Day 25

Sense of Humor.
I really appreciate and love people having a sense of Humor. I love hearing people's "belly" laughs and also doing the same in return. There's no other feeling like laughing, especially laughing til you cry! I was talking to my Grandmother (a breast cancer survivor) and she was telling me that she was going to have to have laproscopic surgery on her knee next week, and making it sound like it was no big deal. I was impressed by her bravery and cracked the joke..
"Well I guess it's nothing compared to getting a boob cut off!" and she just let out the biggest belly laugh ever! It made me laugh and smile! Some peoples laughs you will never forget, hers is no exception! :-)

Day 24

Staying home.
I'm grateful I get to stay home and be a mommy right now. It's the hardest job, but is more rewarding than anything else! It's a nice change to be home full time and not having to run off to work. Especially to not have to deal with finding child care. It was nice living in the same town as Grandma, but we aren't so lucky now. I miss helping mom deliver their precious babies, but I don't miss staying up all night and trying to recover from that over and over again!

Day 23

Peace and Quiet.
I am grateful for the rare moments of peace and quiet. It is refreshing to my mind, body and soul! I remember thinking as a kid, "I wish we didn't have to sleep, and could just play all day/night long!" I'm so grateful for a wise and loving Heavenly father that makes sure all of us, especially the kids need to get some SLEEP!! I'm really grateful when my sleep is restful and peaceful too!

Day 22

Technology.
I am pretty grateful for all the "things" in my life that make my life easier.
Dishwasher, microwave, laptop, camera, cell phone, my car, garage door opener etc.

Day 21

Birthdays.
I'm grateful we get to celebrate once a year how special everyone is. I love showering people especially my family with love and attention. Doing fun special things to make it a memorable day is just soo fun. All we did this year for Ryan's birthday was decorate the breakfast table and had a pancake breakfast, birthday style, with hats streamers and blowers. The went to the hospital to meet daddy for lunch. Ryan wore his "it's my birthday" hat so everywhere we went people wished him a happy birthday too. Then that evening we went to the fire station in town and had a Thanksgiving dinner with half of our town and one friend of mine got the whole fire house full of people to sing happy birthday to him!! It was awesome. Making memories to last a life time!!
Then that weekend we went to the movies and let him bring a friend, and on Saturday we went to a children's museum with another special friend there too! Daddy had to work, so he missed out on all of that but he took Ryan all by himself to the movies tonight and they had a blast.

Day 20

Potty training is over.
I'm very grateful to have a diaper-free house, for the moment. I'm so thankful to not have to have multiples in diapers and I'm sure my trash man really appreciates too!!

Day 19

Prayers.
I am grateful for prayers. I am grateful to know that my Father in Heaven knows me and loves me and cares for me as an individual. He knows me best and knows what is best for me, and therefore not all of my prayers are answered when asked. example...I remembering praying for Joe to find the right job, but would also include in that prayer to be in the area local enough for us to stay near current family and friends. I was being selfish in my request not wanting the added stress of uprooting my family and to remain in the current comforts I had felt. Well as time went on and my prayers were not answered, my prayers changed and my plea became stronger. however i would start to lessen my specific geographical requests and just would pray for Joe to find the right job. Well sure enough, THAT prayer was answered. We truly believe that He led us hear and had His hand in all of this. We feel good about the move, as difficult as it was to leave, it has been an adventure and a wonderful blessing. I'm grateful that He knows what is best for us and allows us to have experiences and trials that will humble us and strengthen us to become better sons and daughters of Him.

I also love the sweet prayers my children give. Renee will often say that she is thankful for Heavenly Father and Jesus, and Ryan will always pray at night that there will be no monsters under his bed. I wonder if it brings Him joy and makes Him giggle a little to hear his sweet children say such innocent and silly prayers.

Day 18

Living near Family
We have ALWAYS lived near family, however it has usually been my side of the family for the first 10 years of our marriage. We lived driving distance from my grandparents and Joe's mom, sister a few Uncles, and cousins for some of that time as well. We lived in the same town or neighboring towns to my mom, brother and sister and law in both California and Arizona. It was nice having family that close. We are missing that kind of closeness to family, but grateful we are a few hours away from Joe's family now. Family that we haven't lived near ever. Joe's dad and step mom, most of his aunts and uncles, and his surrogate mom and some friends too. Joe's dad and step mom were able to come out and enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner I made tonight and helped us celebrate Ryan's birthday. It was great having family here and being near family. this move would of been a lot harder if we didn't have any family close by. It makes it feel like home with family around.

Day 17

Dinner Success!!
It is a great thing when you make a dinner and everyone loves it! Tonight was that night. And I didn't think my kids would like turkey, they haven't in the past, so I was a little concerned, but went ahead with Tradition anyways. It was the best turkey I've ever made and it wasn't stressful! Double bonus. I carefully thought out and planned every detail, since I only have one refrigerator to work with and started 3 days ahead with preparations. I grocery shopped and made my to do list and menu on Thursday, also washed the China we would use.And brined the turkey that night. Friday I made the Pies, deviled eggs, veggie tray, Jello Salad and dinner rolls. (which didn't turn out that time so I'm glad I made them ahead of time!) Then Saturday, I mopped the floor, decorated the table, made more rolls, put the turkey in the oven, the made the last minute dishes...cream corn, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and gravy. We had a feast and it was all DELICIOUS!! Everyone sat and enjoyed a wonderful meal and to that I am very grateful!

Day 16

Teachers.
Teachers are amazing. Their love and devotion to the children and learning is something I always admire. My kids have had the privilege of being taught by some fantastic teachers at school and church. They all have helped raise my kids in a way and helped them on this journey of life and to that I am so grateful. My kids had the BEST preschool teacher ever, Mrs Amy. She was amazing, truly. She was a blessing in my life as well as my kids. She taught them so much, loved them immensely, even the twins, and had nothing but patience and adoration for the children. She had a special bond and love for my kids that I will always be grateful for.
Ryan had an amazing experience his first year of Kindergarten. Mr Lance and Mrs Cynthia were also amazing. They taught him so much, he grew so much that year and I know they loved him and also had a special bond with him as well. Maybe the scare of having a seizure right in front of them had something to solidify that, but I knew they loved him before. That was a year of a lot of growth for him and to that I owe a lot to his 2 amazing teachers. I would go and volunteer often and would always walk away amazed at what teachers do, and also thankful that I was not one! It definitely takes a special someone!
This year my kids again have amazing teachers. The girls have the privilege of attending preschool and LOVE their teacher. She is pregnant too and will go on maternity leave soon, and that makes me sad and nervous all at the same time.The girls don't do well with change when it has to do with their teachers. They always put up a battle or test them a bit. :-(
Ryan has one of the MOST talented, and loving Kindergarten teachers I have ever met this year. She is amazing and her room is more than amazing. Decorated from wall to wall, ceiling to floor with educational kid stuff. Ryan is having a blast and has some great friends in his class. I'm really glad we made the decision to keep him in Kindergarten.
Teachers are amazing!! Thank you for all you do! !

Day 15

Help.
Specifically when I get help from my husband with bedtime. Oh that is such a relief and help. Sometimes by the end of the day I'm so exhausted that my patience can be less than what i would hope for. And with Joe's help, it makes the daunting task of bedtime so much more enjoyable. He makes the kids laugh and has energy that I no longer do. And seeing those precious moments shared between the kids and their father is a cherish moment for me. He doesn't realize what a Hero he is to me at that point and I truly am grateful for him and his help.

Day 14

A good deal.
I am a sucker for a bargain and a good deal. I buy most of my things second hand at garage sales or thrift stores and love the feeling of getting a good deal. I love using coupons and hate paying full price for things. The best things in life truly are those things that are free. And usually aren't "things" but when they are things and free..bonus! I'm glad my kids are thrilled with the treasures I find at garage sales and don't need new things.

Day 13

Relief Society.
This is an organization within my church comprised of all the women. It is a wonderful way to educate one another, learn from each other, and lift each other up. It was really an inspired program and I feel grateful to be apart of it. I love being able to socialize with other sisters and moms once a month, having my sweet husband put the kids to bed for me and have a little night off. I love being inspired to do new things, be better at something or just come home feeling uplifted in some way. The church is true!

Day 12

Jobs.
I'm grateful for jobs. That provide a way for us earn a living for our family. For the experience it has brought us, the friends and relationships that were developed from them and for the growth and development within us. I'm grateful to of learned a skill that I love, being able to help others, serve them and care for them in their special time of birthing their precious babies. And so grateful to be home with my precious babies now as my husband has accomplished his goal and dream and now finally has a job and can provide for his family. :-)

Day 11

Veterans.
I'm grateful to all those who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces to help protect our great nation. (My 2 brothers Brian and David, cousin Rory and good friend Brett) It was a privilege and honor (and challenge) to be one of those few . I would not go back in now, but I would not change my past. I had a great experience and feel a great sense of pride for our country and for those who were brave and were sent to fight in war and for those who actually sacrificed their lives by going to war. I did not have that opportunity, and am able to still be here today with my wonderful husband, who also served and joined at the same time as me and the Lord so graciously had our paths cross.
This video was sent to me and is worth the watch!
Thank you again to all those who have or are serving our country!!
Let Freedom Ring!!

Day 10

Micorwaves.
I love to cook, but there is no time to do it everyday. And because of that I love having leftovers and being able to heat up dinner quickly with my handy dandy microwave. I use it almost on a daily basis sometimes for breakfast, lunch or dinners. It is just a wonderful thing and I'm grateful for modern technology.

Day 9

Phones.
Yes as a girl I'm very grateful for phones. Because of the phone it keeps me connected with friends and family that I cannot be near. It helps continue to maintain or help to continue to build stronger relationships with the power of communication. I feel close to those I wish I was near and it brightens my day when my phone rings and someone is calling because they were thinking of me! I love being able to be in contact and communication with my husband via texting while he is at work if we need each other. And texting is a great way to send little "I'm thinking of you" notes without interrupting someones day with a full on conversation or bothering them while at work or heaven forbid...waking them up!! ;-) It allows me to have company while I do the dishes or fold my laundry. And because of the phone I feel close to my sister in laws, especially Megan, Becca and Kendra. Kendra who once was an arch enemy is now one of my closest friends! :-) All because of the phone. I love feeling close to people and having that love and those relationships grow, so that is why I am grateful for PHONES.

Day 8

I am grateful for school. That Joe and I are done with school (finally!!) and that the kids are now going and enjoying their learning process. I'm grateful for the skills and degrees that we have earned to allow us to have jobs that we love and enjoy. I'm grateful for the wonderful teachers that teach my kids, and have taught my kids in years past. They all are special people with a true gift and talent. Their love for teaching and for my children was always amazing to me and awe inspiring. I love that a school bus comes to pick up the girls for their school program and that they run with delight to get on it. I really love that the school has written a grant so they can provide preschool for free. A Huge blessing with twins!! I love that they are growing and maturing, thank goodness! And that Ryan is doing so well in school too. And I LOVE that I get some time in the afternoons to rest my body and take a nap! Thank you school!

Day 7

I am soooooooooooooo grateful that I am NOT a single mom!! I love having a husband to help with the kids, play with them and discipline them too. My heart and hat goes out to all those "single moms" whether they are just without their husband for a time or really always doing this on their own. God Bless them!! Having to be alone just for a weekend, makes me really grateful to be married to the father of my children. And what a wonderful father he is!!

Today

Today managed to be a good day. I wasn't sure how it would go, since this was the first weekend that Joe is working (for me at least) The kids woke up happy, after they got out the morning sneezes and coughed up the junk from the night, they were healthy and fine to start the day. I'm grateful for that, because I don't like having sick kids!!
I ended up getting a last minute reminder about a church meeting I had this morning, and I was able to quickly find a sitter so I could go. The girl next door! yay! I went to the meeting and the kids stayed home with a babysitter and had a good time. came home to a cleaner than I left it house and happy kids!! Here's a tip for you!! They had been fed and ready to have more fun with momma. We planned to take a trip to the "fudge shop" by riding bikes and me pushing the stroller with the girls. Ryan is really good at bike riding now so it makes it great. I bundled up the kids in hats and gloves and blankets on the girls and off we went. It was nice out, just a little chill in the air (55 degrees) but with the sun shining and with he effort of exercising we warmed up nicely. We made it to the fudge shop, got some chocolate dipped pretzels and went outside to eat them on the temple grounds. The kids always like to sing the song "I love to see the Temple" whenever we go by, it's really cute. We rode around the grass on the opposite side of the street from the temple for a bit and then headed back home in time to greet daddy home from work.
We had an invite for dinner at a neighbors house and had a wonderful dinner and time visiting and getting to know them. I'm really liking the small town life, so far.
Home again to put the kids in bed, blog a bit, and now off to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with my hubby! Good night! xoxo

Day 6

I'm also grateful for all of my family. For my mom and dad and their spouses that complement them so well. I'm glad they are happy. I'm grateful that my mom is such a wonderful friend and help to me and a wonderful grandma to my kids. I'm grateful that I have my grandparents still here with me on earth, they are an added blessing to my life and love to my children. I'm grateful for all of my brothers, and their wives. And Joe's sister and husband too. I love having "sisters" now. And I love them all. I'm grateful to have a relationship with each of them, they are my dearest friends. I'm grateful for Joe's family as well. To have a wonderful mother in law is a great blessing! Well I have 3 mother in laws really and they are all terrific! And I love them all. I'm glad that we are near family even still, and I look forward to getting to know them better and sharing love with them with our closeness. I"m also grateful that my children know and love their cousins. Some they just met, and they are meeting new "2nd" cousins here, and they love them all and are making great friends and memories with them. Families are wonderful and Families are Forever!

Day 5

I'm grateful for a good pregnancy (knock on wood!!) besides being really sick the first 6 weeks, ever since it has passed I have felt good. I'm soooooo grateful that the nausea has passed!! I hope that it continues to go well so I can keep it on my grateful list! I'm excited to find out what we are having here at the end of the month!! I had a dream that they told me it was a boy, but maybe I'm just getting my hopes up too much! Regardless, I hope to have a HAPPY and HEALTHY baby!

Day 4

I'm grateful for good weather. I have really enjoyed the nice weather that we have had here since we moved in. It's been a nice change from the HOT HOT heat of the desert. Having seasons is new for me and so far I really like it! (Maybe becuase we haven't gotten into winter yet!) I've loved being outdoors especially and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I took the kids on a bike ride today (with hats and gloves on) and we really had a good time. I love being outdoors. I think that is what I'm most anxious about the winter months is being cold and being stuck indoors. But its just a season, and too will pass!

Day 3

I'm also grateful for food. Yes food. Especially good food, good tasting food but also food that is good for you. I love when produce is fresh and ripe and in season. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has created so many wonderful flavors and foods to eat.

I especially love it when the food has been prepared for me, (I don't have to clean up after preparing the food) :-) and or I have people with me to enjoy it too!

Day 2

Next has to be my family. My wonderful husband, who helps me with the kids, does laundry, takes out the trash, gives me a back rub when I've had a hard day, worked so hard to get through school so he could provide a good living for his family, for honoring his priesthood and loving the gospel, helping me raise our kids righteously, for not leaving me when the going got tough, or letting me leave him! For being patient with me, for being silly and kind to me and the kids, for making us all laugh.

Ryan- for being a wonderful son. Truly a mini me of Joe. Not only a spitting image of his father, but is silly, kind and smart like him too. I'm grateful for the way he listens to me (most of the time) and will say "alright" and be obedient even though you know as a kid he would rather not. For being kind and caring to his baby sister, for making them and all of us laugh with your silliness.

Kaylee- For being an amazing miracle. I'm in awe of the fact that there are 2 of you even still to this day! I love when you get along with your sister and play nicely, oh how I'm grateful for those moments! I'm grateful that she learned how to use the potty finally! I'm grateful that she is growing and learning everyday at home and at school. I'm grateful for her fun, silliness and kindness she shows towards others.

Renee- Again, an amazing miracle being a twin. When she is kind to her sister, cares for her when she is hurt, or waits for her and holds her hand to get on the bus together. I'm grateful for the quiet moments we spend together as she likes to be more still than the other two and be closer to home and with mommy more. She is getting to be a good helper with chores and that makes me grateful too!

Day 1

I would like to challenge myself to writing all about what I'm grateful for this month while preparing for Thanksgiving. I've seen several other blogging friends do this, and I have been inspired to do so now too.

I of course have to start by saying I'm grateful for my loving Father in Heaven. I am grateful to know that He loves me, He knows me as He does each and everyone of us. I am grateful that He was willing to send His only begotten son to earth to live and die for us so that we may all have the opportunity to repent and return to live again with Him in His kingdom.

I am glad that I know that I have a Father in Heaven who loves us and wants us to return to live with Him again someday.

Sleep

I love sleep, after being a night RN for so long, I'm sure I've deprived myself of it for so long that I crave it, desire it, and NEED it desperately especially now being pregnant.
Last night was not the best night sleep ever. Joe and I were trying to figure out why our iPod speaker would work one minute but not the next. It stumped us both and had us up 45 mins past when we normally go to bed. Well maybe because of that i couldn't fall asleep right away, tossed and turned for about an hour, just when Ryan runs into our room coughing up a storm. He joins us in our bed and continues to cough, we get medicine and listen to more coughing until it kicks in. Another hour almost goes by.
Within an hour I wake up coughing and need a drink, but I have forgotten to put my water by my bed, so I have to get up to get it from the kitchen where I left it. Then a little while later get up to pee. Finally get into a good sleep rhythm and randomly at 515 Renee calls out crying for mommy. I go in there hoping not to find a sick kid, and thankfully she just complains of being cold. So i wrap her in a blanket, sing her a song and lay her back down. Oh and turn of the ceiling fan that daddy left on! Ya, don't need that anymore!
When morning arrives, the first thing I here is Ryan saying, "mommy, I love you" and he gives me a squeeze. How can I be grumpy and cranky with a wake up like that! I get up to get him ready for school and take him to school quick. I come home and the girls are still asleep, so I tip toe back to bed and try to get a 10 minute recharge. Within 10 minutes the pitter patter of 4 little feet came running into my room, exclaiming "Mommy! It's Morning time!!" I open my eyes to see 4 eyes looking at me and 2 smiles. Again how can I be grumpy with another wake up call like that.
I am grateful for God blessing this day to help me be grateful and not crabby with my not so good sleep last night. It's easy to have a short temper when that happens. I hate it when I'm like that. I keep praying that He will help me have more love and patience with my family, so we can have the love and happiness we want. It seems to be helping, so far. I'm looking over at the twins who are for the first time in weeks playing nicely together WITHOUT me!! God is good!
Have a blessed day! be grateful for the small things, I am today. :-)

parent teacher conference

Ryan had Parent teacher Conference this week. It's always a treat to go and here how wonderful your child is doing in school. The last year of schooling really helped him to excel this year.

I'm glad that we made the decision to put him in Kindergarten again because...

1. this way he will be one of the top of his class
2. He's a small guy, there are other Kindergartners who are bigger than him this year, I can't imagine how disproportional it would seem if he were in first grade this year.
3. there are a lot of LDS kids in his class this year. (kids from our church) and there is only 1 LDS kid in the first grade. (i had no way of knowing that ahead of time)
4. This teacher is AMAZING! she has been teaching kindergarten for 18 years and LOVES it! Her class room looks like an educational Disneyland! I want to come play there too!
5. She encourages him to excel rather than leave him behind being bored. Ryan and another girl in his class are doing so well that she is encouraging them to read in front of the class and to write and illustrate their own stories. (that will be the next post) :-)

Anyways, I'm just so grateful for answered prayers and feeling like we made the right decision for him. One that would effect his whole life, when he graduates from high school etc.

Here are some things his teacher wrote in his "Progress Report"
"Ryan is a joy to having in class. he is a great role model for the other boys and girls. He has a positive attitude toward learning and a cheerful personality. He has made many friends and gets along well with others. He is advanced for kindergarten, I realize he has had a year of kindergarten already. He would of done well in first grade this year. "

"He has trouble keeping his hands to himself in the large group setting, and transition times are difficult for Ryan to stand nicely in line keeping his hands to himself. He catches on to new concepts easily. He says all ABC's, knows letter sounds, and reads at a first grade level. Counts past 100, knows shapes, good 1:1 correspondence, number recognition is fine"

We are proud our little guy!

"Ballerina's"

As their FINAL reward for FINALLY being truly potty trained, we allowed them to take a ballet class so they can be "Ballerina's" They definitely are all grown up now with panties and no pull-ups. This reward makes everyone happy!

weekend

This weekend really started on Thursday afternoon, once I picked up the kids from school and the teacher tells me "to have a nice 4 day weekend!" I said excuse me, what? Apparently it was a teacher work day on Friday and Monday is Columbus day so we are starting a 4 day weekend with no previous notice. Nice. Fortunately a friend decided to have a pumpkin cookie day and invited us to join her, so that was a fun thing to look forward to on Friday. We walked and Ryan Rode his bike and we did have a good time.

Then on Saturday we had more visitors. This time Joe's dad and step mom and also great aunt and uncle stopped by too. It was a nice visit, the kids always love seeing their grandparents. And it's a motivating factor to make me cook and clean! :-) hahaha

I really am loving living here. We were able to sit outside and watch the kids play in the yard, ride bikes in the drive and street and even go over to the neighbors with very little stress or effort. The weather has remained beautiful which I am truly grateful, since I'm very nervous about winter coming!! The leaves are changing and there is a slight briskness in the air that is all new to me. I love it. I really do. Our backyard just has such a peaceful feeling to it.

(Notice the girls in the background....they are playing in the "Forest")

We enjoyed our visit, having lunch and dinner and enjoying the goodies they they brought along with them as well. And after our guests left we had just enough sunlight to go on a family bike ride and truly enjoy the beauty we are surrounded by. Ryan is doing better and better on his own bike and has learned to conquer his fear of downhills by learning how to coast and ride his breaks to slow down. Instead of having the kids look for cactus and "sharps" we now look for orange leaves and tractors! it's great.

On Sunday I received my first calling in this ward. I have been called to teach the Beehives which are the 12-14yr old girls. I'm really excited, for one thing, to have something different than primary and to not be the twins teacher is a thrill and relief, and for another I've never served in Young Women's before so I'm looking forward to the new experiences I'll have by teaching these sweet girls. I hope and pray for the strength and guidance of the spirit that I'll need in order to teach them well. I'm excited but also nervous about it. But ready or not here I go. At least I have 2 weeks to prepare, Stake conference is next week :-)

Oh we did end up having the stomach bug go around the house this weekend which wasn't fun, but so far it was just Ryan and Renee. I'm sure Kaylee will be next but hopefully the rest of us will luck out by avoiding it!! Especially me, I've had enough nausea and sickness to deal with!!

Hopefully we will all wake up well tomorrow so we can play with friends or go do something fun.

Anyways, that was our weekend. Hope everyone had a nice weekend too. xoxo

Dreams

I usually ask Ryan in the morning how he slept and if he had any dreams. Most of the time he tells me that he slept good, and either can't remember his dreams or tells me about some scary or weird dream he had. This particular morning he told me that he had a
"bad dream and a good dream."

The bad dream was.......
He woke up in the house and he was all alone. No one was home and it was all dark and scary. And then he had to make fish for dinner. It was horrible!

Then his good dream was.......
He woke up and everyone was home, the house was not scary and we did not have fish for dinner!

Hahaha

"Just like Riding a Bike"

So this weekend Ryan had the desire and willingness to learn how to ride a bike WITHOUT his training wheels. Maybe because his friends and neighbors all know how, so that helped motivate him. He asked me to help him ride his 2 wheeler so I held onto the back of seat and gave him a push, and off he went. He went a little bit then didn't know how to stop and crashed.

Ok next lesson, brakes!


this picture I captured with my camera phone and the delay caught it right at this moment when he got clotheslined by the mailbox! OUCH! He was OK, a few tears and then hopped back on the back for some more.

Next lesson...steering!


It only took a few lessons and he was riding in style....Super hero Style!







So proud of our little- I mean Big guy!

Back to our Road trip....Nebraska Stop

I wanted to keep on documenting our trip even though it was so long ago now. There is just so much to it, I didn't want to lump sum everything into one blog when they all deserved some extra details.
Anyways our next stop on our long trip was Omaha, Nebraska. Which I happen to have family there too! My cousin Bethany is living there with her husband and 2 (now 3 kids) It was fun seeing her,(it had been 14 years!) also meeting her husband and kids. The kids all had a great time too!
here are pictures of this leg of the journey....

I'll take your word for it!!

The scenery changed dramatically! And the smell did too!!

My cousin Bethany, who is 9 months pregnant and her baby was so kind to wait to go into labor until AFTER our visit!! I really appreciate that because it was such a fun visit!! Thanks for waiting baby!! :-)

Meeting the new Cousins, they got along great and hit it off instantly! Well with all these cool toys to break the ice it was no problem!!

Girls can be Handy Manny too!

Then out for a little fresh air and play time at the park in her backyard. Literally it was steps away! So nice!!

Going for a walk with the gang, including a 9 month pregnant mommy!

They were so kind to feed us dinner, the kids loved eating at a table their size with their new cousins :-)

the Corn on the cob was a sure hit!

The boys got the case of the giggles after dinner!!

together with all of our kids for one last picture before we say goodbye and she goes to deliver her next child!! :-) So glad that worked out for a visit, it was soo fun seeing you and visiting! Hope our paths cross again soon!

Pictures of our Home Sweet Home

The girls giving "jack" a hug.

Mom taking pictures for me while I blog. She is very proud of all her creations! :-)

Ryan's room

A Shoe cubby by the garage door....love this thing! Mom's great idea was to have a basket of socks there too. What a great idea!!! I'm always telling them to go get socks!

Joe very comfortable in his Half way done media room. His big screen has yet to be purchased.

A closet perfect for food storage and emergency prepardness stuff. Now I can finally get started and serious about it!!

Another closet for all my "extra" toys, that I like to rotate or hide from the kids.

The "guest" bedroom downstairs.

The office/craft room, still a work in progress as well. Stuff that Joe and I have to sort through, so it will be there awhile! haha

ANother cool wrap around-under the stairs closet, we turned it into a "secret hide out/construction zone" It isn't finished so he can really bang on the walls in there!

One view of the basement, the "family room area"

Another view of the basement, the girls tea party/baby doll section.

Look at the video below to see their excitment of their reaction.

Super Mom to the Rescue!!

So my mom is AMAZING, most of you know that. But really she is!
She flew back to Nauvoo from Phoenix to help her poor pathetic morning sick daughter put her house together. And Put her house together she did!!

We literally had boxes piled up in our front room, that were filled with "un-essentials" like decorations, books for the book shelf etc that we walked by for a month. Plastic was still on the floor and no pictures on the walls. Oh and the basement was the after math of a bomb of toy disaster mess that I didn't even want to tackle so i just chose not to go down there instead.

When she got here Joe asked "if she had liked what we had done with the place?" as a joke, because everything was just as she had left it! hahaha

My day is consumed with getting Ryan ready and off to school, then mothering, playing with and refereeing the twins til lunch, then feeding us all lunch getting them ready for the school bus, then after the school bus comes I go take a nap! After nap IF I have energy I can get something done, sometimes it's cooking dinner if it's not a left over night, or trying to put something away, but instead of boxes its usually laundry or dishes. So then it's time to get the kids home from school and it's again playing with, mothering, and refereeing them til bedtime. Then once they finally get all in bed I crash into my bed to and we start it all over again in the morning. :-)

So not only did she finish unpacking the rest of the annoying boxes that were sitting here, but she organized every room and nook and cranny in this place! I may have to call her to find out where stuff is, but hey, it's not in a box anymore! haha She even helped me hang some pictures AND decorate for Halloween!! Pictures will be up shortly!

My house now looks and feels more like our HOME!!!

Thank you mom! You are the best!!!

I love you!!

Now we feel more like having company and visitors!! :-)

The Blunier Bed and Breakfast is now open for reservations

we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone- i mean Andy ;-)

things I don't want to forget

I haven't done an update on the kids individually in awhile and wanted to do that before I forget all these cute/funny things they are doing these days.

Ryan: Loves kindergarten, Lego's, playing with "Jacob" our neighbor who is the same age, his new house and his new room. We finally got him trained again to sleep by himself and not need anyone in his room to fall asleep. After a month long of "communal sleeping" we had to start back at square one. He loves to be silly and make us laugh, and has been nice enough to let sisters play Lego's with him now too. He refuses to eat occasionally and at times will eat non-stop. All i hear from him is "I'm hungry!"

Kaylee- Likes to dress her self these days and she has copied her older brother and has started the tradition again of wearing cowboy boots to school, with pants, shorts or a dress everyday. Which makes it easier for the teacher to tell them apart I'm sure! She loves everyone and runs up to them and gives them a hug, about tackling them. She at times can't keep her hands off others which can be a problem at school and at the dinner table. But she is fun loving girl and makes us laugh a lot too. She makes the funniest/craziest faces when she talks that makes us laugh the most. She does this thing with her lips, squishing them up to one side when she asks you a question....I guess you just got to see it to believe it.

Renee-She is also dressing herself and also 99% potty trained. She has been in panties for over a week now with only a handful of accidents. Kaylee is still struggling a bit with that :( we have some good days then lazy days! She loves to dress "princessy" and play princesses all the time. She wears a blue head band everyday....just like "Cinderella" (because she is Cinderella, and Kaylee is Snow white) fyi :) She is very good at being a peacemaker one minute then an instigator the next. She won't complain like Kaylee will about bread being broken or a cup not having a matching lid, or offer to trade with Kaylee if that happens. But also she will run up to someone and just push them or squeeze them out of nowhere. But overall she is a sweetie and loves to be with mommy. She also makes us laugh with her songs and dances she likes to preform for us.

They all love to help mommy cook, and I love it when It's just one at a time helping me. 3 is hard to manage "cooking" a meal.

Karen-I've been enjoying the small town life, although I miss my friends back home and being driving distance from my family. My mom is here right now so that is great, but not having her around the corner takes some getting used to. I love having the school minutes from my house, really everything I need is minutes, the town isn't that big! I especially love driving by and seeing the temple almost daily as well. They have a farmers market that comes to town, (at the end of my street really) and usually it's one or 2 farmers bringing all of their crops, which isn't a ton to choose from but what you go home with is SUPER good! I've loved everything except we weren't fans of the butternut squash....we will stick to sweet potatoes here! I've been taking a lot of naps, when the girls go to school. Feeling sick and tired during the first trimester for sure!

Joe-Loves his job. He comes home saying he had a good day everyday and had interesting stories to share about his day. He likes the people he works with and really enjoys being in the hospital. We were definitely lead to the right job and the right place! He also got a calling in church....he is the "Varsity Coach" which is essentially Scouts and helping with the young men. I think its a great calling for him right now and think he is really going to like it.

Expecting

So if you haven't heard already, we have found out that we are expecting.

We only know that I'm pregnant, we don't know yet if it's just one or more yet.

I will go to the doctor on Monday for my ultrasound to get an official due date and find out the million dollar question of "how many" are there this time.

So stay tuned for the results on Monday!

But as far as I know I'm due April 19th and am about 10 weeks currently.

(and already showing!) yikes!

Ryan has been praying for a baby brother for about 6 months now, so maybe this is an answer to a child's prayer.

Road trip and Hotel life pics

all packed up and ready to go. Having to drive both cars made it nice to fit everything we needed and to split up the kids! We usually had a girl car and a boy car, but would alternate with every possible combination of kids you can imagine, even all in one and none in the other. To give either of us a break!! The kids did fairly well. of course you had your tiffs and struggles and whines, being buckled for 5 days in a row isn't fun for any age.



Ryan made his own movie theatre


The power of suggestion!!


It worked!!!



The view was beautiful...for the first few days!

Hotel life was fun, sort of, ok not really. It was challenging getting a routine established for bedtime routine, but after having to do it for a month, we ended up figuring something out.

late night oatmeal snack. We at ate a lot of oatmeal during our homeless time.

All sleeping in the same room was not something i wanted to get used to,

and glad it has come to an end!

Continental breakfast were nice and convientent, but got old fast (for me at least) but not for the kids. They loved it!

Here's a few vidoes of how we entertained ourselves while cooped up in one room.

Ladies and Gentleman......Renee!!!

Ladies and Gentleman....Kayleebug!!

Ryan learned this trick along the way too!

Denver Stop

We were passing through Denver and made a pit stop at my brother's Steven and MaeLyn's.
It was nice for the kids to meet their cousins and for us to meet each others kids in person. Everyone got along great. They were kind enough to have lunch for us, so we ate and played and had a good time.
Here are some pictures of our fun time.

Steven showing Renee how to pet the kitty.And how to pet the Nee-Nee

Hannah giving everyone rides around the house.

Weeeee!!!

The wagon was a sure hit!

Enjoying the fresh air and outdoors.

Waving good-bye!! Hopefully we will see you again soon!

This is the girls singing a little mermaid song right when we left their house.