Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everybody! I thought I would post an update since it's been a while since I've written. We still have had no luck finding a job, although, just today we did get two inquiries for more information, which is more than we've had till now! So, that was a hopeful sign! In the meantime, we are just still trying to keep busy doing anything! Our tree has been up since before Thanksgiving, as well as our house lights! We are pretty much done Christmas shopping, so now we are excited for the different holiday activities that are starting to happen now. I've been reading through my recipe books and want to try some new recipes for the holidays. Hopefully they will turn out good! Eden and Isaac have gone Star Wars nuts! Isaac goes around telling everyone that he is Luke Skywalker, and Eden is always Leah. It's funny because whenever we go to a store and are around the toys, instead of going right to the "girl" isles, Eden runs to the Star Wars isles! EmmaLee just follows the other two around and is usually either bugging them, or getting bugged! I will have to download more pictures, but I forgot my cord, so it will have to be next time. I hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

More Pics!

Here are some early Halloween pics! Well, the ones in the middle of Isaac were just funny! His football costume came with a soft helmut, which he wouldn't wear for the party, but liked wearing at home. He also put his own shoes on, but decided he didn't need anything else!

A Few Pictures!

I finally got some pictures downloaded! These are some of our most recent, because I haven't transfered any of the older ones yet, but at least there are a few! The one of EmmaLee with chocolate all over her face was from her finding Eden's bowl after she had eaten ice cream and forgot to put her bowl in the sink. EmmaLee loved it! Isaac loves to take his clothes off these days, so the only picture I had of him for now was with his shirt off! Eden likes to make faces with her pictures, so she isn't actually mad, it was a pose! These picture are pretty much what they can look like everyday, but hopefully soon I'll get some on that are a little more "posed" so you can see what they look like all done up!

Update, Sort of!

Well, this is only sort of an update, because I don't actually have anything new to say! The job searching is going very slowly. We haven't heard back from any jobs yet, but we know that when it's the right time and place, it will happen, it just isn't so fun waiting in the meantime! I am getting closer to actually knowing how to get some pictures downloaded, so my goal this week is to actually post some pictures of my family! Those of you that haven't seen us recently will be quite surprised by how much my kids have grown, espcially EmmaLee! She has been walking for about a month now, and is really turning from a baby to a toddler! She enjoys taking any toy, or item and using is as a phone! Eden has started taking a dance class from the city, which is only once a week, but she LOVES it! Isaac is growing up so fast and talking so much now! He is such a little boy, and he and Eden wrestle a lot now, which can drive me crazy! But it is so fun to see them growing and learning! I often feel overwhelmed with being a mother and feel like I am in crazyness most days, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Anyway, hopefully I will be able to add pictures before the end of the week!

When it rains, it pours!

Well, we are experiencing a bit of a down pour in personal experiences that we'd rather not have at this time in our lives! First we loose Helmut, and then on September 9, Rob went into work only to find out they were laying him off, along with 14 other people. For those who don't know, Rob has been working for a company that makes trailer hitches, and with gas prices the way they've been, they have taken a huge hit this last summer in sales. So, it wasn't what the company wanted either, but it happened! So, we are now looking for a new job! If anybody knows of any Graphic Design positions available, let us know! I know things happen for a reason, and we must just be being led yet again on a path we should be on, but it doesn't always make it easy to want to be there! But, we are okay, and at least Rob and I and all the kids are healthy! Some days get really long, and we don't always know what to do with ourselves. There are only so many applications out there that you can apply for, and then it's just a matter of playing the waiting game, waiting for the right job to come along! Anyway, hopefully the next post will be a little more uplifting and have some better news! I sure hope so!!!

Helmut Alwin Fischer

Well, for those that don't know, my father-in-law, Helmut Fischer, passed away on Wednesday, August 20th. It was very sudden and unexpected. He was at a store with his wife and a grandson and didn't feel well, so he went back to the car, which was not unusual for him. 10 or 15 minutes later when Shirley and Jayden came out to the car, they found him looking like he was just sleeping in the car, but the door was open. Shirley tried to wake him, but couldn't. He was still breathing, though, so she called 911, who got there fairly quickly since a fire station was literally across the street. They loaded him and headed for the hospital. At first, they suspected that it was just a sugar issue, but not long after they got him in the ambulance, he flat lined and they had to start CPR. Shirley had to drive separate since she had Jayden with her, and when she got to the hospital and saw they were giving him CPR, she had to tell them that he has a living will and and do not resuscitate order. By this time, they had already shocked him and been doing CPR for a while, and they told her he wasn't responding to any of it anyway. So, just like that, he was gone! Ironically, I had just picked up Rob for lunch when we got the first call from his mom telling us that he had passed out and was on his way to the hospital. We told her to keep us updated, and we talked about making sure we went up after work if he was still in the hospital. Rob went into a store, and a couple of minutes later I got a call from my sister-in-law who got to the hospital before both the ambulance and Shirley, and so she saw them giving him CPR as they unloaded him. She called me and said it wasn't looking so good and I told her we would head straight up. I went and got Rob and we headed straight for the hospital, but only about 10 minutes later we got the call from Rob's mom saying he hadn't made it. It made for a very shocked, long drive! All of Rob's siblings came to the house that day, and we have been getting together everyday at his parents house since it happened. The viewing was on Friday night, and yesterday was the funeral. We miss him so very much! I miss him. We had the unique situation of living with him for 5 years of my marriage, and in that time also loosing our own son, who Helmut had a very close relationship with. Helmut has always been so kind and sweet to me, and he was one of our biggest supporters after loosing Caydin. He is a wonderful "papa" to his grandchildren, and was Isaac's special play buddy as well! Whenever I told Isaac we were going to papa and grandma's house, he'd start singing songs about papa and just get so excited! I think one of the hardest things for me is knowing that my kids most likely will hardly, if at all, remember him themselves, yet Helmut loved them so very, very much! I want to make sure all my kids know how much their papa loved and adored them! I am so happy for Helmut, though. He had been in chronic pain for a long time, and did not want to go in a slow, painful, dragging way! And, he has missed Caydin so much! What a joyful reunion they must have had! Right after we found out what happened, I actually daydreamed that maybe he went to the car, looked over, and there was Caydin, and he just got to go with him! Helmut, we love you and will miss you!!!

Busy Month and Eden's Birthday!

August is almost always a busy month for me. There are a ton of birthdays in my family, and a few anniversaries as well! Plus, it becomes the month where you finally do or finish all those things you were going to do the whole summer but never got around to until now because you realize that it's the last month of summer and if you don't do them now, you never will! So, that being said, I'll update you on a few of the things we've been doing! Last weekend we had a family reunion with Rob's immediate family up at a lodge at Jordanelle. It was a lot of fun! We rented a pontoon boat one day and went tubing behind it and fishing. I haven't gone tubing since before I was married because I've been pregnant or recovery from having a baby recently pretty much every summer since I got married, so it was a lot of fun! Eden even went on the tube with me once (going slowly!) and love it! We also had a birthday party for Eden and my nephew while we were there. It was fun! Last Sunday we also had a birthday party for Eden with my family, and I think Eden really enjoys being 4 now. Her birthday was actually on Monday, and I did make the mistake that morning of being all excited and telling her she would never have to be 3 again, to which she replied back to by bursting into tears and saying she LOVED being 3 and she wanted to be 3 forever! I tried to calm the situation down, and by afternoon, she had decided being 4 was good and I haven't mentioned being 3 since! She did make me sing happy birthday to her every morning until yesterday! So, anyway, Eden is officially 4! She is so sweet, and makes me laugh, smile, and cry and everything in between! She teaches me so much about life and myself, and I am so grateful I have her. I know she is an amazing spirit and I am so blessed to get to be her mom! She is a wonderful big sister (even though she has her moments with her siblings, even now!) and already is wanting to help me plan EmmaLee's birthday which is on the 15th of this month. So, we are still going to be very busy for the next few weeks! Hopefully I will be able to update this blog before the end of the month and for EmmaLee's birthday! I also have all my pictures saved on a folder so I just need to remember to burn them and put them in my purse so I can actually post some pictures! Those of you who haven't seen us in a while will be surprised how much my kids have grown, mostly EmmaLee! I'll try to post them soon!!!

Eden Moments

So, Eden has lately become enthralled with Spanish. She loves Dora the Explorer, and we have some good friends from Mexico who's kids speak both Spanish and English. As a result, Eden has decided that she loves Spanish and no longer wants to speak English. She goes around speaking "Spanish" and then tells me what she's saying. So, we were driving today and she asks me if she can please live in Mexico so she can grow up speaking Spanish. I tried to tell her that there are good people in Mexico and fun things to see, but that the US is a better place to grow up in and has more freedoms (I know, it was getting a little deep for her, but I tried!). She got teary eyed at my telling her she was probably going to have to grow up speaking English, but didn't say anything else. So, later today, after she had obviously been thinking about it for a while, she tells me, "Mom, I want to grow up speaking Spanish some place nice, so I want to grow up at the DI." I did manage to keep a somewhat straight face, somehow!

July Already!

I can't believe it is July already! Time is flying! We had a good 4th weekend, full of fishing, fireworks, and baby McKell's baby blessing today! Other than that, we've just been enjoying the warm days, usually walking down to the snowcone shack 2 or 3 times a week! Eden does have her first dentist appointment this Tuesday, so I'm hoping that goes well! My grandpa went to the hospital again today with conjeniteve (spelling?) heart failure, and they are having a hard time getting his blood pressure stabalized, so I'm thinking and praying for him a lot right now. It's actually kind of hard for me to think of much else, so I think I'm going to leave it short today. Hopefully soon I will be able to post some pictures! I have some really cute ones I really want to share!!!

Isaac is Two!

Yesterday Isaac turned two! I can't believe how fast the time has gone and that he's already two! He's growing so much lately! He talks a lot more, is mimicking Eden a ton (which can be good and bad!), and overall is really becoming a boy! We had a little birthday party last night with just us, and then we spent most of today at Rob's sister's house for another super fun party with a kiddie pool and puppies, and tomorrow we are having another party with my side of the family! So, it's lots of fun! I have pictures, and one of these times I will figure out how to post them, and then it will have to be a post of just pictures!
On a side note, Melanie got her staples out today, and she actually had 10 staples! She's healing really well, though, but still gets headaches, and her neck still bothers her once in a while!

Blessed and Lucky!!!

Last night my sister and her friend, Brittany Smith, were on their way to a concert at Thanksgiving Point. Because of the concert, the off ramp was backed up onto the freeway still. They had just stopped in their car when a suburban pulling a boat rear ended them. Apparently he hadn't noticed that traffic was stopping and hit them at almost full speed. The impact sent their car back onto the freeway, across all four lanes, and into the cement baracade seperating the north and south bound lanes. Amazingly, no other car hit them. Melanie was conscience the whole time, and said it felt like it lasted forever! Once they finally stopped, she looked over at Brittany, who's seat had somehow reclined in the collision and was lying unconscience next to her. She tried to wake her up, but couldn't, and by this time other people were coming over to help. Melanie realized that her head was bleeding, but felt like she was probably okay besides that, so she sent everyone over to help Brittany. Melanie's door was also stuck shut, but Brittany's could be opened. Lots of people stopped to help, and soon the medics were there and they were able to get Brittany out, and then Melanie. By this time, Brittany was talking, but not really with it. It took them a little while to get Melanie out because her door was jammed stuck, but they did finally get it off, and she and Brittany were taken to American Fork hospital. Melanie's head was cut from about an inch or so behind her ear, and then all the way back to the back of her head, about 6 or 7 inches total. They had to staple it shut, and they never told her exactly how many staples there were, but she is guessing about 6 or 7. She and Brittany both had CT scans and some x-rays taken to make sure everything was okay, and in the end, Brittany walked away with a minor concussion, and Melanie with the staples in her head, and of course, a lot of soreness! The car is a complete loss, with the trunk in the back seat (thank heavens there wasn't any rear passengers!) and the front end smashed up as well! Considering that they were flung across 4 lanes of moving traffic, it is a miracle that they weren't hit again, and that they still didn't receive any more serious injuries than they did! Caydin must have been one of the angels watching over them last night! I'm so grateful they are both ok!

Catching Up (Again!)

It's harder than I thought it would be to keep up with my blog now that we don't have the internet! I have lots of cute pictures that I want to post, but I'm actually suppose to be finding stuff for a talk on Sunday, so I have to hurry! Rob's birthday was on May 30, and to celebrate, his sister watched all our kids while Rob and I went up to Mantua Res. up by Brigham City. We rented me a kayak (Rob already has one), and we fished from our kayaks! It was a lot of fun! We both caught one bass each, but we paddled around one whole side of the lake and had a lot of fun! We also had a birthday party with his family when we got back that day, and another one with my family on Sunday that was a combined party with my sister-in-law whose birthday is the same day as Rob's! All in all, it was a lot of fun! The other big news item is that EmmaLee started crawling this last week! She is so cute! She's so little, and she gets so excited that she's doing it! I have video of it, but it'll have to be another day! Anyway, I guess for a last item for now is that for Rob's father's day gift, we got a bbq (I wanted him to pick the one he wanted so he already knows!) which we will be receiving next week, so anyone who wants to come over and bbq is welcome (not that I'm as excited as Rob about getting it or anything!)!

Catching Up!

I am happy to say that we are all finally starting to really feel better! Isaac still has a tiny bit of a runny nose, but is doing much better, and the rest of us are doing great! The last few days have been so beautiful! We've spent a lot of time outside playing! Rob has started a softball league with his work, so we are going once a week to watch him play, which is fun. Yesterday we took a day trip up to Logan to visit my cousin Karen who is in town from Denver, which was a ton of fun! There were several cousins, and my grandma and an aunt and uncle there, so it was fun to just relax and spend some time there! And, on Friday morning, I got a new niece! Nick and Kimberly welcomed their little McKell (I forgot to ask about the spelling, so hopefully this is close!) into the world, and what a cute thing she is with a ton of beautiful hair!! She was two weeks early and was 6 lbs 6?oz (not positive about the ozs) but her lungs were having a little bit of problems so she was on oxygen for the first few hours of her life, but by that night was doing better and is fine now! She makes my EmmaLee look so big now! So, we are so happy to have her here! Also, my sister-in-laws dog had puppies, which are so cute! So, we've had a lot of new babies in our lives these last couple of weeks, which is so much fun!!

Sickness and Happy Mother's Day!

So, Isaac ran a fever for a couple of days this last week, followed by EmmaLee doing the same thing, and then Tuesday Eden threw up all day long! My throat was hurting yesterday, but hopefully it's now all out of our systems and we are feeling better! Yesterday while I was cooking dinner, Isaac was telling me he wanted a diaper change, so I told him to go get a diaper, which we have done before. Well, Eden decided to be a big helper and change him for me, without telling me what she was doing. Weellll, turns out Isaac was poopy, so she came in and told me she tried but I needed to finish, to which I quickly ran to the other room to find Isaac laying on his bed with poop everywhere! I had to go turn down the stove, and then I cleaned up for a bit! So, it's been a very bodily fluid week! Thought you'd all like to know!!! And, in case I don't get on again for a little bit, happy mother's day to all the mom's and wonderful motherly influences out there!

Teeth!

Sorry, I still don't have any pictures. EmmaLee is cutting teeth in like crazy! She has her two top teeth and her two bottom teeth, but she has 5 more that we can see coming in! She's going to have a full mouth of teeth by her first birthday! Caydin didn't cut his first tooth until he was over one! It's amazing how different every kid is! Isaac is talking more and more. He's actually starting to say two syllable words in a coherant way! Other than that, I can't think of a whole lot more to write about. It's been kind of a boring week for us! I can't believe it snowed again today! I hope it gets warm soon, especially since Rob starts softball games next week with a work team. I want to be able to take the kids to go watch him, but if it's freezing, raining, or even snowing, I don't want to!! I hope May weather comes soon!!

Quick Thought!

I went to pick up Eden from her primary class today after church got over, and her teacher came up to me to tell me something. She told me that Eden said the closing prayer in class today, and right at the end, she said, "please bless that our mommies and daddies will come and save us"! I just laughed! Luckily, the teachers, a married couple, thought it was pretty funny too! Just had to share the wit of my daughter!

Amazing results!

So, after my last post, Isaac ended up having a couple of rough days and nights. His mouth was so sore, he wouldn't eat or drink hardly anything, so he was grouchy from being hungry, on top of being sore! But, a couple of amazing things happened! One, because it must have been sore to suck, he refused to take his bottle. He'd ask for it, but then either give it back crying or just hold it. I have to admit I was weak and tried to give it to him because it got to the point where I just wanted him to drink SOMETHING, but he pretty much refused it! So, I went and bought him a couple of new Elmo sippy cups, and he LOVES them! So, he is totally broke from the bottle! I knew we needed to do it, I mean, it's part of the reason he needed his teeth worked on, but I didn't expect him to do it himself! Second, he has now slept all the way through the night two nights in a row!! He's never done that before because he's always gotten up for a bottle! The first few days were hard because he would wake up for a bottle, but then refused to take it, so they were kind of hard nights because he kind of just had to cry himself back to sleep because he refused anything else. He has gained more of an attachment to one of his stuffed animals, a little dalmation puppy, but I'll take that anyday! And, I think because he now does not use a bottle, he is eating a hundred times better! I had hoped for that result. I wondered if his mouth hurt so much from all the cavities that that was part of the reason he didn't eat well. So, after a week, everything is going GREAT! There are far more positive results than I could have hoped for! In other news, EmmaLee now has two top teeth and two bottom teeth, with I believe 4 more on the way. So, she has had her moments this last week, but she's starting to eat a lot more as well. Eden has started screaming, which is driving me crazy! I think she started feeling neglected because Isaac was requiring so much attention after his surgery. I think I'm going to start a postive sticker chart where everytime Eden does something positive, either on her own or when I ask her to do something, she will be able to put a sticker on the chart. After so many stickers, she'll get a prize of some sort. She's a good girl, but I can tell she's getting older and testing her boundaries more, and what I've been doing isn't working anymore! She and Isaac are playing a lot more together, though, and while they fight, they also have a lot of fun together and it's fun to see! We've also started "school", which consists of me teaching her letters and numbers. We are working on spelling her name right now. It's harder than I thought it would be, but she enjoys it, and I think it makes her feel special to have some special time with mom, learning something she very much wants to learn right now! Anyway, that's about it for now. We did get rid of our internet, so it is going to keep being a little more spaced how often I write. I also haven't figured out yet how to download my pictures yet, but I'll get my hubby to help me hopefully on the next post!

Done!

Well, I don't have any pictures again, but Isaac is done and on the road to recovery! I wasn't sure it was going to happen, again, because yesterday when I called to get his appointment time, the registration lady was asking a few questions, and she asked he he has a cough. I told her that he has had a chronic cough since November related to asthma problems. She seemed a little concerned, but kept asking other questions. She asked if his immunizations were up to date (for those who don't know, we choose not to immunize our kids, but I don't have time to explain all the details as to why in this post-if you want more info, email me!) and when I told her he doesn't get them, she decided that he has whooping cough, and that's why he's been coughing since November. I told her we have seen his pediatrician SEVERAL times about it, and that it is not whooping cough, but she had to get a second opinion anyway. I called her at 2:30, and she finally called back at 10 to 5:00. I actually did call her around 3:30 and gave her my pediatricians #, but when she called back, she still hadn't talked to him. But, they did decide to let him come, but she said we'd have to be in an isolation room. It stressed me out because the whole thing was stressful enough, let alone with something else to complicate it. And, it frustrated me that she didn't listen to me. I even told her that I'd taken him in 2 1/2 weeks ago specifically to get an okay for the surgery and the doctor said he would be fine. So, we get there today, and sure enough, they take us right back to an exam room. But, it ended up being a blessing because the waiting room was crowded and noisy, and this way, it was more peaceful and we got to control the atmosphere more. There was even our own DVD and TV back there! And, when the anesthesiolgist came in to examine him, we told him it was asthma and he agreed that he was MUCH healthier than he had been expecting and felt like he should be fine. Asthma itself added a slight more chance of a complication, but not like whooping cough would have! So, all went well, and in recovery, we also got our own private room, thanks to the whooping cough scare! But, once again, it was really nice! Instead of being in a large room sectioned off only by curtains with lots of recovering kids, we had our own room that was quiet, and our own TV for Isaac, and two nice, soft chairs for Rob and I, and in the end it was much nicer! So, yesterday I was mad at the lady, but today, I'm glad we had our own rooms for everything! The nurse in recovery said that the doctor rolled his eyes when he said that there was a whooping cough warning with Isaac, so I'm glad that the people with the real say of my sons health saw the truth. That was my only concern was that they were going to make a big deal about his health and needs for an issue that was non-existant. But, all ended well! Isaac is doing all right. He's already been eating, although I'm sure it's going to be sore for a while! He had to get all four front teeth capped, two molars capped, and 2 other teeth needed just fillings. His front caps are alittle large, but hopefully he'll grow into them more! It's also hard to tell because his lips are swollen from the surgery, so he looks like he's been punched a few times in the mouth! He also has a little lisp that I'm hoping will go away since the shape is slightly different now! But, I'm glad it's over, and now I don't have to worry about his cavities anymore either!

Change of Plans

Okay, so I called Primary's to see when we have to take Isaac in tomorrow morning, and they have no record of him! So, I called the dentist office and found out that there was a mistake in the date given to me, so he isn't scheduled for tomorrow! Most likely he will be going in this Friday instead, but possibly not until May 16th! I know it was an innocent mistake, but it is kind of frustrating to be gearing up for it only to find out it was all wrong! Rob had to get tomorrow off from work, and now he'll have to see if he can get Friday off instead, but we might not even know for sure until sometime tomorrow when it's even going to be! But, oh well. I guess things happen for a reason, and at least now we won't have to be driving up to Sandy and Primary's in this SNOW! I can't believe it's snowing again! But, it's not really sticking, and I hear it's suppose to warm up by the weekend again, so it's really better for us anyway! And, this way Rob will be home for the whole weekend after the surgery to help with Isaac and the other kids!

New Haircut

So, this is my new haircut! I felt like I just got a new haircut, but it was really overgrown, and time for something else! So many people have gone back to the bangs, so I decided to try it. I like them, but would like them a little longer. Luckily, my hair grows very fast, so I'm sure it won't be long before they are longer! I think the new look makes me look older than I have before, and I'm trying to decide if I'm OK with that or not! I'm curious how it will look after I wash it and attempt to do it myself! We'll see!

Isaac Singing and News

So, I finally got a small video of Isaac singing. It's pretty short, but I still think it's cute! He can really go on and sing it with full gusto when he wants to!
For financial reason, we are going to be getting rid of our internet for a little while. I'm still planning on updating my blog, hopefully at least once a week, but it will depend on how often I go to somebody's house with an internet I can use. The rate I've been posting the last couple of weeks it won't be any different anyway!
In other news, EmmaLee has broken two teeth through (the bottom middle two) in the last two weeks, which probably explains the bad nights all of the sudden! I'm sure more are on the way too! I wish teething didn't have to be so uncomfortable for babies!
I can't believe how quickly Eden is growing up. She is becoming more and more a little girl everyday! Lately, she has taken to calling me "mother". We'll be at the store, and she'll turn to me and ask seriously, "Mother, can I have ---", and if I say yes to whatever it is she is asking for, she'll say back, "Thank you." It's so funny because it's this little girl and she sounds so proper and all! I have to laugh! Also, when she's around either my little brother and sister, or cousins instead of calling them by their names, she calls them "friends". One example that I thought was so funny was when we were at Zion's on one of the small hikes, Thomas and Laurie had run ahead with my dad, and Eden decided to try to catch up to them, and instead of calling their names, she yelled after them, "Friends, wait for me!" It's funny to me that even though we were all kids once ourselves, kids still manage to catch us by surprise with the way they say and do things!
On a more serious note, although I know it's much more nerve wracking to me than anybody else just because it's my kid, we have to take Isaac in on Wednesday to Primary's to get some dental work done. I hate to admit this because I'm so ashamed that my lack of attention is somewhat to blame for his problems, but about 4 weeks ago I was brushing Isaac's teeth, which he hates and fights me with horribly. Because he fights me so bad, I haven't been the best at brushing everyday, and I never really checked his teeth after brushing just because he was usually so upset I would finish and just let him go. Well, 4 weeks ago I had a feeling to check his teeth after I had finished brushing them, just to make sure I had gotten them good enough. I was horrified to see that at the gum line on all four of his front teeth were big old craters of cavities! At first I thought I had just really missed some food, but when I tried to brush them, I realized they were actually holes with cavities! I felt awful! I called my pediatricians office to see if they could recommend a good pediatric dentist, and they did and I made an appointment. We went in, and sure enough, he has cavities on both the front and back of all four front teeth, as well as big cavities in 3 molars. Because he is so young, we have to take him up to Primary's to get the work done. They basically put them out and do all the work at once. He will have to get caps for all four of his front teeth, and possibly two of the three molars. One molar will probably just need a simple filling. I know that other children have had to do this, including my two youngest siblings and two of my nieces and nephews as well. I know this is a fairly normal procedure that they do often with kids now, so there is really nothing to worry too much about, but I know I'm still going to be a basket case when it's time. I'm trying not to be, but first of all, I know even though it's normal, he's going to have a few rough days after the procedure just because it doesn't usually feel good to get dental work done, let alone so much at one time! I also feel guilty because I feel like he's going to have to endure this pain because of me. The dentist thinks that the cavities are from two main things. One, he uses a bottle still, and at night still as well. I knew this wasn't the best thing, but to be honest, Caydin used a bottle after I weaned him up until about 2 months before he passed away, and his teeth weren't like this! I've also brushed my kids teeth all about the same, and neither Caydin nor Eden have had cavities like this! So, the second factor that added to Isaac's development of cavities is because he's a mouth breather at night. For some reason breathing through your mouth at night I guess can cause cavities. So, the combination of bottle use, not the best brushing, and mouth breathing created a prime environment for cavities. I couldn't do much about the mouth breathing, but the other two I wish I'd been better at! Anyway, I think it would be hard enough going through the procedure anyway, but two other things are also making it more nerve wracking. One, Isaac has asthma, which has the potential to make him going under slightly more risky. They will do a physical on him before the procedure to make sure his lungs are clear enough. If they are not, they will reschedule. Two, I hate hospitals ever since Caydin passed away, and it's even harder that this is the same hospital that Caydin passed away in! It's a different area of the hospital, but I still am not looking forward to having to sit in a waiting room, waiting for it to get done! Caydin had a small surgery when he was 9 months old, and I'm pretty sure we'll be in the same waiting room, so there will be some memories and thoughts of Caydin while we are waiting! I think it's also going to be hard to see Isaac when he gets out and we get to go back with him. I'm sure he'll still be groggy from the anesthetic, and I don't think I'm going to like seeing him like that AT ALL! But, I don't know how to get around it. He has to get his teeth taken care of, and I'm amazed he's not crying everyday out of pain! Maybe this is why he doesn't eat very well! It hurts too much! Anyway, I've got to go, but if anyone who reads this will say a small prayer for us for Wednesday to go smoothly for us, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

Another Week!

Another week has gone by! I went to lunch today with my friends, Wendy and Emily, which was a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Wendy, and I'm SO sorry I forgot for so long!! This picture of EmmaLee and I shows off EmmaLee's talented tongue! Anyway, I know this is really short and choppy, but I'm in a bit of a rush, but wanted to post something! I'll have to write again soon when I have more time! Hope everyone else's week was great!

April Already!

I can't believe it is April already, and actually already almost a week into it! We've had a somewhat busy week, but luckily not from anything bad! We had my youngest brother and sister over for a sleepover this last week, along with a niece and a nephew, so we've been busy playing and having fun! That along with just a couple of other things we needed to do had us going up to Sandy and back a few times, and before I knew it, a week has gone by! Here are some random pictures we've taken this last week!

On one of our drives back to our house from Sandy, Isaac was getting restless, so I gave him Rob's basketball. He was "shooting" it off my headrest, and it would fall back into his lap, so he'd shoot again! What was more amazing is when we actually watched him, he had pretty good hand position!

I thought this was a great picture of Isaac! He and Eden were playing and he found his snow boots, and decided to wear them around the house. Of course, he didn't have any pants on, so it made the look just all that much better!!

So, this picture of EmmaLee is funny because she is actually doing this on purpose! She has learned to "wink" her eyes! If you bat your eyes at her, or squeeze your eyes shut and then open them, she does it back to you! Some days she'll do it, and others she won't, but it sure is cute when she'll do it!

Finally, Eden has taken after her Aunt Melanie in the self portrait area! Whenever I get my camera out these days, she has to take some pictures. She will take pictures of other things, but there's always at least one or two self portraits of herself!

We enjoyed conference this weekend as well, and it always amazes me how personal most of the talks feel. I went into this conference really wanting to get a few answers or helps in a few areas, and it seems like some of the talks were directed straight to me! It is such a huge blessing to have a living prophet and apostles, and I am so grateful everyday that I get to have the blessings of the gospel in my life! I can't wait for the talks to be printed so I can go back and read them! There are so many good things said that I need to reread them before I can even come close to really catching all the wonderful things said!

Scattegories

SCATTEGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Copy and paste onto your blog. *Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... *they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. (WHICH BY THE WAY IS HARD IF YOU ALREADY READ THEIR ANSWERS) You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl

1. What is your name? Diana

2. 4 letter word: Dime

3. Vehicle: Datsun

4. City: Denver

5. Boy Name: David

6. Girl Name: Denise

7. Alcoholic drink: I don't know of any, and I didn't want to research to find one!

8. Occupation: Dentist

9. Something you wear: Diamonds

10. Celebrity: Demi Moore

11. Food: Desserts (they are foods!)

12. Something found in a bathroom: Deodorant

13. Reason for Being Late: Detour

14. Cartoon Character: Donald Duck (double points!)

15. Something you shout: Darn!

16. Animal: Dove

17. Body part: Dermis

18. Word to describe you: Dame (not that I'm British nobility, but it's all I could think of!

Fun Easter Video

So, Isaac has had the flu since Monday night, and last night EmmaLee started running a fever, so it's been loads of fun at our house this week! Isaac had a really bad day on Tuesday, but did okay on Wednesday, did great yesterday, but a bit worse again today. Besides throwing up, he's had the runs, which has made him very sore down there, and he's gone through half a box of diapers in three days! EmmaLee hasn't been throwing up, but she's had the runs, and tummy cramps that have kept her up at night. I think in the last two nights I've had less than 9 hours of sleep, combined! And, even that has been choppy! So, in my efforts to get a little break from all the fun, I decided to post something! I took this video on Easter and thought it was so cute! Please try to ignore the huge mess in the background! Between being out of town for a few days and Easter Day activities, it was a bit of a mess. Of course, I'm sure you can see from the video it has nothing to do with the high energy of my children either!

St. George and Easter

It's been a busy week! Last Wednesday we went to St. George with some of my family. We went to Zion's one day, Snow Canyon another day, and then Rob and I also spent a night at Cedar City, and on the way home from there stopped and saw some petroglyphs (I don't know how to spell it!). We got home Saturday afternoon and went that evening to Rob's parents house for an Easter egg hunt. It was a pretty fun vacation and good Easter!

I was trying to take pictures of the kids in their Easter clothes, but EmmaLee was really the only one that would sit still and pose for me!

Eden sat a little longer than Isaac, so I did manage to get one of the two girls together before Eden ran off!

And this is the only picture I got of all three of the kids, at least sitting down! I had attempted to make Eden's hair all cute, but with her new haircut, we can't put it up or else all of her short cuts are visible, so all I can use are clips, but she had pulled it out of her hair before we even got to church! Oh well! She's cute anyway, and it's a much more accurate picture of what she really looks like most days!

On one of the hikes at Zion's, we came across this "wild" squirrel who has obviously had a lot of human contact! He actually let us get close to him, and the kids LOVED seeing him and being so close, and even petting him! This picture is of my brother Thomas petting him.

Isaac was chasing it around trying to touch it, and my nephew Caleb, who is Isaac's age, was going around trying to kiss it! It was fun to see!

This is a picture of Melanie, EmmaLee and me on one of the hikes. I had forgotten to bring a hat for EmmaLee, and I was worried about her head getting sunburned, so I rigged up this little middle east look with her head band and a blanket. It did the trick! (Cami, it was a WWMD moment!)

Just a picture of my little family at Zions.

At Zions, these three peaks are called the Court of the Patriarchs. The far left peak is called Abrahams peak, the middle one Isaacs peak, and the right one is Jacobs peak. So, we decided to take Isaac's picture in front of his peak!

This picture is towards the end of our day at Zions. Rob already had Isaac in the backpack, but then Eden decided that she was too tired to keep walking, so Rob got to carry her as well! Luckily for him it was a fairly flat trail!

These are some pictures at the sand dunes in Snow Canyon. The kids were loving digging holes, and Eden got into this one! That's my cousin Erica sitting next to Eden.

We were at Snow Canyon with my parents, siblings, and my aunt and uncle and their kids. We decided to have a sand dune jumping contest, and it turned into a daredevil contest as well! This picture is of my uncle Greg jumping over one of his friends, who was also there with his family. I think it looks like he might have had some ballet lessons at some point in his life! And, yes, he did clear his friend!

This is a picture of my brother Nick jumping over some of the kids that were there! What a muscle man!

Finally, on the way home from Cedar City, we stopped at the town of Parowan, and about 11 miles outside of Parowan there are these Indian petroglyphs. They guess that they are about 1000 years old, but they don't know what they mean. It was fun to see!
Lastly I just wanted to mention that while we were in St. George, we also got to go see my Grandpa in the hospital. It was so fun to see him, and I think he enjoyed seeing us as well! Eden was teasing and playing games with him the whole time, and we enjoyed being able to chat with him as well. He was having a little bit better day, but it has been a rough one for him! The day we visited him was his 10th day in the hospital, and that's just too long for anybody! It was really hard to leave when it was time to go because I just wanted to stay and visit with him all day long! But, three small children don't do well for long amounts of time at a hospital! Keep getting better Grandpa!

Get Better Grandpa!

This is a picture of my Grandpa Willits, my mother's father. A little over a week ago, he went to the hospital with several complications. His kidney's were shutting down, and he was having some heart issues. He had open heart surgery about 12 years ago, and he also has diabetes. He is 77 years old, and when I first heard he was in, I worried his time had come. We almost lost him on his way to the hospital, and several times the following couple of days. They had to put two shunts in his heart because they were close to closing off. But, inspite of all of these complications, he seems to be getting better! He is really the only grandpa I have ever known. My dad's father passed away before I was born, and I had a couple of great grandpa's that passed away when I was very young. We've always had a special relationship, and while on one hand I know when he passes away it will be nice for him to not have to have pain or health issues anymore, I'm not looking forward to when it happens. I will miss him terribly! He and my grandma moved down to St. George around 4 years ago, so I haven't gotten to see him as often as I did before they moved down. We are leaving tomorrow to go down to visit them for the week. We planned this trip before he went to the hospital, and I'm ever so glad we did! I'm very much looking forward to seeing him and giving him a big hug! Hopefully he still has many years left with us here! Caydin also loved him and had a special love for him, and that means so much to me as well! Get better Grandpa!

Another Tag

A-Attached or single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Rob
C-Cake or Pie: I really like both of them!
D-Day of Choice: Fridays because it is the start of the weekend
E-Essential Item (s): Diapers, wet wipes, binkies, bottle, hand sanitizer, purse
F-Favorite Color: purple
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms
H-Hometown: Springville, UT
I-Indulgence(s): Right now, sleep and good food!
J-January or July: July
K-Kids: Four
M-Marriage Date: March 1, 2002
N-Number of Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 3 sister-in-laws, 2 brother-in-laws
O-Oranges or Apples: Depends on what is the freshest at the time
P-Phobias or Fears: Getting my toes pulled apart, that bugs me!
Q-Quote(s): Patience is a Virtue
R-Reason to Smile: The gospel and my family!
S-Season: spring/summer
T-Tag: Anyone who wants to
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I'm very picky about my pillow
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Is this some kind of animal activist's quiz?
W-Worst Habit: Getting stressed out too quickly!
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds (Is this the only "x" question they could come up with?
Y-Your Favorite Food: Thanksgiving Dinner!
Z: Zodiac: Scorpio

Another Hair Cut!

So, in my last blog I showed a picture of Eden's new professional haircut. Well, I should have waited because yesterday Eden gave herself a haircut! It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but the pictures show most of what she did.

I think she might have been going for a mullet.

Do you like her face expression? I really hadn't gotten that mad at her and was just laughing at her, and laughing harder with each spot I found that she'd cut. I don't think she appreciated it!

When I asked her why she had cut it and that she might have to get it cut like a boys to fix it, she said she wanted to get it cut like dad's because he looks handsome, and this from my little "princess"!


I called a friend I've met here in my ward who is a beautician, and is who cut Eden's hair a couple of weeks ago. She was booked for the rest of the day, but was kind enough to come to our house after work and help us out!


She was able to cut it in such a way that it hid most of the cut to the scalp patches so unless you know where to look, you really can't even tell! She also gave me some pomade that helps keep all the little flyaways under control! Oh, and Eden did manage to cut her finger a bit in the whole process, which is why she is showing her bandaged finger in one of the pictures! Eden also cut Isaac's hair in one spot right in the middle of the top of his head, but Dawn kind of trimmed it as well so it blends in better too! At least I can buzz his head if I need to! So, about 2 weeks after finally getting Eden a professional haircut, she got another one!


This last picture is of EmmaLee's new toy. She's been wanting to be more independent, but whenever I lay her down on the floor, she gets beat up by her brother, so we got this so she could be more entertained but somewhat protected as well! She loves it!

Fun Pictures

So, there's nothing really new to write about, but I thought these were cute pictures so I thought I would post them!

I finally gave in and got Eden's hair cut professionally! It's not anything fancy, more just making everything even in the front and back! A girl from my new ward works at a salon, so I had her cut it, and then Eden decided she needed it styled and asked for princess curls. It's hard to see from the picture, but she had little ringlets in her hair and it looked really cute, but as you can see, Eden was being a bit of a pickle and not posing very well for me, so this was the best shot I got!

I just thought this was a cute picture of Isaac. He has really grown up a lot in the last few months, and as long as it took him to learn to walk, now it feels like he's been walking forever! He's starting to talk a lot more as well, and he loves to sing, especially Josh Groban!

Here is another one of EmmaLee's cute smiles! She is growing more and interacting with the other two more and more!

6 years and Counting!

Yesterday Rob and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary. I can't believe its already been 6 years, but on the other hand, it can feel like we've lived a whole life time in those six years! Rob's parents watched Eden and Isaac for us Friday night, so Rob and I were able to have an almost child free evening and night! I'm so grateful I married Rob and I appreciate so much how much he does for me and for our family. He is so spiritual, sweet and sensitive and helps me grow in so many ways! He's my best friend, and the best father, and we have so many dreams and plans we are going to do together! In the last six years we have grown so much closer, and I look back on when we fell into love and got married, and I realize that while at the time we thought we knew each other and loved each other, it was nothing compared to how much we know each other and love each other now! Love really does continue to grow, and I'm sure I can't even imagine how much we are going to love each other in 50 years, or a hundred years! I'm so glad and grateful I know we get to spend eternity side by side!

Another Day!

So, I learned that pudding and one year olds left alone with pudding don't mix well. But, at least he seemed to enjoy himself!

I thought EmmaLee looked so cute in this picture! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! Everyday her personality seems to grow more and more!

So, this is short, but there's not much new going on! Eden will get her cast off this Thursday, and hopefully we'll be done with it for a while! She's done really well with this cast again, except for one thing. For some reason the way this one is casted is causing her to kick her other ankle with her cast while she's running or walking sometimes. As a result, she's scraping up her ankle, which then gets a scab, which she then rips off the next time she kicks her ankle, which has caused much stress on her part because it starts bleeding a bit! We've tried to keep bandages on her cuts, and tried to get her to leave socks on to at least pad it, but she never leaves any of them on for longer than an hour! So, I'll be glad when the cast is gone!

Another Tag!

I was tagged by Laura B.

The rules are as follows: You answer the questions, then tag 5 others. Post their names and then leave a message on their blog letting them know that they have been tagged! Wahoo! Let’s have some fun!

What was I doing 10 years ago:
Okay, 10 years ago I was a junior in high school. At this time of year, I was probably getting ready to go to the BYU Ballroom Dance competition, so I was probably practicing several mornings during the week, and possibly some evenings. We were probably also doing some kind of fund raiser to earn money to pay for costumes. Besides that, I honestly don't remember what else. I wrote in my journal all the time so I wouldn't have to use my brain power to remember everything, and after 4 kids, my brain is goo and I can't remember more specifics at this time!

Things on my “to do” list:
1. Go through my kids' clothes and get the next sizes out for Isaac and EmmaLee.
2. Clean the bathroom.
3. Vacuum the whole house!
4. Vacuum the van!!
5. Get some sleep!!!

Places I Have Been:
1. Florida 1998-Thanks to my brother winning a trip to Florida from Franklin Covey that turned into a whole family trip!
2. Nashville TN 1999-Thanks to HOSA-Alana and I won 1st place in CPR/First Aid and went to Nashville for the national competition.
3. Hawaii 2000-Decided to take this one just for fun! Wendy and I went with my parents and had a blast! (Sorry Wendy for being uptight at first!!)
4. Nauvoo IL 2002-Rob and I and my brother Nick went out for the Nauvoo temple open house.
5. Denver CO 2002-Same trip as Nauvoo, but due to bad weather, we missed a connecting flight and ended up spending the night with Rob's uncle in a suburb of Denver.

Bad Habits:
1. Being grouchy when I'm tired, so a lot these days!
2. Feeding my kids too much sugar!
3. Keeping clothes too long that I don't wear but think I will.
4. Side seat driving-but only with Rob!
5. Being late to things!!

Places I Have Lived:
West Jordan, UT
Sandy, Ut
Syracuse, UT
Springville, UT

Things that most people don’t know about me:
1. My elbows are double jointed.
2. I wet the bed till I was 6.
3. I have a mole on both my feet in almost the exact same spot.
4. I had a butcher knife fall into my foot when I was one-I still have the scar.
5. My middle toe on my left foot has a birth mark (my feet have a lot of secrets!)

I’m tagging:
Jenn, Karen, Cami, Laura (Dickey), Kimberly, and anyone else who wants to!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! We have had an eventful day so far!

Okay, to start with, this is a picture taken last Sunday. Right by Rob's work are a few ponds with lots of ducks. So, we stopped to feed them the only thing we had in the car at the time, graham crackers! The kids loved it, and it was pretty fun to see all the ducks!

So, as for today. We got up and spent half our day up at Primary Children's. Isaac had to get some blood drawn because he is still anemic, so the doctor wanted to do more tests just to make sure there isn't something more going on. We should hear back with the results by Monday. He was so brave, though! He didn't even flinch when they stuck him! Rob gave him a blessing last night and blessed him that he wouldn't feel it at all, and I'd say it was a blessing fulfilled!

Eden also got her new cast today. She went in planning on getting purple, changed it to orange, decided on purple again, but at the last minute went for blue. So, she now has a lovely blue cast! The doctor was pleased with how her foot was looking even just after the one, so we're very optimistic that the casts are doing the trick, at least for now!

Finally, I had to take a picture of EmmaLee. It's hard to see in this picture, but she is actually holding her legs off the ground. She does this a lot lately, and I don't know how! If I try to hold my legs up off the ground a few inches, it's called a major abdominal workout, but for her, it seems to be fun! She can hold them there for minutes at a time!
Finally, I almost hate to admit this, but it's kind of funny so I have to share! When we left this morning, I didn't have time to shovel the driveway, so when we got home, there was still a foot of snow on it. I decided to just go for it, and made it about 3/4 of the way up, and started to slide back down. Forgetting that just because I was going backwards didn't mean I was in reverse, I tried to steer it a little, and turned myself completely sideways because I was still in drive! So, I ended up at the bottom of my driveway, totally sideways, half blocking my neighbors driveway as well. I felt so stupid! Rob wouldn't be home for an hour, so I could either leave it and hope the neighbor didn't need to go anywhere, or I had to dig myself out. I decided to dig myself out. It took about a half an hour to shovel the driveway and around the van. I finally went for it again and was able to go backwards about 2 feet before getting stuck, so I went forward and managed to actually get all the way up the driveway and into the garage! Yeah! I was expecting all the neighbors to come running out when I went down, but nobody did, so either I'm lucky enough that nobody saw, or they were all inside laughing at my stupidity! Oh well! Lesson learned!