we are alive

go here to find out where.....

more

new posts found HERE

jared's birthday

jared's birthday posts found HERE

And we're off!!

Got some posts up on the new blog found HERE!  I'm just getting set up over there, but it's a start! again, send me your email if you want an invite!

He's officially 5!!!!

My sweet boy turned 5 this weekend. i have SOOOO much to post, but i'm going to wait and do it on my new blog. but I wanted to post these cute shots. We had his super-hero party a little while ago before Jason left. This weekend was spent camping with gmpa gregg and uncle kasen. We have been SOOO busy! it's been a great distraction, and quite exhausting! the boys were both sound asleep before 7:00 tonight. (but not the baby, so i'm still awake!!)
I made all the kids capes (from men's t-shirts, found HERE) and masks (out of laminated card stock and elastic- they are great!), and they trained to be super heros. i don't know why i didn't save a copy of his invitations that i made, so here is the thumbnail version that i could find:
anyway, i just wanted to give a little tease. i have tons of fun stuff to post tomorrow night- don't worry jason! i just need to get some sleep now!!

It's time

it is time for me to go private...... i've not wanted to to do this for tons of reasons. but i have felt for a while now that i need to. I am going to be starting another blog shortly that i will keep public. and i will put updates on this blog when i update the private one, so your readers and such will be current. it's just one of those things.................. soooooo, you know the drill. If you read this blog now, and you want to keep reading about me and my monkeys, either leave your email (that you use to sign into blogs) here in the comments, or email me.


thanks!

grad video

I'm a graduate!

We made it through his first year of "school" heaven help us! It ended terribly! he was SOOOO excited for his preschool graduation. He dressed himself up "fancy" (he even tucked in his shirt- which i can't get him to do on sundays for the life of me- but this time it was his idea, so it was ok) the entire first half of the program jared was out in the hall screaming bloody murder. I swear everyone thought i was beating him. he was TERRIFIED to the point that he wouldn't even come in the dumb room and sit by me, calmly. And i wouldn't let him come in crying. it was so embarrassing.
Jared always gets extra emotional when things are different. i should have known it was going to be like that. jason is gone. Jared had just made the connection that morning that putting our house up for sale means we are moving (yes, changes are a brewing, but more on that later)(know anyone that wants to buy a cute little house? it's a great price!) and i had two other tinys crying and i couldn't just hold him. plus it was 2 classes combined, which meant the audience was at least 40 people. terrible scenario.

i finally convinced him to just calm down and sit with me. then it was time for piano solos. he told me he wanted to do his, but i had to go with him. so i went, waited in line with him for his turn, walked out to the piano with him, SAT with him on the bench.......and he started sobbing again.

we went back to our seats. he told me he wanted to do the "saver dance" but only if i sat right next to him. so i squished our way to the front of the room, with all 3 boys in tow. I am trying to take pictures and film and having a very awkward time. finally this young girl asks if she can snap some pics- thankfully. so that is all i've got. sorry jason. i'll post what video she got- though it is sideways, it's cute. and once he was up there- he LOVED it. i knew he would. stubborn. stubborn. stubborn kid.

they gave us a book with different things they've done this year, and he got a little medal- which he has now worn for 2 days straight, and counting....

Ain't no sunshine when he's gone.......

1 week of 6 over with. Jason is at a training on the east coast til July. I'm hanging on by a thread. There hasn't been sunshine around here for weeks. Rain, Rain, GO AWAY! finally yesterday i decided we were just going out in the wetness. We went for a walk along the river (which is almost overflowing because we've had so much moisture) and played in the back yard.

that paragraph sounded a bit negative......the reality is, we're doing quite well. being a single mom is never fun. but i've actually been surprised by how much patience i've had. (i don't EVER have enough patience.....i would say it's my greatest weakness- easily!) but with much help from above, i'm surviving. It's also been nice to do lots of video chats with my love. The boys get a kick out of watching themselves on the computer. And having family scriptures and prayers together every night helps keep things somewhat normal--especially cause jason can reprimand when they aren't being reverent, so i'm not always the bad guy! i'm very grateful jason's schedule allows for time like that.

and really, i've always got at least 3 rays of sunshine around me:

Easter!!

This is definitely not one of our finest family pictures! oh well, we tried.

We went down to vegas for easter and to attend the sealing/reception of one of our great friends.

the boys absolutely LOVED playing with dee's girls and all their fun toys. Trying to take pictures with 5 lil ones 4 and under was not the most successful! But they all looked sooo adorable. I made the boys bow-ties- and even one for jason. I just wasn't so great at getting pictures of them.

The kids had fun making this beautiful breakfast flower with gramma mcke easter morning. it was DELICIOUS!

This is Collin and his beautiful bride Jana. Their sealing was one of the most tender sealings i have ever been to. I am SOOOO glad we were able to be there with them. they held their reception in an orchard. they just lined one of the rows with christmas lights, set up some tables and chairs and a little gazebo..... and ta-da! it was a gorgeous evening!

Spencer wore this outfit above for HOURS! it was the cutest thing. When we went to check on him that night in bed he was sleeping with the glasses.

the kids got to climb on the red rocks- which jared loves. When we pulled up and parked, spencer looked out the window, sighed, and said "mom, my muscles are still tired." (he'd just woken from a nap and the climbing must have looked a bit daunting)

hunting for eggs! while we were at the sealing, dee & gramma took the boys to her ward's egg hunt. and of course, on "bunny day" (satruday) the easter bunny brought and hid baskets full of goodness! the boys got new swim trunks and rash guards and snorkle masks. they got to test them out when we stopped and grammas in st george on the way home. i have 2 little fish who love to swim!

we have arrived home to rain and more snow....... which makes me just want to go back down to the sunshine! it was so wonderful to be able to just let the kids play outside for hours on end! we also went to a magic show at harrahs, and did some fancy dining adults only style-- not things we ever get to do!

First book

this is jared's very first book......and i just love it. He did it all by himself. He tried really hard to sound out and write everyone's names in our family without asking me for any guidance. he really needs to stop growing up so fast!

*we finally got all his allergist / dr appointments over with. he is officially VERY allergic to dogs, cottonwoods, elms, ALL grass, EGGS, and PEANUTS. He has grown out of his milk allergy, which is great, but i think he still now has lactose issues. we gave him some cheese pizza without taking the cheese off like we normally do and he was in the bathroom all night. so it's not something i'm going to push for a while still.

at his kindergarten check-up we learned he is still in the 30% (ish) for both height and weight. And his eyes aren't the greatest. he is a bit nearsighted like me. The dr said he is right on the verge of needing glasses, but really it might be a couple years before it becomes a problem. other than that, he is one healthy boy!

My Jared Boy!

This kid just needs to stop growing..... he is the one that makes me feel old! Registering him for kindergarten is just the beginning, I know!!

He did a smart start basketball class this last winter. It was a growing experience for all. he hated it for the first couple of weeks. Then LOVED IT and couldn't wait to go each week. and then, he was bored of it. gotta love it. He did really well. We have to focus a lot on JUST TRYING new things with this boy. He is very hesitant and watches everyone else around him just to make sure they aren't making fun of him. By the end we finally convinced him that all he needed to do was worry about himself. I'm sure we are going to be having that conversation over and over again with him throughout his life.
BUT a HUGE HUGE HUGE improvement for him, as of late, was his parent day program at school. In the fall when they did their program, he sat by me and jason, and hid from everyone. Wanted NOTHING to do with it. This week, when they did their program- he was AMAZING! He walked the balance beam, did a somersault, sang his songs, found the right notes on the piano keyboard-- EVERYTHING he was supposed to do. with NO problems what so ever. It is sometimes nice to know that he is growing up a bit-- just hopefully not too fast!

This next week I am taking him to the allergist for some testing- FINALLY. When i went to get his medical records out for this appointment (and his kindergarten one in a couple weeks) i realized that jared hasn't been to see a doctor in 2 years. yes, not since April 2009. Now, i get the terrible mom award here- seeing as he didn't even have his 3 &4 year old wellness check-ups (i'm totally not sure how that happened- guess i just haven't taken him in for anything, why take him in at all?!!) but really, this kid has an AMAZING immune system. He must get it from his dad, 'cause we all know it's not from me. I know his immunization paper is totally full, so hopefully we aren't behind on anything. I guess we will find out soon enough. And i'm so glad that hopefully this allergist will let us know so more details on what's going on with his little body!!

Getting my Craft On!!

i have some new found time on my hands that i am going to really try to use to focus on the betterment of my babies. like......bow ties!!!???? that was my little project last week. Since my boys like to dress up fancy so much, and buying these darn things are at least $10 a tie, i decided i should learn how to make them. I started with THESE EASY RIBBON bow ties. I don't have a sewing machine- so i have to channel my inner creativeness in different ways. (maybe i should start a sewing machine fund...... or i'll just wait til my mom's here in a couple months and steal hers!)
anyway, they are SUPER easy, no machine needed. I used elastic and velcro for the neck strap. The boys wore them on sunday and looked soooo adorable.
i plan on making some LIKE THESE soon...... we shall see how soon that might actually be. and maybe i'll make THIS KIND for jason- i think he was little sad on sunday that he didn't have a matching one with his boys!
i need to get phillip a plain white shirt that actually covers his belly- this kid is growing too fast!!!

*****THIS POST was just done today, little big guy bow-ties.......so CUTE!!!!

One expensive penny!!

And it has started! We had our first official visit to the ER last night- considering jared is almost 5 and we have 3 kids, i consider us very blessed! And to make it count even more- we ended up going to 2 different ERs. It was lovely.

At 5o'clock last night, just as i was finishing dinner preparations to have a fun evening with old friends (sky, brooke, & z) spencer decided to eat a penny. He came into the room i was in gagging and choking- as scary as can be. I started patting his back and doing heimlich stuff and he stopped gagging. he started to cry and told me he ate money. I have heard there isn't much dr.s can do, so you just wait till it passes. But spencer kept crying, complaining that it hurt. I fed phillip, got dinner all done. Brooke and Sky were there and we were trying to decide if we should get him looked at. We got him to drink a little, and j gave him some peaches, thinking it might help clear his throat (or something) but then i noticed that he wasn't swallowing his spit at all. he was just holding it and let it drop out in gobs. that made me nervous and i knew i needed to call the dr. I called his pediatricians office- and they said "take him to the ER IMMEDIATELY!!!"

lucky for us, sky and brooke were there so we could just up and leave- they watched jared and phillip. (and good thing i have given phillip a couple bottles here and there so he knew what to do!) it ended up being a long night!!
the ER took us right in for an x-ray. and as you can see in the pics above- it was lodged in there good. BUT it was in such a spot that it made him rather high risk. If it moved at all it could either go straight in his belly OR into his airway----- which would be a disaster! SOOOOO the doctors at our hospital WOULD NOT TOUCH HIM! they loaded us into and ambulance and we were sent down to primary children's hospital.

It was just our luck though, that as this all started- so did a small blizzard. The roads were TERRIBLE. i got soooo car sick in the back of that amublance! Spencer did great. we had games on the cell phone to play and the guys gave him a couple new stuffed animals to play with. Other than having to spit all the time and throwing up every so often- it wasn't too bad. he was a real trooper! (and lucky for me, before we left they brought me in a fancy smancy bre*st pump so i wasn't in a ton of pain- it was so nice of them!)

at our ER before leaving they had put an IV in spen just in case. He did such a good job with it! He was in lots of pain, but his breathing was still fine-s o there was still lots of waiting. One ER to the other- definitely lots of waiting. They also were trying to figure out the best thing to do. We had been told that they were going to sedate him and go in a fish it out. but when we got there, they decided to try something else in an effort to keep him out of an operating room.
sooo, the radiologist is who ended up saving the day!! after much waiting, they took us over to radiology. They bound his hands above his head, and bound his legs and feet together so that he was totally immobilized. he was TERRIFIED (and to tell the truth, so was I). they had him laying on the table, and while snapping pic after pic after pic, watching every move they and the penny made. They inserted a tube down his throat that had a small balloon attached to it. they inflated the balloon and used it to guide the penny back up again. yes, it was beyond traumatic for the poor kid. he was gagging and screaming and crying and......who knows what else. but, it worked like a charm and saved us from having to stay there over night and operating (which is what the next step would have been if this didn't work) they said they see about 4-5 of these a month! they knew what they were doing. that little penny popped right out.

after giving him some things to drink and cheese to eat, making sure he could swallow and such we were allowed to go home. but the weather was still terrible. so by the time we made it home, it was well after 1am.

today he is fine and back to his lovely self- extremely upset that he couldn't have chicken nuggets for lunch. they want him to just eat a soft diet for 24 hours.

we are sooooo grateful that in reality it was easily fixed. and that we have health insurance! and that brooke and sky were at our house at just the right time. and that phillip takes a bottle. and that we live close enough to a hospital that is an expert facility with children. and mostly that our little spencer boy is so brave and tough and got through the entire ordeal ok. oh, and that jason and i survived it too!

This makes me smile!

2 Months = Chunky Monkey

My baby is 2 months!!!! He had his check-up today and it is OFFICIAL- he is a
CHUB-A-LICIOUS CHUNKY MONKEY!!!!!

weight: 13.9 lbs = 92%
length: 24.8 in = 96%
(though i think the nurse was off- i'd say more 23.8 in)
head size:15.7 in = 45%

i just love to nibble his cute little (or not so little) rolls. I knew he was big, but i was guessing closer to 12 lbs. - i was wrong! He is just adorable! He is still a gushing fountain of spit-up, just like his big brothers! guess that's just how my babies come.

Career Day

Wednesday was career day for jared. We have been discussing different careers since i first saw on his calendar that he needed to dress up for the day. Naturally, i first went to the costume box to see what we had on hand to dress up as. I presented him with different options: doctor, police officer, cowboy, football player, builder, etc. He had initially decided on police officer. I was fine with that. Jason also suggested politician, president of USA, businessman, etc. Jared than decided he wanted to be a JOCKEY- yes, he wants to race horses! He stuck with that for a while and in the back of my mind i hoped he would change his mind- cause really, where was i going to find a legit jockey outfit (and he wouldn't settle for anything but legit!)

we didn't talk about it for a few days- until the night before class- and i realized we didn't have anything planned. So i asked him again- he said "a businessman" I said, "really- you can be a jockey or whatever- we will find something." nope, he wanted to be a businessman.

TRANSLATION- jared really just LOVES to dress in his church clothes. He KNOWS he looks good and would wear them to school EVERY DAY if i let him. He knew if he was a businessman he could where his sport coat and look oh so slick!! i love it.

*for church he will NOT wear short sleeve shirts. He HAS to have a tie. And only very rarely will he wear a sweater vest- with a tie.

Twins!

Spencer and Phillip have the same jammies. every time i put phi;lip in his, spencer has to go and change and put his on- no matter the time of day!! and then he will lay next to phillip and say "cheese" waiting for me to take a picture.
and of course, if i'm taking pictures of the other two, jared has to get in on the action. though the jammies he is wearing are quite "special" hand -me - downs from cousins. His belly is cute though!

Crazy Hair Day

When i first learned that jared was going to have crazy hair day at preschool, i thought it was a bit silly. They are just in preschool. But then, as thought about it- it was a GREAT thing for my boy.
Jared has such strong anxiety to doing ANYTHING that is abnormal to him. I thought for sure he would have NO interest in doing crazy hair. I was wrong. I realize, his requested mohawk isn't really considered "crazy" to the majority of the world; but to my straight-laced boy it is VERY CRAZY.
Jared usually does his hair one of two ways: a) parted to the side, nicely combed and very handsome or b) he doesn't do it all! He won't let me do little spikeyness like i used to do when he was younger. It's either parted or nothing at all. He was very proud of his mohawk! and as it turned out- only 1 other boy in his class participated in crazy hair day- and jared was ok with that! BIG step for him!!
And of course, Spen had to get in on the action! he's pretty cute with a mohawk too! I dried and styled jared's, but spencer was just a quick little job! so by the time his dried, he had one fluffy poof on the top of his head!!