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! 

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.

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.

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!

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!

January- Realized I Never Posted This!

Family: We kicked off the New Year by staying home!! Ha ha. It was fabulous though. That weekend, we invited the whole Bliss family to come up and go ice skating at the Gallivan Center. Then we had a big ole pot of homemade chicken noodle soup waiting to warm us all up. It really was so much fun. Many of them had never gone ice skating before. Growing up next to the Sevier River gave me the opportunity to go many times. I remember one year we all got ice skates for Christmas. I think that was the year that my mom spear headed the attempt at making a rink in the field next to our house. It was a great attempt but didn't exactly pan out as expected. So fun though. 

Colby: On the 15th, Colby and I got to go to his White Coat ceremony. This signifies that the program is entrusting it's students to begin seeing patients. Many programs do not allow their PA students to start clinicals until the 2nd year so this is a very nice thing that the U does. He started his first day the very next day!. Every Friday he will be at a community health clinic in Provo. He sees a very large percentage of Spanish speaking only patients so it has forced him to really exercise his Spanish skills- and medical Spanish is a whole different beast!!

Megan: I just had fun with my family this month. I decided to knuckle down and get my cravings in check since I am done breastfeeding. I typically loose the "baby-weight" right after delivery but then I get the breastfeeding weight that I gain a whole lot more than the pregnancy weight. Then, on top of that, I have the Grad school "baby" that I never lost because I got pregnant right after. So, I've got a ways to go. I am not a fan of crash "diets" so what I focused on the first of the month is just maintaining portions, no sweets, and not eating after 7 pm. All of which are relatively difficult for me. I committed myself to no baking for the month and trying to do healthy snacking. I did do a no carb week (cause carbs are my guilty pleasure) and I'm not sure at this point whether it was beneficial or detrimental. I was able to loose 15 lbs but I sill have a good 15 more to loose and I know that will be a lot slower to come off. I hate looking at the scale because I just don't want that to be how I gauge my self-esteem but I am using that to temporarily set goals to accomplish. 

Hayden: She had quite the month. On the day we went ice skating (which she was so excited for), she was running in her Elsa dress and slipped on the cape and her face hit the tile breaking one of her front teeth!! It was so so sad!! You could tell it was pretty painful for her. So she got to go to the dentist and have it capped for the time being. Then a couple weeks later, the other one started to get dusky and we could tell it was dying. Luckily it is just a baby tooth. She absolutely loved ice skating. She thought it was so much fun. 

Hanna: She has turned into our little mover! She loves to dance to any music, anywhere. She will hear something in the grocery store and she'll start bouncing. She can feel that beat and she just can't resist a little jig!! It really is so so cute. She is so so close to getting her 2 front teeth. She has been a little cranky because of it. It seems like my girls take FOREVER to pop their teeth and it makes them miserable. We've been battling bum rash issues too which have not been fun! Her nighttime sleep has definitely been effected by all of it. 

December... way late....

Family: We had a fast and furious December. We were able to enjoy some wonderful family time together. We were able to go to Temple Square and visit Delta for several days. We made it down to Delta one weekend for the Bliss family Christmas party. Our Christmas was wonderful and it was so nice that we were all able to spend it together then celebrate our baby's first birthday. 

Colby: Colby finished up his second semester of PA school. Although he is definitely going to have a lot more gray hair by the time this is over, he is doing very well and learning so much. He is excited to start getting into a clinic and seeing patients. On his first night after his last final, he got out the double sleeping bag and he and Hayden had a camp out in the living room. She absolutely loved it- she wouldn't let him put the sleeping bag away for DAYS. He also got to play Mr. Mom during his break since we felt it would be silly to have Jacey stay with him being out of school. His girls loved having him home to spend time with them. One of his favorite things to do during the breaks, especially the winter one, is to watch movies. I believe he watched at least 20!! Ha ha. At the end of the month he was able to go back to Delta and shadow there and he was lucky enough to see some family members while he was there. 

Megan: December went by in a blur for me. It was crazy/fun/busy getting ready for Christmas AND then for Hanna's birthday. I also got to take the Gum Paste portion of my Wilton Cake classes. I got to learn how to to edible intricate flowers. I enjoyed having Colby home for a couple weeks to run all my errands and be able to have the time to spend with him. I also got to meet up with Amanda and Tayte in Milford the day after Christmas for some chinese food and that was so fun. I enjoyed dressing up for the Christmas party......Nikki and I were the only ones to put a little flare in our outfits. I think it adds a little "ugly sweater" vibe to things which I get a kick out of. 

Hayden: She had so much fun during December. She loved being able to spend time with her cousins. We got to go to Temple square with Crystal and her girls. She also loved helping me decorate the Christmas tree and getting her very own ornament. She thought it was so cool to have the campout with her dad and she wouldn't let him put away the sleeping bag for days. One evening, Colby told us to get coats on cause he was taking us for a surprise. We went down to a park in Draper where they had a huge tree with thousands of lights. When we pulled up Hayden started crying and saying, "But I didn't want lights for my surprise!!" So we told her that we would just go home. She quickly changed her mind and said, "No NO NO I want to stay at this surprise!!" She thought Christmas was a blast, mainly because she got to play with ALL of her cousins. She was very helpful to her sister with opening her presents too.

Hanna: Oh my little Hanna Joyce. How did this year go by so so fast? The month of December was a stark reminder that these babies just don't stay babies for long enough. She did so good sleeping through the night (except for a virus at the end of the month that caused quite the runny nose) and her cute little wobbly steps become more sure-footed each and every day. She has really started playing and interacting more with kids. She loves to have things on her head like her dad's hat. At the first part of the month she loved Santa. Then on Christmas Eve she wanted nothing to do with him. She loves her baths and playing with the little kitchen. We've had to completely baby proof the kitchen so she can't get into the cupboards. She still only has her two bottom teeth but her top ones are slowly working their way down her gums. At her well check she weighs 18 lbs 7 oz (9th percentile) and she's almost 30 in (66th percentile). When we are out in public she will stare people down until they acknowledge her so she can smile at them.

It almost pains me to look at the growth over the last year in these pictures. She is such a sweet heart and such a beautiful baby!

She loved getting to dig into her cake. She kind of took her sweet time with it---- I'm sure she was just savoring every bite like her mama does.