Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Junebugs I guess I never posted this last year!! Oops!!

Colby and I were pretty boring through the month of June because all we did was work and school!! Ha ha- I did have a seminar at the Living Planet Aquarium and got discounted tickets there for the rest of the family and my ticket was free after I was finished so Colby brought the girls after and Hayden was absolutely ecstatic the whole time! I spent the month trying to get my crap figured out after Jacey moved out. It's easier said than done to get up, ready, 2 girls ready, and out of the house by 7:15! luckily I married a good man and he has been so helpful. Luckily this semester hasn't been as stressful as the others. I got to go to the Jordan River Temple to do a session this month as well. I really would like to hit all of the ones in the valley before we leave. We'll see if that happens! The girls got to spend a lot of time in Delta throughout the month between grandma Nikki and Grandma Cyn. They love getting to play with all of their cousins!





Hayden: Hayden finished her last day of preschool on the 4th. Luckily Grandma Nikki was up here to take her. She absolutely loved preschool and is so excited to be in Kindergarten. She finally met a friend Kinley (who might I add, has lived next door the whole time!) and just a few weeks after they introduced themselves across the fence Kinley moved to Hawaii! Makes me sad that I don't get to be very social so that my kids can get together with others! She absolutely loves animals. She got all the way through the aquarium before I was even done with my seminar and was so excited to take me back through it all and show me everything. In one of these pictures, she found a fly and decided that she wanted it to be her pet and she picked it right up and let it crawl all over her. A funny story, I finally decided on fast Sunday this month that I really needed to get back in the swing of things since being pregnant and nursing. We were needing some extra help with babysitting issues so we decided to do a full fledge 24 hour fast. Hayden asked us why we weren't eating lunch after church and I told her that we were fasting to ask Heavenly Father for some help. She didn't say much after that but a couple weeks later after I had dinner on the table, she told me she wasn't eating. I asked her why and she said that she was asking for help from Heavenly Father. She said, "You know, doing that thing that you and dad did?" I finally put it together and realized it was fasting that she was thinking of; then I proceeded to explain to her that you don't start fasting until you have been baptized and she really needed to eat her dinner. She got upset and said, "But mom, I really need to ask Heavenly Father for help and not eat this because this chicken is AWFUL!!" From the mouths of babes...... She has been such a good big sister lately and I love how she gets Hanna to play with her and she acts like she simply adores her.....the adoration goes both ways. I hope it lasts! 









The last quarter of 2015!! ……AND then the first of 2016!!

Since I have been unable to keep up with monthly updates since moving (I felt like a single mother sometimes), I will wrap up this year  and begin the next in one post. This last 7 months has definitely been a trial I wasn’t expecting. But so much good has come from it!! We have all realized the importance of a family being united and being together. We have come to realize how blessed we are to have loving family in our lives. Chelise and Ron completely took me and the girls under their wings and literally bent over backwards to help us through this and have provided the solidarity that we needed. I know that we could have made it without them (I can’t even begin to imagine how) but I definitely would have shed a lot more tears and had a lot more grey hair without them among other catastrophic things. I will never be able to begin explaining my gratitude for them and for the things that they have done for us.
We did finally find a place to rent in Richfield, although we were hoping to find one somewhere in Elsinore or close to there.  It is actually owned by the tribe that I work for and will eventually be torn down to build a new clinic but the price is right and will work for a while. We are hoping that Colby will be able to secure a job in the area and then we will rent for a 3-4 years before, hopefully, building somewhere. So we are looking at moving another 2 times at least….which sucks!! Ha ha.
October- we spent some time up at the RV park with Colby for one of the weekends and otherwise prepped for Halloween. Hayden decided she wanted to be a tiger so we went with a “Lion, tiger, bear, OH MY!” theme for the family. Hanna was the cutest little polar bear and Charlie pulled off the lion look pretty well. Colby and I simply had OH and MY written on our shirts. The girls went trick or treating with the Seely girls then we went to the Elsinore trunk or treat. Although Hanna was pretty cranky because of popping a few teeth we had a ball. My dad came over and visited that night too and the girls loved having grandpa there and showing him their costumes.
November- we got a couple good snow storms in November that made my drives to and from work a little sketchy….but I made it eventually. Colby celebrated his DIRTY THIRTY in true student fashion…..no party and lucky enough to get an ice cream cake! The girls loved singing Happy Birthday to him and helping him unwrap his presents. We loved being able to go to Delta for Thanksgiving. As always, the food was delicious!! We all ate WAY too much!
December flew by and was filled with Christmas prep and moving our stuff into that rental. I had them rip up the carpet because it was pretty disgusting and I painted the subfloor and it turned out okay……but it was a lot of work! The girls got to see the happenings of Brody and Riley’s elf Christopher over the month which was fun. We went to Cedar one of the weekends because it was my work Christmas party down there and my friend, Amanda, was blessing her baby and her Tayte was getting baptized. I was so happy that it was happening the weekend we were down there! We got to stay in the apartment that the U had supplied Colby while he was doing his Women’s Health rotation with Dr. Gatherum down there throughout December. We also got to go to dinner with my dad’s girlfriend Brynn and her daughter Megan- then they took us to see some Christmas lights. It was so fun!! Christmas sure came in a hurry and was a whirlwind and left in a hurry!! I really thought that Hanna would sit on Santa’s lap but she got scared and wouldn’t do it. I could tell that Hayden was kinda nervous but she marched right up there and told him, shyly, what she wanted. They both slept in pretty good on Christmas morning and we finally woke Hanna up around 8 to go see the goods. I still can’t believe that it was two years ago that we spent Christmas morning in a labor and delivery room. She was so excited it was her “birfday” she wanted nothing to do with her candles either so her sister had to blow them out.
January- our big outing in January was we went up to the Midway Ice Castles with Brian and Kristy and the kids. They got to see Elsa, go swimming in the hotel pool, and spent quality time with the Moody cousins! It was a hoot! Maisa had her new baby George Whit and he is adorable!! He was teeny tiny and Quinn didn't know what to think of him at first but I'm sure she'll adjust soon.
February was spent in the moving process (Colby down to Richfield and us from Elsinore into Richfield). We got Colby's trailer sold and made a couple thousand on it- thank goodness!
March- we went car shopping, attended my grandmother's funeral, had Easter and my birthday!

Colby: Colby is now on to his second to last semester as a student FOREVER!!!! YAY!! This fall he had family practice, general surgery, and OBGYN rotations. And thus far this spring he has had and ER at Utah Valley Regional, Pediatrics in Salt Lake, and ER back in RICHFIELD!!!! He has been super fortunate and all of his preceptors thus far have been phenomenal! He has loved being with patients and he gets great reviews after each rotation and each one has expressed an interest in him getting them a resume once he is done. He also FINISHED on his big Master’s project and he is ecstatic to get that out of the way.  He turned the dirty thirty in November, I wish we could have had a big party but maybe on his fortieth we'll do something big!! He finally got to move down the beginning of March and it has been amazing being a family again!!

Megan: I have settled in to my new job. Finally finished my probation at the end of February …..6 month probation is forever! I am loving working with the patients in Kanosh. Such good people. I was completely spoiled by Chelise while living with them. I simply give her a tiny bit of grocery money and she cooked meals and I simply sat down and ate when I got home then helped clean up. I swear once we moved into the Richfield house full-time I didn’t remember how to prepare meals for my family! The girls and I are continued staying in Elsinore on the weeknights until Colby moved down for good in March. It was just more convenient because Hanna could just stay asleep when I get Hayden off onto the bus and go to work. But I’m sure it was nice for Chelise and Ronnie to not have to deal with us on the weekends too!! It was nice to get moved into our "new to us" place and get out of the Sawyers' hair however, Chel is still kind enough to keep watching the girls for us! I wrecked my white cobalt at the end of February. It unfortunately totaled it- luckily I wasn't hurt at all! I got an AWD Equinox to replace it and it does much better in the snow. My sweet grandma Donna passed away on St Patricks day. Although it was so emotional and sad, it was so comforting to know that she is at peace and she has gained her passport to the Celestial Kingdom. She loved and still loves all of us so much! It was so nice to reconnect with all of my relatives! 

Hayden: She is blossoming! She is very thoughtful and always wanting to make cards for us or give us something. She asks what chores she can do. She is not as defiant as she used to be….I can tell that she truly wants to behave and gets mad at herself when she does something wrong. She likes to help me change Hanna’s bum (only when she has peed) and help her get her jammies on. She is very good at asking before she does something. Like some Friday and Saturday nights she’ll ask if it is okay if she comes and gets the iPad to play it so that we can sleep in-----which I am totally fine with! Ha ha. She asked me every weeknight that Colby was away if it is okay if she sleeps with me and snuggles. When we first moved in with Chelise I wouldn’t let her because I thought that she would want to sleep with us even on the weekends—now I know that she knows the difference so I like it that she wants to snuggle me and I think it’s adorable that she asks me every night if it is okay. She still does not like to be surprised and freezes up when she is though. One morning I wasn’t paying attention and the bus got very close to the bus stop before I told the kids they could get out and she panicked and froze then I had to drag her to the bus. But, as long as she has ample warning and knows what to expect she loves riding the bus and going to school and doesn’t like it when she has to miss a day. She did get strep…again…this month and had to miss two days and she was pretty sad about it. She loves learning new words and it is so fun to watch her learning to read. It is amazing how fast they catch on to things! She had her cute little Kindergarten program and I swear it was the cutest thing in the entire world. She was the third little pig that built her house of bricks. She did great even though she was a little nervous that morning. After she was done she did this cute little dance and I’m sure it was her celebratory dance so proud of herself for completing her part!


Hanna: She now has a mouth full of teeth and even popped through the last two on the bottom. She didn’t acted nearly as cranky this go round as the last. She transitioned down to one nap towards the end of September which has been fine….I always dread dropping that second nap but it is nice to free up the schedule a little for other things. But now she sleeps in until 9 in the mornings which is great for the weekends!! She is getting quite the vocabulary. I am amazed at how fast she learns to speak. She is kind of funny and adds a shhh to the beginning of some of her words like instead of saying “mine” she says “shhmine” haha. One of my favorite phrases that she says is, “Are you kidding me?!?” She is also saying “you’re mean mom!” and “you doofus!” (thanks to dad). She is still just as sweet as a button unless Riley gets too close then she gets on the defense and her arms automatically starts swinging and a high pitched squeal comes out!! Those two pester each other relentlessly when they are together then miss each other when they are a part! She is acting like she is ready to start potty training. She loves to sit on the potty but after attempting for a weekend I decided to wait for a few more months. I love watching her love her babies. She will rock them and say “shh shh shh” she will wrap them up and put them “ni night.” She is starting to love animals more but still only from a distance. She does not want to get close unless it’s a dog or a cat! Although she talks about the mules and chickens at “bumpa Ricks” all the time and even does an adorable “hee haw”!!! I can still get her to snuggle me a little before bed as long as she has her blanket, a sippy, and she can twirl her little blonde hair. I absolutely love it!

Friday, October 30, 2015

July AND August AND September!!


So much has happened this summer! It has gone so fast that I haven't had 5 minutes to sit down and compile everything!!

July was a whirlwind. I thought I had everything figured out and the girls were going to one of Hayden's preschool friends while I worked on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and some Fridays. Colby and I had been doing a ton of fasting and praying to not only figure out childcare for the remainder of PA school but also which direction we needed to head as far as where we were supposed to end up. So at the end of June, while at school, Colby got a phone call from the Clinical Director of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and they were looking for a new provider for their Kanosh Community Health Clinic. We knew that this was the answer to our prayers for several reasons. Chelise had so kindly volunteered to watch my kids, it would give me the opportunity to get to a rural area that we would love and a program available to pay off all of my student loans for a 2 year full-time commitment which I had already planned on staying full-time for that long anyways. We knew that it was going to be difficult because it meant that we would all be separated for at least 6 months. So, that is where the tornado began..........

July!! We made it through---- we did make it to Delta a few times for the parades and to spend time with family. On my Tuesdays off of work at Hunter and Jordan, I would head down south to do some training for the Kanosh job. It was very hectic and we were all exhausted!! Colby wrapped up his summer semester and final didactic semester!! Yay!! Hayden was excited but sad to move to Richfield. She couldn't grasp the concept of dad not living with us and it broke my heart. Hanna had to have known that something was up because she could sense the chaos and she was CRANKY!!! Granted she was getting a few teeth as well...... but that was our July!


August was consumed with moving, buying a trailer, starting a new job, I had a girls weekend in St. George with the Bliss girls and then hit up the Shania concert all within the first 2 weeks of the month. Leaving was hard but good. We loved our ward in Sandy and it was so nice to be so close to the pool and park. The girls, however, loved the openness of living in Elsinore as soon as we got there. They were able to run free and explore.


(Colby's humble abode until March)








Since August went by in a whirl just like July, here I am FINALLY getting around to getting things updated. We were able to go up to the circus and stay a weekend in the trailer. The girls absolutely loved it---well the circus part of it. We stayed in a hotel that night and they think it is such a treat to stay in a hotel and we went swimming the next morning per Hayden's persistent requests-- needless to say it was quite chilly! But they loved it! The trailer was very interesting because it's not like we were camping because we were still in the city-- having a toddler in a confined space is easier said than done. But we survived.

Hayden started kindergarten the first of September and she is loving being in Mrs. Elmer's class.  She is catching on to her letters and learning very quickly. One day she came home and I asked her what she liked about school that day and she said, "We did math and it was great!" It was a little bit of an adjustment being around so many boys here in Elsinore. Boys have a hard time getting used to the fact that girls don't like to play as rough as them and girls have to learn to take the teasing and not be so emotional. She has made a little best friend next door named Valerie. They play every single day.  


Hanna is growing up so fast. She continues to learn new words every day. She took a tumble off the kitchen barstool and hit her head pretty good-- she got a good sized goose-egg from it. No worries- I was doing neuro checks regularly for a bit after! On Labor Day weekend we went out to Maisa and Carters. They got their little pony out for all the kids to ride and Hanna FREAKED when I tried to put her on it. It is so interesting to me how Hayden has always been so in-tune with animals since she was teeny-tiny and Hanna has a connection with people more than Hayden ever has. Hanna loves the ducks at her dad's trailer park but she doesn't want them to get too close to her. We are starting to move her to just one nap. I was hoping to prolong her two naps but she sleeps better now with just the one. In the move, I got out Hayden's hand-me-downs for Hanna and in it were the cute little pink boots that I loved and Hanna thinks they are the greatest! She has always loved shoes. One day I got home from work and she told me, "Cute--boots---mom!" Ha ha. It made my day! 



Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Thank Goodness for May

Family: We enjoyed some good quality family time while dad was on his week long break from school. We went fishing with the Seely's and him and the girls prepped for Mother's Day while I was at work. We all got to travel down to Delta for Memorial Day and attend the Bliss Family reunion. We love it when we get to spend time with everyone.

Colby AND Megan:
I decided to combine us for this month since we started the month of together! We shipped the girls to Delta with the grandmas and had ourselves a stay-cation! Colby got to do some golfing while I was at work that Friday and then when I got off we went to dinner then went to a movie, The Longest Ride. it was really good. Saturday morning we went to brunch at a little cafe then went to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session. I have never done a session there. Then we went to Iggy's to watch the Kentucky Derby. Later that evening I drug Colby to a swing dancing lesson, which he now admits, wasn't too bad and he would go back! On Sunday, we enjoyed a kid free day at church and was able to listen to all three meetings. We cooked some lunch together then went and checked in at the Anniversary Inn for the night. Monday we drove down to Delta and I had a dentist appointment and then we did a round of golf before grabbing the girls.
I had a great Mother's Day. Colby and the girls made sure the house was cleaned and cooked me a delicious dinner. They got me some kit kats and yoga pants with a card! It was so sweet.
Colby, while on his break, got to go golfing at Thanksgiving Pointe. He has always wanted to golf there.

 Hayden:
She is winding down her first year of schooling. She doesn't finish until June 4th. She has a new best friend every single day and her favorite thing to do is play with Moosey. A little stuffed moose toy. We have started reading chapter books together, starting simple with just the Box Car Children. I can barely get her to sit still for 1 tiny chapter. I'm hoping she improves if we keep going with it. She sometimes tells me, "You read and I'll listen while I'm over here doing this." Which she tunes me out and does her own thing. Practice makes perfect right?!?! She loves it when we read scriptures to her and she always asks to ride on her daddy's back when we head upstairs to do it. She says the sweetest prayers which she very frequently talks about how much she loves Jesus. She got to where she was drinking a lot more soda than I would like her to and, of course, when I tell her to do or not to do something she always has to know why. Then that leads to another question and another. She is definitely very inquisitive. So, she learned all about how too much sugar can cause diabetes or as she puts it, "di-O-betes." Now, she tells us when we have a soda that it isn't healthy for us and she'll ask me to tell her when she has had too much so she doesn't get "di-O-betes." She is so sweet and is trying so hard to be a great sister- which she does tremendously! She always feels guilty when she has done something wrong. But she does so good at giving Hanna lots of love! She also had so much fun playing with so many of her cousins over Memorial Day weekend


Hanna:
Hanna is jabbering in her own little language! It is so cute. She says, "peas" (please) and "tay-tu" (thank you) along with a lot of other little words. She will try and mimic anything we way to her. She loves poking belly buttons. She is sleeping great at night and still napping 2 times a day. I don't see her dropping that anytime soon! She is trying to pop four molars and about 3 teeth in the front all at the same time. She has been more cranky than normal but still not bad considering that!! She loves to run and still loves wearing headbands or hats or anything on her head. She is definitely more of a Mama's girl, which I am okay with. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She is LOVING her babies! She gives them kisses, rocks them. I love watching her take care of her babies. It is adorable. She is my little snuggler- I love feeling her little arms wrapped around my shoulders with her head on my shoulder.



Monday, May 11, 2015

April Showers---Or Snowstorms!

Family:
We enjoyed the first weekend in April watching General Conference and enjoying Easter Sunday as a family! The girls got lot's of fun things for the summer at the pool and some adorable dresses!



Colby:
Let's just say that the stress of this spring semester came to a head during April. Colby was incredibly busy studying for finals every Monday but he, yet again, sailed through it and completed his third semester of PA school. Just one more didactic semester then the rest is clinical rotations. He is looking so forward to being able to be out instead of stuck in classrooms all day Monday through Thursday. He is learning a lot from his Friday clinics in Provo and has had to really try and learn medical spanish since 90% of the patients he sees there are hispanic.

Megan:
I spent the month getting ready for Easter, then Hayden's birthday party. It was so much fun, but a lot of work, to host a friend party. I have decided that they can have friend parties on their odd birthdays and family ones on the evens. I was so grateful that I had Nikki and Chelise there to help me get set up and then Crystal and her kids were there and helped with the clean up. I really don't know what I would have done without them.

Hayden:
I can't believe that this little stinker is 5 already!! Where did the time go?! She requested a Unicorn and Rainbow birthday party and wanted a new big bike. She is loving gymnastics, she loves to try and use big words like "disappointed." She has been very curious about her body and where babies come from and that has been a struggle for this mom to try and figure out how to teach her these things in the right way. She is starting to ride her big bike pretty good. We didn't put the training wheels on it because she has been using the strider bike for a while. It wasn't too long into the practice that she said, "Just leg go mom!" I can do it! It made me very proud. We still haven't gotten the starting and stopping on her own because the bike is a little big, but I'm sure she'll get it in time.



1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? (this changes every day) Elsa idol
3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Curious George
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac N Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? Dresses
7. What is your favorite game? Tag
8. What is your favorite snack? Chocolate Milk (bunny milk)
9. What is your favorite animal? Horse
10. What is your favorite song? Let It Go
11. What is your favorite book? Scriptures
12. Who is your best friend? (changes every day) Kinley (neighbor)
13. What is your favorite cereal? the one with the marshmallows
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my scooter
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Valentines Day
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? All of the stuffed animals and soft blanky
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Corn Flakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? White Soup (potato chowder)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A nurse





Hanna:
She turned 16 months and is learning new words. This month it was please which sounds more like a high pitched peas! It is pretty cute. She also went through another dang round of Strep. It seems like the past couple of months if it's not one, it's the other! I feel so bad and she doesn't know what is going on she just knows that it hurts!! She likes to lay down on the ground to drink her milk from her sippy cups. There is a pillow that is either on the couch or chair all the time and she will grab it and put it on the ground to lay on while she drinks. It is pretty funny and she is pretty protective of that pillow. She didn't quite know what to think when there was a big snowstorm (the biggest of the year) and Jacey got them bundled up and went out back. She loves having her shoes on and says it so cute. She is pretty independent and likes to wrestle with her dad.


Monday, April 13, 2015

March Madness

Colby: It was nice for Colby to get a little of a break! The Seely's were heading to St. George to enjoy some time off for a few days so we tagged along with them!!! Colby decided St. George isn't too bad and the golf is great. Haha Misha and her kids watched all of our kids while we went out and had some Japanese food and then climbed the Dixie rock. I always have wanted to go there with Colb ever since I was living down there going to school so it was a little nostalgic being there with him! Haha
Megan: March was a little crazy for me because our computer system at work crashed and we had to do everything by paper for 2 weeks. Then when the computers came back on we had to input everything into the system so it was a good 20 hours of extra work for a week! I got to take Hayden on a date to the new Cinderella movie. I was probably more excited than her! It was so adorable....definitely gonna buy that one. While we were gone, Colby and Hanna went to Cal Ranch cause she needed a distraction for her crankiness. I also got to go to my beautiful cousin Cicelie's baby shower. I am so excited for her to have her baby boy and it was so nice to visit with family. I got spoiled for my birthday! Colby got me an at home laser hair removal system (that I haven't gotten figured out yet) and Hayden and Jacey had the house all set up for a surprise party for me when I got home from work! It was cute...then Colby and I went out on our date to a little cafe for some steaks. It's always great to get out! I have started getting a little "trunky" for our lives to settle down and know where we are gonna be and have more of a plan.....I'm trying to shake it off and keep telling myself that we only have 16 months of his schooling left and we can do it!! haha
Hayden: She got to start gymnastics this month and she is loving it so far! It was crazy sock day and crazy hair day at school and she loved her unicorn hair. She had a hoot with the Seely girls in St. George. She never wanted to come back to reality. One Saturday before work, she decided to give me a manicure....I had several people ask about my beautiful nails that day! She has been very opinionated about what she is going to wear each day and asks me what I think of her style all the time. She is counting down how many Thursdays until her birthday. She has decided she wants rainbows and unicorns. One Saturday, just as we were heading out of town to go to Delta for Grandma Joyce's and Brailynn's birthday parties, she started complaining of a headache. So I took her into my work and it was her turn this month for strep. I am so ready to get some tonsils yanked on these girls! I feel so bad when they are sick!

Hanna was obviously going to a developmental spurt through the month! She was crankier than normal. She is learning a lot of new words. Ball, meow, mama, dada, no, shoe, uh oh, and a couple others I can't think of right now! She finally weighs 20 lbs 4 oz (10th percentile still) she is 32 inches long (60th percentile) and her 15 month check up went great! I had them swab her throat too just in case but it came back negative. She is being more of a mama's girl lately, which is okay with me! She gives kisses and likes to throw things in the trash for me. She loves to be outside and to play with her sister. I love it when they play nice with each other. They sometimes get to hitting or scratching each other but then they are happy 2 seconds later! I chopped her bangs a little short this month (oops)! I now know I should wait until someone can hold her head for me!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

February 2015

Family: February flew by.....as does every month I swear! It was such a mild month. We got to enjoy a lot of outdoor time and the girls loved being able to go to the park. We didn't really do many adventures during February. The gas prices went down below $2 for the first time since high school, which was nice, but we didn't capitalize on it and go anywhere like we should've! Haha. Jacey took the girls out for a little photo shoot with the capes that I made for them. I thought they turned out pretty dang cute!


Colby: School is going great. He is getting into a groove with his Friday clinics and really starting to enjoy it. He pretty much has finals every single Monday which makes it so his weekends are consumed with studying. He is always great about helping me out to do a quick cleaning of the house and he always takes charge for Sunday dinners, which is so nice!

Megan: Work has been quite busy because of the sick season. Colby took me on a wonderful Valentines date the night before (so we could avoid the crowds). He took me to his favorite Thai restaurant up by the school and then we watched a movie in the back of the Durango. He planned the whole thing and it was so fun......definitely my kind of date. We watched If I Stay.....I may have cried a little. 

Hayden: One year after the traumatic hair cutting incident.....her hair is finally to a point that we can pull it all back in a pony tail which is so nice!! She is really growing up. She still has just a little strider bike that she has been riding around the neighborhood. She has been ready for a big girl bike for a while but I wanted to wait until better weather. So who knows......maybe she'll be getting something for her birthday!! She loved going iceskating with Jacey, her brother Jaden, and her sister Haley.  Also, one Tuesday she got to play with Shayda and Drex while Dylan had a doctors appointment and then the very next week she got to play with Brooklyn while her mom took (and PASSED) her LPN boards!! Yay!


Hanna: This little nugget had a little rough of a February. Right after her two front teeth poked through and she was acting like herself again then she Started fevering one Saturday afternoon. So we kept her home from church the next day and she kept fevering and had a hard time drinking her milk (she was fine with solids) and she was snoring horribly. So, even though experts say that kids under 2 don't get strep throat, I took her into my work that Monday evening and she was glaringly positive on the rapid strep test!! I felt so so bad for her!! Her tonsils were so huge that she had a hard time breathing while she was lying down. She got her "feel better shot" and started to improve over the next few days. Poor thing....lucky that none of the rest of us got it! I was so excited this month to FINALLY get her hair into the lower piggytails!! It looks so cute on her! She is such a good little kiddo and I just love it when I get some snuggles out of her!


Jacey sent me a bunch of pics that she had on her phone of the girls and her. I love looking at them. She really is so absolutely amazing with them and we are so grateful to have her here with us! She goes and does fun things with them, she sticks to a good routine, she helps me out is more ways than I could even begin to explain. We are hoping we can talk her into staying for a second year!