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!

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.

Let Us Give Thanks

Family:  Something that we all have to be thankful for is the togetherness of our family. We all have our health which gives us the opportunity to spend the little time we have together. We have a home, we have food in our fridge, we have the gospel of Jesus Christ to rely on for guidance, and we have so many other, less prominent but equally significant, blessings to be grateful for.

Colby: Colby is definitely in the throws of a tough semester. We are all going to be so so glad to get December 16th here and over with then enjoy hopefully 3 1/2 weeks of quality family time. He is still doing well in his classes and learning a lot. He is still very confident that this is in fact a career path that he feels will continue to challenge him and allow him amazing growth and opportunity. Colby had his 29th birthday on the 24th! We were able to go to a movie and dinner with one of Colby's friends-carpool partner-study buddy. His wife, Alyse, is pretty awesome too so it is fun to get together with them. We went to Dumb and Dumber To then went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. I, of course, ate steak- but I am glad Colby got to eat his beloved crab! Ha ha

Megan: I am back to being my boring self. I didn't have much going on I loved getting together with my family for Thanksgiving. It is the only time I get to see so many of them so I am grateful for traditions that pull us together. It is also great to see my grandparents. I try to see them most times I go to Delta. I never know if the last time is going to be the last time to see them. I guess it takes some years of maturity to really appreciate the time that has been lost. I am grateful for the time I had.

Hayden:She had her very first parent teacher conference. After hearing from her teacher several times, I thought that I was going to get lectured but she had only good things to say about her. She is already meeting expectations required for the end of her preschool program. She does struggle with conflict resolution but we are all working on that. Not to brag, but her teacher said that she is the only one in class that knows all of her letters and the sounds they make. I was kind of shocked. I haven't worked with her for quite a while so I thought she would be right around the same page as everyone else. She does love to learn and I am so proud of her for how interested she is in everything. One night we were playing and she told me that I was the babysitter and she was going to work. I asked her what she was going to do and she told me she was going to St. George. Then I asked her what she did at her work and she said, "Ya know, medicine?" I asked what type and she said, "Like I look at xray's to see if they have broken bones." I told her that those were called Radiologists and she said, "Yeah a katologis!" Ha ha. I thought it was pretty funny. I'm loving the little conversations we have.

Hanna: This month was a huge month of firsts for our sweet Hanna. She got her FIRST tooth just a week before she turned 11 months old. She also has taken her first steps!!! So exciting. She is definitely not walking yet but once she gets a little confidence I'm sure she'll take off! She also got her first little trim on her bangs. Her other new tricks include waving, clapping, giving "high-fives", and blowing kisses. She is sleeping the complete 12 hours at night now from 8-8. She sometimes wakes up around 7 but I feed her and she goes back to sleep until 8. I am no longer doing her "dream-feed" at 10:30.  It is very nice to have the consistency and be able to go to bed earlier if I want too.