IT'S A MIRACLE!!!

My three old son, who seems to consistently wake up during the night about 3 times to go to the bathroom, which involves waking me up too, slept all night long last night. I know it's probably a fluke of some kind but at least it's a sign of HOPE!!!!

This last week has been a bit of a whirlwind!!! The beginning of the week started off with a very sick Ethan!! Keeping me awake at night, and causing mommy to be very much sleep deprived!! I almost felt as if I had a newborn again!! I couldn't get my kids to school on time!! Which stinks, because they wouldn't get up and get moving in the morning. I had a birthday and turned 20!!! I WISH!! I actually turned 30, and realized that it's just another age!! Of course, I realize that others have said this all along but as a child you hear all these different ages and think how crazy life will be and that it has some "magical" effect that will take place. Well, yes my life is crazy at 30 because I have 5 children, a dog and a cat, and a car payment, a mortgage payment and student loans to pay off, and various other "debt" ( credit card, doctor bills, regular bills, etc..) --- but it's just another day "in paradise". Because if I didn't have my family, and all of this " craziness" life wouldn't be as interestesting to live. Now my next dreaded age is turning 50 I think. Because turning 40 is just like turning 30!!

But my daughter Kaylee also had her birthday on Sunday the 27th of April!! That darling daughter of mine is now 9 years old!! I can't believe how fast the time goes. One thing that CHris and I can remember from 9 years ago: We were in our white subaru ( which we no longer own) and we brought our brand new baby home for the first time, ( being first time parents as well) -- and then we drove so very cautiously over all the dips and bumps. And I would look back after everyone and make sure that she was okay!! Of course she was, but I was concerned. Since then, we realize that if we just drive normally that the baby will be okay. Some unique facts about Kaylee:

She has had two surgeries so far in her life. One when she was almost 3 and half. ( October 2002) She had "ureteral reflux" --- so after giving her a preventive medication for those first three and half years of life, we finally got the go ahead to have it corrected with surgery. Chris stayed the night with her the one night she was in the hospital. I had Heidi who was still only about two months old. So I went home and stayed with Katherine and Kaylee and we went up to visit her the next day, and thought she'd be staying another night as well. But they said that she was doing better then expected and let us take her home that day.

In March 2006 we decided to have her "extra toe" removed. Her feet were hurting her quite a bit, and shopping for shoes was practically a JOKE!! I couldn't find anything that would fit the extra width on her right foot.

She's laying down on the table but if you look closely you can tell that her right foot has a little extra something there. Here is the view of her extra toe from the top of her foot.

This is a view of what her foot looked like from the bottom. The doctor did a really nice job of removing the extra part of her little toe. When she was a baby it didn't make that much of a difference but as she got older -- well, you can imagine. Now you look at her toe and don't notice that she ever had the extra part there. ( I thougbt I had taken some pictures strictly of the foot after the surgery but I can't find the picture that I want) So I'll just have to post one later and take a new picture of her foot today. She's quite the girl!!

She has been working on helping her brothers and sisters this last year and is helping a lot more around the house. She likes to listen to music and loves movies!! She also likes to help make food once in a while.

She also likes to climb trees, and ride her bike and she loves to play in a pool. She was born in Rexburg, Idaho while Chris and I were students there at Ricks College. We were POOR college students and he managed to make some money working at Subway Sandwiches. LOL - I laugh it all now. But my golly it sure was tough!! Now it's still tough, but with a lot more children and more bills, but it all makes life fun to live.

Even though she's now 9 years old, she has only lost three of her teeth!! I just don't understand. But I love her anyways!! Happy Birthday Kaylee !!! ( Even though it was yesturday)

Ethan's first birthday w/ Pictures

So here is the post!!! It's taken me a while to get to it, but here are some of my favorite pictures from the night. I always enjoy my kid's first birthdays. Luckily he wasn't SICK -- (that I was aware of. )

We started the day off by singing "Happy Birthday" to the little one year old.
Boy doesn't he look like a little demon? JK

We have a tradition in our family that we go and get the free first birthday cake from one of the local grocery stores and let the child have at it. I always take a before picture and then ..... pictures throughout the FUN TIME!!!

As Thomas might say, " NUMMY GOOD!!"

The lady at the store wrote his name with Red frosting on top and between that and the chocolate frosting he was getting to be quite a mess.

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday boy!! We had to be careful or else he might have tagged us with his "paint" .


Give me a five!! After I took off his high chair tray he lounged more with putting his foot up on the little rail and then he began to get his legs and toes all prettied up too!

I love this picture above because he managed to get the frosting on his little toes!!! How cute.

And here I am with him, right before I headed to the bathroom, to give him a bath. Which wasn't very much fun either. HE WAS GROSS!!! AND THE TUB afterwards had a ring of chocolate all the way around it. NASTY!!! But it was all in good fun!! Bath TIME!!! Can you see the water being tinged a little pink?? And here I am after my bath!!!

Enjoying my new little toy that my grandpa and grandma bought me.

Ramblings part 2

We had a little better night last night!! I did manage to get a few more hours of sleep but I'm still worn out today!! Ethan has still been quite "cranky" but I can see that his old self is starting to surface again. So maybe a few more days and he'll be back to normal.

I've been busy working on my "digital scrapbooking" and WOW!!! So much faster ( once you get the hang of it, and I've been searching for the "freebies" on the internet, and have acquired some nice kits -- I think I just need to figure out how to "create and design" my own things and I'll be well on my way.

My family sure does keep me busy though!! I find myself facing my 30th birthday within the next 24 hours and I don't know how I quite feel about that!! My kids are starting to tell me that I'm OLD!! Of course, I don't feel any different, maybe just a little less toned than I was 12 years ago ( MY pre-baby days!!) --- and I have little people nagging at me, and tugging on my clothes and these creatures that want me to make them food ---- and someone to go to bed with everynight!!! WOW !!! What a difference a decade can make!!!

I haven't kept up with some of my goals as well as I had hoped so maybe I just need to ADJUST them, and not overkill on the goal setting. I always did try to "outdo" my own strength and capabilities. But at any rate it is a great thing to have a goal or more to work towards.

My biggest two wishes right now:
I would like for SPRING to actually be here, so I can get some planting done, and various other outside projects completed.
I would also like to have a PARTY!!! --- I don't care what kind, just a get-together with friends that I care about and people that care about me.

So maybe we'll just have to put together an open house "gathering" of some sort --- I need more adult interaction ----

When the kids are sick I really have a hard time getting out and visiting with others. Which has been the case the last few weeks. One of these days I'll get something accomplished!!

Sleep Deprived

It's time to VENT !!! I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep !!! Yes, my child that just turned one ended up having double ear infections when I took him in for his 1 year check up on the 11th of April !!! I didn't even know he had any problems other than the fact that he was extremely fussy, CRANKY!! and very irritable -- but I just thought it was from teething. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! Some of it was probably from teething but man he'd throw a fit while I was holding him, and want down and then I'd put him down and then he'd want right back up. All the while screaming his head off!!! So on Sunday night I took him into the afterhours clinic and they checked his ears again and they aren't as good as they should be after being on an antibiotic for nearly 10 days!!! So she gave me a different Rx and then last night (Monday the 21st) he was HORRIBLE -- and that might just be an UNDERSTATEMENT!!! He is still screaming today and I'm so TIRED!!! I just want to have my fun little boy back!!! He hasn't been happy in about 3 weeks now!!! I'm SAD !!

I say Chris can put the older kids to bed tonight because if I can get the baby to sleep finally -- I'm going to CRASH myself!!! These are not the times that I appreciate being a MOM!!! I like the other side of the emotion -- being happy, fun, and well rested!!!

POOR LITTLE ETHAN!!!

I've had it up to here !!!

I think I'm getting back on track with being a mom!!


Okay -- really I'm way off track!!! My girls have a bedroom that is totally a MESS!!! And that's quite an understatement!!! So far today we've pulled out all of the clothes from their room, and we've now sorted them into piles to wash them. We've collected one full bag of trash ( old school papers, cards, wrappers etc..) The sad thing is there is still more to pick up in the room. So today as I wash and fold these loads of laundry I'm pulling out anything that they hate to wear, and anything that doesn't fit Heidi anymore --seeing how she's the youngest girl. So I can either throw it away or just give it to DI!! I want to paint in their room in the next month or so -- and in order to do that I need to have their room clear and free of all the clutter. I've been kind of slack on having any kind of cemented structure in their lives but today it's all starting to change. I don't want them to grow up to be irresponsible adults that don't know how to do anything, so sorry KIDS - CHORES! CHORES AND MORE CHORES FROM HERE ON OUT!!!

I know that it is frustrating trying to teach them to do something but at least if I take the time now, hopefully as they get older they will be trained and just be able to complete a job without constant over the shoulder supervision.

I'm giving them a chance to earn an incentive. $5.00 if they help get their room clean today!!! So far they are helping and doing an okay job. We're taking lunch break that's why I'm able to post right now. I want to start keeping a record of the things I do with them that work or don't so that I can remember and go forward from here on out.

I seriously don't know why parents don't come with one of those "parenting for dummies" handbooks. So that we already just know everything we have to do and can just do it. I admit part of the problem is I'm not motivated myself, or very self-disciplined -- but I do realize that if I want to have a clean home -- I seriously can't do all the work myself. They are old enough to take on a lot of the responsiblities in the home so now I think I'll practice on DELEGATING!!!

They also are able to each invite a friend over to play tomorrow if they get the room (including all the piles of laundry) taken care of today. So hey, $5.00 and a friend who would want to pass that up?? Hopefully not my girls. AGGHHHH --- some day they'll get bigger -- and hopefully they will be productive contributing adults.

The woes and joys of being a mother. Somedays it's hard and others it's downright impossible. But in the end they all do cute things that make me love them even more.

Spring time enjoyments

I haven't really fallen off the face of the earth!! I've just been outside enjoying it today!! My life will calm down this next week. And I'll be in control of certain elements of my life -- okay who am I really fooling?? I just take life as it hits me straight in the face!!! Well, I do have "ideas" and "projects" and too much "Clutter" to do anything about them. So I need to focus my efforts on decluttering and reorganizing so that I can be more productive in the next two weeks !!

I was able to go to the temple this afternoon, and then I came home and felt like taking a walk and so I just told the kids we were going on a walk and well, the walk ended up heading us to the park so the kids could play for a while. I got some really great shots of them at the park, and will hopefully be able to load those pictures by Monday!! I love nice "SUNNY SPRING DAYS" like today rather then those "SNOWY SPRING DAYS" like we've had a few off this last week.
What is with that?? I'm ready to be outside and get the garden going -- and a real one at that. We're going to take away some of our back yard to do a garden this year and I'm excited.

Then my kids wanted to do a "campfire" with our neighbor in a portable fireplace -- and they were all so tired that they came into the house, they brushed their teeth and came in a fell asleep with their blankets on the livingroom couch and floor. They were bushed!!! I like when they can just fall asleep so fast!! It seriously only took less then 10 minutes and we looked back at them and they were all ASLEEP!!! Now maybe I should go to bed myself. I do need to get some rest in order to get the most out of "wrestling" with a 1 year old at Stake conference tomorrow in the Provo Tabernacle.

Here it is !!!

My first layout --- It was Halloween from 2006 while I was pregnant with Ethan. I really enjoyed doing this, although there are still things and techniques that I want to learn and more "kits" to acquire so I can do all the various holidays with the right kind of "paper and look" and then just reuse it for the next set of holidays. I'll have fun putting together Ethan's First birthday page(s) --- I'll be sure and post those as well.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ETHAN !!

I can't believe he's been with us for a whole year now!!! WoW!! How time flies, or doesn't when your busy with a baby. These are some fun pictures from his first year of life. So you can see him grow up right before your eyes. I've enjoyed having him in my life and when I look back at what he looked like a year ago I just want to cry!! Because he's grown so much !!! I love you ETHAN!!! Happy Birthday BABY BOY!!!

Here is his newborn picture taken in the hospital~~ I can't believe that I still haven't ordered them -- until today!!! A whole year later -- I've never taken that long to order them before. CRAZY!!!

Here he is on his blessing day, May 6th, 2007 almost 1 month old!!!

This was in August when the kids had their "summer reading party" with the Provo Library!! He was about 4 months old. We went to Thanksgiving Point to the Cornbelly's place and here Ethan is with his dad. This was in about September - so he's about 5 months here.

Here he is as "Winnie the Pooh" for his first Halloween!!! His first time with pumpkins -- October 2008 ( He was 6 1/2 months old)

Ethan on his first Christmas !!! Playing with one of the new toys he just got. He was 8 1/2 months old!! This was Ethan's first SUPER BOWL PARTY!!! Okay -- not much of a party but really darn close!! I can only imagine what it will be like as the boys get older!! February 2008 --

One of his times being SICK!!! He didn't feel well at all and this is how he laid for most of the day. When normally he was crawling all over the place. February 15th
This was in December right before Christmas!! You can see his bottom two teeth pretty well!! I just love his SMILE!!! He was 8 months old!!

First Time I really let him go out to the SNOW!!! This was after we had a few good snow storms in a row in January ( I think??)
He is the most flexible baby I know!! He is basically just sitting up and then laid his head on the bed. How many "chubby" babies can do that??

The Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma & Grandpa's house!! March 22, 2008

Ethan on Easter Sunday ( March 23rd, 2008) What a handsome little guy!!!

And today when he turns 1!!! We'll get better pictures of his party later tonight and I'll post that tomorrow!!!

Ramblings.

These last few weeks I've disappeared because of the yearbook, that the school is having published for the end of the year -- had it's deadline on last Monday!! So now that it is over with until next year, I've been busy learning some software where I can do some "digital scrapbooking" -- I'm kind of excited to scrapbook this way -- and when I actually complete my first layout I'll be sure and post it here. I'll be sure and catch up what's been happening the last few weeks in a day or two. Until then -- I'm just pondering some of the wonderful talks given at conference. Especially the one focused and geared towards "MOTHERS" by Elder Ballard given at Sunday's last session. I was laughing and crying all at the same time.

I'm starting to feel CREATIVE !!

So I'm getting an itch!! What kind of itch?? Well -- I look around at my house and feel .... bored!! We haven't done anything to our house really since we've moved in and quite frankly it's boring me -- I'm getting really sick and tired of seeing WHITE on my walls. I've been getting inspired from several friends of mine, and they've been busy painting and now I would like to paint my HOUSE!! Do something to make it feel like MINE!!! So when the weather starts to warm up a little more where I can leave doors open -- I want to paint my daughters room!! I also would like to paint my sons room too!! So I'm going to look around for some bargains, on decorations to hang on the wall and really just transform the house through the spring and summer. I know it will be a lot of work, and time -- but I should really enjoy it in the end. So hopefully I can get going on this in the next month and find some cute paints and get an idea for the type of painting that I want to do. Once I do the kid's bedrooms then I want to paint the livingroom and kitchen. And then we'll work our way into the bathroom hallway and finally finish that project up that was started about 3 years ago!! I keep saying how I want to move into a nicer house, but really mine is just fine!! I think a few coats of paint to liven the place up will be the right cure for my boredom with the house -- that and like a total decluttering that needs to take place.