I wish

I wish I was better at keeping up on blogging. I think it might be slightly easier if I wasn't back in school. Yes. I am in school. I am crazy! I don't know why I have this strong desire to get my education. I want to so badly, so I sign up for school, then I work hard, and don't even do well. Jon, on the other hand, is a 4.0 student with these crazy hard classes! Mine are mediocre. However, they are all online. I am a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) so I am trying to fulfill my classes in between "Mom, I am thirsty! Mom, I want string cheese-- but I don't want to get it myself, you need to get it for me! Mom, I want to play the Wii. Mom, Kenzie is crying! Mom, she is being mean! Mom, she LOOKED at me!" You can see why school is a struggle. But to be completely honest, I really do enjoy it. Yes, it is extremely time consuming. And yes, I feel like I have no chance of a normal life right now. But, school has CHANGED my life. Since I wanted to get an education, I wanted to do something that would work with being a mom. So I immediately thought education. I was going to do that, but my mom said I wouldn't like it. I immediately thought, well mom, what do you think I should do? Do you just not want me to go to school? Then she said, "you have always been interested in health and nutrition. You should do that. You have been through so many problems pertaining to your health, that you not only could help yourself but you could help others." I was thinking, that would be so much fun! But, I don't fit the profile. I have gained 50 pounds. There, I said it. I gained 50 pounds since I got married. It's out. I am accountable! Then I decided, it's okay. I can still change my life. I switched my major and now I am majoring in Health Promotion and a minor in Nutrition Education. It is hard! But it is fascinating and I am enjoying learning even if it is frustrating. As long as I pass all my classes I will graduate April 2012. That is just over a year! WOO HOO!! Oh, and I am happy to say that I have lost 15 lbs since the start of this semester.
One of the reasons I chose that major, not only from my moms input, is that I have wheat allergies (and milk allergies, and corn allergies, and soy allergies, and orange allergies, and potato allergies etc). I was diagnosed almost 3 years ago. It was overwhelming to me. I also loved wheat products so much that for the past few years I have been telling myself, I would rather eat what I like and be sick than give up my favorite foods. I know that thinking was crazy and irrational. I began this semester. I was reading in my nutrition book the actual effects wheat allergies have on your body and that wheat allergies can actually cause all the other food allergies. So, I knew I was having definite reactions to wheat and milk. I have begun drinking almond milk and have given up wheat-- for the most part. I have had slip-ups! And now, I just have to say, "WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS 3 YEARS AGO??!!!?" I feel great. I am starting to feel good about myself again. Something that hasn't occurred for several years. Because I was more conscious about what I was consumming, I also gave up coke. I loved coke, but I decided I didn't need it. I don't miss it surprisingly. It is time to be accountable for me, for my actions or inactions, for my life!
I also began a program with Weber State called Students in Motion. You go once a week for 2 hours. You meet with other students. You are instructed about exercise, nutrition, and health for the first hour, then you walk the second hour. Then end of the program ends with all of us walking the Ogden Half Marathon! I am excited. I know avid runners are frowning upon the fact that we are just walking the half marathon, but it means something to all of us. It is a start to a healthy, attainable lifestyle!
Well, I wasn't planning on rambling for hours when I began this post. But, I just wrote things that I have been afraid to tell others because I thought they would think less of me. But if anyone thinks less of me, it is their problem, not mine! I now know, that I can live a healthy and happy life and it is so worth it. And I can succeed in getting my education no matter how hard it is!!

She's growing up!! **Sob, Sob**

When Kaylee and Abbie were babies, I LOVED watching them grow up. I loved seeing them hit those milestones. I was actually excited to see them grow up! You always hear moms say they are so sad that their babies are growing up, with Kaylee and Abbie I didn't feel that way. But, now I have Kenzie. And, she is growing up. Kenzie has been my cuddly baby. She loves being held. She has LOVED giving me huge, sloppery wide opened mouth kisses. I have loved those! She squeals everytime she hears my voice or walks into a room. Kaylee and Abbie weren't cuddly. They had their own agenda, and I wasn't part of it. Kenzie will be seven months tomorrow. She still hasn't slept through the night. I am still waiting for her to only wake up two times instead of three or more, but I haven't minded. I have loved waking up to that baby. She just does everything so adorably! She started army crawling a few months ago. She's started the real crawling, but then decides it takes too much time and reverts back to army crawling. She's been sitting up on her own for a while now, and also has been pulling herself up to furniture. She loves standing whenever possible. This morning I woke up at 3:30 am to some shuffling going on in her crib, I sat up to look over there, and there she was, just standing there. I walked over to her and she started laughing. She was WIDE awake, I thought if I fed her she would get tired and go back to sleep, she wasn't having it. At 5:00 she finally did go to sleep..... As I said, she hasn't slept through the night as it is, but now that she stands, it makes it that much harder to get her to sleep, but I still love seeing her stand up. She just smiles like she has accomplished some great task. But, as she is growing, she isn't needing her mom as much. I am not getting the kisses as much anymore. She still gets excited when I walk into a room sometimes, but not near as often..... Kenzie has been an angel baby. She has made it easy to have a newborn. I am sad she doesn't need me as much now. Kaylee and Abbie were always so independent that they never really needed me! I love all three of my girls. Life would not be complete without them!!! Stay tuned, I will be doing a post for Kaylee and Abbie soon!

She always does this "Cabbage Patch" face. I think it's because she has discovered her two bottom teeth that are coming in.

 She generally always has a smile on her face, she is such a happy baby!

Christmas did come!

Christmas really did come to our home, I know I am a couple weeks past, but I still needed to post!

I walked into the room and found the girls sitting like this. Jons mom gives all of her grandkids a Christmas Bear for the year they were born. Except Kaylee had Kenzies and Kenzie had Kaylees. I had to snag a picture it was so cute seeing the three of them together like that.

Santa did come!

The girls were excited. Kenzie was still a little tired, can you tell?

Kaylee got Squenkies, which were put away two days later, I will give them to her when her sister quits putting everthing in her mouth. We didn't realize how small they were til Kenzie tried getting to them. We went and let her pick out a toy to replace them. She was okay with that. She got a Baby All Gone.

Abbie loves Little People things! She got this garage as well as the Little People plane. I was glad she was okay with the Little People one and not the Barbie one!

Kenzie really just enjoyed the wrapping paper. That was her favorite part!

Our family Christmas picture. Can you tell there were two people taking pictures? We didn't get one where we were all looking at the same camera. That's ok. I still think we are an adorable family!

My mom got Abbie and Faye matching outfits. Nick and Stacey came to church with us the day after Christmas and so we just had to get a picture of the two of them.

Kaylee was eating a piece of chocolate cheesecake, but didn't want it anymore so she set it on the floor. Kenzie took full advantage of that and was shoving it in her mouth as quickly as possible. Even when we took it away from her she was shoving her hand in her mouth trying to savor every last bit.



You can't have snow and not have a snowman, right? Jon and Kaylee built this.

Our Good Luck Charm

Our family has discovered that we have a little good luck charm. If you guys have been reading my blog, then you would know that back in March, while I was pregnant with Kenzie I entered a drawing at Fresh Market and won a shopping spree. We stocked up on diapers and wipes and got $430 worth of free stuff. Then, I hadn't had been planning on having Kenzie, so I lended our crib to my sister Emily. After I loaned it I found out that I was pregnant, so Jons school friend gave us his crib since they were done having kids. After he gave it to us, we discovered that it had been recalled and took it to Target and got a brand new really nice crib at a minimal fee. Well, after I had Kenzie, I opened her a bank account at Mountain America Credit Union. I didn't know that at the time I opened it that they were running a promotion and all children's accounts that were opened were entered into a drawing. Well, today, I got a call from Mountain America saying that Kenzie's name had been drawn and she won a bike. It cracked us up!! A little 5 month old won a bike!!! We thought it would just be a small children's bike, so we go to pick it up and it was a Mongoose full BMX bike. Jon was so excited! He played on it when we got home and Kaylee rode it around as well. We let Kenzie be the first to try it out though, after all, it is her bike!

Funny Stuff Part 2

The other day we were sitting in our front room and I was looking at our tree and I said, "Jon, do you think OUR TREE is boring?"
Jon:  "Why would you ask me that?"
Me: "Well, I don't know it just seems like OUR TREE is a little boring!" 
Jon: "Well I have never done it, how would I know?" 
Me: "Well, I just think maybe it's too plain and boring. Why do you not think so?"
Jon: "Well, I don't know. I don't know if it's boring or not. How boring do you think it would be? You get a bow and an arrow and you shoot stuff."
Me: "What the heck are you talking about?"
Jon: "You asked me if ARCHERY was boring. I don't know. I have never done it."
Me: "Not ARCHERY, OUR TREE!!!???"
Jon: "Oh, I think it looks very good."

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Kaylee comes running in to me the other day and says, "Mom! I know what I want for Christmas!!!!" So I said, "What do you want?" And she gets really excited and says, "I want my very own laptop!!!"
YEA RIGHT!
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On a side note. Our little Kenzie is growing up so much! She is sitting up and has started scooting. She always has something important to say, and when she decides she wants to say something she is going to say it. Even if it is 2:00 in the morning. I love my girls! I am so happy that Kenzie is such an angelic baby!!

Funny children

Kids can just crack a person up sometimes! I thought I would share some of the recent conversations I have had with my kids!


A few weeks ago, I made a roast for Sunday dinner after church. Jon didn't have any homework that day, which hasn't happened for a long time. So we set the table and all sat down to eat, then Kaylee suddenly said, "OH, this is the BEST day EVER!!!" We said, "Why is this the best day ever?" And she responded, "Because we are eating dinner together as a family at the table!!"
*Doesn't that show what GREAT parents we have been lately? LOL!

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Last week after one of the snow storms, I had to shovel the driveway because Jon hadn't showed me how to use the snow blower. Our driveway is massively huge, so it took a really long time. Kaylee was at school, and Kenzie was asleep so Abbie got into her snow clothes and came outside with me. She played in the snow while I shoveled. All of the sudden she comes running up to me and says, "Mom-- I am having such a bad day!" I asked, "Why are you having a bad day?" And she said, "Because of all this snow!"

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 On Thanksgiving morning, Abbie came in and climbed into bed with Jon and me. She has been waking up fairly early lately, anyway, I said, "Abbie, do you know what today is?" And she said, "No, what?" I said, "Thanksgiving!" and she asked, "what's that?" I said, "It's where we eat lots of food." And she responded, "No mom. It's because the Pirates got on BIG BOATS and came here!"
*I think she mixed up a few stories somewhere! Still, very cute!

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My parents went to Texas for Thanksgiving to spend it with my sister and her family. Yesterday I had to go pick them up from the airport. Kaylee was at school, so Abbie and Kenzie were with me. We got my parents and Annie picked up and started driving home, and my mom said, "Abbie, did you have a nice Thanksgiving?" And she said, "No, I didn't. But KK did!" (She calls Kaylee KK). Everyone started laughing then my mom said, "Did you miss me?" And she said, "No. But KK did."
Well there ya go....
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Abbie has been a thumb sucker, Jon wanted her to stop, so it wouldn't screw up her teeth. He told her if she quit sucking her thumb she could have anything she wanted. Well, she said she wanted a Barbie Plane and a Barbie Kitchen. Jon said okay--- she quit sucking her thumb the next day. I told her if she kept not sucking her thumb then we would ask Santa to bring those. Well, the Barbie Plane is $90--- thought you would like to know that---- luckily I found a Little People Plane on sale at Shopko for $14.99---she wont know the difference will she???


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Speaking of Christmas, we have been asking the girls what they want for Christmas. Kaylee didn't really answer the question at first. But immediately Abbie said, "I want candy...... AND a lollipop!! That's all" I guess that is easy enough, right? We asked her again a week later and she said, "I want my own pillow pet..........AND my own eggnog!! That's all!" (Kaylee got two pillow pets for her birthday, and she gave Abbie one of them, but Abbie thinks it's still Kaylee's I guess.) She also keeps saying she wants a Barbie Plane. I guess I could make Barbie vinyl and put it on the Little People Plane, right? Anyway, so Kaylee hasn't really said a lot when we have asked her. So today I asked her, and she said, "I want some Squinkies..... AND my own Ipod!" Hmmmm, let's see---- she is 6!! And she is already asking for an Ipod..... it's gonna be some fun times with that little girl!

 Anyway, my girls have been cracking me up lately. They come up with the funniest stuff. It makes life such a joy!