No title

I always hesitate to post things that are negative, depressing, bad, or anything of the sort. Lets face it, nobody likes a person who is pessimistic or a downer all the time. So I will make this as brief as possible, and not make a habit of doing posts like this!

I will be honest; things have not been the best lately. While everyone else is so happy and excited for summer, I feel nothing but dread. We have ZERO things planned as a family all Summer…So now I go back to being bored, and me and boredom are not friends. I put on a happy face, grin and bare it and usual….and try to make it through.

Our little trip to Rock Springs was nothing short of pure hell. From the ride there, dinner, going shopping, staying at the hotel, the graduation, the dinner, the ride home….I was so glad to be home. I hate to point fingers or place blame, but Kayler was responsible for 95% of my grief while there, he just has such a hard time, and I want to pretend that is he normal and good….but it was just a mess there…that is all I am going to say.

We had our windshield replaced about a month ago. The first time I washed it, it leaked, so they replaced it again. Well I waited longer to wash it this time, and I went to wash the car last night, and it leaked everywhere…all over the dash of my car, in buttons, electronics, clear behind the dash, down to the floor….so I have to get that fixed this week.

If that wasn’t bad enough, I went to vacuum the car out, and Gavin had spilled RED Gatorade everywhere. I tried everything to get it out…but it won’t even budge, so if anyone has a magical tip to help…

My sprinkling system decided to break to top off my evening last night. That was wonderful as well. It just wouldn’t shut off. I tried tinkering with it and I think it is finally fixed. We shall see.

Poor Gavin has been sick for 3+ days. He has this insane fever that won’t break, so it looks like I will be dragging him into the Dr. tomorrow. This morning Hallie and Kayler weren’t feeling well either, so I went to church alone. I have to say it was nice to meditate, listen, and try to regroup. I don’t like feeling negative and pitiful….I really am a happy person, but sometimes I just get into these grooves when it seems it is one trial after another, and I feel so alone, hurt, sad, angry…..just all of the above. Sometimes it lasts a day, but this time it is been going on for quite awhile.

I know there are people out there with SO much worse trials than me. I only gave half the story of the things that aren’t quite right, but I don’t need to totally convince every blog reader I have that I am crazy! Sometimes the lord just gives us bad days/weeks/months to make us appreciate our lives and blessings. When I can come to realize that-things are sure to look up. I hope to have a much happier post really soon!

What the?!?!

I left my kids outside alone for FIVE minutes...and look what they did! They stripped down, found the hose, buckets, were soaked to the bone, and happy as ever! Please excuse the nudity. They had a blast. Guess that means it is time for summer!




On a different note, Kayler is finally...finally...finally...potty trained. I looked back on my posts, and it was September 15th of last year that I initially started the process. The process that took me a few weeks with Hallie and Gavin has taken me over 9 months with my sweet Kayler. We still have to remind him to go and all that, but he hasn't had an accident with me for over a week now! He even came upstairs today from watching T.V. and said, "mommy, I need to poopy..." So he did.

I can't tell you how happy that makes me! At his last Dr. appt. earlier this month, the Dr. told me that kids on the Autism spectrum are lucky to be trained by age 5. I was NOT going to be told that he couldn't do something, being the stubborn girl I am, so I got to work. I just hope that it is smooth sailing with the potty thing from here on out. We shall see!

Speaking of my stubbornness, I am now officially convinced that I am really really stubborn, a lot more than I originally thought. I have been on the thyroid medicine for a month now. I have to take it 3 times a day. That KILLS me. Luckily I have 3 alarms set on my cell phone so it reminds me. I guess why it really bothers me is that I am not a pill taker. I don't like anyone or anything (including pills) controlling me. When the Dr. told me that I HAVE to take them to live, function, get better...it just really makes me mad.

I had a follow-up set of blood work, and after taking the pills faithfully, my TSH went from 0 to 0.02 a whole 2 points of an improvement. So, the Dr. called last night and told me he was doubling my dosage. I have to try really hard to get over my stubbornness and just do it. Swallow the dang pills down and hope for that best...that is all I can do right?

So other than that, things are going really well at our house. Our garden is growing so well. Our yards are looking nice. The weather makes me so happy. Having the kids be out of school makes me happy. Now I just have to figure out what to do with them while they are home!

Tomorrow we head to Rock Springs for our nieces graduation. I think our dear Heavenly Father may have had a little nap while making the town of Rock Springs. I am totally kidding, but I have to give G.J. a hard time for growing up there. It is ugly, windy, cold, the people are mean (besides our family of course!) and I just don't like it. I hope it is the last time in a long time that I will have to go there!

Happy Summer!!!!

First Camping Trip of the Season

I don’t know why I am surprised at the yucky weather this Memorial Day weekend. I think it usually is bad weather every year. We really wanted to have a fun first camping trip of the year, but it didn’t turn out that way. I love the moisture and how fresh and clean rain looks and feels….but not while camping and being stuck inside with 12 adults and 9 kids under the age of 9…That = pure misery….

We went to Calder’s Reservoir to camp. We were supposed to stay Friday to Monday. It is beautiful up there. My dad LOVES to take the kids fishing so when Saturday morning came, we got ready and went. It was the highlight of the whole trip. Hallie would NOT touch the fish, Gavin was unsure, and Kayler could not get enough of them. He thought they were absolutely hilarious. When we threw them back he went crazy crying and jumped in the lake after them-seriously…he jumped in, thank goodness he had a life jacket on!….After that incident we decided it would be in everyone’s best interest if G.J. took Kayler home for the night. Kayler could not handle all the chaos in the camper…he was hitting kids and adults left and right, screaming…it was so sad.












So, G.J. stayed down with him until Sunday morning then he came up hoping for some fun. The bad weather continued though. We played cards and tried to go on 4 wheeler rides, but the weather wasn’t about to cooperate. The ticks were CRAZY….Hallie had one, I almost had one, and they were crawling all over. I had finally had enough, so we loaded up Kayler and came home. Hallie and Gavin begged to stay, they don’t mind the weather and my parent’s love to have them there.

I have to say it has been a nice evening. We went to the cemetery to see my Grandma’s headstone that just came. We visited with my Grandpa, I caught up on blogs, and am just preparing myself for the week to come. I can’t believe it is the last week of school!

Tomorrow we are dedicating the whole evening to going to all the cemeteries. We have loved ones at all of them in town, so I am praying the kids will be good and that we can have a meaningful Family Home Evening remembering all our family and friends that have passed on. I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Sextuplets joining our family!

That is very cruel of me to lead you all on like that! But we really do have 6 new additions to our family. Take a look and see:



These 5 bird eggs are on my front porch. I was going to change the wreath there, but when I went to do it, I noticed a mommy bird frantically flying around, and these tiny little eggs there. I guess the wreath change will have to wait!

My Hallie LOVES pets. I mean she loves loves loves animals. She is not a girly girl at all. She would rather play with her pet stuffed animals, look at animals on T.V.(favorite channel is animal planet), draw animals, talk about them etc. It is so sad because she is very allergic to most of them. She only has one real living one at the moment:



She got this Beta fish for having such good grades and citizenship at school. She loves it a lot. The water is filthy in the picture. I hate fish (and all pets...) The first day we got this, not 10 minutes after it was in the tank G.J. caught Kayler "holding" the fish....squeezing it a little, and saying, "Awwwwwww....you are SO cute fishy..." It was hilarious.

The last fish Hallie had ended up going to toilet heaven so it could swim to the ocean....It was still alive and I was tired of taking care of it, so I told Hallie it would rather be with it's friends in the ocean than at our house. So she very willingly did it. When she got her new fish she informed me that she had talked to her friends at school and that flushing a fish does NOT let it go to the ocean....

So, right now we have the perfect pets! The fish is quiet, doesn't poop on our carpet or make Hallie's eyes swell shut from allergies. The birds will hopefully hatch, and lets pray they learn to fly really soon so that I can change my wreath!

I have been on a roll posting this week...like one post a day. But I will be really busy this weekend, so until next week---have a great weekend!!!

Weigh in Wednesday and Shoe News

I have been a big slacker on my Weigh in Wednesdays. I haven’t had much change to report though. My weight has stayed exactly the same the past 3 weeks. I blame it on the thyroid medication….and maybe eating a little too much….and maybe not exercising hard enough.

This is really the first time in my life that my weight has bothered me. And it bothers me that it bothers me….if that makes any sense. It's not fun to hear people obsess about weight ALL the time...so I vow to never be like that, even though I think about it more than I should.

I look at myself in the mirror and think, well-I’m not obese, I’m not skinny, I’m just average so that's o.k. But then I start to worry about what other people think like, “wow, she really let herself go…” "or, she looks pretty good" I wish I could read other people’s minds!

I think why it bothers me now is that most of my friends are very thin and athletic. Their clothes fit cute, their hair and makeup is always done, and that is just something I always have struggled with. I guess the main thing is that I am always trying. I have never been a quitter. Even though it might be harder for me to lose the weight and keep it off, I will never quit trying. So wish me luck! If I have any huge success, I will be sure to blog about it.

Anyways, moving on. One part of my body that never gets fat is my hands and feet. That is why I love shoes! I know everyone has seen these shoes-Keens.



G.J. and I have some, and our kids get a new pair every summer. My mom buys them, and then when they grow out of them, she saves them to pass down to her other grandkids. They are seriously the BEST shoes ever. Waterproof, cover toes, kind of like a sandal, kind of like a shoe, comfortable, washable (and they look like new after you wash them!) They are just the best. You can always find them on ebay….if not we always get ours at Zappos. They are WELL worth every single cent you will spend on them. You can always resale them on Ebay or elsewhere for close to what you paid. One thing to note, go 1 size up, as they are sized a little small. I guess I should be calling the Keen company for my advertising check!

Anyways, that is that for today. Have a great one!

Oops!

I debated to blog this (as I do most things…) but I couldn’t stop laughing so I decided to. Let me replay last night’s events for you.

We had family home evening. My brother and sister in law and their kids came over to swim in our tiny swimming pool. My mom and dad came too. After they left and I got things cleaned up, the kids ready for bed, and my grocery list made I went to K-Mart first. I heard they were having a good sale on kids clothes (which they are by the way…way cute ones too!)

Anyways, I had to call Mandy for a minute while I was there to ask about T-Ball. She needed a new shirt for a trip she is going on so she came on over to K-Mart for some shopping. I was happy, I haven't done anything with her in ages. We looked at all the kids stuff, and then headed to the women’s clearance section. It was right past the entrance to the front of the store.

I saw a shirt I really liked, on clearance for $5. I couldn’t decide between sizes, so I just decided to try it on right there in the aisle. I had a Modbe cap sleeve shirt on, so I figured it would be o.k. to try on over it. So I tried the shirt on, decided on a different size and was hanging the shirt back on the hanger to put on the rack, when suddenly I felt very naked…..and I WAS!

I had accidentally taken off BOTH shirts, so there I stood in the aisle of K-Mart…with just my little pajama pants, my garment top, and my bra. Just then a little family walked by. I was frozen stiff with embarrassment, and I think Mandy was too. I wanted to dive in the rack of clothes and hide but I couldn't move!

Needless to say, I got dressed, paid for my stuff….and then got out of there. I still get hot and flustered talking about it!

So, word of the wise, Dressing Rooms were created for reasons just like this!

Springtime Busy-ness!

It feels like I haven’t posted in awhile, and it all is due to two words, I’M BUSY! The sad thing is…this is just the beginning. Spring and summer are just busy times! I love to keep busy, and have stuff going, but my goodness, these past few days have been a whirlwind.

It all started on Thursday. I had a crazy cooking day. Thursday is my turn for the dinner group I am in. I had a hard meal (Of course any meal is hard for me!) I had my digital scrap book club with some friends at the park in the morning. Then I had to rush home and more cooking! That evening was Enrichment night at my house…so that meant preparing everything for that, along with the refreshment. I was so glad to get it all cleaned up.

Anyway, I am the enrichment leader of mini classes. We have a truly wonderful bishop who is very in tune with things that need to go on in the ward. Well he was kind enough to pray and decide about the next few activities we needed to do. One of them included gardening, so that is what our enrichment was that night. I had this cute elderly couple from our ward come help. They are HARD CORE gardeners and me…not so much! They called me at least 10 times over the course of planning and doing the activity. So, needless to say, the activity went great, and I better have the best garden in town!

Friday was a blur…laundry, bills, yards, etc. Then came Saturday, which makes me tired even looking back on it. It all started with Gavin’s soccer game. That little stinker, I couldn’t get the camera out fast enough, but he just stood there with his hands down and up his shorts….revealing his tiny butt cheeks to all onlookers….Ugh! I don’t think my kids are cut out for sports…at least until they can learn to keep their hands out of their pants!

After the soccer game, I went to a shoe party with my mom and sister-in-law. It was at a house of someone I didn’t know very well. In fact, I wasn’t even invited, but my cute sis-in-law didn’t dare go alone. I am SO proud of myself, I didn’t buy ONE thing….that is a big accomplishment for me. I think I have like 47 pairs of shoes…including flip flops of every color, so the last thing I needed was a pair of shoes.

So after that Hallie had a piano recital. It was kind of an odd time, 3 p.m. in the middle of a Saturday. She wanted her nails done in a French manicure before we went, so I gave her a mini spa in my bathroom and she was SO excited. She did so well at her recital. She was so cute because she got nervous and embarrassed, and her little chubby cheeks got so red.

Our little Pianist!


That was at 3, and at 4 there was a mother daughter party for her activity day at the church. They did such a good job. Her leaders are all very sweet. We had a cute snack, made cookie flowers, and gave each other pedicures/manicures. I felt bad though because I had already done her nails and toes, and my toes just got done, so she got to paint my nails. It was a special time with her.

We headed home and I took a whole bunch of blankets on the grass. Our trees are just getting big enough that by about 5-6 our backyard is nice and shady. I seriously wanted to cry of happiness just laying there in the beautiful warm weather. I am not a fan of winter, and I love spring, summer, and fall….so I try very very hard to soak up every moment of nice weather I can. My kids were all so cute, the yards looked so nice, and I was just very happy and content for the moment.

I was so pooped after we had dinner, and was ready to get in bed at like 7, but my dad called and said they had made a fire, and wanted us to come up for smores. Like I said before, I love this weather, and couldn’t miss a chance to enjoy it, so we loaded up and went up there for a few hours. They have amazing views, lots of stuff for the kids to do, and I feel so lucky to have them in my life.

The views-Dry fork one side, and Vernal the other.



So we finally got to bed after bathing for the 2nd time that day. It seems I bath my kids more. Getting sweaty, dirty, being around fires….you can’t help to wash off again after a day like that! Today was church. G.J. and I always go to nursery with Kayler for awhile to make sure he is going to be good. I feel so bad, because he just can’t help himself….and he was being a beast, hitting kids, being sassy, and I seriously was seconds away from bursting into tears and leaving. I saw some people whispering, while glancing at me and Kayler. I’m sure it was totally a coincidence and they were talking about something different, but when you are already sensitive, I blow things out of proportion. I just said a silent prayer that he would be o.k. and I left….of course I had to peek in the window 5 more times before dragging myself to Relief Society. I am so grateful for the nursery leaders and parents who stay in there and help with him. I will be forever indebted to them. I just want him to be happy….and not beat the crap out of his friends!

Today is beautiful yet again. I am looking forward to a busy week. With the end of school comes all sorts of activities. I am a speaker at another ward’s enrichment night, so I need to get that prepared. Then we are headed camping for Memorial Day. Hooray!

We took this picture 3 years ago, just a few days after Kayler was born:


This picture was today, exact same spot, and exactly 3 years later....so much has happened since then!


Hope everyone reading this is having a wonderful time in the beautiful weather too!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my Sweet husband of 9 years!*!*!*!

I really can’t believe it has been that long. I suddenly feel very old. To celebrate, we are going to breakfast together. For the FIRST time in our lives, all 3 kids are at school, so we decided to take advantage of that.

G.J. is so good to me, even when I don’t deserve it. He is such a good person at home, and away from home. I love him with all my heart. As we get older, I look back on how much we have gone through- some bad, some good, and lots of wonderful things have happened.

So here’s to the next 9 years. Maybe next year on our 10th anniversary we can do something a little more exciting!

Happy Mother's Day

First off, Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends who are mothers, soon to be mothers, Grandmothers, my mom, mother in law…..What a wonderful and divine calling it is to be a mom!

I have had a great day. I had a nice breakfast in bed, a good time at church, and a relaxing afternoon. The kids gave me the usual stuff that they made in church and school:



I have to laugh…one of Hallie’s gifts was a “mom questionnaire” It asked things like my favorite color, food, etc. One of the questions was how much does she think I weigh. She put very boldly 125….Then she asked me to hop on the scale to see if she was right. Hehe, that is my goal weight…so maybe someday, but I am just glad she didn’t put like 225 on there!

I also got a SWEET new bike:


I love to ride my bike. This has a basket, so don’t be surprised if you see me on the streets of Vernal getting my shopping done. Thanks G.J. and kids!

Thank you to my sweet husband, kids, parents, and in-laws for making this a great day!

I'm on Meth...

O.K.....not THE "meth" but methimazole. Lol, I shouldn't even joke about that, but I had to come up with a catchy title.

I still feel silly putting my medical problems out there, but I am an honest person, and it helps me to talk (or type) about things, so there you have it. I have mentioned the past 6 weeks or so about my thyroid problems. Well, after a year of suffering, finally finding the right Dr., and having a ton of tests-I FINALLY know what is wrong. Hashitoxicosis. Big word...so see description below:
Hashitoxicosis is an autoimmune thyroid disorder, in which individuals with autoimmune hypothyrodism, usually Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), experience intermittent or sporadic periods where they also have symptoms of hyperthyrodism.

So I know that means nothing to anyone but me...but I am so glad to finally have a name to all of this, as silly as that sounds! So my Dr. called today and I start on this methimazole to help with all the symptoms, and 1/3 of patients taking the meth meds actually go into remission and heal themselves, lets hope that would be me!

Anyways, enough about me, I took Kayler to the Dr. today for his 3 year old checkup and he was SO sweet. I am always saying what a challenge he is, but today was perfect with him. He was so funny with the Dr., and Dr. Pollary just picked him up and loved him and got a little teary eyed and said, "he is so cute and special...he makes my job worth it." I got choked up and I am truly grateful for such a good Dr. to help me. He has been there through the worst times, so to have him be so good today I think meant a lot to the Dr.

So a little stats on Kayler's 3 year Well Child Check:
-Got 1 shot...I didn't even know he needed it, good thing I took his immunization card!
-weighed 30 lbs even (25th percentile)
-was 37 inches tall (25th percentile)
-had a 17 inch head (90th percentile)-he's always had a big head!

He was healthy, happy, and so cute....so I will take it. Any moment that isn't filled with tantrums and trouble I cherish.

So that is it for now. Nothing else new, just a little report.

My baby boy is 3!

I can’t believe my baby is 3! I think he had a great day yesterday. His main highlight was starting preschool at Central Cove Preschool. He has WONDERFUL teachers, and I know this will help him so so much. I am grateful beyond words that he got accepted. He only gets to go 3 weeks and then school ends, but the bus will be here to get him starting in the fall for next school year, and I am so excited for him.

He loved school, and especially since he got to wear a birthday crown. They just happened to be having an assembly his first day, and so I stayed with him. It was about fire safety, so they had fire trucks and firemen. One of the men thought he was just precious…mainly because of his little crown and because he was the youngest, smallest, and newest kid in the school. Or maybe it was because he was screaming, "hey, let me in that big truck..." He let him sit in the fire truck and was so cute with him. Of course I forgot the camera for that part…oh well!

I had a nice party for him all planned out. You know me…not leaving out a detail. I watched the weather all day. The morning was beautiful…not a cloud in the sky. Then the afternoon rolled in, and it was looking ugly. It came time to pack up for the party, and things were looking up. 63 degrees and only a very small breeze. Well, we got to the park and must have brought a hurricane with us…seriously. It was SO cold, SO SO windy, and so miserable to try to feed 32 family and friends, keep everything from blowing away, keep us all warm, eat cake, and have presents, etc.etc.etc. You gotta love Utah weather. :( I felt so bad for all the people who had come, but they were all so sweet. Most of all, I don’t think Kayler or his little friends noticed at all. I had bubbles, balloons, and candy for them, so I think it all turned out.

So, besides the windy party, I know my sweet little boy had a great 3rd Birthday. Enjoy the pictures!

Kayler's 1st day of school on his Birthday!



Eating dinner at his party with his friends


Playing on the park with Daddy


Presents!





Cake



Larry Boy!


Look at all the nice things people got him!


Since the wind was blowing too bad to have a candle, we had to do it at home with the leftover cake!

What a week...

What a whirlwind of a week it has been. It really seems more like it has been one VERY LOOONNNGGGG day….that hasn’t ended since a phone call at the beginning of the week.

I truly have been so blessed this week. My in-laws, friends, neighbors, and my sweet husband have just done everything for me. I haven’t cooked a meal, cleaned my house, had to worry about my kids…nothing. I am grateful beyond words for the things that were done. I almost felt silly having everyone take such good care of me…since it was just a Grandma’s funeral…but she wasn’t “just a Grandma” she was much much more. I know that care wasn't taken for only me, but a lot was done for my grandpa, my aunts, and my cousins as well.

My poor Grandpa has not had a good week. He can hardly speak without breaking down in tears. I have NEVER seen him like this, not even when his son died 5 years ago. I was telling him all the nice things people had done for me, and he just broke down and said something about how he just couldn’t believe how nice people were being and how grateful he is.

The funeral went perfectly. In Vernal, with not much else to do, all the old people who knew my Grandma…even if just a little came to her funeral. I heard a few of them afterwords saying it was the “nicest funeral they have been to.” I guess that is a compliment right?

I gave the eulogy and a few remarks. I tried REALLY hard not to cry…but did not succeed. The other talks and songs were great, and I think my Grandma would have loved to see all of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids this past week. We have been together almost every day. We have reminisced, cried, did lots of laughing, and just had a great time.

Pictures of the family at the burial.






Hallie and Rachael enjoying the flowers


Holly, Mandy, and my mother in law all gave me the most beautiful flowers. My whole house seriously smells like a flower shop. I love them all, and I hope they live a long time!


Hallie has been in a Musical Theater clinic all week. It was a good distraction for her every day, and she really enjoyed performing. Her performance was Friday afternoon after the funeral.



Today we took my Grandpa to Dinosaur, CO to buy some lottery ticket. Nothing heals the heart like wasting money on scratch and sniff lottery tickets!


Today it has been raining. I can't help but to find a little symbolism in it. It is like it is washing away all the pain and sadness...and allowing for a fresh clean start. My Grandma would want to be remembered for the happiness she brought into our lives, and not to be sad and depressed. Sure there are going to be hard times ahead for all of us, but we are going to be o.k. It has been amazing how my memory has opened up and I am having a lot of flashbacks of the fun I have had with her. I love you Grandma...