Baby T

That's what Blake calls Tyler now and it's catching on with Chris and me.
Here is Ty's cute picture from last week. 7 months almost 8...time flies.

Picture Perfect

This morning we had a perfect moment that I wish I could freeze in time. Tyler woke me up promptly at 7 am. I slept good which has been a trend this weekend. Surprising since I've been sick. Anyway, I fed Ty and went downstairs to the darkness; flipped on the Christmas lights and enjoyed some time with Ty. I knew Blake would be waking up soon, so I decided to make waffles for breakfast. As I predicted Blake woke right up. We made waffles together while Jim Brickman Christmas music was playing in the background. We woke Daddy up to eat with us, and we all sat, ate, and enjoyed each other. I love moments like this and hope to have more of them.
Now its back to reality; loads of laundry and lots of cleaning to do.
Like I said, I was sick this weekend....so the house was too.

Burn II

Today Blake had his check up on his hand. Just so everyone knows the deal is off with Chris. Blake's blister popped the next day while Chris was at work, so I HAD to clean and bandage it up. It was horrible. And it's still horrible. I can't believe how bad it looks. And now it bleeds when we change the bandages. ugh.
Well, today we learned at his appointment that the burn was worse than they thought. It goes pretty deep into his hand, and it's right in the webbing by his thumb so it makes it a little worse. We spent most of our time today talking to the physical therapist. She said it was really important for us to stretch his wound at least 5 times a day for at least 5 minutes. She is also having us put a soft splint on when he sleeps to stretch it. Plus we need to change and clean his dressings twice a day. That is going to be quite a task for me, but it's important so I have to get some thick skin to deal with it.
We were also informed that this isn't going to be a quick healing thing....which I was hoping for. It will take a lot of time for this wound heal. They aren't sure if he'll need a skin graft, but we will hopefully know by next week. I don't think he will, but I thought it would be healed by next week too. I obviously don't know much.
So, I guess we'll be making more trips to the U burn center than I thought. I am very grateful that it is not infected and that it is healing as well as it should be. However, I still feel like a horrible Mom for letting this happen. Sometimes I just wish I could rewind and do things different!

Neighbor Gifts

Instead of giving neighbor gifts this year, a couple families organized a food drive in our neighborhood. I was SO glad that someone took the initiative in doing that this year. Neighbor gifts always seem like a hassle to me. Don't get me wrong, I love my neighbors and I am very grateful to have good people around me, but I feel like all we do is exchange some kind of homemade goodie, which usually ends up in the garbage. Anyone with me on that one?
Anyway, there is such need for food donations, that I was glad to put my money somewhere that would do some good. So, our Christmas activity for the day was gathering food to donate. The kids weren't really involved, but hopefully we planted some kind of seed that we were doing good.

3rd day of Christmas

We are doing the 25 days of Christmas at our house, not just 12. So on this 3rd day of Christmas the boys got to go to Grandpa's to see the train. Blake loves choo-choo's, so it was a real treat for him to play with Grandpa and the train.

We also went to the mall today. We saw Santa and waved, and then it was off to get pictures taken. I really wanted to get a picture of the boys together. I have yet to get one of them. I also wanted a picture of Ty since it's been a while since we got one of him. We were successful of getting one of Ty, and it is oh so cute! Can't wait to show it off. Hopefully that will be soon. Our lady at the photo shop was.....well, challenged. So I'll go back another day to edit and print the pictures.

Movie night

So tonight I thought it would be fun to have a Christmas movie night with Blake and Ty. Chris was off doing Elder's Quorum things, so it was just me and the boys. I wanted to put in Shrek the Halls to watch, seeing how Tyler inspired me at dinner....

I swear, he is the messiest eater!

...But we ended up watching Donald Duck's Christmas, which we've watched fifty times already, but Blake seems to always have the last word when it comes to TV. Ty had gone to bed early, but then woke up crying. I decided to turn off the movie and we got in the car and drove. It was another night of looking at Christmas lights. I'm so glad Blake likes looking at the lights, because driving Ty to sleep keeps me sane! Maybe we'll get to watch Shrek the Halls another night.

Christmas Lights

We kicked off our Christmas count down by going to Thanksgiving Point's Holiday Lights. It was fun to watch Blake's excitement with each set of lights. Tyler was excellent too. I thought he was asleep the whole time, but afterwards I saw his perky little face as he was trying to sit up and see everything too. If I would have known he was awake, I would have pulled him in the front seat with all of us.

Santa and his reindeer were there too, but we decided to see him another night. Can't wait!

Enough

Enough. I wish Tyler could understand that when I say it to him. I don't understand this kid. He is way to active for me and to top it off he doesn’t like to sleep. He used to sleep really well during the night. Now he gets up early and sometimes once through the night. This wouldn’t be so bad, but he doesn’t nap. Usually an hour each day. If it’s more I’m lucky.
Today I put Blake down for a nap and Tyler too. Tyler of course screamed for a while and then I got him up. I always tell him its okay if he stays up as long as he lets me get things done. Today my house is a disaster. Lately it seems like it always is, but I clean and clean and its still the same. Same with laundry. I swear all I do is laundry. Monday and Thursday’s are my laundry days. I did 5 loads on Monday, and today is Wednesday and I’ve done 7 loads! (thanks Tyler) He must think I need practice. Anyway, my whole enough post is really this…I got Ty up from his nap, gave him medicine and he threw up instantly. All over. Luckily in the kitchen. Thought he was done, set him in the living room…nope. More throw up. My goodness Ty! Strip him down. Clean living room floor. Proceed to kitchen to mop up. It’s quiet. I thought it was nice, oh wait. Never good when quiet. Then I hear a little giggle and I see this:



Seriously? Climbing stairs? I know, everyone is probably saying, “Do you ever watch your kids?!” Especially after my last post. Tyler thought it was funny. I thought it was cute…for a minute. And then told him enough! You can’t climb stairs yet. I won’t allow it.

Burn

Yesterday was yet another eventful day. Blake had an evaluation to see if he qualified for a preschool class, so we were getting ready early. (Early being about 9..sad huh?) I was putting my make-up on, Tyler was crawling at my feet and Blake was driving his car on our bathroom counter. Next thing I knew my straightener fell to the floor and Blake was screaming in pain. Blake got burned, and I could tell just by looking at it, that it wasn't just a small little burn. I hurried and moved my straightener thankful it didn't fall on Tyler, and rushed Blake's hand under cold water. I will spare the details since it was traumatic for me. Probably the most traumatic thing I've dealt with as a Mom. I don't like burns, and I hate the blisters that come with it. Chris luckily escaped from work and took Blake to the doctors for me.

Blake actually quite liked his bandage. It had to come off though because he got it wet. The blister is huge and intact still. When the blister breaks we will have to re-bandage it and clean well. I told Chris he is completely responsible for Blake and his wound. I can't deal with it. Chris thinks I'm weird and can't understand it. It's just one of things that make me sick. I even traded changing diapers of life if he will just take care of it. Not a bad trade in my eyes. Chris gladly accepted my deal.

Couldn't forget a picture of Ty. He was a trooper all day. He had to be REALLY patient with me since my focus was on Blake. As his reward, I let him stay up this morning when he woke early. Lately he has been waking up between 5:30 and 6am wanting to be up. Today was the day I let him. I love my boys so much, and I'm so thankful that Blake only got a minor burn and nothing worse!

Blake is thankful

For Family Home Evening I sat with Blake and talk about Thanksgiving and how we should be thankful for all our wonderful blessings. We made a hand turkey and listed 11 things Blake is grateful for.

I wish I could say he told me all these, but really I just asked and he would say yes or no. Notice Mommy isn't on the list. He said no on that one, but I know he really is :). Daddy was working late and Tyler was playing by our side while we did this. I love spending time with my boys and I am so grateful for them! Here is my top 10 list:
I am grateful for:
1. My Savior
2. Chris
3. Blake and Tyler
4. My home
5. My family's health
6. Chris's job
7. Our extended families and the support they are to us.
8. President Monson
9. Good neighbors
10. Scriptures

It's Official

Tyler is growing up too quickly. He's seven months now. This morning I was upstairs with Ty and I had to run downstairs to help Blake go potty. I come back up the stairs to this:

I can't believe he is pulling himself up! Just the other day I thought I needed to document that Ty is crawling so good now. Well, forget about crawling. Now he is pulling himself up and wanting to stand. He keeps pushing himself off of whatever he's holding on to, just to see if he can stand. He has already bonked his head too many times to count. What a little determine boy he is!

Our Weekend

Friday. Blake went to school. It was hard leaving him because he had a melt down and really didn’t want me to leave. I stayed for a few minutes out in the hall to make sure he was okay. It was hard to tell if he had settled down because there were 4 other kids having melt downs too. The kids had a long vacation from school, so it was hard for them all. I was nervous for Blake too because he wasn’t wearing a diaper or pull-ups, but I was confident that the teacher and aides could help him.
It was nice to have a break from potty training that morning. I really needed a break from being inside my house, so I gladly went off to Hobby Lobby and spent my time there. I picked up Blake and they were changing him in the potty room, as they call it. He had just had an accident. I guess they took him twice to the potty, but he wouldn’t go for them. Oh well I thought. I knew it was bound to happen. He had been naked for the past two days, so wearing clothes and going potty was a change for him. After school we went to lunch with Dad, which we always enjoy!
The rest of our afternoon was a challenge! I was trying to get Blake to wear at least underwear, instead of being naked. Well, Blake loved the underwear, but we ended up having a day full of accidents. I felt like all my hope in Blake potty training fast was gone. The rest of the day was extremely frustrating.
Friday night we were off to stay overnight at the Cutler’s cabin. Heather and Scott invited us to come stay the night and have a birthday breakfast for Heather. We didn’t get up to the cabin until 9. We decided to go after everyone was off work, which worked out great. I was so glad once we were there, because I had had a horrible time getting ready and packed for it. Chris worked late, so it was up to me to pack everything and deal with Blake’s accidents, and let’s not forget my attention craving baby Tyler. Once we were on the road it was my turn for a little melt down.
Oh. And it was great once we got to the cabin because it was so scary driving there! The roads were icy and steep…I was a nervous wreck! My stomach hurt, my head hurt from pulling my hair, and my face hurt from digging my fingernails into my face. I think all us girls are that way in my family!
It was a good night though. The cabin was so nice, and there was a bed for everyone, which made it nice. The kids played ‘til they zonked, except Blake. He was up until I went to bed, which was after 1am. The boys + Heather played Monopoly, while us girls played Scategories. It was a fun night.

Saturday. We woke up and ate a fabulous breakfast. Heather made the best syrup I’ve ever had (I want the recipe Heather). We had waffles with strawberries, eggs, bacon and ham. Breakfast is my favorite meal by far! After we opened gifts, chatted, and then went out and played in the snow. Ah, let me rephrase that. Everyone else went and played in the snow. I watch a bit and then went back in the cabin. Blake had fun sledding with his Dad. I’m so glad Chris will go and do all those kind of things with Blake. I’m not much of a snow person.
We left the cabin mid-day; sad we couldn’t stay longer. Thanks Heather and Scott for inviting us! We had so much fun!
The rest of the day was filled with moving stuff, haircuts, and shopping. Blake was horrible for his haircut. He needed one badly! Our friend Shay mention he looked just like a Lego man…helmet hair. Well, like I said he was horrible for his hair cut and wouldn’t hold still so he ended up with a chunk of hair out of his head because he whipped his head right into the clippers. Whoops! I’ll get pictures of it soon. Jess does a great job at cutting his hair! Especially with how horrible Blake is!
Saturday night I left to go do a little Christmas shopping. I love to go shopping. I do have different shopping moods and this night I was in the mood to just be by myself so I could take my time. It was so nice and relaxing. I didn’t get home until after 10 it felt great! Plus I got to spend money, which is always fun. (at least when you have budgeted the money to spend!)
Oh, let’s not forget that it was a great day of potty training. Only one accident.

Sunday. Oh, today started off so great! Blake woke us up in the middle of the night because he had to go potty! We were thrilled! And he woke up dry! We are so proud of him! He also went the whole day without accidents! YAY!
After church we went over the Mower’s. Jackie made a great Thanksgiving dinner. Her stuffing is the best I’ve ever had! We celebrated Jim’s birthday with a great dinner, and then headed off to celebrate cute Brayden’s birthday who turns 3 this week. It was so nice to see everyone and catch up with them. Happy Birthday Jim and Brayden!
Now, the kids are asleep and we are about to relax. It was a great weekend!
Pictures of everything will hopefully be coming soon.

PT Day!

Well, I started potty training today; and not so much because I wanted to. In fact just yesterday I was talking to Tracy and told her I was going to wait a bit. I did buy little underwear and potty's because Blake started showing an interest. So yesterday I had the potty's out and he went in one of them! I was so shocked. I decided it was time; I was just going to do it. I made a late night run to Walmart to stock up on all his sugary favorites...cookies and rootbeer. Yes, I let him drink soda...what horrible Mom I am! Anyway, this morning we had the 'big boy' talk and threw away all the diapers. I pulled out all the blankets to cover my carpet and let him go naked all day. I put a little potty out by the TV, where we sat all day, and just concentrated on going potty.
I was nervous to start potty training because Blake has his own way of doing things. I cannot bribe him with anything! He could care less about getting a new toy or a treat. So today I just let him do his thing. It was amazing. I didn't have to tell him to go sit on the potty he just did. We only had two accidents today. One while he was eating lunch, and the other time because I had put underwear on him. I was worried about the whole #2 issue. Blake does not like to be looked at or around anyone when he is doing his 'thing'. Can't say I blame him. This afternoon though, he kept trying to hide from me. I knew he had to go. Finally I got him to sit on his potty and I left the room. Much to my surprise he went! By the end of the day he was even taking his potty to the big potty and dumping it. I am so proud of him today! I'm a little nervous about tonight though. I don't believe in pull-ups. Just because I feel like that is just another diaper and I'm trying to get away from diapers. Who knows though, if I'm up a few nights in a row changing sheets I might change my mind! We went and bought a nice little mat for the mattress and are just trying the whole no-diaper thing. I'm anticipating changing sheets tonight, but it's worth it.
I'm hoping tomorrow is just as successful. Tomorrow he'll have to wear underpants at least. He has school on Friday, so that will be a little hurdle to jump. Wish me luck!
Sorry to all those that could care-less about my potty training day, but I am just so proud of Blake!

Fatherhood

This made me smile. I had share.

Husband Tag

What is your husband's name? Chris
How long have you been married? 4 Years
How long did you date? I think we decided 8 weeks, engaged 3 months
How old is he? 26
Who eats more sweets? Definitely me.

Who said "I love you" first? He did
Who is taller? He is

Who is a better singer? Neither
Who is smarter? He is, unless its common sense (think Chris!) ;)
Who does the laundry? Both. I'm really good at getting everything washed, its the putting away I have a hard time with and that's where Chris steps in. I'm getting better though...right Chris?
Who pays the bills? Chris make the $, and I write the check.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.

Does he snore? Sometimes. Not after I nudge him to roll over though.

What does he do in his spared time? Spare time without kids...RELAX, or watch sports, or spend time with me, um..I'm not sure other than that. Chris's always says he likes to do whatever I want to do. What a good husband huh!

Who mows the lawn? He does.

What is his favorite candy bar? Reese Peanut Butter Cup

Who cooks dinner? That's a good question. I wish I could hire someone to cook. It's usually me though.

Who drives? He does

Who is the first to say they are wrong? He is. Chris has always been good at that. I'm a little stubborn

Who kissed who first? Chris kissed me first. And boy was it a kiss! We have a great first kiss story! Maybe I'll tell it another time.

Who asked who out first? I asked him. He was trying to play hard to get.
Who wears the pants? Both of us. Sounds cheesy, but it's true. Although some days it feels like Blake wears the pants
Does he say he love you every day? Sure does!

Chris, you're the best husband in the world and my perfect match! I love you!

I tag Ashlee, Mary, Liz

TY

our sweet tyler, oh how we love you!

Institute Memory

My last year at SUU I took an Institute class with two of my great friends, Brittany and Emily. Emily didn't have a class before Institute so she would always make us lunch that we ate in class. Mmm...those were some good lunches. Emily was so creative with lunch! Anyway, I loved that class. Our teacher was Brother Gudmundson, and he was one of the best teachers. We were studying the New Testament and the lesson for the week was on preparing for a celestial marriage and the responsibilities of marriage. Bro. Gudmundson wasn't being too serious but he told us girls that if we wanted to be the best wife ever that there were three things we needed to do.
1. Have dinner ready
2. Put a ribbon in your hair
3. Look fresh
Emily quickly added, "look like you want to get fresh with him." We laughed so hard...I looked at Bro. Gudmundson and he just smile and nodded.

Ah...good times. I loved college.

My Ninjas

So Halloween wasn't what I expected this year. Since we were all still sick on Halloween we didn't do much. Blake didn't want to get in his costume, and by Halloween night I was too tired to care. We had too many sleepless nights for me to put up a fight. Blake was just enjoying seeing all the other kids come to our door and giving them all candy. Once Chris got home though, he was excited to go trick or treating.
We got Blake and Ty in their costumes and went outside. First Blake just wanted to play in the yard and ride his 4-wheeler. Eventually though he went off with Chris and trick or treated around the block.
It was so fun to watch his sudden excitement! He ran from house to house and laughed the whole way. Hopefully by next year he will actually say trick or treat!
A few pics of my Ninjas! They looked so cute! I wish Blake would've sat still for a picture, but here's what I got.

My Vegas Trip

***warning graphic pictures, if you have a weak stomach you may want to skip this post!***
These pictures are of the cadavers that I operated on last week. (see below) It is really weird to just have an arm or an ankle lying detached from a body on a table right in front of you. Enjoy!

Last week I went Las Vegas for a work meeting. I figured that since it is Halloween I could post the pictures. They are from my cell phone so sorry if they are not very clear.

This meeting was an awesome opportunity for me to be able to learn more about some of the medical products that I sell. This meeting was a cadaver and surgeon meeting. I was able to speak with and learn from some world class hand and foot and ankle orthopedic surgeons. It is so nice to be able to talk to the doctors and find out what they like and dislike about our products.

Both days I was able to operate on cadavers. One day we trained the hand and shoulder, the next day we trained on the foot and ankle. It was pretty neat to be able to dissect and drill, and saw on the specimens. Once I dissected down through all of the soft tissue on the cadavers I got to saw and hammer to break the bones. Then I was able to drill and put plates and screws on the fractured bones to fix them and experience what the doctors experience when they use my products.

I don't know of another career where you get to pretend to be a surgeon. No medical school or huge student loans to pay of either! I really love my job! This experience will really help me to know what my doctors are struggling with when they are doing a particular procedure.
Happy Halloween!

-Chris

Barn Yard Boo

Last Saturday Chris and I took the kids to Thanksgiving Point's Barn Yard Boo. It was aimed toward young kids and was a lot of fun. They had pony rides, face painting, boo bowling, grave digging, frosting cookies, ring toss, hayrides, etc. I knew going to this that Blake would probably have no interest in any of it, and I was pretty much right. He liked the cookie...once I scraped all the frosting off, and he loved the little play house which we spent a good chunk of time in, but I think most of all he LOVED feeding the goats! It shocked Chris and I. We got kernels of corn and just sat and fed all the goats. I loved watching Blake do this. He wasn't scared at all by the goats and their tongues touching him. After a while of doing this Blake decided that he wanted the corn too. I about died when he put one in his mouth. One, because he was actually trying to eat something new (too bad it wasn't cooked), and Two, because, eww! gross! He had goat slobber all over his hands and he just stuck his hands in his mouth!
Tyler was excellent too. Not too many pictures of him, but that's because they all looked the same....just sittin' and smiling in the stroller.

I am so glad that we got out and did this since they have both been sick all week. I've been going crazy at home and have been sad since there have been so many fun things to do this week. I guess there is always next year, and the important thing is that my kids are getting better...I hope :)

Ty at 6 months

Here's the stats:
Weight 15lbs 9oz 10%
Length 26.8" 52%
Head 17.3" 45%

Tyler has started solids and loves them! He is crawling backwards and works really hard to go forward but hasn't quite mastered that yet. He is almost sitting; he still has a few tumbles here and there. No teeth yet...although I feel like they should be here by now! I hate teething. Tyler loves playing with toys, loves his jumper, loves watching Blake/kids, and he loves being outside.

I found out that Tyler has thrush...still. He has been on the medication twice already, I hope third time is the charm. I'm not sure how he gets it. Forgot to ask the doctor on that one. I thought the only way to get thrush was through nursing, and I'm not doing that. Hmm...anyone know?
Dr. Jackson was a little concerned about Tyler's weight. She's having me feed him more solids and mixing formula in with some of them. Tyler's never been a big eater, and he throws up a lot, so I have to pack in the calories and nutrients in what little he eats. We'll go back in 4 weeks to see if he's grown and go from there. Other than that, Tyler is healthy which is the best news.

Update

I took Blake back into the doctors today and he is doing much better. His oxygen levels were up and he wasn't as tight in his wheezing. They gave him another steroid shot, because when I tried to give him the medicine orally he threw it right up. Dr. Jackson is really concerned about Blake. She is putting him on a preventive medicine hoping that will help us through the winter. She said that without it, we would probably be in the hospital some time. Bronchospasm is what they call it, and Blake will most likely get it anytime he gets a little cold. (Bronchospasm causes wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath...fyi) I hope this medicine works and keeps us out of the hospital!

Whew...

What a day this has been. Yesterday is when it all started. Blake was sick, I was sick, and so was Tyler. I knew that today would bring a doctor's visit, but I didn't anticipate my whole day being filled with seeing doctors.

8:30 call doctor. Learned that they would only see Blake today, not Tyler because they were so busy. I was a little bugged, but Ty has his 6 month appt tomorrow so I didn't complain. I had to be out the door by 8:50 to make on time for our 9:20 appt.

8:40 I'm ready, getting Blake ready. Have to wake Tyler up and get him ready and throw a bag together. 9:05 finally pull out of the drive way.
9:30-11:00 doctor's office. Blake was give 4 treatments plus a shot of steroids to help his wheezing. They checked his oxygen levels several times and he was border line so they told me to come back in an hour and check them again. If his levels weren't better he would need to go to Primary Children's.
11:00- 12:00 Finding someone to take Tyler. Thanks Tracy! Chris and I feel so blessed to have family around to help us out! Drive back to Herriman drop Ty off, and make a stop at home to grab Blake his blanket and coloring.

12:00-5:00 We went back to check Blake's oxygen levels and they were the same. That meant a trip up to Primary's. We get checked in and Blake was hooked back up to check his levels. Good thing they had a Dora movie, because I don't know what we would have done without it! They monitored Blake for a few hours gave him a treatment and decided he was okay to come home. The treatment helped and the steroid was kicking in. His oxygen levels went up for about an hour, but then they were back down. The doctor seemed confident though, that as long as we gave Blake the treatments at home, religiously, along with another dose of steroids he would be fine in a couple of days. I was so happy to hear that he didn't have to stay over night. We left the hospital, picked Tyler up, and decided it was a pizza night. Blake and I were both pretty hungry after not eating all day. Blake ate 5 slices of pizza! More than his Dad...a new record!

It was quite the day to say the least! Blake was such a trooper all day. I couldn't believe how happy and cooperative he was with the doctors. The only part he had a hard time with was the last treatment, and that was because they made him wear the mask. It was nice that I was able to focus my attention on Blake today. Chris was even able to come meet us at Primary's which was really nice for me and for Blake. We are so grateful for all those that helped us today!
Had to snap a picture to capture our day...it was the worst part of our day unfortunately

A Day of Eating Firsts

Well by the title you might think that this post is about Blake or Tyler trying new foods. You would be wrong.

I am on a business trip right now in Vegas and I was in an adventurous mood I guess. I tried for the first time today a cold turkey and cheese sandwich, onion and garlic mashed potatoes, a cold shrimp with a sick mustard type sauce on it, bread pudding, steamed broccoli, and bacon with salad dressing on it from a salad.
.
If you don't know me then this post probably seems stupid, but I am the worlds pickiest eater. I have a clinical food phobia that I have diagnosed myself.

Peer pressure led to all of these new culinary adventures. I didn't want to be embarrassed on my trip in front of my colleagues, so I ate up. Just to give you a run down...

Cold Turkey and Cheese Sandwich-OK
Cold Shrimp and mustard type sauce-Way Gross
Onion and Garlic Mashed Potatoes-OK (if you don't chew)
Bread Pudding-Not Good
Steamed broccoli-Not Good
Salad dressing bacon-Pretty Good actually

Alli just so you know this trend will not continue when I get home. Chicken nuggets and pizza will have to continue to be my staples.

-Chris

We're back...

...from Arizona. Chris and I took off for the week and left the kiddies with Chris's parents. We had a GREAT week! More to come about our week; I have to get all my pictures together first.

We were glad to see our kids though by the end of the week. Absence sure makes the heart grow fonder. Our kids were glad to see us too which made us happy. Tyler changed so much to me. He is making new noises and seems taller. He is almost crawling too! He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. He can go backwards, and sometimes lunges forward so I'm sure he'll be crawling in no time. We cannot say enough thanks to Chris's parents for taking off work and watching our kids. THANK YOU THANK YOU!

This is a video of Ty up on his knees. I'm just warning you this is kind of a boring video, or so Chris says. I'm so proud of him though so I'm going to post it!

And a few pictures from last week...

notice how much my kids love me...

A Day for Trent

Trent is a little boy that lives down the street from us and He is losing his battle with Leukemia. Please support Trent and his family. You can read more about Trent and his inspiring story here. Below is an excerpt of one of his recent posts:

"Thank everyone for everything!! My family and I feel your prayers every minute of the day. We have been having so much fun doing things as a family. I have eaten the fast food I have wanted for so so long. It is good but I only handle a little. I am not in pain and still am making my family laugh. Dad and Grandpa gave me a blessing last night, it was beautiful. I know all will be well. I will not be in anymore pain or hurt, my family will also be ok. I will miss them terribly but they tell me time is different so I will have faith in that. To all my little friends please know I will miss you and await the time I can see you again. I have sure missed playing and having fun with each of you. I know everyone has to work through many feelings but please promise me not to be angry with Heavenly Father. He loves each and everyone of you and knows what is best for each of us. It is in his plan that I return to him, my time is over and I am ready to go. Please know I did not give up I would continue to fight if it was what the Lord wanted please be at peace all will be well. Love you all, Trent"

A Day for Trent
Fund Raiser on Monday, October 13th For the last 15 months, 8-year-old Trent has been bravely battling AML Leukemia.

To help Trent's family with the tremendous financial burden from medical expenses,
Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will be donating 20% of the day's revenue on
Monday, October 13th to Trent's family.

Cash donations will also be accepted, and anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich to be used on their next visit.

In addition, Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will hold a silent auction from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Auctioned items have been donated by local businesses and community members.
All proceeds will go to Trent's family.Please help us in supporting Trent and his family!
Call Chick-fil-A of South Jordan with any questions at (801) 727-2697.

**Southtowne, Ogden & Layton will be giving a % of sales as well,
but only the District Location will have an auction and coupons for donations.

Visit his blog http://www.trentduval.blogspot.com/

Real Salt Lake

I hope that this post does not offend anyone too bad. I was flipping through the channels last night and happened to come across MLS Soccer on ESPN 2. I noticed that our local tax stealing Real Salt Lake was in a riveting "match" against the New York Red Bulls. I am sorry but if your sport calls its games a "match" or a "friendly" it is not a sport. Anyway, I really wanted to give this "match" a chance. I watched the last 10 minutes or so plus a phenomenon called stoppage time?, and what do you know a 1-1 tie. Shocking! I could not believe how excited and fanatical the Real fans were. I guess I don't get it and I probably never will.

In conclusion, we already paid for the stadium, so if you run out of paint to watch dry, head on over to Rio Tinto Stadium for a thrilling "match" that 90 percent of the time ends in a tie. Okay, Okay, it only ends in a tie 85 percent of the time. Enjoy!

-Chris

Playoff Baseball

Playoff baseball is what it is all about. I finally sat down and watched an entire baseball game this year start to finish. The playoffs are so much more interesting. You can tell that the games really mean something to the players. I don't think that the regular season inspires the players to play their hardest at all times. I know that it can be hard to pay attention if your team is not in the playoffs. My recommendation is to pick a team and root for that team in the playoffs. Yankee fans I am talking to you. Baseball can still be very fun to watch even if your $200,000,000 team is golfing right now instead of playing the Red Sox.

-Chris

blake today

glad ● content ● pleased ● satisfied ● at ease

Yesterday's Moments

Something I learned from Conference this past weekend was to really enjoy the moments in my day. My kids have been trying, especially last week, but I've realized they won't always be this young and this time will pass way to quickly.

Last night I enjoyed a couple of moments that I loved.

I got to rock Tyler to sleep. Tyler gets so fussy and unhappy at night. 6:30 is when it starts every night. We were out about yesterday so he didn't nap very well which resulted in a even more cranky night. Tyler was crying and Blake went to 'soothe' him when he picked him up and dropped him. The poor thing was so tired and hurt. I wrapped him in a soft blanket and rocked him slowly to sleep. I loved that moment.

Later, Blake and I had our first pillow fight. He loved it and was giggling so hard. Dad wasn't too enthused because he was trying to put Blake to bed and I wasn't making it any easier. Chris humored us for a second (with a smile), and then it was time for bed. Dad was ready to relax, and I was too. I loved that moment too.

Another moment last night...I washed my phone. Chris and I had a good laugh. I had just put a load into the dryer and heard a banging noise. I told Chris to go get the downy ball out of the dryer, I must have put it in there by mistake. Turns out the downy ball was my phone.
Before we went to bed Chris told me that his phone was getting a little dirty and asked if I could wash it for him. What a little smart ___. It was funny though. It's a good thing we have an extra phone or I probably wouldn't have laughed at that moment. Side note...I lost all my numbers, so call me or text me your numbers so I will have them again!

Those were the moments I loved yesterday. I hope I can remember to enjoy my moments every day!

Go Red Sox's!

This one is for you Chris. I hope they beat your Rays!

Family Home Evening 10.6.8

Tonight for FHE we went for a drive up Butterfield Canyon to see the fall colors. The trip started out with us in the car singing "I love to See the Temple" over Tyler's screaming and Dora the Explorer. Tyler ended up screaming almost the whole ride up the canyon, but it was still a great trip. On our way up a cow walked out right in front of our car. Blake got to see the cow and some deer. The leaves up the canyon are really pretty right now. If you have the opportunity go see them. To get to Butterfield Canyon take 12600 S. West all the way until the road starts to turn North. When the road starts to veer North go up the road that is straight ahead of you. It is a very narrow road but it will take you all the way to Tooele if you go up and over. Anyway, we had a great night and hope to go all the way up and over this weekend. -chris

Day at the Zoo

Blake on the train eating his Mini Wheats
Blake and Dad waiting for the Train
Blake and Dad on the Carousel (Blake not enthused)

Blake with the Porcupines
Blake with the Meercat

Blake with the "Kids" looking at the Giraffes

A week ago I took Blake up to the Zoo. I had been working a ton so I thought it would be a good opportunity to spend some time with Blake. We had a great time. We started out our trip by stopping by the Holiday Oil to get some snacks and to get Blake and Dad some drinks. Blake was looking through the glass cooler door for some "juice" as he calls it and he decided on a Monster Energy drink! It must be designed and advertised to addict kids. Anyway, I didn't think that would be the best choice for Blake on this trip. I was able to negotiate with him and he settled on a compromise of a pink Poweraid and a king size M&M's. I think I made a good deal? Once we picked out our stuff I let Blake pay the guy for our stuff and we were off.

Once we got to the zoo Blake was itching to go. So he started out running to see the animals. I took the stroller to carry all of our crap and because I knew the point would come that he would crash.

I love spending time with Blake. It is always and adventure. It is funny to just let him explore things the way he wants. Sometimes I can be too controlling with him. On this trip I decided that

I would let him go wherever he wanted I would just follow.

Blake seems to really like the giraffes. We must have stayed in that building for a good 45 min. Blake loves to go up to the top floor and stand on the ledge and yell HI to the Giraffes. On this occasion. Blake would find a group of kids and go be there friend, then they would leave and he would go greet the next group of luck kids who got to be his friends next. I just sat on the little bench and laughed at how much he enjoyed paling around with all the different kids, older kids, babies, little girls, little boys, it doesn't matter. I think there is a lesson in there somewhere.

We rode the train and the carousel and then called it a day so we could get home to hang out with Tyler while Mom went to Women's conference.

We had a great day and I can't wait until Tyler is old enough to come along with us. I love my Boys they are the best.