Singin' in the rain!

So finally a day when everyone was feeling well enough to go out and get some serious playing done and what happens. Yep. Rain. Pouring Rain. But we decided not to let that ruin our fun. When life hands you lemons... make lemonade! Right! So we went out and danced and sang in the rain. Gene Kelly would be so proud!

David didn't want to come out at first (he had to head back to school just a few minutes later), but we (actually Gracie) finally convinced (begged) him to join in the fun.

Gracie looking all shiny and wet and so happy!

Sammy wasn't sure about it, and really wanted me to hold him while we played.

Gracie splashing in the puddles!

Sammy and Mommy getting absolutely drenched!

All done!We relinquished the umbrella to David so he could use it at school and since Sammy was all done anyway, we went inside and made warm cocoa (not quite cold enough for hot although Sammy was shivering) and chocolate no bake cookies... any guesses what this pregnant lady is craving? We had a very fun morning!

I'm 22 and a half!!!!

Yep. I am 22 and a half. Weeks that is. So here is the first belly pic I am posting. I have to say, I do feel like I have grown a lot faster with this baby than with my previous two (not just my belly either... oh well). I have been wanting to put up a picture of my expanding middle for a couple of weeks now, but haven't done much in the getting ready department for awhile now (and therefor wouldn't let David come near me with the camera). I did feel well enough to go to church today (YAY!). I am so excited to be feeling better, but I guess that was why it was such a shock to me when I threw up this morning. The first time this pregnancy in fact! I have done a LOT of dry-heaving, but it is usually when my stomach is empty and there is nothing to throw up. So I was pretty surprised to see my breakfast again this morning. But overall things are good. Baby is kicking all day and all night (did I mention ALL night)! What a good baby! We had our ultrasound, but we did NOT find out what our little angel is going to be. David swears he saw a "lack of boy parts", but the ultrasound tech also swears that she didn't even look with the little wand/stick thingy at that area. So for those of you who can't wait to find out, David thinks it is a girl. As for me, I am not so sure, and I am so excited to be surprised!

Getting better all the time!!!

Yes! The antibiotic is working! Hooray! Each morning when I wake up since I have started it, I feel a little better. I was actually able to get up and bathe and dress my kids today and do Gracie's hair. David has been taking really good care of me. He took yesterday off from school even though he has a big test on Friday and another one on Monday. Our-doctor/his-teacher gave him a little bit of a hard time for this, but I know that Heavely Father will bless him for sacrificing for his family! I just want to thank all of my family and friends for the prayers they have told me were offered on my behalf and to thank Jolyne for the dinner (even though she probably needed dinner brought to her just as much having just had a baby!). Honestly, once the sinus infection settled in my teeth the only thing in my house that I have been able to eat is the spaghetti that she brought over. Everything else is too hard to chew!!! The kids have been angels, even Sammy who just had shots. I am still not feeling 100% but I am getting better every day. We may even venture out of the house tomorrow for something other than doctor visits or emergency trips to the grocery store for medicine or diapers! I really and truly am grateful for modern medicine as well as for prayers and the people who answer them!

Sickening!

Can I just say that I am sick of being sick. I don't think I am getting any better!!! I spent the day today, trying to find someone who would give me medicine today, crying because no one would give me medicine today, or crying because I couldn't take care of myself and my kids. I am positive that I have a sinus infection, one that won't go away. I know I need an antibiotic. Who do you call when you are pregnant and sick. Your OB of course. Except that OB's here will not take care of any problem that doesn't pertain to being pregnant. Isn't my face pregnant too? And wouldn't an OB know what is safe to give to someone who is pregnant better than a primary care physician who doesn't handle any obstetrics? So fine. I called my primary care physician. I have never met my PCP. I am rarely sick, and when I am it is even more rare that I need to go to the doctor for it. The last time I went to the doctor for something unrelated to being pregnant or being a girl was 9 years ago during my senior year of high school. Anyway, so I called the doctor that my insurance company randomly selected for me (since that is who is named on my insurance card) and she no longer works at that office and that office is not accepting patients right now. So I called the insurance company, switched PCP's to the doctor that my children and husband go see. Can't get an appointment today. By now I have balled on the phone to anyone who will listen to me (including calling my OB again, who by the way I don't think will be my OB much longer). I have been told to try urgent care (who we found out doesn't accept our insurance) and have pretty much just been shut down at every turn. Did I mention that I don't remember the last time I have felt this sick (including all aspects of pregnancy exluding only labor). I have a fever, I am nauseated, my face is absolutely aching, my head is pounding, and I can feel each tooth in my mouth throbbing individually, and no freaking doctor will help me!!! I have no sense of smell left either, which you know is really not to big a deal except that now Sammy has a sore bottom because I didn't know he was stinky because I couldn't smell it (I never realized how much I rely on that sense). I feel like such a horrible mother. My kids and I just sat around the house today and watched movies and read books. I haven't taken my kids out anywhere fun for days. And still they love me so much. Gracie came up to me while I was crying today and just hugged and hugged and kissed me. She said to me in her sweet voice, "Are you ok mom?" Sammy walks up to me and hugs me for no reason. I was finally able to teach him a few days ago how to kiss without his mouth being wide open. He comes up to me making an "Mmmmmmm" sound and I know he wants to kiss me. I think they can both tell that I am not feeling well. What great kids I have. Anyway, David finally called a Dr. friend of his (incidentally the same PCP that we take our kids to and a teacher at his school). He told him that he knew I was really hurting because I don't ever cry from pain like that (could it be just the pregnancy emotions... I don't actually know) and was trying to see if he knew anyone I could go see. Dr. O. became my own personal angel of mercy. I still have an appointment to go see him tomorrow morning, but he has prescribed me an antibiotic today!!! Just the thought of finally getting some relief brings tears to my eyes again! So anyway, if you have actually read all of this 1. you deserve a gold star, and 2. thanks for letting me rant and complain. I think I just heard David drive up with my medicine. Thanks David for taking such good care of me. I wouldn't make it without you!!!

Bar-B-Q with friends

Sorry I haven't blogged for awhile. I haven't been feeling so hot. Gracie and I both have what Sammy had. I think Sammy is feeling better though so that is a plus. So sorry (Julie) that it has taken me awhile to put these up. I have been thinking about it for awhile now. Anyway, while we were in St. George we had a really fun Barbeque with some friends from college. It was actually kind of funny to see the changes that have happened in our lives since then. We used to stay up and party til dawn (or almost anyway). Not anymore. We now have kids that need to be put to bed and us that needs to be put to bed... We used to go do things on a whim. Not anymore. Now diaper bags need to be packed complete with diapers, wipes, snacks, a change of clothing, sippy cups, toys, and anything else you may need in an emergency... We used to wear cute little outfits that made us feel pretty and skinny. Not anymore. Now we have places that hang and pudge a lot more than they used to (at least I do) I think you get it... But when I look at all of the great blessings that we have received, it hardly feels like we gave anything up. When you see your children playing, when you hear their joyful laughter it really is all worth it. I don't think we got pictures of everyone that was there, but here are some of the pictures we did get.


No children were harmed in taking these pictures... At least I think Tolman sitting on top of Logan and choking him was all in fun... He didn't have finger prints around his neck afterward did he Brittany?

Eden was sitting right there watching it all. You would think that growing up with only brothers she would be used to it, but she looks a little concerned...


My cute friends Julie with her cute little Maddi looking up at something in the tree... Is it a bird? A plane? Superman?

All of the adults (except Reeve, sorry bro, didn't mean for you to get left out, I think you were off fulfilling your responcibilities as a great dad). And sorry girls... I chopped our legs and bums off in this picture. I couldn't face having my big fat thighs on the internet. But anyway, we really did have a fun time. It was really fun to see all of you! I can't wait until next time!!!

Happy Father's Day

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Father's Day David! You really are the best dad a couple of kids could ask for (not to mention a better husband than I am sure I deserve!). Your never ending patience and unconditional love teach me how to be a better parent every day. And you change almost every diaper when you are at home (very important to pregnant mommies). Really honey you are the best. Love you Darlin.

Gracie's latest obsession!

Sammy's latest obsession is shoes and Gracie's is My Little Pony. She LOVES My Little Pony! While we were on vacation my sister brought some toys over for my kids to play with (Thank you Caralee) and among those toys were several My Little Ponies. Gracie would get her cousins to play with her. It was so funny to see Gracie and Tolman and Kimball building "cages" for their ponies out of blocks and then hear them saying things like, "Oh sister! Help me! Mother I can't get out!" Many was the time when ponies caused tears because there just weren't enough to go around (especially after they lost one). So grandma went and bought two more plus one for Gracie to take on the plane. The new ponies had names on their boxes and instead of just being "sister" or "mother" the ponies became "Pinkie-Pie" "Tula-Rula" and "Cheerilee." And those became our names too. Gracie still won't answer half the time unless I call her Pinkie-Pie and she expects me to answer to Tula-Rula. I found the Pinkie-Pie shirt she is wearing at Walmart and it is the best thing since sliced bread. Gracie wore it yesterday and I washed it this morning and let her wear it again today! She will probably want to wear it again tomorrow too. She sleeps with her pony, brings her pony to the dinner table, and half the time wants to walk on all fours like a pony. Tolman and Kimball however don't really want to play with ponies anymore. LeAnn (my sister) said her boys found the ponies at Grandma's house and were really excited to see them, but after holding them for awhile started to lose interest. I guess the fun for them was just in playing together. Well Tolman and Kimball, Pinkie-Pie misses you!

sick, Sick, SICK!!!!!

We woke up to Sammy crying at 5:00 this morning. I went to get him out of his bed and first thing I noticed was how hot he felt. We gave him sume ibuprofin and brought him to our bed so he could cuddle with us. A few minutes later the coughing started. Half an hour after that came the throwing up (I am pretty sure it was just a result of the coughing). About two hours later after a bath and some breakfast the diarhea started. After another bath hopefully things are going to settle down a little bit now. He is pretty grumpy though. He is already throwing temper tantrums because his sister won't share her Cinderella and Polly Pocket dolls with him. Good grief, if feels like a long day already and it is only 8:08 am. Wish me luck!!!

Sammy's latest obsession!

Sammy loves shoes! Any shoes. All shoes. Even girl shoes. These are Gracie's shoes that he is wearing, but he has also worn David's and mine. We were playing with my sister Caralee and her little girl Sydney while we were on vacation. The kids were are playing in the living room and the adults were in the kitchen making lunch or something. All of a sudden Sammy started crying. We went to find out what was going on. He was balling because he couldn't get Sydney's shoe off of her foot. He really wanted her shoes! She wasn't crying at all (and she should have been because he was trying to pull her leg off!). I don't know where he got this shoe fettish. I don't have one and his Dad certainly doesn't, and his sister never did (she can't wait to take her shoes off). But I think it is so cute and funny!!!

Big Lady Bugs

This...



Not this....



Here is another funny thing Gracie has said lately. She actually said this while we were in St. George, and I didn't want to forget it.

Gracie: Grandma where's Grandpa?
Grandma: He's at work. He fixes the big caterpillar equipment.
Gracie: Does he fix the big lady bugs too?

We tried to explain to her that my dad is a mechanic for diesel equipment (specifically Caterpillars), but she didn't really get it.

Zion

We spent a couple of days at Zion Park while we were gone on vacation. It was really beautiful there. We hiked up to weeping rock (I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but there is water falling of the rock) the first day, with the kids. Can I just say it was a disaster. We picked the shortest hike (half mile round trip) because we knew it would be hard for Sammy otherwise, but it really was awful. Sammy wanted to walk on his own, and didn't want to hold anyone's hand. Not possible with cliffs off to the side of the trail. He freaked out if you held him or if you tried to hold his hand. David's parents went with us and can I just say how glad I am that they didn't really want to hike very long!!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! We did find out one interesting fact though. The water that falls from weeping rock is absorbed into the mountain and takes 1200 years to "weep" out at weeping rock.

We saw a couple of deer off the side of the trail. They just sat there enjoying some lunch and weren't bothered a bit by all of the people hiking around.

David surprised me by taking me back to Zion the next day for a "second honey-moon." We went to Zion almost 7 years ago. David got us the "angels landing" room at the Zion Park Inn (the room wasn't as romantic as the name sounds). We ate at the same place that ate at on our honey moon and visited some of the same little shops. Isn't my hunny handsome. I love his dimples!

We didn't get any pictures of the canyon on our second trip up... honestly we didn't spend a whole lot of time outside of our room ;) Thanks sweetheart for being so wonderful. I love you David!

Ha ha ha!

The funniest thing happened this morning. Gracie woke up with her hair really really messy. She looked up at me and was just giggling and said, "Mom, my hair is on backwards!"

Home

Yes, we are finally home. My house seems strange to me, almost unfamiliar, although I still remember where most things are. I have forgotten how to get into my voicemail on our phone however. It seems very quiet here after having been surrounded by family for weeks though. We love living here and have made many friends, but after having been with family so much lately it was almost too hard to leave. I was almost ready to unpack my bags and just decide to stay!!! The trip home was LONG, but not to difficult. Gracie woke up really really crabby Thursday morning. She was flipping out over tiny little things! We got on the plane and she started throwing a tantrum because she couldn't put her tray table down (you know how you have to wait until you are up in the air...). I finally had to put her in time out because she was so out of control (as much as you can put someone in time out when they are already buckled into a seat on an airplane). I hugged her to my side and she fell asleep within about 3 minutes and slept for 3 hours. Sammy was a little more difficult. David had to take care of him most of the time though since Gracie wa asleep with her head on my lap (he he he). They had so much fun in St. George playing with their cousins and seeing their grandparents and aunts and uncles. We want to tell all of our family thank you! Thanks for letting us visit, thanks for not getting mad when we got everyone sick, thanks for all the fun times, thanks for all the food, and thanks for being our family. We sure do appreciate and love you. It is good to be home, but we miss you every day!

Sup?

We have been here for a little over two weeks now and things have been so exciting! First my beautiful sister LeAnn had a bouncing baby boy on May 4th. Why do they call them bouncing baby boys? I was just curious. Anyway, his name is Tait and he is the sweetest little bundle ever! Congratulations Sister!






Here is my baby sister Mary on her wedding day. She is wearing my mother's wedding dress. She looks so beautiful! She and Jake were married for time and all eternity on May 10th in the St. George temple. I am so happy for you Mary Ann. Life just gets better from here.
Here are Gracie and Sydney at the temple. They looked so cute in their matching dresses. Gracie kept trying to hold Sydney's hand and hug her, but Sydney didn't like it very much. Gracie has been so excited to see the temple! She kept asking to go inside. And once she saw the wedding cake she wanted to go even more!!! My sister Caralee told her when she got married she could have a wedding cake. So Gracie decided she wanted to marry her Grandpa and even asked him if he would marry her.




But of course Mary couldn't get married without all of us going to get pedicures first so we would have cute toes for the wedding. We were so sad that LeAnn couldn't come because she was still recovering from having a baby, but we gave her a pedicure at home the next day.
(Don't I look so hugely healthy (fat) in this picture. Oh well...

Anyway, as you can see we have been having lots of fun. This last week things have slowed down a lot. Sammy and I have been sick (thank goodness it came after all of the excitement!) We still have a couple of weeks ahead of us to be here and play with all of our family. So if I don't update for a while you will know it is because I am just having too much fun to turn on the computer!

I thought these two pictures were funny because the kids are about the same age in them (give or take a few months), they both have spaghetti all over them, and neither one of the really seams to care. Tomorrow is the big day! Gracie and Sammy and I are flying to visit our extended family. We are really really excited. I told Gracie today when we got home from church that I needed her Sunday shoes so that I could pack them. She didn't want to give them up. Then I reminded her that we were taking them to Grandma's house and she handed them right over and her socks too! Then she went and got her pillow and blanket and wanted them packed in the suitcase too. No matter how you slice it, no matter how naughty the kids or during the flight tomorrow, no matter how much I want to pull my hair out, or cry at the end of the day, no matter what... who can stay mad at a couple of faces like that.

I also want to take a second to tell David just how much I love him. I love you sweetheart. I will miss you, and my bed will be awfully lonely at night without you to cuddle with. Hurry up and come out to see us!!! We can't wait!

HELP!!!!

I need help! My trip to St. George is looming very close, and while I am so excited to be there and see all of my friends and family, the getting there part is scaring me to death!!! I have never flown on my own with two kids before. The flight is 4 hours with several hours in the airport. I got some great ideas from Emily (thanks Emily!) but I thought I would see if anyone else has any ideas to go along with them. I know that some of you have a lot more experience than I do with the whole traveling alone with kids thing... So any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated! I guess I can be grateful that one of my kids is still safely tucked away in my tummy instead of like the lady pictured below huh? Still I worry I am going to feel like her...

He loves me, he loves me not, he LOVES me!

This is the tree in my front yard. I just want to go out and pick the flowers and play he loves me, he loves me not. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but I really love it. I didn't always love it. Last summer it was just a great big shade tree that made the grass kind of grow patchy underneath it. When fall came the leaves all turned an ugly brown and fell off in one night. During the winter it always had these fuzzy brown buds on it that never fell off. But then this spring it bloomed into the most beautiful tree I have ever seen. I was thinking about that and, you know, it was always the same tree. The only thing that has changed about it is the way I see it. It made me realize that so many times in life, I don't view things they way they really are. I forget when the kids are being naughty or when David is really busy or when the house is messy, how blessed I really am. I have a lot to be grateful for... probably more than my share of blessing actually. I have two great kids with another one on the way. They make everything better and brighter. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and our kids and honors his priesthood. I have the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have great wonderful parents who taught me as a child (and who continue to teach me). I have the beauty that is all around me (including my own front yard) and that is only naming a few! Sometimes when things in life are hard, or when times get busy, or when kids get sick (or when moms get pregnant and feel sick!) I forget to remember my blessings. I am just very thankful for all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with.

My not so private, private life...

So this has been a hard decision for me. I have wavered between going private and staying public for quite a while, and last week I was all geared up and ready to go private. I do have a few reasons for doing this which I have told some of you about, but I also have reasons for staying public. I don't remember where I heard it, but Elder Ballard gave a talk about sharing the gospel through the internet. He even specifically mentioned blogs... I know that my blog doesn't/ hasn't necessarily helped anyone to know that the gospel is true, but he also mentioned putting good things on the internet, and making the internet a tool for good rather than evil. I have stayed public, because I believe that family blogs are a tool for good. They can show the joy that comes from being a parent, raising a family, and living the commandments. So maybe you can see my struggle here... Anyway, like I said, I was all geared up and ready to go private. Then I went on splits with the missionaries last week. We went to see a family that Sister Swain and Sister Cramer are teaching. They are a great family!!! Tom, the father in the family, googled the sister missionaries by name while they were trying to find out more about the church online. And they found my blog. They saw a picture of my family with the sisters. It was just a random entry of an encounter that we had with the sisters, and while I am sure it didn't change this man's life or give him a testimony, still it was something positive out there on the internet about our great missionaries. So, yes, my blog is private for the time being, but I am going to do some housecleaning on it, take off information about where we live, and what our last name is, and then I will be going public again. Thanks for being patient with me and also for reading my ramblings on how I feel about my blog. And thanks for making your blogs such a great tool for good and one of the many positive things about the internet.

Private :(

Yep, I am going private. I really like being public, because I have been "found" by a few of my fellow blogging friends over the last year, and love getting back in touch with friends I may not have seen for a while. But I have been thinking about going private for a while and because of several different things have decided to just break down and do it... :( So please, if you, want to be able to view my blog leave your email address in a comment. Sorry and thanks...

I love you Tolman! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Tolman! I can't believe that you are 5!!!! And I can't wait to come and see you in 18 days!!!!

Can we go to the zoo today?

We went to the Zoo again, in fact Gracie begs me every day to go to the Zoo. We are hoping that it stays sunny enough that we can go again today! Gracie thought it was really fun to watch the polar bear taking a bath! They have this really fun kids zone at the zoo where you can see in the picture above Gracie is watering some plants (yes they are fake). We actually spent like an hour in this one little room and neither Sammy or Gracie wanted to leave it even then! The only way I could get Gracie to come with me was to tell her she could go jump on the chimes.




I totally want one of these in my backyard!!!!

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I wanna see the elephant!

I had a great idea today. Okay, actually I kind of stole the idea from the ward's playgroup (sorry we didn't make it in time to go with you girls!) David got off school early (at 1:00) and even though he really needed to study we decided to kidnap him and take him to the funny farm. Okay actually it was the zoo, but still we had a great time. We bought a zoo pass (I know it is about time!) and took a picnic. Actually it worked out perfectly. We met the missionaries there minutes after we finished eating. It was P-day and they decided to go visit the zoo. We hung around with them almost the whole time we were there. It was so fun (except for the scary ruffed lemurs that yelled at Gracie and me). The zoo isn't open in the winter here, so it just barely opened again and the weather was a balmy 55 degrees and the sun was shining (mostly). I think because the zoo is closed all winter the animals actually might have gotten lonely because I have never been to a zoo where the animals actually came to the front of their cages so much! Gracie kept running from exhibit to exhibit looking for different animals. She kept asking where the elephants were (sadly there were none). I don't know, but I hope the missionaries had fun hanging out with us. I think going to the zoo is so much more fun with children because you get to see everything through their eyes. Like this HUGE daddy Orangutan that walked right up to the glass and pulled his blanket up over his head so only his face was showing. Gracie LOVED him. He kept putting his face against the glass on one side and she was putting hers against the glass on the other side. I don't know how many of you have seen great big daddy Orangutans, but this guy was HUGE. His face had these jowl-like things on it that were... the only word I can think of to describe them is HUGE!!!! (Sorry, I am still kicking myself for forgetting the camera). But it was so fun to see him kind of playing with Gracie. I am looking forward to many more trips to the zoo this year! Wish you all could have been there with us.

5 running steps ahead of me...

So I think my kids have been running 5 steps ahead of me lately!! I have just been so TIRED with this pregnancy! There was one day last week when I really wasn't sure that by the time David got home from school were all still going to be alive and well. Sammy's new favorite trick is getting a box of cereal from the pantry and pouring it on the floor. After barely keeping the new box of Life from spilling on the floor about 3 times I had to give Gracie a little talk about keeping the pantry door shut. Gracie stuck her fingers all through the german chocolate brownies. She got sent to her room for that one. But she won't stay in. Those child proof door knobs don't work for her. Sammy stuck his hand in the toilet and tried to grab Gracie's poop (ewwww so gross... that one almost made me throw up)! Then the straw that broke the camels back... I went to change Sammy's diaper in the bedroom. Gracie had been playing with her toys in the kitchen. I heard a crash and about 10 seconds later Gracie started crying. I called her in to me and when she came in she was totally naked! She had taken of every article of clothing she was wearing. I asked her where her clothes were and she said they were in the kitchen. Then I noticed that her skin was all wet and shiny and... oily! I ran into the kitchen and there on the floor was a big puddle of oil and an empty vegetable oil bottle. And not only that, she had tracked it all through the kitchen, down the hall and into the bedroom. I took Gracie into the bathroom, dropped her in the tub, put Sammy in his crib (I needed some place that he couldn't escape and come get into the oil). Then I mopped the floor. Twice. It was not a happy mommy moment. It reminded me of the naughty little Pace twins that lived down the street from me when I was a kid. They put socks on and then skated on sticks of butter while there mom wasn't home. I have to admit, I wasn't very patient about it either. I made Gracie go to her room and stay there for like half an hour after I was finished. I was so mad that I couldn't even take a picture (sorry). I wondered for a few hours what I was thinking wanting another little munchkin! But as always, a big hug and kiss and an I love you mom is all it took and I forgave her. I mean who can resist?

Sammy has been really grumpy today. His first molar just broke through today. Poor kid! He wanted me to hold him every second this morning. It makes it hard to get anything done. I was feeling a little stressed about it this morning because I was trying to get ready to go to a humanitarian aid project that the relief society is doing in our ward. Anyway, when I got home I was laying on the floor so David could pop my neck. Sammy kept coming up to me and just laying on me and hugging me. It was so sweet and I just love him so much!

Really, I am truly blessed! We really have a great life. What more could a mommy want then a wonderful husband and two sweet, brilliant, fantastic children?