Sunday, September 30, 2012

Heidi's Wedding!!!

We headed over to AZ on September 20, 2012 for Heidi's wedding! 
For how stressful and chaotic it seemed while setting up, it turned out beautiful and we had a great time! (minus ANOTHER minor fender/bender our car got into during the event!)

Congratulations to Heidi and Steven Speaker!  
I didn't have my nice camera and don't have any of the formal pictures yet so for now I just the good old Iphone photos we took - by this time we were all pretty exhausted too so not the best!  Hope the formal ones turn out good!

Cute Little G-man LOVED the punch and flavored water!

 Best buddies Cash and Adella!  When he saw her Cash exclaimed: "you look beautiful Della!"


 Chip and Amanda lighting the floating candles....yeah they didn't last long, but pretty for a few minutes!


 Becky and Ryan were so nice to let Heidi have the reception at their house.  They have an amazing house with a very beautiful backyard!  It really was beautiful!


 Cash and Della! Such a cute little pair and they had fun all night running around together, dancing, giggling, and just playing!

 Mom and Ivy Jane (and no that isn't a veil I am wearing...just happened to stand right in front of the quilt Betty made and so it looks that way.....and Ivy was ready to be done here - EXHAUSTED!)

 Family photo at the end!


The wedding cake/cupcake stand!  Heidi wanted cupcakes that could be served with just a small cake for her and Steven to cut into as the top - it actually turned out beautiful and was yummy too!  Heidi was funny because when she saw them she said "I don't want anyone to eat them, but just want to save them they are so pretty!"  They did get eaten though, and I would say I liked the vanilla ones best!



 Heidi and Steven.....cute bride and groom....and Heidi's pretty hair - I made the hairpiece for her! 


On Saturday we attended Constitution week in Phoenix.  Chip's Aunt Barb is in charge and it was AMAZING!!!  Here Cash and Grandma Betty are checking out the helicopter!  They ran all over collecting items and stuff before the show!

I, on the other hand, thought I would chill with Mitt Romney for a few before the show began!  Here's to hoping he wins the election!!!


We stayed the next week and helped Grandma Betty box up things for their big move - after 23 years in this house, and the only place we have ever known to come visit they moved a couple miles away to a new house!  It was a lot of work packing, but this little superman dude (yes it is actually a superman dress of aunt Hannah's) was happy to help!  

 Sometimes we had to take a break from packing and just relax in Aunt Becky's pool!

 Way too much fun!


 Family is the best - and hanging with cousins was way TOO much fun!!! (Cash refused to get in the picture here!)

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Coming Full Circle!!!


Lately I have been thinking a LOT about being a mommy.  I have been thinking about what it really means to me, why I like it, why I have kids, what is hard about it, what is fun, why I love my children, how fast they grow, what it will be like to be in the next phase of life where I am more of a soccer mom and less of a burp cloth and diaper changer (sometimes it feels like this will never end), how lucky I am to just be able to be a mom and have 3 of the most wonderful children ever sent to me and entrusted in my care.  I feel blessed, lucky, tired, exhausted, frustrated (especially with disciplining my 4 year old lately and how my once angel child has now become my toughest one it seems to manage - so any ideas on this would be much appreciated!), but overall just blessed.  I remember in a RS lesson once the teacher talking about how our kids are just on loan to us and we are entrusted to take care of these wonderful little spirits, and then we have to give them back to our Heavenly Father.  This idea of having them on loan to us and being loved by a Heavenly Father so much that he would let us raise his little spirits hit me and has helped me to try to become a better parent.  I often find myself thinking about it when I am upset or ready to yell at my children.  Sometimes it really helps, and other times I listen to my inner crazy self and just give in to yelling.  This brings me to actually my whole purpose in writing this post.

Above in the picture is my beautiful and sweet little 4 month old Ivy Jane.  Today, while the boys are out at the Halloween Costume store she and I stayed home so I could take a shower (yes a first in a few days this week unless you count swimming;) and just have some rest.  As she started screaming in her jumparoo telling me she was done and to hurry up and wash the conditioner out of my hair and get her out, at first I was frustrated.  I wanted just 5 more minutes of time to soak up the water and really enjoy the quiet.  However, as soon as I picked up my little infant she stopped crying and put her arms around me as if to give me a hug.  She snuggled her little nose into my neck as if to kiss me, and then she just lay there in my arms.  I took her in, realizing it was past nap time and laid her on her blanket to bundle her up and get her binky.  I set her down and she screamed, and yet as soon as I had her in my arms again in the blanket and her binky in her mouth she once again calmed down and was just staring at me.  We walked into her room and I sat in the rocking chair and we rocked.  She looked up, smiled, and then her little eyes started to flutter and she was out almost instantly.  I sat there rocking her, taking a few pictures of the moment to help me really remember when I am otherwise too upset or busy or wanting to get to the next thing or next child that is yelling and wanting my attention - why I LOVE being a mommy.  Why all of this is worth it everyday, and why only getting a 5 minute rushed shower is ok.  Because I LOVE it! I love it all - even the hard days because that is what life is all about - family, and time!  Things don't matter, money doesn't matter, dishes can wait, FB doesn't need my attention as much, Instagram pictures can wait, but my family matters! And I LOVE them with ALL of my HEART!!!  I truly love my life as a mommy.  And I love that I have my kids at young ages right now where I get to control them and be with them all the time and they are all mine -- at least for right now!  I wish sometimes that they could stay young forever, but since they can't I am going to enjoy my time I do have with them under my care 24/7.   This brings me to my next thought.

2 days ago as we were driving home from AZ to Cali I was talking to my mom on the phone.  I talk to her a LOT nowadays.  I call her for recipes, for advice, for help, for just chatting, even to help me not yell and so she can talk to my children when I am just too mad at them (yes I did this last week and she did help both me and my child), for pretty much everything.  I feel like once again in my life I am at a phase where I am constantly needing her and although she can't rock me to sleep like I do with my little girl, she is every bit as much influencing me and showing me love and teaching just as I am doing with my own little baby girl.  Well, for the first time ever, or at least in a really long time, I got to be of a little bit of help to her.  We were talking and she was telling me things and she told me about how she was sad about something.  Then she told me what it was and she was crying.  She wasn't really sad, because it was for something happy too, but something that was a change and was hard and made her a little sad in the moment.  I felt sympathy for her, and although she couldn't see me (I am glad for once) I was driving with tears running down my face as it hit me that some day I will be in her place - and I felt for her.  It was different for me to be able to be the one with my shoulder for her to cry on for once instead of vice versa, but it was nice.  I wish I could have just been there and given her the big hug that I wanted too.  It hit me once again that this is what life is all about - family, and time, and that we really don't have that much of it raising the little spirits entrusted in our care and so we do need to take such good care of them and love them and teach them and enjoy every second we have with them, both good and bad.  I was happy to be able to talk to my mom and for once help her feel better as she so often does for me.  It made me realize the circle of family is endless.  

We have good times, we have bad times, we have times we rely on each other more or our mommies need to attend to every need until we can stand on our own feet and become independent.  We then have times where we don't rely on our mommies so much and we rely on others or ourselves and make our own choices and learn things our own ways, sometimes even the hard ways, until we realize once again we need them and they are wiser and will always be there to love us and help us.  Then we realize we are too old to be rocked to sleep and babied, but it sure is nice when we go for visits and they can baby us and help us and take over and we get that pampering we thought we didn't want for even just a few days.  Then, not often but when we are lucky enough, we might get those moments where our mommy needs us and we can be there for her every once in awhile and pay her back for all those years and hours of service she gave us, even if it is only in the car, over the phone, being a listening ear for a few short moments like mine was.  And we can feel happy and have our hearts burst with joy that we could be there for her like she has always been for us.  I love you my mommy and am so grateful for all the love you have showed me over the years, and was so happy to get to be there for you the other day!  You are the best mom in the world!

And that is what I have realized more than anything lately!  I am SO GRATEFUL for an eternal family that like a circle never ends and will always be there for me, even if not physically here, and me for them!  I love being a mommy and the blessings it has brought me and the lessons it has taught me!


 And I am grateful for the quiet moment today when I got to rock my baby to sleep and just watch her and think of what her future holds and tell her how much I love her.  And as she smiled in her sleep I told myself it was her way of telling me she loved me too!

Friday, September 28, 2012

4 months!!!


Today marks 4 months since this little princess came into our home!
We are SO IN LOVE!!!
She is so much fun right now!
  
My favorite things are:

She giggles a ton and it is so funny!
She has the biggest smile and it lights up her whole face!
She has the chubbiest little thighs and they look so cute in her jeggings!
She has chubby cheeks I kiss ALL day long!
She grabs her toes and then flips onto her side and gets stuck til she finally pushes herself all the way over (the first time she rolled over was at Grandma Betty's on September 26, 2012 -- video at bottom of this post!)  
She only rolls the one way and once over she gets stuck and can't get back and it usually makes her mad!
She is a little diva and loves people to just look at her!
She likes to nibble on my nose when I let her and it tickles!
She grabs her toes and holds them when you put her down!
She also kicks her legs up and puts them to the side whenever I put her in the bassinet!
She doesn't love the binky, but will take it and also has learned to be an angel in the car and slept almost our entire 6.5 hour drive home yesterday!
She coos and talks to her brother Griff and he always makes her smile!
She loves letting me put headbands and outfits on her and playing dress up with her (or at least she always smiles and never cries when I am doing this - usually)!!!
She went into her jump-a-roo for the first time today and she LOVED it!
She likes to be put down to sleep, not rocked, and is happy putting her hands over her face while sleeping!
She is happy even when she has a cold and is so congested and we are up at 2 am!  She still smiles, and it makes me smile and then I can't help but just hold her and squeeze her!
She will come snuggle with me and sleep extra once awake if I put her in bed and hold her hand!
She is SO happy in the morning when she wakes up and will laugh and sit and coo and play with us!

We love all 4 months of u sweet little Ivy Jane!


Concentrating in the Jump-a-roo!


hanging out!

cute face!

Get that binky!

Smiley girl!

Love her!

Chubby!

Rolling over!

Monday, September 17, 2012

There May Be A Reason.....

 That my pregnancy was SOOOOOO awful with this cute little Missy!!!

As I sat this last week in the waiting room to meet with the surgeon who is going to be performing my gallbladder removal surgery I started to think about all the problems and pains I had when I was pregnancy - the fact that pizza ALWAYS made me sick the ENTIRE pregnancy, (except the one time I made homemade pizza on Valentines with the kids), that I couldn't eat icecream or milkshakes the whole pregnancy and even still can't because I get very sick and have a ton of back pain and rib pain, and how I couldn't eat anything really greasy at all due to how sick it made me.  I always thought it was just all pregnancy related, and then when the back pains and episodes continued after the pregnancy saw a chiropractor who said I had 2 vertebrae out of alignment and so I was going to him 2 times a week to be adjusted - and yet the pains and episodes got worse and worse and more often and finally 2 weeks ago I landed in the ER at 2 am thinking I was dying.  It used to hurt worse on my back (probably because the baby was pushing all my organs more towards the back then), and they tried to ultrasound me at 37 weeks for stuff but couldn't see the organs there very well, and couldn't figure out why my liver enzymes and other enzymes were SO high!  Anyhow, when I woke up with severe rib and back pain and started researching it online in my bed I read about gallstones and had every symptom so thought it might be it!  Sure enough, at the ER they did an ultrasound and I have 6 gumball sized stones that are all stuck together - called cluster stones and my gallbladder has enlarged and must come out!  I have what they said was chronic stones, meaning the gallbladder isn't infected and didn't need emergency surgery, but have to get it within 2 months before it develops into that problem, or the gallbladder even explodes! (didn't know that was even possible!) 

Anyhow, I am relieved there was an explanation for this crazy pain and that it is a pretty routine surgery and can be fixed.  I can't wait to not feel like this and be able to eat greasy/fatty foods and milkshakes (ok I try not to eat that bad anyways all the time).....but I am sick of being on the no fat, no dairy diet and trying to stick to bland foods til it gets out.  The episodes are awful and usually occur at night, and I am grateful to have Vicodin to help with pain now until this thing it out.  I am a little scared since never had surgery before, but know I will feel a lot better, since most the time I feel I have a large boulder stuck in my rib cage and even though not in pain most the days I am still very uncomfortable!

But this epiphane about the pregnancy not being so bad means........................Maybe, someday, I might consider now having another darling little one like this cute gal!  MAYBE!!!! :)





We are loving having her in our family and she is so much fun now, with a lot of personality coming out!  I love her facial expressions, of which she has MANY, and have been busy with a lot of boutique-type projects after getting asked at 2 stores if I sell the headbands she is wearing or have a shop....so I am working on a bunch of stuff and just might, maybe, have a little boutique night one of these days with a bunch of creations!  I made a bunch of leggings already and Ivy looks so cute in them and so of course I had to make her a pair in each color I have!  





Loved this church outfit she wore last week!  So cute - Navy is my FAVORITE color this season!



Here she is in trying on her pink pair - gotta love baby chub, and big brother wanted to get in too!  

 I had a random lady at the fabric store ask me to buy 5 pairs of leggings, and also 5 headbands for her grandaughters so I have been busy making them!  

 Here is one headband I made for Ivy Jane: Neopoliton Swirl!

Also for my SIL wedding I made the headbands for Ivy and Adella - the dark is actually deep purple, not black, although the picture makes it look black - and they aren't on the headbands yet but they look great and I think they came out awesome!



 Heidi saw the headbands for the girls and loved them so asked me to make her hairpiece - so much fun and I wanted it to come out perfect, you can't see all the details because of the light on it but it will look so pretty on her - altho anything will because she is absolutely gorgeous and is going to be a stunning bride! Her wedding is this week - can't believe the time has went SO fast since we first started talking/planning her wedding back in May!


We had a great weekend and went to the beach all day Saturday with friends - it was SO MUCH FUN, altho TOTALLY HOT and we had a little issue with the sunscreen, and also a lost child!  
Ivy taking a nap on the sandy blanket!


 This poor little guy was a victim of his dad's sunscreen skills, or lack therof.  (altho I will say he didn't want to get sunscreen on and was moving a ton trying to run to the ocean so maybe that was part of it)  However, he came home looking like the Joker with sunburns on ALL the areas Chip missed, along with his lower back getting fried......he hasn't complained at all and luckily it is almost all gone but boy was I so sad and worried for him, especially since we will be in pictures this weekend at the wedding!

He also managed to get lost at the beach on Saturday - while his dad was on watch of him (he says he thought he was fine playing in the sand next to Cash and that I could see him) Chip decided to go swimming and the next thing I knew he had vanished.  I looked up and couldn't see him so came down to the water and asked Cash where his daddy was.  He said he thought daddy had went out for a swim and maybe had drowned!  Well, I didn't see him, but was sure he hadn't drowned and thought maybe he had taken Griff in the water either way or for a walk along the water.  I was frantic, searching both directions, looking back toward the umbrellas, and what seemed like forever although probably only about 5 minutes, I was ready to start screaming.   I turned around to go get help from the ladies under the umbrellas and that is when I saw this other lady carrying my Griffin back and stopping at each umbrella and group of people asking if this was their child!  Another lady had run over and was telling her he belonged to the group behind her when I got there!  I grabbed him, although he seemed unphased at all, and asked where he was.  She pointed down to the pier and said he was walking down there heading towards the water and she didn't see any adult with him and so she decided to follow him.  I am SO GRATEFUL for her.  He can't swim, didn't have a lifejacket, and could have been swept out to see, or taken by some crazy kidnapper, and I was SO glad he was back in my arms!  I can't begin to describe the panic in my mind and my heart racing as I was looking for him for just a few quick moments!  His dad didn't seem to be too concerned, but he was also safe in my arms when he got back from his swim!  It was quite the scare!


We got ready to cheer on our Cougars afterward and all decked out in blue for the BYU/Utah game and had friends over Saturday night......and although it was exciting in the end, the result was not what we were hoping for.  In fact, it seemed the night just got worse and worse.  Aside from the loss which is always a bummer for fans of the losing team, my sister's boyfriend Houston Reynolds got injured during the game and sprained one ankle and tore his achilles tendon on the other and so now is out for the rest of the entire season!  That is what I feel most sad about!  Injuries are NEVER fun, but the fact that the recovery is SO LONG makes it even worse!  Sad for us, and Cash was very concerned that he couldn't come out of the TV because of his injury! (trying to explain you don't get sucked into the TV when you are ton TV to him and somehow he hasn't got it yet!) 

Sunday was tiring, as I had to get the whole family ready for church while Chip was at Bishopric meetings and then had to manage all 3 kiddos alone in sacrament meeting since Chip spoke.  However, we managed, and even did pretty good with no trips out and Chip did a great job on his talk.  Afterwards, everyone was SO tired from staying up late for the game we ALL took naps!
Chip got a pic of Ivy and I enjoying our snooze!


 After we woke up we took some funny pics of ourselves per Cash's request!

Funny face time!


Then it was time for pics of little Ivy Jane looking SO cute in her church outfit!  She even smiled a bunch for me so it was a great time! 











 My happy girl!!!

Love these faces!!!  Chubby cheeks!

 Pretty as a..........button! (as Cash says)

What a great weekend!  And an exciting week ahead the wedding!