Fun at the Rec Center and Other Happenings...

So, I think it's pretty good that it's only been 10 days between posts as opposed to more than 30 :) This past Friday, the Cody Rec Center celebrated their 11th anniversary, so I took the kids up there to have some good, clean fun. We started out with some of the outdoor games and I am proud to say that both kids hit the target on the dunk tank! They both have their mommy's athletic abilities! Then we did a little bit of slipping and sliding. When we went inside I was a little apprehensive to let them get into the water by themselves, but they begged and begged and they both know how to swim pretty well and they both were ready to wear live vests so, I went ahead and let them play in the shallow end while Ava and I supervised. They had so much fun. Breckin waited under one of the water toys that pour water out when it is full and there was a little incident involving a full moon of half of the pool. However, he did recognize what had just happened and pulled his pants up quickly and returned to playing. Ashlyn grabbed a floating lily pad and was kicking her little heart out. I see a future in competative swimming for her :) Ava slept, watched the kids, ate, and slept some more :) Later, the kids participated in some of the games they had out to play. They one some small prizes that are now lost in the deep recesses of their mess of a room! I'm sure that my vacuum cleaner will find them eventually. Last weekend, Ashlyn, Ava and I made a weekend trip up to Cut Bank, Montana for my great-grandma's 95th birthday celebration. My mom finally got to meet Ava and play with Ashlyn some. The first day,we picked my mom up from Great Falls and we just spent some time with family and then I took the girls back to the hotel so that they could get some sleep before the party the next day. The next morning Ashlyn and I both woke up at about 7:00 and Ashlyn (who was sharing a bed with Grandma Kathy) informed me that her bedmate snored. I busted out laughing, so did my mom. We got ourselves ready, ate breakfast at a cute, old restaurant in Cut Bank and then went over to see how we could help. We set everything up for the party and then entertained guests for a few hours, visited with family and had a really great family dinner prepared, in most part, by my grandma and my uncle. Later that evening, the kids wanted to go swimming and so my mom got in with Ashlyn and my aunt and cousin got in with my cousin's daughter. I opted out because of the questionable color of the water. No body contracted any disease though, so I guess I could have risked it :) Ashlyn saw the 11th hour, that last evening and my mom and I stayed up until 2:00 am just talking and catching up. I really miss her :( The next morning we had breakfast that my great-grandma made for us, which was great, and I took my mom to airport. Ashlyn and I stopped at Sonic and sugared up for the drive ahead. We finally came home, exhasted, at about 7:00. It was a fast but happy trip. Oh, and did I mention that we went to Sonic? :) Today, with the help of some really great tunes, I have gotten the fridge cleaned out and some much needed housework done. I did, however, sleep in until 9:00 which was really nice. I haven't slept that late in probably a year. I feel well rested and ready to tackle the day as well as some of the projects that I've pinned on Pintrest. I started in the kitchen by chopping up some veggies and whatnot for the jar salads I found on there. They are for next week when I'll be washing some windows and just want to be able to grab something really quick for lunch. Here's a pic of some of those. The rest of the day consists of painting Ashlyn's toenails to look like lady bugs and repainting my own finger nails a pale pink with black french tips, also Pintrest finds! There are also some little projects I have in the works. So, here's to sleeping in! P.S. Just for fun, I took this picture of my brother as a baby while we were at my great-grandma's house. Have you ever seen a cuter, fatter baby?!

Summer is Upon Us!!

Holy cow!!! I can't believe that it's been over a month and I haven't written anything!! That is really sad, considering that I don't have any school work to do right now. I do, however, have four kids, so I guess that it kind of evens out. Summer is here in Cody in full force. It officially begins when I start to get really annoyed by tourists who don't know how to drive :) Seriously folks, with inventions like GPS now, you should be able to navigate your way around our small town without going 10 miles an hour on Sheridan Ave! This summer we have several things planned. This weekend Ashlyn, Ava and I are going up to Cut Bank, Montana to celebrate my Great-Grandmother's 95th birthday. She actually turned 95 in April, but this is most convenient for everyone's travel plans. That is probably the only big trip that we'll take this summer. Updates: For those of you who don't know, Jame was let go from his job in March and has been doing temporary stuff to help pay the bills since then. He did have an opportunity to be the Chief of Police in Byron, but who really wants to be THAT guy?! Everyone hates him and after talking to the new Chief of Police in Powell and getting some advice from him, he decided that it wasn't worth all of the trouble and stress that he would have to go through. He would be away from us for ten to twelve hours a day six to seven days a week, he would have to work up to fourteen hour days during Byron days, they neglected to tell us that the house that they were going to provide was demolished and the land was sold earlier this year, he would be required to write a minimum of sixty citations every month and we would have to change our plates to 9 county :( So, after careful consideration and prayer, he decided not to take the job. Since then, it's been temp work and continuting to look for and apply for jobs. We're keeping our fingers crossed and saying our prayers that he hears something from somewhere soon. We've applied all around the states and right now would be more than willing to move if we found a good fit. Thank goodness we saved our tax return because that has saved our hide, that and paying our tithing :) Ava is growing big. She is awake most of the time and has quite a sweet personality. She is a happy baby and I am so excited for my mom to meet her this weekend! Ashlyn is pretty excited to see Grandma Kathy and her cousin Hailey too!! There's also a swimming pool in our hotel, so she's looking forward to that was well :) Mugga calls Ava, Avy and I have to say that I kind of like it. I might start calling her that too, before she's old enough to get confused :) Anyway, she goes to the doctor tomorrow for her two month check up and I'm hoping that she and I both do okay when she has to have her shots :( I hate that part! Addy is eighteen months old now and she can FINALLY go to Nursery at church! Can I get a Hallelujah?! The girl really knows how to push my buttons. She gets into stuff she's not supposed to, has quite an attitude problem and doesn't seem to grasp the concept of NO! It's a good thing that she's cute or she'd be out! Let's hope that since she entered the terrible two's early, she gets over them quickly because right now it's a battle of wits and I don't know how long I'll be winning when school starts again! Breckin got screened and registered for kindergarten. I met with his IEP team and the team from the Children's Resource Center before his screening and we went over his IEP together. He'll be seeing the Speech and Language Pathologist for some of his pronunciation issues and the Occupational Therapist for the tremor in his hands, it's hereditary, from his dad. He has been attending the Kindergarten Readiness Camp for the past two weeks and will continue next week and the week after. They like to give the Head Start kids a little more time so that they can become better acclimated to the environment and the rules of kindergarten. So far, things have gone pretty smooth, with the exception of the incident with the bus driver this morning. I just have a very low tolerance for rude people and when he tells me that we need to be out there waiting at 7:20 and by the time I get him on the bus and back up to the apartment, it's 7:21, I kind of lose my cool. Don't worry, he'll be hearing about it either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. He should be aware of his poor attitude! This is why I don't want my kids riding the bus, every bus driver I have ever heard of has been a jerk! Anyway, Ashlyn is bored. I told her she could clean her room, but that's boring! We have a list of things to do this summer, but it's been kind of hard to accomplish when there are naps to give, a house to clean, laundry to do, meals to plan and make, messes to clean up and a number of other things. Last week we had a water day with some of their friends and they loved it! This week we're going to Montana. I think I'll try to have a goal for each week. I would love to truck them all over to the park, but it's kind of difficult with only a one seat stroller. I need to find a double stroller so that we can get out of this house more! She is a great helper though, and I really enjoy the special time I get to spend alone with her. We have been reading some of the American Girl books for the summer reading program that the kids are doing. We went through one in a day and will probably finish another one today. That's good because we have to take our trip to the library tomorrow since we won't be here this Friday when we usually do it. Ashlyn also got new glasses! She picked some out that I really didn't think that she would like, but she loooooves them! It wasn't that big of a deal and she got a pretty good treat for being so compliant with the eye doctor :) Here are some images from our summer so far!! Finally, I have turned 29. I am officially going to enter my 30th year of life. I have been married for eight years, I have four children, I have moved a total of seen times in my life, I have taken trips across the country and I have had a very blessed life experience so far. I am so grateful for all of the family and friends that I am priviledged to have. I have learned so much from all of them. I am also very grateful for all of the experiences that I have had in my life, they have helped make me who I am. Through the trials of this life, I have found that I have become more optimisitc and hopeful. I feel that this is one of the divine gifts that my Heavenly Father has given me. I have always thought of spiritual gifts as more temporal things, but I have learned that my bright outlook and attitude in the midst of difficulty is something that I have been truly blessed with. I wouldn't give up this gift for anything! This year I was inspired by another blog to come up with a word of the year, a word that I would live by for the year, so until next June, my word for the year is DREAM! I have a lot of dreams and aspirations that I would love to see fulfilled, many of my dreams I have already seen come to pass. I have a beautiful family that I am close to and I love, I am able to live in a place that I enjoy and that I am comfortable in being in, I am able to continue my education in a field that I enjoy and I have passion for and I have a great support system around me to bouye me up when I feel low. However, there are still many dreams (big and small) that I have yet to fulfill and that is what this year is about! So wish me luck and come back here to join me on my journey to follow and fulfil my dreams!

Avalyn Noelle-The Gift

For those of you who don't know already, we had our little girl on April 12th at 12:52 in the afternoon. Here is her story: Avalyn, or Ava, as we call her was a surprise baby. We were using precautions and we ended up with a little surprise. We weren't sure how to handle it, having just had Addy, but the Lord knows better than we do, so we just kind of go with the flow. I let Jame have a say in naming this baby, more so than I have before, which is why her name is Avalyn and not just Ava. I decided that her middle name should be Noelle because it is French for "Christmas" and she is the gift that we have been given, a gift we didn't know we wanted until we got it :) The BIG day: The day Ava was born was stormy and rainy here in Wyoming. My parents were leaving on a flight to go to Texas and my father-in-law, Ned just happened to have the day off of work because they were going to go hiking, however, that didn't happen. I started having quick contractions at about 4:30 in the morning. I tried tossing and turning over, hoping that they would go away, but they didn't. I decided to get in the shower to try to relax, that didn't help either, but it did feel good to take a shower by myself, I just have to be up at 5:00 in the morning to do it :) I got myself dressed and ready and went and poked Jame, who was asleep on the couch, and told him that I thought I might be in labor. He mumbled "mmm, huh" and went back to sleep. I went and laied down on my bed and tried to relax again. Ashlyn came in at around 7 and saw me in pain, she went out and told her daddy that something was wrong, she actually got him to wake up!!! He told me that he hadn't heard me at all!!! He started running around nervously, making sure everything was ready to go and that the kids were all ready and dressed, just in case we had to go. At around 8:30, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to go out to the in-laws house and drop the kids off. I had already called them and let them know what was going on and I had called my mom and dad, while they were on their way to the airport, and let them know. My dad said, "Are you serious?" Ha, ha!! They weren't expecting it, but neither was I. We hung around at the in-laws for a while and then at around 10:00, I thought that maybe we should head to the hospital. We go to the hospital in Powell because I like their doctors better and I just think that they give all around better care than the Cody hospital does. I called my doctor's office to see who the doctor on call was, because Dr. Bohlman conveniently planned a little Hawaiian vacation the week before my due date!! I was a little worried about who it was, I hadn't heard good things, and so I wasn't in any hurry to get there, Jame was however. He always speeds to the hospital and we always get there just in time, I think he just doesn't want to have to deliver a baby! We got to the hospital and got checked in. The nurses checked me and I was dialated to a 3, so they asked us to walk around for a half an hour. We walked around the hospital for a while and then I got checked again. I was dialated to a 6. They asked me how I had planned my pain management. I have never had an epidural, I've heard good things, it's just never happened. I decided to just get the Fentanyl that they usually give me. Jame warned the nurses about 3 times that when they gave me my pain meds, they should have the doctor ready because everything happens very quickly after that. They listened to him and soon the doctor was in the room. The attending nurse tried twice to get my IV in and finally had to ask for help. I had to sit still while I was in pain and then I was being poked multiple times on top of that. It was probably the worst part. The doctor told them to give me the Fentanyl and then he would be back. Jame warned him to not go too far because within about 30 minutes, I would be ready to start pushing. When they put the pain meds in I got a little sleepy, but it didn't seem like the pain went away all that much. Jame says that I had a better disposition after that :) The doctor got back just in time and I began pushing. He got ready just in time and I pushed for about twelve minutes before Ava was out. She weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces. She is our smallest baby. The minute I saw her, Irealized the great gift that I had been given. She has dark hair and opened her little blue eyes to me right away. She is so precious and we love her so much. Since Ava has been home, things have been a little crazy. I still had school to finish, which is now done!!!! I also have three other little people that need things like food, sleep, baths, attention and love. When I was younger, I didn't know how mothers with more than two kids could have enough to give all of their children. I have found a way though. Jame has been very helpful and willing to do almost anything that I ask of him. He watches the kids (all four) while I go work out or go to the grocery store. He also gives baths and puts kids to bed. It has been a juggling act, but so very worth it. I'm not sure if our little family is completely complete, we'll see what happens in the future, but for now our hearts are very full!!

Addy-Addy

Addy is our third child and a joy to have around. The girl definently has a personality. She is very entertaining. Jame and I ofthen find ourselves watching her, even when the television is on. She is a good little sister and she is teaching Breckin how to treat women. She abuses him and messes with him and he just takes it. It's good practice for marriage :) Addy loves her new little sister...more about her in another post. She is always kissing her and wanting to hold her and touch her. We have to be very careful about her, but the worry that I had about her being jealous was just unnecessary because she loves her very much. Addy is very outspoken. She doesn't say much, but she lets you know that she is in the room. The girl definitely has a set of lungs on her. She is mostly a happy baby, unless she's sick or tired or hungry. Then she lets you know what she wants...NOW!! Addy is the most cuddly baby I have ever had. Breckin was cuddly for like a second, Ashlyn was to busy exploring her world and being independent to come and cuddle with mommy, but Addy LOVES to cuddle. The girl will have someone pick her up and she will wrap her arms around their neck and lay her head down on their shoulder. She will stay this way for a while. She just loves to touch and be touched. At bedtime, she cuddles up with Daddy on the couch in a special reclined position and usually falls asleep this way. Addy is a very compassionate little girl. I can see how she has already developed empathy and sympathy. Whenever someone is upset, she will approach them with her brow furrowed in concern and either pat them or hug them so that they can feel better. I remember one day when I was upset and crying on the floor and Addy toddled up to me with the look of concern on her face and climbed up into my lap to cuddle and make me feel better. She is such a sweet little girl. Addy fits perfectly into our family. She is a sweet little sister and a loving big sister. It is a gift to be able to watch her grow and entertain us everyday. She is one of the happiest babies that I have ever had or met. We love her so much!!

Brecky-Bear!

So, to continue the story of those three, almost four, perfect little things in my life, we have Breckin, or Brecky-Bear, or Baby-Breckin, or when he is particularly ornery, B-Rat!

Breckin is the only boy that I will probably ever have, unless Jame gets baby hungry. He is my special little boy. He is surrounded on all sides by girls and as a result has become ALL BOY.

Breckin is an amazing artist. He is constantly drawing, painting, sketching, whatever he can do that is artistic, he is doing it. He is so creative and smart. His teachers already have told me how well he can draw for someone his age and how his drawings really do look like what he intends them to look like. I don't have an artistic bone in my body and Jame's artistic abilities are limited to Spongebob animations, so I have no idea where he is getting this from.

Breckin loves music. He loves to sing and dance and he can hear a song a few times and know the general words to it. He really likes Katy Perry and Glee. He's silly that way. He also likes The Wizard of Oz. He can tell you every little detail of that movie and often dreams about the "scary Lion" and the "Witch" and the "Tin Man" and the "Scarecrow". He does get his musical appreciation from me, which I hope that he will pursue when he gets older. I think that if he can get over his shyness, he could be a great little performer. For now, we have to watch him perform when he thinks we aren't paying attention.

Finally, Breckin is very loving to his sisters, and he's going to have to be. I have seen how he loves Addy and puts up with her whacking at him and sitting on him and trying to wrestle with him. He tries to be as gentle as he can because he has this instinct that girls are fragile and need extra care. He and Ashlyn are best friends and worst enemies sometimes, but most of the time they are best friends. He loves all of his sisters, even the one that he hasn't laid eyes on yet. He kisses them and hugs them and cuddles with them. I know that one day there will be a very lucky woman that Breckin meets who he will treat with all of the love and respect that he has learned to treat his sisters with.

There are so many other things that I could say about my special little boy, but for me, he is just the perfect little boy. At times, he can try his mommy's nerves, but he is always so loving and caring that it is difficult for me to stay mad at him for very long. I am so grateful that I have this second little perfect person in my life.

The First Perfect Thing In My Life

This is the first part of a four-part series devoted to each one of my children. Jame mentioned to me that there are four things in his life that he feels he has done perfectly and that is our three, soon to be four children. That got me thinking about each one of them and how absolutely perfect they really are, to me. They may not be well-behaved all of the time, but because Jame and I worked together with our Heavenly Father to create them, they are in some part, perfect.

Ashlyn: She is the most intelligent little girl that I know. I have proof too! She is so curious about everything. Her favorite book to check out at the library is a pop-out book called ALIVE that gives different 3-D diagrams of the human body. She spends a lot of time digesting and studying the "Body Book". She has also been asking about the Eiffel Tower and France lately. As a result, we checked out some books about France and the Eiffel Tower from the library. She sat at the kitchen table for almost an hour studying about France and asking questions about the culture in France and the Eiffel Tower. Later, I got on the computer and we took a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. We also went on a tour of Mary Tudor's castle. I hope that one day she can experience these things in real life. It seems as though it would be so unfair if she couldn't.

Ashlyn is also one of the most compassionate little people I have ever met. She is very aware of other's feelings and is empathetic to them. When she was in preschool in Laramie, her teacher told me that she had a special gift for helping kids with special needs. She had a way of talking to them that would make them understand what they needed to do. I chalked it up to being bossy and the other kids not minding her bossing them around, but I've been able to see her interact with some of the kids in her kindergarten class and I have seen this gift at work. She has patience for them that other children don't and she is very empathetic to the fact that they need a friend and she is willing to be their friend. The girl truly has a heart of gold.

Ashlyn is like her mommy and her Grandma Kathy in the respect that she feels that everyone should be treated fairly and even if it is hard, you should always do the right thing. This is probably one of the greatest lessons that I can give to my kids and I am grateful that my parents gave it to me. Of course she had her episodes of telling lies, which is developmentally appropriate for all children, but she has a very keen sense of right and wrong and has a great desire within her to do what is right. Her Mugga wrote the Indian name that she gave her on the inside of a book, her Indian name is "She Who Chooses The Right" and it's true. The girl is only six years old and she tries to do the right thing in almost any situation that she is in. She also encourages and influences her brother and sister to try to do the right thing. We talk often about different situations that we might find ourselves in when we have to choose what is right and what is wrong and she always gives me the right answer. I am so blessed to have such an obedient and helpful child. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father, that he sent her to me first. All of my children have a very special place in my heart and I think because Ashlyn is so much like me, her place is extra special!

Recent Happenings

So, yea, it's been a while.
Sorry about that...I've been a little busy. Three little ones, harboring another little life, cooking, cleaning, school, busing kids around, etc. I guess things got a little away from me. Right now my house isn't even in order, but dinner is on! So there have been a few minor developments that have occurred in our lives.

1. I GOT AN IPHONE!!! I love it!! I don't know what I did before Siri entered my life, she makes things so much easier. I don't have to try to remember a million and one things because she does it for me! I also have Instagram, which I LOVE!!! Sorry Droid users, it's not available for you :)

2. I've instituted donut dates with my kiddos. These dates occur when kids don't have school for the day, which means Breckin gets one every other week. This week, however, Ashlyn and Breckin both had Friday off, so we went down to Peter's Cafe and had a cinnamon roll date instead. The weather was beautiful and it was a nice way to spend the morning.




3. Addy is getting big, and smart. I asked her to throw a diaper away for me the other day and she toddled over to the garbage and put the diaper in there. Just a little while ago, however, she tried to throw her brother's book away. I'll have to keep a closer eye on what is in my garbage can now.



4. Speaking of smart, Ashlyn took an aptitude test at school a few weeks ago and we got her results this week. Apparently she is above the average for both her age and her grade level, so we have decided to investigate the StarGate Program that they have in the school system to see what is available for her.

5. I have Spring Break this week and I'm planning on using this time very productively. I'm going to try to get ahead in some of my classes so that when this baby comes in a month, I won't fall behind. I also plan on completing some of the crafts that I've gathered materials for, but haven't started yet.




Well, there's the brief recap of what you've missed. Nothing to exciting, except for the IPhone part :) I should be updating more this week, seeing as I have the time and I hope to be able to post some of the projects I've done.

Later...