The Desmonds

My Baby Sprinkle

2011-03-07T08:32:00.002-07:00

Had a great weekend, my family all came into town to throw me a baby sprinkle. It was so much fun! Thanks Lesli for all of your hard work, you're the best! She really went all out with the sprinkle theme. We had a chocolate fountain with all kinds of yummy things to dip, cupcake fondue with tons of different sprinkles to add and everything was polka dotted. Everyone had so much fun! By the end you could tell everyone was well sugared up by all of the laughter in the air, it made for a really fun party! Here are a few pics:

The yummy food and my awesome sister:

Cute diaper cake my sis made me:

Some of the guests:

My baby bump (or mountain at this point):

My little Luke enjoyed the chocolate fountain :)

The haul (can't wait to put her in all those cute clothes):

Baby Desmond (#5) Pregnancy Journal

2010-09-02T10:38:00.012-06:00

Thursday July 29, 2010

Took a pregnancy test that came out positive today. I am very nervous to be pregnant again after my miscarriage. I don't want to get my hopes up and have them dashed again. For now we are not telling anyone. I am not even going to think about names or anything until I make it past the point when I miscarried last time. Feeling pretty good pregnancy wise. I think I might be going through a little bit of depression though, I don't feel like doing anything. I am very tired and need a nap in the afternoon even if I have slept 9 or mores hours at night.

Monday August 30, 2010

Had my first Dr appointment today with Dr. Ferguson. I am now 9 weeks along. He said everything looks great. The baby is actually measuring a couple of days bigger than my LMP dates show. My due date is April 6th which is Jesus actual birthday. Maybe that is a good sign? Dr. Ferguson says that this baby is already measuring bigger than Jordan did when I miscarried and that there is less than a 5% chance that I will miscarry again. Possibly even less than a 1% chance. Still not telling anyone though, just in case. I was able to see the baby on ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. I am making Dave go to all of my appointments with me this time, it was nice to have him there. After losing my weight I am not showing as early, I just look like I have put a few pounds back on so that makes it easier to not tell. My sister asked me a couple of weeks ago if I was pregnant and I just told her, "haha, I wish" Don't like being dishonest but I just can't get everyone excited (myself included) for now.

Thursday September 2, 2010

I had a dream last night that I had a beautiful healthy baby girl...the beautiful, healthy part is important. I would like to have another girl but I'm not as picky this time as long as the baby is healthy. We named the baby Chleo in my dream. If I have a girl I don't think I can use that name, not my favorite. Plus we already have a cousin named Chloe and that would be too close and confusing, plus I am not supposed to be thinking about names yet. It's getting harder to not be excited even though I am still nervous. I will let myself get excited after my next appointment and then we will tell everyone.

Monday September 27, 2010

I had my 2nd OB appointment today. I have been really nervous lately especially having this appointment on this day. It was one year ago tomorrow that I went in for my 2nd appointment and the baby had died. Todays appointment thankfully went very well. Everything still looks great and Dr. Ferguson said we might be able to tell the gender at my next appointment. We are getting pizza tonight and having a little family pizza party in order to tell the kids the exciting news.

Tuesday September 28, 2010

We told the kids last night as planned. I started by asking the kids what we should be celebrating since we were having a pizza party. They looked at me like I was crazy but came up with a few ideas. They thought it was just because of family home evening. Finally I asked Dave what we should celebrate and he said, "How about if we celebrate the baby that is in Mom's tummy?" The kids all had really surprised looks on their faces and were very excited. While Elaina was saying the family prayer last night she said, "please bless our baby to be safe". I know they are all a little worried but I am pretty sure everything will be fine.

Monday October 25, 2010

I had my 17 week appointment today and we found out it is a GIRL!!! I am so excited. I had to go to ShopKo right after I left to get a prescription filled and I had to buy something pink while I was there. We have been writing down some boy names since those are usually the hardest for us to come up with but I guess now that list might not be necessary. I also found out in the last month that not only am I due on Christ's birthday, I am also due on my Grandma Carter's 90th birthday. I want to give my baby her name as a middle name, I think that would mean a lot to her. Now I have to come up with a name that goes with Fern. Pretty sure we will not be using any other plant names so everyone doesn't think we are hippies!

Tuesday November 9, 2010

Wow! Picking a name is hard business. I have a couple of favorites but I can't get my hubby to agree. He likes them, he just isn't sure that should be her name. He has been trying to come up with some funny names to go with Fern. The best one is Ima Fern. I don't think we will use that. My favorite is Adalyn. I also really like Amarah but Dave says that sounds like an African American name. He isn't sure it would fit with our other kids names. I disagree, I think it is adorable. Some of the other names we have on the list are: Mia, Hannah, Grace, Morgan, Aniyah, Lorraine and Miri. Who knows maybe she will be named something that isn't even on the list. Luke has been so funny lately. He suggested on Sunday that we name the baby Circlebutt (notice that is NOT on the list). He was snuggling with me after he woke up this morning and put his head on my stomach and said, "good morning baby!" He then proceeded to talk to her, poke at her and then insisted I read a story to both of them. It was very sweet. I just hope he likes her as much outside of my belly as he does inside. I have felt the baby move quite a few times already but the kids haven't been able to feel her yet. I am very excited to share that with them, it is a real comfort to feel her and have that assurance that everything is fine. We are going to get some lumber on Thursday so that we can finish a couple of bedrooms in our basement and get a room ready upstairs for the baby. That is exciting to get started, I just hope it is done in time. If not I guess we might have to have a crib in our walk-in closet for a couple of months.

Thursday Jan 20, 2011

Went in for my 29 week appointment today. Got to see the baby on ultrasound (my doctor is awesome and does one for me on every appointment!) She has felt to me like she is sitting sideways but the ultrasound shows her head down and ready to go. This was my last monthly appointment so we go to every 2 weeks and then weekly. Usually that makes it go pretty fast for me so I am glad to be at that point. She is so wiggly lately which is a good thing but I notice she really perks up about 10:30- 11:00 when I am just about ready to turn in for the night. We might have a night owl on our hands. I think we have finally picked a name for her. I think I was holding out on naming her Adalyn just so I could nickname her Ada. I still love that nickname but decided if we went with Dave's current favorite then I could still call her Ada. So her name (most likely) will be Alexandria Fern Desmond. I like it because there are endless possibilities for nicknames and if she just doesn't end up being Ada to me then maybe she will be Alex, Alexa, Andi, Ally, Addie or Dave's favorite little Al (makes me think of the weird next door neighbor on Tool Time so I don't think that will be what I call her!) or we will just call her all of them and really confuse her. Elaina has about 20 nicknames, very few of which contain her name and she is fine so I am sure Ada will be too! Luke has been so cute with this pregnancy, I know he is going to be such a good big brother to her. He has to have cuddle time with me every morning when he wakes up and also after his nap every afternoon. After he cuddles with me he tells me he wants to see the baby (meaning he wants to see my bare belly). He then proceeds to kiss and hug my belly saying, "I love you, Ada" and then sometimes sings to her. His favorite song to sing to her from the start has been Scooby, Scooby Doo, Where are you, but he also sings I am a Child of God to her. It is so sweet :) I love that little boy so much I don't know what I would do without him. It will be interesting to see if her favorite future cartoon is Scooby Doo! All of the kids have had a chance to feel her kick and all rush to me when I tell them she is kicking so that they can feel her. I think I will miss not having that feeling again if she does end up being my last. I will enjoy it for the next couple of months just in case :)

Friday January 21, 2011

Went in today for my yucky glucose test (I am a little late doing this since I am already 29 weeks) . I have been worried lately that I might have it this time since I wasn't showing for so long and then suddenly got huge. Suddenly people who didn't know I was pregnant are asking when I am due. I really hope I don't have it since I am really having a hard time talking myself into eating salad even though that is what I had every day for lunch before I got pregnant. Crossing fingers hoping everything is fine.

Wednesday January 26, 2011

Got a call from Dr. Ferguson's office telling me my glucose was a little on the high side and giving me the option of taking the 3 hour test. I decided I better be on the safe side and do it so I headed there this morning. The test consists of having your blood checked after fasting, drinking a super sweet, gross drink (on an empty stomach) and then having your blood retested ever hour for 3 hours. My arm is very bruised to say the least but I don't think I have gestational diabetes. A little update on the basement situation: I think we will have at least one bedroom done by the time Ada comes. Dave was able to finish the heating, insulation and sheetrocked Luke and Jared's room all last week. It really impressed me that he got all of that done so quickly. I went a couple of weeks ago and got fabric for the baby's bedding but can't seem to motivate myself to work on it. It will be really cute when I am done. I think it would be more motivating if there were a crib set up waiting for cute bedding :) at least that is my excuse for now!

Spring Fever

2010-06-02T13:08:00.013-06:00

Here is a snapshot of what we have been busy with this spring:

Baseball for Payton

T-ball for Jared

Pinewood Derby - Payton didn't place this year but I was proud of him, he designed, cut out and painted his car himself. Should have got a picture of it without the drill bit on it. It was so light we had to add a ton of weight. It is a Hershey's chocolate bar. The first race (video) he won by a mile so we thought maybe his car was super fast, unfortunately there were others that were way faster!

Father's and son's outing at the Christensen Ranch

Furniture Projects:
This is a chair I am going to turn into a plant stand

Th is an old footboard and headboard I am going to make into a bench

Some cute stools I am going to paint and re-cover (set of 3 that stack on top of each other)

A Chair I am going to try reupholstering

My glass dining table my design friends helped me paint

The beautiful piano our neighbors gave us. Seriously, the best people live in Bear River, who gives away an antique piano??? It will be more beautiful after we strip the ugly paint and stain it. Can't wait to see what is under all of that nasty tan paint.

We got some of our fruit orchard planted this month (Elberta and RedHaven Peaches, Gala and Fuji apples, and Bartlett and Anjou Pears). Yum! Yum! Can't wait to get fruit off of these babies! We will put in 3 more trees next spring but haven't decided what else to get, any suggestions?

Our garden. I had to take lots of pictures to prove it is weed free. Enjoy it, it probably won't look this good again this year! :)

First garden fresh salad of the season (ok so only the green is from the garden but it counts!) Can't wait to have the cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots from the garden too, why does it have to take so long! I am not a patient person...

Top Rock Flower garden done and perennials planted, annuals still waiting to go in tomorrow:

First project when we get back from California will be the lower rock garden and this little circle one we cut in. There will be a grass walkway between the two flower gardens.

My first attempt at a planter (not bad, huh?):

I need a vacation! Did I mention we are off to California on Friday? Watch out Disneyland and Sea World here we come!!!

Let Me Hold You Longer

2010-05-06T08:52:00.004-06:00

I have been really sentimental the last couple of weeks and just wanted to document a few things. It all started while I was reading a book called Rejoice by Karen Kingsbury. There is a poem in the book that goes like this:

Let Me Hold You Longer
by Karen Kingsbury

"Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past,
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.

"The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips...
Last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip...
Last time when you had a binky stuck inside your mouth...
The last time that you crawled across the floor of this old house.

"Last time when you ran to me, still small enough to hold,
Last time when you said you'd marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past,
Would I have held you longer if I'd known they were the last?

"Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade...
Last at bat in Little League, last colored paper made.
Last time that I tucked you in for one last midday nap...
Last time when you wore your beat-up Green Bay Packers cap.

"Last time that you caught a frog in that old backyard pond...
Last time when you ran barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn.
Silly scattered images to represent your past.
Would I have taken pictures...if I'd known they were the last?

"The last dark night you slipped in bed and slept between us two,
When last I read to you of God or Horton Hears a Who!
Last time that I smelled your hair and prayed after your shower...
Last time that we held devotions in the evening hours.

"The last time you were M.J. in our games of give-and-go...
Last time that you made an angel in the melting snow.
I never even said good-bye to yesterdays long passed
Would I have marked the moments...if I'd known they were the last?

"Last piano lesson, and last soccer goal you kicked...
The last few weeks of middle school, last flowers that you picked.
Last time that you needed me for rides from here to there...
The last time that you spent the night with that old tattered bear.

"Last time that I helped you with a math or spelling test,
Last time when I shouted that your room was still a mess.
Time and life moved quicker, taking pieces of your past.
Would I have stretched to moments...if I'd known they were the last?

"The last time that you needed help with details of a dance...
Last time that you asked me for advice about romance.
Last time that you talked to me about your hopes and dreams.
Last time that you wore a jersey for your high school team.

"I watched you grow and never noticed seasons as they passed.
I wish I could've frozen time, to hold on to your lasts.
For come tomorrow morning life will never be the same.
You'll pledge forever to your girl, and she will take your name.

"And I will watch you, knowing God has blessed you with this day.
I never would have wanted, Luke, to somehow make you stay.
They say a son's a son until he takes for him a wife.
You're grown-up now; it's time to go and start your brand-new life.

"One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss...
One last time to understand just how much you'll be missed.
I'll watch you leave and think how quickly childhood sped past.
Would I have held on longer...if I'd known it was your last?"

I have had a few of these last moments with Payton already and am just beginning to realize that they are all going to come quicker than I am ready for. We had a mother/son date earlier this month that was really special to me. As the kids big Christmas present this year we decided to give them our time, a weekend away with the parent of their choice. They got to choose the activity; Payton chose to go to Lagoon with me. We spent the night in Layton at the Marriott hotel. We went to dinner that night at The Cracker Barrel and then went to get treats at the dollar store to eat while we watched the Jazz game back at the hotel. In the morning we had breakfast and then swam in the hotel pool for a little while. Then we got ready and headed off to Lagoon. Unfortunately, when we got there it was raining cats and dogs. We decided to go to a movie in Kaysville and hope it cleared up by the time we got out, if not I had told him we would have to go to Lagoon in a couple of weeks because it was just too cold with the rain. Payton was so disappointed; he was trying his best to hold back the tears. I told him to hope for the best and just try to enjoy the movie. We went to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (very good movie by the way, now I want to read the book!). When we came out of the theater we were met with blinding sunshine. Yea! Payton was so excited when he saw that sunshine he jumped up and down pumping his fists. At Lagoon, I got to hold his hand (and nearly lost all circulation) while he rode a roller-coaster for the first time. I got him to overcome his fear of roller-coasters after that first one and try all of the rest. It did take some talking but by the end of the day he said the roller-coasters were his favorite rides (except the white roller-coaster that we went on first, he will NEVER set foot on it again!). Payton is 9 turning 10 soon and will be spending his last year in Elementary School next year. I feel like this is such a big step in his life. I don't want my little boy to grow up and go to that horrible place they call middle school! I am so proud of the young man he is becoming and pray he will continue to learn and progress and become all that his Heavenly Father has set out for him...I am humbled and grateful for being the woman that was chosen to celebrate his firsts and lasts. I realized as I walked through the park with Payton later in the day and he reached up and held my hand that it might be a last. Pretty soon he will be too big or cool to hold his mother's hand in public. For now I will cherish it....and hope I can hold it a little longer. I love you the mostest eternity, Bubba! Thank you for choosing me to spend your special day with, I will cherish it forever!

Jared gets glasses

2010-03-27T17:56:00.004-06:00

Well, my little boy is blind! The poor kid apparently can't see up close or far away. He is now the proud owner of eyeglasses (mom on the other hand cried on the way home from the ophthalmologist, it is kind of sad to me to have a wall of glass between me and my child's beautiful eyes, pathetic I know). He also has to wear an eye patch now to correct his lazy eye. When Jared was 2 his big sissy (then 4) decided to be a big girl and help him out of his highchair. He was a little too heavy for such a small girl and she dropped him. He fell against our brick fireplace surround and cut his eyebrow open. He had such a big gash they had to do 2 layers of stitches. Not long after that, his eye started wandering in and he had to have eye muscle surgery to try to correct it (the doctor said he probably had the tendency toward that but the trauma to the eye made it start). It has been fine for the last 3 years but then about a month ago I noticed it was wandering in a little bit again. I took him in for his 5 year kindergarten checkup at the doctor and when they tried to do the eye test he couldn't see anything with his left eye...the one that had the trauma. Apparently his brain has decided to cut off the connection and he has developed a lazy eye. *sigh* I had NO idea he couldn't see...I feel so bad. He has been a real trooper and has decided the eye patch is not so bad. I did let him get some stickers and let him decorate it. It is very colorful don't you think? I think he looks handsome in his glasses. His brothers and sister think they want glasses now too. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! I hate having to deal with contacts, I guess this way Jared won't know any different...

First month of dates

2010-03-27T17:43:00.002-06:00

Dave and I have had soooo much fun on our dates this month. It was actually really fun to plan them but I am glad this month is Dave's :) I like surprises! Here is what we did:

Week 1 was an at home date, we had a friendly pool tournament and Dave won. We both wrote down beforehand what we wanted to win and his was a 20 min back scratch. My arms hurt after 20 min but I made it....I let him win.

Week 2 we went to Logan and played laser tag and then went to dinner at Hamilton's.

Week 3 was an at home date and we played "Kiss me silly" while watching our favorite show "The Office".

Week 4 was our anniversary so I surprised him with a weekend getaway to SL. We stayed at the Marriott, had sushi for the first time (not my favorite but not bad either, I would eat it again but don't know that I will ever crave it), went to a murder mystery dinner show done by Poison Ivy mysteries (really fun, check them out on citydeals.com) on Friday night. Saturday morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel cafe, worked out in the hotel gym, went swimming and hot-tubing at the hotel, went to the Bountiful temple and did sealings and finished up with a late lunch at Olive Garden.

Dating Fools

2010-02-23T17:40:00.009-07:00

Dave and I have decided to start dating again. No we are NOT swingers, we will only be dating each other :). A friend of mine told me about an idea she found on a blog that I am going to do and I thought it was worth passing on. Who couldn't use a little more fun in their lives right? Here is the idea: you take money from your tax return (as much as you are comfortable with, Dave and I are going to use our state return for this, consider it investing in your most important asset!) and plan the dates for the entire year by buying gift certificates and put them in envelopes for each month. That way all of your dates are paid for and you don't have the downfall of, "where will we get the money for that?" Also, if you decide to use all or most of the money for just a couple of dates you have to get creative because you are in charge of 6 months worth of dates.

Anyway, when I approached Dave about this he was less than enthusiastic. He is going to do his a little different and just plan a month at a time but still have the money set aside for his 6 months (he says he likes to be more spontaneous, I think he just doesn't like to plan). Personally I don't care as long as he plans them at some point! Hopefully we will be able to have some really fun dates and variety (did I mention how tired I am of dinner and a movie?) Anyway, I thought I would ask all of my creative blogging friends if you have any ideas for great dates? Anything you have done, wish you could do, heard someone else has done? I am also looking for ideas for at-home dates since once a month our date will be after the kids go to bed. Thanks in advance for your help. I will try to blog about our dates and let you all know how it is going. Also, do you all know about www.citydeals.com? I got on there today and purchased nearly $200 of gift certificates for less than $100. They are doing a special right now that if you spend $100 you get an extra 10% off and free shipping. The promo code is 352900 if anyone is interested. Here's to a year of fun with my hubby, I can't wait!

Busy girl!

2010-02-21T13:17:00.005-07:00

I have been one busy woman lately. I will not bore you with the details, here is a snapshot:

FINALLY got pictures hung on my walls

We had a great valentine weekend. Dave sent me on a GPS scavenger hunt around town to find my valentine gift. Here are the flowers and cute watch he got me (also check out the cool sewing table we picked up at the DI for $10).

I decided I wanted to make the kids outfits for Easter and since I have zero experience I thought I should start early (It helps to have such a gifted friend to show me the ropes, thanks Amanda!) These are the ties and vests I am making the boys and I will make Elaina a coordinating dress.

Made a bunch of other ties for the boys to wear to church before Easter.

My next project is this bench. I am going to reupholster it with this fabric and paint it a chocolate brown. I think it will look really nice when it is done.

I have managed to lose more weight (down 22 lbs total now).

Have set up a job chart at http://www.myjobchart.com/home and LOVE it!

All of this while taking care of kids with my husband out of town half the time. He was in DC last week from Tuesday to Friday and then left again right after church to go to Vegas until Thursday. I can't wait to have him on a normal work schedule again! All of this traveling better end up in a promotion!!!

I don't know about you, but I am exhausted....time for a Sunday afternoon nap. Nope not going to happen, maybe someday soon.

December 2009

2010-01-14T09:46:00.007-07:00

We had a lot going on in November and December at our house. Thus no time for blogging. Here are the highlights:

Snow, Snow and more Snow. It is beautiful but I am tired of being so cold all the time!

Making Gingerbread houses

Jared turned 5

Community Christmas Dance

Luke was not very sure about Santa at first but warmed up and decided he was ok to talk to after all.

A picture of Jared at this dance was on the front page of the newspaper that weekend.

Christmas this year was crazy but so much fun! Christmas eve we had my Mom and Dad and my sister Jessica and her boyfriend Johnny here. Christmas day my sister Lesli and her husband and daughter drove up and stayed that night. The sleeping arrangements were interesting (Jessica came out of the closet in the morning :) She slept on the floor of our closet, not the hypothetical kind. We had people in our living room, the basement, the closet and the kids slept under the Christmas tree while other people slept in their beds. It was fun but definitely chaotic. I wouldn't have had it any other way. We cut back on how much we gave the kids this year since they have more toys than they can possibly play with and gave them the gift of our time instead. Our big gift to each of our kids this year was a certificate that entitles them to a night away with the parent of their choice and doing the activity of their choice. Payton wants to go to Lagoon with me and camp. Elaina and I are going to Cherry Hill and staying at a hotel. Jared is going to Lagoon with his dad and Luke wants to go to the Circus with his dad. We have been wanting to do one-on-one time with each of the kids and think this will be so fun!

I have to explain this gift, it was hilarious. A couple of days before Christmas I was teasing Dave a little and said, "hmmm, I wonder where I should hang my new clock." I didn't really know he got me a clock and it made him kind of angry that I had guessed so this is what he did to throw me off:

He wrapped it with both of our bike helmets on the front and two fan blades so it looked like giant boobs with horns. It worked, I was completely thrown off. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he got me white fan blades when I first opened it. I thought, "I don't even like white fans" Haha joke was on me. Might have to make crazy wrapping a family tradition. I couldn't help but smile all day each time I thought about it!

My grandparents 70th wedding anniversary celebration. Yea, that is right 70 years together. Aren't they a cute couple? I love you Grandma and Grandpa Carter!

My mom had hip replacement surgery and stayed with us most of the month. She is doing great and was able to return home after the New Year. We loved having her here and miss her! Here she is doing exercises with Luke riding on her walker.

The Scooby Doo gang

2009-11-05T08:33:00.004-07:00

Here are pictures of the kids from Halloween. Payton was an orange ghost driving the Mystery Machine, Elaina is Daphne, Luke is Fred and Jared is Scooby Doo. Velma and Shaggy are missing, we will try to get a picture with everyone if we can and I will add it. Weren't they cute? As you can tell, Elaina gets lots of attitude when dressed as Daphne and Jared was VERY excited to be Scooby Doo. I love my kids so much! Thanks honey for doing Halloween without me, I am grateful for such a supportive husband!

I had a lot of fun spending time with Brandon, Sara and Roxie over Halloween in DC. They had a fun party at their house and I was the winner of the girl's doughnut eating contest. Oh, yea! I have a big mouth, what can I say... I will have to get pictures from them and add those too.
`

I will hold you and squeeze you and call you Ollie...

2009-10-06T13:19:00.005-06:00

Ever since I found out that we lost the baby I have been feeling like I really need something to nurture and have been trying to talk Dave into a dog. Last Friday we stopped at the animal shelter in Logan while we were over there and there was a 1 year old Jack Russel Terrier that I thought was really cute but he wasn't very cuddly (one of my requirements). We decided to check out the breed over the weekend and see if it might be a good fit for our family. We decided that it might require more exercise and have a little more energy than we could deal with. I went to the shelter in Brigham yesterday and there was a really sweet dog there so I decided to have Dave meet me there after work to see it. It was cute and cuddly but not very soft and would require quite a bit of grooming since it had longer hair. Anyway, we did seriously consider getting that one but decided we wanted to go check the Logan shelter again since there were a lot more dogs there. We got the Jack Russel out again and decided that he definitely wasn't right for us. Then we decided to look at a beagle (Dave has always wanted one) but this beagle was a little bigger than I want running around the house and it nearly knocked over 2 of the kids while we were there and it isn't even full grown. So, we decided neither of those dogs would be good for us and were about to leave when the worker said there was a terrier mix that she wanted us to see. He looked a little like the Jack Russel but is a Feist Terrier and he might be part Chiuahua. He was so soft, cuddly and cute we couldn't leave him there. We have named him Oliver but call him Ollie. He did really great last night, I have only heard him bark once when he was playing with another dog and he whined a tiny bit when we put him in his kennel last night but then slept all night without a peep. Now we just have to get the potty thing down since he isn't housebroke yet. Luckily no number 2 accidents in my house yet! Anybody out there know a great way to housebreak a puppy? I've never done this before.

School days, school days, dear old golden rule days!

2009-10-06T12:55:00.004-06:00

Am I the only one that is really happy when kids go back to school? Actually we had a lot better summer this year. We had a lot of fun trips we took and the kids didn't get to the fighting stage until about the last 2 weeks of summer. Here is Payton on his first day of 4th grade, he is in Mrs Bass' class this year:

Elaina on the first day of 2nd grade, she is in Mrs. Howard's class:

Both of them together:

Canning

2009-10-06T12:42:00.005-06:00

This is the real reason I was so far behind on my blogging, ok one of the many...Here is what I canned this year:

salsa, whole tomatoes, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, apple butter, jalepeno jelly, pickled beets, mixed pickles, dilly beans, peaches, strawberry jam, raspberry jam, apricot jam, apricot-pineapple jam, frozen corn and corn-on-the-cob, zucchini, beans, grape juice and apple juice.....

whew! I am so glad that canning season is done!!! Here are some of the pictures of my storage now:

Payton's Birthday August 3rd

2009-10-06T12:29:00.003-06:00

Payton decided that he would like to go to the Ogden Raptor's game for his birthday this year. We met Dad at Cafe Rio in Riverdale and had dinner and cake and opened presents and then headed to the game.

We got to the game early and as we were sitting there one of the ushers motioned for Payton and threw him a baseball. Dave told him he should go down and try to get some of the player's autographs as they came out of the dressing room. He probably got 20 autographs in all. He was pretty excited!

The game was really good, started out boring but ended with a thrill. The raptors were down 4-0 at the end of the 7th inning. In the 8th they scored 2 and then in the 9th there was 3 balls and 2 outs and the score was still 4-2 and someone hit a homerun to bring 3 guys in and won the game 5-4. Happy 9th birthday Payton!

Wham!

2009-09-29T06:34:00.002-06:00

You know how sometimes you feel like everything is going pretty good in your life and then, wham! I had one of those days yesterday. I went in for my 13 week appointment at my doctors office and found out my baby didn't have a heartbeat anymore. This is the first time I have had to deal with this kind of thing and feel like my world has fallen apart. I am so sad, angry, frustrated, worried.....the list could go on and on. I love you little one even if I won't get to meet you in six months!

First OB Appointment

2009-08-31T14:53:00.003-06:00

For those of you that haven't noticed the pregnancy ticker to the right, I am pregnant. I had my first prenatal appointment today and was able to see the baby and the heartbeat through an ultrasound. The doctor says I may not be as far along as I thought but that the ultrasound might have just been too fuzzy to get a good measurement. He isn't changing my due date yet and will do another ultrasound at my next appointment to see if the baby is still measuring small. Anyway, I better be 9 weeks and not 7!!! I am already in maternity clothes for heaven's sake! We decided to have one more baby (this is definitely our last!) to try to have a little sister for Elaina! Send pink vibes our way!!! We will be just as happy if it is another boy since our boys are so darn lovable but Elaina will just have to grow up the only girl in a house full of boys.....

Playing catch-up

2009-07-06T09:56:00.019-06:00

Since I last posted we have done a lot of stuff I wanted to document. We went to my Mom and Dad's for memorial weekend, Yellowstone for a family vacation, had Luke and Elaina's birthdays and went to Bear Lake for the 4th of July. This might be a long post, bear with me....or skip it and I will never know!

Cove Fort on the way to Mom and Dad's

Hiking at Zion's

Luke's "swimming" birthday activity (2 year olds are sooo easy to please!)

Luke loved his wheelbarrow and golf clubs he got for his birthday. I really should have thought about the outfits for opening their presents....it was after the swimming party and I wasn't about to put them back in their day clothes. Oh well!

Elaina got her birthday presents a week early because we didn't want to haul them to Yellowstone.

On Elaina's birthday she got to do lots of exciting things, a water balloon fight on the balcony of the condo, feeding grizzly bears at the grizzly discovery center and more Yellowstone...It was a birthday she will never forget. Happy 7th birthday Elaina!

Hiding food for the grizzlies

Yellowstone pics

Payton and Jewel the bear hunting dog

The kids being sworn in as Junior Rangers. It is such a fun program, you sign them up at any of the visitor centers and they get to do a bunch of fun activities and receive a patch at the end. It is for kids from 5-12 years old.

4th of July at Bear Lake

Washington DC

2009-04-06T13:18:00.008-06:00

Ahhhhh! Vacation.... Dave and I had so much fun on our anniversary trip to Washington DC. We spent most of our time at Brandon and Sara's house but we took a couple of days and traveled up to Gettysburg and to Baltimore. Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

1. Staying with "fancy" people. Haha! When our friend James found out Brandon lives in Fairfax he asked us if they are fancy people. That gave us a good laugh...they aren't fancy but they are fun and that is all that matters! Their little Roxie is soooo cute and fun, just wish she were a little more cuddly! She loves to be held but not snuggled, go figure. Thanks for giving up your bedroom for us Roxie!

Brandon, Sara and Roxie

2. Yummy food. We have decided that pubs and taverns are the best, and yes we did only eat the food! Visit the Dobbin Inn Tavern if you are ever in Gettysburg, it was fabulous!
3. We did the driving tour of the Gettysburg battlefields.

Civil War Cannons in Gettysburg

4. Love, love, love 4 star hotels!!! We were able to book the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore through hotwire.com and only paid $100 plus tax. Definitely 100 well spent. Our room was a corner suite with a view of the harbor! The walls were one-sided mirror windows, the bedding was soft and beautiful and our bathroom could only have been made better with a jetted tub! Everything was very luxurious.

Our fancy hotel room and the view of the Baltimore harbor

5. Toured 4 ships on the harbor at Baltimore (our favorite was the submarine) We also got to see a cannon demonstration on the deck of the USS Constitution (the last surviving ship of Pearl Harbor) that was pretty cool.

On the submarine (doesn't that bed look roomy???)

6. The cherry blossoms were gorgious all over DC.

The White House

The Washington Monument (I think I could sell this picture to a postcard company!)

The Jefferson Monument

7. We went geocaching with my brother for the very first time. That could be addictive! For those of you who don't know, geocaching is like a world-wide treasure hunt...people hide something and then give GPS coordinates or clues to find it. We found 5 geocaches in 2 hours on our first attempt at it.

Our first find...I was actually the one that found it but also was the one with the camera. It's ok, Brandon actually found the other 4. He is a geocaching maniac!

8. We went for a couple's massage for a special anniversary treat. Oh man, I need to talk Dave into taking a massage class so I can feel that relaxed more often!
9. Sleeping in. We haven't got that much sleep in a long time.
10. We went to the National Zoo with Brandon and Sara and got to see the baby gorilla that was just born in January. It was so funny while we were watching the momma was feeding the baby and one of the other gorillas snuck up and threw a big water bottle at them. Apparently that gorilla was the baby until this one came along and has been acting like a typical 3 year old when momma brings home a new baby, throwing tantrums and just being mean. Funny how close to humans they really are. Jared wouldn't talk to me for weeks after I had Luke!

The baby gorilla (nursing in the bottom left corner)

11. Getting a makeover! Sara cut 8 inches off my hair and did highlights. I love being blond again! She also did my makeup for me that day, it was lots of fun!

Before the haircut

After:

12. Best of all was knowing that our kids were having fun and well taken care of while we were away. Thanks to James and Amber and Mom and Dad again for taking care of them!
13. Getting to hug all of my kids after being away from them for so long. It sometimes takes getting away to realize how much you really have and how blessed you are to be trusted with such amazing spirits! I love my kids and am glad to be with them again!!!

As you can see the kids were happy to have us home too. This sign was actually attached to the door when we got home. They had decorated the banister with balloons and streamers. It was a nice surprise to come home to.

We came back rested and ready to tackle the yard only to find it covered in snow (sigh! If only it would warm up long enough to get something done, before we loose the desire!)

Photo Shoot

2009-02-02T09:14:00.011-07:00

I decided to do a photo shoot with my kids this last weekend I think they turned out pretty cute:

Luke 19 months

Jared 4 years old

Elaina 6 1/2 years old

Payton 8 1/2 years old

The Cutest Kids

The Boys

My beautiful new niece!

2009-02-02T09:01:00.003-07:00

I am so excited that my little sister just had her first baby. Savanna June Shields was born on January 29,2009. She weighed 8 lb 1 oz and is 21 inches long. Lesli was a week overdue and very ready to have that baby. After 24 hours in labor and very little sleep she was very glad to be done. I was able to go down to Fillmore to be with her while she was in labor and stood right outside a curtain while she was pushing. I couldn't help but hold my breath and push with her! What a strong woman you are Lesli! You are going to be a wonderful mother, that is one lucky little girl. Hope she turns out as sweet as you! I love you!

Savanna just minutes after birth!

Lesli, Russel and Savanna. Don't they make a cute family!

The next day

A fun weekend but a sad ending

2009-01-21T09:00:00.003-07:00

I spent this weekend with my sister Jessica in St George. I only had 2 of the 4 kids with me so it was a little bit of a break :) I love my kids but sometimes just need to get away. Anyway, we spent a lot of time playing games, we went swimming in an outdoor pool (only in January would 60 feel warm enough to swim in an outdoor pool!), did some shopping (I finally got my Wii Fit that I have been looking for everywhere!). While we were there we did get some bad news though. My Dad got a call on Sunday morning from his best friend from high school (who happens to also be a cousin to my father-in-law). Our families have kept in touch throughout the years and get together at least once a year. Anyway, he was calling to tell us that their daughter, Tracie, had accidentally overdosed. She has battled with addiction for the majority of her life and has tried so hard but she just couldn't beat it. Tracie was just 2 years younger than me and was the one I played with at the family get-togethers. I was able to go to the funeral yesterday which was very nice. She was a fun happy person that loved everyone. She left behind a 6 year old little girl that luckily has a very supportive Dad that has had custody of her for a while. Anyway, I wanted to say that she was someone who touched my life and it is so tragic that such a wonderful person could be so completely consumed by such an awful thing. Drugs kill! I hope that now she can have the strength to overcome her addiction in the afterlife and I can't wait to see her on the other side....Here is a picture of Tracie Desmond Cotton with her little girl.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-03T12:27:00.006-07:00

Happy New Year! We had the Limburg's and Knight's over for New Year's Eve. As you can see the Wii was a hit with everyone.

Payton and Quin

Dave, James and Chris playing pool.

Amber and Andrew

Shannon and Parker

The two Noah's boxing.

Christmas

2009-01-03T10:57:00.009-07:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We had a great one. Everyone got what they wanted from Santa. We had a lot of fun during Christmas break. We had lots of family over, cooked yummy food and played lots of games.

This nativity scene was fun to make for family home evening.

Elaina got an easy bake oven!

Payton and Jared both got skateboards (as you can see Payton is one happy 8-year-old!).

The whole family got a Wii! This has been our favorite toy this Christmas!

My favorite gift was from my Mom and Dad. She put all of our pictures from growing up in an album and started a scrapbook of some of them. Thanks Mom!

...I didn't want to waste the candy!

2008-11-02T10:28:00.004-07:00

The day after Halloween our kids were being soooo cute. Jared was helping me can some tomato juice. He did all of the juicing while I was scalding and cutting up the tomatoes. I didn't think he would last half as long as he did.

While we were doing that, Elaina and Payton decided they wanted to make a card for Dave and I with Halloween candy attached. I thought that was so sweet. It wasn't just one piece either, they really covered the cards with candy.

My kids have mad taping skills!

The finished product

I got a really good laugh from Elaina's card I had to tell everyone. Here is a picture of it:

I know it is kind of hard to read, here is what it says, "Dear Mom I wish I coode give you moor But I did not want to waste the candy." What a funny girl!

Witches and Wizards and Penguins? OH MY!

2008-11-02T07:30:00.007-07:00

Payton was going to be a cowboy until the day before Halloween. Some of his friends at school told him cowboys are dumb (kind of ironic since we live in the country and most of them live on farms!) We had to get really creative and make him this wizard costume. I HATE that kids are so mean! Why can't they just be nice. Anyway, he spent all day at school turning people into frogs so I guess he got his revenge...

Payton the Magnificent

Elaina the Good Witch

Up until Halloween day Jared was telling everyone that he was going to be a bear for Halloween. I really wanted him to wear this caterpillar costume I made for Payton when he was small. He did not want to wear it until his Dad told him that the more cute you are the more chocolate you get trick-or-treating. It worked, he was very happy to wear it! I think he makes a pretty cute caterpillar! Here he is showing you how he can move all of his legs.

Jared the Caterpillar

Luke the Penguin

The whole gang

Trick-or-Treat!!!

Random Facts Tag

2008-10-29T07:53:00.016-06:00

1. I hate folding laundry. That is why on any given day (this picture is this morning) my couch looks like this:

I guess that is airing my dirty, oops I mean clean laundry.

2. I never had to have a cavity filled until I was 22. Having kids screwed up my body!

3. I have developed a fear of heights. OK, it always has made me nervous to stand on the edge of a mountain even if there is a guardrail there. When I was younger though I was fine as long as I was buckled into something. I even did the Skycoaster ride at Lagoon 3 times and loved it!

I would still like to go skydiving one day but I think I might pee my pants...I will have to be careful because they make you go with an instructor the first couple of times, that would make for a very awkward situation!

4. My husband and I were engaged 3 days after our first date. We worked together and he thought I was married until the day he asked me out.

5. I always roll my eyes when people say they can't go to school because they have kids (my mom would tell you I am the queen of rolling my eyes!). Dave and I were both in school for 3 years when we already had 2 kids and while pregnant with my last 2. It wasn't easy but it is definitely doable and we did it well. I am very proud that I graduated Magna Cum Laude and Dave graduated with his MBA with a 4.0 GPA.

6. I once received a one-eyed frog for a birthday present (Do you remember that Candice?)

7. My friends and I once toilet papered one of our High School History teacher's houses with nylons stuffed with newspapers on our heads. Wish I had a digital picture of that one...you will have to use your imaginations! Note to teachers: Never give out your address to your students!

This is where I get to tag other people. I tag Candice, Sara, Bri, Amanda S., mom, Karen and Shannon.

Willow Park Zoo

2008-10-28T09:33:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to have a family fun day. We went to Logan to the Willow Park Zoo, had a picnic, stopped for ice cream on the way home and rented some movies for a movie marathon night. We had a really fun day! Here are some cute pictures I got of the kids at the park.

Payton (8)

Elaina (6)

Jared (3)

Luke(16 months)

The Whole Gang

Voila!

2008-10-14T15:49:00.005-06:00

My sister wanted me to put up some pictures of the house all finished. Here they are....we still don't have everything unpacked and I haven't put a single thing on the walls so it is still pretty plain. Also, the bedrooms are disaster areas still so I will have to post pictures of those later when I have more unpacked.

The porch

The entry

The banister is no longer missing!!!

Kids bathroom

The living room

The dining room (notice no chairs yet for my new table....still working on getting those!)

The kitchen

Every mother's nightmare

2008-09-22T21:02:00.012-06:00

We have had quite the week this week. On Tuesday September 16th Luke had an accident in our new house. I was there cleaning for the carpet that went in the next day and heard a thump. I came around the corner from the kitchen where I was cleaning and found my baby at the bottom of the open staircase (best I can figure is that he pushed his way past the playpen that was supposed to be keeping him away from the stairs). He had fallen from the top where the banister was supposed to be, down to the platform 6 ft below and then down 3 more stairs to the cement floor. He lost consciousness for approximately 10 seconds and then started screaming. My first thought when I saw him was that he was gone and then when he started screaming I thought he was paralyzed since he wasn't moving. I immediately ran to my nearest neighbors house to call 911 since I didn't have phone service yet. After getting the phone and dialing 911 I started running back to the house to be with him until the ambulance came. Unfortunately the 911 operator couldn't hear what I was saying and didn't dispatch the ambulance for another 5 minutes. When I got back to the house I went down to Luke and knelt by him trying to calm him (probably wasn't helping that I was hysterical). He did try to turn over to get to me so that was a relief because I could see him moving his legs and 1 arm. I figured that besides the head injury, he probably had broken his right arm also. Anyway, it took about 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive after it had been dispatched. Luke kept trying to close his eyes and go to sleep so I did my best to keep him awake and still.

The ride to the hospital was the most terrifying event of my entire life. They weren't prepared for such a small child so there wasn't a neck brace, backboard or oxygen censor that was small enough to fit him. I spent the whole ride holding his head between two towels and pinching him and shining a flashlight in his eyes to keep him awake and screaming so that we could make sure his brain was getting enough oxygen. For the last 2-3 minutes of the ride it was very difficult to keep his eyes open, there were many times I thought he was gone. We finally made it to the Tremonton hospital where they examined him and did the first of many CT scans. They could see that there was a fracture in his skull as well as bleeding and swelling in his brain. On the way to the hospital the ambulance driver had called ahead to let them know we were probably going to need a helicopter to transport him to Primary Children's Medical Center . As he was sent on life flight, all I could think was that I was never going to see my baby again.

Dave was at work when all of this occurred. I called him on my neighbor's cell phone while I was on the other phone with 911 and let him know what was happening. He was able to get to Primary Children's at the same time as the helicopter. I followed about an hour later. Luke was immediately sent for another ct scan which didn't show the bleeding or swelling worsening. That was the first of many positive signs. Anyway, to make a very very long story short, he spent three nights in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (Friday I got to see my baby smile for the first time since the accident)and then got moved to the Infant Unit where we spent another three nights. He is still not completely himself but we see improvement every day. His ct scans have all remained the same which means that the bleeding has stopped but hasn't yet been absorbed back into the brain. He is on some anti-seizure medication now (which along with the fracture makes him dizzy, not a good thing for a 1 year old with a head injury)and has to be watched constantly. Another bump to the head and he will be back on life flight. I am going to have a heart attack by the time this is all over!!!

Anyway, we came home today and I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for the huge outpouring of love from all that we know. We have been truly blessed that we still have our little one with us and are even more blessed to have such wonderful family, friends and neighbors! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have prayed for our family and have helped in so many ways it would be impossible to name them all.....I love you all! I have never felt the Savior's love and comfort so completely in my life. I know that He was there for Luke when I couldn't be and is the reason he is still with us and whole. Please continue to pray for my little one! He still has a long road ahead but the future is looking bright!

I didn't have my camera the first couple of days in the hospital (one of those many things I forgot to grab while frantically packing to follow the helicopter!) The pictures start on Thursday. I will add some from the first couple of days when I get them from my cousin.

For the first 2 days Luke didn't let his Dad and I put him down, we took turns holding and rocking him 24 hours a day. It was very nice when he started sleeping for short periods of time in his crib, not that I went out of sight very often or for very long!

If only my kiss could take this ouchie away!

Luke's entire head swelled to the point he couldn't open either of his eyes. It was very scary and unsettling to him as well as his Dad and I. Don't let the pictures fool you, those smiles are definitely fake (why on earth do we feel like we have to smile for a camera even when we feel like our hearts are being ripped out???) Let me tell you how much he did not like that c-collar! It was just a precaution for a couple of days to make sure there wasn't any ligament damage. When the neurosurgeons said that they wanted to see him happy in order to take it off and do an exam I thought that would never happen. He was finally able to get it off Friday just before we left the PICU.

His eyes are finally open again! Poor baby!

This is Payton and Jared talking to the Child Life Specialist about what is happening to Luke. Payton was so worried about his little brother and not having mom at home that he made himself sick. This woman's job is to help siblings better understand what is going on and even gave them a "hospital buddy" to love while their brother was in the hospital. It made a huge difference for the kids.

Visiting Luke in the PICU with their hospital buddies.

Post PICU, no more C-collar! Elaina's first visit. She was at school when the other two got to come see him. She was soooo excited to see her cute brother. He is starting to look more like himself in this picture.

This was the first night out of the PICU. He was much more himself after getting that c-collar off and having a little more freedom. The nurses brought him a playmat and toys and he actually wanted to play, only while sitting on mom's lap though. It wore him out really quickly as you can see.

I want mommy back!!!

Our comfy accommodations, this is one of the reasons we only averaged 2 hours of sleep a night while in the hospital. The other was that the rocking chair we switched off with was modern and very uncomfortable. I love modern but not for hospitals, we're going for comfort not sophistication here!

Dave and Elaina playing at the Forever Young Playroom.

Bath time. Luke has always loved baths and really perked up when we gave him one on Saturday.

All day Sunday Luke would not put down this toy hammer! He even took it to sacrament meeting at the PCMC branch, and slept with it....

Closeup of his injury sight. This was taken today so it has healed a lot. If you look closely you can see the purple bruising behind his ear and sores that are healing near his temple, this entire side of his head is now turning yellow from bruising (that is mostly bruising not hair that you see). The skull fracture is right above his ear. It looks like a big oval shaped goose egg now that the rest of his swelling has gone down. It is hard to see his injuries from the outside though since all of the bleeding and remaining swelling is inside his skull.

Going home!!!

Thank you also to all of the wonderful nurses and doctors at Primary Children's. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful facility for children so close to home. Please give generously to Pennies by the Inch....those donations help so many little ones like Luke! Also, to those of you in Bear River, we need to all advocate to get a fire station and ambulance in our town, 20 minutes in just a slightly different situation could have cost a life!

Payton's Baptism

2008-09-12T14:17:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures from Payton's baptism (Sept 6th 2008). It was a very nice service, I was teary through the whole thing but kept myself together. It is sooo hard to think that one of my beautiful children has to be accountable for what he does! He is a good boy though and I hope that he will make good choices. I love you Payton and am so very proud of you!

Paint and Tile House update

2008-08-18T09:57:00.007-06:00

Well, AnnMarie asked for it so here it is, an update on the house. We finished the tile on Saturday (I think my hands will never be the same again, they are sooooo sore and swollen!) Here are some pictures of our very colorful house and some of the unfinished tile.

Looking down the hall:

Looking the other way down the hall

The entry is mostly tan except this orange wall. The door will also be orange.

The living room (a really dark brown)

The kitchen. This color really scared me when we put it up but the tan tile really helped tone it down. I think it will look awesome with cabinets and a fabric to tie the turquoise and brown together (the living room and kitchen are actually a great room).

The dining room (can see the turquoise, tan and brown all together)

Luke sitting in the niche above the fireplace (don't worry grandpa is just out of the picture in arms length)

The master bedroom. Don't I have a nice husband, he let me paint our bedroom purple!

The master bath. I know it is kind of hard to tell but that is a really light celery green. It is the same color as our bedspread.

Luke and Elaina's bedroom (1 wall is dark pink, 1 is lime green, 1 is light yellow and the 4th is white) The white wall will eventually be a grid of squares with all 4 colors on it. Not doing that one until we move in!

Payton and Jared's bedroom

Kid's bathroom (same yellow as the wall in the bedroom I didn't take a picture of)

The tile. As you can see, we had to do some pretty good yoga moves to get it in.

Our friend Bruce has nicknamed our house, "the house of many colors." I say it is the house with lots of personality!

Merry Christmas....I mean Happy 8th Birthday Payton!

2008-08-13T12:48:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Payton's 8th birthday on August 3rd. He is going to be baptized on Sept. 6th at 1:00 at the Brigham City North Stake Center. Anyone who would like to join us is welcome! Here are some pictures from his birthday. We celebrated at Grandma and Grandpa Desmond's house. Never mind the Christmas wrapping paper, it was all we could find and it was Sunday so we didn't want to go to the store!

Gotta love the spanking machine!

Seattle

2008-07-14T09:08:00.011-06:00

We decided to take a break and go visit Dan (Dave's brother) and April in Seattle last week. We had a ton of fun. On the 4th we had a bbq with April's brother's family and watched the guys light fireworks. What a bunch of pyros! They live by an Indian reservation so you can buy all the really fun big fireworks. This was only part of the arsenal!

Jared got hit in the forehead by a flaming bee. Ouch! No worries though we got it off him fast and doused him with cold water. It only left a couple of small scabs. Poor kid doesn't have much luck with his face! Of course, two minutes later he is back to smiling. He is such a happy kid!

The day we left we went to Jetty island. It was a lot of fun and we are glad we decided to stay an extra 1/2 day so that we could go.

The ride home was well.....a long drive with whining kids. You know how it goes when vacation ends and kids don't want to leave. Here are our favorites from the trip in no particular order:

13. Luke took his first steps while we were there! First with pushing this bike and then from Ashley to me.

12. Attending the temple
11. Fishing and Foil dinners at the park

10. Jetty island

9. Not working on the house!
8. Playing with cousins

Luke and Emmett

Payton, Elaina and Colton

Ashley and Luke

Lily and Elaina

7. Playing games with Dan and April
6. Fireworks
5. Lots of yummy food (Payton was very glad not to have peanut butter and sawdust sandwiches for dinner every night!)

Elaina, Payton and Colton eating homemade ice cream!

4. Playing in the pool
3. Sleeping lots (we have all been sleep deprived lately!)
2. Seeing a squirrel play dead (we think it got knocked out of a tree by one of the fireworks, kind of a long story)
1. Spending time with the kids

Fun was had by all and we can't wait to go back. Thank you Dan and April for being so hospitable!

Columbus Indiana is under water

2008-06-30T23:56:00.006-06:00

I just talked to my friend Jen today and found out a lot of the town we used to live in got flooded in all of the storms that have hit the Midwest recently. It is kind of scary to think we could have still been there and having to deal with all of that. I was very sad to hear that Karrie and Linda (See other Indiana post) have lost their home completely, it had to be condemned due to the flooding. Our friends the Henrichsens also had to be evacuated and had 4 feet of water in the basement of their home. I am so sorry that has happened, you guys are all in our prayers! Please let us know if there is anything you need! Here are some pictures of the devastating flood.

I think that this is Karrie and Linda's house (found it on the news site). We are not sure where they have gone. Linda, if you are reading this please call or email us and let us know if you are ok!

We considered moving into this apartment complex instead of coming back to Utah.

East High Gymnasium

If you are reading this please keep our friends in Columbus in your prayers!

House Update

2008-06-23T14:34:00.006-06:00

We met with our builder last week and came out somewhat frustrated (ok to be honest we are VERY frustrated). Apparently we are still going to be building 3 months from now and that is IF we get all of our sweat equity stuff done in 30 days (we thought we were going to be done before the kids go back to school). So it is looking like mid to late September before we are going to be able to move in. We are working on housewrap and siding right now and then we will be doing finish work (trim, casings, closet organizers, stairs and railing) and then we will be painting, tiling and finish electrical. I must say the housewrap is much worse than the electrical was. I guess because it is out in the hot sun. If anyone is bored and needs something to do we could definitely use help...... Also, does anyone out there have a trailer we might be able to borrow to live in after the kids start school? I really don't want to have to drive back and forth to town every day. Anyway, here are some pictures I took the other day. Enjoy!

Exterior pictures. Our roof has been in progress for the last month, supposedly it will be done by tomorrow but I am not holding my breath. I just hope it doesn't rain and ruin the sheetrock! The white stuff is the housewrap I was talking about.

Our babysitter. We were waiting to put it up until we moved in but decided to do it earlier to keep the kids entertained while we are working on the house. It has been so nice to not have them whining at us all the time! They love it and it is good exercise so they are going to bed better too!

The garage

Looking down the hall from the laundry room toward the living room and kids bedrooms

Living room and fireplace

Dining (3 windows) and kitchen

Kitchen/Pantry

The kitchen cabinets we picked out. The countertops on the main cabinets will be dark colored and the island cabinet will be the darker wood with a light countertop. I think it will look great!

The future family room in the unfinished basement

It is so hard going home to a bland tiny apartment after being in this beautiful house all day, I can't wait until it is done!

Elaina's Birthday Activity at Cherry Hill

2008-06-23T14:02:00.002-06:00

We went to Cherry Hill last Saturday to celebrate Elaina's 6th birthday. It was a beautiful day and everyone had tons of fun. Thanks again for the tickets mom!!!

Our cute kids all ready for fun in the sun!

Luke the turtle

Fun on the Lazy River

All tuckered out!

Fishing with the Knights

2008-06-23T13:41:00.005-06:00

We went fishing a couple of weeks ago with James and Amber Knight and their kids. We didn't even get a bite but everyone at least had fun eating all the treats we brought and practicing casting. We'll have to go again somewhere where there is actually fish!

Amber with Andrew and Luke

Emery

Payton caught some moss

Dave and Jared

Elaina

My Baby is One!!!

2008-06-10T09:52:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Luke's birthday! I can't believe that he is one already. He has changed a lot in the last couple of months. He finally has a little bit of hair (still not enough that it needs cut though!) He is a very active little boy and is learning a lot of new stuff everyday. While we have been working on the house we have been letting him play in the bathtub (no water of course). I turned around the other day and he was standing outside the tub. I put him back in to see if he could get out again and within a minute he was back out of the tub. The little stinker had figured out that he was just tall enough to get his foot to the top of the tub he then catapulted himself over and landed on his padded bottom. I guess we will have to use the jetted tub for the rest of our work! He can't even walk yet but he can climb out of the bathtub, go figure! Here are some pictures of him from his birthday.

Opening his presents:

His favorite present was this hammer set. He wanted to hold the hammer all night. We had to wrestle it away from him to eat his cake!

His cake (I know not very creative, I need to take a cake decorating class!)

Eating his cake:

"I want my hammer back!"

A little home sick for Indiana!

2008-05-01T10:30:00.011-06:00

I am feeling a little homesick for Indiana today. Ok a lot, I have been crying all day! Some of my friends here in Utah took a girls trip back east to Nashville and Kentucky. Looking at the pictures has made me think a lot about the almost 2 years we spent back there. It wasn't an easy time for our family but we definitely did a lot of growing while we lived there. Here are some pictures from our time there:

I miss my friends the most!!! These pictures were taken the day before I left. We got together for one last picnic in the park with our friends.

My best friend Jen with her little ones. Jen is probably the person I miss the most, she was Indiana in a lot of ways for me. I have told her before that I think I moved to Indiana to meet her. We are kindred spirits and will be friends forever! I miss you Jen! I haven't seen her since this day in the picture (nearly a year now!). As luck has it though she has family in Utah (I think every mormon in the world has at least one!) and I get to see her next week when she comes for her sister's endowment. After our picnic that day I remember standing in the parking lot for probably an hour talking and crying with Jen. We were both so sad that I had to go and that it was such a sudden thing. It is comforting to know however that even if I were in Indiana now, it wouldn't be the same, since Jen moved to North Carolina a couple of months ago. I can't wait to see you next week Jen (sorry to be so sappy, that's just my mood today!) Love ya!

Erin Henrichsen and her girls. Erin and I moved in to the ward at the same time. I found out later that we actually took the apartment that they wanted. Sorry Erin, but if you think about it that apartment was our undoing in a lot of ways. You got the better end of the deal in the end! Erin, Jen and I formed a supper club while we were there. I can still taste your homemade mac and cheese, Erin! It was fun. Hope everyone is well and happy. We miss you guys!

Kristen Koch and kids

Elaina and her friends

This was our wonderful babysitter Karrie and her mom Linda. They really spoiled the kids. My kids still compare all of their babysitters to Karrie! Wish you would come to Utah!

This is the kids with their "Indiana" grandma and grandpa. Mitch and Dova really took all of us in and made us feel like part of their family. They are such wonderful people and are very missed. They are waiting for a mission call and we can't wait to hear where they are going!!! Also, can't wait to see you in June. I talked to Dova yesterday and found out that we are related, maybe. Her ancestors and my ancestors both helped settle Porterville, UT. I am sure our lines cross somewhere and I can't wait to find out where. I knew all along we had a special connection I just didn't know it was a blood connection! Love you guys!

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is one of my favorite memories of Indiana. We got a year long family pass while we lived there and went at least once a month. There is so much to do there (it is the largest childrens museum in the world) we saw something new each time we went. There was definitely something there for everyone. We were finally even able to go through the dinosaur exhibit without the kids being scared out of their minds. If anyone is ever in Indiana with kids, you definitely need to go to this museum and plan on spending all day. This day they had a traveling exhibit of Bob the Builder and Bob himself was wondering around! The kids were a little scared because Bob was huge. You can see the look of distrust on Payton's face. Priceless!

This picture was taken at Clifty Falls state park. It was one of the many times my sister Lesli came to visit us. We were always sooooo excited when family came. That was one of the biggest reasons we came back to Utah. I think that with Lesli married now and living in Fillmore, we see her a little bit more, but not as much as we would like too! Love you Les, thanks for being so supportive of us while we lived away. We always had so much fun while you were there!

Bridges are another thing that always remind me of Indiana. This is the bridge that goes into the little town we called home: Columbus, Indiana. What a beautiful way to enter a town.

This one crosses the Ohio river which is the border between Kentucky and Indiana. I love big bridges!

Brown County was just 10 minutes away from our house and was the most "mountainous" part of Indiana. We had lots of fun hiking here and Dave even found some nice mountain biking trails and went quite often. This is the scene that made me fall in love with Indiana before we even moved there. This is how it looked when we went out there to interview for the job that took us there. It looked just like I have pictured the East in the fall. Nashville, IN (not to be confused with Nashville TN!) is in Brown county and is a fun little art community with shopping galore that I really enjoyed!

Very interesting Architecture is another thing I will always associate with Columbus. Columbus is a small town with big ambition. They are #6 in the nation for architecture behind Washington DC, Chicago, New York, Boston and San Francisco. There are over 70 buildings in town by internationally noted architects! Cummins is the main employer in town and they provide a foundation that pays for big name architects to build public buildings in Columbus. The first picture is the artwork in front of the county library. The 2nd picture is one of the many churches in town. The 3rd one is one of the Cummins buildings and the 4th one is city hall.

Well, thanks for coming with me on a trip down memory lane. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful people we were able to meet while we lived in Indiana. We will forever be enriched by knowing and loving all of you!

Framing

2008-04-21T08:55:00.004-06:00

I know everyone is probably tired of my house pictures, but it is what we are doing right now and I feel like I need to document it. It is getting really exciting now because we actually have something we can walk through!

Setting the trusses:

Front view (south side of house)

Garage side (East side)

The back (North side)

West side

We went on Friday and picked out all of the exterior stuff. We went with a taupe virtical siding, blue accent siding for the eaves, cream for the soffits and trim, black shingles with a little bit of brown in it, rock that resembles multi-colored slate (has all of the above colors in it)and a dark orange metal for the roof above the porch (this part isn't framed yet). Dave thought I was crazy to use this much color until he saw it all together (it probably sounds weird to the rest of you too). Just wait, it is going to look awesome!!!

Exterior Color Scheme for Our House

2008-04-12T23:44:00.015-06:00

We are starting to pick out the materials for the exterior of our house. I was just curious what everyone thinks is our best color scheme.

View the pictures below and then take the poll to the right. Any input would be appreciated! (the poll has closed now, but feel free to leave your opinions in the comments!)

FYI: Our house is going to have a rock wainscot on the front and vertical siding all the way around except possibly in the peaks (there I am considering doing an accent color in horizontal siding). Most of the roof will be regular architectural shingles but there is a small portion over the porch/front door that is going to be metal roofing. I want to do that an orange that mimics the natural color of copper, so try to picture that with the existing color schemes in the pictures. Most of the roof is going to be either dark brown or a brown variation. The rock will also be a brown variation with a little bit of orange and possibly some grays/blues in it. There are also 5 columns across the front of the house that will be similar to the white ones in picture #5. I have not decided what color to do the top of the columns, but I know if the house is a dark color the columns will be light and if the house is light in color then the columns will be dark. Anyways, have fun looking and let me know what you think!

A month's worth of blogs!

2008-04-07T15:17:00.011-06:00

We have been crazy busy at our house. As you can all see from the comments on my last blog, my brother has called me to repentance. So, Brandon, here you go. A month's worth of blogs all in one. You asked for it!

Jared went to the dentist for the first time today! No cavities!

Luke is now crawling.....

and pulling himself up to stand at furniture

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Carter on Conference Saturday. Grandma insisted on taking pictures with Grandpa (it is a tradition that they have a picture with all of the grandkids and great-grandkids sitting with Grandpa in his chair). Grandpa is now 92 and still going strong. I should have taken a picture of the kids with Grandma too since it was her Birthday! (At least she thought it was until it was almost time for us to leave. She got her days mixed up because of conference. I always feel like Saturday is Sunday when it is conference too!). Her birthday was actually Sunday and she is a youngster at 87. Happy Birthday Grandma, we love you!!!

We went down to St. George on March 26-29 to help Mom and Dad move into their new house. Mom, I forgot to take pictures of the house, can you send me some? Dave and I celebrated our 9th anniversary while we were there. That makes 2 anniversaries in a row that we have spent moving someone (last time it was us). It was actually a great anniversary to reminisce since we spent our honeymoon in St. George/Vegas and Zion National Park. That is the first time we have been back to Zion since our honeymoon. We also went to dinner and to the Family Fun Center. Anyway, here are some pictures :

Lesli and Russ at Virgin City park where we stopped for a picnic

Hiking at Zion

All of us on the Zion shuttle. The kids got camelpacks for Christmas and got to use them for the first time. Jared liked it so much he drank all of it within about an hour and a half. We were having to stop constantly to let him go potty. Including in the middle of the trail where he peed all over his dads boots. Then we got on the shuttle to head back to our cars and the fun began. He told us he needed to go potty again and then started jumping up and down saying, "ouch, ouch!" Next thing we know there was a huge stream going right down the middle of the aisle. It was funny to everyone around but he was so embarrassed. He just layed his head down on his Dad's lap and wouldn't look at anyone. I then had the fun job of telling the driver that my son had an accident all over the bus. She was very put out that he had done that and had to close the back half of the bus (they are tandem buses so the driver is in the front and the back is another bus hooked to the first like a train). Anyways, it was a bus ride we will never forget!

The kids on Easter morning

Bowling fun!

The egg drop. This is something the Elementary school does every year. Each family takes a raw egg and trys to make it so that it won't break when dropped out of an airplane. Payton came up with the idea to cushion it with cotton balls and wrap it in tape. We did 3 layers like that but....it broke! Better luck next year Payton. If you look closely at the airplane picture you can see little black dots behind it, that is some of the eggs being thrown.

Elaina's community helper project. She did it on cooks and interviewed the school cook. She also got to help Mom make a spaghetti dinner one night so she could learn hands-on. Here she is making bread sticks.

She learned that she doesn't like cutting onions because they make you cry!

Here are Elaina and Jared at the school cafeteria in front of the huge cans of food

The house has a foundation. The foundation got poured the end of February and then we had some problems with water accumulating in the bottom (it was up over the footings at one point). We finally had to put in a sump pump to take care of the water issues and they started to frame just this week (I will post pictures when it the framing is done).

The Jazz Game

2008-02-26T15:47:00.004-07:00

I surprised my family with tickets to a Jazz game for Valentines Day. We went to the game on Saturday the 23rd. They were playing Atlanta Hawks and won. GO JAZZ!!! I was a little worried when I bought the tickets that Jared and Luke might be difficult to take but I wanted to make it a whole family activity. Can you believe Jared sat and watched the whole thing (lots of treats didn't hurt any! His favorite was chanting B-Pants which is 3-year-old for D-Fense) and Luke fell asleep with all that noise! I would definitely do it again. We all had a lot of fun.

Sledding at Matt and Becky's House

2008-02-26T15:18:00.005-07:00

My kids have been begging to go play with their cousins. Last Friday I finally decided to stop waiting for my brother to call so I called and invited us to their house (thanks for being good sports Matt and Becky!). We took dinner and snow clothes and headed to Liberty. I could not believe the snow when we pulled up to their house! Their mailbox was completely covered! Becky said the snow has melted about 4 feet in the last couple of weeks. What a winter in Utah!!!

The Expedition is in the turn around drive behind this snowbank! And that's my brothers....roof.

Payton and Elaina had a ton of fun sledding in the neighbors front yard with Brennan and Kamryn!

My New Found Love

2008-02-21T11:49:00.006-07:00

I have a new hobby that I love. Now I just need to figure out where I can do it. Anyone in Bear river have a workshop or unfinished basement I could borrow??? I would be willing to trade either a stained glass or Interior Design work if anyone is interested. These are my projects I did in class. My next one I would like to do is for Elaina and Luke's bedroom.

Project 1: This one took me 9 hours because I was learning while I was doing it.

Project #2: This one only took 3, I'm getting faster!!!

My Hubby

2008-02-21T10:54:00.004-07:00

I found this on another blog and thought it might be a good way to introduce Dave. I haven't talked much about him on the blog up until now so here goes:

What is his name? David A Desmond (always has felt cheated out of a middle name!)
How long have we been married? nearly 9 years, March 27, 1999
How long did you date? We got engaged after 2 weeks but talked about it after 3 days. Up until the day he asked me out he thought I was married. It is kind of a funny story so here goes. We worked together at the LDS church distribution center in SLC. We talked all the time and I was so frustrated after 6 months that he hadn't asked me out yet. I was telling a friend of mine how I wished he would ask me out. Little did I know that later that day she went out to talk to him and told him I wanted to go out with him. He said, "I thought she was married!" Later that day when I ran into him he said, "I have an extra ticket to the Christmas Devotional if you want to go." My friend that I mentioned earlier had told me that he had a girlfriend so the way that he asked made me think I was being asked to go as a third wheel. Not exactly what I had in mind. This happened the weekend before Thanksgiving and the devotional wasn't until the second week of December. Anyways, to make a long story short, the next Monday he asked me if I was doing anything after work. We went on our first date that night (he inadvertently met my parents that night when he picked my up at my apartment, it was the first time they had visited since I moved to SL!) On Wednesday we talked about getting married. On Friday we went to my parents house so he could talk to my Dad. The following saturday he proposed officially. By the time our "first date" to the christmas devotional came around we had been engaged for a week. It was very exciting (yet very scary!) to get engaged that fast but it was definitely the best decision I have ever made. He is a very good husband. I love you honey!
How old is he? 33
Who eats more? He does if it is junk food. I do if it is vegetables.
Who said "I LOVE YOU FIRST"? He did.
Who is taller? He is.
Who sings better? I do.
Whose temper is worse? Mine is most of the time.
Who does the laundry? Both of us. I wash and fold and he puts it away most of the time.
Who does the dishes? Both
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does
Who mows the lawn? He will once we have a lawn!
Who pays the bills? I do.
Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but Dave is great to help if I just don't feel like it!
Who is more stubborn? He is, though I am a close runner up.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither of us :) see previous question
Who's parents do you see the most? Hmmmmm. Lately neither very often. My parents moved to St. George a couple of weeks ago and his are in West Jordan.
Who has more siblings? I have 5, he has 4.
Who wears the pants in the family? I like to let him think he does ;)
Where does he work? He works as a contractor on Hill Aif Force Base.

The Hole

2008-02-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

We now are official owners of a hole in the ground! Can't wait to get everything else going on the house. We may have a foundation by the end of the week. Everyone pray that the storms hold off!!!

La Vida Loca!

2008-02-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

We are finally settled into our little apartment here in Tremonton and have internet again. Yea! What a crazy time of life for us. We moved from Mom and Dad's house in mid January. Their house sold after just 1 day on the market so we had to find a place to go quickly. We decided if we were going to have the kids change schools that we would like them to go to the same school they will be in next year once the house is done. Since there were no homes for rent in Bear River, we decided to get creative. We knocked on doors of people who have their house for sale to see if they would be willing to rent to us while their house is on the market. We met one girl that said there is a farmhouse in Corinne that they were planning on moving to if their house sold but that we could probably rent it at least until their house sells. We thought we were free and clear since their house is a pre-fab with no garage, we figured we would have plently of time to get the house built before it sold. Boy were we wrong!!! After staying in the house just 5 nights we called our landlord to let him know that we needed the lane to the house plowed since both of our vehicles got high centered in the snow. He said, "Not only that but Kimmie's house sold so they are going to need to be moving in there." That was Tuesday (the day right after I unpacked the last of the boxes) and we moved again that Friday. We have definitely moved a lot since we got married but I never planned on moving twice in two weeks! Talk about stressful. So now we are in Tremonton (about 15 minutes north of Bear River) and I am running kids back and forth to school 3 times a day. Needless to say, I don't have much time to breathe. I just hope the gas money doesn't make us go broke before the house is done! LOL

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2007-12-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

The kids had fun putting ornaments on the Christmas tree.

(It's sometimes hard to keep clothes on a 3 year old! I was just glad he kept his pants on!!!)

Mom had fun playing with the settings on my camera!

Lights at Temple Square

2007-12-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to temple square to see the lights for family home evening this week.

Can you tell we were freezing???

I thought that Payton would remember us going in past years but he didn't. Elaina was a small baby the last time we went so it was understandable that she didn't remember either. They really enjoyed seeing the lights. Payton said his favorite part was going up to see the Christus. There were too many people to get a picture up there. I have always loved the nativity that they do outside the visitors center.

SOOOO BIG!!!

2007-12-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Luke is getting so big. He turned 6 months on the 9th. It is crazy how fast they grow and change. He started sitting up by himself a couple of weeks ago. As you can tell, he thinks he is pretty cool stuff!

He is a very sweet baby with a cute personality. His Daddy adores him!

His Big Sister loves him too! She is miss Mommy and is very helpful with her baby brother.

House Fell Through

2007-11-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we aren't getting the house after all. There ended up being a lot of things we didn't notice were unfinished. Our realtor is blind so we were so busy leading her through the house that we didn't really see all of the doors and window sills and light switch covers that were missing. I didn't even notice that neither of the closets in the master bedroom had any hanging bars in them yet. I know sounds pretty dumb, I don't know how we missed that. It would have been very helpful to have an agent that could see and point that kind of stuff out (it's kind of a long story how we got into that situation and will eventually be funny). Anyways, due to the inspection, we decided to back out of the contract. Needless to say we are not going to be using that agent anymore either. So, we're back to square one.

We are finally getting our own house!!!

2007-10-25T21:46:00.001-06:00

We signed a contract to buy a house today. I never thought it would take this long. In fact, I am still wearing capris because all of my winter clothes are in storage. LOL. Luckily it hasn't been too cold (except the day it snowed all day and I just hung out in the house all day in my sweats). So, anyways back to the house. I know I said that we were looking in Brigham city but we just couldn't find anything up there that would work for our family. All of the kitchens were too small to fit a table big enough for our family and we all know that Utahns don't believe in building dining rooms in houses (or if you didn't you do now). We have been looking for the last couple of weeks for a house everywhere from North Ogden all the way down to Kaysville (that is about a 30 minute drive from one end to the other all on the freeway for those of you who don't know Utah very well). Needless to say we had a lot of houses to choose from and we found the perfect one for our family. Well, maybe not perfect since it is a little close to my parents (love you Mom and Dad, please don't get mad if you read this :) The address of the house is 2793 W. 5775 S in Roy. It is 3200 sq ft (nearly 3 times the size of our apartment in Indiana). It has 5 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. The best part is that it has 2 jetted tubs so I don't have to share mine with the kids. It is an older home but has been completely remodeled. They put in a brand new deck that is huge and it has a basketball court in the back yard. There is also a huge room we are going to make into a game room so hopefully our kids won't be so bored next summer! I will get my own little reading room/library complete with fireplace!!! If you can't tell, I am really excited about the house. Can't wait to close and move in so we can walk around in our underwear again. Oops! Did I say that. I will post some pictures as soon as I can (not of the underwear thing, just the house).

Dave's new job

2007-10-10T09:24:00.000-06:00

Yea!!! Dave has a new job. He will start working on Monday October 15 for Tybrin Corporation on Hill AFB here in Ogden. He will be doing business analyst work on top secret military projects (ooooh, mysterious);) He was able to negotiate a great salary (way to go dear!). We are going to Brigham city today to look for a house. It is a cute little town about 30 minutes from where he will be working. We are really excited to be able to get out on our own even though we will miss grandma and grandpa. Hopefully everyone hasn't given up on our blog. I am going to try to do better at updating it more often. There are a few things I need to still add so hopefully nobody cares if things are out of order! That is just how my brain works.

Kids August 2007

2007-08-28T11:11:00.000-06:00

Kids having fun at the mall.

The kids are all doing really well. Payton started 2nd grade last week. Elaina starts Kindergarten tomorrow and is soooo excited to make new friends (they have all really missed their friends in Indiana!) Jared is currently potty training. He is doing really well. When I told him we were going to potty train he got really excited and started jumping up and down. I was kind of surprised he was so excited. When I told him he needed to sit on the potty to do his business he just melted and started screaming, "No, train! Train!" I guess I should be careful about how I phrase things with a 2 year old! Well, I promptly went to Walmart and got him a thomas train set to earn one piece at a time. He has already earned all of the pieces 2 weeks later and is hardly having any accidents. I wish potty training was always this easy! Luke just had his pictures taken yesterday so those will be coming your way shortly!

2007-08-28T11:09:00.000-06:00