Little brother fights back!

First off, I can't believe it's December!! Man time is just going by so fast. We have most of the Christmas shopping for the kiddos done. Just one more big present for them to share and then the stocking stuff. I have no clue what to get for Kyle though.... I still have a few weeks I guess to figure it out. Thanksgiving in Ohio was great. That week flew by and we all had a great time. The drive was very long, but after watching the movie Cars 15 times we made it.

Ok, so I have a 2 year old and the other one will be 1 in just 2 weeks! They get along pretty well most of the time, but man Josh is really starting to get a personality! They are both HUGE mama's boys!! They fight over who gets to sit on my lap at church, when I'm on the computer, any time really. And when I try to put Joshie down he gets this look on his face like, "mom! why would you even think about putting me down. Don't you love me?" it melts my heart and I pick him back up. Anyway, we have this little toy Conner actually got from his uncle Joey (currently serving a mission in Honduras) it is one of those personal PDA things, pretty much a toy cell phone. Well, Conner of course forgets its in the toy box and one day Josh finds it and it has been "the toy" to have ever since. They both forget it till one grabs it then they both have to have it! Well, it was Joshie's turn with it, so he is just walking around pushing the buttons and Conner goes up and takes it from him. Josh screams and "runs" (as well as a 1 year old can run) towards Conner mouth wide open and bites his arm!! He only has 6 teeth, but he can still leave a mark. It was one of those times it was so hard to not laugh and Josh. It was so funny seeing him get upset. I think it really threw Conner off because he gave the toy back and got a book for us to read. The only thing is right before I started to write this post, once again they both wanted to sit in my lap and Josh opened his mouth to bite Conner again. Man, we are going to have to work on that, it's just so funny and cute coming from such a small person. Anyway, I'm sure this is just the start of the great friendship they will forever have!!

I need a vacation!

I don't think this day could be any longer.... it's only 6:40pm and it feels like it should be midnight at least. I just try to keep telling myself, we are leaving tomorrow, we are leaving tomorrow. Really everything started yesterday. Kyle has had to be working doubles most of the week so between shift yesterday I needed a little break from the kids. I love them a lot but everyone needs a ten min. break once in a while right? So I go to the bank and then put gas in the car. When I get home I notice that Kyle has the kids upstairs and Josh is just crying and crying. So of course I pick him right up and he calms down, but I come to find out that Kyle was eating some lunch downstairs while catching up on his sports. Meanwhile Conner started climbing up the stairs, so Joshie followed. I guess about half way up Conner turns around and just pushes Josh down. So he fell down about 8 stairs. He is just fine, I think really it just scarred him. So, Sherry's (mom-in-law) room is right by the stairs. Since she works from home she heard it first and got mad at Kyle for not paying enough attention. That's hard because it could happen to anyone at anytime. I know it wasn't the first time he has fallen down the stairs and I'm sure it won't be the last since there is no way anyone can watch him 24/7. Sherry did apologize to Kyle for getting upset though.

Luckily the boys were pretty good last night. I tried to take them on a walk because that is like their favorite thing to do is get in the stroller. However as soon as we got to the end of the street it started raining so I had to run with the double stroller back home. But I was able to get some packing done so that was good.

Kyle didn't have to be at work until noon today. So we took advantage of the time and got some last min things for the trip to Ohio. We hurried home and Kyle had to leave right away. I try to get some things picked up around the house so we don't leave it a complete mess, but of course Conner is right behind me throwing everything back out that I just put away. Oh, he slept in the car for 20min on our way home and so wouldn't take a nap. I was going to use that time to color my hair so I don't have roots in the family pics, but that didn't happen. I tried making lunch but Conner just fed it all to the dogs when I turned around to grab something. I feed Josh and get him to sleep but then Conner came in the room and whacked him on the head which of course woke him up and he wouldn't go back to sleep.

Conner found a stash of markers and was coloring on things he should not have been. He took off his diaper that was poopy. He found a box of thumb tacks and threw them (they were clear, joy). He found a box of sugar ice cream cones, opened them and threw them so the dogs ate them. He did throw his diaper away, that was nice. I found hot wheel cars in the fridge, I sure hope he didn't take anything out and hide it so we have a nice smelly surprise sometime. I made the boys sandwichs for dinner. Josh was nicely sitting in his highchair eating his and Conner went up and took all of Joshie's pieces and fed them to the dogs. Then he was chasing the dogs while I was trying to feed Josh and myself something. Then I hear Conner screaming. I run into the other room where Larry (dad-in-law) are and grab Conner. He has blood dripping from his head. I guess he was crawling into Lola (stubborn dog) and she jumped up and growled at him pushing him backward into the entertainment center. It was dark so you couldn't really see the blood, but gee wiz, both kids are crying you would think someone might try to help. So I get the blood under control and strive with all my might to calmly ask dad to let Josh out of his highchair. So then we went back to the kitchen to finish eating. As we are I hear Sherry getting frustrated with Conner for opening the back door which doesn't have a door handle. Then Conner comes back in the kitchen and as I'm rinsing the dishes I hear "Oh NO!" from Sherry. I turned around and see Conner had found one of those jumbo Advil containers and poured it all over. There is no way he could have opened it so it must not have been on all the way. So then we are trying to pick up all the meds before Conner, Josh, or the dogs could get it. After that I am just done. So, we came upstairs and are staying her till bedtime.

I just want to say I'm grateful to be living hear, but I cannot wait until I have a place of my own again. It is so hard to share and try to constantly be watching a 1 and 2 year old in a not child proofed house. And if anything gets messed up I feel like a bad mom. One day, hopefully sooner rather then later it will happen. After Kyle gets his teaching certificate since he can't get his accounting stuff started till next fall now.

Ok, Josh just whacked his head on something. Tomorrow please come soon!!!

Birthday date

Ok, I just want to preface by saying I'm the best wife ever!!! and humble too, really.... So Kyle is turning 26 on Monday, however we will still be driving to Ohio on that day and how unfun is that? Kyle also works all day Thurs. Fri. and Sat. so obviously we couldn't do anything those days. So I asked him if we could do a "birthday dinner" on Wed. since my volunteering with the horses is off for the next 2 weeks and I didn't need to go. I kept asking where he wanted to go to eat but he wouldn't make up his mind. I tried to guide him to go closer or at least on the way to down town Dallas. I said we always did stuff in/around Plano and we should do something different for his birthday. So he finally picked a steakhouse in the West End (downtown Dallas, lots of good food!) So we just placed our food orders and had our bread and drinks when I pull out the first gift I had cleverly hidden in my purse without him knowing. We had agreed that he wouldn't be getting anything but a nice dinner/date for his birthday since we were leaving for OH soon. So that I even had a gift surprised him. I got him the newest book by Dan Brown. He really likes that author and it gives me the opportunity to read it too. So after we eat our salad but before the main course I pull out another gift. A phone cover to protect his phone from sticky fingers. He liked it and called me a turkey for getting him anything. Our steaks were ssoooo good. I tried to be good and got the 6oz fillet Mignon while Kyle got the 16oz sirloin!! they were both amazing!!! After that I gave him the 3rd gift which was the Dallas Mavericks newest blue jersey. He was sossososos excited!!Then our waiter brought a little cake with a candle (he was a really great guy) and after Kyle made a wish I asked him what he wished for and he said, "I wish you have to Mavs tickets in your purse" So I pull out the envelope and say, " your wish is my command!" He was so excited!! For you see Kyle had been trying to get tickets but I kept coming up with excuses of why we couldn't get them. He nearly messed up the surprise a few times, but it all worked out and was great!!The game was awesome! We won by 5 points in overtime!! So the birthday was a hit and I'm a great wife!!

I love the Doggie Back Pack!

So we recently started training all three of our dogs. Meg, a pit bull mix, Lola a chocolate lab, and Bear a black lab. I was sick of Meg and now Bear going crazy when they see another dog. I'm sick of Meg and Lola going after each other. I'm tired of the dogs going crazy if, heaven forbid someone knocks on the door, and a million other things they do. So, I contacted a dog trainer and have started the dogs on lessons. I take them once a week. Last week was the first time and I had all three of them. They are all at different levels. Lola will follow commands if you have food, but if you don't good luck with even getting her to acknowledge your existence. Then Meg will do what you want but not if an unknown dog is within 2 states and Bear is just so spastic he doesn't even know the "sit" command. So, that first training was, lets say, interesting. I worked with the dogs every day with the "sit" and "leave it" commands. They are doing pretty well, and surprisingly Bear is the best. Probably because he is the youngest and most impressionable.

Today was the 2nd lesson and it went great! The trainer only wanted me to bring Meg and Lola this time. By the end of the lesson Meg was able to follow her commands with an unknown dog sitting not 3 feet away!! Hallelujah!! In the 3 years of owning her I don't think she has ever and I mean ever done that! She was even able to walk next to another unknown dog without trying to kill it!!

So the trainer gave me a Doggie Back Pack to use for the next couple of weeks. Basically it is a pack that you fill with water bottles and it makes the dog feel like they are on a mission so they are better at walks. And I tell you what, that works!! Meg didn't try to chase after the rabbits that are everywhere here. She even sat while a dog was sitting there barking at her! She didn't pull or tug, she just walked right next to me! Bear did a great job too! He usually goes back and forth and back and forth. He has to get dizzy. He is so spastic! But even he walked right next to me and didn't pull! Whose dogs are these!!! Anyone who has ever met our dogs knows what a HUGE deal this is. We still have a long way to go before they are all the "perfect" dog, but we are a lot closer then we were even just last week.

Can't a mom poop in peace?

Why is it, whenever I have to go the bathroom is the exact time when both boys need me? I always try to get them occupied doing something, but I swear they know! They both start crying hysterically and bang on the door until I open it. Most of the time it's as soon as I walk in the bathroom so I always just let them in and have an audience. Haha... I get handed all the toilet paper rolls and the cabinet door get slammed and the toilet paper already on the roll gets unrolled. Then as soon as I stand up its a rush to put the lid down before little fingers get there first. Ewww... so, what used to be a time to sit and read has become almost a three-ring circus. I'm glad the kids won't remember this at all, at least I hope not! Maybe in a little bit I will have my time to go to the bathroom without any interruptions, but until then I will have to make the best of it....

11/7/09

Wow, I can't believe it's November! Time really does go faster the older you get! Everything changes so fast it's amazing. Josh is now strictly walking, and he isn't yet 11 months. He also has 5 teeth. 3 on top, 2 on bottom. A 4th on top is about to break through too. Conner has figured out how to open doors for real now. Sometimes he would open them on accident, he never figured out how to turn the handle all the way, but 2 days ago, he figured it out, and it has been his mission to open and close every door in the house! What scares me is he has opened the front door too, so we got more child proofing things. Hopefully at least a few more months until he figures that out too.

Halloween was a blast! Conner had a great time. He wanted to go to every house!!!! For some reason when he wants something he asks for it in a high pitched voice. Like juice, cheese, please. all in a high pitch voice. So when learning TRICK OR TREAT he would say it in a high voice and it sounded more like tweet tweet. It was so cute!! We are actually going to be starting speach therapy with Conner next week. He just isn't talking as much as he should for his age so hopefully this will help.

We leave for Ohio 2 weeks from tomorrow!! I'm not looking forward to the drive there with both kids in the car, but it will be great to be there!!! We get to see family, and eat great food. What is better then that?!?!?! I can't wait, good things lay ahead!

Pumpkin Patch

I just love looking at other people's pictures so I figure people like looking at mine too!! Our family went to a pumpkin patch this past week and it was great. In Texas it has rained every day during the month of October except for 2 whole days...yes, I'm actually in England....it feels like that anyway. So it was finally not raining so we took advantage of it. Well, it may not have been raining, but it sure was cold, for Texas anyway, and super, super muddy!

The pumpkin patch was about 30 min. away, but worth the drive.

We almost got stuck in the mud in the parking lot, but thanks to Kyle learning how to drive in the snow, he used those techniques to get us a good parking spot without getting stuck at all! I knew there was a reason we lived in Idaho!! haha

Just a little plug, I have recently started weight watchers and have lost 9lbs in the first 2 weeks!! Making my total since moving to Texas a total loss of 16lbs!! It feels great! I love being able to wear pants I haven't been able to in a while. But more then that, I love feeling healthy!!

This is Conner feeding the longhorn at the patch. I thought he would be scared of them, but he has no fear.

This is Conner's pumpkin. He is still carrying it around the house!



By the end, Conner was done with the pumpkin patch, so he was crying, but we had a great time overall with the tractor ride, feeding cows, goats, and sheep, and picking our pumpkins.

Our little family! We love being together, especially since Kyle is working 2 jobs now, trying to get us financially ready to get him back to school. So, we may not see him a lot, but when we do we try to have a good time together.

Conner and Josh feel right asleep in the car. Don't you love his socks? He is so stylish! Life is great! I love my family!!!

Conner's 2nd Birthday

So this picture should be last, but whatever. After a long day and no nap Conner fell asleep while he was eating dinner. He is so cute! And had a great day!

We had a party in the back yard with all of Conner's friends from nursery. We had over 30 people there! It was a lot of fun. I think Conner's favorite part were the balloons.

We put Cars tats on his cheeks!! haha,

Eating his birthday cupcakes!

We opted for cupcakes with the 2 year olds instead of cake. But even the wrappers are in the Cars theme. I had a lot of fun doing this party for Conner! Being a mom is the best!

Conner loved the pull string pinata. I don't know if they are all like this or it just happened to work out this way, but the thing didn't open until the very last string...is that normal? We still have the pinata and Conner just likes playing with it like a real toy.

This was right when Conner woke up, we had a lot of balloons outside his bedroom as a surprise. He loved it! I think it is funny you can see the bungee cord hanging on the door knob because they are french doors you just pull open and Conner can open the doors so we have to bungee cord them so he stays in to go to sleep. haha.. I promise I'm a good mom!!

Ok, Josh is just so cute I had to post a picture of him. All in all it was a great party for Conner and we had a lot of fun. I know I'm posting this about 3 weeks after his birthday, but better late then never right....

9/25/09

Well both Conner, Joshie, and myself aren't feeling 100%. We all have runny noses, sneezing, coughing, the works. Joshie has had a temp, but his top teeth are about to pop out so I am assuming that is what it's from. It can be hard to not feel great and still be a mom. But what can you do about it. Being a mom is one job you can't call in sick for. Luckily Kyle only has to work the dinner shift tonight and he even made me breakfast in bed! What a great husband!! So, hopefully by tonight we will all be feeling better.

Wed. I started my first official day as a volunteer for Equest, the therapeutic horse ranch. It was so cool! For the class I worked with a horse name Amigo and the rider was named Nancy. Nancy was mostly an independent rider so I just walked alongside in case her foot slid out of the stirrup. Then I got to put Amigo away. I cleaned out his feet for the first time. I have always been afraid of their legs, maybe from when I was kicked, but I was up close and personal with Amigo and he was great! He is a beautiful horse and very friendly. The best part is he understands both Spanish and English! After grooming him I needed to get ready for the next class I was helping with. So I helped get Princess Buttercup ready. This class is for 5-6 year old girls and they are sssoooo cute in their riding gear! The little pink helmets and riding pants with their black knee high riding boots. Too cute! I worked with a little girl named Emma and a pony named Katina. Katina was a little more high maintenance. Maybe because she was smaller and felt intimidated, I don't know. After cleaning her off I got to go into all the stalls and check the water and let the horses windows open. So I got to meet them all! Equest has 30 horses, over 300 riders and 29 acres of land. It really is an amazing facility and does wonders for their riders. Most of them have very little Independence other then when they are on the horse (Nancy was in a wheel chair, so the only "walking" she does is on the horse). I was totally exhausted though afterward. But luckily my feet didn't hurt at all because I have nice boots! I hope to be able to take lessons soon, but there is a waiting list so we will see when I am able to. Now the hard question is if I'm going to stick with Western and learn how to barrel and rope, or switch to English and learn how to jump? decisions decisions...

Kyle and I got to go on our date this past Tuesday. We received 2 free tickets to the Dallas Starz game. So we grabbed a bite to eat before hand then headed down town for the game. It was AWSOME!! Neither of us have gone to a pro-hockey game before. the atmosphere was great and even though the Starz lost 3-1 it was still a really fun date! Maybe kyle will get a job with a sports team and we can have many more dates like this one... that would be great!!

9/11/09

Wow I can't believe it has been 8 years since 9/11. I'm sure everyone remembers where they were when those planes hit the Twin Towers. The news was saying that over 58,000 people worked in those towers, and only 3,000 were killed, don't get me wrong that's still a lot, but what a blessing it wasn't worse! I'm so grateful to be an American and to live in this wonderful country. I'm so blessed to be here.

Anyway, Joshie is having one of those days where no body is good enough except for mom. I can't put him down without him crying, Kyle can't hold him without him crying. And he loves to pull my hair! OUCH!! It's a good thing he is so cute and I guess it is building up my arm muscles... I can't have the last name Hercules and be a weakling!! haha... it still makes it hard to do anything when you have a 8 month old 20lb baby in your arm at all times!

I'm planning Conner's 2nd birthday party! I can't believe my little baby he just doesn't stop growing! We are doing a Cars themed party. He loves the movie!! He could watch it every day all day. I think I have all the lines memorized! He was so excited when I showed him the invitations. I figure cupcakes will be better with a bunch of 2 year olds rather then cake so I ordered Cars cupcake holder things and little toppers with Lightning McQueen on them. I'm so excited to see his face with all the decorations! Of course like the whole nursery is invited!! It's going to be so fun. His birthday happens to be on conference weekend so we are doing a bbq between sessions. I figure that would be great because everyone eats lunch during then anyway. I just hope he handles it well. He is still taking 5 hour long naps from 1pm-6pm. So I hope he isn't a grump, but he'll enjoy it anyway!!

Tonight's Ward Temple Night, but Kyle is working and I don't have a babysitter or a car, so I think we are going in the morning. I hope that still counts!! haha... I haven't been to the temple since getting out of the Hospital, so I'm really excited to go. I know I can handle it now, I am much healthier.

So since I can't take birth control anymore and I really don't want 18 kids my cousin Mallory has introduced me to the FAM for of natural birth control. It is incredibly interesting and I have already learned so much more about my body. I don't think as women, we truly know as much about how wonderful our bodies are and it is a smart thing to learn. So I'm excited to see how it goes!! Well, Joshie is sitting in my lap and it is getting harder to type, at least I had a few minutes to myself. Oh the life of a mother, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

9/9/09

We have recently discovered how fun the park is! Luckily we live just a couple blocks from a little park that the kids just LOVE! We were going there really often when I could just through the kids in the stoller and walk there, but then with the blood clots I wasn't able to go. Now thankfully we have rediscovered the joy that comes with going to the park. Both boys love the swings the most. And Conner loves the slides. I think he likes going because he always seems to make new friends there too.

Conner is such a daredevil though it makes me nervous. He just isn't afraid of anything. He nearly walked off the top of this playground without even thinking about it. Maybe that means he won't be afraid of heights. But man, I'll have gray hair by the time I'm 30!

Anything Conner sees anyone do, he wants to do also. For example, today after changing his diaper Kyle threw the dirty diaper at me. He bent down to change Josh and I through it and nearly hit Kyle's head. Conner thought it was so funny, he just kept throwing the stinky diapers around... hahaha... it was pretty funny, but he just copies EVERYTHING!!!!

Conner is also getting so good at saying more words. His cutest words are bubbles, horse, and pasta. I can point at Josh and say, who is that? And Conner says brother Josh. It really comes out budda jos but hey it's super cute.

For some reason all of a sudden stopped liking to eat the crust of bread... I don't know why. He used to be able to eat a whole sandwich, but now he eats around the crust and feeds the crust to the dogs. Maybe he has always done that and I never noticed... but I truly think he just stopped for some reason, just like he did with rasins, one day he loved them, the next day, not so much. Weird kid...

Joshie is just as cute as can be! He is standing all by himself really often now. He claps his hands while he is standing, but just hasn't figured out the walking thing yet. That's fine with me, he can wait. Luckily he doesn't spit up nearly as much! He does drool a lot still though. He has his 2 bottom teeth and they are so cute!! He has these huge smiles that light up a room. The only time he isn't smiling is if he is hungry or tired. That kid can eat too!! He has 6 containers of the stage 2 foods plus his formula! He is 20 lbs!! but he is still well withen a healthy weight group so more power to him!!

Kyle is still waiting tables, but he is planning on going back to school come January to get his masters. So, we are waiting on the acceptance letter.... He loves playing with the kids though. Anytime he gets on the floor the boys both tackle him! Men, we need a little girl to even things out I think...eventually.

I'm healing well. My blood levels still aren't perfect, but much better, it's really just a guessing game to get it right. I can do a lot more now which is so nice. And I get to enjoy being with my kids all day. I do read A LOT! I just finished the whole Work and the Glory series in 3 months and re-read the Twilight Saga. Plus a few other books in between. I really enjoy reading, I hope my kids will too.

My sister Melanie and I are in a competition with each other. Basically we can't eat sugar, and if one of us messes up, we owe the other one 100$ So, it really isn't that bad I don't think. The first couple of days were the hardest, but now its really not the worst thing. We are in a contest until Thanksgiving. It's only 3 months right?!?! And the best part is, Kyle is doing it too! He hasn't cheated once so I'm super proud of him!

If all goes right, we will be in Ohio for Thanksgiving and that will be fun to be with my side of the family again. It's really nice to be so close to family. We didn't have that in Idaho, but here in Texas it is a blessing. It's funny thinking back to a year ago and remembering where we were and what we were doing. We were still housing managers, I was still pregnant, and Kyle was starting up school again along with his crazy hour jobs. Wow, life moves quickly! But it sure is wonderful when we are so blessed!

Hospital Visit

Ok, well I haven't written in a while because I like to post pictures but we lost the cord to get the pictures from the camera to the computer, so no pics this time. I did want to write about my hospital visit though so I don't have to type the same thing a bunch of times for everyone to know what happened. So, here it goes.

For my birthday this year, my wonderful husband got me exactly what I wanted, a gym membership! I was so excited and was going 6 days a week and working out for an hour each time. It was going great. I went to all different group fitness classes (yoga, spinners, dance, etc) well, I had been doing this for a month and one day I went in but was 1/2 hr late for the class so I decided to work out myself. I stretched and got on a treadmill. I walked the first mile and then started running the second mile. Well about 2 min into the run my entire left side from my hip down just cramped up and wouldn't move. I was able to stretch it out enough to make it home. For the next couple of days it was going back and forth from hurting really bad to being tolerable. So I thought it was just sore muscles. Well, after mentioning what was happening to my mom she thought I might have a pinched nerve so I went to a chiropractor.

It was a Tues. that I went and he thought I had a bruised muscle in my back witch was putting pressure on my nerves and causing my muscles to spasm. He also re-aligned my hips and sent me home to rest the muscles and do some stretches. So now it is Wed. and my left leg is hurting really bad. I can hardly put any pressure on it, by the end of the night it was so swollen that I went to the emergency room. After and ultrasound they found clotting from the top of my thigh down to my knee! I'm 22! Who gets blood clots at 22?!?!?!?

Of course I was admitted to the hospital where I had a heart monitor on in case a piece of the clot broke off and went to my heart/lungs. My blood was drawn every morning. I had an IV in my right arm, but it was not connected to anything, just there to bother me I guess.... Had my vitals taken every few hours, and so on. No privacy! I'll just say that much when it comes to hospital stays, at least I had my own room though. That's good.

I had to stay there so long because my blood didn't want to thin! The doc said I needed to drink a few more margaritas because my liver was to healthy!! I told him I have never had alcohol and he said that was probably why it is so healthy. So, the normal person is only on 2-8mg of Cumadin(blood thinner) and I am on 12.5mg!!! But I'm sure 90% of people that come in have had a drink before! Thanks Word of Wisdom!! Do you think I should talk to my Bishop about starting to drink for medical purposes?!?!?!

Anyway, after 8 long days I am home again. I can't pick my kids up for 2 weeks! Thankfully I have lots of help (my mom and siblings came from Ohio to help) I can never take birth control again (that's what they think caused the clotting) I have to go have my blood taken a few times a week for the next 6-9 months and I will have to be monitored the rest of my life. But at least we caught it and I am recovering! Thanks for the prayers!!

Kyle's Graduation

Kyle officially graduated on April 10, 2009! Elder Neil L. Anderson (newest member of the quarm of the 12) was the guest speaker. He told us the just the previous day he had all 14 of the current prophets and apostles put their hands on his head and ordain him. What an experiece that must have been! He spook to the graduates about the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. It was very well done. Of course Kyle was easy to spot out. There were some 1400 graduates. Over 600 served full time missions. 50% were married and of those married, there were 70 couples graduating together!! I'm not sure how many had kids, let alone 2 kids! I'm not sure how Kyle did everything he had going on this past and even previous semesters. But I do know he was not alone. Only with help for God could this be accomplished, and I truly know our Heavenly Father helped all of us, but specially Kyle.


I couldn't be more proud of Kyle right now. He worked so hard and I'm so grateful he accomplished his goal. And it does help that we are now able to get out of Rexburg! We are headed to Dallas soon. I'm actually leaving with the boys on April 16 and Kyle will be driving down w/ all of our stuff the week after. Change is so exciting! We have no idea what we will be doing, but thank goodness for family and the knowledge that everything has a plan and it will all work out.

qL7Qk7gDPV8/s200/Kyle+Graduation+012.JPG" border=0>
Joshie is getting so big!! He loves standing! You can just let him hold on to your fingers and he will stand. He eats all the time and gets so mad when the bottle is empty. At the end of the movie the Incredibles... Jack Jack is stolen and then they find out he has those super powers too. Well, Josh makes those same faces! He turns bright red, sticks out his fists and grunts when he gets mad. It is so funny!! He is also a charmer too. It was about 10pm on Thurs. night. We had a long day of traveling from Ohio back to Rexburg. He had been in bed about 20 min and decided to wake up again. Everyone else was in bed too, so I got up and needless to say was a little annoyed, I wanted to sleep... I start changing Josh's diaper and of course he gives me those huge gummy smiles and I told him to stop smiling at me because I was trying to be annoyed...haha.. well he didn't listen and of course I just laughed and couldn't be upset that I lost a little sleep because we had that time together.

Conner is also a huge ball of fun! He loved being in Ohio. He got to play with his aunt and uncles and had a great time. He even cried when they had to go to school and got so excited when they came home. He also loved the cats! He would chase them every where!!! And try to hold them. I don't know how many times I said the words, "Be soft!" He was so spoiled there and I know he will be again in Texas. I'm excited to see how he loves the dogs. He just loves animals!

Here is my graduate!! Great job Kyle!!!

finally some pics...

Conner is just to cute!!

Joshua doing his favorite thing, just hanging out

Eat baby brother! I want you to eat!!

A little smile caught on camera.

I love my brother!!!

Check out those lips!!

Mommy and baby, so happy together

Conner playing with his dad

So sleepy Josh

Conner sitting in a dish, he thinks everything in this house belongs to him...

7 hours!!

YEAH!!! For the first time ever, Joshua Kyle Hercules slept for 7 hours straight on the night of Feb. 14! Happy Valentine's Day to us!! It was wonderful to get that rest! I think it was making up for the past 2 months... about a week and a half ago we were actually in the hospital with little Josh. He had RSV and it got pretty severe so we headed to the hospital where he needed an IV and breathing treatments. The poor little guy was so out of it and dehydrated that when they were inserting the IV, they tried 8 times to do it and he didn't cry once! I would have been crying by then! I get mad if they miss the first time. But he is a trooper and doing much better now. We finally have a formula that works for him, and of course it's the most expensive brand. 25$ a can, and he would go through 8 cans a month, so 200$ in food for a two month old!! Holy Cow, that's half of what the rest of us eat all together! So, the little stinker is lactose intolerant, slightly colic, has been in the hospital, I swear this kid is giving me gray hair already at 2 months!! I'm a little nervous to raise him for at least the next 18 years!

Conner did the cutest thing on Friday. So, when I'm on the phone doing Mary Kay phone calls I always tell Conner we need to be so quite and put my finger over my lips and make the "sshhh" sound. So the other day Conner was sitting on a chair and I just hear him babbling on so I look over at him and he has Kyle's MP3 player up to his ear. I asked him who he was talking to and he puts his finger over his mouth and goes "ssshhhhh" hahahaha.... it was so funny! It really shows that kids watch and copy everything we do! Speaking of Conner, he has figured out how to climb up on the couches/chairs/etc. That makes me a nervous wreck too because he always gets so close to falling off and I have to run over and save him. Our food cabinet is above the built in desk, and yesterday he pushed a chair over to the computer, climbed up the chair, climbed on the desk, opened the cabinet and tried to get out all the food! Man!!! these kids wear me out! You would think I would have lost all my baby weight chasing after them booth. Good news though, next week is Conner's last week to not be in nursery!!!! Starting the first Sunday in March he starts going! We can't wait!

I leave for Disney World this Thursday! I can't wait to have the warm weather and ride roller coasters again since I'm finally not pregnant! People keep asking me if I'm bring the baby. I'm like, HECK NO!! This is a vacation! They always sound shocked and surprised that I would leave my baby. They ask what he will do without me. Well, he will probably eat, sleep, and poop just like he always does!! haha... my kids will survive without me. It's only 4 days, and I think everyone needs a break every now and then. And, I know my kids will be that much cuter when I come back. I'm so excited!!!!!

We still haven't found out anything about Kyle continuing on with seminary. We were supposed to find out by Friday, and here it is Sunday, and nothing. So, no news is good news? Or no news is bad news? Who knows. I just want to find out so we know where to go from here. We shall see in due time I guess. It's just crazy that so much is going to be happening in the next few months. Kyle is actually half way done with his last semester! yeah!!! Then we can leave Rexburg. I actually got stuck in the snow the other day and it was awful! I was wearing heels and had Josh in the car. What could I do? take off me heels and have josh drive while I push? haha.... Luckily people here are pretty nice so I was just able to flag a couple guys down to push me out. Thus, I'm sick of the snow and ready to be completely done with it!

So, all in all. I have the best kids that drive me crazy, the best husband who is so close to graduating, and just the best unpredictable life ever!!

Finally another post...

So, I am finally getting a chance to write again. Life has been crazy busy. We needed to buy a new computer, and unfortunatly it doesn't have the place to put the memory card from our camera in it, and Kyle doesn't have the cord anymore, so, thus no new pictures. I will need to drag out the laptop to upload them all and post them. So, hopefully soon, I will get some new pictures up. It's been getting better with the two babies. Josh is sleeping a little better through the night. He only wakes up 2 times a night to eat. Sadly, Josh did not handle my breast milk well for some reason. He is now on a special formula that is agreeing much better with his system. It is lactose free, but hopefully he will grow out of it (apparently most babies do). But, other then that, he is really healthy. We are still waiting to see the first smile, however he does stay awake much more and has beautiful blue eyes! He is the cutest baby at church, and Conner is definently the cutest toddler. He is such a ladies man... I'm a little nervous for 15 years from now, but we will handle that when we get there I guess. Conner only has 1 more month until we can start bringing him to nursury!!! We are really excited about that. I'm earning a free trip to Disney World next month! I'm so excited for a real vacation, Mary Kay is so great! Then in March I'm going to Chicago, Kyle is graduating in April, and my sister is getting married in May, so we will all had back to Chicago, then in May we will offically be leaving Rexburg!! This is going to be a fun, busy year. I just want to mention how great it is to wear normal clothes again! Well, I need to finish lunch, so I have to wrap this up. Hopefully pictures will be on the next one.