Picture updates

So Sunday before church we had some extra time and had the camera handy (it was a miracle the batteries were working) so we decided to take some pictures. Hope you enjoy.
Austin didn't really want to take pictures, that is why I don't think he is smiling in any pictures, even though we were bribing him with m&m's
So, I don't think I am a big fan of her dress, I think it's too much pink for her but oh well.
Daddy loves his kids, he's already talking about the next one. *notice Austin with M&M's in his mouth.

So, I totally know that this pict. is blurry, but I really wish it wasn't
Oh, So CUTE!

We were trying to get a picture of the two of them together but Austin would have none of it,

Kate's being a good sport though

So, we have always thought that Kate looks more like Devon, but in this picture I think she totally looks like me when I was little. What do you think mom?

I love my new bumbo and my new bracelet.



This is Kate, hanging out while mom works. She is such a good helper friend.

That's enough pictures for now. I will post again and show you all the vinyl I have been putting up in the house. I have been a very busy bee.

Good bye bink bink

So we finally had Austin say goodbye to his pacifier for good! All it took was one real night of crying. We took it from him Saturday night, but he was sooooo tired he didn't care, Sunday's nap was still no big deal because he was over due for his nap thanks to our afternoon church schedule. But Sunday night was not so easy. To make a long story short we started trying to put him to bed at a little after 8:00, and he didn't actually go to bed until a little after 10. In between I tried to lay with him, Devon laid with him, he came down and slept in bed with me while Devon was reading in the other room...nothing was helping. Finally at about 9:50 we just put him in bed and let him cry. We were going to give him 15min. and then think of another plan. After 10 min he opened his own bedroom door (the second time ever) walked down the stairs, into our room, pulled himself onto our bed, then came and snuggled between us until he fell asleep. I know I won't always feel this way, but it was so cute! It was the first time we had a sad child come sleep with us for comfort. I loved it. I know that I won't always, but for the first time, it was great. Tonight it was sooooo much easier. He only cried for about 2 min. and then just went to bed. I am so proud of him! For as much as he seriously LOVED his bink bink, he has handled this extremely well. Here is one last tribute to "Mr. Bink", our long time friend and life savor on many occasions.

A Nice Day

I just wanted to post and say how grateful I am that today was such an awesome day. Kate was SO good today. She was totally 100% content the entire time she was awake, every time she was awake today. She was laughing and smiling and just a pleasure. It was so nice and such a welcome change. I wonder if it means she will sleep through the night tonight? I wish. For those of you who don't know I am an avid "Baby Wise" mom. Austin took really well to it, and because of it was sleeping through the night ( 8+ hours) by 7 weeks. One day he was waking up 2x a night, the next night he slept straight through and never woke up at night again unless he was sick or something. With Kate we haven't been so lucky. The longest she has slept was 7 hours, and that was just once. Every night with her is different. Most of the time now she will get up once a night but sometimes she still gets up every 3 hours. I can't really complain though, a full feeding for Kate takes 10 min. tops. She is such a fast eater that I am usually up for 15-20 min. when she gets up. I am hoping that she will start sleeping all the way through the night soon though. I have a hard time wanting to get and exercise in the morning when I have the excuse that -oh I'm tired because I was up last night-so hopefully soon she will be snoozing a whole 8 hours.

Back to my good day though, this morning I got up at 6:30 with Kate (earlier than her usually 7-7:30 feeding) after I fed her I got in the shower and had her happily sitting in the bathroom while I was able to shower, wash my hair and shave Wohooo!!! After my shower we gave her a bath and then put her to bed. By this time it was 7:30 and I was hoping to have a 1/2 hour to myself before Austin woke up. To my great surprise Devon got up at 9:00 and came up stairs to look for us, and found me reading blogs while Austin was STILL SLEEPING!! He went to bed at 8:00 on Saturday night and didn't end up waking up until 9:30 Sunday morning. It was so nice to have time to myself...and so much time. Once Austin and Devon were both up Devon made fresh biscuits for breakfast and cooked up some sausage, then I quick and made some gravy so we had a wonderful feast. (well I couldn't eat the sausage and gravy but the biscuits were good!) The rest of the morning was pretty chill. I even got to sneak in a 1/2 hour nap while BOTH KIDS were awake, they were both being so good and chill. Today for church we just had sacrament meeting because today was also the dedication of the Twin Falls Temple, so church wasn't it's normal circus. Once we were home both kids took naps while devon and I read and talked and just relaxed. Then, miracle of miracles, I got to sneak in another 1/2 hours nap while both kids were once again awake! For some reason I was just soooo sleepy before dinner that I needed a little cat nap to motivate me. Dinner was quick and easy breakfast egg sandwiches because that was requested, then we all just were chill until bed time. I am like in shock of what an awesome day it has been. It has truly been a day of rest and I am so grateful. Here are some pictures of Kate from one of her wonderful awake times today.

Sorry, no pictures of Austin, the camera batteries died before it could upload all the pictures, these were the only ones that made it.

Getting back to normal

It's nice to finally be getting back to normal. Here are some ways we are starting to get back.

1) I can fit into at least 2 pairs of my "normal' jeans
2) Austin can play by himself
3) Austin can play with other kids
4) I can leave the room and Austin continues playing (instead of freaking out like he has been for the last 2 months)
5)Devon gets up and GOES to work in the morning
6)We have friends to hang out with
7) I got my Etsy shop back up and running

Normal is nice. I feel that it makes things less stressful for me, therefore allowing me to be a better happier mom.

Although sometimes "not normal" can be nice too, like how on Sunday it wasn't normal that Austin was able to stay in nursery by himself, but it was nice to be able to go to Relief Society and not worry.

An eventful week with lost of pictures!

After the last blog I decided to post this to leave everyone on a happier note.

I know I cut off Devon's head, but I thought it was still a cute pic.

WARNING: NEXT 2 PICTURES NOT FOR THOSE WITH A WEAK STOMACH

Guess what time it is? Yes, it's potty training time, and yes that is what you think it is. So this was after lunch on Thursday. I noticed that he was showing the signs and so I ran him up stairs and put him on the potty. Devon came in and we were both sitting in the bathroom waiting it out. After about 10 min. nothing was happening and Devon and I started talking about potty training. During this time I noticed - but not fully - that Austin got up from the potty. I thought oh, he isn't going to go I better put a diaper on. Devon and I continued talking as Austin walked out of the bathroom. I kidd you not, it wasn't 30 seconds later that he started crying and saying Ma Ma Ma. Devon stuck his head out of the bathroom and then suddenly exclaimed SON! Then he carried (after him taking 3 steps, which foot prints you can count in the pic. above) a very upset Austin back into the bathroom. Austin was so upset! Devon just started laughing! He said - quick get the video camera! I was like, um are you serious? He was serious! So I got the video camera and when I came back up he was snaping these beauties. All the while Austin was still crying. I am not sure if he was crying because he went to the bathroom on the floor or because he stepped in it when he was done LOL. Oh fun times.

These next pictures were taken at the stake pioneer day celebration.

This nasty snake was HUGE. I didn't draw Austin's attention to it because I didn't even want to go near it! Yuck.

Austin was a little shy around the animals and didn't like it if you were there with him, but once we let him wander around on him own he would be brave and pet the animals. It was just funny because most the animals were bigger than he was and they were VERY friendly. They kept comming up to him and licking him and nudging him. Several times he got pushed over but he handled it very well.
So, for those of you who know what animal this is, give yourself brownie points because I sure as heck didn't know. I was like -um that's the funniest cow I've ever seen?! Well aparently it's a Yak. Yup, a yak. Who really has a Yak? I don't even know if I knew they were a real animal. The only yak I know is "yak idy yak..don't talk back" (courties of Colleen)

Us on the covered wagon

Austin going through the obsticle course.

And no activy can be complete without a nice orange snow cone, and yes...he is smiling. This is his new "cheese" face.

These next pictures are of Kate. I needed a good picture of her and didn't really have one. So here she is!

These next two are of her in her make shift bath. I was giving her baths in the tub but she would just scream. She LOVED the sink though. it was just the right size.

Blessings in disguise and tender mercies

So, as some of you know a friend of mine past away a short while ago. She was young and beautiful and had a beautiful family with 3 girls and 1 boy. Her and her husband were so very much in love and a true joy to be around. She was taken suddenly and unexpectedly leaving her husband with an 8, 6, 3, and 1 year old. While know one knows why she needed to go, or what other missions lie ahead for her on the other side, all we do know is that her mission here was complete. As hard as this reality was for me to accept, as I looked back on the last couple of months of her life I had a personal life lesson. If we back track a couple of months, because of the poor economy and low housing market, her husband lost his job. This was a hard for them to deal with (as it would be for most people trying to support a family). Now, from my point of view I thought, how hard to lose a job hopefully he will be able to get another one soon. But as fate would have it month after month went by and he was still not working. I am not sure there exact state of mind, but mine would have been - Why can't we find work, why aren't my prayers being answered (as I am sure it was the topic of many prayers and fasts). I think I would have become frusterated that work was not coming. But now that time has past and part of Heavenly Fathers Plan has unfolded, I realize what a blessing it was that he was not working. I also feel that him losing his job was a tender mercie of the Lord.

I have sat and thought to myself several times over the last week or so and I have thought that if I knew I was going to pass away wouldn't it be wonderful if Devon didn't have to work and we could spend as much time together as possible? How many people know that their loved ones may not have too much time left here still have to go to work - because like it or not life still goes on, everyone still has mouths to feed and needs that have to be met. What a tender mercy the Lord gave to them that, although they might not have realized it at the time and I am sure were frustrated at the situation, they were able to spend so much time together. In talking with my friend one day she commented on how great it was to have her husband home. She was laughing and saying that now he knows how to put the kids to bed and that he helps around the house and does "mom" type things that he didn't do before because he was working. What a small comfort it will be to him now to have had those months at home, getting to know the routine, know how to take care of his children, being familiar with the ups and downs that being a full time parent, getting to know his children more and letting them get to know him more, that he wouldn't have been able to learn any other way than to have actually been home for a while. I know that most men aside from being devastated that their wives are gone, are overwhelmed with the reality that their children's primary care giver is gone - and they have no idea what to do with them! Yet, since the Lord is so merciful and loves us so much, he was able to see ahead and know that these hard times were coming and did all that he could to give them time together to love and learn from each other and help prepare her husband for the task ahead.

I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me. This has opened my eyes to see that he truly knows best and although we may feel that we are having hard times in our lives, he can truly see the bigger picture and does everything for our profit and learning.

Our prayer are with the Clinton family

Memory Lane

I copied this cute post from my cousins, Alicia's blog. Leave me a memory about you and I! First time meeting, funny, sad, crazy events etc.Here is how you play:1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.