My Decision To Homeschool

NOT!!!!!

Good Heavens...NEVER!!!

The school year couldn't come soon enough for me.

 Dylan goes to 2nd Grade!!!

Kate goes to Kindergarten!!!

Curls Gone. Mom Cries.

Someone stick a needle in my eye please. 

Sawyer got a hair cut and it's too short.

His hairdresser stinks.

She is the worst. She's fired. 

Please poke out my other eye too.

And spank my bottom for being the hairdresser.

(In my defense, he was moving around...a lot. But still, I didn't plan on

cutting it so short.)

I'm going to miss those long curls so much.

Good thing he is still cute.

And chubby.

Who am I kidding? I'm still ticked.

Summer Time

A few weeks ago Scott took Dylan for a special Date Day. Here are the things that they did.

Went to Anytime Fitness and Dylan was able to work with Scott and earn 2 dollars.

Open a Savings Account for Dylan.

Get a new baseball mitt for Dylan.

Eat at 5 guys burgers. Dylan ate two full meals.

Buy a raft and float out on Rose Pond.

Dylan is always thrilled to be singled out and get to spend time with Scott. Scott is so good about taking Dylan to work with him and teaching him financial principles and the importance of hard work. Dylan is starting to repeat these little lessons to us and yesterday said to Scott, "Dad, it's about the principle!"

This picture was taken the next day when Kate got to raft with them.

The raft died on them. It was fun while it lasted!!!

Six Months Old

Wyatt is six months old and I can hardly believe it. He is such a sweet, happy boy. I feel so lucky to be his mother. He loves me and thinks that I am the best which is so great because I think my others kids like Dad best. Wyatt is getting so chubby, but still half the size of Sawyer at this age. Dylan and Kate love him so much and beg to hold him and cart him around. Sawyer loves him too and always asks me, "Where's Wy-Wy Mom"?



Love Him.

Thinking of Emmie...

A year ago today, my dear friend Tiffany's daughter Emmie, passed away.

Emmie:

She was a miracle from the moment she was born.

She was an Angel.

Her life mattered.

She was a Teacher.

She was Daughter.

She was a Sister.

She loved Strawberry Shortcake.

I never met her.

I'm really sad about that.

But I do love her.

And I have learned from her.

And I do miss her.

And today is going to be a hard day for her family.

But everyday is.

Today they will be in the Temple together.

Feeling a little bit closer to Heaven.

Remembering the promises that they have been given.

And feeling hope, peace and gratitude.

Because that is just the type of people they are.

I love them.

And here is a Sweet Journal Entry from Tiffany earlier this year on Emmie's birthday.

Enjoy.

Gut Ache...

I've decided I'm not eating anything today. Probably not tomorrow either. This means that I'm going to actually have to do housework, or pull weeks or something. How else am I going to distract myself from NOT eating. I mean, my favorite thing to do is plan my next meal. But I guess I can't clean the kitchen. Too tempting. Or clean the family room, cuz we all know that TV and FOOD go together like Bread and Butter.

Did I just say Bread and Butter. 

Now I'm hungry.

OH brother...I'm doomed. I guess pick weeds it is.

My tummy hurts really bad. I think it is a complication from my {super fun medical stuff} that has been going on for SIX months now. But I don't have hard feelings {Stupid Doctor that cut my bladder in half and I think messed up part of my intestine}, because I know that nobody is perfect {although you sort of expect them to be when you pay them a bazillion dollars to take your baby out of you}, and accidents happen {for the LOVE}.

But I am grateful {I am alive and semi-ticking and I have the cutest healthy little boy ever}. 

It could be worse right? {Like my DEAR SUE who is battling Pancreatic Cancer right now and enduring her 6th round of Chemo, or Sweet beautiful BABY RUBY JANE, who needs a Liver Transplant like YESTERDAY.}

so I am Blessed.

All I know is that I don't want another day like yesterday, or night like last night.

So NO FOOD!!! ...Until my stomach feels better. 

Which it will...I'm sure...eventually.

I'm going to drown myself in liquids today and hope that my gut stops aching.  

Somebody say a prayer for my innards {and for Sue and Ruby Jane if you would be so kind}.

AND

Somebody eat something yummy on my behalf. Like chocolate, or a Cafe Rio Burrito {and please report!}.

Yum.

Ben & Shannon Come To Town

Nothing is better than a BBQ when family comes to town.

Our play-set has been fabulous for entertaining lots of little guests.

Dylan ate about 2 hamburgers and 3 hot-dogs. 

That is SO MUCH FOOD.

This picture of Reyn looked like Sawyer to me at first. 

Then at second glance I realized who it was.

There is Sawyer.

This is the only picture you are going to get of Ben & Shannon.

Shannon is like I would have been and didn't want her picture taken after being in the car all day.

My cute boys eating their Burgers.

Kate was in dream that night having a sleepover with 4 other little girl cousins.

So Cute!

(Notice the fan under her bed. Our basement flooded two times in the same week. Oh Brother.)

The boys took the downstairs couches and were so cute together. They got along so good.

Big T, we need you to come back and play!

Dylan and Tiago

 

Pretty cute...I mean scary, if I do say so myself.

Anne Robert & Eden Scout Come To Town

My brother John and his wife Anne Live in D.C. 

We never get to see them.

They are moving to New York in the next month which means

 we still will never get to see them.

(I'm thinking I should take off with Wyatt one of these days though, 

and see New York city for myself.)

So imagine my GLEE when they happened to be in Pocatello, Idaho

randomly, which is 20 minutes from where I live.

The kids and I hopped into the car and hurried to get an hour visit in with them.

We met Anne on the hill behind her hotel.

It was a little steep and we resorted to visiting the nearest McDonald's Playland.

It was 9:00 PM.

It is FUN having Sister's finally. I had to wait 27 years ya know.

Anne is Fabulous and Glamorous and a Super Popular Photographer back East.

Here is my niece Eden. She has such a cute little personality.

We love her.

Um, look at Dylan's hair.

Wowza Dylan, your mom has neglected you.

Cousin Love.

Which ended in Hitting and Biting.

It was like 10:00 PM, so we had to give them a break.

Love you Annie...

I'm coming to visit so be ready.

Miss you already.

Sawyer Has Surgery

On July 29th, Scott and I had to take Sawyer to the hospital at 5:00 AM for Surgery.

When we arrived Sawyer was really happy.

As soon as the nurse came into the room he knew something was up and became

really mad and really worried. When Sawyer was born, we were advised not to have his circumcised.

Sawyer was born without much of a foreskin and the Pediatrician felt it was in his best interest to wait until he was a little older to see if he would even need to have it done.

Well, we waited and at his check-up we were told that it was up to us if we wanted to do it. 

We decided that it was better now than at the age of 14 or something.

I will just give you my opinion for a second...

ONLY BABIES SHOULD BE CIRCUMCISED.

Don't ever wait. It was horrible.

The Doctor's gave Sawyer a drug that was suppose to make him really loopy.

It took a while for it to kick in.

Luckily the nurse had a Thomas Book and this helped Sawyer calm down 

quite a bit as the drug started to take it's effect.

It was so sad seeing him so upset. Luckily, they waited until he was under anesthesia before putting his IV in.

Scott wasn't going to come with me this morning, but I'm so glad that he did. Sawyer weighs a ton, plus having Wyatt with me also would have just been too much.

The saddest part was when they came to take him for surgery. He didn't want to lay on the bed, so the Dr. held him in his arms and Sawyer wrapped his arms around the Dr.'s neck and then Sawyer just stared at Scott and I as they carried him towards the Operating Room. Both Scott and I said to each other that we will never forget that moment. It was SWEET and AWFUL at the same time.

This photo is after the Surgery as Sawyer is trying to come out of his Anesthesia. He was so upset. 

He cried and screamed for a LONG time.

Scott walked the halls with him for two hours. Scott has strong arms because I wouldn't have been able to make it 15 minutes. At one point Scott rolled past the room where I was on a big  office chair with Sawyer in his arms. It thought this was so funny. He stole the chair from someones office.

This is my favorite picture. The lighting is terrible, but it is what I remember from that moment.

A father taking care of his son.

No Greater Love.

We took Sawyer to Toy's R Us to pick out a new train. This lifted his spirits a lot.

The next week was really hard for him. He still ran around and played, but he would stop sometimes and cry a little and grab his diaper and say OW-eeeeeee.

Good Heaven's please don't ever do this to your child.

He is all better now, but it was sad.

AND EXPENSIVE.