Mother's Day

I am so happy to be a mom and so proud of my kids. They are growing up so fast, which I think is totally unfair. I wish that they could have all stayed in the baby phase. So cute and cuddly, totally dependent on me to even roll over and with NO ATTITUDE!!

Danni brought me home a plant that she potted herself at school, with a card that she made there. She also wrote a little letter that she threw in the package. She is so sweet!! Thursday, I got a letter in the mail from my preteen Samrah. Such sweet words she wrote to me. I love them both so much!! And little Rock man, he gives me kisses and hugs every day and I'll take those for as long as I can get them!!

 

 

 

Allen was able to go 4-wheeling down towards Bryce Canyon this last weekend with our brother-in-law and some friends. I had to work all weekend and my brave sister was willing to take my three kids with her own three so that the guys could go. She claims it wasn't so bad, but I'm inclined not to believe her. On top of the six kids she has been battling a cold for some time and did not feel well. I am grateful to her for helping us out, Thanks Becky!!

update

I know it has been a while since I have blogged anything. I really have been trying to use this as my scrapbook so I am going to try to catch up on things. First of all, I just want to brag about how proud I am of my hubby. Today marks 3 weeks, yes THREE WEEKS!! of no smoking for him. He's had his moments, but overall he is doing GREAT. He has tried several times over the last few years, but this time has been different and we know that it is going to stick.

Danni turns 8 in October and Allen wants to baptize her. He also plans to become ordained an Elder and our goal has a family is to go through the temple. Next March is our 12 year anniversary and it would be wonderful if we were a forever family by then.

The girls have had several dance performances over the last few weeks and as always they have done marvelous!! They also had their dance company portraits done and as soon I get them on here I will post them for all to see how cute and beautiful they are!!

A couple of weeks ago we were able to go down to Draper to see my sister an niece. Ashton was playing basketball with her traveling team and she did great. I cannot believe how big she is getting; she is so tall now and looks so grown up. She definitely has her mother's temper and it comes out vividly in her sports. She is great with my kids and they all love her. I forgot my camera that trip, but did get a picture of her and rock on my cell phone.
We also got to visit with Grandpa Russ and my other sister, Becky and her family. We ended up staying at Bec's house in Bountiful and got to watch my other niece in her dance recital. She, too, is getting so big! She was beautiful and did a perfect job with her dance. Like I said, I forgot my camera but Bec did post pictures on her blog. Princess Izzybee takes creative dance and it was really interesting to watch. They do do some of the hip hop moves and such but more of interpretative moves. The little kids of course were amazing and cute and the older girls' were good as well. Some of the dances were a little out there, but overall I enjoyed getting to watch all of the performances.

So Allen is enjoying his job. He has a few weeks left of training and then he is on his own. The girls are almost done with school. Sam is quite excited about the idea and the other day Danni told me she was sad about school ending. She really likes her teacher, Mr. James, and absolutely enjoys learning!! Rockster just keeps getting bigger and bigger and more spoiled by the day. Last week, I had to do some recertification at the hospital and with Allen working now, I had to find someone to watch Rock. I am very prideful and hate asking for help, so this was a major thing for me. I did get Sister Thomas, my visiting teacher, to help out. She was a lifesaver!! And Rock just loved it. She came to our house and when I left Rock was napping. When he woke up, he just played and played with Sister Thomas. Thank heavens for friendly, helpful neighbors!!

P.S.
Remember those 2 Easter Eggs we couldn't find? Well last week we were doing yard work and moved the tramp and swingset around so we could mow. We never did find the eggs, but I'm pretty sure we smelled them!! GROSS!

Happy Mother's Day

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Happy Birthday, Kris

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Happy Birthday, Katie

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Earty Day

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Spring Break 2009!

We had a nice, relaxing Spring Break Weekend. We didn't go anywhere, but still had fun had home. I worked most of the weekend, so the girls helped me out with Rock while a napped a little. They are great big sisters, they just love that hunk of chunk so much!!

 

Saturday afternoon we dyed our Easter Eggs. As always, the girls loved it and had lots of fun. They tend to get so creative with the colors that sometimes you can't even tell what color the egg is!

 

Of course, Saturday night the Easter Bunny visited and left the kids more than they needed. They got some much needed spring/summer clothes, along with their Easter dresses and sandals. The family also got a Wii Fit and we have had a ton of fun playing with it. It is a really cool toy!! MR. Easter Bunny (notice I said MR.) hid the eggs in the backyard and as the kids were hunting for them, somehow two disappeared!! I'm sure one of these days as were are doing yard work, we'll come across a stinky, rotting Easter Egg.

 

 

 

On Monday, I took the kids to the park and they had lots of fun. It was a nice day with quite a bit of wind. When the wind wasn't blowing it was a beautiful day. Rock loved the slide and couldn't get enough of it. He kept trying to crawl up like his sisters did and would scream when he couldn't do it-he has such a temper, just like his daddy!

 

Danni doing the hula on the Wii Fit. Sam snuck up behind her to get this video - isn't she so cute!

Fresh Haircuts...Is Allen Going BALD??

Rock and Allen got fresh haircuts yesterday afternoon, didn't I do a good job? Allen was a good boy and didn't squirm or complain too much. Even though Rock has had his hair cut several times now, he still gets a little scared when he hears the clippers buzzing. But he also did pretty good, aren't they both so cute??


I told Allen he was thinning quite a bit there on top, what do you think? Is he going bald? (That glare you're seeing is from Allen's shiny scalp - it is a very healthy scalp!!)

My Babies Are Home!!

After having a blast all weekend without even missing their parents, my babies are home!! It was so strange to have the entire weekend to ourselves. It was a nice little break, but it was so quiet. As soon as the kiddos walked through the door, I completely forgot what quiet is. The fighting, screaming, bickering and yelling started right up!!


The girls had lots of fun with their cousins and I'm told Rock did just fine. When he got a little upset or tired, he just looked for Sammi and cuddled with her-what a GREAT big sister. Aunt Kelly's dog wouldn't leave Rock alone, I guess. Whenever Rock was walking Poe had his nose right up Rock's butt!! Rock was also right at licking level, so Poe was able to lick Rock's face whenever he wanted. I'm told that Rock finally got to the point that when he saw Poe coming, he ran the other way.

The girls played and played and shopped. Grandma and Aunt Kelly spoiled them, as always! They got new clothes and a new Webkinz. The computer was their first stop last night when they got home. They had to add their new Webkinz to their website. They love those things.

The weather is finally getting to be a somewhat enjoyable. After cleaning the girls' bedrooms last evening, the family went for a short walk. We bundled up, maybe even a little too much, and walked to the post office. Rock got to ride in the little red car and the rest of us took turns pushing him. It was so nice to be out and about, and I am so grateful to have all of my family back home!

My Weekend

This has been such a weird weekend without my kids. I have done things that I haven't been able to for ages!! First of all, I didn't have to work Thursday night, which meant I was able to sleep like a normal person so my Friday was a normal day. I was able to sleep in, which was absolutely dreamy!! Allen worked, which meant I was all to myself.

I left the house about 11 and went Easter shopping, then met Allen for lunch on his lunch break. It was just the two us for lunch, crazy! Then I met some friends for ice cream, went to the mall for some leisurely shopping and then went to the movie by myself!! I have been wanting to see "The Haunting of Connecticut", so I went when I had the chance. Then I met Allen after work and we did some more Easter shopping, and finally the two of us went to another movie!! I felt so young and free to be out and about all day by myself!!

This morning I woke up and went to breakfast with some friends while Allen slept in. Allen and I got some housework done and then went to lunch and went looking at RV's and did some more LEISURELY shopping. I then was able to come home and nap before work tonight and Allen went to ANOTHER movie!! I miss my kids SSSSOOOOO much, but it was so nice to have some time to myself and some alone time with my honey. I can't wait to see my babies tomorrow!!

Day 4

Yesterday was Day 4 of being home without Allen. The no sleep thing has really been challenging for me, but when my next schedule at work comes out it will be a lot better. So far Allen is liking his job, he is still struggling with being gone and feeling like he is missing out on things at home with the kids. But, he shouldn't worry, the kids count down the seconds until he gets home from work. As soon as I pick them up from school, it begins "how long til dad gets home?" "how much longer does dad have to work?" "how many minutes til we see dad?", obviously he is the fun parent, and me not so much :)

Rock LOVES his baths. He likes to try to drink the water from the faucet and loves to splash his sisters!

I do love being home during the day with Rock, he is such a cutey!! I'm learning so much about him, like how vocal he is-he yells at me when I am not paying attention to him, but if I try to play with him or get too close to him, I get yelled at again!! Also, how much he loves to eat-this kid has a bottomless pit of a stomach!! How much he loves his B's (bottles)-he carries that thing around everywhere, even he doesn't want to drink out of it at the time, he just has to have one! And this kid can POOP - every single diaper of his, I swear, is filled with poop, nasty, stinking poop. I guess all that food has to end up somewhere!! And he loves his Mickey Mouse Playhouse - don't interrupt him while he's watching. He's fun and I love him and right now we are both learning how each other works during the days!!

Rock loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and usually sits in his car to watch it

On Wednesday the poor Rock fell down the stairs and cut his forehead. He was so upset, but I think I felt even worse than him. What kind of mom am I?

Rock's cut forehead after his traumatic fall

This weekend the kids are visiting Grandma Glenna, Aunt Kelly and Katelyn in Rexburg, Idaho. We them in Pocatello last night and did the switcheroo. The girls were very excited about this and have been all week. Hopefully, Rock isn't too much of a handful for them and I hope mom and dad can handle him being gone, too!!

Rock ate chocolate donuts the whole way to Pocatello, he was such a mess!

Allen's New Job

Allen started his new job today with Qwest, it is going to be an adjustment for all of us. One of the best things about it is that I get to cut back on work and be home more with the family! I had last night off, so this morning I was able to get everyone up and going, usually that is Allen's job. After Allen left for work, I had to finish getting the kids ready and get them to school, again this is usually Allen's job. It is really strange to be doing all of this again.

Now it is just Rock and I at home. Normally about this time, I am falling asleep while Allen and Rock are doing their thing, but this morning it is just Rock and I - very strange, but fun. The kids aren't too sure about all this change. The other night at the dinner table we were talking about how I would be home more and Allen would be gone during the day. We asked Sam if she was excited and she said "not so much"!!

Allen is always so laid back and not much bothers him. The girls also have him wrapped around their fingers. But I am pretty anal about things and I guess not as much fun, according to the kids. Like I said, this is going to be an adjustment for all of us. Allen, especially, is having a hard time. He feels like Rock is going to forget all about him. He has been able to spend every day and night with him for the last year and today is his first full day away from him. He has also really enjoyed spending so much time with the girls and making sure they get to dance and activities on time. Before our move to Cache Valley he always worked and didn't get the chance to do any of these things. Now he is back to that and he is struggling with it.

All in all, I think it will be good for all us. I am excited to be home and do some of the stay-at-home mom things, but I still really love my work and am glad I am able to stay working at the hospital. It is also a good thing for Allen to get out of the house and be able to socialize with people his age. We just have to make sure our family time is now spent as quality time, since there won't be as much quantity. I really love my family!

Anniversary

 
March 21 was our 11th wedding anniversary, WOW! Some days it seems much longer than that and others it feels like just yesterday Allen was trying to hit on me and get me to go out with him :)

Actually, I was the pursuer. He was friends with my roommate's boyfriend and I happened to think he was pretty hot. I made Ashley and Corey set us up. He was an entire HOUR late to our first date. We went to "Fools Rush In" and just as I thought I was getting stood up, he walks in and sits next to me. Can you believe I gave him another chance? In reality, after that night we were always together, even though it took several months before we declared it "official".

So much has happened since that night; we have helped each other through so many different circumstances that I believe we can make it through whatever else comes our way. First, we had a baby born with medical problems, in and out of the hospital for years, not knowing if she was going to make it, financial struggles on top of that. Then, me finding out about Allen's drug abuse and dealing with a separation for awhile. Then Allen checked himself into rehab and we were able to work things out. Both of us went back to school at the same time with two kids at home. Then, Allen had to deal with me while I worked through some awful childhood memories that no one should have to endure.

Now we are so happy and have grown so much. We have 3 beautiful children, own our home, made some pretty good traditions and our next step? It may take awhile, but I do believe that we will make it to the temple. I love my husband and am proud of what he has accomplished after all that he has been through. I am glad that he has stuck by me through everything and am excited to see what life throws at us next.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last week was parent-teacher conferences and we met with Danni's and Sam's teachers. My kids are so much like me...VERY intelligent!! Danni is in the 1st grade and her teacher, Mr. James, is amazing. He couldn't say enough good about Danni. His teaching style suits Bubs' personality so well. She is above average in all subjects and just keeps progressing. She even helps other kids in the class with their reading during group time. She is part of a reading group that works on reading the 2nd and 3rd grade levels. What a smartie pants!! Mr. James gave us some ideas and suggestions to keep Bubba progressing, so we will start working on those.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sammi is doing just as well. She is mainstreamed in the 4th grade and is in Mr. Rock's class. She also gets to attend sessions during the day with Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Bodily and Mr. Bulloch. What a special girl that she gets so many amazing teachers!! The circumstances surrounding her liver transplant six years ago just made it so that she is able to work with so many special people in her education. As we met with her teachers, we learned that that she hasn't always brought home her paperwork, so alot of the assignments were being missed. This is something we are working on together. But she is definitely progressing in her knowledge and skills. She is extremely bright and just needs to be reminded now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel that education is very important and really hope that I am able to pass that concept on to my kids. I hope that they will realize the necessity of a college-education and work towards that. For now, they are on that path and I'll do whatever I can to help along the way.