Summer is winding down...

So, I have been busy, busy, busy rearranging my house. I switched my front two rooms around. So, right when you walk in, is our living room, and the room to the right is a playroom! I figured I needed it with Jake and Jenna getting so big and being very busy, and needing to be entertained all the time. I know I am probably insane, but I have decided to open up an in home daycare! I figure, I am staying home anyway, and I have the playroom all set up, and I have a degree in child development, and I need extra money! I am getting a business license, etc. So, pretty excited. I will start Sept. 1st. Still need to do a lot to get prepared, renew my CPR certification and First Aid, take an orientation on the state child care licensing process, have a home inspection, build up an outdoor play area, advertise, etc. It will help so much too, because I will have to be so super scheduled, and keep my house extremely clean. It will be really good for my family to tighten up our routine/chores. I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It is basically hypothyroidism, but mine is an autoimmune disorder. Antibodies are attacking my thyroid. I have been on medication now since the end of May and feel MUCH better. I have lost 16 lbs, and FEEL WONDERFUL physically/emotionally! I no longer eat ANY gluten, dairy or soy. I have never felt better in my entire life. So, I am sad that summer is winding down, but am looking forward to this new school year and all of the memories/adventures/challenges that are headed my way!

So, it has been over a year since I have written on here. I have had this nagging feeling lately that I need to start writing on this more. I think I have a phobia of writing things for others to see. There. I admit it. I am like that with facebook also. But, it is actually something I need to get over. I want to have a document of little memories, and big ones for that matter, that we can look back on. That is one reason why I enjoy scrapbooking so much. You capture a moment, and can look back on it. So, needless to say, my twins are 14 months old now and I haven't posted anything on here since right after they were born. I had a friend ask me if I had a blog and told me that she was interested in how life is with twins, etc. So, I made a commitment that I would start keeping up with my blog at least weekly. This year has been seriously crazy. I have gone through emotions and feelings that I have never experienced. There were times of sadness when there was serious lack of sleep, and I so much wanted to be my happy self, but struggled emensily. After the twins turned 6 months, life has gotten easier by the day. I still am amazed that I am mother to 5 children. I love it!! In having 3 children before the twins, I knew how it was to love ALL of my children unconditionally, but I had never had the bonding, sheer joy of reaching each milestone, the proud feeling of hearing "mama", the wanting to hold the infant in my arms for hours at a time, rock in the rocking chair, nurse, etc, times two. It is seriously DOUBLE the JOY. And, it has been such a unique experience seeing things through my eyes with all the training and experience I have with young children/child development. I have watched as they alternate in discoveries. One day, it seems that Jake has caught on to something (signing "more" for example), when two days later Jenna picks it up also. Or thinking Jake will walk first, becuase he learned to pull himself up and stand independently, while Jenna was still trying to stand on her tip toes just a few months ago, and she is the one who is walking now! And, I don't care WHAT people say about gender. I truly believe that gender is embedded and engrained in your DNA. Jake is all about the dinasaurs, making ROARING sounds, etc. While Jenna just wants her baby. And can say baby! It has been a tremendous experience and blessing to have them. I can't imagine my life any other way.

Bad at this, but trying to be better!

For some reason we are SOOOOOOO bad at updating this thing! Anyway, I am trying to be better, but I am sure as you all know it is just going to get harder with two brand new babies coming!! I am 35 weeks today. I have no more than 3 weeks to go. My doctor will schedule a c section between 37 and 38 weeks which means between March 19th and March 26th. I am nervous and excited!! I am so ready for them to get here!!! This has by far been the hardest pregnancy I have had, just LOTS of back pain, hip pain, leg pain, etc. I have gained a ton of weight:( But, it is all for two very good reasons! We are so excited to have them join our family. The kids are so excited too! I think Lexi will do good, but I definitely think she is going to feel a little out of place with two babies. She is such a little Mommy and great helper so I think she will be ok, it will just be a little adjustment. Our ward and friends are so awesome!! We love living here in Utah, especially here in this house! It is so fun! Mike is gearing up for the garden again this year!! We are hoping that we have as much success as we did last year. That's all for now.

Christmas, Lockton's b-day and looking forward to the New Year

We had a really nice Christmas. It was very laid back, but very nice. We were all hoping it was going to snow, but it didn't. Hopefully it will snow next week. Lockton had a nice birthday, I can't believe that he is 6 already!!! We had a family party for him on his birthday and a little party with friends today. It was nice. His friends, the vallejos, the mauzys and the glidewells came. We are excited for this new year, especially since we will be adding two new little ones to our family!! I am getting pretty big. I am only 6 months and feel/look like 8!! Yikes! We will keep you better posted on our family!

Lots of news! 8 months in the making!

Seriously, I thought I was going to like and be good at this whole blog thing. Yeah right. It has been pretty embarrassing how often we post something on here!! A lot has happened since our last post! We had an amazing summer. Lots of swimming and we took a trip to Arizona. Mike had to stay here and work, but it was a good trip. We moved my mom, stepdad, and my little sister Sammie out here to live by us. They actually live right behind us! It has been working out great. We found out at the end of July that we are expecting another baby. And three weeks ago, we found out that we are expecting 2 babies!! A boy and a girl! We are so very excited for them to join our family. I am due April 9th, 2011. I will try and be better about posting on here!!

We got our van fixed!!

So, we sold our white van. Bought a white GMC Yukon, and just two days ago, we were able to get our red van fixed for half of what we originally thought it would cost us. So, we have two cars again! Yay! Anyway, Katelyn and Lockton are starting up soccer. And they are both doing well in school and enjoy it, but are very excited for the warm weather, summer, swimming, and our garden! We are planting a HUGE garden in our yard. We are so excited about it! Lexi is doing great, she is talking so much. We found a worm in the dirt the other day and she said, "OOOOOOHHHHH, a snake!!" It was so cute. So, Mike told her no, it is a worm, but it kind of looks like a snake, huh? Then he proceeded to spray it with water, and she was SOOOOOO concerned! She said, Snake no die!!!! It was the cutest thing ever, I wish I got it on video. Anyway, she is learning like 4 new words a day it seems. Things are good. I miss AZ, need to get back and see my family, it has been 1 year since I have been back. That's all for now.

New car, two sick kids and one sick husband

Well we found a car!!! Yay! It is a GMC Yukon! We are really excited about it. We are hoping it will do our family well for years to come. Mike got strep throat on Saturday. I felt so bad for him, he couldn't sleep a wink the whole night! I get it really bad too when I get it. Luckily I didn't get it from him, which is the first, last fall we passed it back and forth 3 times!! So, yesterday I took Lexi to the doctor, she has mild bronchulitis and a severe diaper rash due to major diarrhea UCK!! And then, I had to take Lockton to instacare because he had an ear infection, so two out of three kids are on antibiotics for the next ten days. I am just glad we found out the problem and they can get better. So I have been running again. I ran a mile this morning!!!!! I am going to run the 5K here in provo on july 4th. Katelyn wants to do it with me!! So, we will take it nice and slow, but it will be cool to say we have done it. I am going to sign Kate and Lock up for soccer. They played two seasons in Arizona and loved it. Tah tah for now.

2 broken down cars, 2 birthday parties, and 2 super fun days

So BOTH of our vans are broken down with blown engines. Fun times!! Luckily it is at the right time with our tax return coming soon. Katelyn is so excited for Caitlin Mayer's birthday party on Friday night!! And Lockton gets to go spend the night at Kristyn's for Liam's Birthday, he is so excited!! I am so excited for Sat. Feb. 13th we are having a sit down dinner/dance at our ward for valentine's day!! And I am excited for Valentine's Day!! Hope it is a special day with my wonderful hubby!

Slow recovery

So I started going running for the new year, I went 2.5 weeks and was up to 1 mile plus a lap. Then, I pulled or tore my calf muscle. It has been a slow recovery. This is going on the third week, and it still hurts. I hope it gets better soon, I was looking forward to dropping 20 lbs by May. We will be going to Disneyland and the beach and I was hoping to be in better shape by then. I am still doing other exercises at home, but I just hope that this recovery will happen soon.
So, I finally have put an ad for Mike's DJing business on KSL and Craiglist, and he will be doing a Bridal Fair in April. I am hoping to start selling on ebay and starting up a scrapbooking business. Charging to create scrapbook pages and/or whole scrapbooks for people who don't have the time or the know how. Anyway, hopefully that will work out for me. The kids are doing great. Katelyn has started an after school program, art and crochet. She is so good at crocheting already! Lockton can write his name really good and is learning letter sounds. Lexi is talking a ton! She is in the imitating stage. She imitates everything we say. Life is good, we love our ward!

32!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe I am 32!!!! I can't believe that this year will be our 10 year wedding anniversary!! Crazy how time REALLY does fly! Yesterday was my birthday and I had a wonderful day! I spent most of the day at my favorite place THE MALL!! And then I ate dinner with my family at Red Lobster YUMMY!! It was great, we haven't been there in over a year. My kids were so sweet yesterday they kept reminding each other to be good "cause it's Mom's birthday!" They really helped to make it a special day. Mike got me the sweetest card in the world. It made me cry. I missed my mom, Bill, Sean, Sara and Sammie, but it was still a great day! We are den leaders in our ward, that is taking a lot of our time, but we are really enjoying it. We are hoping to go to Disneyland for our 10 year anniversary, can't wait!