Halloween

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And doesn't know where to find her;

Leave her alone, 

and she'll come home,

Wagging her tail behind her.

(Love being reunited...hugs all around!)

This Halloween hasn't consisted if ghouls and ghosts or zombies and skeletons. With little girls, it's all things FRILLY and PINK!!

(This costume is awful... This is what Charlie's face has written all over it!)

Nursery rhymes are timeless......

Happy Halloween!

nonsense

What if........ should've...... these are words that I TRY my hardest to avoid. These words have driven me to the insanity of grad school and the wonders of motherhood. No matter what I do....no matter what decisions I make- those dreadful words are inevitable. I am constantly asking myself questions like, "what if I don't get as sick with my next pregnancy..will I regret waiting to have another child until after school is done if I don't?" I make excuses for myself CONSTANTLY! For example, I really want to make family traditions like every October going to a pumpkin patch like Staheli Farms followed by a night at Thriller. I also want to host fun family Halloween parties. This year I was going to FOR SURE at least make it to a pumpkin patch--- did it happen? NO! What are my excuses? Homework, School, Work, Deer Hunt, Exhaustion, Being Sick, ect. Excuses- excuses!!! I really do want to be a good mom and do tons of fun family things- but my excuse- the obligations of life are getting in my way!!!! I keep telling myself that if we just sacrifice these few years, the next 30+ years will benefit because of the things we passed up on NOW!

Walmart pulled through for me this year.....pumpkin carving might have to wait a year or two and the AWESOME Halloween traditions might have to wait longer. But this cute little pumpkin from Walmart expresses the best of intentions of these exhausted parents. She loves this 'ball'- as she says it!  

(Her hilariously laughing faces) 

'wrangler butts drive me nuts'

Such a cute little toosh!

On to the 'hunt'.....

Colby didn't draw out- I'm the one with the tag. I really do love going camping and hiking in the mountains and looking for deer. But its hard......first off.... I am THE SLOWEST hiker (Colby gets frustrated with my huffing and puffing I'm sure)....and.... toting an 18 month old along isn't Colby's idea of hunting. So a couple of times we got a babysitter; but that can't be too often (lack of $$$$). Great friends have helped. But still the mom having the tag- isn't easy!! It was nice spending peaceful evenings enjoying the mountain air and getting some quality couple time.

But alas...... we've had no luck.

Luckily, we know that when we have to lean on others to help take care of our bug while we are away- she is in the best of care! The past few weeks I have realized the importance of great friendships and relationships. I have been so lucky to meet wonderful women through visiting teaching who have helped me in times of need. As well as awesome family willing to jump in whenever distance doesn't prohibit. Then there are those long-time friends that are always there when I need them. And of course....we are so grateful for a reliable babysitter whom we are going to be devastated to see leave at the end of this semester. 

This mom loves it when she gets called off of work and gets to spend more precious time with the ones she loves most- talking in 3rd person is so not cool- haha!

This kid opens doors......ugh....one of her favorites is the pantry. She spends time rearranging cans and boxes and brings me the bags of cereal to give her a snack. The cereal is going to have to find a new (higher) home. 

Now I really need to stop procrastinating and get this Healthcare Policy paper I have been putting off for way too long- started! Blogging is much funner......

Fall-

Well- we woke up to snow this morning. I can say with confidence that I am so not ready for it to be winter!! I love all the things winter brings- Christmas- Family- ect.- EXCEPT for the cold! I can even handle the snow- I just wish it were 75 degrees along with it!! Ha ha- I guess that isn't possible!
Along with the leaves changing, October Conference, pumpkins, and midterms, comes more milestones Millie! As of the 16th, she is now 18 months old- I say 1 1/2 cause that just seems easier to comprehend! One blessed thing that this milestone brings is NURSERY!

This ^ is how we thought nursery was going to go! But- to our surprise- she actually did really good! However, she has only been the once because we weren't at church this last week. She went to Delta to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Moody while Colby and I were hunting. Needless to say- I got sick and my parents came down with it too! So- we'll see how nursery goes this next week! 

18 Month Milestones

21 lbs 12 oz 14%

32 1/2 in 73%

She is talking more and more- I'll try to think of the new words she is saying but I always remember more after I have posted!

eye- ear- mouth- nose- toes- head- hair- oatmeal- nana (banana)- shish (fish)- deer (her dad has been REALLY working on this one)- dad (finally- still no mom)- bottle (instead of baba)- shoe- horse- meow- ot ot ot (for hot hot hot)- du (duck- sounds just like she says dog so its hard to distinguish unless she is pointing)- ball (ball, balloon, pumpkin- she generalizes)- ssshhhh (she puts her finger to her mouth- I think she learned this in nursery cause she wasn't doing it before then)

Of course, she only says these things when we aren't expecting it and not when we ask her to say something. Everything is on her terms! We are still working on mom and Charlie- 

She is recognizing and following simple commands like 'go get in the bath' or 'lets go change your bum' or 'wanna go outside.' I am REALLY working on 'let's clean up your toys!' 

She is using a fork and spoon with confidence- whether or not it makes it to her mouth before falling off that is the question- but she sure is confident about it! I no longer can feed her, she has to do it herself- using utensils. Occasionally she will let me "load" her spoon or fork before she takes a bite; but that is only when she wants me too. 

She still loves pretty much all foods! She begs for banana's and eats all of her veggies before anything else. For example, I made her some mac and cheese and some green beans for lunch- I mixed them together- she picked out all of the green beans first and then proceeded to eat the pasta. Then tonight, I made homemade chicken noodle soup and she picked out all the carrots and celery and ate them first before the noodles and chicken. I really hope that these good eating habits continue! If she doesn't like something the first time I try again and again- but she really hasn't needed much coercion! It is one of my goals as a parent to not raise picky eaters because I was/am picky and I hate it and wish I could change but I don't have the willpower! Ha ha- I do feel that good eating habits are definitely a learned behavior so I want to start my kids young. Hayden always gets a veggie or fruit with every meal (except I sometimes skip breakfast and just do oatmeal). She has eaten veggies that I don't think I ever tried growing up like brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, artichoke, tomatillos, ect. and she eats them all without flinching!

She still sleeps pretty good (when we are home- elsewhere is another story). She takes two naps still and I really don't see us dropping one for a while- she just gets so tired! She also sleeps 12 hours at night sometimes she pushes 13! This is a great thing cause her mama needs her sleep and needs time to do homework in the evenings I don't work!!

The only complaint I have about this munchkin is when teething comes around!! It takes about 3 WEEKS for ONE stinking tooth to come through and she is a TERROR through the whole process! She still only has 9 so we have a while to go before we're done! Ugh!

Shifting gears......

I am my ward's Activity Day leader! It was a calling that I was nervous about but have enjoyed! This month I was only able to get one activity because I was the only leader (I now have help) and I have been pretty busy working and with school! So this week I took the girls on a Cemetery Scavenger Hunt!! It seemed fitting around Halloween time and I wanted to expose the girls to a family history avenue! My friend Sasha is a cemetery/family history GENIUS- so I called upon her to help me gather facts about cemeteries! 

Hayden doesn't think Activity Days is all that fun- she is pretty clingy the ENTIRE time! Thank goodness it's just an hour!

Here is me, the girls, and my new helper Kim after our Cemetery Scavenger Hunt!

Thanks to Sasha, I was able to put together this fun little handout to guide them! The girls ended up really liking the activity and wanted to keep looking for stuff once the activity was over! I think they will have a new perspective when visiting cemeteries!

love.

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that Colby's grandpa Shirl had died. Colby was super close with his grandpa and has always looked up to him so much! It was amazing to see how many family members genuinely love and will miss him- there were very few dry eyes in the church during the funeral. It was definitely sad but so good all at the same time- grandma Millie has been gone for over 9 years and I'm sure their reunion in heaven was amazing! 

A little bit about Shirl:

He was a member of the Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI. The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number.

In slightly more than five months of combat, the Marauders had advanced 750 miles through some of the harshest jungle terrain in the world, fought in 5 major engagements (Walawbum, Shaduzup, Inkangahtawng, Nhpum Ga, and Myitkyina) and engaged in combat with the Japanese Army on thirty-two separate occasions, including two conventional defensive battles with enemy forces for which the force had not been intended nor equipped. Battling Japanese soldiers, hunger, fevers, and disease, they had traversed more jungle terrain on their long-range missions than any other U.S. Army formation during World War II.

The men of the Merrill's Marauders enjoyed the rare distinction of having each soldier awarded theBronze Star.

Later in life, Shirl was able to live his dream by having a very productive farm and cows. He has 5 children as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I had Nikki's camera throughout the funeral trying to get pics for her so I didn't take my own photos but Colby took a couple with his phone of the display.

.........

On a lighter note, the weather has chilled- we stopped watering the garden and it is definitely sweater weather. We enjoyed the slightly warmer weather this evening and took advantage of it by going out and watching Dad mow the lawn.

(Do ya love the battle wounds all over her face? Baby vs cabinet door- cabinet door won)

Over the last couple months- yard work has taken a back seat to homework, tests, and studying. The grass had grown to an unmanageable level! It's nice to see it nicely mowed today.

We are still lovin us some pink boots! We have a couple pair!

Charlie is nervously chewing on her rag- she is scared to death of the lawn mower- and Millie is busy moving toys here and there.

Wish us luck- first day of nursery tomorrow!

last week

Teething........

...why does it take SSOOOO long......

Needless to say- after a week of swelling, a molar popped through- then quickly receded- and popped again- it's finally completely through. Ugh- we hate it! Tantrums, clinginess and jealousy all accompany this process. I wish they would come faster than 1 at a time. Let's just get the pain and torture over with! We now have 8- only 12 more to go until the primary set is in! Why can't we be more than half way there? 

The jealousy was evident last week in St. George while watching Misha's kids while she was basking in the sun on the golf courses of Florida. Hayden was fine when it was just the two of us- but in walks one of Misha's 4 kiddos and the whining and clinginess escalades. I really felt bad for the kids- they just wanted to help her and she was ornery towards them- so frustrating.

This is a mild dirty look that has become her specialty lately- like I said- this is a mild one- she could kill you with her looks sometimes!

While in St. G- I went to Fries Farmer's Market and picked up a box of peaches- this was my first time canning without my grandma by my side walking me through it (or just doing it for me)! Sammie, Dax, and Lexie helped me out by peeling peaches, washing the rims and writing on the lids! They turned out good and Colby is loving his new breakfasts.

Then, last weekend, Colby decided he wanted to go to Veyo to get his gun sighted in by a legend gun sighter and he wanted to go through St. George to get there. So we got the gun sighted in and stopped at The Cracker Barrel for some nummy southern grub

And then we stopped in to visit Trevor and Lashel and their little heart-breaker Koleman- 

Hayden stole his sippy......

....and a couple kisses....

....but finally K-man had had enough and didn't want the kisses anymore. So they finished the night with a 'low-five' which is probably the pace that we (their parents) would prefer it for now and at least the next two decades! Ha ha-

Those smooches sure are cute though!

~Good week~

On a side note: Colby's Grandpa Pace passed away this morning- a sad but peaceful day- he is where he needs to be now. I will have more on this amazing man in a later post.

life.

Obviously, the majority of my posts are about one certain individual. She happens to be the most entertaining human in our family that is why she gets so much air-time! However, this is our family's so-called 'scrapbook' so I figure that I should tell a little bit about the other two humans- aka Megan and Colby. However, the two of us really are quite boring! Ha ha- we are busy though! 

I'll start off by telling a little bit about Colby-

Colby has made some critical decisions since we have been married. One of which was when we found out we were going to be parents- he quit his job (in Delta) and moved back down to Cedar to be with me. He had been wanting to go to school and get a degree since he returned from his mission but wasn't able to narrow down exactly what degree that would be! So- when he moved back down, he made the quick decision to become a Radiology Technician and he ran with it. He was able to bust out his prerequisite courses within a year and applied for Weber State's program through Valley View Medical Center here in Cedar. 

Unfortunately, the program is really competitive and hasn't accepted first time applicants in several years. So- he trudged on- the next year he took courses that will be able to go towards his Bachelor's degree and applied again. When he got the acceptance letter in May it was such a happy day. We were both excited to have a (very distant) end in sight. 

So, in August, Colby started his two-year program. He has to complete three 8-hour shifts a week at Valley View's radiology department. I was really nervous that after all the work and preparation that he would start the program and decide he doesn't like the line of work. However, he has really enjoyed it so far. Colby also works for the Cedar City Water Deparment. He is busy doing his work hours, clinical hours, homework, and trying to get in a little hunting this fall. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile- I decided that while Colby is going to school and while Millie is young- I had better just jump on the band wagon and finish up my goals as well. Last fall- I took a statistics class (with Colby) in order to be able to start applying to graduate programs. I applied to the University of Utah's Doctorate of Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner) program and the University of Cincinnati's Master's of Nursing program. I got accepted into both but had to weigh out the pros and cons to both programs. The U's program was 3 years (hence the Dr.) and Cinci's was only 2. I really wanted to have the prestige of being a U graduate and the Dr. degree but decided to go with Cinci for reason's such as: I don't want my kids to be 5 years apart and I can't be pregnant and go to school (cause I'm pretty much worthless while prego), there are no campus visits for Cinci, and it just felt like the right thing for me! I will have the exact same license by the time I'm through. So, in June I started my program! 

Also- I work in St. George at Dixie Regional Medical Center in the Central Staffing department and I LOVE it! I get to work everywhere from ICU to NICU to Med/Onc ect. I have learned so much and feel that it has been a great opportunity to help me grow and prepare for my education.

(at work on CVU) 

We are the poorest that we have been in our whole married lives because we are both only working part-time right now- we don't see each other nearly enough- and our stress levels are through the roof! 

Luckily, because of great friends and family and some good inter-marital teamwork, we will survive these next two years! I hate to wish them away because that will mean that our baby will be 3!! But, it will be so nice to be done and hopefully then we can gain some stability and normalcy in our lives!

......and bring some more cute kiddos into the world! He he

Oh- here is a picture of our little house we bought when we were expecting- I hope to be able to go take pictures of the other places we have lived since being married- but for now- this is our home.

Labor Day Weekend

We went to good 'ole D-Town for Labor Day weekend- since we don't know the next time we'll make it up there. Colby had to rush back to Cedar on Monday to work and do clinicals Tuesday. I don't start up school again until Sept. 21st and I didn't work until Thursday night so Millie and I extended our stay a couple days.

While we were there........

....we rode with Grandma Cyn...

...and played in the playhouse with dad...

....and canned with Grandma Joyce....

(we made this delectable peach rasberry jam and some scrumptious tomato soup.. and I'm not normally a fan of tomato soup)

We did many other things that I didn't get pictures of- like play with cousins, roast weenies with the Bliss bunch, and visit-visit-visit!

Despite the beginning of a new molar 'popage' we had a great week! We love going home and being around ALL of our family! We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives.

Phone Photo Dump