjoying this...

Clincally speaking

2008-11-11T12:45:00.001-08:00

Alright, I have made it through 3 shifts of clinicals, a skills day and a week of 10 hour days listening to lectures. I am now qualified to take some tests. My classroom final must be done soon so that I can send in paperwork (and money) to the state that tells the powers to be that I want to take MORE TESTS!

It seems a never ending process...but I will prevail!

March of the Penguins

2008-11-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

I am a bit late with the Halloween pictures, I know. Give a poor woman a break. I saw a penguin costum earlier this year and knew that Garrin would be adorable in it. When I mentioned the idea to Trevin he wanted to be one too (since it is his fav animal). Instead of spending the 40-50 bucks it would cost to buy both the costums I decided to dig deep down inside and channel my mothers talent and make them myself. This would have been easier if I would have finished them when I had orginally planned and not had to finish them amognst my hell week (last week). But they turned out and I think, rather cutely. I wish I got Garrin on tape because the kid actually waddled perfectly for a penguin.

I was going to make Joe a sweatshirt that said "Director" on the back and a camera that said "March of the Penguins" but since I barely made it home most nights to see the boys before it was bedtime we just went with the cuteness we had.
This was the crew that went trick-or-treating up at my parents neighborhood (where full candy bars can be scored!) My niece Jessi, Garrin, Trevin and Hunter. My dad is the bestest grandpa ever.

Almost done...

2008-11-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

I would like to take this time to thank all my friends and family who helped me (and my crew) make it through last week. For those who do not know what I was up to I signed up for a course to get my CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). I did this because it allows me to actually get one step closer to an RN (registered nurse) degree and also allows me to work if I want or need. I just felt like having it couldn't hurt in these times...

The class was all week and 10 hours each day. Including an hour commute. It made for a long week but I MUST thank all of you who helped out in watching the boys for me. Thank you to Jessica, Julianne, Brock & Kim (even though we pulled out on ya!), Marilee, my mom, my dad and ESPECIALLY my above average Joe for reworking his schedule to make it as easy as possible for me to accomplish this. I am SO lucky to have such a supportive husband! (Secretly, he just wants me to get done so he can stay home and I can make the money...but still)

I now have 2 more days of clinicals to finish and then a few tests and I'll be all officialized. I am hoping to be done before we leave on our Thanksgiving vacation to the east coast.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU all again for your help, your prayers and your thoughts. I know that I would not have made it without you all.

9 Years In The Making...

2008-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Trevin is now in his last year of single digit manhood. This accomplishment was celebrated by friends and family on Sunday October the 19th. Because his birthday fell on a Sunday this year and because last year his birthday party nearly caused a chapter 11 filing of our bank book it was decided that a family party would be the course this year. For those thinking that I am a cruel and heartless woman...you are correct. Just don't forget to add cheap to the list. Trevin's items received are as follows:

~ Battleship (the boardgame)

~ Sleeping Beauty (dvd) (Trevin loves this movie but does think that they should have known each other a bit longer before they kissed...)

~ Iron Man (dvd)

~ Gameboy games of Clue, Battleship, and Risk

~ Build Your Own Lightsaber kit! This was the hit. Trevin already has about 6 light sabers but this one he can create and engineer. He has been playing with it all morning. I even had to kick Joe off to work to stop playing with it.

Because we are the cold cruel family that did a rather low key party we also agreed to fork out some of his inheritence and buy him a rather expensive birthday present. We will be picking up his new Nintendo DS Lite in Cobalt blue with matching carrying case and new game of his choice tonight. Seriously, next time you see Trevin, walk up to him and ask "who's spoiled?" and he will proudly answer "i am."

I generally stress much over birthday cakes because it is the one time of year that I really try to do whatever they ask. Over the course of the last nine years I have made Trevin a caterpillar, a monster, a pumpkin, Hulk, SharkTales, Spiderman, Scooby-Doo, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake. And if I do say so myself, they rocked. One day I will post all the pictures. This year he did not ask for a specific cake. Since we were going to my mom's he asked, instead for her to make him "moon pies". These are pretty much, homemade oreo cakesters. And he wanted his Brownies on the Moon ice cream. So that's what he got. All in all a very calm birthday.

This is the youngest picture of I have of Trevin on the computer...I think he is 3. Happy Birthday my big boy.

...Because I am mom

2008-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

...to a third grader in a public school there MUST be fundraisers. This weeks one is for Lehi Roller Mills mixes. So if anyone is interested at all in these cute little bags full of bread, muffin, brownie, pancakes PLEASE let me know and Trevin & I will be more than willing to come to your house and guilt you into buying more than you need. (They are great little Christmas gifts and run $6-8 dollars each)

Shanks, folks.

My Above Average Joe

2008-10-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you meet? We met at work. We worked at a software company together. I was in marketing and he was in accounting. He was in charge of all my international accounts so we had to communicate daily. Took me about 3 weeks of shamelessly flirting before he realized he *might* want to ask me out.

2. How long did you date before you got married? Almost 2 years. We started dating in July of 2003 and married in April of 2005.

3. How long have you been married? 3.5 years. We totally celebrated that we made it past MY last standing record of marriage (which was 3 years) and now we have to beat Joe's old record (which is 5 years).

4. What does he do that surprises you? Joe is a pretty laid back guy so there aren't a lot of surprises but I do think it's adorable that he genuinly LOVES being a dad and is always so wrapped up in it. Sometimes, he listens to me too. That can be surprising.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? You know, he's just a hottie. How can you not love that big build with dark curly hair? makes my heart all a'fluttery.

6. What is your favorite quality of his? Joe would do anything for his family.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Occasionally...he has called me kitten but otherwise, just the standards.

8. What is his favorite color? not sure...blue maybe?

9. What is his favorite food? Well, as my post before explains he has a pretty intense palate. You're always safe with dishes he learned from the resturant (Ottavios, the REAL one in Provo, NOT! the one they tried in AF). Any high scale meal will satisfy him. Course, there are times he craves his moms tater-tot casserole as well. He runs the gammit.

10. What is his favorite sport? Volleyball. And the boy ain't bad at it. He used to compete.

11. When/Where was the first kiss? crap. Seriously, Joe is better at remembering this stuff. It took him a while to kiss me. I think we had been dating almost a month when he finally planted me one. I'm pretty sure it was the parking lot of our employer. Wait, no at my house...crap. Well, it was on July 31st, I know that much!

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love going places (traveling) together. I love experiencing new things with him. We're also pretty happy just doing the movie/dinner gig...if we ever get to do that again.

13. Do you have children? Yes. Trevin is from my first marriage but Joe has never once treated him as anything but his own. Our little one, Garrin is 14 months old and Joe is anxious for more.

14. Does he have a hidden talent? hmmmm. He cooks, but that's not hidden. He plays volleyball well, but that's not hidden either. OH! (he's gonna be mad at me for this one). Joe has a great singing voice.

15. How old is he? *giggle* he just turned 38. There is an 8 year age difference between us.

16. Who said "I love you" first? I did. New Years Day of 2004. I was planning on doing it right at midnight but we had gone to a party that was miserable and had really killed ANY type of good feeling so after we left and it I just started crying and told him how I wanted it to be romantic and special. I can't remember if he said it right back to me.

17. What is his favorite type of music? I don't know that he has a favorite "type". He likes a lot of genres. His favorite band is BareNaked Ladies, though.

18. What do I admire about him? How easily he handles me. How tender he is with me (even though everyone thinks he's scary). His devotion to his family.

19. Will he read this? Probably. He likes to correct me when he comes home from work.

Food Snobs

2008-10-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Let me explain to you what it's like to live in a world of food snobs...

Neither above average Joe or I were raised in this way. There were other kids (in Joe's fam LOTS of other kids) to feed so casseroles abound. The luxuries we had were Sunday dinners and the occasional outing for special occasions. It was not until later in life that I discovered the real joy of food. My first experience with really good food was with my first love Chris who has gone on in his life to become an AMAZING chef. He is currently in Spain training under some top chefs at an internationally acclaimed restaurant. Now, I should also tell you that above average Joe is fabulous in the kitchen. (Ask anyone he has cooked for) He has the touch, he has the taste. It is something he has picked up in his older years. I, myself, cannot cook. I can fake it enough to feed my family, but that's it. Luckily, I bake pretty well. Which means above average Joe can cook a sensational meal then I'll come in with a warm your heart dessert.

Because above average Joe has taken to being a food snob or "foodie" as known in the industry there are things that happen in my house that do not happen in normal homes. Let me explain. This big foodie is now teaching his palatable ways to Trevin. Trevin is a good eater, most the time. I do feed him contrary to what he may look like. But he has developed his own tastes to certain things. For example, when we have Italian nights and there are noodles around you CANNOT open the fridge and find the Kraft grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle that onto my son's food. OH NO, he must have fresh Parmesan (that thankfully, Costco sells) and it MUST be at least 9 months aged. I kid you not. I have tried to fool the kid and he has called me on it. He can tell the difference in cheese. Thank you, Joseph.

Also, if we happen to be eating at your house and you serve mashed potatoes please have above average Joe come early to handle them. Because if garlic, cream and "good" mozzarella cheese are not used my son's potatoes will remain on his plate all night and you will hear of how "Joe's are WAY better". I think Joe basks in that one a bit.

Don't get me wrong. Trevin will eat bologna sandwiches and Ramen noodles as well he just has learned these few things and it's starting to expand.

Such was the case yesterday. I was making a simple pb&j sandwich for myself when Trevin asked for a sandwich himself. I asked him what kind and when he FINALLY decided it was on peanut butter and honey. Now to understand the depth of this particular story you must be aware that we have a beekeeper in the family. That's right. So we get the perks of fresh honey that is usually free and has come from a variety of places. Did you know that it depends on what the bee's are pollinating as to the flavor of the honey? Well, it's true and there are MANY flavors. Because of this we have a "few" different honey's in the house and this trickle down effect has affected them in my foodie world. I had the peanut butter on the bread and grabbed one of our honey bears only to be informed that that was "alph-alpha honey" and was not suitable for my son's gentle palate. He didn't want orange because it's too bitter and wasn't in the mood for sage (either from Delta OR California) either. He must have the Clover honey. Are you serious? So I found our clover honey and made him a sandwich. Afterwards I went to find my above average Joe and slap him silly.

Little Joe's Wrangler

2008-10-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to spend conference weekend down in Delta with above average Joe's parents. They have a beautiful big house to tempt all of their children to come down and visit. Especially those with little grandchildren.

Joe has often told me the story about when he was little his dad would sing him a song called "Little Joe Wrangler". I had never heard of this song before. While were down on this visit the few kids that were there decided to go out in search of the old records of their youth. They were told they were in the garage which means "good luck on finding them" but they did. I got to see the record collection that raised my hubby. In this treasure trove was also discovered a copy of the song "Little Joe Wrangler". Apparently it has about 16 versus and Joe's dad can still remember most of them! The story of the song is that a young cowboy is torn from his home to go to war, I think, and is "lost". The thing about this childhood story that I LOVE is that Joe's dad would have his little boy on his lap and sing to him and at the end of the song my little Joe would look up at his dad with tears in his eyes and say "Did he die, dad, did he die?" The WHOLE family knows this story of my above average Joe because everytime his dad would sing it Joe would have the same reaction. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Joe is quite the softy.

So, on this trip we got to hear the song that is legend in the Western family. I was distratced from the song only to run for my camera because my sister-in-law found it suitable to make Joe's little boy a wrangler himself.

Grand Ol' Flag

2008-10-09T08:50:00.001-07:00

Trevin is going to turn 9 in 10 days. Last Tuesday he had the opportunity to present the flag in his cub scout meeting. This was a great thing to me because he'd never done it before and I had my camera handy! He asked so many questions about how to do it to his leaders because he wanted to do it right. He is a very detail oriented boy with things like this. That night he was awareded his Wolf. I have no pictures of that presentation because Joe is the one presenting the awards to the boys and they always have the scouts mom's up with them as they are awarded. I even get my own little pin. (They know who is home making sure these boys get these things done.) I was very proud of my little man. He did a great job and has really loved being in scouts for the last year.

All that is Super Saturday

2008-09-26T12:16:00.001-07:00

Alright, Juli has geniously set up a blog for all the crafts you can make on Oct. 18th under our direct care. There are pictures of all the things along with pricing. Feel free to ask questions galore and/or "quasi" sign up. We cannot guarantee product until payment has been made and that payment needs to be made out to Jeneece Westerns Family Vacation Fund...j/k. But make checks payable to me so I can pay down the credit card before my accountant husband has a coronary...
Thanks Ladies! It should be a blast. Please link this to anyone you know in the ward!
Jeneece & Juli

http://www.enrichmentpfun.blogspot.com/