Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Another Long Blog
Life has been crazy these last few months and it feels a little bit as if we have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Everyone is doing well though and its good to be busy so we really can't complain.
Eric has turned in some grad school applications and we are anxiously waiting to hear back from those. We are praying hard for a school in Mesa Arizona to work out. I love the idea of only being a drive away from family instead of a plane ride. Also I would gladly give up snow and cold winters for a couple years even if the alternative is extreme heat. Anyways he turned in his applications a little bit late so Ive been trying to prepare myself for the realization that we may not get to leave this fall for grad school, which isn't going over well in my head so Ive been praying very hard... please join in!!
Kids are doing great and growing up way too fast. We just put Oakley in a tumbling class which she absolutely LOVES! I remember doing tumbling when I was little and always wished I could have stayed in it. Eric and I can see her excelling in this to the point of high school and college if she continues to really like it. May sound dumb that we think about that now when she is only two and has just started the class but I have always thought this for her. She has the short petite body and has been "tumbling" around the house since she was a baby. She is full of energy and can just go go go. Just like all toddlers I guess you could say... but really, when we go on walks and let her walk... well run; she seriously will run the entire 3 or whatever miles of the walk. The girl is NUTS!
Oakley still continues to amaze us, keep us laughing,and also make us want to pull our hair out once in a while. Her spunky personality only continues to get spunkier, her attitude more dramatic, and her emotions well... Eric calls her hormonal.
She has officially reached the girly girly I'm a princess, I have to wear a princess dress every day, I love barbies and pink and jewelry and makeup and anything GIRL stage! She is really funny. Everything is "so beautiful," and she compliments everyone. "Grandma you look so cute," "Mommy, that is a beautiful necklace, I want to wear a beautiful necklace too," "Daddy (or Easton), you look so handsome," "look at my beautiful dress, or shirt, or pink bowl, or shoes, or panties, or doll, or socks.." you get the point :)
She has become very imaginative as well. She talks to her dolls like they are friends playing house. She pretends to go to store or school, makes dinner for us, and cleans the house. It is really fun to watch her learn and grown in these ways.
I don't know about other peoples kids or if it seemed like this to anyone else. But I swear as soon as a baby turns one they turn into a toddler. Every month they grow up and change so much, it really is crazy to me. Easton is 15 months old now and these last three months my baby has disappeared and I now have another crazy toddler running around. He is so cute and funny to me and its fun to watch his personality develop. He is talking so much! At least it seems that way. He is picking up and saying words all day long. He has gotten really good at communicating with us through signing and speech, and for the most part we know what he wants. His words are starting to connect and turn in to small two to three word sentences. He is smart and crazy just like his sister. He is running, climbing, making messes, and keeping us on our toes. Easton's new favorite hobby is to make Oakley as mad as possible. He will take her favorite doll or whatever she is playing with at the moment and run away as fast as he can laughing while she chases him screaming at the top of her lungs. He thinks it is so funny and she does not!
Oh these kids keep us very busy but we wouldn't change a thing. We love them so much and feel so blessed to be their parents.
We really can't get enough of our kids and I guess that is why we decided it was time to add another one to the craziness. We found out in November 2011 that we are expecting again in July. We are all ecstatic!! This was our first actually planned pregnancy. I know crazy right... considering Easton won't quite be two yet, and Oakley will be turning three that same month. Originally we were going to try for a September baby, well then it hit us that we usually have our babies close to a month early and that would be August which is when we are hoping to move for grad school. I honestly didn't want to pack up a house and move across the states either 8 months pregnant or find a new OB a week before we have the baby, or anything else that could possibly happen. So our options were either to wait another couple months, which I didn't want another middle of winter baby, or to wait longer than that, or to get pregnant that very month or the next. 3.5 weeks later we found out we were expecting. We may be crazy, and things will be even busier than they are now but I am honestly ok with that. Easton and his little BROTHER will be about 20 months apart, depending on when our little boy decides to come.
This pregnancy has been my hardest, most eventful, scary, and stressful. Ive had quite a bit of bleeding and at our first doc appointment at 8 weeks the doctor told me I had a higher chance of having a miscarriage. The next 4 weeks dragged on and on until we went back and got to hear his heart beat once again. That appointment was very relieving but the doc still acted a little bit unsure about things. 4 weeks later we went back and did an ultra sound because I had more bleeding and was really sick having kidney problems. The baby looked great and we got to find out he was a boy. 2 weeks later I started to have major pain and cramping in my uterus with painful contractions that would last 5 to 10 minutes long. My bleeding really picked up so we knew that we needed to get in. They sent us right over to the ER in Cedar (I see an OB specialist in St. George for my pregnancies), where they did blood work and an ultra sound. They told us that I had a partial placental abruption and I needed to be on strict bed rest. A week later I went back to the ER having preterm labor, they got the contractions to stop and sent me back home still on bed rest. Another week passed and I went back to my doc in St. George where we did another ultra sound and saw that my placenta was looking better and he let me off strict bed rest with strict instructions to be careful and that I still needed to take it easy. So here I am now going into my sixth month, and I finally can breathe a little bit feeling like things will be ok and this baby will make it. We waited to announce this pregnancy and were planning to wait a little bit longer until I was put on bed rest and it all spilled out. I am so thankful for all the love, help, and support we have received from family, friends and ward members. This would have been nearly impossible for me to handle if I didn't have such an amazing support system. My mom came down for a week so the kids could be home with me and she could do all the work while I stayed down. That was such a huge blessing to me and meant more to me than anything!!! I hated having to let my kids go every day and feeling like I couldn't even be their Mom. Though I was very thankful for my amazing sister in law Diane for keeping them happy, safe, fed, and loved for me while Eric was at work.
Though pregnancy can be rough and scary at times, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to take part in God's greatest miracle. I am so thankful that Eric and i are able to bring children into the world and we cannot be happier to be having another baby at this time. We love having our kids close together and honestly wouldn't have it any other way. We want this, we know what we have gotten our selves into, and we are very excited for the adventure of having three.
Eric has turned in some grad school applications and we are anxiously waiting to hear back from those. We are praying hard for a school in Mesa Arizona to work out. I love the idea of only being a drive away from family instead of a plane ride. Also I would gladly give up snow and cold winters for a couple years even if the alternative is extreme heat. Anyways he turned in his applications a little bit late so Ive been trying to prepare myself for the realization that we may not get to leave this fall for grad school, which isn't going over well in my head so Ive been praying very hard... please join in!!
Kids are doing great and growing up way too fast. We just put Oakley in a tumbling class which she absolutely LOVES! I remember doing tumbling when I was little and always wished I could have stayed in it. Eric and I can see her excelling in this to the point of high school and college if she continues to really like it. May sound dumb that we think about that now when she is only two and has just started the class but I have always thought this for her. She has the short petite body and has been "tumbling" around the house since she was a baby. She is full of energy and can just go go go. Just like all toddlers I guess you could say... but really, when we go on walks and let her walk... well run; she seriously will run the entire 3 or whatever miles of the walk. The girl is NUTS!
Oakley still continues to amaze us, keep us laughing,and also make us want to pull our hair out once in a while. Her spunky personality only continues to get spunkier, her attitude more dramatic, and her emotions well... Eric calls her hormonal.
She has officially reached the girly girly I'm a princess, I have to wear a princess dress every day, I love barbies and pink and jewelry and makeup and anything GIRL stage! She is really funny. Everything is "so beautiful," and she compliments everyone. "Grandma you look so cute," "Mommy, that is a beautiful necklace, I want to wear a beautiful necklace too," "Daddy (or Easton), you look so handsome," "look at my beautiful dress, or shirt, or pink bowl, or shoes, or panties, or doll, or socks.." you get the point :)
She has become very imaginative as well. She talks to her dolls like they are friends playing house. She pretends to go to store or school, makes dinner for us, and cleans the house. It is really fun to watch her learn and grown in these ways.
I don't know about other peoples kids or if it seemed like this to anyone else. But I swear as soon as a baby turns one they turn into a toddler. Every month they grow up and change so much, it really is crazy to me. Easton is 15 months old now and these last three months my baby has disappeared and I now have another crazy toddler running around. He is so cute and funny to me and its fun to watch his personality develop. He is talking so much! At least it seems that way. He is picking up and saying words all day long. He has gotten really good at communicating with us through signing and speech, and for the most part we know what he wants. His words are starting to connect and turn in to small two to three word sentences. He is smart and crazy just like his sister. He is running, climbing, making messes, and keeping us on our toes. Easton's new favorite hobby is to make Oakley as mad as possible. He will take her favorite doll or whatever she is playing with at the moment and run away as fast as he can laughing while she chases him screaming at the top of her lungs. He thinks it is so funny and she does not!
Oh these kids keep us very busy but we wouldn't change a thing. We love them so much and feel so blessed to be their parents.
We really can't get enough of our kids and I guess that is why we decided it was time to add another one to the craziness. We found out in November 2011 that we are expecting again in July. We are all ecstatic!! This was our first actually planned pregnancy. I know crazy right... considering Easton won't quite be two yet, and Oakley will be turning three that same month. Originally we were going to try for a September baby, well then it hit us that we usually have our babies close to a month early and that would be August which is when we are hoping to move for grad school. I honestly didn't want to pack up a house and move across the states either 8 months pregnant or find a new OB a week before we have the baby, or anything else that could possibly happen. So our options were either to wait another couple months, which I didn't want another middle of winter baby, or to wait longer than that, or to get pregnant that very month or the next. 3.5 weeks later we found out we were expecting. We may be crazy, and things will be even busier than they are now but I am honestly ok with that. Easton and his little BROTHER will be about 20 months apart, depending on when our little boy decides to come.
This pregnancy has been my hardest, most eventful, scary, and stressful. Ive had quite a bit of bleeding and at our first doc appointment at 8 weeks the doctor told me I had a higher chance of having a miscarriage. The next 4 weeks dragged on and on until we went back and got to hear his heart beat once again. That appointment was very relieving but the doc still acted a little bit unsure about things. 4 weeks later we went back and did an ultra sound because I had more bleeding and was really sick having kidney problems. The baby looked great and we got to find out he was a boy. 2 weeks later I started to have major pain and cramping in my uterus with painful contractions that would last 5 to 10 minutes long. My bleeding really picked up so we knew that we needed to get in. They sent us right over to the ER in Cedar (I see an OB specialist in St. George for my pregnancies), where they did blood work and an ultra sound. They told us that I had a partial placental abruption and I needed to be on strict bed rest. A week later I went back to the ER having preterm labor, they got the contractions to stop and sent me back home still on bed rest. Another week passed and I went back to my doc in St. George where we did another ultra sound and saw that my placenta was looking better and he let me off strict bed rest with strict instructions to be careful and that I still needed to take it easy. So here I am now going into my sixth month, and I finally can breathe a little bit feeling like things will be ok and this baby will make it. We waited to announce this pregnancy and were planning to wait a little bit longer until I was put on bed rest and it all spilled out. I am so thankful for all the love, help, and support we have received from family, friends and ward members. This would have been nearly impossible for me to handle if I didn't have such an amazing support system. My mom came down for a week so the kids could be home with me and she could do all the work while I stayed down. That was such a huge blessing to me and meant more to me than anything!!! I hated having to let my kids go every day and feeling like I couldn't even be their Mom. Though I was very thankful for my amazing sister in law Diane for keeping them happy, safe, fed, and loved for me while Eric was at work.
Though pregnancy can be rough and scary at times, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to take part in God's greatest miracle. I am so thankful that Eric and i are able to bring children into the world and we cannot be happier to be having another baby at this time. We love having our kids close together and honestly wouldn't have it any other way. We want this, we know what we have gotten our selves into, and we are very excited for the adventure of having three.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Update
Well I just finished my last semester for my associates degree! I feel a little bit lame that most of my friends my age are finished or finishing with their bachelors and it took me 3.5 years to get my associates haha...but most of my friends don't have a husband and two kids at home so I guess I can just feel happy and accomplished that I have completed this amount of college and was able to start, have, and enjoy my family in the mean time. I can't believe how crazy life has been while I tried to get through school though; Between a wedding, hospitalizations, baby, surgeries, sickness, another baby, more hospital,another surgery, sick kids and everything else I wonder a little bit how I even got through this much school. Oh well I don't regret ANY of it and am so blessed and thankful to be done and for all the support my sweet husband, family, and friends gave to me. I am done with school for now... MAYBE, one day I will go back and get a bachelors, but for me, I am good with an AS. I don't plan on working out side the home, unless some crazy thing happens and its an absolute necessity. I really just want to be home with my babies and be a mommy. At home is where I feel the most accomplished and happy, and for me, that's all I want and need.
I do have a dream to become a Douala which is a labor coach for women who do not want to have a medicated labor and delivery. I don't need a degree for this, I will just take a class and test to certify and do it more as a hobby and make a little bit of money on the side. Some day!
Eric will take the GRE this month and then we start applying for grad school. This is a very scary stressful time for us, but we are also very excited to move on.
Oakley is almost 2 and a half! WOW she is quite the little girl! She has an attitude of a 13 year old and has gotten really good at testing my patience. I have to be careful on what i say to her, because I usually get it right back or Easton gets the same lecture from her later.
Ex-
"Oakley, please don't talk to Mommy like that."
later on Easton squealed at her and told her no over something and she said (in a not as nice voice as I used with her..)
"EASTON! DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"
Another time came up to me tattle telling on Easton, "Mommy, Easton's not being nice!" I asked, "Oh yeah, why isn't he being nice?"
She said... "He is being a big turd!!"
haha I died laughing and then realized I should probably not call my kids turds so much.
Eric and I constantly remind each other to stay patient, and try to remember how cute she is when one of us is about to pull our hair out and put her up for sale.
We really do love her so much and there are more cute, sweet, and funny moments than naughty moments and we are very thankful for that because that is what keeps us all alive. Oakley is so much fun, I love being able to have a conversation with her and that she actually understands and cares about the things I tell her. I love that she enjoys a lot of the same things I do. She is so girly and it really just melts my heart.
Easton turned 1!!!!! HOLY COW! His first year flew by way faster than Oakley's its not even fair. Easton has been such a blessing to our family. I love him so much he is just the sweetest little thing ever.... LIKE really he is! He is such a cuddle bug and is so sweet and lovey to everyone. He has these bright big beautiful blue eyes with long flirty lashes and he can't smile at you with out your heart melting. He is so talkative these days... takes after sissy. He says quite a few little words... mostly the not so nice ones like no, don't, and stop it.. hmm wonder where he hears that from constantly, all day long... No not me! his bossy big sister!
He is learning to stick up for him self though, and they are actually starting to have little battles where I have to intervene and make them apologize and give loves... really thought I had another year before I had to start dealing with that, but apparently not with my kiddos. Easton is so funny when it comes to walking. At nine months old he was RUNNING around the furniture and standing on his own... I was like wow he is going to walk before Oakley did (10 months). NOOOOPPPE!! He is so stubborn! At ten months he started taking steps... but still not "Walking". At eleven months he was thinking it might be kind of cool to walk and would walk more with out us coaxing him. Right before his birthday he started walking ALL over our living room!! We were like YAYYYYY hes walking! yeah... well the living room is the only place he really feels comfortable enough to walk, and he still only does it if he feels like it. WOW this kid really does do things on his own time and always seems to do them a little bit differently than "normal". I should have believed the doctor... When Easton decided to go breech at 36.5 weeks when he was previously head down, and then refused to turn for us. The doctor said... "Good luck with this one... He likes to do thing his own way, He flipped himself into a breech position on his own!" haha and its true, but we love him for that and are very thankful that he is so strong willed.
Well that is about it for us. We are going to be spending the rest of the month getting ready for and celebrating Christmas together here in Cedar City. I love this time of year and couldn't be happier with our life right now!
I do have a dream to become a Douala which is a labor coach for women who do not want to have a medicated labor and delivery. I don't need a degree for this, I will just take a class and test to certify and do it more as a hobby and make a little bit of money on the side. Some day!
Eric will take the GRE this month and then we start applying for grad school. This is a very scary stressful time for us, but we are also very excited to move on.
Oakley is almost 2 and a half! WOW she is quite the little girl! She has an attitude of a 13 year old and has gotten really good at testing my patience. I have to be careful on what i say to her, because I usually get it right back or Easton gets the same lecture from her later.
Ex-
"Oakley, please don't talk to Mommy like that."
later on Easton squealed at her and told her no over something and she said (in a not as nice voice as I used with her..)
"EASTON! DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"
Another time came up to me tattle telling on Easton, "Mommy, Easton's not being nice!" I asked, "Oh yeah, why isn't he being nice?"
She said... "He is being a big turd!!"
haha I died laughing and then realized I should probably not call my kids turds so much.
Eric and I constantly remind each other to stay patient, and try to remember how cute she is when one of us is about to pull our hair out and put her up for sale.
We really do love her so much and there are more cute, sweet, and funny moments than naughty moments and we are very thankful for that because that is what keeps us all alive. Oakley is so much fun, I love being able to have a conversation with her and that she actually understands and cares about the things I tell her. I love that she enjoys a lot of the same things I do. She is so girly and it really just melts my heart.
Easton turned 1!!!!! HOLY COW! His first year flew by way faster than Oakley's its not even fair. Easton has been such a blessing to our family. I love him so much he is just the sweetest little thing ever.... LIKE really he is! He is such a cuddle bug and is so sweet and lovey to everyone. He has these bright big beautiful blue eyes with long flirty lashes and he can't smile at you with out your heart melting. He is so talkative these days... takes after sissy. He says quite a few little words... mostly the not so nice ones like no, don't, and stop it.. hmm wonder where he hears that from constantly, all day long... No not me! his bossy big sister!
He is learning to stick up for him self though, and they are actually starting to have little battles where I have to intervene and make them apologize and give loves... really thought I had another year before I had to start dealing with that, but apparently not with my kiddos. Easton is so funny when it comes to walking. At nine months old he was RUNNING around the furniture and standing on his own... I was like wow he is going to walk before Oakley did (10 months). NOOOOPPPE!! He is so stubborn! At ten months he started taking steps... but still not "Walking". At eleven months he was thinking it might be kind of cool to walk and would walk more with out us coaxing him. Right before his birthday he started walking ALL over our living room!! We were like YAYYYYY hes walking! yeah... well the living room is the only place he really feels comfortable enough to walk, and he still only does it if he feels like it. WOW this kid really does do things on his own time and always seems to do them a little bit differently than "normal". I should have believed the doctor... When Easton decided to go breech at 36.5 weeks when he was previously head down, and then refused to turn for us. The doctor said... "Good luck with this one... He likes to do thing his own way, He flipped himself into a breech position on his own!" haha and its true, but we love him for that and are very thankful that he is so strong willed.
Well that is about it for us. We are going to be spending the rest of the month getting ready for and celebrating Christmas together here in Cedar City. I love this time of year and couldn't be happier with our life right now!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
A few hard things and A LOT of good...
Sometimes life is so hard. Sometimes trials come into our lives and I can't help but feel like we are the most picked on people in this world. I'm sure everyone has felt that way at some point. It really is hard to see the good in a trial when it first pops up.(I am actually not going to complain this whole post). BUT from my experience, and me feeling like I have overcome a decent amount so far in my life, I know that if we have faith and trust in the Lord, then everything really does always work out and that the outcomes are usually greater than the trial ever was.
This post I am going to get kind of deep in to our personal life and I hope that those who read this understand that the blog is my journal about our children and our life and I post it because I have confidence in those who read it that they love our family and are interested in our lives and that they will not judge us but only feel for us.I have been really feeling lately that I need to write down things that have happened in our lives these last few years and share them. I feel like we have a good story and it might bless someone else.
Keep in mind we have only been married three years..
Financially we have gone from being upside down on three vehicles, having no health insurance and owing at least $30,000 in medical bills. We went from having 4 jobs all together to one, and at one point not having a job at all. No we don't have any dumb debt that we could have all and all avoided like a house or a car we really couldn't pay off in two years or any toys we didn't need. But we had debt and a lot of it, because life happens.
Eric graduated in may 2010 and ended up taking a year off before graduate school because we could not afford to take the GRE or apply for schools.
Spiritually our faith has been tested. Eric has not been able to take the sacrament or go to the temple for over a year and a half now. I have been holding our family together making sure that all four of us attended church every week,I have been fulfilling my callings the best I could, and that our tithing was being paid along with everything else I needed to do to get Eric back where he wants to be and our family strong.
Health wise I have been in the hospital/Er too many times to count.
Easton has been sick most of his life and he is almost a year old.
I have only listed a few things but these are the things that have tried us,and at some point we didn't know if we would ever make it through.
AND WE DID AND WE ARE!
Financially we own both of our vehicles out right. We will be completely debt free INCLUDING medical bills in March.
Eric will most likely be reinstated in the church on Sunday and will be taking me to the temple next week.
We have had health insurance for almost a year and the doctors office that took out my tonsils ended up paying us $37 for the surgery.
Eric just got his fourth promotion at work and is doing very well there.
Eric is taking the GRE in November and we will be turning in application in February and leaving for grad school in August.
Things are not perfect.. we have a long way to go, but they are better and are SLOWLY getting better everyday. FINANCIALLY it was SOOOOO HARD! soo hard! It takes A LOT of discipline and tight budgeting to go from where we were to where we are now so QUICKLY.
Like I said... At times we thought we would never make it. At times the last thing we wanted to do was have faith and trust in the Lord. At times we felt like we were failing completely but I know now that the Lord NEVER EVER gives up on us.. He never leaves our side... He loves us and will do everything He can to help us through as long as we ask for the help and then ACT IN FAITH.
I know that our trials are far from over and we will see new trials come our way every day, but I can look at them with thankfulness, faith and an understanding that I will be a stronger, better person and our family will become closer because of them. We will continue to try our hardest in staying positive and doing our part to keep our family close together, happy, healthy, and strong.
I honestly look back at our trials and the trials we still have and I can't help but be thankful that we have these trials instead of things that other people are having to go through. I always feel like we have it SOOO easy compared to others and I would never want to trade. I really believe that Heavenly Father knows us and that our trials are very personal. He knows what we can handle and what we need to learn and will give us the strength and comfort for each particular trial.
Eric and I love each other more than we ever thought possible.
I am so proud of our little family. We have come so far and are stronger than ever. I cannot wait for the rest of our lives together.
We love our children and they bring us the most joy in our lives. A lot of people have looked down on us and our timing to have children. Children to us are a blessing from God. I love being a mother and I know the Lord is proud of me for my faith in bringing children into the world even when things were rough and we were not all the way financially stable. He promised us that He would provide a way... and THAT HE DID and DOES! We will continue to have children along with faith in the Lord and in his timing. My role in this life is to be a wife and a mother and that is all I want! I have and I will continue to give it %1000.
SHORT UPDATE ON THE KIDDOS--
Oakley turned two at the end of July and is so ridiculously smart.. haha at least we think so.
A few things...She can count to ten in English AND in German. She knows her ABCs', colors, and some body parts in German. She knows a lot of shapes and is still learning more. She can recognize letters and a few of their sounds.
She is very out going and loves to play with friends. The two year old attitude is very much in full force. She even bosses her babies around and will tell them they are being naughty. She LOVES LOVES LOVES to play with Easton. They will play for hours, it is really fun to watch them and watch Easton try to be big like her.
Easton is ten and a half months old. He is starting to say little words like, dog, hi, bye, yay, whats that and a few others.
He goes up and down the stairs and stands with out holding on to anything. He has taken a few steps here and there but isn't as determined as Oakley was so it will probably still be a little bit before he is officially walking. He is still a very little thing wearing anywhere from 3-6 month clothing and some 9-12. He is right around 16 lbs and in the 0%. He is very very sweet and happy and loves to do everything Oakley does.
WORDS CANNOT EXPLAIN THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THESE TWO KIDS! They really are my everything and I love every little thing about them.
This post I am going to get kind of deep in to our personal life and I hope that those who read this understand that the blog is my journal about our children and our life and I post it because I have confidence in those who read it that they love our family and are interested in our lives and that they will not judge us but only feel for us.I have been really feeling lately that I need to write down things that have happened in our lives these last few years and share them. I feel like we have a good story and it might bless someone else.
Keep in mind we have only been married three years..
Financially we have gone from being upside down on three vehicles, having no health insurance and owing at least $30,000 in medical bills. We went from having 4 jobs all together to one, and at one point not having a job at all. No we don't have any dumb debt that we could have all and all avoided like a house or a car we really couldn't pay off in two years or any toys we didn't need. But we had debt and a lot of it, because life happens.
Eric graduated in may 2010 and ended up taking a year off before graduate school because we could not afford to take the GRE or apply for schools.
Spiritually our faith has been tested. Eric has not been able to take the sacrament or go to the temple for over a year and a half now. I have been holding our family together making sure that all four of us attended church every week,I have been fulfilling my callings the best I could, and that our tithing was being paid along with everything else I needed to do to get Eric back where he wants to be and our family strong.
Health wise I have been in the hospital/Er too many times to count.
Easton has been sick most of his life and he is almost a year old.
I have only listed a few things but these are the things that have tried us,and at some point we didn't know if we would ever make it through.
AND WE DID AND WE ARE!
Financially we own both of our vehicles out right. We will be completely debt free INCLUDING medical bills in March.
Eric will most likely be reinstated in the church on Sunday and will be taking me to the temple next week.
We have had health insurance for almost a year and the doctors office that took out my tonsils ended up paying us $37 for the surgery.
Eric just got his fourth promotion at work and is doing very well there.
Eric is taking the GRE in November and we will be turning in application in February and leaving for grad school in August.
Things are not perfect.. we have a long way to go, but they are better and are SLOWLY getting better everyday. FINANCIALLY it was SOOOOO HARD! soo hard! It takes A LOT of discipline and tight budgeting to go from where we were to where we are now so QUICKLY.
Like I said... At times we thought we would never make it. At times the last thing we wanted to do was have faith and trust in the Lord. At times we felt like we were failing completely but I know now that the Lord NEVER EVER gives up on us.. He never leaves our side... He loves us and will do everything He can to help us through as long as we ask for the help and then ACT IN FAITH.
I know that our trials are far from over and we will see new trials come our way every day, but I can look at them with thankfulness, faith and an understanding that I will be a stronger, better person and our family will become closer because of them. We will continue to try our hardest in staying positive and doing our part to keep our family close together, happy, healthy, and strong.
I honestly look back at our trials and the trials we still have and I can't help but be thankful that we have these trials instead of things that other people are having to go through. I always feel like we have it SOOO easy compared to others and I would never want to trade. I really believe that Heavenly Father knows us and that our trials are very personal. He knows what we can handle and what we need to learn and will give us the strength and comfort for each particular trial.
Eric and I love each other more than we ever thought possible.
I am so proud of our little family. We have come so far and are stronger than ever. I cannot wait for the rest of our lives together.
We love our children and they bring us the most joy in our lives. A lot of people have looked down on us and our timing to have children. Children to us are a blessing from God. I love being a mother and I know the Lord is proud of me for my faith in bringing children into the world even when things were rough and we were not all the way financially stable. He promised us that He would provide a way... and THAT HE DID and DOES! We will continue to have children along with faith in the Lord and in his timing. My role in this life is to be a wife and a mother and that is all I want! I have and I will continue to give it %1000.
SHORT UPDATE ON THE KIDDOS--
Oakley turned two at the end of July and is so ridiculously smart.. haha at least we think so.
A few things...She can count to ten in English AND in German. She knows her ABCs', colors, and some body parts in German. She knows a lot of shapes and is still learning more. She can recognize letters and a few of their sounds.
She is very out going and loves to play with friends. The two year old attitude is very much in full force. She even bosses her babies around and will tell them they are being naughty. She LOVES LOVES LOVES to play with Easton. They will play for hours, it is really fun to watch them and watch Easton try to be big like her.
Easton is ten and a half months old. He is starting to say little words like, dog, hi, bye, yay, whats that and a few others.
He goes up and down the stairs and stands with out holding on to anything. He has taken a few steps here and there but isn't as determined as Oakley was so it will probably still be a little bit before he is officially walking. He is still a very little thing wearing anywhere from 3-6 month clothing and some 9-12. He is right around 16 lbs and in the 0%. He is very very sweet and happy and loves to do everything Oakley does.
WORDS CANNOT EXPLAIN THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THESE TWO KIDS! They really are my everything and I love every little thing about them.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Oakley and Easton
Time to update the blog on the kiddos... They have changed a lot in the last few months and I have not been very good at writing Easton's milestones down and keeping up on all the cute things the kids do as I like.
Oakley is 23 months old, as of today 21 pounds and probably about 32 inches! She turns two on the 30th of this month... WOW it is so crazy to think that she is 2 years old and that I have been a Mom for two years already. Oakley is the best thing that has ever happened to me! She has changed my life for the better and I honestly don't know what I would do with out her.
Oakley is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen and we love her so much. She is just so much fun! She is very smart and busy. Oakley talks in full sentences and her words are becoming more clear and understandable. She loves to play with her babies and be a little mommy. She loves to go to church... she sings and leads the music and loves to go to nursery. Oakley is learning how to be reverent. She folds her arms and walks reverently in the halls at church. Before we eat a meal we put Oakley's food in front of her and automatically she folds her arms and wont touch her food until we have said the prayer. It is so neat to watch her grow and learn and understand the little things she does about the gospel.
Oakley has a very cute and sweet personality but definitely has an attitude and can be a firecracker. She is very shy around new people and new situations but is very easy going. When we went to the dentist she laid there willingly and let them work in her mouth. When we go to the doctor she sits there quietly and lets the doctor do what he needs to with her. I can tell she is not very comfortable with the situation but she is very polite about it and just goes with the flow.
OAKLEY IS POTTY TRAINED!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYY we are all so happy about this! She potty trained at 22 months. She wears panties now and stays dry all night long. We are so proud of her and we love only have one kid in diapers!
Oakley has been very entertaining with all the cute things she does and says... here are some things that have made us laugh quite a bit.
She says
Aww nuts
She tells everyone to BE NICE ... One time I was poking and pinching Eric in the car just messing around and Eric was laughing telling me to quit.. and would do it back to me... Oakley yells "Daddy, be nice to my mommy!" even though I was the one who was picking on him... haha she's got my back
oh my gosh
by mommy be back later... as she tries to walk out the door
gosh dangit
she bosses easton around... somethings that she has said to him this last week:
Stop it brother, its my fruit snack!! (yelled this in the middle of sacrament)
no brother its mine
ohhhh hi brother, i love you
brother your funny
look brother (at something that is exciting to her)
Easton is the first person she wants to see in the morning.. she comes out of her room and says "where's brother" and will wake him up if he is still sleeping
Easton and Oakley love each other so much. They sit next to each other in the car and just talk and laugh at each other the whole ride. Easton always wants to grab her and give her kisses. He is always interested in what she is doing and they are both concerned if one of them is crying and upset.
Easton is Seven months old, 15 lbs still and I am guessing still around 25 inches. Easton is such a happy kid! Which feels really good to say considering the first four months of his life. He absolutely loves his mommy and thats about it right now haha.. No Daddy is a favorite too but only once in a while. Easton has developed very well and appropriately. He rolled over between 2 and 3 months. Sat up on his own at the end of his fourth month/ beginning of 5th. He is starting to pull him self up on things and really wants to become mobile. He doesn't quite get on all fours but pushes him self backwards with his arms when he is on his belly. He really really wants to figure out how to get where he wants to go though. He gets so frustrated when he sees something he wants and can't get to it. Easton can wave and he really sounds like he says "Hi". He also broke his first tooth through in his sixth month and the one next to it is on its way. OHh I just think Easton is so sweet and cute! Even though he is very bald haha.. He has very blue eyes with long dark lashes. He is the best snuggle baby and gives very yummy wet kisses. He has brought so much Joy to our family and we just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE him so much!
ohh I can't wait till its time for the next one... haha did I just say that?
and Eric and I are great and happy and very much in love!
I LOVE OUR FAMILY!
Oakley is 23 months old, as of today 21 pounds and probably about 32 inches! She turns two on the 30th of this month... WOW it is so crazy to think that she is 2 years old and that I have been a Mom for two years already. Oakley is the best thing that has ever happened to me! She has changed my life for the better and I honestly don't know what I would do with out her.
Oakley is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen and we love her so much. She is just so much fun! She is very smart and busy. Oakley talks in full sentences and her words are becoming more clear and understandable. She loves to play with her babies and be a little mommy. She loves to go to church... she sings and leads the music and loves to go to nursery. Oakley is learning how to be reverent. She folds her arms and walks reverently in the halls at church. Before we eat a meal we put Oakley's food in front of her and automatically she folds her arms and wont touch her food until we have said the prayer. It is so neat to watch her grow and learn and understand the little things she does about the gospel.
Oakley has a very cute and sweet personality but definitely has an attitude and can be a firecracker. She is very shy around new people and new situations but is very easy going. When we went to the dentist she laid there willingly and let them work in her mouth. When we go to the doctor she sits there quietly and lets the doctor do what he needs to with her. I can tell she is not very comfortable with the situation but she is very polite about it and just goes with the flow.
OAKLEY IS POTTY TRAINED!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYY we are all so happy about this! She potty trained at 22 months. She wears panties now and stays dry all night long. We are so proud of her and we love only have one kid in diapers!
Oakley has been very entertaining with all the cute things she does and says... here are some things that have made us laugh quite a bit.
She says
Aww nuts
She tells everyone to BE NICE ... One time I was poking and pinching Eric in the car just messing around and Eric was laughing telling me to quit.. and would do it back to me... Oakley yells "Daddy, be nice to my mommy!" even though I was the one who was picking on him... haha she's got my back
oh my gosh
by mommy be back later... as she tries to walk out the door
gosh dangit
she bosses easton around... somethings that she has said to him this last week:
Stop it brother, its my fruit snack!! (yelled this in the middle of sacrament)
no brother its mine
ohhhh hi brother, i love you
brother your funny
look brother (at something that is exciting to her)
Easton is the first person she wants to see in the morning.. she comes out of her room and says "where's brother" and will wake him up if he is still sleeping
Easton and Oakley love each other so much. They sit next to each other in the car and just talk and laugh at each other the whole ride. Easton always wants to grab her and give her kisses. He is always interested in what she is doing and they are both concerned if one of them is crying and upset.
Easton is Seven months old, 15 lbs still and I am guessing still around 25 inches. Easton is such a happy kid! Which feels really good to say considering the first four months of his life. He absolutely loves his mommy and thats about it right now haha.. No Daddy is a favorite too but only once in a while. Easton has developed very well and appropriately. He rolled over between 2 and 3 months. Sat up on his own at the end of his fourth month/ beginning of 5th. He is starting to pull him self up on things and really wants to become mobile. He doesn't quite get on all fours but pushes him self backwards with his arms when he is on his belly. He really really wants to figure out how to get where he wants to go though. He gets so frustrated when he sees something he wants and can't get to it. Easton can wave and he really sounds like he says "Hi". He also broke his first tooth through in his sixth month and the one next to it is on its way. OHh I just think Easton is so sweet and cute! Even though he is very bald haha.. He has very blue eyes with long dark lashes. He is the best snuggle baby and gives very yummy wet kisses. He has brought so much Joy to our family and we just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE him so much!
ohh I can't wait till its time for the next one... haha did I just say that?
and Eric and I are great and happy and very much in love!
I LOVE OUR FAMILY!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Crazy Beautiful Life
Excuse me while I ramble on...
Time goes by way too fast.. I can't believe Oakley is almost 2 and Easton is over 5 months old. Life is incredibly amazing busy crazy wonderful all at the same time. PRAY FOR ERIC! He is taking his certification test in August for Athletic training!! Until then, Eric is working in the training department at convergys and right now he is teaching a new higher class. He goes in at 2:30 everyday and gets home between 12:30 and 1 in the morning. Luckily this class only has a few more weeks and then he will teach a calss from 8-4 and get home around 5. It is really hard to have him gone so much... I miss him all the time and our time together is very valuable. We have very little time with just our family and time to our selves. I really try to focus on what is most important and that we work so hard so we can get where we want to be. I babysit Monday through Friday and right now I have 8 kids and 4 of them are babies, Easton being the oldest one. It really is not as bad as it sounds, but it keeps me very busy, and as you would probably guess very tired!! A lot of people don't understand why I would do this to myself, Eric being one of them. And I will continue to answer "because you do what you need to do to get where you want to be." I look at is as a small sacrifice I can make to help out our family. It doesn't bring in very much money, and the time I put in is almost not worth the money but it is worth it to me because I get to be home with my babies and that is the most important thing to me. I have to constantly remind my self that I can do this and all of the benefits to baby sitting, because it is hard at times and sometimes I wonder if I really can keep doing this... BUT It allows my kids to interact with other kids on a regular basis. It prepares me for my big family that I want. It helps me realize that I really can handle having the big family I want... other peoples kids are way harder than your own and I'm pretty sure mine will come one at a time and I wont get 4 babies or 4 toddlers all at the same time like I do when I'm babysitting; good point right? haha I know I'm a little bit crazy...
My favorite question that I have gotten since Easton was born and continue to get asked constantly (mostly from the people that don't know me very well) is; "how are you handling 2 so close together?" and I just have to laugh.
When it is just my two at home my house is very quiet and spotless and I get lots of things done. Oakley gets lonely because she is so used to having someone to play with, and I conmstantly forget that I only have two and start to frantically look for a missing child.
So honestly two is cake! And if you truely knew me and my love for children and my ablities with children, you probably wouldn't ask me how I do it, you probably wouldn't think I am crazy for having so many kids around, you probably wouldn't think I am so dumb for having two of my own already, and you would probably look at me like Christ does and know that I am good at this, this is my talent, this is my blessing to those around me, and this is who I am and I am proud of it. I know that I am a good mom, and I know I wont ever have to doubt it.. I am not saying I am a perfect Mom... I make lots of mistakes, and sometimes I think "man why did I react that way" "why am I not more patient" "why can't I be better at this" then I remind my self that I am only human and I am learning along with my kids, and I will get better at this. I have never been more pashionate and invested more love, care, patience, and time into anything in my whole life as I have these last 22 months being a Mom... and I will never stop as long as I live.
Like I said, excuse me for rambling on... I am thankful for the blog, it allows me to speak my mind. It also allows me to journal about my kids which I would probably never do if I didnt have the blog
:)
Monday, March 14, 2011
What an interesting 3 months its been. Since Easton has been born we have faced a lot of challenges as well as seen many blessings in our lives. I want to start off with my sweet kids and update the blog on their developments.
Oakley is now 19 months old. She weighs 21 pounds and is 29 inches. She is growing up and becoming quite the beauty. She keeps us very busy and entertained. Everyday I am surprised by her and catch my self thinking, "wow she is so amazing".
OHH the things she can do:
*WALK up and down the stairs with out holding on to the railing or someone's hand
(Everyone that knows Oakley knows how short her little legs are... 29" tall is very little for her age. I don't know how she does it)
*she can almost do a somersault with out help
*climb out of the pack n play
*do a hand stand in the pack n play
*jump
*take off her cloths and diaper
*put on ANY type and anyONEs shoes by her self
*sleep in a big girl bed
*go potty in the potty (we are in the middle of potty training)
*she loves to sing
*she climbs up on everything. She loves to climb up on the table and counters and dance, and walk around and get into trouble.
*Eats her food with a fork and spoon... Still messy but getting better
*screw on and unscrew lids (unfortunately)
*fasten seat belts and buckles on the baby's swing, car seat, and her high chair
*crawls around and pretends shes a kitty and doggy
*We will ask her to point to a cow for example in a book and she will and then says Mooo
*reads her self a book
*has full conversations on the phone
*text people haha
*call
*leads the music at church
*zip and unzip stuff
Words and Sentences- Oakley tries to say pretty much everything.. She will try the best she can to repeat us and say something that we ask her to say.. these are her most common words that she can say very well.
*Apple
*Banana
*candy
*juice
*hi
*hello
*hey
*dog
*kitty
*Miley
*Mom
*mommy
*MAMA (grandma)
*PAPA (gpa)
*Daddy
*Dad
*Sheila haha she came up to me and said "Sheila"! (the best she could) and continued on with what she wanted from me... I was dying!
*Brother
*Easton
*Baby
*binky
*nose
*eyes
*ears
*hair
*shoulders
*elbows
*knees
*fingers
*toes
*belly
*lips
*she calls chap stick "bips"
*pretty
*make up
*brush
*teeth
*cheeks
*pants
*shirt
*shoes
*dress
*ouch
*hurt
*owie
*dance
*stop
*bed
*snowman
*marshmallow
*boom!
*I Love you
*I want that
*I want (whatever it is she wants) Love that she can tell me what she wants now
*Don't do that
*I want to go potty
*I go pee pee
*I go pooh pooh
*"I said No!" grr what an attitude!
*Hello, how are you?
*go to bed
*Holy cow!
*high five
*pound it
*Tine (aunty Chrisitne)
*Jake (uncle)
*Heather (aunt)
*Shanae, or Nae (friend)
Oakley can say and do lots of other things as well but this is all I can think of right now. She is really good at listening and doing what we ask her to do or say. She loves to try to repeat things we say.
Easton is 3 months old. He weighs 12 pounds and is 23 inches long. He is a little baldy with blue eyes and long eye lashes. He is very smiley and sweet. His little personality is really starting to come out. Easton knows his mommy and daddy, he can smile, giggle,hold his head up well and roll over(not bad for 3 months old and being severely sick. He loves to smile and jabber to everyone that looks at him.
He has been such a blessing to us. I love having two beautiful children. I don't know what I would do with out either of them. Oakley loves Easton so much. She loves to hold him and make him smile. He is very tough and patient with her while she tries to pick him up, sit on him, climb in the swing with him and shove the binky in his mouth. I LOVE HAVING TWO!!!!! They already love each other so much and nothing makes me happier than seeing them interact and love each other.
LIFE ALWAYS HAS ITS CHALLENGES AND SOMETIMES ITS HARD TO SEE THE GOOD IN THEM. BUT! WE ARE MAKING IT THROUGH AND SEEING MORE AND MORE BLESSINGS COME OUR WAY THROUGH OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN THE LORD.
When Easton was 1 month old I was admitted to the hospital for four days. I had a horrible kidney infection, dehydration and some other problems they are still trying to figure out. Two weeks after I was released, Easton came down with RSV along with all the kids I babysit and Oakley. Easton only being 6 weeks old, could not handle it very well. We were doing breathing treatments and taking him to the hospital every 6hrs to have them suck out his nose and monitor his breathing. The worse came and went but he never seemed to get all the way better. I then got very sick again and spent some more time in the hospital getting IVS and having tests ran. We then moved out of our house in one day and are currently staying at Eric's parents house until our new house opens up on the 22 of this month. Seven more weeks passed since Easton had RSV and I ended up taking him back into the doctor because he was still having a hard time breathing, coughing a ton, and crying all day and all night long. They put him on medicine for acid reflux and told us his lungs still sounded bad and sent us over to get a chest x-ray on him. Two days later they called us and told us he had pneumonia. They put him on another antibiotic and two steroid breathing treatments. They wanted us to go back in at the end of the week to check his sats and listen to his lungs. His lungs were still junky and his sats were still low so they admitted him to the hospital. They put him on more antibiotics and steroids through IV and pumped him with lots of fluids. WOW what a difference the fluids did for him. They were able to send him home the next day. THANKFULLY! In the meantime of all this they told me they received my EGD results and they think i have Celiac disease which is the gluten allergy.
Life as you can tell has been crazy,busy, and a little bit scary. I have never been so thankful for the power of the priesthood and the love and support from family and friends!! We are so blessed!
Oakley is now 19 months old. She weighs 21 pounds and is 29 inches. She is growing up and becoming quite the beauty. She keeps us very busy and entertained. Everyday I am surprised by her and catch my self thinking, "wow she is so amazing".
OHH the things she can do:
*WALK up and down the stairs with out holding on to the railing or someone's hand
(Everyone that knows Oakley knows how short her little legs are... 29" tall is very little for her age. I don't know how she does it)
*she can almost do a somersault with out help
*climb out of the pack n play
*do a hand stand in the pack n play
*jump
*take off her cloths and diaper
*put on ANY type and anyONEs shoes by her self
*sleep in a big girl bed
*go potty in the potty (we are in the middle of potty training)
*she loves to sing
*she climbs up on everything. She loves to climb up on the table and counters and dance, and walk around and get into trouble.
*Eats her food with a fork and spoon... Still messy but getting better
*screw on and unscrew lids (unfortunately)
*fasten seat belts and buckles on the baby's swing, car seat, and her high chair
*crawls around and pretends shes a kitty and doggy
*We will ask her to point to a cow for example in a book and she will and then says Mooo
*reads her self a book
*has full conversations on the phone
*text people haha
*call
*leads the music at church
*zip and unzip stuff
Words and Sentences- Oakley tries to say pretty much everything.. She will try the best she can to repeat us and say something that we ask her to say.. these are her most common words that she can say very well.
*Apple
*Banana
*candy
*juice
*hi
*hello
*hey
*dog
*kitty
*Miley
*Mom
*mommy
*MAMA (grandma)
*PAPA (gpa)
*Daddy
*Dad
*Sheila haha she came up to me and said "Sheila"! (the best she could) and continued on with what she wanted from me... I was dying!
*Brother
*Easton
*Baby
*binky
*nose
*eyes
*ears
*hair
*shoulders
*elbows
*knees
*fingers
*toes
*belly
*lips
*she calls chap stick "bips"
*pretty
*make up
*brush
*teeth
*cheeks
*pants
*shirt
*shoes
*dress
*ouch
*hurt
*owie
*dance
*stop
*bed
*snowman
*marshmallow
*boom!
*I Love you
*I want that
*I want (whatever it is she wants) Love that she can tell me what she wants now
*Don't do that
*I want to go potty
*I go pee pee
*I go pooh pooh
*"I said No!" grr what an attitude!
*Hello, how are you?
*go to bed
*Holy cow!
*high five
*pound it
*Tine (aunty Chrisitne)
*Jake (uncle)
*Heather (aunt)
*Shanae, or Nae (friend)
Oakley can say and do lots of other things as well but this is all I can think of right now. She is really good at listening and doing what we ask her to do or say. She loves to try to repeat things we say.
Easton is 3 months old. He weighs 12 pounds and is 23 inches long. He is a little baldy with blue eyes and long eye lashes. He is very smiley and sweet. His little personality is really starting to come out. Easton knows his mommy and daddy, he can smile, giggle,hold his head up well and roll over(not bad for 3 months old and being severely sick. He loves to smile and jabber to everyone that looks at him.
He has been such a blessing to us. I love having two beautiful children. I don't know what I would do with out either of them. Oakley loves Easton so much. She loves to hold him and make him smile. He is very tough and patient with her while she tries to pick him up, sit on him, climb in the swing with him and shove the binky in his mouth. I LOVE HAVING TWO!!!!! They already love each other so much and nothing makes me happier than seeing them interact and love each other.
LIFE ALWAYS HAS ITS CHALLENGES AND SOMETIMES ITS HARD TO SEE THE GOOD IN THEM. BUT! WE ARE MAKING IT THROUGH AND SEEING MORE AND MORE BLESSINGS COME OUR WAY THROUGH OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN THE LORD.
When Easton was 1 month old I was admitted to the hospital for four days. I had a horrible kidney infection, dehydration and some other problems they are still trying to figure out. Two weeks after I was released, Easton came down with RSV along with all the kids I babysit and Oakley. Easton only being 6 weeks old, could not handle it very well. We were doing breathing treatments and taking him to the hospital every 6hrs to have them suck out his nose and monitor his breathing. The worse came and went but he never seemed to get all the way better. I then got very sick again and spent some more time in the hospital getting IVS and having tests ran. We then moved out of our house in one day and are currently staying at Eric's parents house until our new house opens up on the 22 of this month. Seven more weeks passed since Easton had RSV and I ended up taking him back into the doctor because he was still having a hard time breathing, coughing a ton, and crying all day and all night long. They put him on medicine for acid reflux and told us his lungs still sounded bad and sent us over to get a chest x-ray on him. Two days later they called us and told us he had pneumonia. They put him on another antibiotic and two steroid breathing treatments. They wanted us to go back in at the end of the week to check his sats and listen to his lungs. His lungs were still junky and his sats were still low so they admitted him to the hospital. They put him on more antibiotics and steroids through IV and pumped him with lots of fluids. WOW what a difference the fluids did for him. They were able to send him home the next day. THANKFULLY! In the meantime of all this they told me they received my EGD results and they think i have Celiac disease which is the gluten allergy.
Life as you can tell has been crazy,busy, and a little bit scary. I have never been so thankful for the power of the priesthood and the love and support from family and friends!! We are so blessed!
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