Deck the Halls

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Dear Santa

We took our kids to see Santa today. I wanted to get it done early this year in order to avoid the crowds and to insure that we actually did it (last year we didn't). I did everything right: checked the schedule, gave Korbin a nap , made sure he had a snack beforehand, got them dolled up in their holiday attire and we were off. The only problem, the schedule neglected to mention that Santa eats dinner from 4-5:00. We got there at 4:22. So we headed over to the Disney Store to browse which ended up working out perfectly. They were having an awesome sale, Buy 1 toy, get 1 free. Ka ching! We ended up getting Korbin's main Christmas present (we had already purchased one but with this great deal we were able to get him both - think Toy Story's main characters). Korbin did very well considering he had to sit on some strange, old man's lap after "waiting" for 40 minutes. He was weary at first, but with a little coaxing he did just fine. And Chloe was an angel. She slept through the entire mall excursion.

So, if you go to have pictures taken with Santa at the University Mall, be advised, he is dining on cookies and hot cocoa from 4-5:00 pm.

p.s. I was much happier with this years Santa than the one a few years ago. Talk about C-R-E-E-P-Y...

Introducing

Chloe Marie

We just

love her

to pieces!

More to come later...

A Halloween Gourd

Now that I think I look more pregnant than just fat, here is a picture.
Only a little over two weeks to go (hopefully) !

Update: We have moved! Last Saturday afternoon we found out that someone had signed the contract and was moving in Wed, September 30 (that's four days notice, well technically 3 and a half, for those of you who don't want to do the math). So we packed the rest of our stuff up and had some fantastic people from our ward and some pretty fantastic family members help us move. By Saturday night the only furniture that remained in the house was our bed and Korbin's play pen. It's amazing the way things work out when you leave it up to Heavenly Father. We have been very blessed indeed.

So we are now at my parents' house and causing quite the commotion for everyone. These are the times we will look back on and laugh about.....right?

I Have Fallen off the Face of the Earth

Well, almost, but not quite. Some days it feels like it though. I have actually been lost in the midst of moving boxes and cleaning and straightening the house in the hopes that someone will fall in love with our home and want to throw us out. Ok, so I have mixed emotions on the subject. I'll be sad either way. We love this little house (ugly sponge paint and all). It's not the biggest house, it's not the fanciest house as far as finishes go but it's the first home we have all had together as a family (minus that week after Korbin was born in that little apartment) and it's the home we found out that Chloe was going to join our family in. It's the home that I have had visions of decorating for Halloween since we moved in last November. But we can't afford it anymore, not since Tucker lost his job last month. We don't even own it, but I feel like someone trying to sell a house. We have had several people look at it and a couple of them really seemed interested, but so far no takers.

So if anyone was wondering, I am still here. And holy smokes! Does that baby ticker really say only 45 days left?!?!?! I swear it said 200 just the other day. I am having deja vous towards the end of this pregnancy. Packing and moving (and looking for a job) is definitely NOT how I would recommend spending the last couple months of a pregnancy and yet here I am doing it again. If this is the way my pregnancies are going to end then we may have to rethink having any more kids...

****Note****
If anybody is looking for a really cute house in Heber, with a big fenced in yard, in a really nice neighborhood, with a great ward and schools just right down the street, let me know; *wink* I may have just the thing for you...

Ah, the Good Ol' Days

Did anyone else love the Gummi Bears as much as I did when I was a kid? I think my favorites had to be Grammi and Sunni. And the good news is that you can now buy seasons 1-3 on DVD! How cool is that? I am adding it to my wish list.

Father-Son Bonding

I have been meaning to post these for a while, but I was waiting until I got a picture of the finished product: our garden. That hasn't happened yet, so I'll have to do that later...

Here is a video of K man helping Daddy put our planter box together. You can kind of tell in this video that Korbin and Tucker were matching. Not planned at all, but they both ended up wearing navy blue shirts, green shorts, and brown sandals that day.


And another one of him "helping mark" the planter box. His latest thing is "cheese." He says this any time he sees the camera (which can be cute and frustrating at the same time. Here it's just cute.)

What can make me feel this way?

My Girl!
That's right folks! Believe it. We have broken the 26 year streak of boys in my family! I was a bit shocked to not see a little extra somthin' somethin' down by the baby's bum, but my interpretation of that empty void was correct. It's a girl, and a darn cute looking one if I do say so myself. There was something that looked a little abnormal with the kidneys but the doctor is not too worried. It is something that normally corrects itself after birth. But I do get to have another ultrasound in a few weeks to make sure things are still looking good. Maybe we'll be able to have a 3-D one next time. And the good news? (Besides a cute, little, healthy looking baby girl of course.) They moved my due date up a week to October 24th. I would yodel (with excitement) if I could.

The End.

Lessons in Traumatizing a Toddler

I will start off by saying that I don't think colds and pregnancy mesh well together. And I think it is cruel that pregnant women even have to endure colds (especially during the month of June) seeing as how they have plenty of other things going on. That said, I have a cold. As obnoxious and frustrating as it has been for me, the worst part is the effect it is having on my little man. My coughing, nose blowing and gagging (as a result of the coughing) is rather unnerving for him. My coughing sends him straight into my lap with his head against my chest and preferably my hand covering the ear that is exposed.
Yesterday, as Korbin visited me in my room, I had an all out coughing fit. The poor kid didn't know what to do. Coughing turned into gagging which then turned into me running for the toilet. Korbin started crying as he followed me into the bathroom and hid behind the door. In between heaves I managed to get out "Mommy's okay, it's okay." Either I must have not been too convincing or those words aren't very comforting to a child went his mom is bent over a toilet. Eventually we recovered and had an alright rest of the day. Until bedtime came (which is when I cough the most). Even with a fan on in his room my coughing woke him up in a terrified state. It was a terrible night. Between the coughing and having to comfort Korbin several times during the night I feel like a zombie (with a headache) today. And that pesky cough of mine managed to wake Korbin up early from his nap which means no shower for me. Oh, I hope it goes away soon, and that Korbin is not permanently damaged from this traumatic experience.

The Polls are Open...

Well the ultrasound is getting closer. We are about a week away! I thought it would be fun to see what everyone's guesses are as to what we are having. So take a second and vote. We will be sure to fill ya all in next Thursday sometime. If it helps, here is some pregnancy info:

• I have gained 3 lbs.
• The heart beat was in the 150s last week (18 weeks along)
• Cravings have included: watermelon, popsicles, sushi (cali rolls) and pickles
• And, this baby is VERY active (much more than Korbin)

Not much info to go off of, but hope it helps. Happy voting!

Nothin New but the Blues...

At Raya's request ;), I'll give you all an update about what's been going on in this little piece of the world. As far as baby news, there really isn't any except for the fact that that baby on the right is getting bigger and more babyish looking everyday. We have only been to one prenatal appointment (more on that in a second) and that was back in April. At that time things were going well, and if the movement I am feeling in my belly is any indication to how the baby is doing, then things are great.

Tucker was "temporarily" laid off at the beginning of April. Temporary has turned into two months going on three. We have been getting by, but I won't lie and say I haven't had my share of worry and tears. We found out towards the end of May that we no longer had insurance when we went to get a prescription filled for me. Our coverage had ended April 29th (hence, only one prenatal visit thus far). When we called the Frontier Drilling office to find out what was going on (after all, they had taken premiums out of a check that Tucker got on MAY 5th!) we were told that Tucker, along with everyone else that had been working on Rig #7, had been terminated the end of April. A valuable piece of information that they had neglected to pass our way.

I have been trying to remain optimistic but my worry and doubt was getting the better of me a few short weeks ago. Life seemed pretty bleak and hopeless if I am being honest (I am sure hormones had something to do with it). But I have felt a lot better these last few days. We have been all but assured that work will start back up again this month. And Tucker has also kind-of-been offered a job doing similar work for a company that cleans and recycles the water that is used in the drilling process. The only problem with that is it doesn't begin until July or August, and it is in Colorado.

But things are looking up, and I am grateful. Our family, ward family and neighbors have been so great to us. Our neighbor Calvin mows lawns as a side business and he has been sharing his work with Tucker. Something we really appreciate since he does it to supplement his own family's income. My days have been filled with paperwork and gathering the necessary info for Medicaid and other things. This has been a very humbling experience. And it's hard to admit that we are struggling. We are, but we will make it. (This has also been a good test run for our food storage. I really urge any of you to start if you haven't, and if you have, keep up the good work! :)

Thank you to all of you for your friendship and love. And I promise to let you know as soon as we find out anything about baby #2. I am still hoping (by some miracle) to find out the gender this month. Wish us luck! We are willing to take bets *wink* on what you think the baby will be. Most of my family and Tucker are desperately hoping for a girl. I am prone to think we are having a boy. That is, if our family's track record has anything to do with it.

All Aboard!

Korbin has fallen in love with "chu chu chu choo choos" in the last month or so. Tucker takes him to see the trains almost daily. Thomas the Tank Engine visited the Heber Valley Railroad for two weeks and won the affections of Mr. K. We knew that we had no other option but to take our little conductor for a train ride and thought it would be even better if we invited family. We were right; it was a blast!

Tucker Trivia

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Food Network or The Travel Channel

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Spaghetti (oh it makes me sad)

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Pepsi

5. Where did he go to high school? Carmel High in Indiana

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12-13

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Everything. Tucker is my little scavenger. He finds things at work, on walks, in parking lots, anywhere and brings it home. Sometimes he brings home something good, but sometimes I have to sneak things into the trash (sorry honey).

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Italian BMT at Subway

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Ice Cream. He is an ice cream fanatic.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Hmmmm, we don't eat a lot of cereal. It would probably be Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs

11. What would he never wear? He doesn't like to wear his polo shirts buttoned past the first button. So that, or a Speedo (thank goodness).

12. What is his favorite sports team? Basket ball: Jazz, Football: Indianapolis Colts, College Sports: BYU

13. Who did he vote for? He would have voted for McCain if he could have.

14. Who is his best friend? Me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Be a backseat (or side seat) driver.

16. What is his heritage? I believe he has some Indian blood in him.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? He would probably love if I made his sister Nicole's Oreo Ice Cream cake. I haven't tried that yet. I will have to do that this year.

18. Did he play sports in high school? Basketball and softball (?) and he did track.

19. What could he spend hours doing? Fishing, playing on his phone or playing Texas Hold 'Em

20. What is one unique talent he has? He can fold his ears inside and make them stick that way. And he is an awesome Daddy.

Thanks for the idea Angel! (Oh and Carolyn too. I just reminded myself that you tagged me when I looked at your blog.)

Cousins

You wouldn't know it to look at them, but these kids are related.
What cute kids we make in our family.

Wired....

So, our fantastic friends Scott and Tina gave us a laptop! We are now connected. Woo hoo! I feel like not such an outcast anymore. Thank you Scott and Tina. You guys are the best!

For Those Who Haven't Heard...

We received some surprising news a little over a month ago. We are expecting another little one towards the end of this year. We heard the heart beat a couple of weeks ago during the ultrasound to determine the due date. November 2. Wow. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. Two kids seems so much bigger than one. (This coming from a girl with 7 other siblings. Go figure.)

Matty's Homecoming

He's been home for a month but I have been slacking. He asked me why I hadn't even mentioned on my blog that he's home. So here ya are Matty. He got home on January 22. That was the day that I killed my parents' car. The one I was borrowing while our car was being fixed. Their car had a leaky radiator so we just put fluid in it before we drove it. That morning I hurried and filled the radiator, strapped Korbin in and headed off. The car wouldn't heat up at all through the canyon and I called my dad and asked if that was a problem. He didn't know what to tell me. I made it out of the canyon and turned to head towards Orem when every light on the dash went off and the car died and a cloud of smoke came puffing out. I drifted to the side of the road. I jumped out the car and grabbed Korbin as fast as I could afraid the car would blow at any moment. A young man pulled up behind me and took a look under the hood. He said "I used to be a mechanic and I was going to see if there was something I could do for you but this needs a tow truck." Jubilation! I accepted a ride from said young man up to Will's Canyon Stop and chased Korbin around while I waited to be rescued. Andrew, Julie and Joel arrived, we went back to the car to get the car seat (I know, I know but the ride to the gas station was only about 50 feet) and we were back on our way to the airport. We arrived just before he got there, unfortunately I was in the bathroom changing a diaper when he made his grand entrance. We did get to see our cousin Lisa, and her son Ryan at the airport. Ryan was leaving that day to enter boot camp. We are proud of you Ryan. Keep up the good work!

So there you have it. Matty's home.

7even Random Facts

Ok, so I was tagged by my friend Raya back in November to do this. Three months later...

1. I broke my front left tooth while playing Ultimate Frisbee in the pool a few years ago. Someone threw the Frisbee to me from the other end of the pool, vertically, and I caught it with my mouth. The bottom half and entire backside of my left tooth is veneered. If you look closely you can see a line.

2. My husband and I drew each others blood before we ever even talked. We were in hematology class together. He really intimidated me and made me nervous. (He had this goatee that was more like a soul patch I guess. It grew in a triangle from his bottom lip and it was really long. After we started kissing I made him shave it.) In fact we never really talked until a mutual friend of ours invited him to come ice skating with the singles ward. He helped me around the rink and the rest is history...

3. I have a disorder called trichotelamania, which means I pull my hair out. When I was little, I once pulled all of my eyelashes out. I look startled in all the pictures from that period in time. I'm not as bad as I was when I was little, but I still do it.

4. I like to sleep with the blinds open. I like being able to see outside if I wake up in the middle of the night and I like the sun shining down on me in the morning. Incidentally, I have discovered that my back yard neighbors keep a light in every room (at least the ones I can see from the back) of their house all night long.

5. I went to Japan when I was sixteen. The only things I remember how to say in Japanese are: My name is Jessica, and I am sixteen years old.

6. I am the oldest of eight children. In Utah that is not too uncommon. But when we lived in Seattle we got stares. I remember when my parents' took us down town to tour the Seattle Underground. I was ten. We were waiting to cross the street and someone drove by and yelled out their window "you have too many kids!" I think that was the first time it really dawned on me that our family was bigger than most. I was so embarrassed.

7. My first car was a 1983 VW Scirocco. My car looked exactly like this, same color and everything. When I moved back home from Washington my dad flew up to drive down with me. He was too tall for the car so we had to drive the entire way to Utah with the sun roof open so his head could stick out the top. This is one of my favorite memories of my dad.

I tag:
Daffany
Tina
Heather
Chrissy
Jessica W.
Julie
Vita
Carolyn
Nicky

And anyone else who wants to do it. It's a lot easier than doing that 25 random things going around on Facebook. (I'm still working on that one.)

Oh BOY!

What is the mother of a VERY active boy to do when it's cold and yucky outside? Here are just a few the things that Korbin has discovered he likes to do:

* Open the dishwasher and take out sharp objects (i.e. spin a pizza cutter by the blade with his little hands)
* Open the oven and say "hot"
* Climb on to the back of the couch and sit there
* Open the door to the utility closet in the bathroom (when mommy is going potty - only time he is in the bathroom) and touch wires
* Stand on the bottom shelf of the changing table as it wobbles forward (I am going to put this way, but it has the humidifier on it and I have no idea what to do with it if the changing table is gone)
* Turn on the gas fireplace (which is usually barricaded by a gate, but I used the gate to barricade him in the family room the other day as to stop him from doing the first item mentioned on this list)
* Pull on the stand the microwave is on so it wobbles precariously

Ahhhhhhh! Needless to say we are both very ready for Spring to come so we can run around outside. Korbin is not crazy about the snow and neither am I. But what do I do in the mean time? We are going to be the death of each other if he keeps finding things like this to do. We go to the library on Wednesdays but it is obviously not enough. What do I do to entertain him? Seriously, tell me!

A Little WD-40 Please!

Ok, so I am hanging at my parents and decided to steal a moment at the computer to update our blog. And now I don't know what to write! I feel so rusty at this. I guess I can relay the story of how our Christmas went for those who haven't heard yet. It is a wonderful story that we will retell year after year just to remind ourselves Christmas can only get better ;o).

READY? OK!

So Tucker had to start his work week on Christmas day (I know! Sucky right? Well it just so happens that he is going to have to work like the next seven Christmases or something. Whatever, don't even get me started.) Ok I am focused again, Tucker had to work Christmas so he brought Korbin and me down to my parents' house to spend the night on Christmas eve. The plan was for us to go back home on Christmas day so we could spend time with Tucker when he got home from work at 7:00pm. You know, there have been many years when I have wished for snow and been disappointed, why couldn't the tons of snow have come on one of those Christmases? Well the snow meant that Korbin and I had to spend another night at my parents' house (good thing we made a run to Family Dollar on Christmas eve to buy some undies for me. I forgot to pack them. Oops.)

Tucker on the other hand tried to brave the snow and drive home. He didn't make it. The car lodged itself in a snow bank somewhere around six miles out of the canyon. Good Samaritans did pull over and worked with Tucker for an hour or two to get it unstuck. Success! Tucker promptly called and canceled the tow truck that was on it's way. It might have been a good idea to see if the car started before canceling it, but he didn't and it wouldn't. And wouldn't ya know? the insurance company could no longer find a tow truck in the area. So Tucker and one of the Good Samaritans (a UDOT plow driver) undid their hours of work and pushed the car back where it had been. Mr. G.S. then gave Tucker a ride home and told him he would call the Sheriff's office and let them know about the trouble.

Ok, 10:00 a.m. next morning: Tucker has a tow truck pick him up and head back to the scene of the crime. The car is gone. So they go back in to town and somehow find the car. It was impounded at 8 a.m. by the Sheriff. Go figure. No problem, Tucker has already taken the day off so he will just bail the car out and go home. Only, the state of Utah offices are now closed on Fridays (whose brilliant idea was that?!) and so the car has to sit in the impound over the weekend and rack up daily fees. Fantastic! Tucker has the tow truck take him home. Have you ever wondered how much it would cost to joy ride with a tow truck driver? For an hour it's about $174.

Monday: I wake up early, shower, send positive vibes out into the universe. I get dressed and do my hair and makeup (I want the impound lot to see me at my finest) and then get Korbin up and ready to go. A family friend picks Korbin and me up. We struggle with the car seat, get Korbin buckled in, and we're off! We first have to go to the car and get the license and registration and then to the state building. Positive vibrations, positive vibrations-they must have not quite made it to the universe. They wouldn't release the car to me because my name was not on the title cue the tears. I needed a notarized letter from Tucker saying I could free our heap from the impound (Tucker was gone from 3am-7pm that week working, where were we supposed to get a letter notarized?.) When the clerk told me he was sorry I muttered something very intelligent like "Yeah, sure you are" and turned to make my grand exit. Only, the title fell out of my purse as I left and the clerk had to call me back to retrieve it. A proud moment for me.

Ok, this is getting lengthy so I'll try and wrap it up. So our family friend (Thanks John!) went home after dropping us off and he and his wife called the state office back and explained our situation to them. They said that a signed letter with a copy of Tucker's license would be good enough. Tucker made it to the copy place at 6:59 that night. They closed at 7:00. So we finally got the car out on Tuesday and it has been sitting at the mechanics for several weeks now (which is another story all its own). Andrew and Julie came and helped me tow it down to a mechanic in Provo today. Hopefully they will be able to get to it sometime this year and we will once again be riding in style.

Oh, did I mention that car we were borrowing from my parents died in a huge cloud of smoke as we were trying to go the airport the other day? Ah well, that story will have to wait for another time. Dinner's ready...