Sunday, December 28, 2008

Playing Catch Up

Okay family and friends.....I apologize for the delay in updates in our blog. Life has been crazy to say the least. I think what I will do since there is so much to catch up on is to shortly write what's been going on since Halloween and then post random pics. My sister, Amanda, and her family came home for Thanksgiving and we all had so much fun. Carter and Sam get along so well. There is no fighting or crying and I wish they got to see each other more often. We had a great holiday. We invited my entire family and Nick's family for a combined dinner. Most everyone showed up and we ate til we were stuffed and then ate some more. The boys played basketball, the kids ran around and of course us women cleaned up the dinner. But that's the way it goes right? Actually, I prefer it that way cuz then we get to have girl talk. Unfortunately, Amanda and her sweet family had to go back to Spokane. That meant Christmas was just around the corner and I needed to start planning and shopping. For some reason I actually left all of that until a few weeks before Christmas because I had so many other things going on. Carter had his first dental appointment. He actually had his teeth cleaned when he was 18 mo old but that was kind of impromtu. This appointment was actually scheduled. He looked so cute sitting in the waiting room waiting for his turn. He did so good!!!! We were able to take x-rays, clean, polish and apply fluoride. He got a new SpongeBob Squarepants toothbrush and for his prize......chapstick!! It was a pretty good experience. I thought he might cry or freak out but he didnt and he did great. Right after that, he had his wellness visit and I am proud to say he is healthy. He weighs 30 lbs, and is 37 in tall. he is in the 96% for his heighth. He is tall!!!! Avery also had her wellness visit. She is 16 lbs 9 oz and is in the 25% for her weight. She is so little but it seems like she is growing every day. She is getting around so well. She isnt crawling in the normal sense but she does this weird army like crawl and thats how she travels. She finally cut her first 2 teeth.....thank heavens. She looks so cute with teeth.

Carter had his 2nd birthday last week. I cant believe my little boy is finally two!!! He had a pretty good day and of course he made out awesome with the toys at his party. He wanted basketballs, Cars toys, and Walle stuff. He got it all!!! Plus he had fun playing with the balloons. Cayben and Ellie also joined in. Actually, Ellie is more of a watch from a distance kind of participant. She liked to play with Avery for the most part. She loves babies. Ellie is Carter's future wife. She and him have already made out, slept in the same bed and Ellie likes her new mother in law....Me! Anyway, the birthday was a great success. Then there was Christmas. We had a really good Christmas. Carter of course made out and received so many toys that now we have to figure out how to store them all. Avery got lots of clothes which she desperatley needed. We had such a crazy Christmas that for the last 2 days we have done nothing but stay in ourPJ's all day and be lazy. Its been awesome. Well.....I hope I've covered everything. If not then I will post again soon. I'm pretty sure thats all of it. I will try to be better hopefully after the new year.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween

Well this was our first Halloween that we actually got to go out and trick or treat. I made Carter's costume which by the way is a dog......not a bunny (Kim). :) Heehee I think it turned out cute and he got lots of comments on how cute he looked. I dont think it was the costume that made him look cute.......that's just how he is. Although, the night did not start off well. It didnt help that I was not feeling well, and Avery had spiked a fever so she was not happy either. I tried to get a picture.....as you can see did not go well. So we just gave up on picture taking and put him and Avery in the truck and went to the trunk or treat. He fell asleep before we opened the garage. But once we got there, he was so infatuated by all of the kids' costumes and the fact that people were "giving" him candy. Avery was so cute in her costume.....she was a cat by the way. She was just in awe at all of the kids and loved watching everyone. After our wards trunk or treat, we went to Nick's brothers wards trunk or treat and got even more candy. Then we went to the mall. By this point, both of the kids were showing signs of fatigue and wrestlessness. I was finally able, however, to get a good picture of his costume. Carter got so much candy in his bag that he tore a hole in it. It was so heavy for him that he dragged it along the ground but wouldnt let us carry it for him. He was too smart for that. He knew we'd eat his candy. All in all we had a pretty good time until that night when Avery's fever spiked to 102 and wouldnt sleep. Poor thing was miserable. But it was definitely a memorable night....especially when Carter was so hopped up on sugar that he tore off his clothes and diaper and started running around the house naked only wearing his dog collar that read "FIDO". At that point we knew it was going to be a long night. :)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fun Fall Day


Today we went to a pumpkin patch to get a couple of pumpkins. When Carter found his pumpkin he gave it a kiss. Carter and I picked out a pumpkin for Avery but unfortunately I put it on top of the truck to load stuff and forgot about it. The pumpkin died. The park was full of pumpkins and leaves. Carter had so much fun kicking the leaves around and Avery was enjoying eating her leaf. Plus I was having fun with my new camera and I took like 80 something pictures. My hubby got me a new Canon EOS XTi Digital SLR camera. I LOVE IT!!! I can take multiple pictures at once. It was a $600 camera that we got for $250 because the newer model came out this week. Anyway after picking pumpkins, all of our family came back to our house to decorate the pumpkins and sugar cookies. Everyone had a good time and frosting found its way all over the place. The kids had fun with each other and we ended with some pretty awesome looking pumpkins. I am getting so excited for Halloween. I am making Carters costume and I have most of it done but I need to sew a few things. I will post some pics once its done.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

What a week!!



Our family has had a very long week. On Tuesday we finalized Avery's adoption. I was worried about going to court just because Carter has been a little stinker and I was afraid he would throw a tantrum during court. And.....I was right. My mom had to take him out of the courtroom. But after all was said and done, we finalized, the judge commended us for our part in the adoption process and even took a picture with us. After court we went back to the church house so that we could bless her. Our family all came while Nick gave her a name and a blessing. She looked so pretty. It was a long but happy day. Then on Saturday we took Avery to the Idaho Falls temple to have her sealed to us. Again I was afraid of how Carter would be we dropped him off at the temple day care to get dressed. He wasnt too happy when we left but thankfully, Nick's dad showed up and went down to comfort him until they brought
him to us with Avery. It was an awesome experience. While Nick and I were waiting to go into the sealing room we were talking about how blessed we are and how much we would like another child. We know that we are not done at two and we would like to build our family even more. Hopefully the Lord will bless again soon with the opportunity to have another child. Also this week I started a photography class with my best friend Jenni. It was pretty informative and we have our first photography assignment due next week. I will post it when Its done. I hope to learn alot so that i can take outstanding pictures. On Thursday night I also received some very sad news. My dad's dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He's been struggling with this illness for quite some time but he is tired now. I dont think any of us are ready for him to leave but I cant imagine going through what he has. At least he is not in any pain and we can be thankful for that. We are all going to take advantage of the time we have left with him. He has been a wonderful influence in my life. He was honest, hardworking and loving and thats what I will take with me. So all in all, this has been a very long week for my family. Maybe things will slow down next week and I can catch my breath. Also I have been trying to think of a fun Halloween costume for Carter. I dont want to spend much on it but if anyone has any cute ideas for homemade, easy costumes.....please share. I bought Avery a kitty cat costume. I was thinking maybe a dog for him but not sure how to make that work. To all the moms with older kids.....HELP. I need ideas!!!!! I hope everyone has a good week!

Friday, August 29, 2008

A First For Everything


This last month Carter has experience some of his "Firsts". These are not only Carter's "firsts" but ours as well. They were so much fun that I had to blog them so I wouldnt forget how memorable they were to us as parents. Carter's 1st "First" was when we went out my grandparents house for a little family reunion. My dad and I decided to hop on the horses and go for a ride. Carter was much happier riding with grandpa than he was with me. He had fun and now he knows what horses say and gets excited when he sees them. His 2nd "First" was his new Big Boy bed. When Avery started to outgrow her bassinet, we needed to put her in the crib and kick Carter out. So we bought him a toddler bed and let him pick out his own big boy blanket and pillow. He picked Cars because he recognized Lightning McQueen and Mater. He was so cute jumping into bed that I took a bunch of pictures and had him put his hands behind his head and even get on his knees and pretend to be saying his prayers. This picture is the cutest though. He just looks like a big boy sitting in his bed. We thought we would have a really rough first night because of the stories we'd heard from friends. But he slept so good his first night.


When we went in to wake him the next morning for church, we found him laying on the floor fast asleep. I laughed my guts out and took a picture. Apparently the floor was more comfy. He did that for a few nights and then we figured out that the pillow was too big for him. He sleeps better without one......for now. His 3rd "First" was today. Hair cut day. I was a little hesitant in scheduling the appointment because I know what he's like when we try to do it but he did so good!! At first he started to cry but when we told him he could have a sucker when he was done he stopped crying immediately. Heather our hairdresser has a son the same age and she did so good with him. He held very still for her and she did a good job on his hair cut. Doesnt he look so handsome!!! My little boy is growing up so fast. I love experiencing all of these firsts with him but at the same time it means he's growing up and I dont want him to. I guess I will have to get over it though. My little boy is now a Big Boy.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Diaper Rashes, Sunburns and FUN, FUN, FUN






Ok....so my last post I was complaining about packing for our camping trip to Bear Lake. Well we went and had tons of fun. The kids were so good despite a few hiccups along the way. Carter had a really bad diaper rash that left open sores the entire time we were there. But that didnt stop him from playing with his best buddy, Cayben. In fact when we got to the campground to change him, we let him go naked to air out his bottom. Cayben was riding Carters bike and Carter decided to hop on the back.....bare bottomed and all!!! It was too cute. That night we decided to go down to the beach and play. It was about 8:00 and the boys pretty much just dove into the water. They floated and swam on their belly's. In fact when I got my camera out and was turning it on, I looked over to my left and saw Carter posing for a picture already.
He is such a ham. He loves to have his picture taken and show everyone his teeth. The next day Cayben and Carter were like fish. We couldnt get them out of the water. In fact the only time they came out was to bury Uncle JJ's feet in the sand. That's a whole other story. JJ didnt put any sunscreen on his feet the entire day and he got burned so bad that his feet swelled and he ended up with silver dollar sized blisters that filled with yucky stuff. Avery and I mostly hung out on the beach and played in the sand. We did take Carter out on the jet skiis. He sat between Nick and Grandma Kim. He was so scared that he feel asleep on the jet ski. That is his scary coping mechanism.....to fall asleep. He did it at the fire work show on the 4th of July too. I was disappointed I didnt get a picture of it because I was on the other jet ski. Oh well......I got lots of other cute pics and we had lots of fun. We went into town that night and Montpelier had a firework show that was pretty cool. Carter didnt go to sleep this time but he was still scared. All in all we had a great time. We cant wait to go again soon.






Today is my mom's birthday and I want to wish her a Happy Birthday!!! She is awesome and she does so much for me, Nick and the kids. Thanks for everything mom.....we love you!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

My Vacation Woes

This morning my husband said to me, "I'm so excited to go camping this weekend." For some reason this hit me wrong. Maybe I was in a bad mood but my response was, "Yeah Im sure you are because Im the one that has to do laundry and go to the grocery store and prepare the food and pack EVERYTHING for our little camping/beach trip." This was not what he wanted to hear from me and he let me know it by thanking me for such a negative comment when he was just getting excited for our fun filled weekend with the kids. Am I too negative when it comes to this? What about bitter? Dont get me wrong, I love camping and our annual beach trip every year but the preparation is a nightmare. I mean I have to pack enough diapers and wipes and clothes and all of the things for 'what if I need this'. And then I get made fun of because of the lists that I have to help me get everything packed and ready. My husband just cant believe that I am going to take all of the stuff on my list. I usually follow with a comment like, "Well pack your own stuff and we'll see if you remember your deodorant, pills, and swim suit." I guess I just hate the fact that as the wife and mother it is my responsibility to make sure we have everything for a vacation. But if my husband did it......I wouldnt trust him to remember anything. Does that make me psychotic? How do other wives feel about this? Are you in the same boat? I should be packing at this very moment but my husband took the kids to the park so I could pack and Im loving the peace and quiet to blog and relax. I better get started. We leave in the morning and I havent done anything yet!!!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Surviving Seattle

So I decided to take the long 12 hour drive to Seattle with my parents and my 2 kids to visit my sister, Amanda, who is 8 1/2 months pregnant. We left Tuesday night and the drive nearly killed me mostly because my dad is a scary driver and my ankles swelled to 3 times their size from sitting and not moving around for 12 hours. Plus my son found it difficult to sleep sitting upright when it was bed time and needed to scream every 30 minutes just to remind us of his discomfort. I actually felt sorry for him because I could move around in the van and I was uncomfortable. I can only imagine how it would feel being strapped in. We tried to get out and stretch as often as possible but apparently it wasnt enough. And then to make the trip worse, my parents used their GPS to see how it would get us to Amanda's house. The stupid thing never got us lost but took us the long way twice and mad our trip even that much longer. I warned my parents that if they used it on the way home, I was throwing it out the window. I wish I would have remembered to take a picture of how packed our van was and how little room we had to move. Plus I wanted everyone to see my massive ankles. They werent just cankles they were more like thankles. I actually got worried enough about it that I called my husband, who is a nurse, to ask what I should do. But they went down the next day and Im good to go. We've decided that when we leave on Sunday to drive home we will stop every 2 hours for 30 minutes. I hope that helps everyone.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Clumsy Bees and Perverted Old Men

Well my week started on Sunday when I went to Scout Mountain with my family and Nick's family. The weather was perfect and we were enjoying our time in the mountains. There were, however, a lot of bugs flying around. This didnt bother me until a small bee flew down my shirt and got lodged in my cleavage. The bee was having difficulty freeing itself from in between my breasts and my panic was beginning to set in. So in order to save both of us I pushed up on my breasts, pullud my shirt down and flipped the bee out. Oh yeah.....and I exposed myself to my brother in law.

I work in a dental office and on Monday an older long standing patient called to make an emergency appointment. Later that afternoon when he arrived, he said to me, "Dani you have a nice phone voice." So I accepted his compliment and replied, "Well thank you. I try to be pleasant and professional." He said, "That's not what I meant. You have a nice phooonnnee voice, if you know what I mean." I wasnt really sure what he meant but said thank you and went back to work. A few minutes later it dawned on me that I had a nice 'Im hot for you and Im only a phone call away' voice. You know like the 900 hotlines only perverts call. I immediately blushed and was mortified because I just realized that I had thanked the pervert for his compliment.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Everyone Is Doing It

Remember how you felt in high school when everyone was doing something you weren't and your friends were all saying, "Come on, just do it....everyone is doing it." Well that's how I feel about blogging. Everyone I know is doing it.....blogging I mean. I sort of felt left out so here I am....blogging. It feels like my first day at school. I cant wait to meet new people and see how this all works. So...for those of you out there that kept telling me I should do it, well here you go. I did it!!! I just hope I'm "doing it" right. I'll probably post more stuff tomorrow since it's almost midnight and I have to get up early for work. Oh yeah, and with my kids!