Lately

Well everyone, I am about 28 weeks along in my pregnancy! Its been getting kinda crappy, everything hurts, but it should all be over in hopefully 10 weeks! I had a Dr. appointment a few days ago. The "glucose test". Let me tell you, that was THE WORST ONE I have had to drink yet. It was orange, NO carbonation...YUCK! I really had to gag it down. Anyway the Dr. measured me and I am measuring around 29. All my appointments are scheduled for the rest of the pregnancy.

Yesterday was Logan's Birthday. He turned one! I can't believe how the time flies. He is so fun when he's happy, and equally as "fun" when grumpy. He LOVES to be outside. Definitely Daddy's boy in that area. He's started to walk a little. But not confident enough yet. That's perfectly ok with me. As soon as he starts walking I KNOW he'll start climbing. And I'm definitely NOT ready for that. He's also getting curious. Time for cupboard locks, keeping the toilet seat DOWN, doors to outside closed, and something covering the garden boxes (for some reason he likes stuffing the fertilized soil in his mouth...mmm). So anyway, to celebrate, Alex wanted to take the kids swimming. Since Given's Hot Springs is the only place nearby that will allow "baby floats", we took them there. They had a great time. There was hardly anyone there. Afterward, we ran a few errands and came home for naps. For dinner we decided to take the kids out for dinner. Since Logan is limited in what he can eat, we took them to Carino's and pigged out on Fet. Alfredo, bread, and soup, YUM!! Logan LOVED it!

The weather has been so crappy this spring. It seems we get a couple random days of nice weather, then its back to COLD, WET, WINDY and GLOOMY. Alex has been wanting to take the kids on a little campout while he's home and available, but there hasn't been any good time yet. I'm also kind of waiting for this to happen so I can have a "Mom Party". Cmon' weather!

We sold the camper and truck. We decided that it just wasn't worth the money to keep it. We already put a little over $400 into it. It still needed licenced, registered, and insured. To top that off, it costs around $100 just to fill it. It took a 1/2 tank for Alex to just drive it down to work and home again. We sold it for $650. So now it is out of our hair. I'm hoping some day we will be in a situation where we can buy a decent camp trailer. That will be fun :) Until then....tent camping it is!

Happy Birthday To Our Baby Boy!

Proud Mom

Yesterday we went to my Mom's house to celebrate Logan's and my Mom's birthdays.

( I'm really bummed that I didn't get any pictures, but my Dad did, so we will post those later.)

Anyway, to the point. This may be of no significance to anyone else, but it is HUGE to me. I was in the kitchen feeding Logan. My girls were at the counter while my Dad was helping them with something. All of a sudden he "rippes one".....and says to Dejah "did you hear that floor creek??". She starts laughing saying "you tooted!" Then my Dad leaves the kitchen and goes into the living room where everyone else was. I start hearing people say...."Does someone have a poopy diaper??" My Dad admits to dragging it with him, then my brother David comes into the kitchen where I was sitting with the kids. Anyway about 5 minutes later, Dejah hands over this paper.

CKum to mI hAIS

toMro
DAV Smeld yor tot

DEjah

(let me spell it correctly for you)

Come to my house

tomorrow

Dave smelled your toot

Dejah

I don't really know what it meant exactly, but as you can tell it had something to do with my Dad and his "not so secret...passing of gas".

What makes me so proud is that my little girl, who is growing like a WEED, could write! Seriously just 9 months ago when she started kindergarten, she couldn't even write OR identify any of her letters or numbers. Her school and teachers have been working with her really hard and she has come so far. Yes, she didn't spell it right, but she was able to work out the sounds and make a sentence. I'm a proud mom!

Phases: Summer of '03

We have so many Phases in our lives. Each unique. Some great, some maybe not so great. I've been thinking a lot about different phases in My life and thought it might be fun to share those little bits at a time. I won't be doing them in any particular order, just as I think of them.

Ahhh. Don't we look so young? This was our first summer together after we got married. I was working full time as a Dental Assistant while Alex was going to school. We lived in a small one bedroom apartment in Boise, and we attended a "married student ward". We met some good friends there who also LOVED the outdoors! We used to be so active. This was by far the funnest summer we've ever had. I think we spent almost every weekend on some kind of camp out or boating trip with our new married friends and our families. No Joke! It all started when the weather started to turn warm. We camped, we fished, went kayaking and rafting, we wake boarded a lot! With Alex's family, we took a couple trips to Arco for some big events there, then to Yellowstone, and also to Redfish Lake. My family also had a couple camping and ski trips to Owyhee Lake and our favorite of all Hell's Canyon. Of course there were the week nights when we'd head out to Lucky Peak or Black Canyon for a couple hours of skiing. It was fun times for all! I will never forget the summer of 2003!

Potty Time

Yesterday was the day! The day to get Crackin' on the Potty training. I've been trying to encourage her for a long time , but it was a fight every time. Mycah would bawl and throw fits, so I just figured she wasn't ready. Well, Alex is home for the summer (so far), so what a good time to have some of his help. The 1st day was about 50/50. We went through several pairs of underwear and clothes. Yesterday, much better. I stayed home ALL DAY and she had success just going without much encouragement from me. This morning she pulled her diaper off on her own and went. We haven't had any accidents today so far. Yay! She is even going #2 in her potty. We are so proud of her strides and gets lots of praise, loves, and treats! I think it has really helped to get her a little portable potty. She'll take it where she wants to be. So for now, I'll take it. Later we'll try to graduate to the "real deal". Wish us luck on further success.

(like my modesty black-out?)

Here are my other two Monkeys!

Ahhhhh! The joys of having a break :)

Three Months To Go?

Its been a while since I've done a pregnancy update. The second trimester has been pretty easy with the exception of a few ailments. As of tomorrow, I will have three months until my due date. If this little girl is anything like my other three, she should be here in about two and a half months. Nice! Still, I try not to think about it too much...or it just DRAGS. As far as her current progress, she should be about two pounds now and about the size of a head of broccoli. Some say she should probably know mine and Alex's voice by now. I'm thinking she'll probably know my kids screams and cries better ;)

She is definitely getting more active. I am feeling her pretty high up. It kinda feels like my rib cage has a rib spreader in it that is slowly prying open. I can't lay on my back anymore, because then I can't breath. I am sleeping pretty well thanks to a little sleeping pill called Unisom. I take about a 1/2 tab every night and I LOVE the effects.

Everything else is like my other pregnancies. Varicose Veins....seriously disgusting. I waddle like a duck. But, the best of all...."happy hormones". No seriously. Around this stage of my pregnancies my hormones seem to be in a somewhat "perfect" balance. Despite some things we've been going through, I still feel the effects of these "happy hormones". Don't get me wrong, I still have those days, and the kids still push my buttons, but I tend to have a little more patience and tolerance.

Our little baby girl still has no name. I am completely STUMPED! We are having the hardest time coming up with names we like. So I'm needing some serious help. Alex likes the name Jayde. My girlfriends say its a "stripper" name and Alex's brother thinks we're black (I am not racist)... but now that won't leave my head and I can't bring myself to name her that. Should I do something with and "ah" at the end? My other girls are Dejah and Mycah.....this was not intentional...but should I stick with that trend? One syllable? Two syllables? More? Common name? Unique name? (not too out there mind you).... I need ideas, so throw me any and all!

Stepford Soldier!!

Summer is here! Alex is home, and with it....a Tight Run Ship. No, Alex is not a military man, but if he was, I'm sure he could show those folks a thing or two (no kidding). I tell you what, I love my husband to pieces, but there is definitely an adjustment period when he gets out for summer vacation. For example, if you know Alex well, you know he doesn't sit still well. He's always gotta be doing something. Saturday he emptied my bathroom drawers and cupboards because "they were too cluttered". Since I was out that evening, I had no say. But....I did come home to a VERY clean house! At some point, I will need to go through the sacks he put all my things in. Today, he thought it was time to go through the kids toys, clothes and closets. Luckily I'm pretty organized with that stuff, but it didn't stop him, we did collect a small box of toys for donation and a bag of clothes and shoes. To top off the "excitement", I made an attempt at potty training Mycah today. There were a few oopsies...one which required me to clean all the toy dishes and the bin they were in. Alex mowed the lawn. He also did about 5 loads of laundry, dishes, and other things today. I'm sure he'll come up with more things tomorrow. We'll see. If anyone decides to drop by, don't be surprised if the the house is immaculate!!! I've married a STEPFORD wife/Soldier!

(Love you Alex, but, Its all true)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

If you are not familiar with the story, it is basically about a man with a split personality, split in the sense that within the same person, there is both an apparently good and an evil personality each being quite distinct from the other. I've discovered that my very own son is just this. You may not believe me. You may be thinking, "but he's always so behaved when I see him." That is because you know my little "Mr. Hyde". Somewhere in the recent days I have meet "Dr. Jekyll". He gets into these screaming tantrums for no apparent reason. He won't be fed. He won't be held. He will NOT be happy. Driving me to my whits end, all I can do is put him in a "time out" to gather myself. Yesterday he was on one again. Alex was home to witness the event. So the video here is of my sweet, loving, playful.....Mr. Hyde!...who later moves onto Dr. Jekyll!

There was no solution. I grabbed my camera after he had been on this tantrum for a while. Ignore the rubbing of the eyes...no...he's not tired. He just woke up from a nice long nap. He woke up fine. He even sat in his high chair and ate some snacks till he didn't want anymore.

My Mr. Hyde

My Dr. Jekyll

BK Tuesdays!

A while back, some ladies from church started getting together every Tuesday at Carl's Jr. for lunch. Everyone who wanted to come was invited! And it has been a blast! Carl's Jr. was kinda yucky, stinky, and way over priced, so we switched to Burger King. The tradition goes on, and the fun never ends! These ladies really came at a time in my life when I really needed them. We all come from different walks of life and have all become really good friends. We always have a great time laughing. All of us have children, so you can imagine how crazy the play zone is. But we love it! I finally broke down and brought my camera. I know some of you mom's were moaning because you weren't looking your "best". Personally you are all BEAUTIFUL, even wearing sweats, no make-up, messy hair, morning sickness, pregnant belly's, and spit-up/food stained clothes! Love you all! Even the ones who didn't make it for the photo shoot ;) Thanks for all the fun times and the friendship!

Make A Deal w/ Beal Automotive!

Since Alex has been so busy with School, there really hasn't been any extra time for him to take on extra work. With the way the economy is right now, we are discovering that Education is no exception to the downturn. It is being directly effected, and some of it is being passed on to us. Alex loves teaching! So in order to continue doing what he loves, he has decided to use his new extra time fixing cars. A long time ago he got an Associate in mechanics. He worked 5 years in the field before becoming an instructor. He has been teaching Diesel Mechanics for almost 6 years. Yesterday we launched his website www.bealautomotive.blogspot.com in hopes of getting some customers. So here's the deal, if you need a car repair, a tune up, a service job, or know someone who does, give us a call or shoot Alex an email. He can save you money by not taking it into a shop. Check out the website and "Make a Deal w/ Beal Automotive"! All info is there on the site. You can quick-link directly from my blog.

Busy Weekend

First off, I'm totally bummed that I didn't get any pictures. We had a crazy fun weekend. Weeks of planning, I somehow pulled off a "surprise" party for Alex. I felt he deserved a big congratulations for his hard work put in toward his Masters Degree. With this weather there was no way of knowing if it would be nice enough outside to throw a BBQ. So I got us a poolside room at the Holiday Inn in Boise. I invited all the family on both sides to join us for swimming and food. I provided cold cuts and everyone else brought tons of yummy stuff for sides. I would have loved to invite friends, but we have so much immediate family, there would have been no way. The kids had a blast, and we all had a great time socializing and eating. That night my Mom brought my kids home, put them to bed and stayed with them so Alex and I could have a night away. The next day was Mother's day. We went to a baby blessing for one of our new nephews, then went to my Mom's for the evening. In a nut shell, that was our weekend. Lots of fun. We are now on our last week of work and schooling for Alex. Saturday its SUMMERTIME!

An Evening To Celebrate!

Last night Alex Graduated!

He recieved a Master of Science in Education- Adult/Organizational Learning and Leadership. (Yes its a mouth full)

From the Universisy of Idaho.

Its been a long time coming. He's been in so much school including our entire marriage. During which he recieve a Bachelor of Communications from Boise State University. He has been so dedicated and pulled all A's! All while helping me grow our family and his career. I am so proud of him and his accomplishment.

My Sister was so kind to take my two girls so that they wouldn't be bored out of their minds. Logan came with us. I'm sure my parents were greatful to get a break from the ceremony walking him around.

Here is the man himself!

Next is a couple pictures of Alex and two of his "Main" instructors.

Us!

Congrats Babe!

Pregnant Craziness

It seems with every pregnancy of mine, I get into some type of "project" mode. I don't know if that is what you call "nesting", but whatever it is...you might think I'm a little crazy. Last year I got into this crazy mode of building garden boxes. I was huge and pregnant but still went and bought lumber and several bags of soil. I had it all loaded by a worker, but when I got home I unloaded it MYSELF. Hello...probably not smart huh. Anyway, I used my Dad's electric saw and cut the lumber and nailed them together. I laid the ground cloth and wheeled the bags of soil into the back yard and filled the boxes. I am seriously a crazy pregnant lady. Ok, so I may not be too huge yet, but I have about 3 1/2 months to go and the craziness has set in again. Too bad for me we have yet to see some decent spring weather! Leaving me to the confines of my dumb house. Last week, I honestly don't know what got into me, but I felt a huge need to re-arrange my living room. I decided I didn't like where my rocking chair was and this put me into rethinking my setup. Living in a small house gives you limited options, but I was determined. I moved the whole computer hutch to a different spot. The new location was not functional, so it had to be moved somewhere else. The next day, I moved it to my room. It looked terrible! Again, it had to be moved. Now I had to consider moving my sectional. So I did that. Then I moved the computer hutch. Then I had to "scoot" the entertainment center over to center with the couch. It was a long day. I probably shouldn't have done any of it. Today I relocated all the pictures on the wall. Seriously, whats my deal? I was even in the shower the other day thinking I needed to cut all my long hair off. What? I'm seriously dieing for some nice weather, because when it decides to show up I will be on project camper!

Lemons

I feel sometimes that life is one big roller coaster. We have our ups, then all of a sudden we come down. We turn a corner, we make a slow climb, sometimes we see clearly, other times not so much. No matter the elevation, or the speed at which we travel, we are always moving. Life doesn't stop so that we can turn back and change our mind. It doesn't pause so we can fix and regather ourselves. I've noticed that my life roller coaster is no different than many, and quite a bit easier than others. Some decisions were easy. Others were not. I've had my downs and I've had my ups. Lately, I've had a few lemons added to my basket. This is nothing new. It happens. We all get them. For some reason, today I can't seem to find any "sugar" to offset the sour. I probably shouldn't go into the details, so instead of sit and complain to all my friends and family (who all have lemons of their own), I've decided that I will blog the many things that I DO appreciate right now.

1. A loving Husband who works EXTREMELY hard to support our family financially and spiritually.
2. A loving Husband who works so that I can be at home with four precious children.
3. A loving Husband who serves the Lord.
(notice the direction?)
4. A roof over our heads
5. The Gospel
6. My children
7. My children taking naps :)
8. My children laughing and playing
9. Motherhood and the lessons it constantly teaches me.
10. My trials, because I know on the other side of trials are Blessings.

So while I try to muster up some "sugar" today, I will try to remember that this life roller coaster is taking me somewhere good. And that someday I'll be able to look back and realize those ups and downs will not end me....just get me to my ultimate goal .... JOY.