April showers brings May flowers

Having multiple children makes time fly. Especially in the summertime. I was sitting here thinking "man, I need to catch up on my blog while I'm two kids short this week" and it took me awhile to put all of my thoughts together. Too much to tell, but don't want to bore you with the details. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

So, yeah if you look at Ben & Connie's blog you'll see the updates she's so graciously providing to Jesse & I. It's nice to be filled in on the latest happenings while our two boys Bryson & Cameron hang out in Utah with their cousins. So far so good, but man does Connie have her hands full. I trust that she's getting help. :)

As much as I miss the boys I'm very much enjoying my special time with the girls. I'm able to read more to Claire and some to Bella. We've tried to make some felt beaded necklaces and then we went swimming, but Bella was not in the mood to swim in the ice cold water unlike Claire so we watched poolside. Other things like baking cookies and just sitting and watching the girls play and frolic around reminded me of my days with just Bryson & Cameron when we lived in Oregon and a life that was simpler. It seemed like my focus was more on them and not everywhere at once. It's hard to remember the last time I just sat with the kids without having something in the back of my mind tugging on me to get up and do or to be somewhere else. So, this change of pace has made me realize what makes me truely happy and that it's ok to just sit and hold your children. I already knew that, but had lost that perspective.

The kids have really been neglected the past 2 1/2 weeks. I was making a special movie/documentary of my mother for her 60th b-day and there was A LOT of material to go through. I spent every free moment of my time working on it plus I stayed up til 2:30 am every night and then got up to get Bryce off to school. I didn't want a nap because that would be time I could be working on the video. So, needless to say I wasn't a fun person to be around. Then to top it all off the day I was going to leave to head to Artesia the video wouldn't publish! I missed my nephews graduation trying to figure out how to get it done, but there were some corrupt files,etc and so I showed up empty handed and heartbroken. So, I'm still trying to get it done, but am working on it from time to time on a different program. Such is life right. It'll get done mom I promise.

Like I said earlier, this month has been full of "go here, go there." The boys are both in baseball, but on separate teams this year and so Monday thru Thursday we're at the baseball fields. It makes it difficult to feed a family dinner. I do enjoy watching them though. Cameron is so cute in his over sized uniform, out diving for the ball. I think if his pants don't have grass marks on them he's disappointed. Summer is going to fast, looking forward to slowing it down a bit.

Claire turns 3

Claire talks numbers with Cameron all the time! So, when she turned 3 it wasn't an adjustment because she's been saying that she's 3 for like 6 months now. Anyway, she's a big girl now (completely potty trained for the last few months) with a sweet and spicy attitude all at the same time. From time to time if she's in the other room I'll ask, "What are you doing Claire?" She always replies "Anything." That's about right. When someone does something wrong towards her we'll say sorry and she quickly replies in her dramatic way, "it's too late!" So, we've really been trying to teach her about forgiveness. :) She still walks around the house with her shirt off before or after bath time and has her head tilted back so that her hair seems really long. "Look at me's hair mommy! It's LOOONNNGG! and beeuuful." Last but not least, you can always tell if she feels sorry for doing something because she'll immediately say, "I nove new." She'll also say it out of the blue when you don't expect it which makes it special to hear. Claire...love that girl!

Triathlon Pictures

Glutton for Punishment!

Sorry about the long post, there's a lot to tell about. When I told my mother I was going to do a Triathlon those were her exact words, "what are you glutton for punishment?" Well, although it all seems like a distant memory I did finish my first Triathlon last weekend! To be honest I never thought I'd be able to do one because it seemed as though history was going to repeat itself like it did after I had Claire. I was going to compete in one 2 years ago, but go the stomach flu the night before the race. This year, I got the stomach flu AGAIN, but luckily it was 5 days before the race, but it still made me think, "is this a sign or what!" The morning of the race was just beautiful. We were at White Sands Missile Range just below the Organ Mountains on the east side. It was a nice crisp morning, calm, perfect for a race. At least, until I got on the bike.

Starting off on the run....I told myself that I would be happy if I ran 29 min for my 3.1 mile. Well, I was able to make just below that at 28:37. The run was fairly tough, it felt like half of it was at a constant uphill climb. I can remember coming into the transition where my bike was and seeing my dad, Jesse and the kids all lined up cheering for me. It made me choke up (but I had no oxygen to cry). :) Then, there was Karen with little Bella and Greg waiting for me at the bike with some water. I passed on the water and got on my bike as fast as I could so that I could make up some time.

My front gears were broken so while going downhill I couldn't get into the gear to go super fast so that's when a bunch of people passed me. The bike....was very tough! At first I was really enjoying it (except for the pain of being in constant motion) and finally made it to the turnaround point at about 15 K. Well, the wind started to pick up big time! There was nothing I could do! I was so far away and felt like I was never going to get to where I needed to be. My legs, back and neck seemed like they were on fire, I had emptied my water bottle and just felt at times like this race was never going to end! But, you find the strength to push through it all and little by little the buildings got closer and I finally made it back to the transition point after what seemed like forever.

Ahhh, water.... I cannot tell you how good the water felt when I got into that pool! It was warm (almost too warm) and I could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. From then on it's all pretty much a blur. Finally the race was finished! What a relief! I just remember being really out of breath, but so happy that I completed it! I will so do this again as horrible as it was at times. I enjoyed the challenge. Preparing for this race has helped me in so many ways in my life. It's helped me be more disciplined, it's given me an outlet from the daily grind and it's just been nice having that butterfly feeling I used to get while competing that I haven't had since College. I missed that excitement. So, I finished 1st in my weight class and 2nd in my age group. ( I think there were only 4 people in my age group.) :) ha ha. The lady who got the fastest time was in the 50-54age group. Amazing what some people can do.

To Jesse, thanks so much for encouraging me and making me feel like I could do this. Plus, for getting up with Bella the morning of the race even though I know she wasn't a happy girl. Karen & Greg, I appreciate you giving the older kids a fun slumber party at your house the night before and making the trek out there that morning. I know it wasn't easy "waiting" 2 1/2 hours for me to finish. I asked Claire if she enjoyed the race and she said, "yes, but no more mommy. Never again!" She was bored I guess. :) Dad, thanks for supporting me in all that I do. You left your house at 3:30am to help cheer me on and that means so much to me. And last but not least, June & Janet, thanks for paving the way. It was nice to call up someone who has completed one of these killer races and get advice. Love ya'll. Life is good.

March: In like a Lamb, Out like a Lion!

Weekend Renewal

March, like many of came and went ever so quickly. Among all of the other events that went on in the later posts one that I would like to place special emphasis on is our trip to the Albuq. Temple at the end of the month. The Albuquerque Temple obviously is special to us because that's where Jesse and I were married and I'm so thankful that we live close enough to visit from time to time. Jesse parents were there already and offered to watch the kids while we did a session. Thank you again Greg & Karen for doing that! I always feel closer to the Lord inside those walls. Just what I needed. Afterwords we were able to spend the night with my mom and Larry and had a good time. We made the usual trip to the History Museum which the kids just love and then ate at our favorite Italian restaurant. (see the "time out for women" post for the name...I can't remember it right now) We had a great weekend even though we couldn't escape all of the wind (which hasn't stopped). I suppose you have to take the good with the bad though. The wind blew down all of my pretty purple hanging jasmine flowers, but helped my trumpet vine sprout leaves. Such is life. :)Thanks again Beth for showing me news ways to wear the "Sling Pea" you made me. I'm getting to enjoy it longer than expected!

One of many boo-boos

One morning while shopping at Target with the kids I got a phone call from Karen to go and meet her, Beth & Mel for lunch. So, we were in the toy section and I started to walk down the isle while trying the get Claire and Cameron to come along. Claire realizes this and starts to run to catch up with me. She must have either tripped on her long pants or sandals, but she hit very hard and banged her mouth on the hard floor before her hands could stop her. Immediately her mouth started to bleed and I thought she had just busted her lip, but not only did she do that, but she chipped her little front baby tooth as well. So, we made it out of Target finally with everyone staring at us and I took her to the dentist. They weren't able to fix it that day, but did x-rays to make sure there wasn't any nerve damage. Luckily, there wasn't. How's that for a first time at the dentist. Claire impressed me though, she was brave and did everything the dentist told her to do. After a few weeks we were able to get it fixed and it looks as if nothing ever happened. What's funny is that we were suppose to have taken our family pictures that day, but cancelled of course. Speaking of which, last Monday we tried AGAIN to take our family pictures and when we got there the system was down! Bad luck or what! So, we decided to hurry and go to the park and Abe met us there to snap some pictures. We figured, we needed to document our family some how. Thanks Abe!

Bryce turned 7!

Bryce's first day of 1st grade

This year Bryce has changed so much physically. As you can see from the picture he lost his 2 front teeth (among others) and told me, "Mom, I'm so excited for my Big teeth to come in cuz then I'll be a member of the Beaver Club!"

First Grade seems to be treating him well. He's still in the Spanish Bilingual class and it's definitely been harder for him this year, but through our encouragement and his good teacher he's chugging along. When I asked Bryce what he wanted to do for his birthday it was to play his Xbox game Sonic the Hedgehog! I probably rolled my eyes at that, but then realized that hey, that sounds pretty easy! So, I suggested maybe having a tournament with prizes, etc. So, that's what we did. It was the easiest birthday party I've ever done for the most part. I did make the mistake of buying everyone their own spray can of silly string and let them all go at it in the backyard. (I'm still cleaning up that mess) They all had a good time.

The day before Bryce turned 7 he woke up and tried to talk me into letting him skip school and "enjoy his last day to be 6!" That didn't fly to well with me so I sent cupcakes with him to help him feel better.

If you spend any amount of time with Bryce you'll know that he's a boy who knows his facts! He frequently dives into a chapter book and like his father becomes invisible to the outside world while reading. I enjoy his calm personality and zest for life. Welcome to the Beaver Club Bryce!

February Fantastic!

Cameron turns 5!

I just wanted to take a minute and talk about Cameron and my thoughts on him turning 5!

What can I say Cameron, he is one unique child! He has such a strong will and spirit. This past year he was able to make and connect with some great friends at his preschool and now ask's me almost everyday, "Mom, which one of my "buddies" is going to come and visit us today?" He's both a big brother and a little brother, but little and last aren't in his vocabulary! Catch him in a good mood and he will be the most eager helper and playmate, catch him in a bad mood and he's your worst nightmare!! ha! He hates to lose and works at not doing so. He's Bella's entertainment while in the car since he's the only one she can see and he sure gives her a show! He's also my backup "put Claire down for a nap" person because he enjoys reading her his own version of The three little pigs and then softly scratches her back. It's so special to listen to him be sweet to his sisters. When Bryce gets home from school it seems to be the highlight of his day. Someone to wrestle with and play games with. It'll be interesting to see him blossom into kindergarten, as crazy as that sounds to me. Where has the time gone! We all love you very much Cameron! We're so happy you're in our family.

Watching a Wonder

Just wanted to give an update on Bella since she has completed a milestone. On Jan. 15th Bella started to sit unassisted. Last week she attemped to crawl, but it was more of a little dance on all fours. But, yesterday she gave it her all and with just a correction and guidance from me following behind her (for the hundreth time) she finally got the hang of it and started to crawl. It's always so wonderful to me to witness when the neurons connect in the brain and a child learns something new and big like crawling. I was excited and saddened at the same time. This is a new stage for her and a stride away from when she was a "baby." Plus, I'm going to have to really be on the ball and make sure all of the lego's, barbie shoes, etc are picked up around the house. Today Jesse and I kissed good-bye the days of being able to sit with her on our lap during Sunday school. She wanted on the floor to explore. We entertained her by tossing a pen a few feet away from her and then she's go after it. After about the 10th time she tired herself out and let us put her to sleep.

I have to say that Bella has a mature disposition to me. She enjoys watching me read to Claire, lead the music at church, our dog Bandit, or her brothers and sister in general while clapping her hands when sometime exciting happens. She loves food and gives me the most satisfied groan after eating her favorite banana slice or sweet potatoes. I can hardly hold her still enough to take off her clothes and get her in the bathtub she loves it so much!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm thankful that I followed the promptings I had to have her because it's hard to imagine life without Bella.

Does life ever slow down?

I have so much to catch up on I don't even know where to begin. I thought I was home free from things for a while once the Holiday's were over, but it seems like every week there's something big I have to either do, have going on already or I make myself because I get a wild hair and want to get the project done asap. (My projects unfortunatly last more than a day.)

The boys started another Soccer season together and have been winning most of their games which of course makes it exciting for them. They work really hard in practice and I've seen big improvements in their passing. For Valentines weekend we headed up to Ruidoso, NM and joined Jesse's parents in their timeshare. We swam (it was Bella's first time in the water and she seems to love it like her momma). :) The next say we went to the innertubing place. We had a good time, the weather was perfect. Grandpa Greg raced all of us down the hill and he would take a running leap onto his tube and then down the hill. (I wonder how sore he was the next day?) ha ha. We were there during Cameron's official b-day so we celebrated that night, but Bryce had school the next day. Cameron wasn't ready to go home so he spent the next 2 days with the Grandparents and Abe & Cody. He was so homesick after he would speak to us on the phone, but he had a great time and I think the experience made both of us appreciate each other more. I found myself just feeling heart sick for him. He brings a lot of excitement and happiness to our family. When he came home he was a complete angel all day, but the next day it was back to the normal brother & sister bickering. I never thought it would sound so good. ha ha. Anyways, here are some pics and video of the trip and Cameron's b-day "parties."

This jump may not seem big on camera, but it was big enough for neither Jesse nor I to try. I've had my share of bruised tail bones and I wasn't about to get another one. I thought he was Crazy, but enjoyed the entertainment, ha ha thanks Greg! Bryce was brave and tried it, but he said that he "wasn't going to do that again!" I think he landed on his bum pretty hard.

On your mark....Too close to call!

Last weekend Jesse & I along with my in-laws started our Conceal & Carry Training. We went out to the shooting range first and spent most of the day out there learning the rules of engagement, technique and then of course we had our target practice. I have grown up in a house where we had guns/rifles and was taught to respect them. I would go hunting sometimes with my father, but shot nothing but a BB gun. Life got busy and I never learned too much about how to shoot a gun after that.


We have a gun in our home, but I was never too sure of myself being able to defend my family if Jesse were gone. I was a little apprehensive in my mind at first just because it was new to me, but once I got the hang of it I was having so much fun. At one time Jesse said, " OK, calm down Laura Croft Tomb Raider!" After the shooting class I am confident in myself and feel a sense of relief that if the time were to come I could handle a gun. Both Jesse & I qualified with a 100% shooting score and we look forward to the rest of our training. Interesting times we live in.

Garage Transformation!

We have been wanting to Epoxy our garage for a long time. It was a long tedious process. We cleared out everything and put in into our living room. The next step of doing an acid wash was delayed because of bad weather (wind), Jesse having to go to work, Jesse got the flu and then it was Christmas. So, it took about a month for us to get everything the way we wanted it. It was worth it because every morning when I take Bryce to school it brightens my day just looking at it.

The other day Jesse was working on his car and there was a huge grease puddle and he just wiped it up and you wouldn't have known about the mess. We highly recommend the Epoxy. It makes the garage feel like another room in your house rather than a garage that you just throw junk in.

Before....




After....

A blessing for our little blessing

Today was a special day at church; Bella was blessed. Jesse gave a beautiful blessing and I felt the spirit very strong. Bella is such a joy to have in our family. I think back to when I was contemplating whether I should have another child or if 3 was enough for our family. I had prayed and pondered for awhile and one day as I was making my bed I remember almost having a conversation in my head and asking Heavenly Father "Should I have another child?" and almost immediately the words came into my head as, "yes, there is a child waiting to be brought into this world to receive a body and to be born into a loving family." I had a warm feeling in my bosom and felt excited to know what I was suppose to do and that my prayers were answered in such a clear way. I'm so glad I followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I can't quite explain it for lack of words, but I'll never forget that experience and I just thought I'd share it with you.

Proud Parents

Bella is 5 months now and does so many cute things. She started doing this head nodding thing where she shakes her head yes when she looks at you. Especially when you ask her a question. She's always been such a communicator since I can remember either by trying to mimic my sounds or touching my cheek when I hold her or just with her smile. We all just love her so much that our hearts feel like they're going to burst! I'm so thankful that I've been blessed with such a wonderful family and will work to be the best mother and wife I should be.

My father drove up again to see his little grand baby.

Jesse's parents Karen and Greg.