Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year differently for 2015. We braved letting the kids stay up until midnight. And for the most part, it went well. I think we have a new tradition.

We made paper plate noise makers,

party hats,

sugar cookies,

and had a fabulously silly good time.

We also had homemade cheeseburgers and sprite-sherbet punch (in a fancy punch bowl) by candlelight, went bowling (courtesy of the Wii), sang some Frozen karaoke and finished out the night with TMNT. I think the kids had fun (especially "staying up till midnight!") and I know I had fun staying home and just hanging out with my family.

Happy New Year! Hope 2015 is good to you!

Is There Anybody Out There?

Just nod if you can hear me...

I think I am going to do it. I am going to blog. I am going to show my creative musings and our adorable children and it's going to be wonderful! Just don't hold your breath. I'm not so sure that my friends blog anymore anyway. I think we may have gotten busy with a little thing called life and or motherhood. But I have a "new" laptop and some pictures/recent projects up my sleeve. So what's not to blog about? We shall see.

How Sweet!

Tucker and Chloe are getting their fifteen seconds (okay, maybe more like two) of fame tonight. Check your local listings for Kid in a Candy Store on the Food Network. You won't want to miss this "sweet" moment.

One Year Later...

Sadly a year has passed and you wouldn't know it from looking at our blog. Just a quick note to say we are still here, just lacking in time and a convenient computer source. Here is a recent picture of our family taken at my nephew, Caden's, birthday party. Korbin was in heaven (can you tell be his attire?) , and Chloe wasn't too bored either. I am hoping to do a year in review post soon and mention a few highlights of 2010 but until then...

Happy Valentine's Day to our family and friends, life wouldn't be nearly as great without you in it. Thank you for all the love and friendship you show to us. WE LOVE YOU!

Why Do We Torture Ourselves?

It was a crazy experience but I must say I was happy (and surprised) that we were able to get some cute pictures.

The previous pictures give no indication as to what the session was actually like. The following say it all...

We won't be doing family pictures again any time soon...

A Light Snack

I caught Korbin on the dinner table tonight using a knife (don't worry, the dull kind) to scoop butter into his mouth as he proclaimed "YUM!" It reminded me of these pictures I took a few months back.
I was folding laundry downstairs while Korbin watched the Disney channel from the couch. I was almost done when Korbin disappeared upstairs. I thought to myself 'no matter, I am almost done here and then I will join him.' Just a few minutes later my "starving" child came downstairs and back into the room nawing on (you-guessed-it) a stick of butter.

He called it "cheese" and "nummy." (I guess he wasn't too far off with the cheese notion, just a few steps difference.) Yes, he ate it wrapper and all. And yes, that is the glisten of butter on his sweet little face.

Santa Claus is Comin to Town

Korbin was all too happy to get out the Christmas decorations.

We watched Santa Claus is Comin to Town at least 20 times.

It was fun to see Korbin have fun with the toys. But I was all too happy to put the Christmas movies away when it was time.

How I Spent my Christmas Vacation

Ode to an IUD
(WARNING: yucky pictures ahead)






IUD, oh IUD
You simply were not meant to be.

You Floated off inside of me.

To get you out took surgery
By Doctor Rees on New Year's Eve.

(yes that is fat that the IUD lodged into, but I am told by the doctor that that fat layer is something we all have as a protective barrier for our colons. :) )

We really do like to live it up for the holidays. And my apologies for a little TMI moment. I couldn't resist.

Deck the Halls

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

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!