Meet Chester

Last weekend, Joseph went camping with his dad , brothers, and nephews at CJ Strike. He called me on Saturday morning asking if he could bring home a pure bred Golden Retriever. So, we now have a new addition to our family (Joseph finally got his boy!).

His name is Chester and we LOVE him. He is a really good puppy and I like him more now that he doesn't whine all night! He is an indoor/outdoor dog and the only time he really drives me crazy is when he pees in my house! Thank heavens for a Spot Bot!

Paige's New To Her Bike

Garage sale-ing is my hobby this summer. I LOVE to go to neighborhood sales and see what great deals I can find. A few weeks ago while out and about at the garage sales, I found this bike that is PERFECT for Paige this summer. The lady only wanted $7 for it, so I took it and ran.

Joseph has been trying to work with her to teach her how to ride it. She doesn't seem to get the idea of pedaling forward down and she has no concept of steering. It took me a long time to learn how to ride a bike so hopefully with some more practice, she can get it down.

I thought the pictures of Dad helping her were pretty cute, even though he was pretty frustrated by the end of it!

Fun Day at Settler's Park

Yesterday, we joined my in-laws at Settler's Park for a fun afternoon to celebrate Aunt Jeaneen's end of the school year. We packed lunches and had a great time (minus my lack of mothering skills as you will read in the next post!)

Paige, James, and Jacob all got to jump in the bounce houses. I don't know how much Jacob got to jump since he mostly just got BOUNCED by all the other little kids.

Paige

James

Jacob

A+ Mother Award

I have OFFICIALLY won the A+ mother award. What have I done that would deserve such praise?

Gasp at the following pictures and re-read the above sentences with HEAVY SARCASM!!

Yes, this is my one year old daughter with a sunburn so FREAKIN' bad that she has blisters. How am I such an idiot you might ask?

We went to the park yesterday for Aunt Jeaneen's end of the year party and the wind was blowing and it was somewhat chilly. So, did this BRILLIANT mom mind that I have fathom that my children might possibly need sun screen?!? I think the pictures answer that for you!

She never got red at the park, she wasn't red when we got home, she wasn't red as she played, nor was she red when she went down for a nap. However, was she red as all get out when she woke up from her nap? UNFORTUNATELY so!

So, don't you worry......as soon as my mother sees this picture from Wyoming (where she is at on a mission), she will either drive home to hit me upside the head OR call me immediately with a tongue lashing!

Lesson learned? Better believe it!

Sunscreen.............DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!!

Paige and Madison

One of Paige's favorite people in the world is her cousin Madison. She thinks the world of Madison and Madison is ALWAYS so good to play with Paige and hang out with her. At Ty's Young Marine graduation Paige saw me taking pictures and she wanted to take some too. However, she wanted to take pictures of Madison. I let her take a few and then I took one of them together. I thought that it was so cute that I couldn't resist posting it!

Opening Presents

Happy Birthday Alexis! We love you!

Ty's Young Marines Graduation

My nephew, Tyler, decided to participate in the Young Marines program. It is a program where young kids/teens can join and are taught the values that the Marine Corps is established on. It teaches them discipline, respect, and honor. They even have two weekends of boot camp.

Tyler invited us to his graduation and Joseph decided to wear his uniform. We were so proud of Tyler......he even won the award for the most improved.

It was a fun night and I am thankful that Tyler invited us to be apart of it. We love you Ty!

Double Jogger Fun

My birthday is this month and so with the money I was getting from my parents, I decided to get a double jogger stroller. I found one used off of Craigs List and I absolutely LOVE it. It is so nice to be able to take the girls places and have them both in a stroller. It is especially nice when I want to walk because it isn't much exercise for me with Paige walking because she doesn't go very fast or far. This way I can walk by myself and really get a good walk in!

I have also started walking with our Bishop's wife which has been really fun. Before I got my double jogger, she would push one of the girls and I would push the other one. Now, I can push them both and don't feel bad having to ask her to push one.

Joseph and His Girls

Lexi's One Year Stats

We took Lexi to the doctor on Monday for her one year check-up. She weighs 20.0 lbs (40th percentile), is 29 in. tall (50th percentile), and has a head circumference of 45.5 in. (70th percentile). Both of our girls have had big heads.

Overall, she is doing pretty well. We are going to be starting physical therapy with her to help her with her gross motor development skills. She also has excema so they are putting her on a steroidal cream to help out with that.

My favorite things about my kids turning one year old is that they can graduate to facing forward in a car seat and NO MORE FORMULA!! I am saving money already! Now I just need to get her completely off her bottle and binky!

One Year Old

Me at 36 weeks right before we left for the hospital for Lexi to be born!

Alexis Gauchay

Today our beautiful daughter, Alexis Gauchay, turns one! I can't believe how fast the last year has FLOWN by. I remember a year ago today. At this moment, a year ago, I had just checked in to labor and delivery, was dilated to a 4, with contractions every 2-3 minutes. They were stopping my labor and prepping me for my C-section. It all happened so fast. She was breach and they felt the cord was wrapped around her neck so they didn't want to risk her being delivered via the "normal" route.

I had been so afraid that I wouldn't have as much of a bond with Lexi when she was born since I didn't have to "work" during delivery to get her here. However, I will never forget the feelings that I felt when they pulled her out and I heard her cry for the first time. Then, Joseph took a picture of her and brought the camera down so that I could see our beautiful baby.

By the time that I delivered at 36 weeks, I had been on bed rest for 12 weeks, with 4 of those weeks in the hospital on magnesium sulfate. I had puked every day for almost my entire pregnancy. I had been given painful steroid shots to help progress her growth. Overall, my pregnancy SUCKED! But none of that mattered and it was all WORTH it when I heard my baby cry and when she was placed in my arms. I would do it 100 more times for that precious little girl that I have the privilege of calling my own. The feelings were exactly the same as they had been when I had delivered our precious Paige 2 1/2 years prior.

Many people have asked me if I am done having kids since I have such rough pregnancies. As much as I hate being pregnant, I am not done having those special moments with my newborn baby. THIS IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT! People have asked me if I am ready to get pregnant again. The answer is NO - I haven't had enough memory loss of my last pregnancy. But remembering how I felt about Lexi and Paige when they were born makes it clear in my mind that I am not done.

You Ruined My Life!

This morning, I asked Paige to pick up her toys. She HATES to pick up toys and always wants help to pick up her messes even though she made the messes all by HERSELF. So this morning, I set the buzzer for 10 minutes and told her that she had to pick up the toys before she could have breakfast.

Without thinking, I made the mistake of turning on cartoons for her. She just sat there and watched instead of picking up the living room. So, I turned the television off.

She starts crying and screaming and then turns to me and says,

"You RUINED my LIFE!"

I was so mad but Joseph reminded me that she is only 3 years old and that she doesn't know what she is saying. Now, I am able to laugh about it.......although, I don't look forward to the TEENAGE years if this attitude has already started at 3!