SO YOU THINK

6 days old!

2011-12-27T20:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgivng

2011-12-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

Besides the usually things to be grateful for, like my family, my kids, my husband, my new baby, I am most grateful for my sister having low sitting babies (like my Cooper), so that I could wear her tummy band after Cooper was born and my lower muscles hurt so bad I could barely walk without it. Thank you JoEllen!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Derek's dad's house. I didnt have to do anything!

Here is Ashlynn and Derek. I LOVE this pictures

Raymond is big on feathers, not bunny ears......not sure where he learned that!

Coming home

2011-12-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

When I got to the recovery floor (at 4:30am on the 22nd) the nurse told me that they keep people for 2 days! What!? 2 days? I asked if I had to stay that long, if not I would rather not. I dont like sitting around much. And I get more sleep when I am at home and people arent coming in my room all the time. She said as long as the Dr cleared both of us we could go after 24 hours. SWEET! Done.

So at 11 am on the 23 we went home.

I love this picture. He is so sweet

The day before when the kids were leaving, Ashlynn said "mom you get dressed. You come home now". Today she was so very happy that that was exactly what I was doing.

Raymond and Kayann were at school so Kaylee and Ashlynn were there helping me

I like to do a mini "photo shoot" once everyone is dressed and ready to go

The girls love having him home.

Vistors........

2011-12-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

After Derek slept for as long as he could with nurses and doctors coming in and out (at one point he asked if we could lock the door ha), he went home, fed the kids lunch and than brought them to meet Cooper.

The girls absolutely loved him!

Raymond did too.......I was worried because just a few months early he wanted nothing to do with my new nephew. But as you can see, no need to worry

Of course being the crazy organized person I am, I had snacks and what not for the kids. They stayed for 3 hours!

We watched a couple movies on TV while grandma and grandpa visited with Cooper.

Im missing a picture of Chris and Doris. They are Derek's grandparents. They come from Idaho for the holidays. They got here a couple days before Cooper was born.

My friend Whitney was so great! Not only did she come to the hospital to see Cooper and me. She brought a gift for all the kids. It helped so much with them staying for 3 hours

My brother Joe works in the ER in the same hospital. He stopped by on his way to school. He knows how much Derek likes the Vikings so he thought he would teach Cooper right.

Cari came by when she got done with work. She just loved the little guy.......

My sister brought her boys by after supper. Nicky LOVED little Cooper. He kept asking to hold him. Sal on the other hand wanted nothing to do with him. Funny boys

I think in this picture JoEllen and Cooper look similar. Maybe it is the nose

Cooper's last vistors were my mom and Kobe. They came the next morning at 7 am! Kobe loves being an uncle. He is really good at it too. He loves to play with the little kids.

So many people are so excited that Cooper is here. It was nice of them to come visit!

He made it!

2011-12-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

After my doctor's appointment I headed home. I was a little crampy but not much (remember, contractions every 10 mins for the last 2 days, a little crampy didn't alarm me.). After getting the kids situated I made supper. Still feeling crampy, I did our normal routine. I did dishes, read with the kids and got them ready for bed. The only difference was while reading with the kids my little cramps turned into big cramps, like contractions. YAY! I didnt get my hopes up (remember, contractions every 10 mins for the last 2 days) But than all of the sudden, while getting the girls ready for bed, it happened! Full blown real contractions, 5 minutes a part! I got the younger girls in bed, and had Raymond and Kayann get ready for bed. It was now almost 8:00pm. I warned Raymond and Kayann that Grandma Debra and Grandpa would be here in the morning and that they would have a new brother to see.

I decided I needed to relax before the big event. So I sat on the couch and did some puzzles on my phone. Derek called his dad and Debra. By 9:30 Debra was freaking out, telling me I needed to get going to the hospital. By 9:45 my mom was telling me the same thing. I wanted to get some things done before I left. I got the turkey out of the freezer (thanksgiving was only days away), gathered some vegetables and potatoes for Debra to take home, made Derek a pot of coffee, and I showered. That's right while in full blown labor I SHOWERED! We finally left the house at 10:30, just in time too. My contractions were right on top of each other!

We arrived at the hospital at 11 pm. I headed to my room. Did my vitals, triage and check in.

Here I am at check in:

While they triaged me they found out our little guy's heart rate dropped with every contraction. They assumed it was because his head was so low. Because of this I had to keep his monitor on my WHOLE labor! I have a strong dislike for those things but for the baby.......ok

My nurse was super great. She asked about a birth plan. UM.....my plan, push out my baby, go home. She asked for any special request. There was 3. Unmedicated delivery, delayed cord clamping, and skin to skin. Simple and to the point, right? She got me a "travel" monitor and let me free to walk. She said to stop by the nurses station if I felt like anything had changed. Just what I wanted. Very low key, uninterrupted laboring, with my mom and Derek. It was now 12:00 am!

We hit the halls. I took almost a hour to make 1 lap around labor and delivery! When I got back to my room I was almost 8 cm! My nurse called the doctor to break my water. By the time he got there I may have been groaning (or yelling) with each contraction. I told him I was sorry about that. The doctor was great! He broke my water around 1:30 am, and said he would wait in the hall because it wouldnt be too much longer. It wasnt. By 1:55 am I was ready to go! Our little guy made it here at 2:06 am!

When he was born they found out his heat rate was dropping because his cord was wrapped around his neck!

Here is my mom checking him out:

This was right after he was born, before he was cleaned up.

The totally labor time: from 7:30 pm (when they were 5 minutes apart) to 2:06 am. That is only 6 1/2 hours!

We didnt tell anyone his name. Derek wanted to save it until he was born. So once he was born we told my mom his name was COOPER STEELE.

Cooper was very healthy! He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and measured 21 inches! He is my biggest baby

Derek and his little boy!

Grandma and Cooper

Some of you may remember that Derek was TOTALLY freaked during my natural labor with Ashlynn. He blames the time, but we all know the truth :) I am pleased to say he did wonderfully this time around. He was very supportive and helped a lot. My mom is amazing at keeping me focused and calm. I am so glad that she was willing to be there.

Welcome to our family Mr. Cooper!

Is today the day?

2011-11-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the dr, at 39 1/2 weeks I am dilated to 3.5 cm and 90% effaced! We decided to strip my membranes one last time. If that doesnt work, than I am scheduled to have my water broken on Monday the 28. That would make me OVERDUE!

Everyone, including my dr, thought I would have a baby by now. This little boy has different plans. I still cant wait to hold him though!

Almost time

2011-11-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

On thursday, the 17th I was 39 weeks. I went to the dr the next day. That puts me the closest to my due date I have ever been!

At my appointment, my measurements, weight, fetal heart rate and movement were all fine.

I am now at 3 cm and 80% effaced. The talk came up about breaking my water next monday if I didn't go in on my own. With my membranes striped, and a decision to make I went home.

Now the big debate.........Should I have my water broken on Monday, make a few laps around the hospital and be done? Why would I do this?
1. So I could be home from the hospital by Thanksgiving
2. Because I have been having contractions every 10 mins for 2 days
3. Than my dr would be able to delivery (he is going out of town for the Thanksgiving)
4. To get it done with.

Now, as good of reasons as those are they are for my connivence. I am not over due. There is nothing wrong with the baby or me. So I decided to wait. No breaking water on monday

38 weeks

2011-11-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

38 weeks.....what can I say.........PLEASE let the next couple of weeks or days go by smoothly and quickly.......Thats all.

At my check up I had put on 4 lbs in one week! Yes you read that right, 4. The doctor just laughed. I am now dilated to a 2.5 and 75% effaced. I sure am getting there.

We are working on the last little things around the house, finishing up homework (even though it is harder, and harder to focus on), working on birth announcements, and getting ready for our little guy to make his entrance into the world

Pictures!

2011-11-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Chelsie, recently braved the cold (when I say cold, I mean it snowed as we were leaving) to take my maternity pictures at Wheeler Farm. I LOVE how they turned out. To not bore you (and they take forever to upload) I only selected a few to share. In these pictures I am 37 1/2 weeks.

I love the path and the trees......

This is one of my favorites........

I love my shadow on the door

O and this one......

Sweet dad!

Ok so I really do love them all. They turned out better than I hoped! A big thanks to Ms. Chelsie, at Chelsie photography!

Time to rest

2011-11-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

2011-11-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

This year the kids celebrated halloween on friday at school. Friday is a short day which makes it easier for parties and such.

We headed to the school to watch the parade. Miss Ashlynn loves to have her picture taken, so why not while we wait?

This was Kayann's very first holiday at school. She was so excited to be in the parade! She made a pretty cute giraffe!

Here is Raymond as Captain Rex from Star Wars...........we wouldnt expect any different from him!

Here is our family all dressed up! Raymond: Captain Rex, Kayann: Giraffe, Ashlynn: Minnie Mouse (Kaylee was with her mom)

Derek and I were good and evil.........

I'm pretty sure when you are pregnant, that means you get to wear a bedsheet for a halloween costume. Remember Halloween 2008? I was pregnant with Ashlynn and wearing a pink toga, made from a bedsheet.

My mom and Kobe

My sister put together a party for the kids. We painted pumpkins, made lanterns and ate spooky food before trick or treating. I didnt get many pictures I was supervising......who wants to let a 2 1/2 year old paint by themselves! Not me!

We had so much fun trick or treating. Ashlynn is already talking about next year!

Getting ready for baby!

2011-11-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

I recently had the kids help me set things up for their new brother. Raymond loved putting the bouncy chair together. He was so proud of himself for doing it all by himself.

This is what setting up things for the baby looks like:

When we were all done the girls were so excited to have new toys for their dolls. The exclaimed it was like Christmas

4 weeks to go

2011-11-02T11:22:00.001-07:00

Only 4 short weeks left. Why o why do those weeks seem so long?!

My my weight and measurements are fine. No worries. I am dilated to a 1.5-2 and 50% effaced. Which happens to be the exact same as with Ashlynn.

Im super excited to do my maternity pictures this weekend. Hopefully they turn out great. Im sure they will.

I am readier than ever to meet this little guy

Keeping up with the updates!

2011-10-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Only 6 weeks to go!

Let's be honest, there is some joy in saying 6 weeks to go instead of 34 weeks.

Anyway, at 34 weeks I have gained exactly 30 lbs, whoot whoot, go me. The only concern the doctor has when I go in is if I am having too many braxton hicks contactions.

I will say that this is my more achy, tired pregnancy. That may have to do with all the other things I am doing these days, and the fact that I dont sleep well. This little boy sits sooo very low it makes it hard to walk and I could pee myself all the time! However with all of that I still love being pregnant and cant wait to meet him.

Order placed

2011-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

We finally ordered our diapers! We decided to go with the Fuzzi Bunz elite, all in one, one size. They look like this (we just got different colors):

They shipped today! I am so excited. Now we just need a baby to fill them

Pregnant update

2011-10-04T07:41:00.001-07:00

Im totally behind so you get one big one.........

This is me a few weeks ago. I was 24 weeks. This shirt no longer fits me. It is now strictly an undershirt.

This is at 30 weeks.......

I feel huge. Maybe because this little boy only takes up the bottom half of my belly. He sits soooo low. Im pretty sure he may fall out. When I sit down he sits on my lap! It is kind of funny.

I have been at my job for quiet some time know, because of this I have better relationships with the members, which makes it easier for them to tell me how huge I am or how tiny I am. It makes me laugh.

As of now I have gained 27 lbs! Thats right, bring it on. Derek swears it must all be baby because I dont look bigger. Everything else is fine. This is the first pregnancy that I have measured right where I should each week. Even my dr asked if I felt bigger this time around!

Let's dress it up!

2011-10-04T07:39:00.001-07:00

School again!?

2011-10-04T07:31:00.001-07:00

Raymond recently went back to school as a third grader! By recently I really mean, July 26th. After only a short 3 week summer vacation he was back. O the joys of year round school.

Ms Kayann started kindergarten this year! I just cant believe it. She had her testing on the first day of school.

During her testing her teacher asked her to count. She said she would tell her when to stop, the usually stop them when the make a mistake. Kayann counted to 100! than looked at her teacher and said "thats all, I can count to 100 but not 1,000" I almost died. What a smarty pants.

Kayann was so excited for her first day. She picked out her favorite clothes and was ready to go

Until we got there...

She loves school now though

The 24 of July

2011-09-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

The 24th of July is a pretty big deal around this place. They have a huge parade, pow-wow and festival at the park. It is so big that people even camp out on the side of the road. Because my sister is living here, we got to spend the day with her and her family. We drove downtown pretty early to find a spot. The only problem was keeping the kids entertained until the parade started.

This was Kayann's favorite float, so she took a picture of it

We ate lunch at the park and walked around. We saw lots of great things, like people walking on water in big bubbles. We decided to ride the really old ferris wheel. It has been there forever. The kids thought it was pretty sweet

Here are 2 videos to sum up how parades make us feel

8 is great!

2011-09-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

Raymond recently turned 8! It still amazes me how fas the time goes. Anyway in true Raymond fashion, he had to have a fishing party. It started with this:

(pretty sweet huh?)

Because of the time of year Raymond's parties always involve water. Raymond picked out a bunch of snacks to eat while we played outside. Among the selection were some of his favorites like hot cheetos and watermelon

Everyone needs a little Uncle Joe

There were water balloons....

And a little slippin n' sliddin.....

And hose fighting, (Kayann was hiding under the bucket)

Some more eating...

Sal and Nicky made it after all the water fun but just in time for cake (Nicky's favorite) and presents!

Raymond always challenges me with his cake requests (remember R2D2?). This year he wanted a fishing cake. So he got a river on green grass, complete with chocolate rocks.

This year he asked for a nintendo DS, specifically the one that could surf the internet. Raymond really loves to research things. Derek and I decided to get him some pretty sweet books instead (he can use the interent at home). His favorite, of course, was the fishing encyclopedia

Leave it to grandma to provide a nerf gun, that he loves

Sal and Nicky thought he needed a sweet skateboard too

He really did get so many great things but more importantly so many great people came to celebrate his 8 little years of life. Thanks guys!

Days away

2011-08-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

We love to go camping. By love I mean LOVE. However, with the kids being in year round school, Derek having a massive school load, me working and going to school (yes that is right, you just read that), it is a little hard to coordinate everyones schedule.

This year we made it up to my favorite place, Whitney Reservoir. This is my favorite place for many reasons. It is quiet, far away, no cell phone service, and we can usually get a camping spot right by the lake (this is super important).

This trip was a bit different this time. My mom was going to have hip surgery while we were gone, so we took Jakobe with us so she wouldnt have to worry about him. Our friends Brady and Tina came with. Between the two of them they have 4 girls! Brady's mom and sister came with also. Of course we all had to bring our dogs. To say the least our campsite was pretty full. We also, decided to take the trailer instead of our tent this time. This was a good choice. What pregnant lady wants to/can sleep on the dirt and pee outside?

We got an awesome camping spot. This is our view

Every morning after getting dressed and getting their hair fixed, the kids would run off. Raymond always went to the lake (thus why it is super important to camp close to it). The girls would hang out until breakfast was ready

Here are the kids ready to go to the lake

Ashlynn loves to fish almost as much as Raymond. Kayann was nice enough to let her use her practice pole

Raymond is such a good nephew. He had no problem helping Jakobe get his pole ready to go every time he needed it

Kayann finally convinced me to replace the weight on her practice pole with a hook. I figured there was no harm in it. A little while later I saw her struggling. She told me there was something on her pole. She was reeling as hard as she could. I thought she was stuck on the bottom. I went to help her and sure enough she had reeled in her very first fish all by herself!

Miss Kaylee isnt as in to fishing as the others but she tried it out every now and than. She would hang out by the lake, eat snacks, drink kool-aid and hold the pole every now and then

didnt spend quite as long at the lake as the boys. At one point I called Raymond up for lunch. He said he was fine and didnt need to eat. I asked how he figured. He than told me he would live on the beef jerky in his pocket and kool-aid. Really? That boy loves to fish!

The first night we were there it poured rain. It thunder for what seemed like hours (another reason I am grateful for the trailer). By the second night the kids were so tired they didnt care about the rain

Even though packing up and going, even if only for a few days, is a lot of work I am glad that I get to spend the time with my kids fishing, hiking and hanging out. It really is my favorite thing to do.

Its a......

2011-07-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Before you see what our little munchkin is I must share these sweet pictures.........

At this age most babies keep their hands in a fist, only opening them sometimes. Our little baby kept opening and closing its hands. It was so fun to see. Sometimes even clasping them together. So cute!

I just LOVE these little feet

Here we go, our sweet little munchkin is a................

Baby makes 7!

2011-06-27T07:00:00.001-07:00

You read that right........We are having another baby! I have totally been slacking in the means of posting this (or blogging for that matter). Number 5 will make its big debute sometime in November. The actual date is THANKSGIVING. Derek is certain it will happen that day so I need not worry about cooking dinner. ha. I am thinking more like Nov 17. Why? I dont know that is just my feeling. My mom and I were dead on with Ashlynn. Maybe I should ask her!

We are so excited. The kids are so excited. Raymond wants a brother so bad. The girls of course want a sister. One day the girls had on their party dresses, dancing around the round front room. Raymond and I were playing checkers, he looks at me in all seriousness with a bit of a sigh and says "mom, I REALLY cant handle another sister". It made me laugh so hard.

Today I am 19 weeks. This is a picture of me at 18 weeks (see I had intentions of posting it las week)

Ashlynn is convinced she has a baby in her tummy too. When we heard the heart beat the doctor (who was my doctor for Ashlynn) put the doppler on her tummy and moved it so it sounded like mine. Her eyes got huge! Her baby is a girl and her name is Cutie.

Finally......

2011-05-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

Kayann turned 5 (ok back at the end of April)! Before we talk about her sweet "garden party" lets talk about Kayann. She is a great helper. She loves mothering Ashlynn. She wants everyone to be happy. She cant wait to start school, in JULY!!! She is starting to make the same expressions as her brother. She is so sweet and caring.

We waited to have her party until old Grandma got back from Ohio. Kayann wanted to have a butterfly and flower party.

To start we decorated pots to plant in

Than, by Kayann's request, we had hotdogs, that one fruit salad (frog's eye) and potato salad, with strawberry lemonade

The kids wanted to sit outside. However Raymond and Connor are to big to sit with the little kids

Kayann's auntie Rayna made her a sweet pinta.

Sal was willing to hold the rope. I think he was more willing to toy with the kids. It was so funny.

The pinta was pretty tough to break which gave all the kids a fair shot at it.

Of course we had to turn it into sweet hats to wear

Time for cake! Again by request we had a vanilla cake with strawberry filling, chocolate frosting with "dirt" and gumdrop flowers. What a little planner Kayann is

Kayann got so many wonderful presents for her birthday. She really does love them all.

A big thanks to everyone that celebrated this sweet girl getting bigger!

And he did it!

2011-05-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Derek has worked very hard on getting to this point. Sure he has had some set backs, but he was worked through them

I am very proud of him for sticking to it and finally graduating with his Associates Degree. His next step is the University to get his Bachelors Degree in middle school education so he can teach science.

Derek choose to participate in his graduation ceremony. My mom and Kobe came. So did his dad and Debra. Kobe got a little board so we played

After graduation

Happy Easter

2011-05-07T20:42:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!

I know my kids dont take good morning pictures. I will say Ashlynn and Raymond look very similar here

Easter was great. The kids were so excited. Raymond told me a few days earlier "mom I dont think the Easter bunny is real. Im pretty sure that you and dad buy stuff and hide it." Awesome. Derek decided to have a little fun with this and hide his basket in the garage. Raymond almost thought he was left out. It was so fun to see the excitement on his face when he finally found it

I find it much harder to teach my kids the meaning behind Easter than I do the meaning behind Christmas. Believe me I try but its a hard concept to grasp. Birth is easy. Resurrection........not so easy. Hopefully they will understand one day

Easter Brunch

2011-05-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

I ALWAYS have to work on Easter. It is a big thing. So instead of trying to cram brunch in before I went to work on Sunday we decided to have brunch and an egg hunt on Saturday.

Everyone brought something. I loved to cinnamon rolls Andria brought. Lisa brought an egg dish that our family has been making for brunch for what seems like ever. There was so much to eat, the kids were in heaven.

After we ate Derek and Sal headed to the park to hide eggs. WE HAD A MILLION EGGS! We dyed some and filled some. We could only use half the park because another family was heading eggs. We finished just in time to let a different family use our half. What a busy park! The kids loved looking for eggs and showing off what they found.

Since my mom just had surgery Christian wheeled her to the park.

Uncle Joe decided to let Raymond drive back to the house................

A little eggie?

2011-05-07T20:22:00.001-07:00

First let me start this by saying, I know I am super far behind. There just isnt enough time. But now I will catch you up!

My sister recently moved back to SLC with her family, by recently I mean a couple of months ago. This is great! I love having her boys around. I love doing things together. This year for Easter we decided to bring all the grandkids to my mom's to dye eggs (my mom had knee surgery a few days before)

The boys were not very interested in dying eggs. It took all the had to stay long enough for a picture. When did they get old enough to want to do their own thing?

JoEllen and Nicky

Ashlynn wanted to dye all the eggs pink. It is her new favorite color. Kaylee was nice enough to share with her

Kayann and Sal are the best of friends. They are convinced that they are married. It is pretty dang cute!

We all pitched in for supper. My sister made bacon wrapped meatloaf that was amazing. Joe and Cari came when Joe finished school. It was so much fun to have the family together. I love the loud craziness!

Some time with Raymond

2011-03-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Raymond recently was off track. This is good and bad. Raymond is so used to doing something all day he often gets bored. However, he is great at organizing the girls (hmmm....must be an oldest kid thing, JOELLEN) to play different things. This keeps the girls very entertained and tired!

Raymond spent one afternoon wrestling, I mean playing with the dog. This eventually resulted in a huge scratch across his forehead. Him and Takoda are best friends. When Raymond tells him to sit, he will plop his butt right on Raymonds lap!

While doing dishes another day I hear the horse going like mad and "YAW! YAW!" from both Raymond and Ashlynn. I peak around the corner and there they are, guns and all. Please note the bow and arrows on Raymond's back. I couldnt stop laughing. Raymond said they were chasing the bad guys

Despite the cold weather Raymond convinced his sisters that it was good mountain loin hunting weather. They tired to convince me it was squirt gun weather!

Raymond is such a good big brother. I am so glad that he loves playing with his sisters

Puppy love

2011-03-21T13:01:00.001-07:00

Ashlynn has a puppy she drags around the house. He has a green leash. He even has a create, it just so happens to be a purse.

She loves her puppy. She takes such good care of him. She even feeds him!

She gets the dog food out, tells her dog "sit! stay!", than gives him dog food. Pretend dog food wont do either.

When he is done she says "outside. Go outside" She runs her dog over to the back door. Again there is no pretending. She isnt satisfied until we put the dog out to pee.

That little puppy has the best caregiver ever!

So big!

2011-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn is getting so big. She loves to do "big girl" things like, pretend to bake cakes with Kayann. She loves to play barbies with her sisters. She likes to color with Kayann. She has to sit right next to her, and take her markers. Kayann is pretty patient with her though.

Derek does a lot of homework. What seems like all the time. Ashlynn has caught on to this. She sits at the computer, wiggles the mouse and says "homework, homework"

She is getting so big. I just love that big girl!

Is that an egg carton?

2011-03-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

A friend of my recently showed my how to transform an egg carton into a cute gift box. I decided to save my cartons and make them for Valentines day. I filled them with different Valentine candy, and mini cupcakes. I used a ribbon to tie them, and a cute fabric flower, made into a pin, as a bow. I think they turned out pretty stinking cute. They are something I will do again!

A little pink?

2011-02-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

The other day I noticed the coats all lined up smallest to biggest

It dawned on me how much pink (girls) we really do have in our house. I had to laugh a little. I thought "poor Raymond"

MIss Ashlynn

2011-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

So a while back, like Jan 19th, Ashlynn Grace face turned 2! I cant believe it. It has gone by so fast.

Of course we started with with birthday pictures:

I love this pictures. Mostly her little feet!

Ashlynn LOVES cake. She is always asking for it. For awhile when you asked her how old she was she would exclaim "Cake! Cake!"

Getting Ashlynn to take pictures is kind of a trick. She is stubborn and wont do anything that she doesnt want to. So we bribe her with snacks. Sean had the snacks in his hands when he walked out of the room. In this picture she is seriously saying "snack? snack?"

Ashlynn had an ice cream sundae party. It started with these super cute invitations!

Her sundae bar was full of different kinds of candy, fruit, carmel sauce, chocolate sauce, bite size brownies and cupcakes

Ashlynn was so excited that everyone was singing to her.

She kept pointing to herself saying "me, me"

Ashlynn got lots of fun things for her birthday. Her favorite was a My Little Pony, baby unicorn that talks. She thinks it is the greatest thing ever!

My grandma made Ashlynn a blanket for her new bed. I am so grateful that my grandma is able and willing to make quilts for the girls. I hope one day they will be able to see the love that was put into them and cherish them

Aww.....Here is the baby unicorn

Ashlynn had such a great time. Thanks everyone for coming or sending birthday wishes!

A little work

2011-01-19T12:15:00.001-08:00

Ashlynn recently had some work done.

She picked out and placed all of them herself. She was so proud of it. She walked around pointing at it saying "toos, toos!

A Birthday Surprise

2011-01-18T12:48:00.001-08:00

My mom's birthday was on January 8th. Sean had to go home on the 6th. We decided to have a small surprise party for her before Sean went home. Since I was picking Kobe up from school it was no problem getting her to my house.

I let the girls make and decorate her cake.

I took the kids to the store to pick out some gifts. Of course the girls thought grandma needed a new necklace. I convinced them she needed a scarf to go with her new coat also. Kobe worked hard cleaning my windows to earn enough money to by his mom a best mom snow globe, that she loved. Kobe was so proud of himself for earning the money. It was nice to see.

Grandma let all the kids help her blow out the candles

My mom wasnt even expecting it. It was the best surprise ever!

A little to share

2011-01-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

I love crafts. When I say love, I mean LOVE them. I think it is so fun to come up with different things. This year for Christmas I made my mom a welcome sign for her door.

I like to try one before I make a bunch. I love how it turned out. So much that I will be making it again. However next time I think I will make it double sided.

The next fun project I made was a "paint can" gift basket.

I have never made one before. Who better to try it on than my brother. Again this is something I love and will be doing again.

4 is the world!

2011-01-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Kaylee's birthday falls right during the chaos of the holidays. To be exact 4 days after Christmas. Because of this I usually through something together the week before. I didnt want this to happen this year, so I started planning before Thanksgiving! I even started her invitations!

Kaylee wanted a princess themed party. We had a royal ball. It was so much fun. The girls were so excited. They got on their princess clothes, jewels and crowns. I helped them put on make-up.

Ashlynn wanted to do it herself

The girls spent quite some time getting ready, while they were getting ready Kayann asked Raymond (who was playing x box) when he was going to get read. His answer: I am ready (back to x box). He was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and his hair was a mess. Kayann just raised her eyebrows and walked away. O boys!

This year we had to have Kaylee's party on a weekend. Because of this we just had food and cake and ice cream.

I'm not sure why but I have avoided making this cake:

Maybe because I feel it is over done. However, Kaylee LOVED it!

Uncle Sean came to town just days before the party. We were so lucky to be able to see his smiling face!

Kaylee loved opening presents. She loved everything. Ashlynn did too!

There are so many things we love about Kaylee. 1) She loves being a sister, big and little. She has so much fun with the other girls. 2) She has no objection on going with the flow. The plan changes.....o well. She is ok with that. 3) Even though she has 2 houses she is very good about being following our house's rules and being respectful. 4) She loves everyone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLEE!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

We thought for sure the kids would be up super early. We asked Raymond to stay in bed until 7, that way Ashlynn could get some sleep ( she had been sleeping until almost 830 almost everyday). Right at 7 we heard Raymond come upstairs. I convinced him to wait another 15 mins to wake the girls up. I woke Ashlynn up. She was so sleepy and didnt understand why we were getting her up.

This has turned into a classic picture. It is so very tortuous to the kids though. They can see their stockings put cant touch them until mom gets a good picture.

Raymond got alot of cool stuff. Star Wars action figures, a giant candy fish, a movie. You know boy stuff.

Ashlynn, still sleepy loved pulling all the snacks out of her stocking. She loved her earrings and sunglasses too

When Kayann saw her movie she exclaimed "barbie Pegasus, I have always wanted this!"

Kaylee loved her movie, chapstick and nail polish

Santa even left a stocking full of tennis balls for Takoda

Santa brought Ashlynn her very favorite:

She wouldnt get off it. She even ate her snacks on it! She only rides if its playing the music. But she rides like a maniac.

The girls got brand new barbies. Not any barbies but fairies and princesses!

Raymond is a bit of a Star Wars fanatic right now. He was so surprised to open his AT AT

Derek

Besides my expresso machine, my apple peeler is my favorite. We use it alot. Just for fun. The kids think it is pretty cool

My favorite part of Christmas is seeing how excited the kids are to give gifts to the people in their family. Of course the love getting gifts just as much

Christmas eve

2011-01-10T18:38:00.001-08:00

This year on Christmas Eve my mom and I decided to have the kids make huge sugar cookies to decorate.

Raymond made a zombie bear with weapons. Kobe made an alien bear. The girls were much more delicate and traditional We had so much fun. I think it is something we will do every Christmas Eve from now on.

Here then gone

2011-01-04T19:11:00.001-08:00

December is a very busy time around the house. Not just because of the holidays. It is cookie month (that is holiday caused). We have 2 birthdays. It is my busiest time at work. And this year we decided to add a cousin Christmas party. So here are the thing of the month (at least the fun parts)!

Every year after Thanksgiving my mom and I make our cookie list. This year the list was 14 types of cookies. Among the regulars, grandma's cookies, and spritz, we had some new ones, and fun kid cookies. We used 25 pounds of flour almost 25 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of powder sugar and who knows how much butter

These cookies were my favorite:

They taste like chocolate turtles!

Favorite number 2:

We made so many I couldnt take pictures of them all. I also loved a coconut cookie with a chocolate bottom. They taste like a mounds candy bar

Next was Derek's birthday. It was pretty low key. We went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, which is a family favorite. After dinner we came home for a delicious triple chocolate cake.

The camera died so no more pictures. The kids got him some pjs and a sweet depth fishing line. He went to Wendover with Brady, to return shortly. I'm guessing they didnt do so well

My sister made a last minute trip to Salt Lake. We decided to have a cousin Christmas party. I'm pretty sure we will do it every year now.

We started by frosting Grandma Carnell's Christmas cookies.

Then we decorated reindeer cookies, while enjoying hot coco and egg nog.

I just love that Nicky. He is so chubby and has the bluest eyes!

The cookies were so fun for the kids. They are heart shaped sugar cookies made to look like Rudolf

After cookies the cousins got to participate in their own gift exchange. They were all so very excited

Kayann had Sal, which fit perfectly. She so very carefully picked out a present for him, with some guidance. I kept reminder her it was a surprise and not to tell Sal. When Sal started opening his present she yelled "I got you jammie pants!" It was so funny. She almost kept it a surprise.

Raymond thought his rubber band gun was the coolest! Sal may be getting one in the future!

JoEllen made a "go fishing" game. She loves it. Not so much to fish but to cook the fish. She takes them to the toy grill, cooks them, and then feeds us. It is so cute

Pickled herring is a Carnell favorite. Ask any of us they will tell you they love it, as their spouse gags and tries not to vomit. I took advantage of JoEllen's visit and bought a jar. We tried to get Ashlynn to eat some. She seriously eats everything but she would not eat it

We had such a great party and first few weeks of December. It made the kids all that more excited for Christmas!

The big 3-0!

2010-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

On tuesday it was my sister JoEllen's birthday. She is the big 30!

There are so many things I love about her. Like her bossiness. She is the oldest and acts. Her organization. How caring she is. But mostly I love her because she is my friend. Not only my friend but one of my best friends. I can call her about anything and she will be there to listen and help me. I'm so excited for her family's move here in the spring!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOELLEN!

So Sappy, but I love it

2010-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

This video was in a news article I read today. I think it is so sappy, and cute. I just love it. All the time and effort to send a message! I just love it

She said what?!

2010-11-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

We were in the store the other day. Kayann asked to look at the dresses. I told her we could look but not buy. She said ok. After looking through the rack of dresses, and picking out her favorites, I asked if she was ready to go. She answered "Yes. I got my dress fixation." I almost died! What 4 yr old says that? And when has she ever heard that word?

Lyrics for thought........

2010-10-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Parts of this song has been in my head all day

Wonderful by Everclear

I hope my mom and I hope my dad

Would figure out why they get so mad

I hear them scream

I hear them fight

They say bad words that make me wanna cry

Close my eyes when I go to bed

And I dream of angels who make me smile

I feel better when I hear them say

Everything will be wonderful someday

Promises mean everything when you're little

And the world's so big

I just don't understand how

You can smile with all those tears in your eyes

Tell me everything is wonderful now

So far behind.......

2010-10-18T19:57:00.001-07:00

I am SOOO far behind it is crazy. As my mom says "you are a busy working mom" O ok that makes me feel better.

Over Labor Day weekend we were able to visit my sister and her family in Las Vegas. I havent been there since before Kayann was born. I was so excited to go! I worked late the night before we left. Derek wanted to leave early in the morning (like 4 am). I figured no big deal the noise of the car will keep the kids asleep. HA was I wrong. The sun started coming up at 6:45. By 7 the kids were in full swing. We got there by lunch time. Derek was amazed by this seeing how many bathroom breaks we had to take.

It is so hot in Vegas! Our first trip was to the YWCA for some swimming.

That little Nicky is so cute!

That night we didnt do much. We were all pretty tired from the drive and swimming.

The next day we headed to Bonnie Springs. Which is a little old town. There is a train that takes you from the parking lot to the town.

Kayann absolutely loves little Sal. It is pretty stinking cute.

Ashlynn loved the train!

They have different shows through out the town. We watched the melodrama first.

After that we headed outside to watch the town hanging. The kids thought it was pretty funny

JoEllen and I will the "villan"

The other side of the town has a petting zoo. They have such random animals. Ashlynn wanted to pet them all but some, like the emu's, you cant.

There also was a HUGE stallion.

And longhorn bull

Of course there were horses and saddles to sit on. Kayann and Ashlynn were in heaven!

After the long day at Bonnie Springs, we took a nap and had some down time with this pretty sweet 3D sidewalk chalk.

After supper we headed down to the strip. I wanted the kids to see the volcano, for sure, and all the lights. They seriously thought it was the coolest thing ever. They danced to the music walking down the street. They were so excited

We had such a great time in Las Vegas seeing all the sites. But mostly seeing our family. Thanks Auntie JoEllen and Uncle Sal for letting us stay with you!

Cheerleader

2010-09-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today Raymond was in the backyard playing football against the Takoda. I heard Kayann yelling "Go Buffalo Bills, Go!" Along with a little dance.

Seeing how this is Derek's favorite team he thought it was awesome!

What a morning

2010-09-01T11:03:00.001-07:00

3:00 am: knock knock, "come in sweetie. What's the matter." Raymond: "My legs, they just hurt"

Every now and than Raymond gets massive growing pains. When he was 4 I used to have to rub his legs almost every night they hurt him so much! This hasn't happened in awhile. I sense a growth spirt coming on

7:00 am: crying/whining: "mommy" I look out my door and there is Kayann laying on the floor in tears. I ask her what is wrong. She says her ear hurts.

Her temperature is 100! I give Kayann some medicine and put her on the couch. Take Ashlynn potty. Pour cereal for Raymond and Ashlynn. Pack Derek and Raymond's lunch. Get everyone read to go but Kayann.

7:50: We leave to get Kaylee, 10 mins late! I notice Derek forgot his P.E. clothes so we make a detour to the college. Kayann's medicine is working so now she is starving.

8:27: We finally get Kaylee. It takes 20 mins to get back across town to drop Raymond off at school which starts at 8:50!

I call the Dr office. They can get Kayann in at 9.....GREAT! However she is still in her jammies. O well. Drop Raymond off. Head straight to the Dr. Now I am starving ( I always eat after I drop Raymond off)

We made it just in time for the appointment. Kayann has a pretty bad ear infection and the start of strep throat! UGH!

We went home got the 2 girls dressed, took Ashlynn potty, I ate, and started some laundry (o that's right today every kid in my house decided they need their clothes washed). We headed back out the door to get Kayann's medicine and to pick up some "sick people" food. My mom had surgery today so we picked up stuff to make a gift basket for her. Ashlynn cried due to hunger and boredom almost the whole time in the store.

Now we are all at home. The girls have eaten. Kayann is in heaven on the couch with a movie, juice and blanket. Ashlynn has finally stopped screaming, she got fed and laid down. I started more laundry and now I am off to shower.

Let's hope the rest of the day goes smoothly

Bedtime?

2010-08-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn's sisters love to be the "mom". Through out the day I hear "come on sweetie its time for bed". This usually involves them putting Ashlynn in their jammies

And than putting her to bed.....

Ashlynn is a good sport. She just lays there, hanging out. She waits for them to tell her its morning

Happiness is just moments away

2010-08-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I try my best to do a "keep the kids busy" activity before lunch. For 2 reasons, 1 to give them something to do with me. 2 So they dont kill each other.

Today we made caramel corn. They loved it. We talk about measuring, mixing, how things are made. It is so much fun. They loved it!

I thought I would share this fast, simple recipe. It is to die for!

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

10 popped cups plain popcorn

Pop the popcorn. Keep it warm in the oven. In a sauce pan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, without stirring for 4 mins. Remove from heat. Add baking soda and vanilla.

In a large bowl pour caramel in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. Spread out on a cookies sheet to cool.

If you like it crunchy: place popcorn in a roasting pan. Bake at 250 for 45 mins to 1 hour stirring every 15 mins

Our weekend at Whitney

2010-08-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

We like to camp at Whitney Reservoir. It is usually pretty quiet, and has great fishing. The kids love to fish!

Kayann and Ashlynn "fishing".

Raymond wanted to teach Kobe everything he knew

Raymond was so patient. He was determined to catch a fish. The reservoir was over crowded and over fished. However Raymond caught our 1 fish!

The girls eventually ventured out to cast with Kayann's practice pole. Of course they had a snack in hand

I decided I would bring their suites this time. Good thing. The water was freezing. The mud was super deep. That didnt stop them. They got right in while Ashlynn and Derek took a nap

Than on to supper. Derek seems to think he is the dutch oven master. :)

My mom came up to spend the last night with us. Ashlynn loved playing in her tent.

The morning my mom came the rancher also brought his sheep down by the reservoir to drink and eat. They were right by our camp!

The rancher did let the kids ride his horse. Kayann was so excited. She thought it was the coolest thing ever.

I wasnt planning on letting Ashlynn ride, but my mom and Ashlynn insisted. Ashlynn loves horses almost as much as Kayann.

Normal, where?

2010-08-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is a very normal look around our place.

Yes that is a mixing bowl on her head. Yes her baby has 2 blankets in the middle of the summer. And yes she is stinking cute!

Back to school

2010-08-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Raymond changed schools to the one in our neighborhood. He didnt like this for a few reasons. It is year round (so he started July 26), he doesnt know anybody and he has a new teacher. He is excited to maybe have friends in our neighborhood though.

As you can see he didnt want me to take his picture

First Day of School

Shiny, sharpened pencils,

Desks all in a row,

It's the first day of school AND

I DON'T want to go.

A very different teacher,

With a strange sounding name.

I WANT my last year's teacher~

Things will NEVER be the same!

I remember all the things we learned,

And all the things we made.

The TRUTH is,

If you really want to know,

I'm REALLY afraid.

The second week of school he had a little melt down at home. He was upset because he had no friends. I told him to hang in there and it would be ok. Now he has friends and is back into the swing of things

If them soft, them good!

2010-08-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

A man in my mom's neighborhood has a HUGE apricot tree. He didnt want them to go to waste so he said we could pick some. The kids had so much fun. Kayann kept referring to herself as a "picker girl". She would tell Kaylee "if them soft, them good". Ashlynn even loved picking them. The ate a million of them out of the bags before we even got to the car. I think we ended up with 4 shopping bags full!

Raymond didnt want his picture taken

Old but good

2010-08-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken back at the end of June. My mom was out of town. The kids were responsible for taking care of Scooter. Ashlynn just loves Scooter. Every time we would leave she would get so excited and clap. She loves to give him kisses. I wanted to send one to my mom and this is what I got:

It has been a year and a half already!

2010-08-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn is 18 months! I cant believe how fast it goes. I know I say that with every kid but it is true. They grow so fast

Like usual here is a billion pictures for you entertainment!

Ashlynn recently went to the doctor. He said she is doing wonderful. She is still a light weight but very tall. She is still growing upward on the chart and that is all that really matters.

Ashlynn loves so many things. She loves to be like the older kids. She loves to follow them everywhere. Doing everything that they do. She still loves to eat. It is still one of the most heard words from her mouth.

She is just sweet and we love having her in our family!

OPS! Jedi Knight Training

2010-08-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Raymond loves Star Wars. We had Jedi Knight Training this year. It started with "star" tosses.

It was tricky to get the kids to understand it. They loved it though. The last toss was from Kobe to me. Straight in the air. Upon being caught it burst all over my face!

Ashlynn loved running around outside. Next was an obstacle course. Raymond's Auntie Coneal set it up.

The boys are ready!

Pop the balloon

Jump off the wall. Throw the ball. And run back to the beginning

Than the water fun started!

Maybe not so fun for Kayann

Raymond wanted Navajo tacos, frog's eye salad, and that salad with eggs in it (potato salad) So that is just what we had

Nothing says Jedi Knight like your very own R2D2

Cousin Zach and Auntie Lisa

Raymond's only request for gifts this year was anything BUT clothes. That little stinker!

Raymond had a great party. He was so glad that everyone came to see him

7 years and counting

2010-07-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

Raymond just turned 7 (yesterday). I cant believe it. It goes so fast. I remember how little he was when he was born, only 6 lbs 1 oz! He was so fragile. I was so young. We have come so far!

Now it is time to share 7 things we love about him!

1. His radiant smile. It is always there (unless he is doing homework). He is so happy and loves to share that with other people

2. How much he loves being a big brother.

3. His full belly laugh. You can hear it from across the house, all the time. It makes me smile

4. His love for his culture and heritage. He is always asking questions, trying to learn more and teaching his sister.

5. His willingness to help.

6. How intuitive he is and his ability to act on it

7. How much he cares for other people. He is a friend to everyone.

I just love this little man. He is the sweetest boy I know. I'm so grateful to be his mama!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAYMOND!

The Zoo

2010-06-26T08:53:00.001-07:00

The first week of summer my mom invited us to join her and Lisa at the zoo. We had so much fun!

The boys both had maps. They decided they were going to lead us through the Zoo. Our first stop was monkeys. *Notice in the pictures that Kayann, Raymond and Kobe are all wearing the same shirt.....this was not planned some how they all put it on

Next we saw the elephants. This was a favorite. We spent alot of time here.

Maybe because of the baby Zuri. She is so cute running around

There is a huge wooden elephant that plays music. It will make a sneezing noise and mist will come out of its nose. Kayann didnt know this. She got sprayed right in the face. She was freaked out!

A grandma, grandkids, and Kobe picture

On to the bigger monkeys...... Orangoutangs and gorillas

A little snack and sunscreen

Raymond and Kobe loved the snakes, spiders, and bugs!

Kayann couldnt wait to see the giraffes. This big girls behind us kept wrapping her tongue around the pole. It was pretty cool

The newest animal at the Zoo are 2 crocodiles.

Fishing......maybe

2010-06-26T08:31:00.013-07:00

Derek recently got a new fishing boat. Sorta. It is a blow up fishing boat. I have never heard of them but now I know. He also got a trolling motor for it. He wanted to go to the lake to "test" it out and fish. His friend Brady and his 3 girls came with. However this has never done so with so many kids!

The kids were so good while they waited for Derek to set up the boat. Of corse there was plenty of snacks to help with that.

Ashlynn loves the boat but HATES her life jacket. I'm pretty sure that had something to do with the effect it had on her ability to eat.

No bunny ears here. Just feathers!

We took the boat around to a different part of the lake to eat lunch. Derek and Brady took turns taking the kids out for rides. There were lots of campsites. We found a playground for Ashlynn, which she loved. I figured the water would be too cold for the kids, which it was, so I didnt bring their suits. That didnt stop them! After lunch the played in the shallow area of the lake. Whenever when was done we rode the boat back to the dock. That's when the really fun started. My crazy children were jumping off the dock into the freezing cold water. Kayann says "mom, can you teach me to swim in freakin' cold water"

Ashlynn loved throwing rocks in the lake. She loved putting her feet in the water, and hanging out with uncle Brady

It was so much fun to be at the lake. It made me think of all the fun we had at Lily Lake, and other lakes, growing up. It is fun to see the kids run around so happy.

PS no fish were caught. I'm sure the poles were out for 3 minutes total

A new trick!

2010-06-17T20:50:00.001-07:00

This video seriously cracks me up! This is a normal game at our house.

*Note Kayann's awesome red dress up shoes and purse she never puts down

Yes that is a dog chew toy. No matter how many times I tell Ashlynn it is the dogs, she still plays with it. And yes she puts it in her mouth, and so does the dog.

A parade for the day

2010-06-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Now that Raymond is home from school he is always organizing the girls into something. This is a video of his first parade. Notice there is even a princess waving!

This cracks me up (and probably my mom, and JoEllen) because JoEllen used to do this to us ALL summer long. Maybe not parades but something. We used to make dance routines to disney songs, or go to "school" where she was the teacher. It is undeniable the oldest are the bossest.

Summer sunshine.

2010-06-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

We recently got out the pool. The kids absolutely love it! They are in it everyday, as long as the weather permits.

Of corse Ashlynn LOVES to splash like a crazy kid

The kids love to jump into the pool from the patio. Derek doesnt think it is the safest thing. And I encourage it. It is so funny to watch.

This day Raymond wasnt home to enjoy the pool. But there are always more days.

School is out!

2010-06-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Raymond is finally out of school. He received the award at school for reading the most minutes and books during the school year. His grand totally was 7,089 minutes and 455 books! The is the most out of all the first grade classes.

GOOD JOB RAYMOND!

Really?!

2010-06-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

It is no lie that Ashlynn loves food......but really?!

The phrase of the day is.......

2010-05-17T13:59:00.001-07:00

Eat! Eat! Mumm Mumm eat! Eat!

This is pretty much ALL I have heard from Ashlynn today. Despite feeding her meals and endless snacks she obviously doesnt think I have fed her enough!

That is no normal box of strawberries she stole from the fridge, ran to the front room and dug into. It is a 3 lb container!

While making potato salad I again heard the phrase and ignored her.......I was later regretful of that

Good morning world!

2010-05-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

5:20: Derek's alarm goes off for school. I quickly go back to sleep. Why the heck would I want to be up before the sun?!

5:45: A faint knock on my half opened door, followed by an almost tearful "mom, my throat, its hurting so bad". I quickly am no longer half asleep. I carry a burning hot Raymond downstairs and give him some tylenol. Of corse a back tickle and comforting is needed until the tylenol kicks in, 30 minutes later! Raymond is now comfortably watching cartoons. I head back to bed. Shut my eyes.......Sigh of relief

6:19: I am awaken by "Eat! Eat! Eat!" really?! It is barely light out. I go lay Miss Ashlynn back down. Settle back into bed and fall asleep.......um no. I hear "Eat! Eat! Mumm Mumm Mumm Eat!" Part of me thought I could lay her in my bed, give her a back tickle, and get some sleep. So I try it. That part of me was wrong.

6:40: My starving baby is eating.

6:45: And the girls are up!

Good Morning world! Here we come, bright and early!

'Tis the season

2010-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Raymond got up this morning complaining that he was too weak to walk. Of course I think he is being dramatic. I hold his hand to "help" him get to the table for his pancakes. I ask him what is wrong, he says he doesn't know.

While fixing Kayann's hair she says "I just dont know whats wrong with that brother." I say me either. She says "probably he is sick or dead!" Oh my gosh!

I come downstairs there is Raymond looking as miserable as possible. He asks for a popsicle because his throat hurts. It dawns on me........this is the time of year, EVERY year, that he gets STREP THROAT

A party fit for a mer-princess

2010-05-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kayann had a mermaid princess party this year.

So to start we made crowns for all the merpeople. It was so fun to see how they turned out!

Alex didnt want a pink crown but he colored his yellow one pink

Once all the crowns were made it was time for mermaid races (thanks to old grandma for making the sacks!). It was grandma's job to line the kids up, that way I could take pictures.

The boys had to give the girls a head start. Of course they werent so happy about that.

Kayann and I ended the many races. The kids just LOVED it

One of Kayann's favorite things to do is eat! She picked out what to eat and helped get it ready. We had her favorite things, hot dogs, cheetos, frogs eye salad, and pink soda.

Every mermaid needs a castle to live in. Of course her's was pink on the inside. She even added a little mermaid to the sand! She is all about details. Last year Connor blew out her candles, resulting in tears and a redo, thus why Raymond is covering his mouth. Look at Alex's little face! So cute

Kayann is so lucky to have so many "friends". She got enough clothes to last months. Lots of barbies, which she loves to play with. Enough horse books to keep her entertained. And a CD player! She is so spoiled!

Kayann was so excited for her party. She was so glad all her friends came. She said it was the best birthday ever, followed by next year for my birthday I want to have............

Some pictures to share

2010-04-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Kayann's grandma made her a traditional jingle dress. I thought it would be perfect for her birthday pictures. Of course her Auntie Celaina took them. They turned out amazing!

this one is by far my favorite. Her big eyes peeking through

I love her sweet face!

The traditional pose

A big day for a little girl

2010-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Our little Miss Kayann turned 4 today. I cant even believe it. She is getting so big. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.

I took the time to right some things about her. There are so much to say about her!

K: kind. She has the biggest heart I have ever seen. She wants everyone to be happy.

A: Amazing. She is so smart. So brave. So loving. It is so amazing to me

Y: Young. She always helps me to be young at heart.

A: Amusing. She has the funniest little quirks. The cutest laugh. And the best tricks

N: Neat. She has to have everything just so. A little OCD like. Everything has a place

N: Nurturing. She is such a caregiver. She makes sure everyone has what the need

We love so much about Kayann. We have decided to share 4 of those things

1.Her sweet kisses. She could change a heart of stone with her love. She is always willing to give them and always will to receive them. She is so affectionate. It melts my heart.

2. Her honesty. She will tell you the truth no matter what.

3. How bossy she is. She is the first to tell people what to do. To clean up toys. To eat. She even tells me to be sure to use baby powder!

4. Her heart. She has the biggest heart I have ever seen. She loves everyone no matter what. She is so kind and giving. Everyone is her friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS KAYANN!

15 months!

2010-04-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn is 15 months! I can believe it. It is going so fast. She is such a little toddler!

There are so many new things in her world. She doesnt nurse anymore. She wants to be just like the older kids. Which means she wants to drink from a regular cup. Eat a whole apple. Color. Climb on to the chair herself. She mostly wants to do it (whatever it may be) herself. She loves to play with the other kids. She can almost run when they chase her. She likes to spin in circles and say "wheee" with the girls. She almost always is dragging a baby doll around. She is getting better at talking. She has added "ath"(bath) to her vocab. She is working on outside (she just says the o) and up (again just the u). Ashlynn knows most of her body parts. Eyes, mouth, tongue, ears, hair, nose, hands, feet and belly. She even know how to say prayers!

This check up she jumped a touch ahead of her normal growth curve. No complaint there. She is just tiny. She now weighs 19 pounds and is 29 1/4 inches tall. She is tall and skinny. But healthy and growing great! She has had 1 more tooth come in. Which puts the count to 5. She however has 7 more about to cut!

Now she will entertain you with her splashing skills. Note the tug boat moving like its in a hurricane and Kayann whining because Ashlynn tries to take her toy and than splashes her

2010-04-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

I recently came across these lyrics:

When you leave that way you can never go back

A train won't run on a torn up track

They hold so much truth to them. To events in that happen in life

*Confederate Railroad, When you leave that way*

Another Project done

2010-04-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new bed for Kayann. She loves it but it looked a little plain with her vibrant blanket

So Kayann and I decided to add some ribbion to it. It turned out so well

Happy Easter

2010-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

What a basket?! Look what I found..... I love it! Sweet! The kids loved Easter!

A little get together

2010-04-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

My mom decided that we should go camping for Easter this year.

We headed south pretty year in the morning. We got to the camp with enough time to set up and make supper.

It was SO wind we had to build a "wind shield" for the campfire.

The kids got to eat inside so their food didnt blow away

As soon as we got the kids in bed it started POURING rain. Raymond was sure the trailer was going to cave in on him. We had nothing else to do but go to bed. Lots of sleep for everyone!

Raymond is quite the outdoorsman. He wanted to try to build our fire for our hotdogs for lunch. I was so proud of him when he did it! I lit the match for him, though.

Being a boyscout Kobe was well prepared with first aid kit. I'm sure we went through all the bandaids. Kaylee thought it was so cool.

A little lunch

My sister and the boys arrived after lunch. Kayann and Sal were instantly connected at the hip. And that Nicky is such a big boy. He is so happy and loves playing

Friday we spent the day in St. George at the dinosaur track museum.

Which was followed by lunch in this cool park. It had so many different things for the kids to climb on. The kids loved it. It made them nice and tired

We had to leave Saturday morning because I had to work on Sunday. Before we left the kids had an Easter egg hunt.

There were many hiccups in our camping trip. The window on the trailer broke, while driving, from the wind. While pulled over to fix it I changed Ashlynn's diaper on my lap. Which she peed all over. Derek rolled the window up on Kayann's fingers. Once we made it to camp Derek broke the key to the trailer cubby off in the cubby. However the rock start it ended well. The kids had so much fun. It was so fun to see my sister, Sal and Nicky. I cant wait to do it agian!

Get 'em going!

2010-04-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Before all the spring festivities Raymond learned a new way to get around

Of corse Ashlynn had to try:

Please come to the kitchen

2010-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you had a PA system in your house like Walmart or something.......what would it say?

Today mine would sound something like this:

Good afternoon Morgan residents!

Would the lost brain please come to the kitchen,

your owner is waiting there for you.

She cant seem to find you anywhere.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Some days I'm pretty sure I am so scatter brained it is not funny

Here we go again!

2010-03-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

The events of the evening:

I arrive home from work at a decent time. Settle in to the couch for a little bit of down time before bed. "MOM! MAMA! MOM!" What the?! I run as fast as I can up the stairs, almost certain to find Miss Kayann puking. She is tossing and turning in bed. "My ear! My ear!" I ask what will make her feel better. She answered sitting on the couch with me. I carry her down stairs to find that we have NO, i repeat NO ibuprofen or tylenol! So I snuggled a tired, in pain, little girl on the couch while Derek ran to the store at 10pm. Kayann took her medicine and went back to bed. My hope is to get through the night.

While snuggling on the couch I can hear Raymond coughing his little lungs out in his room. I cant help but think "Not 2 kids with colds and ear infections". We just got done with Kaylee's cough and snotty nose (thus why there is not ibuprofen or tylenol)

Good Intentions

2010-03-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to give an update on this sweet little girl:

Ashlynn is now 13 1/2 months old. She can walk very well. She is starting to try to run. Her vocabulary is getting there. She can say, eat, mama, dada, nigh nigh, wheeee, and num num. She is certain that pointing at things is the way to go. She can throw her diapers in the trash. She knows where everyone else's eyes and nose is. If asked where her tongue is she just sticks it out for you to see. And loves the puppy. She is the sweets baby trying to become a toddler!

That's a teenager!

2010-03-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

It is no lie that kids say some pretty awesome stuff. I dont know if my kids are more honest than most or what but they seem to have some of the best things come out of their mouths

Last night I had this conversation with Raymond

Raymond: mom how old were you when I was born?

Me: 17

Raymond: what!? That's a teenager. Why would a teenager have a baby!?

What do you say to that one?

The newest addtition

2010-03-02T07:06:00.001-08:00

On Monday our family grew a little. At 5:30 a handsome little guy joined our family

His name is Takoda. He is 8 weeks old. He is pretty playful. He loves Kayann, and licking Ashlynn's hands. Raymond cant wait to take him fishing with him. He is just perfect for our family!

Our busy weekend part 2

2010-03-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Jakobe was baptized after the wedding, on the 21st. After his baptism Sal wanted to have a sleep over. Since it was not really planned he had no jammies. Kayann didnt want him to sleep in his clothes so she insisted that he wear a pair of her jammies. Sal didnt mind

Sal got to sleep in Raymond's room. He was so excited.

The sleepover worked out well. The next morning we met JoEllen, Big Sal, and Nicky at the Clark Planetarium. It is free and just big enough to keep the kids occupied.

They were in love with this:

Its a bunch of simple machines ran by balls that make different nosies and do different things. It is as tall as the planetarium. They thought it was so cool

Nicky, being the heavier child, got to ride in the stroller. Ashlynn just loves him. She had so much fun grabbing at him and kissing him. Nicky didnt mind too much.

How can you not grab this face?

Our last stop was a "mars scape" . The kids loved climbing and jumping on the rocks! Here is JoEllen and Sean

After the planetarium we headed to the California Kitchen for some pizza. It was so fun to have all the kids together. They really do just like being around each other. It was nice to see my sister and spend they day with her and her family. It was good to take Sean along.

After lunch it was time for Sean to go back home. I dropped him off at the airport and headed back to my now empty house. The busy weekend was over.

It was so great to see everyone and hang out. I really do like being with my family. They are so much fun. Everyone in their own way

Our busy weekend part 1

2010-02-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my brother, Joe, finally married the love of his life, Cari. I say finally because they have been dating for 4 1/2 years and have been engaged for half of that.

We started with the arrival of Joe on wednesday. The kids always love having Uncle Joe over. That was followed by the arrival of my brother, Sean, on Thursday. He lives in Virginia serving in the Navy. His visits are not often enough and usually short. It is great to have him visit. Than Auntie JoEllen, Uncle Sal, little Sal and Nicky made it on friday.

The rehearsal was friday night. Joe and Cari wanted all the nieces and nephews (that were old enough) to be involved. Kayann and Kaylee were flower girls, escorted by Raymond and Sal. They practiced all night. Sal was sure that throwing flowers was much like throwing baseballs. He even did a little grunt.

After the rehearsal we hurried home to give the girls a bath. It was already 8:30 by the time they were out and they still needed curlers in their hair! Good thing I'm fast. They were in bed by 9:00, only 1 1/2 hours late!

Kayann is so girly. She loves the curlers and curly hair

Kaylee loved them for a minute but picked them out during the night

Sean decided to put together a video for Joe and Cari to Joe's favorite song, Danger Zone. He took pictures from their facebook that were absolutely hilarious. He did a great job. We all got ready but the girls. There was no way I was chancing dirty on those little dresses.

Sean and I are ready to go. The sad thing is I'm wearing HUGE heels!

We made it to the church just in time to get the girls ready. We decided to go on a bathroom break before we put their tights on

The wedding went very well. Sal didnt throw the flowers like baseballs. Him and Kayann actually forgot to throw flowers. But they looked so cute anyway. We didnt get any pictures at the time so after the wedding we had them do it again. ha

JOe almost cried. He held it together pretty good though

I know pronounce you Mr and Mrs Joe Carnell......

you may kiss the bride

Here they all are......They are so stinking cute!

Ashlynn is 4 months older than Nicky. Though you cant tell. They love each other. They liked to grab each others faces. Nicky loved Ashlynn's flower

Here is my little family.

After forcing far too many pictures on the kids we went to get something to eat with Joellen's family and my mom. I decided to find a sitter for the kids so they could get some much needed sleep.

The reception was a blast! Joe is so funny. He sang a surprise song for Cari. My mom and him danced to "I like to move it move it". It was so funny. Derek and I had a blast. We are so glad that Joe and Cari were finally able to get married

Congratulations Joe and Cari

Bath time fun

2010-02-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn and Kayann bathe on the same nights now. Kayann has decided she wants to take a bath with Ashlynn. Mostly because she gets to play in the bath forever, she stays in after Ashlynn gets out.

Ashlynn in starting to be more comfortable moving around in the bath. She likes to splash. Pull all the soap down. Get the toys and drink the water

Kayann loves to play with her doll and clean up after Ashlynn. I usually her "no, no baby" She is just so neat and tidy. They do really enjoy each others company. They like being together. It is super cute to see

Is there a mouse in the house

2010-02-10T19:20:00.001-08:00

The other day Derek had set Ashlynn on the counter while he made his lunch. He turned to get a knife, Ashlynn quickly grabbed the block of cheese and started going for at it. I couldnt stop laughing.

She got a few good bites before Derek turned back around. Derek says "now honey why'd you let her do that?" I was too busy taking pictures to stop her.

Best Friends

2010-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

A big couch..................................CHECK

A big bowl of popcorn...............CHECK

A big blanket for snuggling......CHECK

A "late" night movie..................CHECK

Your best friend by your side........

Christmas in Jan?

2010-02-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

We have always exchanged names for christmas. This was the first year that there was enough cousins for them to do so.

Lucky for Miss Kayann little Sal had her. By lucky I mean his mom is a freaking craft wizard. Sal gave Kayann this:

We know his mom made it but Kayann loves it. Each hand decorated pocket had a little toy in it. She cant wait to use it for next Christmas

Thanks Sal!

A day to play

2010-02-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the weather has been really nice. Almost spring like. This means that it is warm enough for Ashlynn to play outside. She can crawl with out being in the snow. She loves it. She loves the push cars

She loves tasting all the different rocks:

But mostly she loves to be where her older siblings are. Those 4th kids just want to be included so bad.

Teething a bit?

2010-02-10T19:00:00.001-08:00

This was recently brought to my attention in Ashlynn's room:

Um......Teething lately?

Ashlynn's birthday......last week, ops!

2010-01-27T14:04:00.001-08:00

Ashlynn Grace turned one! We had a little birthday party the night before because I had to work on her birthday. We feasted on hotdogs (Ashlynn's all time favorite), cheese (yet another favorite) and chili (not so much). Ashlynn had no clue what was going on. Every time we took pictures she looked at us like we were crazy!

Everyone happily eating their cheese dogs

I decided to make these fun snowman cupcakes. They were kind of a pain in the butt like a gingerbread house is. The frosting is glue and things fall off until it is set. They are freaking cute though!

All ready for cake!

Around valentines day you can find pretty much anything lady bug. A new lady bug back? sure why not. She will love it one day. She always got new bath toys to hoard. She loves them.

And a cute little talking mail box that she loves

I cant believe how fast the months have gone by. She is starting to be such a big girl!

On the night you were born

2010-01-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is a really sweet book. Every parent/child should have one. It talks about how special you are. That there is no one like you

We were reading last night. I asked the kids if there was anyone exactly like them. They all said no expect for Jakobe. He said, yes there is. I asked who. He answered: "Barack Obama. He has a white mom and a black dad. So we are the same." I couldnt stop laughing because Jakobe kind of looks like him too

A little behind

2010-01-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

I love to scrapbook. It makes me happy. Gets rid of my stress. However at this moment it may in a small way be making me crazy! I am so far behind. I just reached 18 months old in KAYANN'S book. Um she is almost 4! I havent even started Ashlynn's. I havent done a family book in who knows how many years! AHHHH. You understand the make me crazy part?

So I have made a goal. Its not a big one but it is a step. I want to have Kayann's toddler book done by the Joe and Cari's wedding. Why than you ask? Because than I can show my sister when she comes to town. That way I will be held accountable. JoEllen you better be ready to see it. ha

Ashlynn's milestone

2010-01-20T08:37:00.001-08:00

Ashlynn just turned 1! (birthday party pictures are coming) I cant believe it. It seems the more kids you have the faster the time goes.

Ashlynn is so sweet. She loves to give hugs and kisses, reading, wrestling, playing "I'm gonna get you". She loves her brother. Eating is one of her favorite things to do, she likes to sit in a booster seat at the table. She thinks baths are the coolest thing ever. But on the flip side she is very opinionated. If she doesnt want to do it, she wont. She will shake her head no at you so you know. She is so spunky and fun!

Ashlynn is our little baby (not as little as Kaylee was but definitely smaller than kayann). She hits the scale at 17 lbs and is 28 inches long. As you can imagine that isnt very high in the percentile world, but her dr. said she is growing just the way she was meant to. Thats all I care. Ashlynn started taking steps. She isnt walking real well yet but she is getting there.

Once again we went to JcPenny's for pictures.....I just love them. They do such a great job and are so friendly and patient. Ashlynn was a little cranky. It was almost lunch time. I had to bribe her with some snacks. She was like a little puppy. After every flash she would open her mouth for a "treat" it was so funny

Eh....

2010-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

It is amazing, how one person's opinion can make question arise in yourself.

New bed

2010-01-13T11:59:00.001-08:00

During the craziness of the holidays, some little friends found a new place to sleep:

Forgive my slacking.........

2010-01-13T11:38:00.001-08:00

The holidays were full of firsts, tradition and craziness!

We attempted our first gingerbread house. Ok I bought a kit but it was still the first year I have made one with the kids. It was more challenging than I thought, with a gimp arm and all. Even though it fell apart the kids still had a blast and a great snack!

Grandma and Old Grandma got the girls enough dress up stuff to last for days. The girls love it. There is so many possibilities. Luckily, for me, they brought a "closet" and hangers, and drawers for all the jewelry.

On to the stockings..........Kaylee was at her mom's

This was Ashlynn's first Christmas! She had no clue what was going on but loved going through everything

Sadly Kayann had massive pink eye (when I say massive I mean eye swollen shut, ooze everywhere). However that did not stop her excitement when she was going through her stocking

Santa brought Raymond enough fishing stuff to get through the summer.....Good thing his mom made him a fishing vest this year

Ashlynn didnt care too much to open presents. She just wanted to play with the paper, and eat some breakfast. She does however love her push car

The kids didnt ask for much. Kayann really really wanted a mermaid barbie.........

and Raymond really really wanted a double lightsaber.........

Santa did so well. Everyone was super happy! They got books, and lots of games this year. They also got a puppet theater, that they love

We had an amazing Christmas with family and friends. Food everywhere, Ashlynn was in heaven! I love to be able to spend so much time with our family.

Watching planes go by

2010-01-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

This time of year most people cant wait for Dec. 25th. Well this year we couldnt wait for Dec 23rd.

I bathed my kids, put them in jammies, brushed their teeth, but they did not go to bed. Instead we loaded into the car with our handmade signs. Each a different. Each with a special meaning for each kid.

W arrived at our destination with time to spare. Maybe too much. The kids were tired. There was no place to sit, as many others were doing the same thing we were. Derek gathered the tired kids on the floor, against the wall. He tired his best to keep them entertained with stories

Finally we saw familiar face! They were there for the same purpose.........To welcome my brother home from the war

He had no clue we were going to be there. He took forever to get off the plane. He made several stops on his way......the bathroom.........water.........

Finally he made it to baggage claim. Man was he surprised!

It was good to finally see him and know that he is safe and well.

During our wait many people came up and said to tell Joe thank you or something of that sort. My brother John was in the back of the group with his son when a lady approached him asking a few question like who we were, if any of the kids were Joe's and what not. Finally before she walked a way her eyes filled with, than ran down her face, she said, please tell him thank you, my brother never made it home. Talk about the harsh reality of what could have happened. What is happening.

A little cookie goes along way

2009-12-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

December means cookies. When I say that I mean LOTS of cookies. I am completely out of storage containers. They are stacked in my garage full of cookies. My mom is usually over every night making something.

Before we stared Christmas cookies I thought that I would make some good old chocolate chip to try to keep the kids out of the Christmas ones.

Whenever I am cooking you can bet Little Ashlynn is on the floor begging for something to snack on. No luck that day. I figured cookie dough probably wasnt the best for her.

Later when they were all baked and I couldnt resist her begging anymore, she got half a cookie. She loved it so much! Look how happy she is:

I had to laugh at myself because Raymond's mom would have never giving her 10 month old a chocolate chip cookie. I guess that is one of the perks of being the younger sibling.

Day by day

2009-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Today a dear friend of mine is celebrating her life. She is 10,585 days old. I cant believe it.

I will be writing more about this, her, and our life later (I have to go help Derek with homework). But I just wanted to take a second to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!