A little update on us.

It has been a bit of a crazy month....
*Ryan's aunt passed away from a LONG fight with cancer. Her funeral was beautiful and we got to see some family that we don't see very often.
*Erin and her kids came for a visit.
*School parties for Remington and Coleton
*Singing programs for Remington and Coleton
*Caleb, Laura and Evelyn all had birthdays and then they had a new baby who had a little stay in the NICU.
To top it off I am at the tail end of a bout with SHINGLES!!
December may not have been a "good" month but it was memorable!
January will be here before long. Which means a little down time after Remington's birthday of course.

3 boys + a visit from Santa =

Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving

Ryan had to work Thanksgiving morning so I spent the morning reading and the boys watched TV. In the afternoon we headed to my mom's and had a fantastic feast! It was great to spend the day with family. We played a couple of games and then gorged ourselves with 5 different kinds of pie. Coconut Cream, Razzleberry, Chocolate, Oreo Cookie Cheesecake, and of course Pumpkin!  OH SO GOOD!! I love this time of year and the chance to spend with family. We defiantly missed those who were away and they are in out thoughts often. We pray for them and hope all is going well. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! We have much to be grateful for.

Happy Halloween!!

Ryan had a great time going trick or treating with the boys. He even scared a few kids along the way. The best was after they got back. I had the boys in the tub and was scrubbing away the makeup that was in layers on their faces. I was closing the blinds in the boys room and I saw a HUGE group of older teenagers. coming across the lawn. I yelled down to Ryan that they were coming. He put on his mask again and when they knocked on the door he opened it yelled and scared them. It was hillarious to hear all those girls. HA HA HA!!  Any way we ended up with a zoombie, a skeleton zoombie and a soccer player zoombie. I'm glad the weather cooperated and the snow stayed away until yesterday. I don't think I am quite ready for snow but ready or not it is here.

Update on Gagers

Well I took Gage into the ENT yesterday and here is what I learned. His tubes that he got when he was just 9 months old are just now coming out. The one in his right ear is about half way out of his ear drum and his body is reacting to it as a foreign object trying to get in. Thus creating a paulup (sp??) around the tube there for causing the bleeding. According to the Dr. this is perfect normal. She has him on steroid ear drops and wants to see him again in 4 weeks. Hopefully this will take care of it.

FUNNY story!

My two youngest boys are funny! Today while gathering laundry I hear a bedroom door close. Instantly I know its trouble. I finished what I was doing and went upstairs. Gage's bedroom door is locked I knocked and I hear who is it? (Really who do they think it is?) I told them it was cookie monster and they said cookie monsters are not allowed in the operating room. I knocked again and they said who is it? I say its shooter. The door unlocks and slowly opens a few inches. I push it open the rest of the way and low and behold there is Gage laying butt naked on the floor with his little private area covered in band aids. I started to giggle. Where do they come up with things like this??

Poor Poor little Gage

Poor little Gage had a rough day which also means that mom had a rough day too. I know he had it rough because Gage LOVES baths and would take one anytime of the day. After dinner tonight while I was finishing up the dinner dishes Gage brought his pull up and pj's in the kitchen. I asked him if he wanted to get in the tub first and he said NO I want to go to bed. He then preceded to get himself dressed. The next thing I know he was in his bed covers pulled up and fast asleep. I had to put drops in his ear so I did it while he was sleeping. Why does he need drops in his ear you ask?? Well...
Today while Coleton was at school I was in the kitchen doing the dishes {I'm constantly doing dishes} Gage was in the kitchen playing. All of the sudden he came and showed me his finger and it was covered in blood. He wasn't crying and so I wondered what he had cut it on. There are usually tears when blood is involved. I picked him up and was rinsing his finger off and trying to see where he had cut it. Surprise no cut. He then tells me his finger wasn't cut but it was from his ear. Low and behold his ear is bleeding. I panic {which is usually what Ryan does}. I called Ryan and he says "its no big deal he probably just scratched it." You can't see the blood I say. "just irrigate it with some peroxide" Alright fine. So irrigate I do. For 15 minutes I irrigate and finally I think its stopped but no a few minutes later his ear is filled with blood again. I took a picture and sent it to Ryan he called and said "Take him in" So after Coleton was done at school {which was only about 20 minutes later} we picked him up and headed to the instacare. THANK GOODNESS the line was short and we didn't have to wait long. The DR came in and looked in his ear and said he couldn't see where it was bleeding from and so he irrigated again. He looked and said it was still pretty bloody but it looked like there was a cut on the ear drum. He told us he wanted us to see a ENT {ear, nose and throat} DR in the next couple of days. So I called one and we have an appointment on Wednesday morning. I can't figure out what he did and lets face it a 3 yr old doesn't hand out a lot of information. So we'll see how bad it is on Wednesday. Yes Gage had a rough day. Visits to the instacare are draining. I'm going to get on my PJ's get the other 2 in bed make a mug of hot chocolate and cuddle up for some Castle.

No leftovers tonight.

Most nights I have leftovers but tonight the boys devoured dinner. I like to try new things and I will for sure make this again. I found a package of seamless crescent roll dough. I flattened it a little and filled one half of it with layers of ham and cheese. I folded over the other half so it was like a calzone and baked it for about 14 minutes. Then in a sauce pan I added a little olive oil, garlic and some red pepper flakes and sauteed that for a minute then added a can of italian diced tomatoes. I mashed it up a little threw in about a 1/4 tsp of italian seasoning and some parsley then simmered for about 10 minutes for instant marinara. I had dinner done in less than 30 minutes. I think I will try to keep these ingredients on hand for nights when I need a fast dinner. The boys were raving and asking for more. What will I do when they are teenagers?!

CAR TroubleS!!

I think its been awhile since I have told of my trials in the car area of my life. We have loved our pathfinder. It has been a really good vehicle. It has about 208,000 miles on it. Recently it has decided to not start. There is power in the car but when you turn the key there is nothing. We took it to the mechanic thinking that it would be the starter or the alternator. He couldn't find anything wrong with it. So we kept it but every time it starts then you wonder if you are going to get it started again. I made Ryan drive it because lets face it. I am NOT going to be stuck somewhere with 2 little kids and a car that won't start. Am I being selfish?? Anyway we decided that we would start looking for a new-ish car. We decided we still wanted a SUV and I wanted a little more room. Ryan wanted something that he could take hunting. I researched online and compared multiple vehicles. We had narrowed it down to either a mercury mountaineer or a chevrolet trailblazer. I called my Uncle Garth who is knowledgeable about cars. My budget did not stay where I wanted it but SUV's are not cheap. We finally settled on the trailblazer. After many hours online I found a 2005 and it has 64,000 miles on it. We test drove and made an offer and signed to loan papers. On the way home the check engine light came on. WHAT????? Are you kidding me?? Yes its true so we took it into the dealership to have it looked at. They did a whole diagnostic check and it cost $100. They found that there is a cooling engine thermostat that is bad. They told us it would be $250 to fix it. Other than that everything else is looks great. We called the guy we got it from and told him about it and he said he'd get it fixed. I am hoping we get it back today. I wouldn't being without a car so much if the weather was a little warmer so that I could walk Coleton to preschool rather than finding him a ride. However there is another family in our ward who happens to have a son in the same class as Coleton and they are taking him today. I have no where else to go until I go to work later so I'm home bound once again. Since I don't have our "new" car around to take a picture I found one that looks just like it. I will try to post pictures after I get it back.

I HATE shopping

Especially car shopping it is exhausting. If you know my husband you know he is NOT very patient and NOT fun to go with. I have been searching online for a new vehicle and I am not having much luck. It seems like I find something and then when I go back to the same site to show Ryan then poof its gone and I can't find it again. I am also NOT a fan of ads that just have e-mail addresses. I have NO other way of contacting them and asking questions. And if you have sold the car then you should put SOLD on your ad or remove it. The good news is that I got us pre-approved for the loan. NOW just have to find the car! Wish me luck I want it now!

Soup

Yesterday was more of a soup day than today but I LOVE soup and make it a lot in the fall and winter. I have NEVER made soup with dried beans before! Today I am trying it out! I am making a bean and bacon soup. I hope it works Wish me luck!

Sarah and Blake

Wow I don't know how I managed to overlook blogging about this but I did. My little sister got married on August 27th. It was a beautiful day! Sarah and Blake got married in the Mt Timpanogos Temple. Then had a reception in my mom's back yard. I feel like I didn't do much to help because my mom had SO much work done in her yard. Thank heavens for kind neighbors and ward members. Blake's family also put in a lot of work on the decorations and everything looked amazing! Here are a few pictures. If you want to see more I put a lot on facebook.
Remington took a lot of these pictures. I think he did a pretty good job. We are so excited to have "Bake" as part of the family!!

 These 3 were the best looking groomsmen there!

Not that I am biased toward them or anything!

First assignment

I finished my first assignment for my class and I got 100% are you proud? Well don't be to proud it was only an introduction of myself. If I hadn't scored 100% then I think we would have serious problems. I'm now on to lesson number 2 and for Tiff I don't think you have to be  resident of SF to take any classes check out here! Tell me what you think!

I'm 99.9% positive..

That we are out of the clear. I think I let my husband talk me into being paranoid. If you know him well you know he is a bit of a {for lack of a better description} drama queen. I love him but he always seems to talk me into overreacting. You'd think I'd catch on after almost 13 years of marriage. It is good to know that we are all healthy!

well rounded!

I am trying to make myself a more rounded individual. To do this I discovered that the library in Spanish Fork offers on line classes for FREE!! You don't get any college credits for them but hey its ok. I can always use the knowledge. I signed up for a personal fiance class. There are over 500 classes so I think I will see how this one goes and then try another. I finished my first assignment and I am waiting for the instructor to grade it. So far so good.

And now we wait...

Oh the joys of children and illness.  The 2 youngest boys LOVE playing with one of the little neighbor girls. They are always asking if they can go play with her every chance they get. They go back and forth from our house to her house. Her and Coleton are pretty close in age and do a pretty good job to include Gage in their playing. I don't mind it keeps them busy and they get along.
Thursday night while I was at work her parents came over and told Ryan that her preschool teacher had called and that she had been exposed to hand, foot and mouth disease at pre-school. Her DR strongly suggested that anyone who had been around her be notified. So after a little research and talking to the pharmacist at my store it looks like we are going to quarantine ourselves and stay home for the next 3 days. I am praying that we are germ free as is our cute little neighbor girl. Let the countdown begin!

I LOVE the gospel!!

As I was sitting in Relief Society today I was told by the sister teaching the lesson how much Heavenly Father loves me. I was a little shocked that she singled me out, but I needed to hear it from someone. The gospel is so amazing and I am so blessed to have it in my life. I don't get up and bear my testimony I'm not sure if my family {kids particularly} know how I feel. I have a testimony and I know it is true. I am grateful that I was born in a country that I can worship however I please. That I can make choices for myself. I am grateful for loving parents that taught me the truth and set a wonderful example for me and my siblings. I am grateful for the priesthood and the men in my life that are worthy to use that priesthood. I am so grateful to live in a awesome neighborhood surrounded by amazing people. I am most thankful for the holy ghost and the whisperings he gives. I am thankful for people who follow his promptings. I am thankful for the knowledge that I AM A DAUGHTER OF GOD AND HE LOVES ME!!!! I love going to church each week and getting that spiritual pick me up! I really love the gospel it makes me happy!!

Sunday nap anyone??

Yes Please!! Everyone is tired at our house. Stayed up too late for some reason they were all fighting the bed routine. It doesn't help that we are now on the 9am church schedule starting today. There is lots of fighting and crying and hitting going on. The deacons came by to collect fast offerings 2 of my boys were in nothing but undies/diaper & wrestling on the stairs, couch, floor and anywhere else. Running and screaming oh BOYS! Can't live with them and can't live without them. I think I'll turn on a quiet movie and see who falls asleep besides me.

Family Pictures!!

Has anyone else noticed that Gage always has a sucker in his mouth? I swear every picture I take of him he has that cavity stick in his mouth.

THANKS Erin for taking these!!

Remington is getting tall. He is going to pass me one of these days.

Crazy Cousins

My BIL came out to CA after the rest of us because he was interviewing for a job. He got it {congrats} and they decided it was time to move. It is an amazing opportunity for them and my BIL's dream job! We sure do miss them and look forward to when they get to move back! The boys miss their cousins and I am going to miss Del Taco, Target and Swimming with them. It just won't be the same. So on our last night on vacation we took a few pictures of the gang.  

.Good luck guys we can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Bubba Gumps

I think we started a tradition to eat at here. We went twice the last time we went to CA. This time we only made it there once. My kids are HUGE seafood fans and they loved it. The kids even got Bubba Gump Shrimp hats. Thanks Opa for taking us!!

  

Gage enjoying his shrimp-ies

Coleton LOVES Whitney {ryan's cousin!}

He wouldn't leave her side the whole day she spent visiting with us.

Denali was hiding from the camera!

These 2 are best buddies!

Meeting Mickey

Gage loves Mickey Mouse. He has Mickey Mouse PJ's and would wear them every night if I let him. he has almost grown out of them. He has 4 stuffed Mickey Mouse's that he plays with regularly and one of his favorite shows to watch is Mickey Mouse Playhouse. So while we were in Disneyland he got a chance to visit Mickey Mouse's house. He loved it and still talks about what it was like. I didn't go in because I was with the other two boys going on some rides and Gage had been asleep so Ryan stayed with him. When he woke up Ryan said the line was short for Mickey so he took Gage. The other two were a little jealous but oh well.

These pictures just make me smile. Ryan said he couldn't get the camera to snap any faster and he forgot there was a movie mode. I think this was Gage's favorite part of all of Disneyland!!

Disneyland

I really don't get why people like to take week long vacations at Disneyland. One day was plenty for me! We did have a blast and actually got to go on quite a few rides. Among the favorites Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The longest line we waited on was under an hour and we didn't do any fast passes. We saw lots of characters and had a great day and came away spending less than we had budgeted. Yes I was one of those mom's that dressed my kids in the same color. I wasn't the only one plenty of others did too. Enjoy!!

 Gage was so cute with all the characters that we saw. He would give them hugs and stare! He LOVED it. We waited along time to see the Winnie the Pooh guys but he didn't want to get out of line. Woody and Jessie we happened to meet walking down the street.

  The stroller rental was well worth it!! Poor little guy was so tired! He slept right threw the parade and it was pretty loud. Below are a few pictures from the parade

 We left before the fireworks the kids were exhausted. Poor Coleton fell asleep on the bus back to the car. It was a good thing that the beach house we were staying at was only about 30 minutes away.

Cali part 2

We spent a lot of our vacation on the beach. I wish it could have been more!! The kids had a blast!! There is NOTHING more relaxing to me than the feel of warm sand between my toes and listening to the waves crash. I LOVE EVERYTHING about it!!

 Gage would get close to the waves and then run as fast as he could before the water could get him. He would giggle and then do it again!

 Ryan is NOT a fan of the ocean. Crazy? YES!! He was a good sport though and got in the water to help the kids on the boogie board.

 Coleton testing out the water. It was cold when you first touched it but once you were in it wasn't bad.

 I wonder what plans these two are making??

 Most of the fam sitting on the sand watching the kids play!

 Ryan helping a child get ready for the wave. The older boys got it figured out pretty quick. Coleton lost interest.

 Ryan playing in the waves with Rem and DJ!

Somewhere I have a similar picture to this one above and the one below. Only the kids are about 2-3 instead of 9-10!

 Coleton and I had a blast building sand castles!

 We dug holes to bury the boys.

 Coleton would prefer to get unburied instead of posing for a picture.

 Remington begged for his turn

 Coleton was not up for being buried again he preferred to sit in between his brothers.

Gage wouldn't look at me because the sun was in his eyes.

Oh we had a great time and made LOTS of fun memories!!