Archibald's

Stephen graduated...

2011-06-03T16:00:00.002-06:00

It was a process, but Stephen made it. It came down to the very last week to almost the last day. Stephen had a F in English, but was able to pull it up to a D- so that he could graduate. I was going crazy because we had family coming and had reserved a luncheon for him. I was almost afraid that I was going to have to make some phone calls. It was such a relief that I didn't have to do that. It was kind of an emotional day for me. I first met Stephen when he was in 5th grade and have seen him grow into such a great young man. Times have been rough along the way, but I am so proud of him and hope that he continues to choose good in his life. We don't know if he is going to continue on to college, go on a mission or even get a job. We will just have to wait and see what he decides to do, but I do know that there are great things in-store for him.

We love you Stephen and are so very proud of you!

Stephen's grandpa and mom

Grandma Patrice

My parents

Ellie Bug's 1st Birthday

2011-05-28T15:38:00.000-06:00

Can you believe my baby is 1. Where did a year go?!?!? She is a joy to have in our family and I can't imagine our lives without her. Sure glad we have her.

Ellie is now walking. She started about 10 months, but never fully just walked until 11 months. She thought she was still faster at crawling. She also has 4 teeth. Got those just after she turned 9 months. She weighs a whopping 21 lbs and is almost 30 inches tall. She is going to be a tall girl. Maybe should get her into basketball or volleyball.

Here are some pictures of the party we had for her;

Ellie's little friend Taytum. They are the same age.

Graduation and Vacation

2011-05-01T12:41:00.001-06:00

YAY! Shane graduated. Shane is now finished with his RN. Two years of school are finished. What a great day it was. We also found out that Shane was accepted into the BSN program. This will give him his bachelor's degree in nursing. It is only 3 semesters and online. He only needs to go to class every 6 weeks. I think we can handle 3 semesters. That seems like nothing compared to the last two years. Graduation was on the 22nd of April. That night we headed down to St George to start our vacation. I had this planned since December. We were making our way to San Diego for a week. We stopped in St George to break up the drive. Yes, we drove because airfare was a little much for all of us. I know it sounds crazy, but the little ones did great. Ellie slept most of the time and we had DVD players do it kept the others entertained.

We made it to San Diego and had tons of fun. We went to the beach, the zoo, SeaWorld and Disneyland. Yes, Disneyland! It was a big surprise for Owen. He didn't know that is what we were going to do. The weather was so nice. It even snowed at home while we were gone. Picked a good week to be gone. Shane and I managed to get a little sun burned, but the kids made it out fine. Nice to be outside and in the sun. Our trip was a great get-a-way. It was really hard to come back. Amazing how fast a week goes by when you are having fun. Here are some pictures.

Owen wrote his own name

Ellie hated the sand on her feet.

This was my favorite ride when I was little

Isn't she a cute little mouse?!?!

After looking through these pictures you may be wondering where Stephen was. He decided to stay home because he didn't think he would be able to keep up with school work and graduate. He stayed with a friend and we missed not having him with us.

What's been going on.....

2011-03-12T08:00:00.002-07:00

Wow! It has been a while since I have posted anything. It has been a crazy 3 months since I last posted. Let's see what I can recap on.... Ellie nursed till she was 6 months to the day. Kind of had to quit because I couldn't suck up the pain. Ellie was on an antibiotic and it gave her thrush in her month. I got it and it was the must painful thing I think I have experienced. It hurt to pump or even have her nurse. I tried to get through for a couple of weeks, but I was just done. I was getting frustrated and was crying. It just wasn't worth it. But I was happy that I was able to nurse her for 6 months. Just hadn't planned on it ending the way it did.

After that we put her on formula. Things seemed to be going fine, but then she was getting sick a lot. She had been coughing and so many boogers that I think we were at the doctor's at least one a week. She has been on a few antibiotics as well. They would help at first and then we would be right back where we started. Seemed like this was a never ending battle and no one was winning. We had several trips over to the hospital for tests, then sectioned her out and took blood to see if there was an underlying issue.

The results came back and Ellie had RSV, double ear infection and she was getting her two bottom teeth in. That explained the coughing and boogers and why she just wasn't happy. I actually went a step further and thought it had to do with her formula. Seemed like everything was fine until we switched to that. I tried her on soy, but still the same thing. Finally we tried a hypoallergenic kind and she seems to be doing well on that one. Her blood work came back and she has a low immune system. She is like a sponge the doctor said. If anyone is sick around her, she is going to get sick as well. She just doesn't have the antibodies to fight off getting sick.

We were told to treat her like a new baby, even though she was 8 months old at this time. How do you do that when both parents work and you need to work. My mom has been a trooper and helped us out tons. I don't know what I would do without her. But it seems like Ellie still would be okay for a while and then we would be back at the doctors again. She totally hates being seen by her doctor too. She already has anxiety about it as soon as we go in the door. Funny how they sense that.

Well, long story short I guess....Ellie is now 9 months old. She has two bottom teeth and is trying to walk. She has mastered crawling up the stairs, but still isn't sure how to get down them. She loves to play peek-a-boo with you and thinks she is so funny. She can say bye-bye and blows you kisses. She tries to say hello when she puts one of our phones up to her ear. She really is getting so big. I can't believe she will be a year in a couple more months.

Other than that, Shane has one more month left of school and then he will graduate. YEAH!!!! Can't believe we are almost there. I know that he is burned out and it will be nice for him to have a break. We are still waiting to hear if he has been accepted into the BSN program. Should be finding that at soon. His unit also got home this month from Afghanistan. They all made it back and no one was hurt. Seems like that went by fast.

Stephen is getting ready to graduate himself. June is not that far away. Can't believe that. Dallin is hanging in there. Seems like 8th grade has been a little rough for him. Hopefully he will make it through. Owen is also getting so big. I actually just filled out his kindergarten papers and we have to go to his school next week. I don't think I am quite ready for that. He will ride a bus to school and is so excited about it.

Well I think that about recaps the last three months. I will need to post some pics so you can see how big the kids are.

Halloween

2010-10-31T19:21:00.005-06:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. The kids and I dressed up and went to our ward party. Owen was a white ninja, Ellie and I were both witches. Shane had to work until 6 so he didn't make it to the party until it was almost over. Once he got home we headed up to my parents so I could hang out there with Ellie while he took Owen out to get some candy.

My brother, his wife and my youngest nephew meet us there so they could go out together trick or treating. It was a fun to get together, but it was my first night not going out since Ellie was so little and the weather wasn't that good. Owen seemed to have a lot of fun though.

My dad dressed as the White Rabbit

My dad and Ellie (She loved his costume)

Me, Jenner, my dad and Owen

The Big 30

2010-10-28T18:55:00.000-06:00

So I turned 30 this year. Can't believe it. Seems like 30 was so far away, but crept up on me fast. I had the day off from work, so the kids and I were able to sleep in. Shane had school and then had to work. I went to Owen and Ellie's Halloween party at their daycare. They got to get dressed up in their costumes, played games and got lots of candy. At the party Owen poked me in the left eye with his finger. He managed it get most of his finger tip in there it seems. It caused my eye to water, but through out the rest of the day it hurt really bad and I wasn't able to keep any mascara on it. Looked pretty stupid since I was still going places.

After the party, I went to lunch with my mom and then my friend Polly was up at WSU for class. She stopped by my parent's and we got some frozen yogurt at Frogurt. Love that place! It was nice to talk with her and catch up on things. She lives down in Lehi, so we don't get to spend much time together. It was really good to see her. Love ya SMALLS!

After that I went and got my hair done. It was a little treat for myself. Love having someone else do my hair. I added a lot more red to it since I was so bleached out with blonde. Kind of wanted to go back to how it used to be. I like it, but Shane can't wait for me to have it done again. (He's a blonde lover at heart!). I also had it cut into more of an A line.

It was a nice birthday to spend some time with my kids and family. Thanks everyone for the well wishes and the love that was shown.

Owen dressed up as a white ninja

Ellie as a cute little witch (I made her tutu)

My eye later that night. YUCK!

My new hair

Ellie-5 months

2010-10-25T18:34:00.000-06:00

Ellie is now 5 months old. Crazy to think how fast a month has gone by. My friend, Kerstin had her baby boy earlier this month and it is so crazy how little a new born is. I thought Ellie looked so big after I saw him. She is more active now and is seriously trying to move everywhere. She hasn't quite got to crawling yet, but rolls and scoots. She definitely weighs more as well. I think we could be pushing close to 20 lbs. LOL! We will see though, her 6th month appt is at the end of next month. Can't wait to see how much she has grown. Here are some newer pics of her;

She had rice cereal on her face. Just thought she looked cute.

She sees the flash now and her eyes get really big. CRACKS me up!

Fun in North Ogden

2010-09-28T22:52:00.000-06:00

I spent that last 5 days up in North Ogden taking care of my brother's kids so that he and his wife could go on a trip to Florida for my brother's work. Mark and Wendy never really get the chance to go away together. There last trip was last year when they were gone for a week. Before that I think it was before they even had any kids. Anyways, I took care of my niece (Ali) and nephews (Adam, John Paul and Jenner). Then I took Owen and Ellie up with me. It was a house full of kids, but it went pretty well. Got them up for school, picked them up from school, went to a soccer game and had a good time hanging out. They are good kids and I wish that I was around them more like when they were younger. We had pizza and treats (soda pop, cookies etc.) Watched the Killers and that was a good show. Didn't see the ending to that one coming. Also went to Toads on Monday night as our last night out. My brother and sister-n-law didn't get in until early Tuesday morning. It was really fun to hang out with my family.

John Paul and Ansley

Jenner and Ali

Owen and Adam

Ellie-4 months

2010-09-27T22:02:00.002-06:00

Can you believe that Ellie is now 4 months old?!?!? I CAN'T. It has gone by way too fast. Ellie now weights about 15 lbs and is in the 75th percentile. She is also 26 inches long and is in the 95th percentile. She had to get more shots again and did a little bit better this time. Still is sad to hear her cry when she gets them. She was also put on Amoxicillin because she has bronchitis and it wasn't getting any better. Her cough is now getting better and she is sleeping through the night again, YAY!!!!

What Ellie can do now:

Rolls over, back to front and front to back
When on her tummy she can move 90 degrees to see what is around her
Brings her feet up to her mouth and tries to eat them
Tries to bring her legs under her to push forward (attempting to crawl)
Laughs (especially when Owen makes her)
Grabs for whatever is placed in front of her
Sings
Watches TV (Baby Einstein, Sponge Bob, football) Loves the colors
Eating some solid foods (rice cereal, bananas, pears, carrots)

Loving her Lovey

Chillin' in her Bumbo

Not loving her tutu

I want these dots and my feet

Owen was also seen at this appointment because he is now 4 years old. Owen only weights a whopping 34 lbs. He was barely 30 lbs last year. Kind of funny how you have a skinny one and a chubby one. Would totally be nice if you only gain 4 lbs a year, haha. Owen actually had to get a booster this time and he wasn't too happy about it. I wouldn't have been either. He was brave though and got a treat.

Diaper Cake

2010-09-19T21:36:00.000-06:00

Well I decided to be creative for a change and make something for a baby shower, a diaper cake. I was given one by my sister-n-law at my baby shower and I loved it so much that I wanted to attempt one for my friend Kerstin. She is having a boy and I wanted the colors to match his room. They are brown, cream and light blue. It was really fun to make and it wasn't too hard either.

The very bottom is a receiving blanket and then you build up from there. Inside the bottom layer you put a box of wipes. Inside the second layer I put baby soap. That way the lids were able to hold the top layer on. Then you just decorate with toys or other little things. The top I put a lovey (that is what we call Ellie's). I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Trains in South Weber

2010-09-18T21:48:00.000-06:00

In September we had a park open that has a little train track all the way around it. Owen was so excited to check it out. There were 3 trains there running and giving rides to kids and adults. They are looking at expanding it and adding another track. The trains are going to be there once a month for kids to be able to ride. I love this idea and Owen has asked every day since if we could go back to ride the trains again.

Ellie even enjoyed it

Where did August go?

2010-08-25T08:53:00.005-06:00

Well, I haven't posted since earlier this month. We have certainly been busy. Went to Lagoon, Shane got home from his two weeks of military training, blessed Ellie, went to the Davis County Fair and school has officially started.

Ellie wore my blessing dress and it almost didn't fit, LOL! The slip was a little snug to get on her, but seriously if we would of waited any longer it totally wouldn't have fit at all. I have started a tradition when we blessed Owen that he wore Shane's blessing outfit and when I found out I was having a girl, I asked my mom if I could have my dress for her. So maybe my kids will do the same.

Ellie loving her tub time. She just kicks and coos. It is so fun watching her.

Owen wanted to hold Ellie like he always does, so here is a pic of how he tries to. HAHA

I seriously can't believe it is also time for me to head back to work. I will start back on Monday and I am very nervous about it. I know it will be fine, but I have really enjoyed my time off this summer and I know that I won't have that opportunity again. We are done having kids, so no more maternity leave EVER. Four is a good number and I have got a boy and a girl out of it. I am truly blessed and thank my husband for letting me experience this. I know that this last one wasn't easy by any means nor did it come at the best of times, but I know that it was meant to be so Shane, thank you again for letting me have this experience. I know that you didn't want a little girl, but she has truly been the light in your eyes and I love watching you with her. She will probably be a daddy's girl and I will be chop liver again, but I wouldn't change that for anything. Our family is now complete!

Ahhhh good times

2010-08-04T20:37:00.003-06:00

I figured out how to use the scanner today and I have wanted to share this picture of Shane and I, but didn't have the means until now. So this brought back a lot of memories of a great time Shane and I had in Hawaii. Can't believe it was two years ago. Would love to go back again and make new memories. If you ever get a chance to go you really need to. I promise you will love it.

Baby Contest

2010-08-04T11:43:00.003-06:00

Well I did it. I entered Ellie into the South Weber Days baby contest. Her age group was 0-6 months. The theme was ' Bodacious Babe' and 'Hippy' attire was the wear. I dressed her in this cute Carter's outfit that was dark brown with bright colorful flowers on it. I thought she was very cute. We got to bring them up one at a time to the front where there were three judges. I think there was a total of 7 babies. 3 boys and 4 girls total. Everyone won something at least and it was fun to participate. Ellie was the second to last girl called up and she won 'Dynamite Dimples'. The next girl called up won Princess. We were so close, but she can't compete with hair. This little girl had tons of it and that is where Ellie lacks. Sorry girl, but you weren't blessed with hair genes. You will have it soon and we will win next time.

Later that evening we went to a family get together and this is a pic I got of me and the kiddos. Thought it was cute enough to share. Ellie didn't really want to look at the camera though, but sure enough Owen did. He is a ham!

Ellie-2 months

2010-07-27T22:23:00.003-06:00

Ellie went in for her 2 month check up and she is a very healthy little girl. Shane and I were guess that she was going to be at least 11 pounds because of how much she eats and how well she has been doing. When I put her on the scale it hit 11 pounds and 12 ounces. She was seriously almost 12 pounds. I couldn't believe it. I totally have a fatty baby and I love it. She is 24 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile for her weight and in the 90th percentile for her height. She got her shots today as well and that was very sad. My mom went with me today since Shane is gone to Washington for his two weeks of drill. I had to have the morale support because it would be rough to hear her cry. She was not a happy camper at all but she did very well. She has slept a lot today and has fussed a little, but that is expected. Just wish she didn't have to hurt. Ellie will go back for her 4 month appt at the end of September. Owen will also go at that time to have his annual check up. It will be funny to see what percentile he will be in for his weight because he has always been under. Ellie is not following in his footsteps there.

24th

2010-07-25T23:07:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated Owen's 4th birthday early since Shane left today for his two week drill. We went to North Shore, which is an outdoor water park. It was a free day, so I thought it would be fun to have his birthday party there. We took Owen to Zurcher's during the week to figure out what type of birthday theme he wanted. He had wanted Tom and Jerry, but they don't make anything for them. After looking at Sponge Bob, Toy Story, Iron Man and Thomas the Train he decided on a pirate theme. We got all the fixings, candy for the pinata, plates, napkins, cups and the cake in the theme of choice.

We had a lot of fun. The kids all were in the water and had a good time. The adults stayed in the shade and Ellie did as well. She was at least dressed in her swimsuit, but Shane said she wasn't going in THAT water with all those kids that pee. It was very funny to hear him be that protective. He wasn't that way with Owen. Anyways, Owen really turns 4 this Saturday. I am still going to have another cake for him and the rest of the family over who did come up to the water park. Still can't believe that my little boy is going to be 4. I feel like he is still my baby.

Ellie hanging out with Meme

We got home and Owen had fallen asleep in the car. Which I figured was going to happen. Just loved how he was sleeping on the Love Sac.

Ahhhhh, what a good day!

My parents still had one more gift for him. They came over after he woke up and gave him his gift.

Owen officially has a bike. He looks like a big boy now. He wears his helmet and can ride it really well. It is a little big for him, but can grow into it. He loves it!!!!

Braces

2010-07-22T13:53:00.004-06:00

Dallin got his braces. We went in for a check up to see when he would be getting them on and they told us now. Kind of wasn't expecting it to be that early. Thought at least we had another year. I think he did as well :( He will have them on for at least two years, as long as he does everything he is supposed to. He went for the glow in the dark bands, blue and green. They look pretty cool when he shines a light on them and they glow really well.

Here are a couple pics of him,

Over a month old

2010-07-13T16:19:00.003-06:00

Ellie is now over a month old. She is such a good baby. She has been sleeping through the night between 6-9 hours. She has been eating really well. I actually feel like I am a milk factory and have plenty of milk saved up in the freezer. I never had that with Owen so this part is very new for me. I am very grateful that I am able to fed her myself and save some money that way. I am hoping that it will continue when it is time to go back to work.

Ellie can;

Hold her head up
Smile
Laugh
Coos
Sucks on her hand
Takes a binky
Takes a bottle

She has been so much fun, I can't believe how fast my time at home has gone by. I have about 5-6 weeks left. :(

Ellie's photo shoot

2010-06-22T18:29:00.006-06:00

Ellie had her pictures done by one of my good friends from high school. She did an amazing job and I love all the pictures she took of my little girl. Had some really good shots of Shane and Owen with Ellie. Here they are;

2 weeks old

2010-06-11T09:38:00.003-06:00

Ellie had her two week check up this week. She gained 9 oz and now weighs 8 lbs. She is in the 50th percentile for her weight. I have a feeling that she will definitely be my fatty baby with rolls and all. She has also grown in length as well. She is a very healthy baby and all is going well with her.

It definitely has been an adjustment to having two kids. Owen wants to always be in her face, but he is very caring and loving towards his sister. He doesn't want to go to daycare either. He just wants to stay home with me and Ellie. But I have made him go to keep him on his schedule. Need to still have a routine or it will be that much harder when I go back to work at the end of August.

I forgot to mention that Shane has passed his NCLEX exam. He is now a licensed LPN. It has been such a blessing to get through this first year of nursing school. One more to go and he will have his RN and bachelors degree. Can't believe we are almost done with school. It will be so nice when it is all finished. YAY!!!!!

Days at home

2010-06-05T08:06:00.005-06:00

Everything has gone really well since we have been home. We were released from the hospital Thursday at noon. Got home and Ellie just wanted to sleep. She was done really well with feeding. I am so happy that breast feeding is going really well. She has been a really quiet baby as well. She doesn't really make any noises. I have actually had to wake her up to fed her. She is sleeping at least 3-4 hours and then we fed. I have loved having Ellie here and she has been so a joy.

Owen has been really protective of his sister. It has been fun to watch him with her. He always wants to hold her and give her tons of kisses. The older boys have loved to hold her as well. It was been really nice to have Ellie out and see how all the boys have reacted to her. Shane has been especially sweet. I love watching him with her.

Sooooo Sweet!

Look at my hands

Dallin and Ellie taking a rest on the Love Sac

Nap time for everyone

First tubby tub

Ellie Lynn

2010-06-05T06:37:00.007-06:00

So, I should of posted something like last week about the birth of our daughter but it has been busy and many things to do.

My last day of work was the 21st of May. I had planned on taking the last week off because I didn't want anything to happen if I was down in SLC. My last appt on the 19th, I wasn't even dilated. My Dr. said he would of started me on the 24th, but since the baby was still sitting too high he didn't want to take the chance of me ending up having a c-section. So I had another appt schedule for the 26th to see if I had made any progress.

Over the weekend I walked and walked and walked. Wanted to get her to drop and make something happen. I had been having contractions, but nothing close enough. Monday I woke up and thought it was going to be the day since my contractions were a little closer. We went to the mall and walked tons. Shane made me take the stairs over and over to see if that would help. Nothing happened.

Tuesday morning I woke up about 5 am with back contractions and I thought that was really weird. Never had that with Owen so it was a new experience. Got up and started to get things done around the house. My contractions kept coming and getting closer. I started to pack a bag and Shane asked me if it was going to be today. I told him that I thought it was because I never felt that way before.

Shane was cleaning Dallin's room and I was trying to get things together for Owen and me so that we would be ready to go. I think Shane was stalling on purpose because he wanted to make sure I was for real. My contractions were getting more intense as the time went on. Kept asking Shane is he was ready to go, but again he thought he was being funny. Said that he still wanted to mow the lawn and had a couple of other things to do.

I finally looked at him and said Shane Andrew we need to go. He finally agreed and we headed for the hospital. Got up there about 11 am and they were pretty busy up there. I was taken back into a room and had to put on the gown and get hooked up all the fun monitors. When my nurse came in she checked me and I was dilated to a 2 1/2. I was so excited to finally be dilated. They kept me there to see if I was going to progress to be admitted. In 45 minutes I was checked again and I was at a 4 1/2. My contractions were more intense at this point and I didn't know how much more I could handle.

At that point my nurse had moved me into a suite, which is where I would be to have the baby. I was able to get an epidural and I was dilated a little past a 5. Once I got my epidural I was pain free and I felt really good. My contractions were getting harder but I couldn't feel a thing. Soon after my water broke and it was time to have a baby.

Shane was able to deliver the baby and participate with a lot of the procedures since our nurse was really cool. It was a great experience for all of us. It was time to start pushing and everyone was able to stay in the room to experience the birth of our baby. My mom, Dallin, Stephen, Owen, Shannon and Alyssa were all in the room. I had the older boys up by my head so they couldn't see anything they shouldn't. It was just nice to have them all there to share in this moment.

I think I may of pushed like 5 times and she was out. Ellie Lynn Archibald was born at 3:50 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. She was a healthy little girl and everything went really well with the delivery. Here are some of the pictures that Dallin took of the birth;

Zoo Time

2010-05-31T22:48:00.005-06:00

We also did our annual trip to the Zoo this month. Wanted to get some walking in so maybe I could get this baby to drop and come early. Here are some pics of our day.

Got to love that face!!! LOL

Baby Showers

2010-05-31T22:37:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pics of the showers I had thrown for me and my baby girl. It was really fun getting so many cute clothes, diapers and baby items. Makes having a baby more exciting and you look forward to seeing your little one in all the clothes.

THANK YOU to everyone who threw me showers and for those who came to show their support. It was very much appreciated and I loved everything!!!!!!!

Fun Times

2010-04-18T10:25:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Owen and I hung out. Shane had drill so it was just the two of us. We ran a couple of errands and then we went to the park so Owen could run around and play on the slides. He had a good time, it was nice that it was great weather as well. Can't wait for it to continue. Seems like you always feel better when the sun is shining and you're outside.

Owen had this obsession that he needed to go bowling and kept asking while we were at the park. I told him that we needed to wait until his dad got home to ask him. We went bowling last year and Owen had a good time, but I think from playing the Wii bowling that it gave him the idea that he really wanted to go bowling. We went to the Spare Time Family Fun Center in Roy. It was an adventure for sure. Shane and I even bowled with him and I must say that I totally sucked because of my own bowling ball in front. It was a little difficult since my center of gravity was off. Needless to say that Owen beat me. (By the way, it is free for 3 and under to go bowling and to play mini golf)

After we bowled we played a game of mini golf. That was also fun because it was glow in the dark. Owen loved it because his clothes were glowing. Owen didn't really play, but I gave Shane a run for his money. He only beat me by 5 points. There will be a rematch for sure when the baby is out. Then it is game on!!!!!!

I think Shane and I had more fun posing for pictures!!!!

Owen's Big Bed

2010-04-15T21:00:00.003-06:00

We got Owen a bunk bed last week and it was delivered on Tuesday. He was so excited to have it in his room that now he spends more time in there playing. It is bigger than what I thought it was going to be in that room, but what do you do when you have a crib set up on the other side!?!? It is only for a while that Owen and the baby will need to share. I think we might be looking at upgrading to a bigger house soon since we have now out grown this house.

Owen slept the first night on the top bunk, but it was a chore to get him off in the morning with climbing a ladder and my big belly. The second night we moved the mattress to the lower bunk and it was much easier to get him up. He loves his bed though and has asked everyone if they can sleep over. We pick up the second mattress tomorrow so then he could have sleep overs in his room.

Kind of surreal that my baby isn't a baby anymore and with getting this new bed and the crib being put on the other side of the room is making this new baby seem more real. I think it will be even more real when I start washing her clothes, getting them put into her drawers and her bedding in the crib.

Here are some pictures of his bed;

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T19:30:00.007-06:00

Friday was my mom's 60th birthday. We all met down in Salt Lake to have dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. Dinner was really yummy. I had angel hair pasta with a clam sauce. It was really good. We then walked around Trolley Square and went into the Potty Barn Kids. That is a dangerous store!!!!! But we found the cutest bedding that we will be using for our little girl.

The colors in the quilt are lavender, purple, green, white and some brown. Very cute!!!! I really liked all these colors together. We also found the softest crib sheets I have ever felt. We bought them in the lavender and green. They will be so soft for her to snuggle into, I can't wait.

Saturday Shane and I couldn't sleep. We were up around 4:30 am. Shane started on his homework because he has so much to do before finals and needed to get some stuff done. I started cleaning the house and doing the laundry. I had the kitchen and bathroom cleaned by 6 am. I think I had all the laundry done and folded by 11 am. Kind of crazy!!!! We then headed up to my parent's house again that night so the guys could attend priesthood session and then me and my mom hung out. We watched New Moon. Shane had bought it for me over a week ago and I did not have a chance to watch it yet. Then we had pizza, birthday cake and headed home for the night.

Sunday again we went up to my parent's for dinner. We had a nice spiral ham, funeral potatoes, asparagus, rolls and a yummy salad that my mom made. It was all very delicious that I think I will have gained 5 more lbs just from eating this whole weekend. LOL! The Easter bunny then surprised us and the kids had to find their baskets and all the eggs that were dropped off. Seems like it was a very good day. Glad to be with family!!!!

Surprise

2010-03-31T21:17:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday my department surprised me with a little shower for my baby girl. We generally have our weekly meeting on Thursday, but they totally took me by surprise. I walked into the room and there were gifts on the table. I totally wasn't expecting it. I got some really cute things that I can't wait to use. Here are the pics I took when I brought all of it home and put it on the couch;

Can't wait for my other showers. It was really fun to open gifts for my little girl. Seems to make it more real. Almost 8 weeks left. YAY!!!!!!!

Shopping Excursion

2010-03-14T18:57:00.003-06:00

Owen and I needed to pick up some milk Friday night and we stopped by Smith's in Farmington. Some kids were coming out with these kid sized carts. Owen got so excited and wanted to get one of those carts. We headed into the store and they had a line of the little carts. He pushed it around and it was just so cute. We loaded it up with our milk, some powdered donuts and then we had to stop by the Easter aisle and got some delicious Cadbury Creme Eggs (YUM!). Owen did so well maneuvering the cart. I was quite impressed. We had to take some pictures;

Farewell

2010-03-02T20:41:00.003-07:00

Today we went to Shane's unit farewell service. They are leaving tomorrow for deployment. It was my first time attending something like that. It was very emotional and kind of surreal. Shane has made some really good friends with a few guys in this unit and it was hard watching him say his good-byes to them because I know that deep down inside that he really wants to be there with him. I was crying because I felt for the wives/families that are having a loved one leave and knew that it would be a hard year coming up for them.

It was just very touching and I don't know how it would be to have Shane gone for a whole year, but I know that I would have the support of my family and it would turn out okay. I am very grateful that he isn't leaving at this point in time, but proud of him to be willing to serve our country and want to do things that not many people would volunteer for on their own. It is nice to know that their are those out their that have the courage to serve and willing to risk their lives to make our lives better here. I know that I wouldn't make in the military. I would be a big cry baby for sure!!!

Shane also received an award at this service that was expected. He received The Army Achievement Medal. It was pretty cool. He had to go in front of everyone that was there. It was a good thing that he decided to wear his uniform as well. The unit will be gone for a year total. That will mean by the time they get home next April, Shane will be done with nursing school and will be able to commission over to an officer. YAY! for school being over. I can't believe we are almost there.

Mountain Crest High School was the band that was playing

Shane's award he received

Shane and Kyle Jennings

Kyle is Shane's friend that is leaving for a year in his unit. We have hung out with Kyle and his wife over the last year. They are great people and have loved building that friendship. We will make sure Eva (Kyle's wife) will be watched over and go out for sushi. YUM!

Thirty-Nine

2010-01-27T22:21:00.006-07:00

Today was Shane's 39th birthday. He worked the night before so he didn't get home until after 6 this morning. He then went to sleep for a little while before getting up to go to school. He had class from 12:30-4. I got home from work and then picked everyone up. We headed up Ogden Canyon to our dining destination, The Timbermine. Usually Shane and I go there and then have a weekend getaway with just him and I, but that wasn't the case this year. With school and work it seems like there just isn't time for that right now. So here are a few pics of the night;

My parents joined us

Shane and Owen being goofs

Next year I will definitely need to plan something big since he will be the big 4 0.

The Holidays

2010-01-03T18:06:00.010-07:00

Here is how our holidays went;

Christmas Eve at my parent's house

My parents put on quite the spread.

We had prime rib, yummy potatoes, rolls, green beans, jello ribbon salad and a yummy holiday drink

All the cousins hanging out watching TV and then we all opened our gifts for the gift exchange.

Christmas

We had a fire burning and got Owen's face when it blazed a little more. CLASSIC!

Stephen's surprise was a new ipod nano.

Dallin's surprise was a new puppy. He was up in his room and Shane went to get the puppy from his sister's house. We placed the kennel in the front room and he came down and was like, WHAT?!?!? He couldn't believe it. He named the puppy Zinger.

I think Zinger likes his new home. He settled right into every one's laps and fell asleep.

We made the rounds to all the in-laws houses and the kids got a few more gifts. It was a nice day. Later we had to drop Stephen and Dallin off to their Mom. On the way home Shane and I made our traditional stop at China Hill in Layton and got Chinese food for dinner. We got take out because Owen had fallen asleep and we had Zinger with us. It was a very fun Christmas this year.

New Year's Eve
Went to dinner at The Mandarin in Bountiful with my side of the family. Shane had to work so he wasn't there.

Wendy (Sister-n-law), Mom and Dad.

Mark (My brother), Adam and John Paul (Nephews)

Alison (My niece), Troy (Ali's boyfriend) and Ansley (Ali's BFF)

Ansley from behind the candle

New Year's Day

Went shopping with Christmas money and Owen got cowboy stuff. He is such a HAM!

It was a nice time to spend with family, but now it is time to get back to the grind. Everyone will be back to school tomorrow and life will begin to be crazy again for all of us.

Hope that everyone's holidays went well!

It's a girl!!!!!!

2009-12-14T21:03:00.003-07:00

I really can't believe it, but it is true. We are going to have a baby girl in May. My mom and dad were there with Shane and I for my ultrasound. My doctor pulled up the ultrasound and went down to the legs. He asked if I could tell what it was, but I wasn't sure because I never saw a girl on an ultrasound before. He said can you see what it is missing and at that point I started clapping my hands and my mom let out a YEAH!!!!! I was in shock because I was really expecting it to be another boy. Shane was totally in awe. I don't think he still knows what to think about it. I am so excited though!!!! She is a healthy little girl and everything looks really good.

It's a girl! Pic of her legs and nothing in between.

Here is another pic and it almost looks like she is sucking her thumb

The cute little hat my mom gave me after we found out what we were having. Her first gift! Can't wait to get more girl stuff!!!!!

Two Years

2009-12-01T13:39:00.002-07:00

Kind of a weird day today for sure. It has been two years since Jeff (Shane's dad) has passed. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think about him or remember something about him. He could always bring a smile to your face and just make your day better.

I know that the whole family struggles on this day and I just wanted to express my love to everyone. I know that it is hard, but we are all doing our best and I know that Jeff, Dad, Grandpa Jeff would be proud of all of us!!!!

We love and miss you very much and can't wait to see you again!!!!!!

XOXO

12 weeks

2009-11-16T20:06:00.002-07:00

Had my 2nd prenatal appointment this evening and got to see the little bundle again. It is looking more like a baby now and it is very exciting. The legs were closed so we didn't even get a peek of what it could be. Shane totally thinks it is a boy though. My doctor said at my next appointment for sure we will know what it is. I am totally excited to find out what we are having. All the boys say it is another boy. I haven't felt one way or the other. Not going to lie though, I would totally love a girl. The baby is healthy and I am doing a little better with the nausea. Lost 4 lbs since my last appointment, but all is good. Kind of nice to hear that you didn't gain weight, LOL! My camera died so I will have to post pics of the ultrasound when the batteries are charged.

Halloween

2009-10-31T23:09:00.003-06:00

Tonight we went to our ward party and Owen got to play a few games and got some treats. We then headed around the neighborhood until he said he wanted to go up to my parent's house to see them. He was out for almost 2 hours and filled his bucket to the brim. He did so good this year going up to the door and saying Trick or Treat. He just needs to learn to say it a little louder. Overall it was a good night it would of been better if Shane didn't have to work. This is the first Halloween in 3 years that he has worked, so it was just Owen and I. Here are some pics of my little loot stealer.

Birthday

2009-10-29T06:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. Can't believe that I am already that old. Seems to me like I am still in my early 20's (Except this pregnancy is taking it's toll). I totally wasn't expecting this one to be as bad as it has been so far. I didn't have any symptoms with Owen, never got sick or anything. It seems this time around that I am experiencing everything so I really know what it is like. Anyway, I spent my birthday at home yesterday, I didn't go into work. Owen had a rough night and wasn't feeling the greatest so I spent some time at home. We just ordered takeout from Olive Garden and just had a night at home with the family. It was a good day though. Got to spend some time with my little boy who I don't see as much as I would like to. Just can't believe that next year it will be the big 3 0. Kind of crazy how fast time flies by. Well, thank you to all that wished me a happy birthday. I really appreciate it!

THRILLER_promo.flv

2009-10-25T21:23:00.001-06:00

Shane and I went to Thriller on Friday. We go every year with some of his friends from the Sheriff's Office. It is a fun night and just gets you in the mood for Halloween. If you ever get a chance to go, you should. It is so much fun.

New addition

2009-10-07T20:41:00.004-06:00

We are expecting a new addition to the family. I took a pregnancy test on the 19th of September and it was positive. I then took another one on the 22nd because Shane wanted to make sure. I had my first doctors appointment yesterday and here is the first pic of the little one. I am only 6 weeks along, but we already heard it's heart beat. Due date is May 31st.

The little circle in the black part is the baby

Funny Faces

2009-08-31T22:26:00.005-06:00

Owen found these glasses in Dallin's room and wanted to take some pictures. They are just the frames, no actual glass in them. Here is what we have....

Love how Owen ended it-PEACE!

First week of school down...

2009-08-30T21:21:00.002-06:00

Everyone started school on the 24th. It seemed to go well for everyone. Shane started nursing school and that seems to be a little more than we thought it was going to be. We had to buy over 13 books for this semester for two classes. Pretty crazy. He will be going to school full time and still putting in his hours at the Sheriff's Office.

Stephen started his junior year at Northridge. We think it will be a better year for him with lots of opportunities for him to succeed. Dallin started his first year at Sunset Junior High School. He was able to find all of his classes and open his locker. His only problem was the lunch line. He wanted to go in two different lines and found out the hard way that doesn't work.

I am not going back this semester. Hopefully soon I will be able to go back and finish my two classes for my associates and then we will see about finishing a bachelors. It really seems like this month just started and now it is over. I hope that is how the next two years will go. HAHA!! At least I can wish, right?!?!

Dallin

2009-08-06T20:49:00.003-06:00

We were out running errands today and went up on base. Shane is getting ready to leave again for two more weeks on Sunday, so he needed to get his hair cut. We have been trying to talk Dallin into cutting his nappy long hair. I told him that I would give him $100 if he cut it. He thought about it for a minute and then came over and shook my hand. We made the deal, he cut his hair, he's a hundred dollars richer and it was the best deal I made. I think he looks a lot better with shorter hair. Now he won't need to worry about combing it, even though he never really combed it anyways. LOL!

Before.....
and After

The Weekend....

2009-08-02T17:26:00.013-06:00

Shane got home Friday night just before 11 p.m. I stayed at work that night until about 10:15 since the airport is 10 minutes away. Owen was up at my parents and the other boys went and stayed with Jessica and Terry (Jessica is Shane's sister). That way I could just get Shane and then we would come home. It was so good to see his face and have him home.

Shane and Kyle

Me, Shane, Kyle and EvaLyn

Owen's birthday was really on Friday the 31st, but since Shane didn't get home until late we decided to celebrate it on Saturday. We had a little get together at our house in the back yard. Owen wanted a Cars cake that was chocolate and that is what he got. I ordered it from Harmon's and they did a great job. I think it turned out way cute.

Stephen was the one that finally broke it and then everyone dropped to the ground to get all the candy that went flying out of it.

Missing....

2009-07-21T15:38:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to say that I am missing my hubby. I really don't like him to be away that long and when he is, it just makes me realize what a great person I married and how much he means to me. I know that I take him for granted when he is home and I need to be better about not doing that. Because our lives are only getting busier and busier. Shane if you ever read this, just know how much I love you, Always and Forever!!!!!

4th of July weekend

2009-07-05T19:22:00.016-06:00

I had Friday off work so it was nice to sleep in. We hung around the house for a little while. Cleaned the house and got the laundry done. We had to drop Shane's work truck off at the office so we decided that we would head down to SLC and check out the zoo. We hadn't been there since last year before Shane left for his military training in Texas. It was a perfect day because it was later in the day when we went so it wasn't so hot and most of the animals were out. Then after we headed up the canyon to Ruth's. It is this diner that we was on the Food Network. Shane and I had tried to go there back in March, but it was closed because they were remodeling. The food was really good. Had that home-cooked meal taste. We will definitely go back there again and try something different.

For the 4th we got up about 9 and went to the Kaysville City Days. We saw the parade and Owen was very excited. The weather held out and it wasn't very hot either. We only stayed for the parade then drove to Centerville to drop Stephen off for a few weeks to see his mom. Don't really know why he wanted to go down there, but he went. Later that night we headed up to my brother's house in North Ogden. We did our own fireworks and then watched North Ogden's from his house. It was nice to spend some time with family.

Boys on the train

Stephen and Dallin wanted to see how they compared

Our little monkeys

Cute little baby monkey

Owen and I on the Merry-Go-Round

Dallin in the Prairie Dog holes- you all know that you played in these when we were younger!

Cockroach from Madagascar

Turtle from Madagascar, Owen kept touching his shell and then would need to clean his hands with sanitizer

Dallin and Shane at the Kaysville parade

Owen didn't want his picture taken, but I still thought it was a cute picture

Back yard fun

2009-07-01T20:03:00.008-06:00

Owen decided to make a little fun for himself. He got undressed, dragged the sprinkler under the tramp, came back to turn it on and then climbed on the tramped and had fun jumping in the water.

Time flies....

2009-06-11T21:27:00.002-06:00

So it has been over a month since I last written anything. Things have just been really busy with work for me and Shane has been busy with school and work. Life certainly keeps on going.

Over the last few weeks we have been doing some fun things. We had a family BBQ on Memorial weekend at our house and it was nice weather so we hung out in the backyard.

Polly, Bryant (Her fiancé) Sam and Mia (Bryant's kids)

Owen being brave on uncle Mark's motorcycle

My parents and I took Owen to the races at Rocky Mountain Raceway. Owen had a blast and says that he wants to go back again. My dad really loves watching races, he actually grew up racing cars when he was younger back East.

My dad and Owen

Shane and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on the 5th of June. I can't believe how fast that has flown by. I was looking at our wedding pictures and the boys (Stephen and Dallin) seemed so little.

Stephen is now taller than me and will soon be 16

Dallin is now almost 12

We also took Owen to the air show last weekend. He loved seeing the planes.

Just a cute pic of O

Owen looking good with his head phones to protect his ears-haha

Owen's New Play Set

2009-05-05T21:16:00.003-06:00

Shane finally finished putting together Owen's Play set. We got it at the end of April and worked on it over the weekend, but it was a monster. We got it from Costco for a great deal. I wanted Owen to have something to play with this summer. Since I ripped the old one down last summer when Shane was gone. I helped Shane with the first 25 steps, but he did the rest on his own. It had 37 steps all together to get it set up, but I think it looks good and it hasn't fallen over yet LOL!!!! Now we just need to fix the fence so that Owen will stay in the yard. HAHA

It has been a while...

2009-04-18T23:47:00.003-06:00

Since I last posted. A lot of things have happened. We sold the 'Green Turd' and got a truck. Shane is so excited to have his own truck. It has been really nice. I had to take a final picture of it because I had that car for almost 7 years. Quite a long time for one car.

Shane got into the nursing program at WSU, he will start those classes in the Fall. It will be a crazy few years while he gets through those classes while working. People do it all the time so I am sure we will be fine.

Our Easter was really nice. It would of been Jeff's (Shane's Dad) 60th birthday. So we went out to the grave and sat and chatted for a bit. Then we went to by parent's house for dinner. It was a great dinner. Everyone helped out to make it a fun time. We also played their Wii. We did the Wii Fit. That was a lot of fun to watch.

Close up of the chicken nugget that Owen wanted share with Grandpa

Owen's Tooth

2009-03-06T19:46:00.007-07:00

Yesterday, Owen woke up with a big swollen upper lip. It was so big that I thought he had an allergic reaction to something, but couldn't figure out what it was. When Shane woke up later in the afternoon I had him look at it and he was able to lift up Owen's lip to see this large pea sized pimple on his gum. It was right above the tooth he chipped last year when he was using Dallin's skate board. I looked and sure enough there was this thing sticking out from his gums. That is what was making his lip swell up. We went on Web MD to see if we could fine something. I searched under swollen lips and gums. It came up with many choices, but one of them was an abscess.

'Abscess . Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, see your dentist as soon as possible if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your gum that usually is painful. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.'

After I read that I called our dentist and explained what was going on with Owen and asked what we needed to do. Our dentist said that he could get us in to see Owen in the morning. Well after we got off the phone with him I noticed that Owen's tooth was draining this yellowish fluid with some blood. It was definitely infected and looked really gross. Morning came and Shane and I took Owen into the dentist. Owen did really well when the dentist was looking at it, but then he wanted to get an x-ray and that was the tricky part. Owen isn't one for doctors. So he started to put up a fight. Shane had him on his lap holding him with the lead apron on top. I was holding Owen's head so we could get the x-ray. The dentist was holding the film in Owen's mouth while his assistant took the x-ray. It took four of us, but we got it done.

The x-ray showed that there was a lot of infection up and around his chipped tooth. The dentist said that the tooth was probably going to need to be removed and that we needed to be referred to a pediatric dentist. He called the one he works with and explained that he had a 2 year old that had an abscessed front tooth. They told our dentist that we needed to come in right away. So off we went to the other dentist. We waited in the waiting room for a bit and then finally was called back. Owen wasn't too excited by this point. He had enough of doctors for one day. They took one look at it and said it needed to come out since his permanent tooth was budding and could damage it. Shane said then lets take it out.

We went into another room called the quiet room. It is called the quiet room because it is a room that is sealed with two doors so no one else can hear what goes on inside. They don't want to scare other little kids in the waiting room with screaming kids. We had to strap Owen in a papoose so that he would be grabbing at anything. While they were getting him strapped down they applied the laughing gas and it totally calmed him down. After the gas hard a chance to work the dentist put a couple of shots of Novocaine into that gum so that Owen wouldn't be able to feel it. Then he removed the tooth. It was quite fast and Owen did so good. He told the dentist thank you and blew kisses at his assistant. I was quite impressed that he didn't scream or make this one of our usual visits to the doctor. He was a very brave boy.

On the way home we stopped at Target to buy him a prize for being so brave. He wanted this V-Tech Computer, that you can play games on to learn numbers and ABC's. Then we headed home. He fell asleep on the way home and slept for a couple of hours. He is doing fine and just looks more like a hill billy then before. I had no idea that this could ever happen. I guess it is a good thing we never had a cap put on that tooth.

Oh what fun!!!!!

2009-02-21T14:26:00.009-07:00

Last night Shane and I decided to take Owen to Cheese's. He has wanted to go there for some time. He would see the commercials on TV and say, "We go there, I go to Cheese's please!" He was so excited when we pulled into the parking lot that he started yelling, "YES!, Oh ya Cheese's! Oh that's cool!" Owen had a great time running around trying to find all the games that looked fun. We left when he ran out of tokens. When we were walking to the car he asked if we could go there tomorrow. Shane and I just laughed. We said that we would have to do again some other time. Here are some pictures of the night.

Bowling

2009-02-16T19:25:00.010-07:00

Owen wanted to go bowling so we decided since Shane and I were both home that we would take him and the boys. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pics of the outing.

Went to the Sparetime Family Fun Center in Roy

Owen was so excited. We had the bumpers put

up so he would be able to hit the pins down.

Owen would jump up and down after the ball

would hit the pins. It was so cute!

Dallin did really well. He put this crazy spin on the

ball and it looked like it was going to go in the gutter,

but then it curved.

Stephen did the same thing as Dallin. They spin

the ball. They are really good at it because they

would get strikes and spares.

As you can see from the final score that I bet Stephen

by 1, but Shane got me by 5. It was close the whole time

until the end. Shane and I are always competitive when

it comes to sports. Owen actually beat Dallin. He did really

good. I know that the bumpers helped, but it was just fun

watching how excited he got.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T21:34:00.002-07:00

So we didn't do much today because Shane worked last night and the boys are at their moms for the weekend. But I fixed Shane one of his favorite meals. He went to Germany on his mission and loves some of the food from there. He found this great recipe for some German food. We have made it a few times, but I decided since he had to work tonight that I would make something special for him. So I got to cooking this afternoon.

One of the dishes takes about 3 hours and the other one is about an hour and a half. So you have to time it. It is called Beef Roulade and Rot Kohl. Rot Kohl is red cabbage with bacon, onions and apples. It is all cooked together for 3 hours. Trust me, it is really good. Beef Roulade is flank steak with Dijon mustard, bacon, onions and pickles. You roll all the ingredients up inside the flank steak and cook it in the oven. I boiled some red potatoes and served them with everything else. It turned out really good and Shane was happy.

Shane got ready for work and we (Owen and I) got our shoes on and met Shane for some ice cream to end the night. After that, Owen and I came home and I had to make cookies. I pulled out Kerstin's famous sugar cookie recipe and made some yummy cookies. Now just getting Owen ready for bed so I can call it a day.

Wasn't a typical Valentine's day, but it was nice to spend time with the men in my life and let them know how much I love them. I hope that everyone had a great day and that they could spend it with the ones they love.

Shane's Birthday

2009-01-27T21:54:00.006-07:00

It was Shane's 38th birthday. He went to go to school, but didn't have to work. He made a special trip up to Smith & Edwards, one of his favorite stores. He likes to tinker up there and he found a couple of items that he needed. He then went to say hello to his dad. He said that he wished him a happy birthday. When I got off work we headed to the mall to upgrade his cell phone. He got the new LG Vu. It is a touch screen with a full key board. He seems to be pretty happy with that. We then met up with some of the family for dinner at the Olive Garden. It was some good eats. Had the famous Cherry Chip cake. It is an Archibald staple. Owen sang him Happy Birthday. It was cute. I hope that it was a good birthday for him. Just want him to know how much we love and appreciate him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANE!!!!

Cherry Chip Cake YUM!

Helicopter

2009-01-11T14:52:00.009-07:00

Owen and I went up to WSU yesterday. Shane was teaching a class to the police academy on helicopter safety and how to land them if they needed them on a call. Owen loved every minute of it. He keeps asking when he can go in another one. Here are some pics.

Cooper (Shane's Sergeant's son) and Owen

New Year

2009-01-02T06:33:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how fast last year flew by. It was filled with many memorable experiences. This year will probably be the same, but with a few more twists and turns. Shane is going back to patrol and working nights. Not really looking forward to that, but what can you do. He is also starting school again on the 5th and is expected to teach D.A.R.E. on top of all of that. It will be busy indeed, full of no sleep and hardly seeing each other. But the time we will be together will be worth it for sure. I know that we will make it through and we will be one step closer to getting Shane through nursing school. We just need to make it to December, then next year will be much easier. I want to wish you all the best this year.

Here's to 2009!!!!!!

Christmas

2008-12-25T21:40:00.021-07:00

We started the morning at about 8 am. As you can see Owen wasn't quite awake. He said it was too bright.

Stephen was about the same way. We woke him up so that we could get going.

Owen was so excited! I didn't quite capture his reaction good on camera.

Tt and Owen

Owen and Dallin caught in a good pose

Dallin opening his presents

Dallin and Stephen (Tt)

Stephen got the Dark Knight (Great movie!)

University of Utah, Sugar Bowl shirt

Oh, the precious iPod. Stephen was very excited

The boys all made out really good. Owen got his race track and helicopter that he asked Santa for, plus a few more items that we was excited about. Dallin got a skate deck and a new bike, plus a really big NERF gun called the Vulcan. Dart wars are a major part of our household. Stephen got all the U of U stuff a boy could ever ask for, plus the iPod. My dad gave both Stephen and Dallin signed U of U flags by the whole football team. They were pretty stoked.

After we opened our presents we made our rounds to the rest of the family. We also go over to Shane's mom's house for breakfast. She always makes apple fritters. They are soooo delicious. We hung out there for a few hours and then made our way to my parents. By the time we got there everyone took naps and eat more food. We snacked on the leftovers from our Christmas Eve dinner. YUM!

Next stop was to meet the boys mom in Centerville, so they could spend some time with her and get their Christmas. They will be gone the rest of the weekend and probably will be going snowboarding. Shane, Owen and I were hungry and didn't really have anywhere else to go so we drove into Layton to see if any place was opened for dinner. It was slim pickens, but we found a place, CHINA Hill on Hill Field Road. We thought we would go for duck, Hahaha (A Christmas Story salute) Here are some pics from our dinner,

Hot and sour soup

Pot stickers

Asparagus, chicken, beef and shrimp dish (It was very tasty!)

Overall, it was a great day! We all got to hang out and share each other company. We don't always get to do that. It was especially nice that it snowed. It always makes it seem like Christmas when it snows. Got to love that! Hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Look what I did......

2008-12-19T09:35:00.002-07:00

I just changed my blog background by myself!!!!!! I was just excited that I finally did it. I am sure that I will play around with this more over the weekend. I'm a NERD!!!!! Thanks Kerstin, you're the BEST!!!!!

Tepanyaki

2008-12-15T15:46:00.003-07:00

(Kerstin, Elsha, Me and Stacey)

Friday night we got together for dinner at Tepanyaki with our husbands. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again. It has been years since we all worked together, but really nice that we all stay in touch. Shane admits that I worked with the hottest girls. LOL I have to agree with him. They are gorgeous. Working at the Yaki was some of the funnest times and most stressful. I don't miss waiting tables like Kerstin says in her blog, but I do often find myself thinking I could be making a lot of money during this holiday season because of the parties!!!!! Maybe we should all apply, Tonya would seriously FREAK OUT! I am totaly kidding. It was a lot of fun to get together with everyone and I am glad that we had brought our guys with us. We really need to do that again.

December 1st

2008-11-30T21:52:00.003-07:00

I can't believe it has already been a year, but it has. We made it through, it has been busy and Jeff has really been missed. This is a picture of Jeff taken at Shane's sister's house. He is holding Owen. This picture was given to us just after he died, framed and with a sweet message on the back. It is a very precious picture to me and the rest of our family. It just captures such a sweet moment in time and I absolutely love the expression on Jeff's face.

Just want to thank all of our friends and family for their support and helping us through. Jeff would be so proud of everyone and the things they are accomplishing in their lives. We went to his grave today to visit and Owen was climbing all over his grave stone. It would of just been like he was climbing all over him. Owen thinks that everyone is his own human playground. I couldn't help but laugh. I am sure Jeff was smiling at that.

Here's to another year!!!!!!

Windy in South Weber

2008-11-23T18:48:00.007-07:00

I got a phone call from Shane and work on Thursday saying that our fence had blown over. These are the pictures he took. PRETTY CRAZY!!!!!!

Sweet Ride

2008-11-23T18:32:00.006-07:00

Here are some pics of Shane's D.A.R.E. car. It is a Saturn Sky and it was donated to the Sheriff's Office for a penny. This car just won Utah's D.A.R.E. car of the year. Pretty sweet, huh?!?!?

More Pics from Hawaii

2008-11-23T17:50:00.029-07:00

Scandinavian Ice- HUGE shaved ice!!!!

Shane taking a pic of us and trying to get the waterfall in the back ground

This is the crater in the volcano park

These next pics are of the lava flowing into the ocean

Watching the lava at night hit the ocean was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The way it would just spew the lava up in the air and the bright red color of the lava. It is a must see!!!!

I thought these were the coolest flowers we saw

Just some of the beautiful sunsets we saw

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T06:17:00.046-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween today. It has been such a crazy week for us since we got back from Hawaii. It was the greatest trip I have ever went on. It was nice to spend that time with Shane and just be a couple. We didn't have to worry about entertaining anyone but ourselves (No offense to our kids). Everyone needs to have a get away like that. I totally recommend it. Here are some pics of our adventures. These are only from my camera. I will have to get Shane's on here as well. So there will be more to come.

Airport- it was all outside

Curise ship that arrived Monday morning right outside our window

Shane loved these trees

Sea Turtles- they came right up to you. This is when we went snorkeling

Luau we went to that was a lot of fun

AWE!!!

Pig

Made this angel fish out of a banana leaf

Had to take a picture of this street sign

Beautiful waterfalls

These next pictures are from the zoo in Hilo

Kona temple

Taken from looking into the water. It was that clear, CRAZY HUH!!!

Spinner Dolphines- We saw these when we went on our glass bottom boat tour.

Scary Bat

2008-10-05T14:44:00.004-06:00

Owen wanted to wear his Halloween costume and have me take pictures of him. He has a sticker on his head, but thought the picture was cute because he was showing me his scary bat. He has worn it a couple of times now around the house, chasing us saying he is a scary bat and growling at us. This Halloween is really going to be fun with him.
Watch out for scary bats!!!!!!!!

Fountains at the Gateway

2008-10-05T14:32:00.009-06:00

Owen loves to get wet! He loved running through the water, but wasn't so sure when the smoke came out of the vents. But he kept on running through the fountains until he was shaking and saying he was cold.

Balloon Festival on September 20th

2008-10-05T14:10:00.014-06:00

Went to Antelope Island with Shane. He had to help run the Mobile Command Center on the Island. I have never been to this and it was pretty cool to see those giant balloons rise up and fly. They didn't get a change to get very many of them into the air that day because of the wind. It was still a sight to see. I am glad that I had the chance to go.

September came and went

2008-10-05T13:49:00.003-06:00

It is now October. I can't believe how fast September flew by. I was waiting for September to come since June. Shane got home on September 9th. It was a great day. Life has been busy ever since he got back. I am back to working 4, 10 hour days again and he is back to teaching D.A.R.E in the elementary schools. The boys have been busy with school too. Life seems to have picked right back up from where it was when Shane first left.

I am greatful that he is home. It is nice having my best friend back. It just seems like we haven't had a lot of time to ourselves, but that is what Hawaii is for. We will be leaving in about two weeks. It will be nice to have the time away. I just want to thank all of my family and friends for their support while he was gone. I couldn't have done it without you. It was much appreciated!!!!!!

Almost Home

2008-08-25T11:13:00.002-06:00

Shane will be home in two weeks. YEAH! It has kind of gone by fast, but in some ways it hasn't at all. I have been keeping busy with work, putting up base boards and door casing and taking care of Owen. I just got Stephen and Dallin back this weekend from their mom. So it is nice having a full house again. I think Owen was getting bored of me. Now he can rough house with his brothers and he loves that.

Stephen started his first day of high school. He is a Northridge Knight. I still can't believe he is in high school though. He isn't excited about the 6 A.M. wake up, but I hope that he has a great year and enjoys the experiences that high school has to offer. He won't be driving until next summer, but I will worn all of you when you need to stay off roads.

Dallin is in 6th grade. He had his clothes picked out last night and they were laid neatly on the floor of how he would wear them. It was cute! I didn't know that boys did that. Thought it was only a girl thing. He was a little nervous this morning, thinking his bus schedule was going to change because Stephen's did. I let him know that he didn't need to worry and that he was going to be fine.

I can't believe how much these two have grown in the six years I have known them. They are great kids and I totally missed not having them around this summer.

So our little family is coming together again and that makes me happy. I am truly blessed and I couldn't have asked for a better place to be in life.

Owen's 2nd Birthday

2008-07-31T22:30:00.011-06:00

Owen's pre-party present from Meme and Pepe.
(My mom and dad) Dallin had fun checking it out
as well.

Auntie Wendy arrived with the Nemo cake in
hand.

Look how cute it turned out.

Owen was very excited about his Nemo cake.

Look at that face! He is so excited. Owen loves
his motorcikles. That is how he says it.

Look at my motorcikles!!!!

Uncle Mark (My brother) has this weird desire to

destroy cakes. We had already ate some, but

he really wanted to bite Nemo's head off. Jenner

(My nephew) wanted to help him.

Off went his head! Sorry Nemo.

Owen had a great time at his party. He was busy running around like a crazy man, playing with his cousins and new toys. We were able to have Shane there through the web cam. He helped sing happy birthday and watched Owen open his presents. It was nice to have him be a part of this day. I can't believe I have a 2 year old!!!!!

2008-07-27T11:47:00.006-06:00

So, it has almost been a month since I last wrote. I have to thank Kerstin for making my blog look way cute. I love it. Things have been really busy this summer. I have been working 6 hours in the office and then some when I get home. But most of my time is spent with Owen. He can keep anyone busy, if you know what I mean. This week is his birthday. My baby is going to be 2. Can you believe it!?!?!? I know, time has surely flown by. It seems like I just had him. But he is truly a blessing and so much fun to have around. I can't wait to have another one. Not saying that I am pregnant, but hopefully soon.

I have also been doing some house projects that needed to be done. Shane and I started remodeling our home three years ago. It all started with me taking off the old wall paper that was on the walls when we first moved in. That in turn meant taking down all the door casings and floor boards. We repainted the whole house from ceiling to floor. Replaced the carpet and eventually gutted the kitchen and upstairs bathroom. Well this whole time we have never put the door casings or floor boards back up, so that is what I have been working on. It has been way to long without them that I told Shane it would be done before he got home. I have finished my room, the hallway and the upstairs bathroom and man it looks so good. I just need to finish Dallin's and Owen's rooms, the family room and then the basement. We are finally getting our house back. YEAH!!!!!!!!

Shane has 5 more weeks left. He will be able to come home on September 9th. It was actually 11 weeks and 4 days that he will be gone, but whose counting. I am so excited to see him again and just to be with him. I think I took him for granted the whole time he was home and now when you are apart you think of all the little things that matter the most. I love my husband very much and think he is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I am really blessed to have him in my life. He is my everything!

Military

2008-06-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

I know I am a little late on sharing this information with a lot of you, but now seems like a good time as any. Back in April Shane joined the Army Reserves. Right now he is in San Antonio, Texas completing his training of Combat Medic. He will be there a total of 9 weeks. But we can now offically say 8 weeks. I am very proud of him for making this decision and I back him all the way. Even though it is tough to be away from each other, we will make it through this. Yes, he could be deployed if his company here in Salt Lake is called to go and yes that does scare me, but again it is for the right reasons. Just wanted to let everyone know what is going on in our lives at this time.

FINALLY!!!!!

2008-03-27T08:05:00.001-06:00

Kerstin will be so happy with me! I am trying to get this started. I know it has taken me a long time, but hey, I finally did it. I will post more pictures and blog a little more later.