Shill Shinanigans

Happy New Year! It's almost Valentine's Day...

2012-01-25T07:25:00.000-06:00

Cody took some pictures...

So Brady wanted to take some, too..

Thanks to my mother-in-law, we have this wonderful saucer/bouncer! Maylee does really well in it, especially since she likes standing up all the time.

This new year is starting off wonderfully! Working on New Year's Resolutions is quite fulfilling.

I've started two classes (Geology and National Government), which totals 8 credits. Two more classes were supposed to start in March (so all four classes would end in May)... but I just dropped them realizing that two are proving to be quite time-consuming already. I'll take two more during the short summer semester, though. Yay!

Learning and studying has been so much fun! I mean... I'm reading about geology... nothing sounds more boring in the world... but I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've learned so far! (Except for the chemistry of minerals... chemistry is like a whole different language to me.)

Maylee has two teeth and her naps are finally longer, as they should be. Yay! We're potty training Brady... and I cannot tell you how much I am not loving it. But... it has to be done... and what could be a better time than when we run out of diapers for him? *Sigh* I've cleaned up more pee and poop than I care to share. Any advice/words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

I'm still in the primary and it's lots of fun. Cody just got called to the Young Men's presidency.

I'm working on setting up a new health and wellness Sunrider blog. I'd really love to just hire someone to do it and not mess with all the nitty-gritty details, but it's still kind of neat to create it on my own.

Anyway, our lives are happening and time is going by right before our eyes. Hopefully we savor every moment!

Only a month ago...

2012-01-24T21:55:00.001-06:00

Maylee dressed for church on Christmas day.

Brady deciding he's a big fan of the whole "Christmas" thing.

He's wearing his Thomas jammies, Lightning McQueen slippers,
and about to ride his construction truck. :)

Maylee doesn't take a binkie or sleep in her swing anymore.
The swing was the stand-in until we could do some sleep training.
Now, we lay her down in her crib and she sucks her thumb while holding
her blanket in the other hand. I about go weak at the knees every time I see her
do it. Presh.

Maylee on Christmas morning. Exactly four months old on Christmas!

Singing Christmas hymns at my parents' house. And my mom, a lovingly

doting grandma, in the background. :)

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

2012-01-11T13:29:00.001-06:00

This is Cody and I'm just posting this for my mom and anyone else to enjoy. This is Brady's Buzz Lightyear impression. :) (I hope the sound works, if not sorry!)

Breastfeeding.. Take Two

2011-12-19T08:12:00.000-06:00

Nursing the second time around is much, much easier than before!

With Brady, I produced enough milk for QUIZILLIANTUPLETS. So everything I wore would ALWAYS get soaked... not to mention it would squirt in Brady's poor eyes and all over HIS clothes, too. UGH.

I had to change our sheets daily (or resolve to sleeping on milk-stained sheets) due to SOAKING our bed each night. I mean, can you imagine? I couldn't do my own laundry fast enough because I would have to change ALL my clothes once or twice a night.

Brady didn't like to be covered when I nursed him, so I could never nurse in (private) public because he'd squirm and flail until he was completely free and I was exposed for all to see.

For a little while, Brady didn't want to open his mouth wide enough to nurse. Ouch.

Then... oh dear... to top it all... was the yeast infection *where he nursed*. I wouldn't wish that upon any woman, even if I didn't like her!

But THIS time around, my milk has regulated pretty nicely! It is much lovelier! Maylee is easier, it seems, too. She had a bit of Tongue-Tie and I got mastitis a few times... but it's been about a month and a half since I've had it... THANK HEAVENS!!!!!

Kami snapped this picture of me nursing Maylee without me even knowing it. I absolutely love it because it's 100 percent candid! And it's hard to express the sheer joy and satisfaction that comes from seeing your child grow solely from something YOU produced for them, and UNIQUELY for them!

My heart goes out to women who tried but could not breastfeed. In my ignorance (before ever lactating), I was so judgmental. How TERRIBLE of me! Now that I know how incredibly DIFFICULT and PAINFUL and nearly IMPOSSIBLE it can be... I now understand.

This is one thing I'm loving about life: the eliciting of more compassion I feel for others while diminishing the ignorant judgments. Heavenly Father sure knows what He's talking about. ;)

What about you? I love hearing other moms' stories! I love hearing how you discipline your kids, what you cook or bake for/them, how you teach them to sleep or not to hit... I love your birth stories and sweet moments. I love knowing I'm not the only one who has hard days... days when I want to do things due to insanity that shouldn't be mentioned... so comment! Keep up your blogging too b/c I love it.

My Days as a Mom: Good, Bad, & Ugly

2011-12-01T12:42:00.000-06:00

Maylee is 3 months old and blows bubbles and "talks" by spitting in the cutest little way. I just love it! She gets chubbier every day. Her eyes are so big, bright, and blue. Her hair is even growing! I absolutely adore her.

Brady loves her very aggressively, but doesn't realize he's being too aggressive.. he tries so hard to be gentle but is OVERCOME with love for her that he gets REALLY excited. At least he's not full of animosity and taking blows at her... I can handle the rough lovin'.

He mostly grabs her hands and cheeks really intruding her "bubble". She gets a bit annoyed and looks at me like, "PLEASE save me, Mom!" I think she'll absolutely look up to her big brother and seek his approval and praise. She smiles at him (from a distance, lol) because he's oh-so entertaining with all his Buzz Lightyear moves and gun-shooting skills!

I'm getting my own VEHICLE! Cody's been doing research non-stop about what kind of car, van, or SUV to buy. As soon as I get one, I'll be going to the gym OFTEN. I went at about 6:00 in the morning recently because I was full of rage.

My sleep was seriously interrupted throughout the ENTIRE night and into the morning... each time I'd BARELY get to sleep again, Brady would wake me up. I. Was. Furious. I put on some warm clothes, grabbed the keys and LEFT.

I knew that if I didn't do SOMEthing healthy for my emotional distress, I'd be a horrible mom all day. I got a day pass and hopped on a treadmill and RAN. I ran and ran and... I instantly felt better!! Talk about the power of endorphins! I felt great. I got on a stair-stepper/elliptical thing, used some free weights, then left. I was only there for a short 40 minutes or so, but it was divine.

I rolled down the windows while driving home even though it was FREEZING. I BLASTED the radio to my favorite country song ("...Country Girl, Shake it for me - Girl - Shake it for me - Girl - Shake it for me.."). I arrived home a new woman, ready to take on the day on next-to-no sleep.

I wanted to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next... I can hardly wait to get my own vehicle!!

Anyway, I want to do that instead of what I USUALLY do, and that is over eat. When I'm stressed, I eat. Bored? Eat. Sad? Eat. Distraught? Eat. It gets a bit difficult to stay thin (or reach my fitness goals) when I binge.

I usually quell the bored curse by working, cleaning, playing (with Brady), reading... but the other emotions? They get food as their 'satiater'... and even though it's mostly healthy, it's still not ideal.

I wonder how much I weigh? I haven't weighed myself since my last prenatal appointment before Maylee was born... Now I'm curious.

Welp, my ramblings have reached an end today. Time to work. I love work. I love being productive.

Goodbye!

A Special Treat (Photo) at the End of this Post..

2011-11-17T06:43:00.000-06:00

Oh, the many faces of Brady!! He's such a little joy (and ham) to have! We just took some family pictures and he looks like a little goof in all of them with his big cheesy grins and other expressive faces. :)

Maylee puts up with her brother's "aggressive loving" pretty well at not-even-three-months-old-yet. Oh, and note the baseball shirt... one of Brady's absolute favorites. He feels pretty masculine in it and has to go shoot something or jump off of something when we put it on him b/c he brims with pride!

Our little Halloween Giraffe. :) I thought it was a fitting costume due to the fact that Brady is tall and skinny! (Thank you, Stephanie, for letting us use it - you're wonderful!!)

Below is little Rooklyn, our friends Jenni and Luke's second-born little daughter. I just HAD to have the giraffe pose with the zebra!

My little baby at about 10-11 weeks old. I just ADORE her! She is so beautiful, dainty, pretty, lovely, ...I could go on. I love her dearly!!!

At 11 weeks old, Maylee...

-Smiles

-Talks and coos all the time

-Does NOT like to lay back, she has to be propped completely up and she'll STILL pull herself forward

-Sleeps through the night (started at 6 weeks)

-Weighs over 12 pounds

-Growing adorable chubs all over

-Can hold herself up with her legs (stands while being supported)

-Loves her swing

-Loves her binkie SOME of the time... not all the time

-Nurses wonderfully (it only takes her a few minutes total in one complete feeding)

-Does NOT like to have a full diaper at all

-Does NOT enjoy baths

-Does well in her carseat

A smile!!

And...

...last but not least...

LOLOL!!!!!!!! Alright, this probably isn't as funny to you as it is to Cody and me... we laugh EVERY time we see this picture (below)!!!!! I just had to share.

A little about Brady at 2 1/2:

-Has the most beautiful, long, dark eyelashes

-Loves to watch movies

-Sings and dances whenever he hears music he likes

-Has an amazing memory and recalls things he's only ever heard or been told once

-Likes to have his hair done (like Daddy)

-Loves fruit

-Is very particular and loves routines

-Has more energy than I know what to do with

Current Favorite Toys:

-A dinosaur (from Stephanie, too!)

-His three different Lightning McQueen cars

-Mater (with a button that lights up and quotes Mater from Cars 2)

-Stuffed Elmo

-Anything that's pointed and can shoot

Family Pictures with Christmas Cards to come soon!

While lying in bed most mornings...

2011-11-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

...I think of the best things to blog about. Sometimes the "blog post" in my mind is in bullet-point form of things I want to share and record.

And then... I sit down with my laptop. And nothing catchy or significant comes to mind.

If my little Maylee Jane and Brady Grant didn't wake up so darn early, I'd grab my puter and blog all my thoughts right out during the calm quiet of the morning. But that's alright - here goes..

Cody has recently been hired by New York Life. He sells Life Insurance and does Financial Planning. I was not thrilled about this for a while due to it being a commission-based job. However, my wise mother reminded me of some things and helped me realize that this is just Cody's thing. "This" being sales or commission jobs. Despite the gamble it is to work in sales, Cody is still attracted to it and enjoys it more than other alternatives! I decided I'll support him in it and hope for the best. I really like the people he works with and the offices are on the 16th floor of a building in Downtown Wichita. Let me tell you, they are Za-Za Nice with a capital 'N'! He wears a suit to work and looks OH-so sharp. I mean, everything about this job is so 'Cody'. I'm excited for him. He's choosing to work for New York Life for the next 15+ years and make it his career! Yaaaay!!! No more bouncing from job to job. :) I'm proud of him. He's also washing windows for a little longer while the weather allows.

I'm working on enrollment and FAFSA stuff to take a full load of online courses in January. Yay! I've decided to get my Associate's in Generals because an Associate's will transfer anywhere. I didn't want to be working on my Bachelor's and then move and not have all my credits transfer somewhere else. So Baby Steps here: First my Associate's, then my Bachelor's, and then a Master's or Law School. I'm not nannying Little Dave for now, his mom (my friend Megan) is taking 3 1/2 months off work since she had a baby girl! So in January, I'll start watching both of them. We'll be a full house for a few hours every day! Two toddler boys and two infant girls... feel free to pray for me. :) I still do Sunrider and share it with others. I love, love, love it and am excited to do more with it now and in the future. I'm also officially hired as my parents "Launderer". I do all the household laundry for an hourly rate. Win-win all around: My mom's load is lightened (pun intended), I have another way to earn a little income, and the family always has clean clothes and towels. I'm still the primary chorister and love it. Definitely fun, challenging, and a great way for me to grow.

Brady is a two-year-old boy... 'nough said. ;) Just kidding - he's a wonderful little sweetheart whom I adore. No potty-training yet... some day. So our 3-4 year-old-looking two-year-old continues to fill his diapers for his parents' convenience. He says the cutest things every day. While taking a bath the other day, I said, "Okay, are you finished, bud?" and he responded, "Not quite." What? Not quite? Well, alright then. He makes us laugh all the time. He says prayers and blesses the food. He reads scriptures by opening up a book that he's deemed "The Book of Mormon" and says "An' it came to pass..." He always says "Someday he'll be big like Cayub" and calls his best friend Tabitha "Ta-ti-ta" because that's a hard name for a young mouth. He currently LOVES Toy Story and calls any toy he likes "his" toy, like "his Buzz Lightyear", for example. I'm just thankful he likes movies... easy babysitter. :)

Maylee is such a little joy! She is ALL-girl already. At almost 2 1/2 months, she's already quite the social butterfly. She loves watching someone when they're talking and will smile and smile at them (it was Cody this morning and Kirie, my 18-year-old sister last night). She also talks back in the cutest cooing EVER heard on the planet! I mean I am overCOME with love for her when she smiles and talks to me. Starting at 6 weeks, she sleeps through the night with one feeding. She goes about 11-12 hours nursing one time. Yay! I put her in the other room without a monitor so I could sleep and set the alarm for 3 a.m. to nurse her... but I didn't even need an alarm. She wakes up around 3 or 4 a.m. every morning to nurse. Now I need to start her nap schedule though because she's starting to stay awake too much during the day (resulting in more fussiness). I nurse her every 3 hours during the day. Scheduled feedings, along with scheduled sleep, is one of the best things I've ever done. Some moms think I'm too harsh and if Maylee fusses, people will often try to convince me that she's hungry and needs to be nursed. I nursed Brady whenever he fussed and guess what? He had more blow-outs, spit-up a TON all the time, and was fussier and cried more. Maylee is putting on weight and growing beautifully, doesn't have regular blow-outs, only spits up a little bit, and is a happier, easier baby. There are about 10 other things I LOVE about scheduled feedings but won't list them now. If you want to know, maybe I'll do another post just about that. :) But suffice it to say that it has been FABULOUS.

Our family is doing well here in Derby, Kansas. It's starting to get COLD and Christmas is right around the corner. Family pictures are being taken next week, so hopefully we can get our Christmas cards out before Thanksgiving (that's my goal, anyway). Thanks for reading!

Lately..

2011-10-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

Concerned? Slightly annoyed? What a little look.

LOL - now THIS picture of Brady is hilarious to me. Gall, what a little ham!

My mom, her dad, and Maylee. So Maylee's Great Grandpa Ivie! We love him.

I love this little face. I love this little girl!

Pumpkin Patch with Cody's Parents

2011-10-24T21:01:00.001-05:00

On the tractor ride to get to all the pumpkins!

It's such a fun time of year! Fall is exciting to me because it means that holidays centered around Christ, family and yummy food are right around the corner.

Brady found a little pumpkin. He loved walking all over and searching for JUST the right one. He kept saying "Let's keep looking!" Then he'd find one but stand back up and say, "Nope, not this one. Let's keep looking!" He said it over and over again.

All four of us! We're a family of FOUR. And this is just the beginning. :) (Nevermind my Popeye arm...)

Family picture! (With our pumpkins!)

Cody's parents spent the weekend with us from Seattle, Washington for Maylee's baby blessing. (Pictures to come!)

Another family picture with the humongous spider... gross. Cody is so tan and buff... what a hottie.

Papa and Brady!

Jumping castle = so much FUN. Brady loved it.

I'd try to eat his little hands and he'd SCREAM and laugh so hard. It was a fun game that cracked me up.

Oh, here he is searching and searching through pumpkins repeatedly saying, "Let's keep looking!"

This was really fun! (And really hard to climb up while holding Brady...) He LOVED this big slide and even went all by himself. :)

Here's my baby girl. Happy Fall. Happy Halloween.

Different Faces

2011-10-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

A sweet little smile! This is one of her first ones and I caught it on camera!

Little tongue. Baby acne. Both my babies got baby acne. Her skin was perfectly FLAWLESS and then BAM - little red dots all over her face. It's not too bad, though. :)

She's still PRECIOUS to me!!

A bit of drool... I wonder if she'll get teeth early like Brady did. His first two teeth cut at 2 1/2 months old... CRAZY early!

And the handsome big brother! He's such a good big brother! He informs me in the mornings when she wakes up and is crying since he wakes up earlier than the crack of dawn. He seriously wakes up anywhere from 4-6 every morning. No joke. I'm going to start locking him in his bedroom so I can at least sleep until 6 for goodness' sake!

I love these warm little monkey jammies on her. They're so cuddly and warm!

This picture is just cute and makes me laugh. I don't know what he's doing with his left hand! He has a little bottle of water in his other hand... he drinks out of cups or sippy cups, but sometimes he'll ask for a bottle since he's seen them around lately. Actually, I think he's posing because he's wearing his Spiderman jammies. Funny kiddo! :)

About One Month Old

2011-10-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

So... I didn't realize until after a good amount of pictures that Brady had touched and blurred the lens of my camera... so these are kind of fuzzy, darnit. :S

She loves being held. She loves to be swaddled. I love to hold and swaddle her!

Hi little Sweetie!

They fell asleep in almost the same position - cute!!

Maylee and me!

I kiss her and kiss her and kiss her. I love, love, love my pretty girl!

My Little Newborn Maylee

2011-10-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

Here's my pretty princess right after nursing. Oh yeah, she loves my milk. :)

I just cannot get enough of this little angel.

Look at those cute peely fingers - so fresh from the womb! The new-baby aroma from her was divine.

Blurry (kinda creepy eyes...) This is my grandma - aka Nana. She picked her up and started spinning around and dancing Maylee around the room while she was fussy. Maylee calmed RIGHT down and loved it!

Napping on my bed. She slept on her tummy for the most part during her first month or so. She did not like being on her back and slept longer on her tummy. Plus, it's so CUTE!

See her little pixie ear? Her left ear is pointed like a little fairy! I love her perfectly round little head, too. And her fine, blonde hair. And her beautifully soft skin. I love my Maylee Jane.

My Choice to Birth at Home Again

2011-09-20T14:17:00.000-05:00

I faced some pretty big fears by doing a second home birth. I set my expectations SO HIGH for Brady's birth (which is NOT wise to do for a FIRST birth), and the experience was SO OPPOSITE of what I ever expected and hoped for, that it was a very traumatic experience for me.

Truly, I'm not exaggerating when I say I could've (SHOULD have) gotten therapy to help me process the experience. I was even angry at God for a while. Now, I'd heard people say that and could never fathom HOW someone could be mad at a Loving God. But if something crazy enough happens... something deeply trying of someone... a person can get that low.

Obviously that wasn't the answer and I had to repent for feeling that way... but there were a lot of questions in my mind as to why my prayers weren't answered throughout labor like they were for my mom's births. I felt forsaken and abandoned by Him and was very confused as to why.

***I now recognize and appreciate the amazing thing I gained from such an ordeal: My deepend understanding and overwhelming grattitude for the Savior's immense and horrific suffering in the Garden of Eden and on The Cross. Going through my own pain changed me, humbled me, awakened me.

A few hours after Brady was born, I was overcome from the top of my head down to my toes... I was in AWE of what He did for us. In tears, I thought "If Jesus suffered ONLY what I just suffered for the last 18 hours and NOTHING more... I would feel eternally indebted to Him.... but He suffered ALL the pains and sorrows and suffering of ALL OF MANKIND!"

It was like I was SLIGHTLY able to grasp a concept that isn't even "graspable" to the natural man - the human mind. So my testimony grew, and maybe that's why it happened how it did.***

Nonetheless, there were still many emotions of frustration and disappointment... so WHY would I choose a home birth again? HOW could I possibly be so moronic as to do it AGAIN? (I questioned myself many times over.)

Well, I loved the relationship I had with my home-birth midwife in California and wanted that same experience again. I like the more prevenative approach to pregnancy and childbirth more than the more reactive one. I liked that I didn't have to go to a hospital. I liked that I could stay home.

So I began searching for a midwife. Once I found Michelle, I was sure to tell her about my extreme reluctance and fear of doing it natural again. She assured me that she would be all the confidence and surety we would need and I could rely on her belief even if I had none.

However, overcoming my fear of the PAIN and SUFFERING was definitely a process. I mean I was scared to death and was secretly planning on going to the hospital for an epidural if my labor lasted longer than several hours (she wasn't too happy with me when I sort of revealed that plan close to my due date... she told me to trust her and she only wanted what was BEST for me and baby, PERIOD).

I prayed a lot. I BEGGED Heavenly Father for a different experience than last time, and to have the experience I wanted. (For Brady's birth, I prayed that I'd have the experience HE wanted me to have.) I then recieved a blessing where I was told that I would get what I wanted and have it happen the way I hoped for. Wow... that blessing pretty much anchored me to my decision until the end.

Anyway, blah, blah, blah, so I ended up going through with it, obviously, and facing my fears. I did it! I feel strengthened, I feel empowered, and I feel very noticed by my Heavenly Father. I feel like I've freed myself of that fear and truly overcome that traumatic first-time experience.

When my little Maylee arrived after that third push, it was pure joy. I felt relief, excitement, and love for this sweet little angel born into my arms! She was so purplish-white with puffy eyes and matted blonde hair (you know how they look when they come out...) and she couldn't have been more beautiful to me! I just looked and looked at her. I was smiling, enjoying our skin-to-skin contact and bond.

She grows lovelier to me every day! When I look at her, I ponder about heaven and what it's like; what it will be like in the Celestial Kingdom. Will there be babies? There MUST be babies! They are too pure and perfect and heavenly to NOT be! I choose to believe there will be little babies because I know families continue to grow and love beyond the veil, even if I don't understand the intricacies and details of how/when/where, etc.

I love my baby ("big boy") Brady, and I love my baby Maylee. I'm blessed to have them. I'm thankful for how I've grown as a person, woman, and mom just from my experiences giving birth to each one of them! I look forward to more little angels in my life. (But not now...)

Maylee's Birth

2011-09-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

Plans Gone Awry

I wanted to be induced early, hoping for a smaller baby (and head!). My midwife said she'd start checking me at 37 weeks to determine whether my cervix was ready or not for induction.

At 37 weeks, Michelle (my midwife) worked my cervix... which is QUITE painful, I might add. I was 70% effaced and 1 1/2 cm dilated. She said to give it another week. I felt disappointed and relieved all at the same time; there were still some things I wanted to get done.

At 38 weeks, I was still 70% and 1 1/2, but my cervix was softer. She sent me home with borage oil tablets; it has the same effect as evening primrose oil, but has a lot more GLA in it which is what softens the cervix. She also sent me home with a supplement called 5W which is a combination of herbs that help tone and prepare the uterus for labor and delivery. She asked, "Do you want to have the baby now? Or do you want an easier and shorter labor?" Um... THE LATTER, please. So she said she'd induce me the next week. *Sigh*

Random Thought: I don't think she usually uses those supplements in preparation for labor, but since I was such a big baby and scaredy-cat about giving birth naturally again, she went out of her way to do even more to contribute towards an easier/faster labor. Thanks, Michelle!

Right around 38 weeks, Cody, Brady and I all got SICK. I didn't even realize it until I was feeling pretty crappy. When I told Michelle, she said there was NO WAY we were inducing me while being sick like that. Darnit!!! I was so mad! WHY DID WE HAVE TO GET SICK?! Oh well, maybe there was a reason. She gave us tons of supplements and homeopathics to get us all well before the arrival of a tiny infant who could easily die from something trivial to anyone else. We didn't want her coming to an infectious environment.

So, my health was being monitored. Michelle asked me how I felt on Wednesday (August 24th) and I told her I wasn't sure. She said, "Come on out and let me just check you and see." Cody and I drove to Newton and they did not just "check and see", she went ahead and stripped my membranes, majorly worked my cervix, and gave me a the specific instructions on how to take the castor oil to induce labor!!

She said she and Rebecca would be over around 10 a.m. the next morning. Haha, when Cody and I got back in the car, I said, "I feel tricked!" Cody laughed and said, "She could probably tell you just had cold feet." So I guess she was going to be born the next day! *Scary*Exciting*EEK!*

The Morning Prep

Cody set his alarm for 5:45 a.m. My first dosage of castor oil was to be taken at 6:00 a.m. sharp. Cody made the chocolate ice cream shake with Hershey's chocolate syrup that the castor oil was to be disguised in. If you've ever had castor oil... you know it CANNOT be disguised. It tastes AWFUL! I couldn't even enjoy the chocolate shake at all... it was gross!

I drank the second shake at 7:00 a.m. Torture. I was up and about the house cleaning, folding laundry, etc. The first couple of bathroom urges came after that second round. For those of you who don't know, castor oil makes you GO and cleans you out. I guess it stimulates the bowels and therefore encourages contractions.

I had my last, disgusting dose at 8:00 a.m. I could hardly drink that one... I kept almost throwing it up. I munched on saltine crackers to keep it down. It was after shake number 3 that the contractions started more prominently (they started to come on subtly after shake number 2). They weren't painful as long as I stopped what I was doing, got on all fours, and breathed through it. Then I'd stand back up and continue cleaning.

6 oz. of castor oil in all. So. Gross. But, I guess I'm the one who wanted to be induced. :)

Active Labor

I'd say the contractions became pret-ty painful starting around 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. And, talk about glamorous, I mostly labored on the toilet. The castor oil really did its job... and kept working and working... You might think that'd be super annoying or that I would be unhappy about it... but if you know me pretty well, you know that I basically STOP GOING #2 while pregnant, even when I try all sorts of different things to do/take/eat/drink. So I was SO GLAD to be emptying my colon. I mean, come on, doesn't it gross you out if you don't or can't go? It just sits inside of you and rots! Sick!

Anyway, Michelle and Rebecca arrived. She visited with me a minute and they went to work gathering ALL their stuff and equipment and organizing everything. They had tons of stuff! They were constantly moving/going/setting things up. Cody and my mom were there with me pushing on pressure points during contractions or getting me water or juice... meanwhile, I was on the toilet, haha.. although I wasn't laughing. I'd venture off of it if I could and lay on the floor in the hallway, but it usually wasn't for long.

I think some time around 12:00-12:30 (I actually have NO idea... that's a complete guess), Michelle wanted to check me again. (She'd checked me sometime after she'd arrived.) Now, I don't know if while she checked me, she made me go from a 6 to an 8 or 8 1/2, or if I was at an 8 1/2, but that was my status.

I wanted to get in the pool. Cody had blown it up and filled it... but forgot to put the liner in. So during a lot of my labor they were emptying the pool and then filling it up again WITH the liner, so as not to ruin her pool.

It was finally ready for me to get in. The water wasn't AS warm as I would've liked, but it was the temperature they wanted it at. It was a little soothing.

Contractions were P.A.I.N.F.U.L. I'm not going to sugarcoat it like SO many people do... I feel like the uncomfortable part is so often downplayed.

Anyway, I pretty much moaned a steady, low, continuous tone through each contraction. I hadn't really planned on doing that, but it was the only way I could keep my body from tensing up all over and shrieking. Plus, whatever your mouth is doing, your bum is doing. Weird, huh? So if you're tense and making high-pitched noises, you're tightening things "down there", too. So the low moaning helped me keep breathing and not hold my breath. It helped me make it through each and every agonizing contraction. Yes, I had thoughts like Why am I doing this to myself AGAIN?! Never ever ever again!

My mom said to me "When would you like this baby to be born? Let's ask Heavenly Father for a specific time.. how about 1:00 o'clock?" I said, "What time is it?" "12:15" I said, "Okay, I can do that." I actually don't remember saying "Okay, I can do that," but my mom said that's what I said. So she prayed that Maylee would be born at 1:00 p.m.

Pretty soon while in the water, my contractions went straight to PUSHING and I started yelling... so it was my usual low moan... then STRAIGHT to yelling. My midwives came into the room knowing what that meant and told me NOT to push. I said, "HOW CAN I NOT?!" I honestly didn't know how to NOT push b/c my body was doing it involuntarily! WOW, talk about a strong sensation that I can't even describe. GALL.

The picture to the left is during, or inbetween, pushing contractions. Rebecca is monitoring the baby's heartbeat. And... if you're wondering, the duck is a thermometer, haha.

The contraction subsided and I was able to rest a bit while Michelle broke my water. They were quickly rubbing oil on my perineum and putting on compresses (I think... it's all a bit hazy to me) while still in the pool. Another pushing contraction came - WOW - out of control! My midwife helped me calm down and get control of myself. Without her talking me through it, that baby would've been pushed out and I would've torn to the high heavens.

Suddenly, HER HEAD CAME OUT! Halleluiah!! The contraction stopped and I rested while everyone was excited and looking at her sweet little head. I was thinking, Really? Her head is out?! I'm almost done?!

Then another pushing contraction and the rest of her shot out! 3 pushes. Ahh! I was done! It was over! She was here! They handed her to me and I was so happy! I was holding my brand new daughter! She was perfect. She pinked right up. It was done! She was born at 1:04 p.m.

The After Stuff

I held her in the water for a few minutes until my placenta came out. Michelle clamped and held the cord while Cody cut it. Yay Daddy! He did it for both babies! Someone took Maylee from me and wrapped her in a towel.

As I was helped out of the pool, my midwife sat me down on the birth stool where there were tons of plastic liners. She wanted to be sure my bleeding stopped. Pools of blood gushed out and she quickly gave me a little supplement to stop the bleeding. I had one minor tear that didn't need stitches. They dressed me in those fancy underwear new moms get with a humongous pad and led me to my room to rest and relish.

Maylee weighed 8 lbs, was 19 1/2 inches long, and her head circumference was 13.5 cm. Her chest circumference was 13.75 cm. My labor was about 4 1/2 hours, with only about 2 1/2 hours of hard labor. I love that she was born in the middle of the day... none of this midnight nonsense... I'm such a daytime person. It was bright and sunny outside. Love it!

I'm so thankful for answered prayers and Priesthood blessings! It was a couple of Priesthood blessings, the extreme confidence in me of my midwife, and the support of my husband that enabled me to even CHOOSE to do a natural birth again. I even almost backed out RIGHT at the end of my pregnancy, but Cody surprised me by telling me he knew I could do it and supported and believed in me. What a sweetheart!

Overall, I'm thankful to Heavenly Father. I know He helped me. I know He listened to my many prayers. I know He loves me... a lot. :)

Brady - Age Two... about time for an Update

2011-08-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

Brady loves the Backyardigans and would watch it all day long if I let him. He watches a lot of DVD's nowdays since I haven't had the energy to keep up with and entertain him (especially with Cody gone!).

Brady says "Cosh-Wash" for washcloth. It's one of my favorite things.

Instead of "back-yard-igans" he says "bwardigans".

He loves playing house or pretend. Yesterday he sat in my closet (his "house"), invited me over for a visit, and when we were comfortably situated inside (I wasn't comfortable actually... it took everything I had to crawl in and sit down with this full-term baby inside me), our friendly conversation began. Me: "How do you do today?" Him: "Do you have any kestions? (questions)" Me: "Yes, ...." and so we went on in proper tones and pleasant smiles until I decided to leave to which he then says, "Thanks for having me over!" Haha, he always makes me laugh.

While I'm in the kitchen washing dishes or in the bathroom doing my makeup (etc.), he'll often appear out of nowhere jumping into a wide-legged stance while shooting his fist at me and making noises like, "beeuh-beeuh-beeuh-beeuh!" and then runs away really fast, keeping a super serious, action-packed expression on his face the whole time. Hah! He is ALL BOY... they don't do that in Barney, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or Backyardigans...

Daddy recently turned his crib into a toddler bed and he has LOVED it. He calls it his "big boy bed" and shows everyone that comes over. He often falls off, though... it's become part of my nightly duties (each time I'm getting up to pee) to be sure he's still on his bed... and he's often on the floor.

When someone says hi to him or talks to him, he holds up two fingers and says, "I'm two because I had my happy birthday".

(Random) Today, he was talking to me (loudly, in a high-pitched voice) the ENTIRE time I was in the shower (the door was open and he was in another room) and I kept saying, "Brady, I cannot hear you because of the water!" and pretty soon I started hearing him say "Mommy, I don't know what you're saying because I can't hear you!" copying me, haha.

Brady LOVES going to the library and knows his way around there. Since I'm prego, he knows the drill: first we go to the bathroom, drink from the fountain, then drop the books into the slot (I let him do each one... quite the process), and then he RUNS to the section where they have child-sized tables and chairs with kid computers. Then he goes to the puzzle section and does all the puzzles. Then he gathers up all the stuffed animals that they place on the kid shelves and puts them on the mini couch. Then we go do what mommy wants, check out the books, and go home. He knows not to run into the street but to watch for cars and hold mom's hand. It's one of the best outtings he could ever make.

He loves hide-and-seek, but he gets scared if he doesn't find me RIGHT away because he's afraid I'll jump out and scare him (which I don't... but he can't handle the pressure of looking for me and not knowing where I am).

Last night for bedtime he asked for a story. I didn't want to stand up and get one, so I decided to tell him one. I tried telling him the story of "Herman the Worm" - do you know that one? You put your tongue in front of your bottom teeth (behind your bottom lip) and tell the story of "He'man the Wo'm" in that funny way of talking... it's super cute. Anyway, he was belly laughing so hard, which was making ME laugh super hard, and we couldn't even get through the story, we were both just cracking up!

So he asked for a different one about "a dragon!" Just for memories' sake, I thought I'd record

the story:

(F.Y.I. I get super dramatic with the voices, actions, and facial expressions I use... he basically didn't even blink the entire time and was hooked.)

Once upon a time there was a GREAT BIG dragon with BIG, SHARP TEETH and he liked to eat BUGS. So he would fly around and look for bugs to eat. One day, he saw a teeny, tiny lady bug and FLEW down to eat it - - but she put up a tiny finger and confidently said, "Uh-uh-uh! I have 3 little babies at home that I must care for, so you may NOT eat me!" The big, mean dragon was astounded. He said, "TOO BAD, I'm going to EAT YOU ANYWAY with my SHARP TEETH!" And he swooped down to chomp her up and she put her finger up and said, "Uh-uh-uh! You forgot to wash your hands." He looked at his hands, confused, and then washed them with soap in some water. Then, once again, he SWOOPED down to MUNCH on that ladybug when she held up a finger and said, "Uh-uh-uh! You forgot to put your bib on!" So he stopped, looked around, and put a giant bib on (I put one of Brady's blankets on like a giant bib on that part). FINALLY, he could eat the ladybug. But once again, he was stopped RIGHT before he could BITE down and she said, "You have to bless your food!" So he folded his long, scaly arms, bowed his head, closed his eyes, and began to pray. Quickly, the ladybug flew away and HID under a flower. When the dragon said amen, Little Ladybug was NOWHERE to be found! She hurried home to her three babies and they lived happily and safely ever after. The end!

He loved it and wants me to tell it again today. I told him I will before his nap.

He still naps 2-3 hours a day - yaaaaay! I love naptime.

Potty training? Gave up on it. He'll ask to go a couple times almost every day and will sit on the toilet forever, then be done and put a diaper back on. I was super ambitious before... and have given up due to lack of energy. (Plus, I read it's not good to do it if there are any big changes within a few months of potty-training and Cody being gone has been hard on him, not to mention he'll be kicked out of the baby spot pretty soon.)

We love our Brady. :)

Pioneer campfire for primary..

2011-07-24T12:14:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud of my fire that I just had to share.

For singing time today on this lovely, HOT Pioneer Day, we'll be gatherin' 'round the fire and singing fun pioneer songs!

I downloaded an app called Eternal Fire that makes a crackling noise... so I'll just put my phone inside for added effect.

This is about as crafty and frilly as I get, along with wearing a pioneer bonnet and printing out a flipchart for the songs...

Primary has really extended my creativity boundaries! Which were, to be quite frank, dull and unexercised.

Happy Pioneer Day!

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It's a lovely Wednesday morning..

2011-07-20T09:25:00.001-05:00

..with this sweet little ham around.

He sat in front of me and said, "Mom, I'm smiling - take a picture of me!"

(age 26 months)

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34.5 Weeks

2011-07-19T17:44:00.001-05:00

Feeling great!

I'm often needing to rest and heat can be quite exhausting.

She's incredibly active and constantly flips from LOA to ROA.

I'm measuring at 34.5 centimeters.

Lots of Braxton Hicks.

I talked to my midwife about getting her out EARLY and she said it sounds fine to her as long as my cervix is "ready", whatever that means.

So from about August 10th on, she'll start checking to see if inducing will be safe or not (I'm due Aug 29th). YAY!!!

I weigh 143 and lost a pound since my last check-up! Love dropping pounds when growing a baby... it's my area of grace. Labor was hard, birth was hard, nursing was hard, Brady wasn't easy... but thank heavens I have easier pregnancies (so far, Haha).

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Pedis with Bethany!

2011-07-18T11:09:00.001-05:00

We got the exact same pictures - neon pink with blue and white hybiscus flowers!

Yes, genuine and custom art right on our big toe nails. We had so much fun!

Needing a boost, ladies? Get a pedi.

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My Dad: The Birthday Boy

2011-06-22T19:14:00.000-05:00

We went to the lake to celebrate his big day.

He got the most stylish new clothes! We got him clothes that are actually his SIZE, for one, and flattering ones... none of this ol' man stuff. ;)

My lovely parents. *heart* Love you, Mom and Dad. Happy Burpday, Dad.

Brady loves Grandpa.

I look a bit "crazed" or something here... but oh well. Me & Mommy.

Brady braved the water on his favorite floatie after watching Kirie dive in. Thanks, Kirie, for your example!

New Summer Swimsuit!

2011-06-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

I just bought this swimsuit! It was $39.99 and that's INCLUDING the bottoms. Yay! I'm so excited.

I went to Target and their selection was pathetic. What little they DID have didn't even cover HALF of my "self" and were all BIG-TIME cleavage swimsuits (not supportive).

So this looks like it will be supportive with the thick halter straps - HOPEFULLY!

About 30(?) Weeks Pregnant

2011-06-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

I think I'm about 30 weeks pregnant right now... I'm not really sure... I usually only know after a prenatal appointment! We have a name picked out that we really like: Taelynn. I might want to spell it "Tay-Lynn" or something like that, so that BOTH syllables are emphasized. I don't like TAYlen, know what I mean?

Celebrating dad's b-day today. Yay! Going to the lake. Chow.

Around the House

2011-06-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

Brady loves his new floatie. I bought it for him yesterday, blew it up, and then forgot to take it to the pool! Oh well, we had to leave early anyway because they claimed there was lightening.

Here's Little Dave (the boy I nanny) getting into the DVD's. I had him all day today and the three of us had fun! (Especially during naptime...)

Happy Tuesday

Birthday Boy Gifts - ALL-boy ones, of course

2011-06-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

Race car track with two small cars (needless to say, it's a winner - great pick, Cody)

Lots of clothes for summer

Sandals

ADORABLE new shorts SUIT for church with suspender straps and a bow tie (from Grammy and Papa Shill)

Airplane toys

A dart gun

*What I have to say about the dart gun: That was CODY'S doing... those two boys (Cody and Brady) have a blast tormenting me with the darn thing! It shoots pretty hard, for goodness sake, and they chase me around the house while I scream and run for cover. They laugh their silly, big heads off.

Oddly, though, the gun has gone missing. Strange. :)

"Happy Birthday Dear Brady..." Cake and Ice Cream

2011-06-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

Brady eating his "birthday breakfast". (His b-day was May 21st but we celebrated it June 12th since Cody was here.)

Lighting his TWO little candles! There's the hugely pregnant me and our little kitchen with ancient cabinets.

He's been waiting for this for a LONG time...

Oh woops... out of order..

Enjoying the wonderful chocolate cake. YUM.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BRADY BOY! I can hardly believe my son is two.

Silly Faces - Trying Out the New Camera

2011-06-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Cody and Brady

2011-06-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

Goodbye:

Hel-loooooo:

!!!!!!!!

That's right. Been there, done that.

It was fun trying a new little "style", but the smells weren't fun.

The having-to-deal-with-soiled-or-poopy-diapers-everywhere-I-went wasn't fun.

The constant leaks weren't fun.

The stinky laundry room wasn't fun.

*******

I WILL say that I didn't have the ideal situation for cloth diapering:

#1 - I didn't have enough diapers. So he cycled through them in 1-2 days. Maybe 3 days if I used my crappy ones... and that got OLD.

#2 - I don't have soft water, so they wouldn't always get as clean as they should, and they'd get soap buildup and then not be as absorbant (NO fun).

#3 - I didn't have my favorite cloth diapers I would've liked that fit Brady really well and are super cute.

*******

So I do believe that it could've been a little easier and more worth it if I had more supplies (like a toilet sprayer that attaches to your toilet's water pipe). I believe having soft water would've helped them get cleaner and stay soft and ABSORBANT, which would've been nice. I believe it would've been easier if I had an AMPLE SUPPLY of diapers and didn't have to stress every 12 hours whether he had a clean diaper to wear or not.

********

The one, and only one, nice thing about them was saving lots of money! Buying other things I want or need rather than a diaper pack to just use and throw away, was nice. And, I guess it's comforting to know even if the stores close down, you still have a way to diaper your child!

********

But yesterday, I broke down. NO MORE! No more. I'M TIRED OF THE LEAKS! The poop never leaked, just the PEE, all over his outfit. I decided that I'm SO DONE and bought tons of disposables. It's been bliss. So much less stressful. I don't even care if they're "bad for the environment". So. Stinkin'. What. The planet won't be ruined if people use dispoable diapers and plastic bags and drive cars... ANYWAY....

So I gave it a try. It saved us some money. I didn't mind it... until now. So I'm DONE! Will I ever try it again? WHO KNOWS. But if I do, I'll definitely buy at least 40 more diapers (the kind I LIKE) and tools to make it easier, for HEAVEN'S sake.

The end.

A Lot of Miscellaneous"ness"

2011-06-01T18:42:00.000-05:00

I've been making lots of little improvements to our little home!

I trimmed all the shrubbery and any noxious branches/weeds. Kirie helped me load them up in my dad's truck and haul them away. I've planted flowers in the ground and in pots on my front porch - they are LOVELY and I love looking at them.

It felt wonderful because ONE OF THE BRANCHES rubbed against my window all night long and SQUEAKED and scraped it, waking me up over and over. It took a while for me to not wake up fearful the Derby rapist was coming through my window... I may have guffawed pretty triumphantly when I chopped the branch down.

Brady is my favorite persons in the world, along with this sweet little girl inside me. Brady seems to have many moments when he acts beyond his two tiny years... comforting or loving me if he sees me unhappy. His deep, big blue eyes stare at me with such concern that I'm just overcome with love for such a kind little soul! I'm so excited he'll have a little sister to play with soon.

This little girl is VERY active. Sometimes I can hardly stand it! She seems to have more energy than Brady did... I can hardly wait to meet her and get to know her personality!!

We went to a ward potluck/BBQ at a park on Monday (Memorial Day). It was so much fun! So much good food. And, believe it or don't, I ate TWO hot dogs! Normally, they make me want to vomit at the THOUGHT of them... but since I've been pregnant, they smell and taste DIVINE. :)

Brady had tons of fun on the teeter-totters, slide, tire swing, and by the pond looking at baby ducks and cygnets (those are baby geese, right? or is a cygnet a swan...).

I've been TANNING. It's been MARVELOUS. I'm enjoying being a shade other than paper white. :) Now to get a maternity swimsuit and start heading to the pools. :)

I've decided to go back to school full-time in January, and I might take an online class in the fall. I'm considering Vocal Performance (what I started before I got married), or Political Science. But I'm just going to go step at a time and get my Associate's, THEN Bachelor's, and then possibly LAW SCHOOL!

I believe I'd be a pretty good lawyer, if I could get that far and stay in school that long... with TWO KIDS! My friend, Megan, is a lawyer and said BYU is pretty mom-friendly (their law school)... but I don't want to move to Utah. I don't want to move, PERIOD. So first I'll focus on getting my Associate's and Bachelor's and then look into pursuing law school wherever I may choose. (Texas is still appealing to me.)

My camera still hasn't come in the mail. Pretty bummed about that...

We recently went to the zoo and had tons of fun there!

MegaMind is a hilarious movie. :)

The Magic of Ordinary Days is a WONDERFUL, sweet chick-flick (if you're a hopeless romantic like me).

A cat jumped through my window in the MIDDLE of the night a couple weeks ago. It scared the living tarnations out of me and I awoke INSANTLY and sat straight up, wide awake. I thought a burglar was in my house. Then the stupid cat jumped back outside. It was so scary. SO SCARY. Since my husband's been gone, I've taken over that protective "alert" mode. It's funny how my protection left to sell security systems to other families for THEIR protection.

Oh, if you don't know, Cody's in Texas selling alarm systems with Elite for the summer. I've kept the car, and it's been fun being able to do things!

Welp, hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day as well! I'm OH-so grateful to be an American, and for those who fought/fight for our liberties and freedoms. :)

What I Want for my Birthday..

2011-05-06T13:55:00.000-05:00

This lovely bookcase! Two would be ideal. One of these would organize A LOT of things I still don't have a place for (all our books, binders, music, photo albums, etc.). I dream about every box and bin being emptied with everything having a place. We finally have a dresser in the master bedroom (yay!) and need one for Brady, AND one for Baby Girl.

A double stroller! I still nanny a little boy and have often wished I had a double stroller for him and Brady. And with Baby Girl on the way (due August 29th), we'd make good use out of it!

A new camera! I don't know what kind of camera this is or anything else about it, I just found a picture of a camera and used it. I honestly know nothing about a good camera from a great one, or what would even make it good or great. I'll have to ask my photography friends when I'm shopping for one!

A Maternity Swimsuit

Tanning Membership (Coming soon! Yay!) I like going to get color all over and then just being in the sun. I'm going to get a pass to Rock River Rapids and take Brady any day I have energy to go!

A Gym Membership to get my WEIGHT-LIFING on and take some hardcore classes like kickboxing. OH yeah.

A Massage. I got one prenatal massage when prego with Brady and. It. Was. BLISS.

A Pedicure. Moms can't get too pampered in my opinion; especially ones growing another person!

Happy Birthday to Me! (On Mother's Day)

Call Me "Neo"

2011-04-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

If you think this post is about ice cream, you guessed wrong.

Yesterday while doing my hair (yes, I showered, and did my hair and makeup - woohoo!), I grabbed a slice (or chunk) of hair on the side of my head to do a bit of back-combing...

And this is what I saw:

Color #1 - my roots; dark brown (charcoal)

Color #2 - the grown out roots that were dyed a more chocolate brown a while back

Color #3 - the part of my hair that has been bleached blonde, then dyed the same chocolate brown as listed above, but faded.

Hahaha! I laughed and said, "Cody, check out my neopolitan hair!" We're getting family pictures soon so time to call a hair stylist.

I'm thinking positive thoughts and sending good vibes this time *meditating*meditating* Just kidding. But really, I've had so many bad experiences in a row that I'm trying not to assume everyone will do a bad job. Trying to have HOPE!

Wish me luck. Happy Saturday. Going to a Spa Party today. Chow!

22 Weeks with our little Papaya

2011-04-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

So... I'm much bigger this second time around than I was with Brady. I hear that's normal, though. I think I was about 7 months along when I was this big with Brady... but now I'm only at 5 1/2 months and my belly is pooching way the heck out there.

She's pretty patient with her older brother... only every once in a great while will she protest at how he's crawling on or shoving her. (He's not mean or naughty, I just mean when he's playing with me and leans on my tummy or crawls over it.) She seems to take it like a champ.

Never mind the Cleopatra hairstyle and farmer tan. I haven't let anyone near my head with scissors for a while and am letting it grow a bit before I trust someone again.

Today is Easter. I'm sorry to say I don't have pictures! I ordered a camera battery charger for our camera this past weekend and it should get here tomorrow. THEN I can take more pictures and post them for memory's sake. Yay!

Brady got a new trike for Easter. [QUESTION: Do you give gifts for Easter?! I'd never heard of it until this month... it seems to be a popular thing here in Kansas. I don't mean egg hunts, candy, and goody baskets, I mean actual PRESENTS. Do you do that? I thought that was so weird... but then I thought, "Well... I guess a gift could be better than way too much candy/sugar..."

He loves his trike. I'll get some pictures soon. Since you're all dying to see them. ;)

Cody made a fabulous dinner. FABULOUS. He made his first ham, complete with a green salad, corn, and mashed potatoes. Cody made all of it. And let me just say, he's a FINE cook. I love to brag about his cooking.

We had a family from our ward over for dinner; they helped us find our WONDERFUL washer and dryer we have so we wanted to say THANK YOU! They brought over ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Sometimes those sweet, simple ones are my favorites. Soooo yummy. Now I feel like I'm going to pop like a way-too-tight balloon. Honestly.

Happy Easter and Good Night.

Cloth Diapering

2011-03-25T20:54:00.000-05:00

Being true to my "Granola" nature, I started putting my sweet babe in cloth diapers.

Actually, here's the story of what first opened my mind to the whole, crazy idea:

When Brady was around 13-16 months old, I ran out of disposable diapers. Completely. No diapers in the house. I almost always had a few extra in the car, my purse, his diaper bag, and his closet or bathroom. Not this time, unfortunately... I somehow used up every single diaper before buying more. AND, normally that would call for a trip to the store, right? Wrong! I had no way to get to the store, and it was way too far of a walk with a baby (it'd be a long walk without a baby!).

I'll ask my neighbor, I thought. Wasn't home. Cody was at work 30 minutes away and wouldn't be home for about 4-5 hours. HOURS.

What THE HECK was I going to do?! This had never happened before. I was TOTALLY, and completely unprepared. What a reality check. I was 100 percent reliant on the grocery store and being able to just go buy more!

So what did I do? Brady had pooped in his last diaper, much to my dispair, and I had to put SOMEthing on him. I remembered someone gave me some tri-fold cloth diapers that I had never used. I found them and looked for something to hold them on him, since I didn't have any safety pins. I seriously had nothing other than some ribbon, or DUCT TAPE! Talk about trashy!

So (I'm laughing as I remember this), I cut a couple slits/holes in the corners of the cloth, wrapped him up in one, and put the ribbon around his waist and through the holes to hold it up.

OKAY** are you picturing this? the corners just slid forward, instead of wrapping all the way around his waist, so his entire thigh/side was revealed, making him look like a little indian! And I didn't have a plastic covering to go over it (I should've used the duct tape and completed the white trash look with a plastic grocery bag over the whole thing, haha!).

So, needless to say, it was a DISASTER. Once he quickly peed through that make-shift trashy diaper, I had nothing else for him until that washed.

HOW DUMB NOT TO HAVE AT LEAST A FEW WASHABLE DIAPERS ON HAND! I decided.

And then recently, the diapers ran out, and so did the money, temporarily. So I could't buy more diapers until I got paid from my babysitting job (we cut up all our credit cards - woohoo!). You're kidding me!? Thankfully, a lady from my stake here in Kansas gave me a lot of brand new cloth diapers that she had extras of! So, I started using cloth.

Now, I could still use disposable if we want, and we can afford them if we want, but we're already saving so much money! Plus, I think most modern cloth diapers are pretty darn cute. :)

So I have a BumGenius pocket diaper, a FuzziBunz pocket diaper, a Flip diaper, a handful of Happy Flute diapers, two gDiapers (that I put cloth inserts into), and two homemade daipers from another lady in my ward. (I have a few other random ones like some I made.)

I was also given some of the old-fashioned kind, but I don't use them. They're nice to have on hand for 72-hour kits and emergency preparedness, though!

Anyway, I have about 16 diapers and they've been great! I haven't liked the gDiapers, they always leak pee. But the other modern cloth diapers? They work wonderfully! If he poops, I just dump it into the toilet and throw the diaper in the washer and do a sanitary cycle.

We've been saving money!

Brady has had fewer little skin irritations or rashes.

They're cuter than disposable diapers.

They last a long time (many families use them through several children when they have a large supply they cycle through).

And they are provident-minded! I don't rely on the store, we're now independent in another area of our lives.

I don't mind disposables, it's just nice that we don't run out of diapers anymore.

I'm wanting to get more though so I don't have to wash them very often. I've entered tons of entries to win some free Thirsties (another brand) diapers and I recently bought one on eBay for $4.78 including shipping. ALSO, I finally found the Happy Flute diapers. They're from China and are THE CHEAPEST and great quality and cute! I'm thrilled! I can hardly wait to order (waiting for the Chinese dude to email me all their cute prints and colors).

So that's one new thing going on in our family - Brady wears cloth diapers. The end.

This is actually a smile - I asked him for his cheesiest grin and he gladly provided this cute one. :)

Helloooo, anybody home anymore?

2011-03-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

I have not been a good blogger lately, and I don't know why. I often used to wonder how people could go months without updating their blogs (yes, I'd be nosy and keep checking)... now I've become one of those people.

I guess I feel like anything post-worthy has to be somewhat, at least a SMIDGEN entertaining. Honestly, I have to FORCE myself to post something that I just want to record for memory's sake, and I always apologize for it somewhere in my post!

Several reasons I haven't posted:

1. Since we've moved to Kansas in October, I believe I packed away our camera battery charger, so I haven't taken many pictures, especially lately since one of my little siblings lost my PARENTS' camera charger so I can't even borrow theirs. BUM-MER.

2. I feel that my posts without pictures can be boring.

3. Charger excuse set aside, I haven't WANTED any pictures of myself! I'd rather wait 'til I can get some sunshine or grow out this awful haircut (aka HACK JOB) of mine. So reason #3? I just don't feel too hot right now and am fine staying away from the camera. There. I said it.

4. Not a WHOLE, whole lot of exciting things have been going on. Since I've gotten pregnant, I hardly do anything. I babysit five days a week in the middle of the day, which often takes the place of going somewhere with Brady.

5. Being prego, I don't quite have the energy I used to have all the time. Most of the time I feel normal, but sometimes I am just. so. TIRED! Or maybe not even tired, just melancholy and ... dull? Something like that. Just not 100 percent myself.

BUT, despite all that, I'll give it a go right now:

We found a home to rent! No, we're not purchasing quite yet. We're going to do what Dave Ramsey says and save up to pay cash for a home or at the very least get a 15-year mortgage. The house is in Derby, in Glen Hills Ward, and is a cute little starter home. 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a large, fenced backyard, a wannabe shed, and a (semi) lenient landlord. I can hardly wait to plant a garden in the backyard, and flowers in the front yard. I hope we get to this year. *fingers crossed!*

Brady's room will be jungled-themed with these adorable vinyls I am IN LOVE with:

The midwife I found is very assuring. I'll admit: I'm dreadfully afraid of doing a natural birth again, although I want to for a lot of reasons. (And I don't want a hospital birth for some other reasons.) My midwife said, "Only ONE of us has to believe you can do it and I believe you can." She's usually the one with the confidence carrying the whole process through to a successful ending. I'm very, very glad for that.

She's very understanding of me and knows I "had a hard time" (read with a puckered-lip, boo-hoo face like you'd say to a small child who just scraped their knee). She's said some of the most comforting words I've ever heard in my life: "That was your first birth. You will never give birth a first time ever again. You'll never experience your firstborn's birth ever again." She said that even if I'd have been in the hospital and been c-sectioned with Brady, I would've had to go through the crazy experience again if I ever wanted a vaginal delivery. Duh... makes sense. That "trail had to be blazed" as she said, whether the first time, or for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cecarean). She said, "You had a little girl's body then; now you have a woman's body." Mmm. Talk about an empowering point right there. I'm glad I avoided the major surgery and big scar.

Cody is in school at WSU and has interviewed for several jobs, each of them offering positions for him now. He's hoping to get one with T-Mobile, if the salary is what he'd like. He still plans on washing windows, which he loves. (Well, he loves the FREEDOM of doing his own thing and building his own business independently, haha... he doesn't "LOVE" washing windows, per ce.)

Brady has recently grown taller. I mean within the last few days. He does this every so often: He becomes extremely skinny and looks way longer-limbed and way taller. He literally grows overnight, and it's noticeable!!! I'm trying to "fatten him up" again... although he's never been super chubby. I'm just trying to put some meet on his bones... everything he absorbs goes into his height! I love it, though. There can never be too many tall men in the world.

I'm a little over 4 months pregnant and am showing. My chest is quite a bit larger than I'd like it to be. I do not look forward to when ... nevermind. I've felt our little joy move a few times. Cody thinks it's a girl. I'm wondering if it's a girl because I craved SOUR CANDY with Brady and now I crave SWEET, JUICY FRUIT all the time. No, no, no, not Juicy Fruit the GUM... I mean juicy, sweet FRUIT!

Welp, that's all for now. I still love reading your blogs, even though I hardly update mine! But pictures of our new home, family pictures, and Brady's 2-year old pictures are coming up in the next two months! And eventually, I'll take a picture of my baby bump.

THE MUCH awaited ultrasound will be able to take place in about two-three weeks. *Sigh* I guess I can wait. :) Chow.

Potty-Training ~ What Do You Think?

2011-03-12T13:26:00.000-06:00

Brady is 21 1/2 months old. I'd like him to be potty trained by the time baby #2 comes along. I hadn't even thought of starting to try around this age until I heard what previous-generations moms did!

Many moms - way back when - potty trained super early because they had the horrid, old-fashioned cloth diapers to deal with. AND they didn't have washers and dryers. AND they had a lot of children back to back. So, I'm told, it is very possible to train them as young as 12 months old!

I've already started doing a few (small) things:

1. When I take off his diaper to take a bath, he usually pees shortly after (in the tub before I put the plug in... most of the time, haha). I point out that he's peeing, so that he recognizes it. He's so used to just "going" whenever without a thought or care, so I'm teaching him to consciously think about it.

2. If we're in the bathroom while Daddy is going potty, I explain what's happening to Brady: that Daddy doesn't wear diapers anymore, goes pee-pee on the big-boy potty, wears big-boy underwear, and washes his hands. (He always listens and watches intensely! haha)

3. I often point out that Uncle Caleb (six years old) wears big-boy underwear, too. Brady loves Caleb.

4. If he's protesting a poopy diaper change, I explain to him that when he goes poo-poo on the big-boy potty, he won't have to have his diaper changed anymore!

5. We've read a few potty training books, and today I google imaged "potty training boys" and tons of pictures of little boys on toilets showed up and Brady loved looking at all of them. I'd clap for the boys in the pictures who were going potty and he'd smile really big.

I think that because he talks and communicates so well and so clearly, he'll be able to understand what's going on and express how he feels about it (well, he gives the reaction and I help verbalize what he might be feeling until he says "Yeah" and repeats what I say once I understand him).

So anyway, it has begun. Even if my desires for potty training by fall don't happen and he's 3 by the time he's trained... at least we've begun. But I'm really hopeful and positive! Wish us luck.

*********

It's now been a few days, and Brady has successfully peed on the toilet!!!!! He asked to go, we took off his pants and diaper, set him on the toilet, and I read him a story so he'd stay on longer than two seconds (literally). Pretty soon, he tinckled! It was so exciting and fun! He asks to go every once in a while. It's been fun. I need to buy him some big-boy underwear and get a smaller toilet seat to go over the big one. His skinny frog bum just falls right in without all his muscle strength to hold on! :)

Wonderful People We Visited during the Holidays that I'm finally blogging about...

2011-03-11T21:41:00.000-06:00

Brady and his cousin Emerson (Eme). Brady's 19 months and Emerson is 11 1/2 months in these pictures.

It was Sunday after Christmas and I was privileged to sing in a trio with Maleah and Dave (sister and brother-in-law)! We sang a beautiful song that I don't remember the name of in their Sacrament Meeting in Ogden, Utah. It was lovely! Maleah cooked us yummy food, of course, and we had a fun visit with them.

ACTUALLY... I am recalling that Brady got sick while we were there! And he THREW UP multiple times ALL over me and himself and the couch and the rug. Awful. Awful, awful. Poor baby! We had to strip and bathe him and I had to basically do the same. Maleah loaned me some of her clothes, paired with leggins I already had, and I was a sight to behold in our mis-matched outfit we created, haha! Sorry about all that barf, Maleah! I felt really bad. Luckily, Brady slept the whole way home and was better soon after.

Our Good Little Sport throughout all our driving to and from all over the place!

I snapped a picture of the men trying to figure out the camera... it really took them a while (with all three working on it, haha!)

We visited Brother and Sister Hacking!!! He was Cody's mission president! Cody respects him a lot, as all missionaries do with their own presidents. I've heard many, many good things about this couple from Cody since I met him, and from other people as well.

They live in Utah Valley with an EXTREMELY lovely home... Sister Hacking has impecable taste... I should've taken pictures of just their home... it was like what you'd see in a "Zah-zah" magazine! She's a very classy lady.

They served us hot, freshmade cinnamon rolls and a fruit smoothie! We had a lot of fun visiting them.

ALSO, Dave and Amy Healey were there, too!!! They are some of our favorite people; we wished we lived close to them because they're wonderful. As couples, we're very much alike and can relate in so many ways. We always have tons of fun with them. I end up laughing a lot whenever we're together!

(Oh, Dave and Cody served in the same mission, so Bro. Hacking was also Dave's president.)

The Hackings were very accomodating to Brady as well - he hung out in this basket the majority of the time!

An adorable picture I just HAD to post. I wish Amy and I would've gotten one together! Oh well - the five of us hung out after visiting the Hackings and watched football. Amy and I mostly talked. :) I love that girl.

These were just some goings-on inbetween Christmas and Brittany's weddding. I posted Christmas and the wedding... and now finally these. :)

Happy March, now. :)

Brady'isms' at 21 Months and a Family Update

2011-02-17T11:10:00.000-06:00

I wish I had a camera hidden on me all the time to record everything Brady does and says - he's just so precious. And FUN!

Today in the bathtub, I told him I was going to paint my toenails and he said,

"Okay. I'm g'un talk on the phone."

Then he picked up one of his legos, held it to the side of his face and said,

"Hello, I'm takin' a'bath."

This morning, he came into my room while I was reading looking very sad and distressed.

I said, "What's the matter, Sweetie?" And he said in a pitifully sad voice with a crinkled face,

"Binkieeee is stuck in pocketttt; get it outtttt!"

He's been loving his pockets lately. :)

The way I woke up this morning was by Cody setting Brady right on the bed next to me with his face right in mine. He had a big grin on his face and so lovingly said,

"Hi (short pause) Mommy! Hi! (Giving me loves) Mmmmm"

And he'd lean his face against mine making little love noises. Sheer bliss!

I asked him if he slept well and he said,

"Yeah. I wake up."

Yesterday, I called him saying "Brady, come here, please!" And he yelled back,

"COMING, MOMMY!"

He's learned how to tattle, so he now blames almost everything on Caleb or Tabitha.

"Cayub (Caleb) did it!"

"Tata (Tabitha) dropped book on a'floor!"

Not that tattling is cute by any means... but it's hard not to chuckle at hearing such a tiny little person tattle already!

Brady's favorite thing right now is The Wiggles. He asks for it multiple times a day, and sometimes it's the first thing out of his mouth when he wakes up:

"Ah Wiggles, pease? Ah Wiggles.."

If we say let's wait 'til after breakfast, or if Cody says let's ask Mommy or something, he'll say,

"Ah ask Mommy"

(or vice versa) and when I say the same thing as Cody, he says,

"Ah ask Cayub"

and runs looking for Caleb, Gamma, Kecia, or anybody he can find. Makes us laugh!

Every time he takes a bite of something that he likes, he instantly smiles and nods his head saying,

"Git ('good' with a big smile on his face)!"

and keeps nodding enthusiastically.

Every night before bed, and before every nap (once a day), when I lay him down he says,

"Ah Wock'by baby, pease Mommy?"

Which means, "Will you sing 'Rockabye Baby'?" And then says,

"Sit down."

because he knows I sit on the chair first (only since I've been pregnant, I've stopped standing leaning over his crib and just sit down). He is the biggest routine boy I've ever met. The more concrete a routine, the happier he is.

So we love our guy. This second pregnancy is going pretty well; I haven't been as nauseous as I was with Brady in the first trimester. However... I might have low blood sugar or something, because if I don't eat or get food soon once I'm hungry, my mood drops so low that I become the meanest, most depressed, grumpiest person EVER! And then I start to feel sick and weak. Sooo, as long as I keep on top of eating (which is a chore), then I feel fine!

We went and saw a midwife and tried to hear the heartbeat but couldn't. Bummer! So we'll go back pretty soon and try again.

OH - and Brady is currently growing his 20th tooth! And GUESS what? Oh my heavens... the tooth is fully grown, but hasn't broken through the gums!! So he seems to be in some pain sometimes. It's like a purple ball of gums hanging down that looks extremely tender and sore. I mentioned it this morning and my dad said we should lance it. I said I'd call a dentist and he said, "What? We could do it ourselves for free; just put some Orajel on it and put a tiny slice in it." Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even fathom doing that. He offered... but wow... that sounds scarier than jumping off a skyscraper without a parachute. What would you do? We don't have insurance... and I don't want to pay $400 for a dentist to put a tiny slice in it, but I don't want to do it myself, and I don't want Brady to be in pain!

Cody is attending WSU full-time and loving it. He's not a fan of his sociology class at all, though. He said it seems like sociology is an utter waste and is full of liberal agendas. I think that's a bummer b/c I took Sociology from WSU as well but had a different teacher who was a lot of fun!! I quite enjoyed studying sociology. I wish he could've gotten the same teacher I had.

Cody is prepping for a marathon in October. He's been lifting weights and running consistently. Almost every time I touch him he freaks out because he's so sore from working out, haha! I love how he loves to be physically fit.

I exercised once. Several days ago! I did a Leslie Sansone thing. I thought it'd be the hardest thing ever since i haven't worked out since it was warm outside (so all winter). BUT! It was a total breeze! Honestly, I didn't even pant or struggle, it was fun. I'm happy I'm not THAT out of shape.

Hopefully we'll get to move out of parents' house soon. Hopefully. I'd like to hang curtains and paint. Always wanted to do that. Pictures next time! Chow.

Me, Cody, Brady... and baby #2 (and #3?)

2011-01-20T14:41:00.000-06:00

Cody started school at WSU!!! He's back after over 3 years. He should graduate in about two years *sigh* but at least it will be before his 30th birthday! That's what he said. :) Brady and I are SO proud of him!! He's taking Econ, Sociology, Accounting, and one online (forgot what it is). GO CODY!

We are expecting! Well, I am expecting. I'm pregnant, not him. I'm due around August 27th. We joke that I could be pregnant with twins because I get hungry WAY TOO OFTEN! It is hard to keep coming up with things to eat that won't make me hurl. I haven't thrown up at all and have felt pretty good. I've noticed a drop in energy and I get tired REALLY early in the evenings. I also am battling heartburn as I type. We ALSO think we might have twins only b/c two people had dreams about it right before we got pregnant! Super crazy!

Brady has 18 teeth! He gets handsomer all the time. Yes, that's a word. He loves his naps every day and always goes down easy as pie. Thank you, sleep book. He talks so well and is so polite! He the latest he just learned is "no, thank you." The other day I said, "Brady, are you ready for your bath? And he said, "NO!" and then retracted, saying soft and sweetly, "Um, no senk you, mommy." Hahahaha! Every time I say, "Let's go change your poopsies!" He says so politely, "No senk you, mommy." AH! I love it!

I have a new calling! I spent a few months in the nursery, and that prepared me for Primary Chorister! I'm the music person. :) Last Sunday I got a bunch of utensils and metal bowls from the kitchen and they got to play them as instruments while we learned the song "If I Listen with My Heart" (kind of a lame one, if you ask me). MAN, it was loud!!! It basically became a competition to see who could bang the loudest. It was great. I learned right away that I have to treat junior and senior primary differently. :/

I got a new pink phone. :) It has little vines and flowers on it. Can you tell I don't know what else to say? I don't have pictures, but I decided I wasn't going to be all or nothing and would record anyway. Now I'm going to go check out all YOUR blogs and leave comments! I'm so behind...

Ryan and Brittany's WINTER WEDDING!

2011-01-20T13:40:00.000-06:00

Coming out of the Salt Lake City Temple! Happily married for eternity. :)

My cousin Shaylyn, me, Brady, Kirie, and Kami.

There was a little bit of warm air coming out of that vent on the temple's exterior and, let me tell you, it was FREEZING outside. We were all frozen solid, practically. I took my sweater off and was trying to block the cold air from Brady and create a warm little area for him. We're so underdressed here b/c we were doing pictures. IT WAS SO COLD!!!!!!!

Sarah and Rachel Wooten on the left.

I'm so sad this is blurry... but sadly... they're all blurry. :S

Smoochie, smoochie.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love this picture of Kecia (11)! I laugh out loud every time.

Grandma and Grandpa Ivie (my mom's dad).

Aunt Kendra, Uncle Gordon, Cousin Devin and his lovely (pregnant!) wife Crystal.

Tabitha's favorite place to be: in front of a camera!

Kami - age 14.

Hah! Candid bride and groom.

Brady, and his blanky, of course.

These two boys are the early birds. Caleb is 6 and Brady's 19 months.

T.i.r.e.d.

I wish this was a good one, dangit!

The studly F.O.B. (Wedding Planner, anyone?) aka Father of the Bride.

AND this is what happened in no time.

Cody's notorious camera face and Kirie (17).

Brittany's Bridal Shower

2011-01-09T07:46:00.000-06:00

Going blonde for the wedding...

Brittany's Bridal Shower!

We're missing Laurel, Shaylyn, and a few others in this picture! Sorry we missed you. :(

Sisters! Tabitha was sleeping or else there'd be six of us girlies. Kirie hates these pictures of her, haha! I don't blame her... she doesn't really look like this so I was cracking up every time I'd look at her, then look at the picture taken. HAHA! I hate it when that happens!

(And do you like my prosthetic-looking arm in this picture?)

And the brother.

Bree, Kirie, Brittany, Kami, Kecia, Caleb.

"It's Christmas time, a merry Christmas time - - "

2011-01-09T07:37:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas at the Steinagel Family cabin up in the mountains of Heber, Utah. LOTS of snow, let me tell you. It's the cutest, prettiest little cabin I've ever seen with pretty wood floors and flawless, soft white carpet. It's so cozy and cute! It was a lot of fun. :)

Sadly, all the pictures from the WHOLE trip are blurry! :( :( :( Our camera was dead and the iPhone was all we had.

But here's Brady opening a gift! He got the hang of the unwrapping business and quickly saw that there was something FUN inside the wrapping paper!

He got these super cute clothes and shoes (and toys) from the Booth Family - Thank you, Booths! We love you. :)

This adorable puppy hat, mittens and cute, cute Gymboree clothes are from Grammy and Papa Shill - Thanks, Grammy and Papa!

There were many more gifts from so many loved ones - thanks to all of you!

Cody got me a cute workout outfit from Nordstrom Rack (yaaaay!) and I got him a KNIFE! He really wanted that knife... and he plays with it all the time now.

The Booths also gave us a $25.00 gift card to the Olive Garden, so LAST NIGHT we had a hot date!!! It was pretty fun... we don't go out often enough!

Cody's parents also gave us $200 to go towards our food storage and emergency preparedness! So now our 72-hour kits are almost completed, thanks to them! It feels so good to follow the Prophet and we even sleep better at night. :)

Then everyone played out in the snow and watched movies once they got too cold for the rest of the day. We made hot soup and hot chocolate. It was such a fun day!!! I love that cabin. I love Christmas!

Most importantly, we're thankful that Christ was born (even though it wasn't on December 25th), and that He lived and then gave His life for us. Although he was crucified, we know He now lives!

I haven't posted about Brady's milestones and skills in a while...

2010-12-18T17:32:00.000-06:00

... probably because I got past the stage when I thought my baby was better than everyone else's. Now, since I've been there, I detect it in other new mommies. :)

Oh, how much learning and growth we experience in this life. I love how, when we try to live a decent life and keeping The Commandments, the Lord shapes and molds us into what He wants us to be.

ANYWAY, on to my "perfect" son's latest and greatest... *wink*

Brady will be 19 months old in 3 days.

He's all boy and delights in playing with cars, trucks, tractors, little muscular action figures, balls, and his latest... guns.

There are a few toy guns around the house (Uncle Caleb's) and Brady loves them. When he finds one, he points it right at someone and makes a sound effect: "Khheewww!" And we go, "OHH, you shot me!" And LOVES the reaction he gets. Cody especially likes how Brady likes guns (he plans on getting some!).

Brady loves dancing and has the cutest little moves. Lately, he copies anything he sees someone else do, so I'll do all kinds of different things and he does what I do. :)

He likes to sing! He'll usually sing the Alphabet song or Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Brady's in nursery! He joined at 17 months old since I got called to nursery. He's not shy at all and never gets separation anxiety (knock on wood), so he stays pretty happy and content the whole time. :)

He's extremely polite and always says 'please' and 'thank you' in the softest, sweetest voice. OR he'll say it in an anxious, eager voice. Example: "Ah bite, pease!!" if I don't feed him fast enough.

If he wants me to go where he is, he'll run to where I am saying, "Mommy! Mommy!" Me: "Yes?" Brady: "Come see, see, see," as he points to where he wants me to go. When I repeat him and say, "You want me to come and see?" He'll shout a very happy, "YEAH!" with a wide-open mouth and then we run off to go see. So sweet!

He's very good at reasoning and we always try to explain things to him and communicate clearly. He usually understands and is perfectly calm and content almost all the time.

Brady loves to draw. He concentratest very hard and draws the tiniest, most controlled little circles and swirlies.

He loves circles and always points out circle shapes when he sees them saying, "Circle!"

Brady loves letters almost more than pictures. When reading him stories, he'll point to the letters and say, "E!" or "D!" (usually the two he says most often). He always comes up to me with a paper and pen and says, "Ah eeee? ah eee?" wanting me to write letters and words for him. Isn't that so adorable? I REALLY want to get the Your Baby Can Read program...

Brady LOVES books. He always asks Cody and me, "Ah stowee? ah stowee?" (Story, in case you don't speak Toddler).

He takes long 3-hour naps every day and usually sleeps 10-11 hours at night. I don't know why he hardly ever sleeps 12 hours or more... and he's perfectly happy on 10-11 hours, even when I tried forcing and forcing a couple more hours of sleep... his body just won't do it. He'll lie awake in his crib. So I finally accepted his unique sleeping habit!

Brady's favorite foods are Sunrider SunBars, eggs (he calls them "eegs" ), yogurt-covered raisins (which, for whatever reason, he calls "awks" ???), organic bunny fruit snacks, bananas, Sunrider NuPlus mixed with yogurt and peaches (which he rarely has, since I hardly ever feed him dairy or soy), and.... I can't really think of anything else. He's not one of those "eat-anything-and-everything" babies... grrrr... OH, he likes to chew on apple pieces and then spit it all out wherever he's at. Joy. :)

Brady loves his binkie, blanky, and bottle. Yes, he's still has those things. I don't mind it one bit. :) He was getting goat milk in his bottle, but since we've moved to Kansas, he drinks almond or coconut milk from non-genetically-modified-seeds.

Brady's favorite things to drink are the following: orange juice, Fortune Delight, and water ( "Ah dink o' wahyer, pease?" When he wants a drink of water).

He talks a lot, has said multiple full sentences now, and copies anything he hears (or we tell him to say).

He calls my dad (grandpa) "Ga-Ga" and he calls Kirie, Kami, and Kecia, "Kewee" (haha! He calls all three of them Kirie.)

We love him. A lot. And he loves us - he even tells us. :)

Meeting the Claus Family for the First Time!

2010-12-17T08:06:00.000-06:00

Last night, our bank (Verus Bank) had an open house/Christmas party with FREE photos with Santa. So I marked it on my calendar forever ago since we weren't able to get a picture at the mall.

Brady was so adorable! They asked him questions like, "What do you want for Christmas?" and Brady looked right at them both and jibber-jabbered on for a while ending with "...Mommy" and pointing at me. :)

He wasn't even scared! I didn't think he'd want to sit on his lap at all... but he surprised me!

I think their outfits are so adorable... I just love, love, LOVE Chrismtas!!

Oh yeah... here's another one...

CLEARLY I was not expecting to get thrown into the picture... or I would've cared a lot more about what I looked like last night!

I almost forgot about it at the last minute and when I remembered, I pretty much dropped everything and left (hence the casual garb).

Also... pay no mind to my hair. It doesn't look AT ALL how I want it (color-wise) and am getting it done right before Brittany's wedding and shower, thank heavens. Aunt Laurel to the rescue!!! Here comes some bright blonde and "chunkiness". :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Littles I Look After

2010-12-13T08:38:00.000-06:00

Aren't these two boys precious?! I get to watch the Little One on the left 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. :)

On some days, I'll get to watch him all day. Sometimes he'll come over to our house on days needed.

So I have a part-time job that is such a blessing! It's flexible, I get to have Brady with me, and Little One is such a good baby. :)

Little One is 12 months old and absolutely adorable. He's got some of the chubbiest legs I've ever seen. Also, he's a really great eater! His mouth would just open when I'd hold the spoon up to him, even if he seemed to not like it very much. WOW!

These two little studs are a privilege to be around.

This morning I read from the Book of Mormon about becoming like a child. Brady and Little One are as pure as they get... and being around them teaches and humbles me. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride on our Double Date!

2010-12-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

We went on a date! We hardly ever do anything more than rent a movie (or watch one from NetFlix) and stay home. So this is definitely worth blogging about!

We went to Zen for dinner - it's a Vegetarian restaurant. My mom is vegan so it was her request. I don't mind since I'm not a huge carnivore either.

The men, however, couldn't stop cracking jokes the whole time, haha. But all-in-all, we were all pretty impressed with most of the food (the dish I ordered had weird-tasting mushrooms... Cody guessed they were sauteed in wine or something... but they were weird.)

Then we went to Bradley Fair - the nicest (outdoor) shopping mall in Wichita.

Here's me and my hubby waiting in line! For one of the first times in my life, I was almost dressed completely properly to be out in the cold. It was great!

Here are my lovely parents. We love being close to family... we wish we could live by BOTH our families. :(

Snuggled under the blankets on the carriage ride. We had so much fun, even though it only lasted 5-10 minutes! We even cheesed up and sang some Christmas songs (Cody, too!) :)

It was so much fun to get out of the house and go on a date together!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Brittany's Winter Wedding - Planning!

2010-12-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

My little sister Brittany isn't so little anymore... but she'll always be shorter than me! So "little" is still adequate. :)

Brit is getting married on December 29th... so yes, in three weeks. Phew! We're very excited... and scrounging for all the last-minute things!

Ummm, is not this the most BEAUTIFUL picture ever beheld?! I absolutely love this. I'm extremely excited for them.

She is marrying Ryan Egan. They met at BYU-Idaho (can I get an "awwwww"?) like gazillions of people do and then get hitched every year.

Anyway, her lovely colors are eggplant purple, deep red, and gold. Perf, right?!

Kirie and I bought our dresses, then the colors changed, so we bought new ones from Nordstrom (online), but the 4 was too big, so it's being swapped for another size 2. But... we've decided we really don't even like them. SO, we'll probably take them back once we get to Utah (since there's no Nordstrom here - SAD DAY!).

Yesterday, we found beautiful purple, matching dresses for Kami, Kecia, and possibly even Tabitha - all the same dress!

I also got a little 2T-sized black SUIT for Brady! I'm telling you, I just about melted at his cuteness in it! I can hardly wait to get pictures of him in it. I got him a "deep red" little tie - and Caleb has a matching one, so they'll be the same! All Brady needs now are black shoes and socks.

I need to whiten my teeth - SHEESH! Just looking at my recent Thanksgiving post almost made me hurl at how dingy my teeth look! Time to fix that for DANG sure.

Gonna get a spray tan, need to buy new nails (I get the $5.00 kind from Wal-Mart and they're superior to getting acrylic at a salon in my opinion, I LOVE them!). Oh, and I still need the OUTFIT, and so does Kirie.

I also need to plan her shower. Oh dang. Time to get the rear in gear!

Happy Wedding. Merry Christmas.

Anxiously Waiting to see Old Saint Nick...

2010-12-08T19:55:00.000-06:00

Cody and I decided to take Brady to the mall to see Santa Claus! It'd be his first time (exciting, right?!)

Cody waited in line for 45 minutes (or more, GALL!) while Brady and I played in the fun kiddie area!

Don't you think Brady looks TALL? I dunno... I guess I'm just having one of those stunned-parent moments at my child's age and size. *tear*

He did this at least ten times... loved it just as much every time! The older kids would get a bit impatient because he was slower at climbing the 3 little steps and sliding down. He still got right in there with 'em all and had a blast!

Do you love his little fohalk?! It messed up a bit from his hoodie, but he sports it pretty darn stud-like, I must say.

Whoa... check out the blurry girl in the background (picture below) - jammin' out, man!

So after our LONG wait to see Santa, we discovered that you had to BUY the picture they were selling and the cheapest one was $17.00! Now, if it was a REALLY good photographer, I'd have signed up... but the samples they showed us? No way. No better than Wal-Mart pictures... honestly.

But NOT ONLY THAT, they wouldn't let us take a picture with our own camera!! :( So we were pretty bummed.

BUT we visited with Santa and he was very sweet; probably the best Santa I've ever seen! The hair and beard was real, he was very old, and extremely sweet, warm, and sincere like you would expect a Santa to be. He talked with Brady and gave him a candy cane. He was very genuine with Cody and me as well... it was worth it!

So at least now when we say, "Look, Brady, it's SANTA!" He knows who we mean!

Merry Christmas.

We Had a Happy Thanksgiving - Hope You Did, Too!

2010-12-01T08:21:00.000-06:00

Our Presents this Christmas will provide Peace of Mind

2010-11-20T09:00:00.004-06:00

Cody and I have decided to put together a full and complete 72-hour kit for each of us (including Brady)!

We're super excited and LET ME TELL YOU that Cody has done so much research. He's made a long, organized list and has shopped around and learned about all kinds of things like knives, tents, backpacks, compasses... everything.

It will give us such peace of mind to have these and we believe it's a very good investment. It also feels good to listen to a prophet of God!

Happy Thanksgiving

and

Merry Christmas!

Sewing Washable Pull-Ups

2010-11-20T06:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, my mom and I were shown and taught how to sew training pants! We are so excited about what we learned and accomplished. Olivia Merrick in our stake is truly talented and can sew anything!

My mom made these super adorable potty training pants. They're basically washable pull-ups. :) I love her color choice: chocolate brown snaps and aqua/teal waterproof outer part. It would've been even cuter with brown elastic! Great job, Mom!! We each made two, and the other three just need the elastic sewn on the edges and snaps put on.

Since we're told to be more Provident-Minded, we've been trying to think of ways we could be more independent and self-sufficient.

One thought I like to have when thinking of what to stock up on is, "If I couldn't buy anything from a store, what would I do or use instead?" I rely on getting almost everything I need from a grocery or convenient store! When 9/11 happened, people panicked, ran into stores, grabbed all they could carry, and the stores were completely empty within minutes. So what if I couldn't go to the store?????

Anyway, thank you, Olivia, for teaching us some wonderful skills and helping us be more prepared!!!

Click to see her blog Pushing the Suburban Envelope

Things to Remember

2010-11-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

One thing Brady loves is his "blankie", as we call it.

Or as he says: "Keekee".

He loves to feel the round rim on the edges. He has another similar blanket, but the edges aren't the same so he doesn't like it as much.

He rubs a rounded edge of his blankie in one hand as he pushes it towards his face. Often, I'll find him with it over his whole face or head during a nap.

****

Brady also loves to lean against my face - cheek to cheek - when I hold him and go "mmmmm" in a low hum as I stroke his hair and rub his back.

****

Brady and Cody are snugglers and snuggle anytime he (Brady) is in a cuddly mood. I love my incredibly sweet, precious, snuggle boys! (Man and toddler, I should say!)

Happy Friday.

Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:07:00.000-05:00

We went to a tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat at the stake center. Oh my word! Cody said to me last night, "I've never seen such a successful trunk-or-treat!" I couldn't agree more. The whole parking lot had row after row of cars! Some of them had awesome decorations. It was so much fun!

This was Brady's second Halloween. Last year he was a baby kangaroo and this year he was an adorable PUPPY!

BIG BAD WOLF and RED RIDING HOOD!

Nana (Grandma Nicholsen) made our costumes - she's so talented!

*Pose*

He discovered that he could chew the faux fur.

I had to get a picture of his tail... :)

Every time Cody picked him up and Brady saw his face, he'd furrow his brow, stare at his black nose, and say, "Nose."

Trick or Treat, please! We'd say thank you after each handout.

Brady has learned good manners from his aunt Tabitha and uncle Caleb. He says 'thank you' in the cutest voice after everything.

If I wipe his nose, he says, "Deh-dooh" really sweetly!

If I help him get dressed, he'll say, "Deh-dooh, Mommy."

Anytime we hand him something or get him a drink, he thanks us. Isn't that so precious!?!?!?!

Melts my heart every time.

Showing Daddy our candy. He loves suckers.

These two are my favorite. SOOOO grateful to be sealed to them for eternity!

Happy Halloween!

Update on the Codester

2010-10-27T21:41:00.000-05:00

My darling husband passed the Kansas State Insurance Exam!!!!!

Cody is also currently reading the Harry Potter series for the first time (and speeding through them faster than Superman).

He also works hard for Brother Nelsen - someone in our stake - and washes windows. He'll finally start his REAL job in a couple weeks (maybe even ONE week!).

Cody gets more good-looking every day.

And he's the biggest stud on the planet (in my world, that is!)

OH, his calling in our ward here is with the YOUTH! He works with the teachers' quorum. Perfect for him.

One of their activities last week was playing dodge ball in the gym (with other wards) and Cody, of course, beat everyone. The ONLY winner by a long shot. He's soooooooo competitive, haha.

Also, he's been assigned to lead the scouts in a huge fundraiser: a Christmas tree drive after Christmas (dealing with people's trees post-Christmas).

He's also a wonderful father and husband to his baby and wife. :)

OH, and he's very excited to be the Big Bad Wolf for Halloween (with me as Red Riding Hood and Brady as a puppy).

We love Cody.

Trip to the Library

2010-10-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

Statues.

Puzzles.

Heaven.

Enjoying Lovely Kansas Weather & Friends

2010-10-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

Uncle Caleb, Aunt Tabitha, and Nephew Brady! I love this picture. :)

(Brady had just spilled water all over himself. ^^)

Playing outside. Picking flowers. And then shooting things with them complete with sound effects.

Awwwww!!! He smells flowers.

Tabitha is dancing in the background. HAHA!

"Making soup" she said.

This was all I got. Haha!

OH, I love this boy.

Kind of blurry. Oh well. :)

Patchkin Pump, Corn Maze and Caramel Apples

2010-10-24T19:07:00.000-05:00

I couldn't center it on all three of us... I'm always horrible at that! So here are two so you get both of us. :)

They went down a tall, fun slide!

Brady figured it out: Going through the corn was faster and way more exciting! He'd come out on the other side. :)

And THIS is what he wanted to do the ENTIRE time! As soon as he saw this tractor it was all he could think about.

On the HAYRIDE to the Pumpkin Patch!!! Brady wanted to climb around on the hay bails but had to sit while riding... so he was a bit bummed.

...trying to pose with Brady and the pumpkin... he has no time for posing.

I know it's hard to tell, but the REAL scarecrow is on the right. Sheesh...

Can't wait to eat one of these soon... yay!

We got three pumpkins and had lots of fun! We're loving life here in Kansas. :)

Returned Missionary Braden Awerkamp!

2010-10-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

During our Utah Valley trip, we stopped in Orem to see my dear cousin Braden! We used to play when we were little. He was a wonderful missionary and it was fun seeing him again.

Brady loves wearing Daddy's hats and then always wants me to put it on after him. He'll often use the hat to shade the sun from his face, smart boy.

Petting Zoo!

2010-10-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

Baby chickies!

Brady loved feeding the animals. He got pretty good at holding his hand flat so they could eat right out of it.

The cow's tongue was like really rough, sharp sandpaper!

It was so much fun!! We loved that time together as a family, as always. :)

To Kill A Mockingbird

2010-10-19T21:25:00.001-05:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finally read this book! My favorite character in this book is Atticus Finch. He's going down in my book of True Heroes. He's the EPITOME of integrity. He's honest, disciplined, wise, humble, polite, controlled, not ruled by his emotions, gentle (but not weak), strong (but not arrogant), patient, loving,... I could go on and on. A true gentleman in every sense of the word!

I love how extremely well the author writes from the perspective of a young child! I felt like she couldn't have depicted the girl's goings-on-around-her in a more accurate light.

The southern accent sometimes made me laugh! It's like the writing came right off the page and I could actually hear the characters talking.

The courtcase was sad, but I was so intrigued! I loved how Atticus handled the case, and witnessing just how smart he was by his subtle ways. If only all lawyers were like him...

This book was full of wisdom that I soaked up. The world seems void of good, common sense and true principles somtimes. Scout and Jem learned lots of valuable lessons from their wise father, which I loved.

**The one sad and incorrect part I didn't like was when the schoolteacher told the class the U.S. is a democracy, because it's not. It was set up as a REPUBLIC. We are not a democracy, like some people would want us to believe.

View all my reviews

Random Picture Time

2010-10-17T07:48:00.000-05:00

I've just been having a blast and looking through pictures on my parents' computer. Next time I'm in Seattle, I'll have to upload lots of pictures of Cody growing up - I LOVE looking at those! Getting to know that life of my hubby's that I never knew... I quite enjoy it. :)

This scary picture is of me at around age 3. I must've just woken up to have huge hair like that. Also, notice the hack job on my bangs? I used to cut them all the time and get spanked. :) My poor mom who did our hair every day usually had nothing to work with when trying to poof my bangs (like they did back then). :)

Brittany and me; probably ages 3 and 5. St. David, Arizona.

It's true; I was a chunker and Brit was always petite. :) (This was maybe 1991?)

I can hardly believe my Brady was this tiny! (This IS Brady... since I don't have this picture I thought I'd put it on here.)

Happy Sunday.

More Pictures From a YEAR Ago!

2010-10-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

This was Brady's Blessing Day. And this is what he did the whole time. It was bedtime, nurse-time, "retreat" time... he cried the entire time.

But I'm so excited about finding these pictures and just decided to post 'em and re-live the memories of this fun bi-family get-together.

Wow... he was so little and so round! (He's four months old in these pictures.) And OH-so bald. :) We absolute adore our baby boy. :)

New Post on my Sunrider Blog

2010-10-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

So click here to see it!

(There's a family pic taken yesterday!)

New Chapter: Kansas! + Note to All of You from Rexburg

2010-10-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

We are in Derby, Kansas!

On Saturday October 2nd, we travelled to Tuelle, Utah and stayed with Mark and Kathie (my uncle and aunt) in their EXTREMELY lovely home. Brady was in heaven and had never seen so many toys in his life. They even had a blow-up jumping castle in their basement.

We watched conference with them and then headed to Orem, UT for a big Steinagel family gathering. That was a lot of fun! We enjoyed catching up with family members (Awerkamps, Duvals, Addison & Anna, Angie and John, and tons of other people I didn't know).

After a few hours of sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning, we awoke EARLY, packed up our things, and headed for the Salt Lake City airport. Brady and I flew to Denver than to Wichita while everyone else (Cody, Mom, Dad, Kecia, Caleb, and Tabitha) drove with vehicles and a trailer full of all our stuff!

Can I just say how thankful I am that Brady and I flew instead of drove? I'm extremely, completely, inexplicably FULL of gratitude that we did not have to drive 15 hours but took a couple short flights home. :)

So now, four days later, we're moved into the basement (with most of our belongings in my parents' garage) and settled in. Cody goes out and washes windows and comes home to study for the Kansas license he has to get before starting his job selling insurance.

We have had a lot of fun! Cody bought me flowers a couple days ago!! He's so sweet. I was so surprised!

Sweet Brady has been sick. :( For the first few days he was whiny, easily upset, and his nose was CONSTANTLY running. The transition hasn't been too easy on him. He likes to be with Mom and Dad in his home with his toys.

He's been better today, though, and seems used to the change. He's been playing happily with Tabitha and Caleb without crying ever few minutes. Now to get rid of the runny nose...

Now, our plans are to continue with our Total Money Makeover baby steps, get Cody's test taken to start his new job, apply him to Friends University (yes, of course, I'll be the one doing that... he's a lucky man) and prepare for the HOLIDAYS!!!

** To Everyone in Rexburg **

(If you're from Rexburg, and you're reading this, this applies to you!!)

We want to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to those of you who helped us pack, clean, move, etc.!! Thank you so very much!! We were so humbled and SO grateful for all of your help!! We wish we were there to return the favor in any way we can. We really appreciate the service you all rendered.

And to everyone else in Rexburg, we miss you so much! We're sorry if we didn't say goodbye... there were too many of you we love that we didn't get to see just before leaving. Goodbye, Rexburg Friends! We love you dearly and miss you very much. I'm sad I didn't get to see EACH ONE OF YOU and give you a huge hug before we left... It was sad leaving there. Well... Cody was excited, but I really wanted to take you all with me. :(

OH WELL, life goes on. Just wanted to write that for closure that I didn't get before we left!

Cody: My Best Friend, My Prince Charming, My Man

2010-09-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

I just need to take a moment here, for the sake of telling the world and also for recording it in our future family book (this blog), for my wonderful husband.

(Since I still don't have my camera, you get old pictures...)

Cody has been working so hard! I'm beyond proud of him. He washes windows every day and makes good money (which we owe to Heavenly Father and feel very humbled)! Yesterday he made about $250 and has been pretty consistent in averaging at least $200 daily. He seems like he almost ENJOYS doing it. He's a wonderful provider for our lil' family.

(This is actually Cody. Just kidding. Thanks, Google Images.)

Cody is a FABULOUS Daddy. :) He loves snuggling with Brady - they love snuggling together. They already watch football together! Brady loves to show Daddy all the things he did or learned that day, like helping mom unload the dishwasher (meaning ACTUALLY helping) or "Patty-Cakes" or saying a new word.

(My snuggly-wuggly boys! Cody will roll his eyes whenever he reads this... xoxo, babe!)

Cody is a great cook! He cooks as much as I do... we make a great team. In fact, he usually has a hard time thinking of WHAT to make, so I usually start dinner (or at least have an idea), and he makes it. He gets rather focused in the kitchen so he cooks faster than I do. I tend to clean up at the same time and he likes to just GET THE FOOD MADE, haha. So he'll cook, make a big mess, and I'll clean it up, often times. Fine by me! Cooking can be fun, but it's not at the top of my list every single day. So I'm grateful for a husband whose also talented in the kitchen!

(He made my favotie salad for my birthday. YUMMMMMM)

Cody is a wonderful athlete! I really enjoy watching him play sports. I feel a great sense of pride at having such a sporty hubby. :) I always wanted an athletic man, and I got a pretty darn good one! Sometimes if people are talking sports, I'll throw in my opinions which aren't even mine, they're all Cody's! I just agree with what he says regarding sports. ESPN is a regular channel on at our house (thankfully not too much, though).

Lastly, Cody is the best husband in the world and I'm so happy to be his wife. :) He is so sweet to me and tells me he loves me in so many ways! I'm excited to see him when he gets home every single day. He's the love of my life and I'm truly a blessed woman. :)

I LOVE YOU, CODY DEAREST!

Brady Prays

2010-09-21T17:14:00.000-05:00

When we say, "Time for prayer!" Brady drops whatever he's doing, gets on his stomach, and puts his face flat on the floor. Isn't that adorable!? He's seen Cody and me pray and we usually put our face near our hands on the floor or couch, so he thinks praying means putting our face in the floor.

Cody and I can't get enough of it! We love announcing that it's time for prayer. :)

We're Moving to Kansas

2010-09-18T16:47:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's true. I know what you're thinking: "Of COURSE you're moving again!" Tell me about it. Actually... don't. ;)

Ever since we moved here, Cody has been thinking in the back of his mind where we would move next. After serving a mission and doing summer sales, a new move (or transfer) was always in the near future. Moving sort of became a hobby or habit, a way of thinking, even.

However, we have moved enough times in two years to last a lifetime, in my opinion. I haven't wanted to leave Rexburg until Cody had his degree AND/OR we were out of debt (which we're working on, yaaaay!). Even though we have no family here, I had ZERO desire to move anywhere at all (at least for a few years). I have felt like each time we've moved it's set us back and we've never accomplished anything, other than up-rooting our lives physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, ETC. That has not been easy on me, especially now that we have Brady.

So around springtime, Cody wanted to move once our lease was up (December) and his planning and ideas were already in the works. I, on the other hand, was planning on staying put.

After much communication over a period of time, listening to the spirit, many prayers, and fasting, we've come to a wonderful compromise and conclusion. Our decision has been extremely gradual and ever-growing better and better.

Our compromise is that I will move for Cody one last time (for a while) if we won't move again for a minimum of FIVE YEARS after this. And that works perfectly with his job he's promised to do for a minimum of five years. I've also consented to move if he finishes school and gets his degree.

On October 1st, my parents (and some younger siblings) will arrive in Rexburg with a large truck and trailer to haul our stuff in.

My dad will drive that home, Cody will drive our car, and Brady and I will fly from Salt Lake to Wichita on October 4th. We had $200 for a plane ticket voucher and got our ticket for free! We'll also be saving an arm and a leg by not having to get a U-Haul. Lovely tender mercies.

We'll live with my parents for a while (best part! ... just kidding). But we ARE looking forward to that so we can get out of debt even faster and sooner. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) Another tender mercy.

Cody will start school a.s.a.p. at Friends University, taking one long class a week 'til he graduates (it's set up differently than semesters).

Our biggest reason for moving (I know, you thought it was family, didn't you?) is the job Cody will be working. He's going into supplemental insurance sales, year-round. He'll travel and sell 4 days a week or less. After five years, he gets to keep all his "apps", or sales, for life! He could quit after five years, but we'll still be getting a nice paycheck for the rest of our lives. Another tendery mercy (a good job!).

Now that I have a piano, I am considering teaching beginner's piano lessons. I also want to throw lots of Sunrider parties, which I love.

Once Cody's through with school, I would love to at least set a goal to, and get, my Associate's degree, and then eventually Bachelor's, Master's, etc. (even if it takes forty years!).

We are doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (thanks to those of you who recommended his book!) and once we're finished with Baby Step 2 - Debt Snowball (pay off all debt), we'll rent a place and begin Baby Step 3, and so on. We'll save up to pay cash for our first home and are willing to wait however long that will take. We've learned all debt is bad debt. There's no such thing as "good debt". Anyway... getting off track, here...

So now you know and I won't have to explain hundreds of times. I'm really, really sad to be leaving Rexburg because of the many, MANY sweet people and friends here (not that our friends aren't people...).

Yes, I'm very excited to live by my family, but I'm even MORE excited... like, times ONE HUNDRED, that we're going somewhere to STAY PUT for a minimum of FIVE YEARS. WOOHOO!!!!!! Moving is so incredibly hard on me, so I am THRILLED that we'll get to plant some roots, stay a while, and accomplish some big things!

Cody resigned at Chase Bank about 2-3 weeks ago and has been washing windows door-to-door ever since. He does SUCH a good job and we've been very blessed (he makes more washing windows than at Chase, plus he hated sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen).

We've got our emergency fund saved up, we'll have our moving fund covered once his next paycheck arrives (any day), we're crossing debts off the list (SUCH A GOOD FEELING!), we're on the same page... LIFE IS GOOD!

Heavenly Father has really blessed us more than we know. We're thankful to pay tithes and fast offerings in grattitude for his countless blessings and tender mercies!

Rexburgians... we will miss you terribly. You have all been so wonderful. :) Thank you for everything. :) Thanks, friends and fam, for all the support. WE LOVE YA!

P.S. I dispersed pictures of Kansas throughout this post. :) Yes, people dwell in Kansas; shocking to many of you, I know. *wink* It is a very lovely state.

The Little Ones Pay Attention

2010-09-15T09:40:00.000-05:00

This morning I said to Brady,

"Guess what? When Daddy gets home from the temple this morning, we're going to read scriptures before he goes to work!"

Then I went back to what I was doing. The next thing I know, he opened the TV cabinet, pulled out the Book of Mormon, and brought it to me, then went about his business playing with toys.

Awwww! So sweet! I didn't expect that... He's a smart little boy. :) We LOVE him.

Still in Love After All These... well... Two Years. :)

2010-09-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

First word that came to my mind (with the picture above): Giraffe. Can you guess why? Sheesh.

Married for 27 months and 1 day... and still in love despite life's rocky path!

Family Pictures - FINALLY!

2010-09-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

Edited Photos by the Lovely Miriam Lusk.

There was a four-wheeler under an awning and Brady wanted to drive that thing more than anything. He is SUCH a boy... anything that can be driven or electronically controlled... he's all for it. We'll have to sign him up for every sport imaginable so he doesn't turn into an addicted video gamer!

Brady is a bright, sweet and smiley boy... but it was close to bedtime and his smiles were few and far between. Plus, he wanted to explore every detail and ounce of that farm and had zero interest in looking at the camera or standing still. Miriam did great for the squirmer she had to work with!

I love this one! We love that Brady gives us sweet kisses! We can't hug and kiss him enough.

The Shill Fam-Damily. :)

UNedited Pictures and Silly Pictures

Look at those cute, little closed eyes! Haha, I think this little face is adorable.

Brady's giving me loves (he's actually reaching for the person closest to what he wants...) and Cody looks a bit high. ;) I can pick on him b/c I look RIDICULOUS in pictures more often than he does. My animated facial expressions get me in trouble when there's a camera around...

(See what I mean?) Haha, Cody looks like he's got a big ol' BELLY in this picture! But don't worry... he's still flat-abbed and sexy as ever; in one of the pictures, I look like I've gained 20 lbs JUST in my middle and have a saggy chest, it's funny what pictures can do to you.

Brady: LET ME GO! I want to play in the grass!

Oh my heavens... he was way too fascinated with his surroundings.

This one was ALMOST great! There are a lot of "almost" great ones. Miriam was so patient. :) But I like that you can see each of our eye colors really well in this one.

Brady's pointing at the cows. They were just staring right at him. It was his favorite part of the photo shoot. :) My man and my baby were both pretty tired; Cody works full days washing windows and Brady's switching from two naps to one... so they're both lacking in energy if you can't tell. But they did great for being tired; I love my boys! (And these pictures!!)

Walking off into eternity... Yep, it's sappy... but true!

Future NFL Player

2010-09-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

Several days ago, Brady found his little football.

He got so excited, he lifted it above his head and started walking around the house saying, "Buh-ball! Buh-ball! Buh-ball!" in a little-man voice.

I laughed so hard! Since I left my camera in Utah, I couldn't record it or take a picture, but I called Cody at work and told him. 'Daddy' thought it was hilarious! Cody's dream is for Brady to be pro athlete - same as most dads - so he got a kick out of it.

Now we've taught him "TOUCHDOWN!" and Daddy teaches him about the game when it's on TV.

And every time Brady finds his football, he looks at us and says, "Buh-ball!" He knows he gets a reaction. :)

We love our all-boy little boy. :)

Dr. Appointment

2010-09-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

Brady Grant

25 lbs and 33" tall.

57th percentile for weight.

80th percentile for head circumference.

"Lots of brains" is what they say to be nice when you've got a big-headed baby... sounds good to me! Haha

93rd percentile for height.

Tall like his Daddy. Daddy couldn't be "prouder". :)

This was Brady's 3rd time seeing a doctor. Once for a pointless well-baby check-up in the ghetto of Modesto, California, once several months ago when he was sick, and once two days ago for another well-baby check-up.

I must say that well-baby check-ups make me laugh!!! Basically, doctors get paid out the wazoo to ask questions like, "Is he walking? Is he talking? Is he eating?", have a nurse weigh them, measure them, and then pronounce them "perfectly fine". Taking about 15 minutes (MAX) of their time. Hahaha! Both times I've gotten him a well-baby check-up, I almost feel insulted as a mother! Okay, not really, but I mean I could've told you that my baby is just fine, moms aren't idiots! I'm glad we have doctors and that they're there, like the time we saw one when he was actually SICK, but "well-baby" check-ups seem like a great way to really add lots of pretty pennies to the medical field. I guess if you're into shots then those are the main thing they do during those appointments, but if not... totally pointless. (haha, no pun intended!!!) I'm glad they instigate well-baby check-ups for completely and totally irresponsible and incapable people who parent children, but other than that... waste of time and $$.

Dr. Watson was very nice and I really liked him. Instantly friendly and easy to talk to. If we were staying here in Rexburg, I'd keep him as our pediatrician for sure. And see him when Brady would be UNwell. :)

Productive Mini-Vacation!

2010-09-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Cody, Brady and I went to Utah!

We stayed with Matt and Kayla Collins - good friends of ours for the last few years. They have a sweet little 4-month-old boy, Maxson, and it was so fun being around such a tiny baby again (but without all the nursing woes, mastitis, and exhuastion)!

It was a very productive weekend! I love being productive. First and foremost, the reason we went to utah altogether, was for Dave and Amy Healey's sealing in the Timpanogas Temple. We arrived to Utah Thursday evening in time for their casual ice cream get-together celebrating their marriage. It was wonderful seeing them again! It'd be nice if we could get together with them more often. We watched a sweet video of their wedding a year ago that was SO sweet. I was either getting goosebumps or laughing (especially when Dave was in his nice tux with an open umbrella resting on his shoulder that we was twirling so quaintly, haha! Matt and Cody were cracking up at that - we LOVE Dave and Amy).

The next day we went to their sealing while sweet Matt and Kayla babysat Brady. It was a beautiful sealing with a lot of people there! We're so, so happy for them.

I don't remember all the details of what we did and when, but during the trip I got together with Bonnie Zimmerman, a dear friend of mine, and we had a great time catching up and talking. She's one of those people that is just SO easy to be around and there's never an awkward, dull, or unpleasant moment. I learn a lot from her, too.

We dropped off maternity clothes to Anika Hills Prows, another sweet friend of mine! When I got pregnant with Brady, she loaned me her clothes and then Cody accidentally gave them all to D.I. thinking they were giveaway clothes (I failed to specify which bins were to keep and which were D.I.) haha! So I told Anika I'd give her all the maternity clothes I obtained for the next time she got pregnant, and she is now! I was thrilled to do this b/c I've been meaning to give her the clothes for over a YEAR now... it feels good to check that off my list!

We went on a hike to Stewart (Stuart?) Falls with Cody and Kate Leishman, Brandon Solomon and his girlfriend, Chase, and Spencer and his wife. They're all friends of Cody's. It was a four-mile hike total... and BOY did it whip me into shape, GALL. Cody had the heaviest load with 25-lb Brady in a baby backpack on his back! Brady was loving it and vocalizing the entire time, not kidding. Meaning he was letting a continuous string of words, or pitch, the whole time! He got so incredibly tired on the way back and fell asleep even though he had nowhere to rest his head, so it would often smack into the back of Cody's head or just bob from side to side. He was exhausted, poor baby! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we loved the physical activity and being up in the beautiful mountains.

Brady had his first trip to a Petting Zoo! Cody, Brady, and I all had a LOT of fun at that cute little petting zoo. There were some of the TINIEST little baby goats that I wanted to take home and keep like a puppy! Brady loved all the animals. We saw lots of different kinds. :) There was a pig, cows, horses, ponies, chickens, turkeys, roosters, chicks, and different kinds of each of those animals! Brady fed them from the palms of his hands - SO ADORABLE! He acted like he owned the place. He even fed a humongous cow, whose tongue felt like gooey, rough sandpaper... yeah, I was pretty grossed out by that tongue! We bought Brady a toy tractor and took pictures. (I accidentally left our camera in Utah so I'll post the pictures another time.)

My cousin Braden Awerkamp just returned from a mission so we got to go see him! He looks great and was a wonderful missionary. He told us his stories of getting mugged, having no electricity, living by candlelight, and other fun things! He's already starting school again and looking for work to earn money. It was fun seeing him. We played as children all growing up at every family reunion (me, him, and Kenzie). Loved seeing him! (and the rest of his fam-damily, too!)

We also saw Ana, Addison, and Alex (though breifly!). I wish we could've spent more time with them. I FINALLY returned Ana's What to Expect when You're Expecting and Twilight books and a baby blanket we borrowed for Brady once a long time ago. So, BIG YAY for me.... another thing marked off my to-do list!!! Ana is pregnant - YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!! She works hard as apartment manager for a complex and full-time wife and mommy. And now being PREGNANT on top of all that so energy's low... I don't know how she does it. She was also going to school, but now she's taking a much-deserved break. :)

We visited the Duvals for a bit, which I always love doing!

Matt was so sweet and washed our car for us with his awesome power washer! It looks so much better now! And luckily Cody was able to do something in return for them by washing some basement windows stained with hard water. (They just rented out their basement and were fixing it up really nice - not that it needed anyithing, really, other than appliances!)

I also completed a book while we were there, and we probably watched at least ten movies all weekend... GALL. Matt and Kayla have a lot of good ones. :)

It was a GREAT trip! We enjoyed the time together, and also the fun times with friends and family members. :)

Pictures to come soon!

Intelligent Little Soul

2010-08-26T10:42:00.000-05:00

This morning, I asked Brady (15 months old) while slipping some socks on his feet,

"Okay, are you about ready for your morning nap?"

His response:

"Nnnnooooooo!"

I was speechless! Today is the first time he's ever said no, let alone answer a question with 'no'!

I adore my sweet little man. He's just so smart! We have conversations together all the time and they are the best parts of my entire day. :)

Shill Shinanigans

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My Days as a Mom: Good, Bad, & Ugly

A Special Treat (Photo) at the End of this Post..

While lying in bed most mornings...

Lately..

Pumpkin Patch with Cody's Parents

Different Faces

About One Month Old

My Little Newborn Maylee

My Choice to Birth at Home Again

Maylee's Birth

Brady - Age Two... about time for an Update

Pioneer campfire for primary..

It's a lovely Wednesday morning..

34.5 Weeks

Pedis with Bethany!

My Dad: The Birthday Boy

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About 30(?) Weeks Pregnant

Around the House

Birthday Boy Gifts - ALL-boy ones, of course

"Happy Birthday Dear Brady..." Cake and Ice Cream

Silly Faces - Trying Out the New Camera

A Lot of Miscellaneous"ness"

What I Want for my Birthday..

Call Me "Neo"

22 Weeks with our little Papaya

Cloth Diapering

Helloooo, anybody home anymore?

Potty-Training ~ What Do You Think?

Wonderful People We Visited during the Holidays that I'm finally blogging about...

Brady'isms' at 21 Months and a Family Update

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Ryan and Brittany's WINTER WEDDING!

Brittany's Bridal Shower

"It's Christmas time, a merry Christmas time - - "

I haven't posted about Brady's milestones and skills in a while...

Meeting the Claus Family for the First Time!

The Littles I Look After

Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride on our Double Date!

Brittany's Winter Wedding - Planning!

Anxiously Waiting to see Old Saint Nick...

We Had a Happy Thanksgiving - Hope You Did, Too!

Our Presents this Christmas will provide Peace of Mind

Sewing Washable Pull-Ups

Things to Remember

Halloween!

Update on the Codester

Trip to the Library

Enjoying Lovely Kansas Weather & Friends

Patchkin Pump, Corn Maze and Caramel Apples

Returned Missionary Braden Awerkamp!

Petting Zoo!

To Kill A Mockingbird

Random Picture Time

More Pictures From a YEAR Ago!

New Post on my Sunrider Blog

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Cody: My Best Friend, My Prince Charming, My Man

Brady Prays

We're Moving to Kansas

The Little Ones Pay Attention

Still in Love After All These... well... Two Years. :)

Family Pictures - FINALLY!

Future NFL Player

Dr. Appointment

Productive Mini-Vacation!

Intelligent Little Soul

New Chapter: Kansas! + Note to All of You from Rexburg