My Family

Family pictures are hard right now with a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 month old.

Brooks most certainly does not want to participate and Charley is too little to pay attention. 

Because of this, I refuse to pay someone to take our picture.

So instead we had my sister-in-law snap a few on Thanksgiving.

They aren't great, but I'm ok with that.

Potty Training

Potty training is certainly no walk in the park.

It is frustrating and exiting all at the same time!

But I must say, Brooks has done pretty well with it all and for that I am fortunate.

And in the end, it was all worth it.

My boy is officially 100% potty trained,

and I could not be happier!!

A father's blessing

My baby girl received a blessing from her daddy on Sunday September 30.

She looked absolutely beautiful in her dress.

Which, by the way,  my amazing grandma made for her out of my wedding dress. 

What a talented woman!

I am so grateful that my children have a father who has and can use his priesthood powers to bless them. I hope one day they come to realize how fortunate they are to have him for their dad. 

And this is what big brother was up to while we were attempted to get a family photo. He was NOT interested in participating.

Charley Kate

So I kept telling myself that I would find/make the time to write a really good, detailed post about my baby girl's arrival. 

Obviously that is not happening.

Time is just not something I have a lot of nowadays. 

So here is a quick version of my day on August 27.

I was scheduled to be induced on August 27 if my baby dad not come before. Sure enough, August 26th came and went with no baby. So the morning of the 27th I called the labor and delivery unit at 6:00 a.m. to see if I could come in to have my baby. Unfortunately for me, they were too busy and said I would have to wait until later that afternoon. I cried when I hung up the phone. There was no way I was going to be able to fall back to sleep, but the thought of just sitting around all morning waiting for a phone call from L&D was unbearable. But wait I did. Three hours later the coveted phone call came in. I was to be to the hospital at 10:00 to start my labor. So we got ready, dropped Brooks off at the in-law's and were on our way to have a baby. After arriving at the hospital and getting checked in, my labor was induced. It was probably around 11:00. My doctor came in around 11:15 to break my water. Five minutes after getting my water broken, I was dying. My contractions were crazy hard real quick!! I got an epidural soon there after and from then on it was quick quick quick. I was complete and ready to push around 2:00. By 2:15 my little GIRL was born! Even though it was much faster than Brooks' delivery, I was so much more exhausted after. It was like my body had expended every bit of energy getting her here so fast. But she was so perfect and I was immediately so in love!

We all love our baby girl, especially her older brother! He is constantly getting in her face, kissing her and talking to her. It's pretty cute, but kinda not cause she's not the biggest fan. At least he doesn't dislike her like so many people told me he would.

Charley Kate

7 lbs 9 oz

19 in 

baby?

Baby update:

I got my membranes stripped yesterday.

NOTHING!

Looks like we will be meeting this babe on Monday (4 days!!)

Wish me luck!

And another thing;

Isn't this boy so adorable?

The closer we get to having our baby

the bigger he seems to get.

It makes me happy and sad all at the same time. 

I love to watch him learn and grow, but it kills me to watch him learn and grow.

It happens way too fast!

I can't wait for him to meet his new sibling.

I hope he is nice!

Trip with the boy

My sister lives in Pennsylvania.
I hate it!
I miss her!!
And she misses me, I think.
So Brooks and I went to visit her. Just Brooks and I.
The traveling part of the trip was rough, as I assumed it would be. It turns out my sweet little two year old is not fond of sitting still for four hours straight.
(I knew I should have drugged him)
No matter how many treats I had to offer or books to read or movies to watch he was DONE two hours in. And he would NOT sleep, even though it was during his nap time. He cried for an hour straight asking to "get out". It was awful, embarrassing, and frustrating! And to top it all off, the woman sitting right next to me, like touching arms next to me, vomited all over the place right in the middle of the plane ride. So there I was, sick with pregnancy, trying to get my two year old to calm down with someone else's vomit on me. And wouldn't you know, the little stinker fell asleep as we were taxiing down the runway toward our gate. Awesome!! To say I was done by the time we got to my sister's house was a huge understatement.
But we had a great time otherwise! Brooks enjoyed getting to know his aunt, uncle, and new cousin. And I enjoyed some Annie time. We ate out, got mani/pedis, watched trashy television, shopped and ate a bunch of junk food. What a great week! But we definitely missed the dad in our family and were ready to get home after seven days.
The plane ride home was much better! I was more prepared. And I think he was too.
I became that mom who puts their kid on a "leash" and have absolutely no shame about it. That thing saved both our lives.
We had a great time, but I'll tell you; being a single parent for a week was ENOUGH! I have never appreciated Carson more. To all the people who
parent alone, God bless.

Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

Hilarious and True

Welcome to the family little one!

The past fourteen weeks have been some of the hardest weeks of my life. The main reason for the hardship being this....

This pregnancy has been VERY different from my first. And in different I mean harder. Maybe its because I have a two year old to chase around now. Maybe its because I am not really in a position to be resting right now. Or maybe just because it is. I have never felt so tired and run-down in my entire life. I hate to admit it, but Brooks has spent many a days in front of the television because I have absolutely zero energy to even get off the couch. My mood has been all over the place as well. You could probably use the word crazy when referring to my emotional state recently. It can be a little embarrassing at times. Add in the gross, disgusting, constant sick feeling and you have a pretty good idea of how I have been feeling as of late. I have a good friend that once said that pregnancy brings her to her knees more than anything else, and I have to say I completely agree. I have come to find out how reliant I am on my Heavenly Father's assistance. What would I do without him and his blessings? It probably sounds like I am an ungrateful complainer. The complaining part might be a little true, but I assure you that not a day goes by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for being given the opportunity to bring another one of his choice spirits into my family. I love this baby so much already and look forward to seeing Brooks with a sibling. He will be such a great big brother!

journaling

I taught a lesson on the importance of journaling in young women's last week. What a great lesson for me to have to teach. I am the worst journal writer out there. I understand the importance of it, I just either don't want to do it or don't make the time to do it. Also, I don't really feel like my life is interesting enough to record it. But as I encouraged the girls to write in a journal regularly, I made a promise that I too would work harder to become a regular journal writer. Blogging for me is one way in which I can record the daily musings of life at my house.

In the past as I have posted on the blog, I have always tried to make sure that everything I write sounds just right. Well no more. Thats not true journaling. Also, if I am being honest, I have been more concerned with what others will think of my family than conveying a true picture of our imperfect sometimes perfect life.

So here is my pledge to write more, to write more often, and to write more honestly.

We'll see how it goes.

crazy life

My life is crazy right now:

-I am in the process of getting my master's degree at Utah State University. 2 semesters left!!

-I have a CRAZY two year old. 

-I babysit an adorable four month old baby everyday.

- I am in the young women's presidency in my ward. It's a lot of work, but I absolutely love it!

-I am a wife. 

-I work for my uncle doing all of the accounting for his medical practice. 

-And to top it all off, I am thirteen weeks pregnant with our second baby! 

Whew, what a mouthful. 

But no complaining here,

it's good for me to be busy.

But, I hope to be better at writing on my blog.

We'll see if I can squeeze it in.

Just Us

It's obvious that blogging has not been anywhere near the top of my to-do list. 

It's still not.

But there are a few moments from the last couple of months that I don't want to forget.

 Halloween 2011

Brooks traveled from house to house in his favorite toy.

He LOVED everything about the evening.

Thanksgiving 2011

A very successful attempt at a family photo, no?

Needless to say Brooks did not get a nap all day.

Brooks, cousin Emma, and Moxy waiting for Thanksgiving dinner at aunt Keli's house.

Just my cute boy! 

Brooks is now 19 months old. I can hardly believe it. He is 100% boy. That's the only way I can describe him. He loves anything that drives and has mastered the noise that the engine makes. It is so adorable to watch him drive his cars all over the furniture and make the sound. He talks all day long and can pretty much communicate everything he wants through speech. He is absolutely obsessed with his daddy and asks for him about 50 times a day. He will eat just about anything I put in front of him, excluding cottage cheese and macaroni and cheese. He loves to color and watch Toy Story, and loves loves loves puppies (all dogs). He is such a copy-cat and mimics everything I do. He makes me laugh a million times a day and makes me want to pull my hair out about four times a day. But man, I am so in love with this boy! 

18 month stats:

Weight - 26 lbs - 55%

Length - 34.5 in - 95%

Head - 18.9 in. - 56%

Blanket

We have a serious blanket boy at our house. So you can imagine the devastation he felt as I threw it in the washer this morning. I was able to distract him for a time with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but then he disappeared. Can you guess where I found him?



In the laundry room, watching his blanket dry.
What an adorable, silly boy I have!

Book Worm

Brooks is obsessed with books. Once you sit down with him to read, you better be able to spend at least thirty minutes reading book after book after book. I love this about him and hope that it continues on through his lifetime. 

Brooks has really started to talk a lot lately. And he is really good at it. I attribute his extensive vocabulary to reading. He says more words than I can remember right now and will try to say anything you tell him to. This new found ability has really improved the communication between him and I and I could not be happier. There is not much more frustrating than a whining, screaming child wanting something that I can't understand.

My time with this little boy is getting funner (it's a word in my dictionary) and funner by the second. I seriously pinch myself each night because I find it hard to believe that I enjoy being a mom so much. 

I can't wait to see what the future has in store for our little family, but for now I am just enjoying watching my baby grow and become a little boy.

Young Women's

My life has been a little hectic as of late.

One of the reasons for the madness is this...

I got called to be the first councilor in the young women's presidency in my ward.

It's still pretty new, but I already know that I am going to love this calling maybe more than any other calling I have ever had.

The girls are awesome and the other leaders are amazing.

I am truly blessed.

A couple of weeks ago for mutual, the mia maids and I, and my advisor, went to a local bridal shop to try on modest prom dresses. It was so much fun! Those girls are seriously so cool. 

I look forward to all of the adventures that this calling will bring about and hope that maybe in some small way my service will benefit some of the girls' lives.

I know it will benefit mine a thousand times over.

Personal Record

Yesterday I did five loads of laundry.

Three of them being whites.

(I am a little behind, don't judge.)

And guess what?

ALL of the socks had a match.

That has never happened to me before.

Hooray for a new personal laundry record!

Something crazy has started to happen...

After I had Brooks, people told me I would forget all about the terribleness of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the recovery that followed. I did not believe them, nor was I planning on having another baby; EVER. As a lot of you know, my body had a very rough time recovering from the madness of labor and delivery. It seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. And the thought of doing it again made me want to cry. But I loved my baby more than anything and at the end of the day, everything I went through was well worth it. Now here we are, a year and a half later, and I find myself thinking about  another little one. Am I crazy?? Maybe. So I try to remind myself all about the negative things that came with the first little one, and you know what? I am having a hard time remembering. How does this happen? My theory: Heavenly Father knows that in order for his children (especially the women) to continue to multiply and replenish this earth, he must wipe their memory clean of past hardships due to the process. It's not that I can't remember what happened, cause those are memories that will be burned into my brain forever, it's just that I can't remember them being that bad. And not only that, but I find myself thinking that I can do it again. I told you, something crazy has started to happen.

Just a side note:

I am well aware of the many hardships that a lot of women go through to get their children here. Hardships that are a million times worse than mine. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have even been able to have Brooks, and not a day goes by that I don't thank my Father in Heaven for him. 

Handsome

How handsome does this boy look in his bow tie?

Pretty handsome, I'd say.

Mud Bath

It rained really hard at my house today.

I love rain storms in the summer.

There is one problem though...

almost my entire yard is still dirt as we are preparing to install a sprinkler system.

Rain+Dirt=MUD

Mud+Brooks=One very happy boy!

I did not plan on or want this to happen,

it just kinda did.

He was a little cautious at first.

Look Mom, mud!

What is all over my foot?

I am love with those tiny mud prints!

It was all fun and games until someone had to be cleaned up.
That little someone became very unhappy very quickly.

What we have been up to...

My desire to blog has been non-existent lately.

Sorry for that.

The good thing is that we are still alive and having a great summer.

Brooks turned into a little boy overnight it seems, and is such a busy one at that.

He absolutely loves being outside and is not content unless he is dirty.

He is obsessed with otter pops and eats at least four a day.

His Dad (#1) is the coolest person in the world to him.

Sprinkler pipe trenches make the best playgrounds.

Playing in the rain with #1.

Getting VERY dirty while camping, but loving every second of it.

Hiking with #1.

Earning his keep in mismatched jammies.

No matter how often I apply sunscreen, his skin just continues to get darker.

I love his little farmer's tan!

This kid loves four-wheelers and motorbikes.

Fortunately for me, he is still content with the one that only goes 2 mph.

It won't be long I am sure.

Being naughty.

#1 and I are very much alive and doing well.

We just don't look as cute in pictures as Brooks does.

So we have none.

Pure Boy

This kid is all boy.

The amount of laundry to be done is unbelievable and never-ending.