Yellowstone Trip

OK, so i guess it has been long enough. I should start posting again! I have quite a few posts to catch up on. It always feels good to take a little break, but then i regret it once i realize how much i want to record and have posted here. oh well. you'll get 'em when you get 'em.

But, it has been so long, i've almost forgetten what i wanted to post about of our trip. There are definitely a TON of pics. I won't feel badly if you don't look at them all. they are mostly for my family to see.

For our trip we rented a house in the smallest town i have ever stayed in. There wasn't even a stoplight. it is called Emigrant, Montana. It is about 30 miles outside of yellowstone national park. It was a spacious, beautiful home that fit us all perfectly. us being- my older sister amy, her husband, christian, their five kids- ethan (10) aiden (8) preston (5- almost 6) keenen (3- almost 4) and lily (1); my mom and little sisters becky and rachel; my grandparents (my mom's parents) and me and my crazy boys.
We started our drive up on a saturday- me, my boys, and my grandparents all drove together. we spent the night in rexburg at my mom's cousin's house. It was very gracious of them to let us stay there- but man, i didn't sleep that night! they have in-door animals. i think that is all i need to say about that. (though the experience did help me realize that jared has mini asthma attacks when around dog hair)
sunday morning we went to a quick sacrament meeting and then took our time driving all the way up and through the park. The speed limit in yellowstone is 35-45- depending on where you are. we drove about 20mph. we weren't allowed to check in until 4 - and i wanted my boys to sleep. needless to say- it made the day VERY long. we were all ready to get out of the car by then.
Now, don't worry, i'm not going to give you a play by play list of the entire week. Let's just recap, shall we?
Pretty much, me and the babies all hung out at home a lot with the grandparents. it was relaxing and nice to be out in the middle of nowhere. i couldn't leave spencer to go and do all the day activities- but they did do some rafting, horse back riding, fishing, and hiking. We did go and spend a day looking at all the fun stuff throughout yellowstone.
though, next time we need to remember to bring walkie talkies 'cause cell phones don't work. we did loose amy and christian for about half a day- until we both got to places where our phones worked and we could meet somewhere.
Jared LOVED (and i dare say that is an understatement) seeing the animals. Every time we got in the car he asked for the buffalo, elk, reindeer, and eagles. he still is talking about them half the day. everytime he talks to jason on the phone, he talks about those animals (oh and seeing the water shoot high in the sky- old faithful)
not too far from our house is little resort that has a natural hot spring mineral pool. we got passes to it and went almost everyday of the week. jared is a water boy! he would swim ALL day long if i let him. it was all the entertainment he needed all week long. spencer even got to swim. most of the time he was sleeping when we swam. or, i just couldn't hold both of them. a BIG THANKS to my mom and grandma. they watched my little baby the entire time. i just had to be there to nurse him, then i would go play. the one time i left them together with just a bottle, spencer refused to take it. silly boy!
while home with the younger cousins, jared was just in high heaven. he has never spent that much time with so many boys. he learned to sword fight, shoot play guns, hit people with bats.... what else? you get the idea. such a boy.
the traumatic part of the trip was the night he got 12 splinters in one foot. i think it was more traumatic for me than him- just because he won't let anyone else touch him when he is in pain, so i had to do the digging and the consoling at the same time. no fun. note to self- remember to put shoes on your kids especialy when they have just gotten out of the tub and their skin is soft and the deck is not.
overall, the trip was just what i expected it to be. we had fun. jared got to know my family better- he talks about them all the time. and he got to see animals.
i'll be the first to admit it though- i had a tough time being there and not having my husband with me. i missed him more that week than i think i have the entire last 7 months. i don't really know why, but that is how it goes sometimes. hopefully my family still loves me- even if i was a beast some times!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

i have over 500 pictures taken in the last 2 weeks to sort through. all i want to do is SLEEP!

Happy 4th Weekend

What a great weekend we had! We drove down to ST George on tuesday and jason flew in to vegas on wednesday. I drove down to get him. We decided it had been too long since we had been on a roller coaster, so we went for a ride at New York New York. it was fun- a little rough around the edges (or am i just getting old?) but we had a good time. we also got some good 'ol in-n-out and drove back to st george.
thursday we went to the lake- thanks dee and dave for sharing and bringing your boat up!! it was HOT- but the water was perfect and the lake was pretty empty. fun stuff! jared loved swimming with his daddy. he is a water boy! but i think i need to invest in some good ear plugs. i can't even jump into the water anymore without it killing me.
friday we had a flag raising ceremony in the morning. the kids did a great job. then we went and saw Wall- E- cute but political. afterwards we went and did some fun games at the park- bubble blowing contest, egg toss, water balloon fight, pie eating contest. sooo fun- though after finding jared throwing eggs in my laundry room today, i've decided that maybe teaching him to throw eggs wasn't the best idea! that night we did fireworks outside and ate ice cream cones. the weather was perfect. jared just LOVES being with all his older cousins. (the doughmans, bradys and wilsons were there with us)
saturday the girls all went to little farmers market. then everyone went down to the river to play while i stayed and let my boys have a much needed long nap. it gave jared the energy to go swimming later that evening. spencer was even awake and got to go with us!
sunday we took jason back down to vegas. he ended up missing his flight- but got there eventually. kind of a stressful way to end a trip, but it all worked out.
on the way to the airport jared was just sobbing saying- "no airport, jared's house" it about broke my heart. only 37 days to go!!!!!! (i know, my ticker is off!)
here are A LOT of pictures! enjoy!

She's Gonna Make it

Last night we left ST George at 7pm to make the drive home while the boys were sleeping. I was getting a little tired and needed some music to sing to, so i put in an old Garth Brooks CD. When this song came on, i couldn't help but cry.
My wonderful cousin is getting divorced right now, after 7 years of marriage. I ache for her. It kind of came out of nowhere, taking her by surprise. But she strong- stronger than him. And even though i'm not the one to judge him, i know that if he keeps making the choices he is currently making, he will not make it. he will keep going down- and it might just be that he has to wait until the eternities to get to that point- one day, he will realize what he's done.
So, this one's for you Marce. You ARE gonna make it. you're already almost there.

** don't mind the anime video that is playing. i don't understand what it has to do with the song- this is just the fastest way i could find to post the song. Maybe my sister's can explain it? they love this stuff!

This week

we haven't done anything since monday! well, not entirely true. we went down to my cousin's house but jared got sick with croup (hopefully he didn't give it to all her kids!) and i didn't take any pictures while there 'cause i'm lazy like that sometimes. we did go swimming and hang out with her and her adorable kids! it was fun- just wish that we didn't have to leave early.
(Spencer did get a little beat up by the cutest 17 month old ever! my fault for letting him babysit!)

jared had a high fever for 3 days. then i took him to the doc and he said he had croup. i didn't really believe the diagnosis at first, 'cause jared hadn't been coughing all that much- it was just the way he was breathing. but, needless to say, the doc was right. and since then, all jared has done is cough. poor kid. he sounds terrible. and now i have it. well, i don't think i have croup per say, but the same kind of thing. i feel YUCKY!

but we get to see jason this week- so i AM going to get better here REALLY REALLY soon so that our trip isn't totally ruined.

here are the few pics i took at the beginning of the week. my boys are just too cute! i went to load the pics on to the computer tonight thinking that i hadn't taken any this week. there were about 20. and to me, that is nothing. i forget sometimes how many pictures i take when we are all feeling normal!

and, just in case you were standing on pins and needles wondering how the potty training is going... it is great! today was totally accident free, but average is about one accident a day. he doesn't really like to do #2 on the pot, but he is getting better. and i KNOW he is going love that put this pic on here for the world to see!

Do Not Despair

We used this talk by President Benson in our young women lesson today. I really quite enjoyed it, so i thought i would share some of it. Basically it is a talk about how to not be depressed. Don't worry, I'm not. But i do have my days lately when a little pick-me-up like this is really helpful. He gives a list of 12 things that we can and should be doing to keep our spirits happy! If you don't want to click over and read it all, here are a few quotes i really liked:

"A woman whose life is involved in the righteous rearing of her children has a better chance of keeping up her spirits than the woman whose total concern is centered in her own personal problems."
"Work is our blessing, not our doom. God has a work to do, and so should we."
"In general, the more food we eat in its natural state—the less it is refined, and the fewer additives it contains—the healthier it will be for us. Food can affect the mind, and deficiencies in certain elements in the body can promote mental depression." (this was written in 1987- before all the hype about natural foods)
"A good physical examination periodically is a safeguard and may spot problems that can be remedied. Rest and physical exercise are essential, and a walk in the fresh air can refresh the spirit."
"While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that follow if you are faithful. And you can have that certain knowledge that in due time God will wipe away all tears"
"Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short- and long-range goals."

Fun in the sun!

It sure has warmed up fast! Pretty much we just sit outside all day long playing in the water. jared has no fear- no matter how cold that hose water can be! we'll fill his little pool up and his friends will slowly get used to it. not jared- he just jumps right in and splashes them all!

Jared being silly:

Yesterday i got a little bored of just sitting in our yard. brooke had told us about this fun new splashpad that isn't too far from us. it took me a little while to find it- it's kind of hidden (which is good, 'cause it's not crowded yet!) but we found it. i didn't know if i'd be able to, so i didn't put jared's swim stuff on (just in case- so there would be no dissappointment for him) he just played in his clothes and loved it. we will definitely start adding this place to our weekly fun stuff. i love it the most because it is FREE!!! and because it's not a pool so i don't have to watch two babies in the water at the same time.

Happy Daddy's Day

Jason is just an amazing daddy. His boys love him so much. Even spencer, who's only spent a few days with him. He knows jason's voice. when he hears it, his little legs start kicking like crazy and he gets a huge smile on his face. jason takes the time every day to talk to his boys- when i know all the other guys around him must think he's crazy when he is saying things like "did you go poop in the potty today." but he does it.

he is working so hard right now. i know he misses me and all, but i think it's killing him to miss his boys growing and learning new things with out him.

Thanks babe- we love you and wish we could have been with you today! You really are the greatest daddy! Get some sleep! Happy Daddy's day!

My Dad

I really enjoyed this last american idol season. I think it is the one season that i have watched to most of. So, as soon as this medley started on the night of the finale, I was sooo excited!

Bryan Adams takes me back to being a kid. My dad always had the best music playing. I mean it, always. i have very few memories that don't invlove music being played at the time. It was great. I can sing every word to every song that he played. No matter how long it has been since i last listened to it, it all comes back. It's good stuff.
Thanks dad- for instilling such a love of music in me. It is my therapy. A good song can help change my whole attitude. Hopefully we can see you soon! We love you!

He DOES laugh!

I know, they are a bit indecent and such. But i finally got spencer laughing! he WILL NOT LAUGH for me! he was just going crazy the entire time they were in the tub. he just loves his brother. so here you go jason, your baby laughing....... :)

I blinked

And you went from this: To this:



How did that happen? Happy Birthday Jared Bug!

(yes, just so when you read this in the future: on your 2nd birthday you wore underwear ALL DAY LONG. and as of now, 2:00 p.m. have managed to do the deed 4 times in the potty today! mom is sooo proud!)

Thoughts

As a missionary this scripture is one that i studied a lot. i've been thinking a ton about it lately, again. 2 Nephi 2:26

"And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. "
And I can't get this talk by President Monson out of my head. (not that i want it out of my head) I first re-read it over a month ago, and yet, i keep going back to it. the end specifically. here is just a part of a it:
"Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God’s Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.
The world can at times be a frightening place in which to live. The moral fabric of society seems to be unraveling at an alarming speed. None—whether young or old or in-between—is exempt from exposure to those things which have the potential to drag us down and destroy us. Our youth, our precious youth, in particular, face temptations we can scarcely comprehend. The adversary and his hosts seem to be working nonstop to cause our downfall.
We are waging a war with sin, my brothers and sisters, but we need not despair. It is a war we can and will win. Our Father in Heaven has given us the tools we need in order to do so. He is at the helm. We have nothing to fear. He is the God of light. He is the God of hope."

He's getting better!

He's getting better at staying like this: But really, it's only a matter a minutes before he has found that silly hand and is like this:
Though today, he did remember that he can kind of role over, so he did that and wasn't screaming at me.

Hats

I've often posted about jared and his love of hats. he pretty much always has a hat on- whether it is his or his dad's. well, as you will see below, he is trying to teach spencer that this is the way of life. no matter how many times i take the hat off of spencer, as soon as i turn around, it is back on. (with jared saying "DON'T" to me) spencer doesn't really like hats! i wonder why?! and yes, jared always does it when spencer is in the exersaucer. maybe i just shouldn't put him in there anymore.



But, this last picture is funny to me. jared will NEVER pose for a picture. i always have to have the camera pre-focused so that i can just click when i get a chance at a good shot. which often leads to 30 shots. but anyway. since i let him put the hat BACK on spencer, he sat down for a picture for me. what an angel!

Little things...

He is hilarious! he has reached a new level of independence today. he went poop on the potty. yes he did. it was real. for those that don't know how great of an accomplishment that is, let me explain.
jared has been TERRIFIED of the toilet. he never ever will even sit on it if he doesn't have clothes on. i bought him his own little potty to try to help him learn to feel comfortable sitting like that. he never will sit on it. until TODAY.
The reason i bought him the potty really was because he has consistently been telling me when he goes poop and wants me to change him as soon as he does it. but even when i ask him if he wants to sit on the potty to do it, he won't. he goes and hides for a few minutes, then comes back with a messy diaper. OR he'll poop in the bathtub. which i HATE- but he does all the time. until today....
this morning he said his usual while in the tub comment "mommy, jared poo poo" i ask, as usual, "do you need to go poop? sit on your potty" and today, he actually did it. and sat there long enough to do the deed. and was excited about it. and every time he had to pass gas today, he took his diaper off and went and sat on that potty to do it. i don't know how many diapers we went through today. he insisted on taking it off and throwing it away.
My baby will be two in a few days. i don't know if i'm really ready for him to want to be this independent. i guess i don't get much of a choice. i realize that we are still quite a few steps aways from actual potting training. but today was a MAJOR step for my son. he overcame a great fear.
spencer is so sweet. especially when he sleeps. for 12 hours every night. with out waking up at all. even to eat. and doing it consistently now for over a month. i guess i'm ok with him sucking his thumb. if it means i get sleep. and, well, because, really..... i don't have a choice!