Thanksgiving

We had such a great thanksgiving!!! We were invited up to my old college roommate's house in Idaho Falls. It was great because my sister and her family was also there. This was all brought to pass because my college roommate is the sister of my brother-in-law. Her other sister was there too. It was so much fun. We had 7 adults and 8 kids they all did remarkable well. It was so much fun to be up there. I went to Ricks, now BYU-I, and we were able to drive around and see the temple and how much the town has grown. Had it been like it is now when I was there I might have stayed for the four years instead of the two.

Anyone who has been up there knows about Big Judds. There burgers are the size of a dinner plate. Some people I know have eaten a whole one by themselves but we decided it was not the smartest thing to do so none of our group did it. But it was a fun time and a really good burger.

This was my first year doing the whole Black Friday thing. It was crazy. We were outside of Toys R Us at 3:30 in the morning and there were people ahead of us. It was nuts. By the time they opened at 6 am there were a ton of people in line. We made it in and out in 15 minutes and got everything we wanted(and then some)!!! It is so crazy. If you don't have a list forget having time to walk up and down the isles. We went to ShopKo right after and there was a mad house brewing!!! It was crazy. My brother-in-law was the greatest and stood in line for an hour and a half for us while my sister, her sister-in-law, and myself went to Kmart to be there before they opened!! We were done with everything and home by 8 am. It was nuts. Stan was a trooper and stayed home with the kids (who were in bed until 7:30). He cringed at the idea of standing outside and dealing with the mobs.

We had such a great time. My brother-in-law decided to fry a turkey this year and it was really good. THe guys had fun outside standing around the fryer while us girls we inside getting everything else ready. As we were seated around the table, we were reflecting on different things and one thing that hit us all was that we were the adults at the table. There were not parents or grandparents. It was really weird. For all of us there this was the first year there was no one older than us. It was weird but fun. It made us all seem old even though no one is over 32.

Kids say the most interesting things when you let them. We were going around the table saying what we were thankful for and when it was Tyson's turn he said he was thankful for Jesus. It was really sweet. He said it without hesitation or help. It got me thinking that I need to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of life and think about what I am truly grateful for. Stan and I have been so blessed this year. It has been one of many ups and downs but we have so much to be grateful for. Stan has a job and he enjoys it, Lily has joined our family and we are not in debt because of it, we have our health and so many more blessing. I know that blessing do come to those that endure! We hope every one had as wonderful a holiday as we did. We are defiantly talking about doing it again next year.

P.S. pictures are coming grandma

Lily time

So it has been a while since I posted some pictures of Lily. She is getting so big it is fun. She is smiling all the time now. She is also starting to laugh. I have gotten her to laugh a couple of times but Stan has failed in his attempts. Lily is a joy. She is starting to sleep though the night. Sometimes she will sleep 6 hours or 4 or one in a while she will sleep 9 hours!!!! She is getting easier and it is nice. Lily is pretty mellow. There are times when you cannot get her to sleep or figure our why she is fussy. But as a whole she is very good. Emma and Tyson are enjoying the fact that she is getting better able to interact with them. It is really sweet to watch Lily respond to them and follow the sound of their voices. Sometimes I think she wants to get down and play with them. It will be an adventure I am sure when she does.

Halloween

So this is a little overdue. We have had a crazy busy month!!! My dad came to visit the week before Halloween. It was so fun to see him. The kids thought he was great. Lily even warmed up to him. Pictures are coming as soon as I get them from a certain someone!

my cute little cow!

Now all we need is a horse!


The day before Halloween I got to go help in Emma's preschool class. It was a great time. I loved seeing how she interacts with other kids and how she does in class. It is hard to believe how she is growing up.

As for Halloween its self we went to the ward trunk or treat where the kids got tons of candy. It was really nice that is was so warm because we did not have to stress too bad about Lily being too cold. She was a great sport in her cow costume that Tyson also wore also. This year's costumes were just by chance. My mom found Tyson's costume a couple of years ago and Emma had everything in her closet. It is nice when things work out so well. It was a fun night. Tyson was very mellow around all the scary faces and costumes. I don't think he fully understood what was going on.

Pumpkins

Last week we carved pumpkins with Stan's sister Sarah and her friend. We had a great time. Emma is still afraid of the guts inside. She takes one look and won't go near the pumpkins until they are cleaned out.

Tyson was fascinated by the guts and everything. He wanted to touch the seeds but then thought about it and changed his mind. (Lately anytime you ask him something, he changes his mind!!!) The kids had a great time. With Aunt Sarah's help he got to do some carving.

Tyson was fascinated by the guts and everything. He wanted to touch the seed but then thought about it and changed his mind. (Lately anytime you ask him something, he changes his mind!!!)



The kids had a great time. Even us adults had fun. Sarah brought a huge pumpkin that Stan got to carve. He sure got a workout doing it. After Stan we done, we all thought his pumpkin looked familiar. It wasn't until later that I figured it out. Have you ever seen the movie Return to OZ? If so , doesn't this pumpkin look like the one Dorothy meets in the movie? If you haven't seen it I recommend it. Notice how thick the pumpkin is. Stan thought it was impossible to carve this but he did it.

Funny Tyson

Sunday morning we were listening to the Children's hymns on CD and Tyson wanted to dance. He and Emma have fun dancing to music and today he decided he needed and dress. Not one dress but two on at the same time. He thought it was the greatest. Emma and I just laughed. Luckily, Stan was at a meeting to he did not see this happen. When Stan did come home he tried to get Tyson out of the dresses. It was not an easy task. Tyson wanted to wear them to church. Stan was not going to have anything to do with that!!!

"I'm not doing anything wrong, Dad."

The Little Things

It is really funny the little things that get us moms excited. I took Lily in for her 2 month check up and she weight 11 lbs 13 oz. She is my fastest grower of my three kids. Emma and Tyson we not that big at 2 months. No wonder my arms are more sore these days from holding Lily. Then this morning when I woke up to feed Lily I looked at the clock and it said 6 am!!!!! That means she slept for 8 hours!!!! I got my first somewhat full nights sleep since before she came. It feels so good. I wonder what I shall do with all the energy I have. Perhaps I will go wake Stan up since I am done sleeping? No he would not like that.

Lily is getting to be so much fun. She is actually happy when she is awake now. Sunday night I was able to get her laughing! I had forgotten how cute baby laughs are. Lily has brought such a joyful spirit to our family that it is hard to remember life before her!

Primary Program

This past Sunday was our ward's Primary program. It was the first time Emma got to participate. She did GREAT! Emma was so excited, she had her part memorize and she knew all the songs. She loves to sing and would pester me until we would listen to the CD they gave us. There are times when she gets shy and doesn't want to draw attention to herself, so I thought she would get shy and not want to say her part at all. But I was wrong. She said her part without any help, sang all the songs and sat reasonable still for the duration of the program. I am so proud of her. Emma asked me this morning when she can do it again. I told her she has to wait until next year and she is kind of upset. If she could she would do it again next week!

I love the children's songs. They always touch my heart. It is so fun to hear Emma and sometimes Tyson singing different church songs. Their faith is so pure and innocent and trusting, I know why we are taught to me like little children. i know I am going to try a little harder to be like them.

Change

When we found out we were pregnant, Stan and I debated on what we were going to do with the sleeping arrangements in the house. We finally decided to do bunk beds. I found some I liked and they we waited to get them until they went on sale and then waited another month after purchaseing them to put them together. I was not sure how Tyson would do in a big boy bed. I love having him in the crib and not able to get out. We have been talking it up and getting him prepared for the change. Friday Tyson asked Stan if he would put together his big boy bed. So Saturday he took on the task of assembling their bunk beds.

Emma loves her bed. She loves being able to climb up and down. And the fact that Tyson is not allowed on her bed is an added perk. Tyson loves his bed. He acually stays in it. Once he is in bed he has not come out of his room. I think he has gotten up to get some toys but he has not come out of his room. Sunday morning he wanted more water for his sippie, so Stan when to get him some and Tyson decided to follow dad and was not going to go back to be. Then Monday morning at 6:45 Tyson stood at the top of the stairs and announced that he was done sleeping. Today was better. He accually waited until he heard us up to get out of bed. We just have to get him to remember to stay in bed in the morning. Other than that the new beds are a great hit.

Lily's Blessing

We were able to bless Lily the Sunday before Conference and it was wonderful. I love baby blessings. For all of my kids they have helped to give a little insight to their lives. Stan blessed Lily that she would be a peace maker. I guess there is just a little contention in our house for Lily to have been blessed with this. I think it is great. Every family needs one. Lily is so special. She brings such a great spirit into our house. With every thing that is going on and the impressions Stan had while he blessed Lily makes me really wonder what these children are going to have to do and live through here on earth. It makes me want to be the best parent I can and give my kids a strong foundation in the Gospel and a love of the Savior.

I love baby blessings for other reasons too. It is a great excuse for all the family to get together. It also helped me to be motivated to get the house in order too. Thanks to the help of my cousin, we finally hung frames on the wall and decorated the dining and baby room. It is great to see my house finally starting to come together. It has only taken a year and a half to get it done.

The other two

Emma wanted me to talk about her going to preschool. She absolutly loves it. She always asks if it is a preschool day and if not she mopes for a few minutes and then asks if tomorrow is and then she is happy. It is really fun to see her grow up. It is also a little scary to think that next year she will be in kindergarten! Tyson misses her when she is gone but he also likes having time with mom without Emma. Tyson is just a busy as ever and is enjoying dressing up with Emma. He and Emma dress up in dresses and dance to music. Tyson is very graceful and has a ton of fun. I can never find the camera when they are doing this, so picutres are forthcoming. Stan came home one day while they were dancing and he just shook his head and after dinner took Tyson outside to play ball and do boy things. I think it is cute. Grandma sent him a suit that she found and he loves it. It is a struggle to get him to take it off at night. He is really funny.

One Month

It is hard to believe that it has been one month since Lily has joined our family. It has been a very busy, exciting, challenging, difficult and fun month. Emma and Tyson love her and are always asking to hold, kiss, touch, feel, and say hi to her. Who ever said three kids will make or break you was right on!!! Life is so much more busy and hard. Trying to go anywhere with three kids and accomplish something is so much harder. When Lily is fed and ready to go it is lunch or nap time or I am still in my pjs. But it is really fun to have a little baby again. To have someone who will cuddle with you and actually sit still without saying anything is the greatest thing. Lily is really a good baby most of the time. She has her crying fits, always when it is time to make dinner or go to bed, but she is still fun. I love watching her sleep and dream. I wish I could see her dreams and know who she is talking to. She is our little piece of heaven. She had a major accomplishment tonight, she slept 7 hours!!! It was great. Both she and I got some much needed sleep!
Lily loves her binki. I am so glad she takes it most of the time. She will even pull it out if she wants to eat or remind me she is mad.

Auntie Mal came for a visit and we had a great time. The kids loved seeing her and it was nice to have another adult around for a couple of days.

Most babies get a flat spot on the back of their head from laying on it but not Lily. She is getting a flat spot on the side of her head. When ever she is laying down her head gravitates to the right side always. We will adjust her head and she will just move it back. It is pretty funny.

She's Here!!

I went to the doctor on Monday and he said I had started to dialate and if I wanted they would induce me on Wednesday. Of course this was music to my ears so I said yes. So on Wednesday morning we dropped the kids off at my cousin's house and went to the hospital. This picture was Stan's idea. He thought it would be funny if the kids tried to hold up my belly. Tyson thought it was pretty funny too. So they started me at noon and by six she was here. It was pretty crazy at the end. At 5 the contractions started to get pretty bad but they were still bearable so I decided to wait for the epidural. I was not sure if I was going to want one anyway because my kids come so fast when they decide they are ready. Then at 5:30 things got pretty intence. It hurt and I was only at a 6, so I decided it was time for the epidural. They said he would be about 20 minutes and I could wait. Well he made it to the door before the baby came. The doctor did not even make it for the delievery!!! She came so fast it was nuts. During one contraction I hurting soo bad and then I had to push so we called for the nurse and it was another contraction and and half before they answered. So they all come running in and I could not stop pushing. They are trying to get the bed ready and out came the baby right onto the bed!!! The nurse hurried and sucked out her mouth and nose and she started crying right on the bed. All the nurse had to do was move her so her feet came out. If the bed had not been there she may have fallen on the floor. It was crazy. It all happened so fast that it took a while to realize that she was here. Stan and I were both in shock.
But she is healthy and great. She was 7 lbs 5 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. The kids think she is great. It took us a day to name her but we finally decided on Lily Anne. Emma would love to hold her all day long if she could. It is really fun to see how loving the kids are towards Lily. It is also great having them at my inlaws for the week. I am just glad that everything went so well and that she and I are healthy.


Emma is not the best picture poser. She is enjoying herself even though she doesn't look like it.

Happy Birthday Tyson

Sunday was Tyson's birthday. It is hard to believe that he is 2. We got him a train table and some trains and it is the greatest thing ever. Emma and Tyson have had so much fun playing with it since Sunday. It was a great birthday.




We decided to spread it out over two days so we could have fun. So for Family night we went and fed the ducks because the kids have always wanted to and we just haven't yet. They had so much fun. We even got some of the ducks to come pretty close. It was a great time. Tyson would run after the ducks saying hi and they would run away. It was really funny to watch. The kids had a great time. It was a great birthday!!!!!

Just a quick story

So today we were in Sunday School when from the back of the room I hear. . . "Mommy, I poopie!" Tyson has a poopie and thought he would share this with everyone in the class as he is running up the isle to me. And of course we are sitting in the front because we were late as usual. It was great. We were in a great discussion about being truly converted to Chirst when you hear this cute little voice saying that he is poopie. I don't think my face could have been any redder. I was already red from being hot, so now it is really red. It was pretty funny. At least Tyson was in a huge hurry to go back to nursery instead of crying to go back. He finally love nursery and enjoys being there. It only took him 5 months!

We had a great 4th of July. We went to see the balloons in Provo and had a great time. I could not believe the amount of people there. After the balloons we decided to get some breakfast and head over to find a spot for the parade. It was 7:30 and there were a ton of people.

We walked like three to four blocks before we found a spot and even then it was sooo crowded!! It was a great time and a great parade. I am glad we found some shade because I thought I was going to die with the heat. I don't do well in the heat these days but the kids had fun and were troopers through it all. Then we went to the colonial days and it was really cool. It was like a little touch of home with all the history. The only thing that would have made the day any better were if it were like 20 degrees cooler!!!

Tyson loves to listen to music so each time the bands came by he would move his head and have a blast. He was a great waver too. He waves as the floats go by and thinks he is the coolest for doing it. It is so cute!

A week of amazing accomplishments

So for starters, I watched my cousin's children while they moved and we had a great sleepover! All the children slept through the night. It was great. We had so much fun we cannot wait to do it again!

Tyson has had some big accomplishments also. Ever since Tyson started in nursery in February, it is a struggle to get him to be happy and not cry for mom. Then for the last two Sundays Tyson has actually started running to go to nursery. It was such a great sight that Stan and I could not believe it. What made the sudden change? I don't know and I am not going to question it. I am just glad the it has finally happened, and before the baby came.

The other big step in Tyson's life is bed time without the binki!!! Saturday, Tyson was being Tyson and not listening to us at bed time. So we started to reason with him which actually works, especially when the binki is involved. So we told him he had to do as we asked or there would be no binki for bed. He just kept on doing what he was doing and then when we put him in bed he realized that there was no binki. He cried for maybe ten minutes before he went to sleep and slept the whole night. So for nap time on Sunday we decided to see if he would go down without it again. He did!! Tyson still asks for it but he only cries for 10 minutes and then he is asleep. I think we may have broken the habit.

The ups and downs of life

So you may have been wondering where we have gone for the last two months. Well we have been riding on heck of a crazy rollercoster. In the middle of April, Stan quit his job where he had been working for the last three years for different reasons but most of all was for security and health insurance since we currently don't have any because of that company. He did find a great job here in Springville, five minutes from home and he got a raise. It was great. We celebrated our one year anniversary of being in our house at the end of April and our 6 year wedding anniversary in May.

We also decided we should maybe start planing for the baby and figure out how we are going to work the room situation. Whether to keep Emma with Tyson, or to put her in the baby's room and give Tyson his own since we are having a girl. So with the help of my cousin we had fun rearranging our house. We moved the office, our master, the guest room and the baby's room. It turned out great. The fun now was realizing we needed a new dresser for the kids, one for us, and a place to hide the TV since neither Stan nor I like having it be the first thing you see when you walk in the door. So we bought us, with money I had earned for babysitting since January, a dresser for us and an armour for the TV. It was really great. These were the second pieces of furniture we bought together since our couches one year ago. It is a great feeling when you buy something you have been waiting for and shopped for and have fun dreaming about for awhile. Now all we need are bunkbeds for the kids, and a rug for the living room and I will be happy for awhile. Stan says it should be a long while.

Then, after Stan had worked for at his new job for about 30 days he was laid off. This came as a HUGE shock. Things were going well. Stan loved his job and we loved having a little bit bigger paycheck! To make a long story short the place where he was working was two weeks late in paying recruiting agency that found Stan the job and who paid Stan. Really confusing. But nonetheless, he was told not to go back to work without any warning. It really threw us for a loop! We had been working on savings but it was not as big a priority as it should have been. So now we were faced with not having a job, and a baby on the way with no insurance. It is kind of scary. Likely because of the bigger paycheck we had more money than we usually did left over after everything. Stan has been dabbling in starting his own web/flash development business since January. He decided now was the time to work really hard and making it work while still trying to find a full time job.

It has been a month with out a steady job and we are doing OK all things considered. Stan is making progress in his business and tomorrow he starts a par time job. He is hoping with the part-time he will be able to still work on building up his own business while having some steady income. The nice thing is he can work more hours if needed. Now we just have to figure out the health insurance issue because Stan is not eligible for 90 days. Too bad the baby is due before then. Hopefully Medicaid will work out. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

This past month has taught me many things. Some things I like and others I do not wish upon anyone. But I do know the Lord does take care of his children. It is just up to us to have the faith to trust in Him. That is not always easy, especially for a control freak like me.

So for my excuse for not updating the blog is that with Stan home more I have found myself busy more too. I am not sure if it is because he is home so I feel like I always have to be doing something so he doesn't think I sit around all day doing nothing. (I am glad he doesn't read this) Plus I feel bad being in the office when he is trying to get work done. It is really easy to distract him when he is in the same room.

Now for some pictures. We have not been very good at taking pictures the last two months. One thing we have been able to document are two of Tyson's favorite things. He has a shoe fetish. He loves to wear any one's shoes. Today he tried on my heels and got mad because he could not walk in them. For my birthday I got the cutest pair of flip flops. When I opened the box Tyson was helping and took them out and immediately put them on his feet. He wore them for about 30 minutes before I got to even try them on. He is a big goof. The other thing he insists on is having his hair done when we do Emma's. Since is hair is not long enough for a ponytail he likes to wear a headband. It is pretty cute.

Crazy Tyson

Both of my kids have problems finding pants. They are both tall and skinny. Emma wears a 5t for the length but I have to put in elastic or tighten them somehow to keep them from falling down. To get pants to fit around the waist she wears a 3T! Tyson has the same problem. He wears 12 month pants but they are too short and are just now starting to fit around the middle. Well these pants I attempted to fix but was not very successful. Tyson was going down the stairs and his pants came unsnapped. I was upstairs and all I hear is "Mommy fix it!!!" at the top of his lungs. So I ran downstairs to see what was going on and find Tyson like this laughing. So I pulled them up and went back to what I was doing. Then not two minutes later I hear both Emma and Tyson laughing for me to fis his pants again. He did it a couple more times before he just took off his pants and said "Eewwie pants." It was pretty funny.

It's a . . .

SO we went and had our ultrasound. It was a really neat experience. Since our crazy insurance does not cover the doctor's office who delivered Emma and Tyson we were forced to find another one. At this doctor's office there is not a technician who does the ultra sound, it is the doctor himself. He explained everything he was doing and why. He showed us the placenta, spine, heart, kidneys, and numerous other things. I never realized that they can tell so many things just from the ultrasound. He looked at the baby's heart to see if there were any defects, he checked for cysts on the brain and measured it's head. He checked the lengths of the legs bones and all kinds of things. It was really neat.



So I bet you all are wondering what we are having. Well, some of you know that we were debating this issue since we first found our we were pregnant. It has been a had decision for me. With Emma, I was knew without a doubt she was a girl. I was pretty sure Tyson was a boy and the ultrasound just confirmed my suspicions. Well, with this baby, I had not a clue. I would think it was a boy because the baby is still really low, and I have heartburn really bad. Then I would think it was a girl because we have come up with a bunch of different girl names. So I decided I did not want to know until the baby got here because we have stuff for either one and it would be fun to not know for just one of our kids and be suprised with it came. Stan on the other hand was insistant we find out because he had not clue either! So the doctor asked us if we wanted to know as he got started. Stan and I looked at each other and he said yes and I said no. The doctor just laughed. Well neither of us really had a say because the baby decided for us. It made sure it's bumb was right there when the doctor put the thingy on my stomach. Sorry for the lack of termanology. So we are having a GIRL!!! We are really excited. It is still weird because I have not recieved direct confirmation that it is a girl like with the other two. The funny thing is neither is Stan. So we are going to keep a boy name in reserve just in case. Emma is SSSSSSOOOOOO excited. When the doctor said that is was a girl, she got soo excited! She has been insisting that we are having a girl for months. So she says "See mom, I told you!!!" Emma is a crazy girl. Then about halfway through she asks if it is still a girl and we said yes. She said "Good! Just making sure." She wanted it to be a girl so bad that if it wasn't a girl I am sure she would have thrown a fit right there. We are excited and all looks great with the baby.

Here is a picture of the baby's arms together.

This picture is my favorite. This is the baby looking right at us. We tried to get a profile shot of her but she would rather look at us a wave. In case you cannot see it, the top of her head is to your left, the dark spot, and her mouth is open to the right.

More Easter

So, thanks to others noticing (ToVah) I forgot to post Emma in her Easter dress. At first I wasn't going to make her one but after unsuccessfully trying to find a cute one that fit her for a price I was willing to pay, she insisted I make her one. There is a ribbon that goes around the middle but we could not find it at the time of the picture.

Tyson LOVES the ping-pong table!! He is always looking for a ball and a paddle. He is insisting that he sleep with one all the time. If we cannot find it he won't go to bed. Maybe we can trade the ball for the binky? If we leave the table down and the kids discover it, they pretend to play ping pong since Tyson can barely see over the table. Tyson like to watch us play. He says "Nice job. mommy" or " Good one daddy." He sure is a character!