once upon a time, the SKOUSENS.......

Snowman doing the Limbo

2012-01-10T22:12:00.001-08:00

The kids built this snowman last weekend and it has been funny to see it melt. I wonder how low it will go before it breaks.

Photo Shoot

2011-11-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

One of my friends took some great photos of our family. Here are a few of the kids, my they grow too fast.

Isaiah's eye surgery

2011-11-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

Last May, Isaiah had to get eye surgery. One of his nerves in his left eye didn't work so when he would look up it would kind of roll up into his head. The surgery went really well, and the nurses warned us that he would probably wake up screaming, but it was actually opposite. He woke up smiling and wanted Savanna next to him, and they both giggled together. It was so cute.

Here are some before and after shots. The first picture I took of him right before going into surgery and I accidently caught his left eye going up.

This next shot was just the day after the surgery. We decided to get him in the same postion to show the difference. Isn't that just amazing? I love our doctor. So thankful for medicine and surgeries. For the first time Isaiah has depth perception and just a few weeks later, he was able to hit a baseball with a bat. What a miracle!!

Best Buddies

2011-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

I was close to my brother Ben growing up and I think Kayla and Isaiah have this same kind of bond. It is so refreshing to catch them being good to each other when at times you wonder if they really have this love.

Going to Daddy's work

2011-11-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

A few months ago Porter went with Joe to work for a few hours, and of course he had to bring his elephant. I remember going to work with my dad when I was little and the best part about it was the little fridge full of drinks. My kids love that too!!

First day of Preschool

2011-11-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

Here are my handsome boys on their first day of Preschool. I am doing a preschool with two of my sister-in-laws, so we switch off who teaches. It has been such a great thing for my boys. It is fun for them to go to school with their cousins, and especially fun that this preschool group is all boys. So almost all of our lessons are based around boy things.

Savvy Prayer

2011-11-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ever since Savvy was about six months old she folds her arms for our family prayers at night. A few months ago we called all the kids to prayer and she came over, knelt down, and folded her arms. Not sure why she looks so sad in this picture, but the next one makes up for it. All my kids have swirl cowlicks on the front of their hairline which makes their hair grow straight in their face. It is especially noticeable on the girls, since they grow their hair out. I love their crazy uncontrollable hair.

Pumpkins

2011-11-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

Time to get the ball rolling again with this blog. It seems that ever since we bought our house (over two years ago) life sped up really fast and this blog took the back burner. I look at my kids and how fast they are growing and all the cute things they are doing/saying and I need to be better at keeping track.

Here are some of the pumpkins we grew in our garden this year. We grew a total of 6 pumpkins and we have 6 in our family, so it was perfect!! We had a fun time carving our pumpkins and lighting them on our porch. I love this time of year.

Indiana Isaiah

2011-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Joe and Isaiah have been working very hard on Isaiah's whip. Just the other day, they finished it, and Isaiah was able to give it a try while it was snowing. And he actually made the whip crack once. He was so proud of himself. He only likes to whip his whip if he is wearing his Indiana Jones hat. I love that Joe teaches our kids all his fun hobbies.

Isaiah's 4th Birthday Party

2010-09-20T12:39:00.001-07:00

Isaiah is now a 4 year old. It's funny because just today I was at the store and a lady asked me if Porter and Isaiah are twins. Porter isn't even two yet. They are both big boys, but Porter must be extra huge. For Isaiah's Birthday we decided to do a "Science/Magic Show" Party. Each boy was given a Science experiment kit, and Joe helped them do several science experiments. It was so fun to watch their little faces in amazement. After the party, Isaiah said, "Mommy, daddy is MAGIC!" Isaiah looks up to Joe so much. I remember thinking the same thing about my dad growing up when he would "magically" pull a penny out of my ear. Dads are simply amazing.

Isaiah has grown up to be an exceptionally fun four year old. He loves to build anything and everything. I think he will do many projects in his life just like his dad. Isaiah loves catching bugs. He could spend hours and hours in the yard scouting out bugs. How he finds them, I don't know, he can spot them anywhere. He really has an amazing eye for finding bugs. I love that Isaiah loves me and prefers me over anyone. I am trying to hold on to this, because I know one day he won't cuddle me anymore, and he will want to be right by Joe's side. I love my Isaiah and feel so blest that I can be his mom and watch him grow.

Smiley Savanna

2010-09-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

My little Savanna is so smiley and brightens my day every day. Going from 3 to 4 kids has been quite the transition for me. I don't know that I have ever been so busy in my life. These 4 wonderful delights stretch me to my every limb, but I love them so much, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Many many many more posts to come.......... Finally I will do some catching up.

Going Private

2010-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in so long, but the time has come that I am going to put this blog of ours private. I have so much I want to blog, but I am first going to get this blog private and then get it going again. If you'd like an invite, either email me, or leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Introducing....

2010-07-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

Savanna Angel Skousen

July 1st 2010
7:56 am
7 lbs. 1 oz.
20.5 inches long

It's been too long........

2010-06-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

Blogging has sure taken the back burner, which I am so sad about. I really hope to jump back on the wagon. So much to blog about and so little time. We have been so busy with doing so many projects around the house. Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks with this baby girl. We are so excited to welcome her into our family. How did I all of the sudden have four kids?? I can't wait to get this little girl out of me, and heal from all the aches and pains. I am so excited to meet our little angel. I will try to get some posts up before the baby is born. If not..... stay tuned for pictures of our new addition.

Great Quote

2010-05-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

I found this quote today by Marjorie Hinckley. What a wonderful woman she was, and put my own life in perspective. I hope you like it......

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk’s lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.” Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Ballet

2010-04-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

After taking soccer last summer, Kayla has wanted to take Ballet. So we finally signed her up. She is loving it. She had a lesson on her irthday, and Joe was able to take her. Kayla was SO excited.

Time to Tell........

2010-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

It is about time that I come out of undercover and spread the news more widely. If you have seen me lately, yes I am gaining weight, no I haven't been working out, and yes I am pregnant. I am in the awkward stage where I am sure people are thinking "..is she pregnant, or just putting on a few extra pounds?" We are so excited to add another little one to our family. We feel so blessed to be parents of our children, and can't wait for more crazy adventures ahead. So coming in July, we will be adding another little one. I am just as excited as if it were my very first baby. I can't wait to meet my new precious one!

Goodbye Dolly..........

2010-01-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

When we took the kids to sit on Santa's lap before Christmas, Kayla asked Santa for a Dolly. Being the creative man that Santa is, he brought Kayla a fish named "Dolly". Kayla has loved this fish so much and has spent many hours staring at it. Just yesterday, we found Dolly on the bottom of the bowl barely breathing. Kayla was sure Dolly was going to make it, she even said many many prayers asking Heavenly Father to save her. I woke up really early this morning to get some cleaning done. I checked the fish, and sure enough Dolly had died. I knew Kayla's little 4 year old heart would be broken. When she woke up, she ran to Dolly's bowl, to see if she had made it through the night. Joe explained to Kayla that Dolly had died. She was not convinced. She moved the fish bowl around and said "See Daddy, Dolly is moving!" When Kayla realized that Dolly had really died, she broke down in tears. I can honestly say, I have never ever seen Kayla so sad. All day today, she keeps crying and wanting Dolly to come back. She now says in her prayers, "Heavenly Father, Please take care of my Dolly. I love her so much!" Kayla has been learning all about one of lifes hardest parts: Death. Thankfully her first experience with it, is a little fish, but that fish meant the world to her.

Some serious lack of blogging

2009-12-15T13:09:00.001-08:00

Ever since we moved into our new house, I have done some serious slacking on this blog. I am determined to get caught up. Life just seems to get busier and busier, and it just won't slow down. But, don't despair, I have a big goal to update more frequently on here. Here a few pictures as of recent.

Backyard pictures

2009-10-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

First, I have to say that I have the most AMAZING husband. Starting August 25th, and finishing September 22nd (in other words in 28 days), he built a porch out of flagstone rock, leveled and landscaped the yard with many different kinds of tractors, built a HUGE retaining rock wall, put in a sprinkling system, filled in trenches, leveled, spread topsoil, and laid sod. It was an amazing process to watch, and now, I know that he is the strongest man alive. You should have seen him lift those rocks as if they were nothing, and I couldn't even budge them.

Here's the beginnings of the flagstone porch:

It really was difficult to puzzle piece them together

Porter loved eating the sand

And, I must say, that Joe did an excellent job puzzle piecing the rocks together.

Next, Joe leveled and trenched the yard to get it all ready for sprinklers.

Isaiah was in heaven with all the tractors around.

And Kayla joined in on the fun too.

And next, the huge retaining wall. He lifted each and every one of these rocks by hand. Talk about strong.

For some reason, I didn't get any pictures of Joe trenching and putting in the sprinkling system, but believe me, this was a HUGE project, and of course, Joe passed it with flying colors.

After he finished the sprinkling system, leveled out the dirt again, he spread top soil all over the yard.

Then, the crowning moment. Joe gave me the honors to lay the first piece of sod. It was like carpeting the ground, and was so fun. My dad, Joe's parents, and Tim spent many hours with us laying the sod. Thank you so so much!!

Kayla had a fun time sitting on top of the big stacks of sod and directing us where to put them.

I can't even begin to explain what an awesome job Joe did in the yard. These pictures don't even do it justice. But, here is just a glimpse of what my amazing husband has been up to. Thanks for all your hard work Joe!!!

First Snow

2009-10-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Winter seemed to have come a little too early this year. After living in Michigan, I have found that I am definitely a warm-weather-kinda-girl. But it is always exciting to see the kids eyes light up when the first few snowflakes fall from the sky. When Kayla spotted the first few snow flakes, she found a bucket and went outside to catch the snowflakes. She was disappointed when she couldn't catch them, but I told her to leave her bucket on the back porch and eventually her bucket would fill with snow.

When there was a blanket of snow on the grass, the kids wasted no time and made snow angels, snowmen, and even sled down our hill in the backyard. Winter really is more exciting with kids around.

Welcome winter, but warm weather, please don't stay too far away.

Daddy - daughter date

2009-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Once a week we try to go on individual dates with the kids. Last week, Kayla was looking forward to going on a date with Joe ALL day. She even wanted to get special date clothes on and put a little lipstick on. She loves her daddy, and Joe's heart is won over by Kayla.

Hasta la vista Black Widows!!!!

2009-10-07T13:36:00.001-07:00

Isaiah has come to me on 3 separate occasions to tell me that he just found a big huge black spider. The first time, he had brought his truck inside that had been outside for a few days, and sure enough, there was about a silver dollar size black widow, just ENORMOUS!!! I screamed and ran to get Joe, who was working on the backyard. Joe smashed it with my flip flop, and I thought I would never recover. In fact, I had dreams about the black widow biting me in my sleep.

A few days later, I was weeding in the front yard, and Isaiah came to me with a bowl in his hands and said calmly, "Look mommy! A big black spider!" He was so excited to show it to me, and when I got scared and told him to put the bowl down, he laughed and thought I was crazy. I screamed for Joe, and yet, ANOTHER black widow.

And just a day later, we were finishing the sprinkling system in our backyard (more on that later, I will have a post full of pictures), and Isaiah said he saw a spider. I ran to him fearing it was another black widow, and yes, he was trying to pick it up with his fingers. AHHHH!!! I couldn't take it any longer. I ran to the garage, found my weapon (a shovel) and looked all along the perimeter of our house and began killing any living creature in sight. I wasn't about to have my son die from an attack of black widows. So how many would you guess I killed in a matter of 5 minutes, looking in all our window wells?? Not 1 or 2 not even 3.............I killed SIX black widows and it felt SO SO SO good. I wasn't scared, even a bit.

So, today, a company named Bugged Out came a sprayed in our house and outside. The kids and I have been watching all the big spiders die in the window wells. Good riddance black widows!!

My little arm-linker

2009-09-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Porter loves to link my arm whenever I hold him. I love having a little boyfriend.

The things you'll do to get your kids in bed....

2009-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

The other night I was trying to get my kids to stay in bed. Kayla said that if she stayed in bed she wanted pink eggs in the morning, and then Isaiah quickly said he wanted green eggs ( his very favorite color). In the morning, at about 6:30, the both ran to my side of the bed and woke me up with big smiles and asked for their color specific eggs. They have the best memories, and stay in bed for the right incentives.

A new favorite quote

2009-09-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

I just came across a quote from one of my best friends, and it really touched me. I hope you like it too.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

This is definitely one that I want to get framed so I can read it often and always remember it.

One of my favorite moments......

2009-08-31T21:35:00.001-07:00

After a long day, I love getting the kids in the bath, and then seeing my little baby all cuddled up in a hooded towel. They just don't get cuter.

My mountain man

2009-08-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Isaiah really is ALL boy. You take him to the mountains and he wants to take his shoes off, roll around in the dirt, and touch all the bugs. At least he still likes to cuddle with me at night. He is growing up way too fast.

After an exhausting day Swimming...

2009-08-31T21:23:00.001-07:00

I love it when the kids have played so much that they fall asleep anywhere they can. This hardly ever happens, but when it does, it is extra sweet.

Interlocking fingers

2009-08-31T21:13:00.001-07:00

Kayla just loves her little brother. She loves cuddling with him.

Kayla loves holding his hand, I especially love the interlocking fingers.

This is where life has taken us.........

2009-08-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

We bought a home a few months ago, and life has been a whirlwind one thing after another, and now it feels like life is just barely starting to slow down, and my stack of pictures is overwhelmingly HUGE. Needless to say, I feel a little overwhelmed with all the blogging that I need to do, but little by little I will get everything up. Sorry about the absence. We are alive and well.

Smoothie addiction

2009-07-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Lately, it is an odd day if I don't make some sort of smoothie. I think I have a serious addiction. Almost every night, Joe and I get Kayla and Isaiah to bed and then it is time to make some sort of new smoothie, depending on the ingredients we have in the fridge. Just when I sit down to enjoy my smoothie after a long hot day, Porter begins to pant, groan, throw his arms and legs, and look at me in the most sweet way. (meaning: he wants my smoothie). It is the cutest thing ever and I can never deny my little boy. Porter lives for his smoothie fill every day. Is it odd that my 6 month old already knows how to drink out of a straw? Gotta love smoothies!

Program at the Nursing Home

2009-07-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

The first part of May, Kayla and her cousins were in a little program at a Nursing Home and this is what Kayla chose to sing. It was so cute and the people just loved it. I love her kiss at the end, and if you look carefully at her feet she was tapping to the beat.

To my Man of 5 years

2009-05-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? On the other hand, I can hardly remember my life before YOU. I love you sweetheart...............the only thing I am thirsting for is MORE!

How does your garden grow?

2009-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Joe has been wanting to plant a garden for months now. So for his birthday, we decided to get him some seed packages of a variety of different fruits and veggies. Well, a week and a half ago he planted some of them in paper cups, like this:

To our surprise this is what our little seeds have sprouted into only a week and a half later. I know I know, I must be very amateur when it comes to plants and gardening, but come on, these things are huge. We have been astonished and we sit a stare at them for a few minutes together every night.

I think we better be planting them in the garden soon. It seems that they have already outgrown the paper cups.

Is it just me or is that an amazing amount of growing for such a little bit of time?

Project with Dad

2009-05-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

Joe is so much better at letting the kids get messy than I am. While I was getting my haircut, Joe decided it would be fun to do a little project with the kids. Joe got Isaiah down to his diaper and put one of his old shirts on Kayla, gave them each a paint brush and painted the swing on our back porch. It looks much better and was very much in need of a new look. And while they were at it, the kids got a new look too!

Organization is Key

2009-05-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

One of Joe's favorite meals is BLT sandwiches and fries. While I fed Porter, I asked Kayla to dump the bag of fries on the oven baking sheet. This is what I came back too:

I thought it was so cute that she had lined up every last one of the fries. Either Kayla loves to organize, or she likes fries best when each piece can get evenly browned.

I love this girl's cute little personality.

My boys

2009-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

When did I ever get two boys? I just really can't believe I am the mom of these two HANDSOME little guys.

Sweet's Candy Factory

2009-05-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

Julianne invited us to go to a Candy Factory with her cute kids. We had a blast, and we will for sure go back. They showed us how they make some of their candy and gave us a tour of the candy factory. They even let us sample the candy. My mouth still waters for the fresh coconut taffy they let us sample right off the conveyor belt. The taffy is WAY better fresh.

At the end of the tour they gave each of us a bag of taffy. The kids were ecstatic! They have been begging to go back ever since.......I wonder why?

I got a kick out of the hats they had us wear, especially little Porter's. They had little hats just for babies. He is my little factory man.

If anyone is looking for some good free fun, we would LOVE to go again. Gotta quench my sweet tooth somehow.

It's Joe's Birthday!

2009-04-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

I love days like today, because I get full bragging rights of my wonderful Husband Joe. Today is his 29th birthday, and I have been teasing him, because he has one last year of childhood and then he is officially an adult. Oh how I love my Joe. Just like last year (except I wrote 28 things) I want to write 29 things that I love about Joe.

Here we go:

1. I have always been extremely weak. Seriously, I hardly ever beat anyone at a dang arm wrestle. Before marrying Joe, I remember dating one guy in particular, that I seriously thought I would have to protect if someone robbed us. That is when I knew that I wanted someone that I had total confidence that could actually protect me and I wouldn't have to "pretend". Well, with Joe, there is absolutely NO pretending. He is the strongest person I know.

2. Speaking of strong, Joe gets a high out of moving things. It's a good thing too, because shortly we will be moving into a new house. In Michigan, we acquired a playing piano. Believe me, this thing is MONSTROUS!!! Joe is excited to try to move it again (hopefully his little brother Josh will help him, I do want Joe to have a healthy back).

3. Whenever I ask Joe to do something, he does it immediately. Seriously! Where did he come from? Sometimes I mention that a drawer isn't working right or whatever, and next thing I know he gets his tools out and fixes it. No honey-to-do-lists for Joe. He gets it done right away.

4. I love that Joe is a dreamer. About a week ago we found the house we want to buy. He was so excited to see that the backyard wasn't done yet. That night, I found Joe in bed with paper, a ruler, and pencil in hand drawing out a fun backyard. It makes me smile.

5. Whenever Joe gets home from work it is family time. He centers EVERYTHING around us. The kids gets so excited when daddy gets home.

6. Joe is VERY loyal. If you are a friend or have ever been a good friend of Joe's, he sticks by you. I have honestly NEVER heard him speak negatively about his friends. What a great example he is.

7. Joe is in the process of planning out Isaiah's log bed. It has been Joe's tradition to make all of us log beds. When we were engaged he made us an enormous log bed. It used to dwarf the places we lived in Michigan, it is so huge. He has made a log crib, Kayla's log bed, and now it is on to Isaiah's. I love this tradition.

8. Joe loves his Mom. He speaks so highly of her and would do absolutely ANYTHING for her.

9. Joe loves potatoes. You name anything potatoes, and he loves it!!

10. But, I figured out why he likes potatoes. I think it is because of sour cream. He could eat that stuff on ANYTHING!! If I come home with 2 or more tubs of sour cream from the store, you know it has been a good shopping trip and it makes Joe very happy.

11. Joe is so patient. He has never-ending patience for me and for this I am grateful. He is so patient with all my many weaknesses.

12. Joe has a very strong testimony of Jesus. We sometimes get lost in conversation about the Savior and the love Joe has for Him overwhelms me with gratitude.

13. Almost every day Kayla asks Joe when they are getting married. One time I told Kayla that she would marry a different boy and Joe quickly responded and said, “Kayla, it’s okay, you can marry me!” I was put in my place. :) Kayla has Joe wrapped around her finger. It is so cute to watch the love they have for each other.

14. Joe has taught Isaiah how to use tools. Just yesterday, I took the kids to my moms house. My mom has a whole bunch of kid tools. My mom and I were chatting and Isaiah came up to my mom and said, “ I will fix you with tools.” He then proceeded to use the plastic saw and pretended to cut off her leg. It was so cute, and made me think of Joe.

15. If Joe sets his mind to do something, he will achieve it no matter what. He is a very determined person.

16. Joe is a very hard worker. Last year, he started studying for the bar 6 months in advanced and passed it with flying colors. I was so proud of him!

17. Last week was Kayla’s first soccer game. Kayla was so cold and didn’t want to play. My first instinct was to make her play, but Joe, the wise one, lovingly took her in his arms and walked with her by all her teammates while they were playing. He is helping her LOVE soccer, I probably would have helped her hate it.

18. Joe is a GREAT cook. Hands down, he is better than me. I look forward to the times he cooks. Too bad it isn’t too often.

19. Joe reads the scriptures every day with the kids. He is almost always the one to remember (but Kayla also won’t let him forget.)

20. Joe loves his family. It is amazing to see how close they are. I hope to incorporate this in our own family.

21. I don’t necessarily love this about Joe, but Joe likes the smell of skunks. Isn’t that odd? I love to make fun of him for it.

22. Once we were very low on food. I decided I would try to do what moms do best and mix a whole bunch of things from the cupboard and magically have a wonderful dinner appear. Well, I was a complete failure. When Joe got home, I told him to try it and he sweetly said, why don’t I go get us a pizza.

23. Joe loves to stay in shape and is health conscious.

24. When I asked Joe what he wanted for his birthday he said, “Something for you!” He would much rather take care of me than himself.

25. Joe loves to make new traditions. We try to make up fun, unique ones for the holidays.

26. Joe is a HUGE tease. We have been flossing consecutively for over a year and a half, because of a bet we have. After all this time, he STILL tries to hide the floss from me.

27. Joe just LOVES Porter. He can make Porter belly laugh so cute, and Porter’s little face lights up when Joe walks in the room. What a special bond those two have.

28. Joe loves my family and would do anything for them.

29. And last, I love that Joe asked me to marry him. How did I ever get so lucky?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Brushing Teeth

2009-04-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

These are some cute fun videos of Kayla "helping" Isaiah brush his teeth. Kayla wants to show him how to do EVERYTHING. He has patience like his daddy. And, as you can see by the second video, he has a teasing streak, just like his daddy :).

Who ever said.... "Bald Is Beautiful"?

2009-04-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

After having each of my 3 kids, a strange thing happens that I still don't understand. My hair falls out in HUGE chunks and I seriously feel like I am balding. Thankfully I haven't taken pictures of all my hair balls, but seriously where in the world is my hair going and how do I have any left on my head? Every time I wash my hair I lose HUNDREDS of hairs. After I had Isaiah, my hair was very long and I decided to whack it all off because of all the gross hairs that Joe and I would find everywhere. And here I am again. I wanted to keep it long (or at least longer) but I think the time has come to chop it off. I just need my personal beautician from Michigan (when can I see you Janette?)

But, Mr. Porter sure makes a cute little baldy. It's just not fair it doesn't look good on me.

In the next life, if it is true that not a hair of my head will be lost, I will have BEAUTIFUL luscious hair...................won't that be the day, and with all the hair I have lost from having babies, will I really want that much hair?

Kayla turns FOUR

2009-04-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

On April 6th our little Kayla turned four. My how the years have flown. The morning of her birthday, I took her to the store to pick out a princess dress that she could wear all day! She was in HEAVEN.

Joe and Maryann (Joe's sister) worked long and hard on this rainbow cake. Maryann found a special recipe from her work and it turned out DELICIOUS!

For Kayla's birthday we decided to get her a whole bunch of dress up things. Thanks to the local thrift stores, we were able to fill up a huge trunk of dress up stuff for pretty cheap. Here's Kayla showing off the loot.

It was a fabulous day! We love our Kayla so much!

Precious Porter

2009-04-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

A few mornings ago, I decided to get a few more shots of Porter in his Blessing outfit before he officially outgrows it. This one is my favorite. I love his bright smile. What a perfect little boy he is. I wish I could freeze him in this stage forever!!

The birthday bash............

2009-04-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Isaiah gave Kayla a pair of sandals for her birthday. He was having such a great time, until something happened unexpectedly. We love Isaiah, and we try not to laugh too hard at this video. Check it out........... we can't stop watching it.

Just thought it was cute......

2009-04-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Maryann (Joe's sister) had a birthday party at our home for her friend Brian. As I was decorating the house, Kayla wanted to help to9. One roll of tape later, here is what she came up with.

I am amazed at what this little three year old can do.

Happy Birthday Brian! Maryann made THE BEST strawberry cheesecake. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Kayla's answers..........

2009-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

I asked Kayla these questions and these were her answers:

1. What is something mom always says to you? Be nice.

2. What makes mom happy? When we don't mess up the house.

3. What makes mom sad? When I fight Isaiah.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? When Mommy tickles me.

5. What was your mom like as a child? That small.

6. How old is your mom? Thousand

7. How tall is your mom? That tall.

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV? Ariel

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Make dinner

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Hugs

11. What is your mom really good at? Taking pictures of me.

12. What is your mom not very good at? Not carrying a car, only daddy is strong to carry it.

13. What does your mom do for her job? Cleans up the games we mess up and when we break things.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Peanut Butter and Jelly

15. What makes you proud of your mom? For picking flowers

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Ariel

17. What do you and your mom do together? Play hide and go seek

18. How are you and your mom the same? Because we love each other.

19. How are you and your mom different? When Heavenly Father made us different.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Kisses.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad? When she gets married to daddy and when daddy picks flowers for mommy.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? The museum.

I tried asking Isaiah the same questions, but he didn't quite undersand........maybe in a few months. Try it out, it's fun to see what these little kids come up with.

Daddy's Curls

2009-03-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

The other night when I got home from swimming with my Dad, and I found Joe putting curlers in Kayla's hair. No wonder Kayla loves Joe so much. She is constantly asking Joe when they are going to get married and wants to go on dates with him every night. I think this little girl has a crush. It is so fun to see, and well, I think Joe has a crush too. She is Daddy's little girl.

Children's Museum

2009-03-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

On St. Patrick's Day, the Children's Museum in Salt Lake let everyone in for free. My sister-in-law, Julianne and I decided to take our kids for a fun-filled day. We we first got there they gave the kids some crazy looking glasses to look for leprechauns. Kayla could not get enough of them and was SO eager to find a leprechaun that she hardly even wanted to look at all the displays.

The kids had so much fun. We will definitely have to go back sometime.

Do they look official or what?

I can't get enough of it!

2009-03-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Porter has got to be one of the most smiley babies I have ever known. As of lately, he will smile at almost anything and he is constantly trying to get eye contact with those around him to give him one of his big toothless grins...........I really can't get enough of it.

I wonder where Kayla is?

2009-03-26T21:14:00.001-07:00

The other day I was walking past the bathroom door and this is what I saw. A pair of shoes, and some scrunched up pants. I thought it was so cute that Kayla took off her shoes, dropped her pants and left them like right outside the bathroom before going in. What a funny girl!!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. I think I hyped it up a little too much because everywhere we went, Kayla would tell everyone that we were going to have a big huge St. Patrick's Day party. She wanted to know just what the leprechauns looked like so she decided to write them a note and taped it on her bedroom door to ask them to leave a picture of themselves. She asked me how to spell leprechaun (as if I really knew, good thing for spell check on the computer) and she drew a picture of our family, meaning that she wanted the leprechauns to leave their picture. Sure enough a picture of them "magically" appeared on her door (thanks to Joe).

We had a fun breakfast in the morning. Starting in Michigan, each St. Patrick's day, I fill this mug up for Joe with orange juice in it for breakfast. Joe loves big huge mugs, and sometimes he even breaks it out during the Christmas holidays to put hot chocolate in it. Porter even wanted to try a little bit.

Good Neighbors are better than calling 9-1-1

2009-03-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

As every night goes, I wake up a few times to feed my little Porter. Last night was no exception. At about 5:45 this morning Porter woke up with a stuffy nose and could hardly breath. As I stumbled out of bed I checked the time on Joe's phone then I began bulb syringing Porter's nose. As many of you parents know, this isn't always a pleasant thing for babies, but very necessary to get them to be able to breath better. After I finished my little duty, I turned the news on (something I like to do early in the morning to see what the weather will be like) and began feeding Porter. After a few minutes, I heard a knock on my back screen door. Adrenalin pumped through my body, and I debated opening the door. The only person that knocks on that door is my neighbors, but I was so confused why they would be there. I peeked through the blinds, and sure enough it was Kristy and Brian, our next door neighbors. They had a look of panic and that they needed help. I quickly opened the door and said, "What's wrong? Do you guys need help?" They quickly replied, "No, the question is do YOU need help." I didn't understand. Why would they come over to my home, in the dark, and ask ME if I needed help. Kristy had her phone with her and put it up to my ear. On the other end was a crying baby. "Who is that?" I asked them. "It's your baby!" Kristy said. I was so completely confused and my foggy little brain just couldn't process it. Then Kristy said, "Joe's phone called us and this is what we heard, a crying frantic baby. We tried calling back a few times, but there was no answer, so we decided to come over to check and see what was happening." I told them that Joe was asleep upstairs and I didn't know why he would have called. But I apologized over and over again, and I was so embarassed that they were awoken out of a dead sleep to come and save me. They were expecting the worse, and ready to help all they could. Do you get better neighbors then that? I don't think so. I apologized again, and they left with smiles on there face, but I was still so confused as to why Joe's phone had called.

After they left, I found Joe's phone and checked the phone history, and sure enough, they had been called, and sure enough, they tried calling us back. Then it ALL hit me. I had looked a Joe's phone to check the time, and I must have accidently touched a wrong button or two (SO easy to do on the iPhone) and then as the phone was dialing their number, I began bulb syringing Porter's nose (hence the frantic cry). Who wouldn't want to help a helpless sounding baby like this? Meanwhile, when they tried to call us back, Joe's phone was on the vibration setting, and I couldn't hear it because of the crying. Can you believe all this transpired in a mere 5 minutes?? And my WONDERFUL neighbors were awoken out of a dead sleep, Kristy had sandles on in freshly fallen snow, and no doubt that the adrenalin was pumping, just to come and "save the day".

Such an embarrassing way to start out the morning, but so greatful to know that we really do have great neighbors, they would be to us faster and probably more willing to help than 9-1-1. Thanks Brian and Kristy, and so sorry to start your day out on the wrong foot.

So, does anyone want to be my neighbor? :)

Belly Bug

2009-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

My little Isaiah loves to stuff everything in his shirt. Maybe it is his way of transporting things around the house, like a big pocket. Well, today after Isaiah's nap I was changing his diaper and I got a big scare. I pulled up his little shirt to do my duty, and lo and behold I found a ginormous bug. I thought it was a cockroch and I screamed. All my memories of living in Argentina came flooding back. After I realized it was fake I began to laugh, but boy did that fake plastic fly have my heart racing. Here's to my little shirt stuffer.................

First Smiles

2009-02-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

My little Porter just melts me. He is now officially smiling and I can't get enough of him. It makes all those many interrupted nights worth it, when I look down and see this cute little face smiling at me. I love my little boyfriend.

Moments like this.....

2009-02-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Isaiah was complaining that his tummy hurt. Kayla quietly got the pillows stacked up on the couch and told Isaiah to lay down and she would take care of him. She scratched his back and sang him "Baby Mine". Now, I know that my kids aren't perfect, and I would like to say that they are ALWAYS friends and they NEVER fight, but let's be honest, I know as well as you do, that this is just not possible (at least for my kids). So moments like this make all the teasing and screaming worth it, and then I can take a deep breath and say, "I sure am glad my kids are friends."

Winter Bloom

2009-02-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

My stomach is full, I'm smiling, and I am married to the most amazing person in the world. Like a winter rose, Heidi performs with poise and beauty under extreme adverse conditions.

As I finish eating lunch on the edge of my desk, my laptop pushed back and papers strewn about, I have a moment to think about Heidi.

Yesterday, after she had already been up since 5:00 a.m., and after she had probably only slept a few interrupted hours (on account of Porter), I rolled over at 8:00 a.m. to see three happy kids coming to jump and wake me up. Three happy kids at 8:00 a.m. is not an accident.

On my way to work, packed lunch next to me, Heidi calls. Using motherly intuition which has been beefed up with a nursing degree, Heidi explains that Kayla has a UTI which needs prescription medication soon. Asking if I can help, she declines and encourages me to work.

I arrived at the office and worked till 5:00 p.m., then I left for a meeting which went late.

When I arrived home around 7:00 p.m., Heidi had me turn away as she prepared a special dinner. I sat at the dinner table with my back to Heidi as she prepares dinner and tells me about her day:

She went to the doctor to get Kayla's UTI checked out.

Simple enough, right?

Nope. She had to feed clean and dress a three-year-old, two-year-old and 2-month-old; pack them in the car; drive 25 minutes; unpack them and put them in a stroller; maneuver 3 squirmy tired-of-sitting-in-the-car kids into the hospital; check in; wait; go into the examination room; talk to the doctor; take all three kids to the bathroom three times while keeping cool and convincing Kayla that Jesus and Heavenly Father aren't mad if doctors take our potty in a cup; help Kayla retrieve a sample for the lab; and then everything else in reverse back to home. Not so easy if you ask me.

Anyway, so Heidi explains her day to me while I wait for this special dinner with my back toward her. I can't look of course, it's Heidi's traditional Valentines surprise recipe dinner after all! Every valentines for the past three years, Heidi has cooked amazing new recipes which quickly enter our rotation of meals.

Heidi instructed me to leave upstairs while she finished preparations. I put on my pajamas and enjoyed a little play time with the kids. When we were called down, we entered a candle-lit room with nice music. We sat down in the three available chairs. No fourth chair for this amazing server. She asks, with a smirk, what our orders will be.

"A nice hot main course, with a possible appetizer served with or before or in the main dish, and a special drink if available." was my reply.

Heidi then proceeds to serve, course by course, one of the most amazing meals I've had in a long time: The drink was a fruit punch-sherbet-sprite-strawberry-ish pleasure; The appetizers were chocolate covered strawberries and Bruschetta; The main course was Lomo Saltado, one of my favorite Peruvian dishes full of meat, french-fries, rice, and tomatoes all mixed together - mmm.. makes my mouth water; The side-dish was Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad), a Peruvian and Argentinian favorite which makes eating red beats a sought-after-blessing instead of a duty; Then she finished the meal with home-made-from-scratch carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Wow! It's one of those meals where the pain from an overly-stuffed stomach can't wipe away the smile on your face. Delicious.

Back to my amazing wife - she finally pulled up a chair to eat when I was 3/4 done with my meal. Just as she starts to eat, Porter begins to cry. He's hungry. Heidi feeds him while she eats.

To keep this story from getting longer - after cooking 5 amazing, new, never-before-tried, delcious and complicated recipes, and after taking three three-and-under kids to the doctor, Heidi still smiled and kissed me good night.

She's amazing! What else is there to say?

Stripes!!

2009-02-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

When Joe and I were dating he noticed that I wore a lot of striped socks. Even on Halloween I wore LONG red and white striped socks, claiming I was Wheres Waldo's wife. After a few months of marriage he finally got the nerve to tell me that he didn't particularly like my choice of striped socks. Now, it is the running joke between us..........striped socks, and anything too stripey for that matter. Sometimes I like to tease him by wearing a lot of stripes.

Well, this morning after I got Porter out of the bath I asked Kayla to get me a diaper and an outfit for Porter. This is what she came up with..........the hat, shirt, pants, and hat, ALL stripes. I guess the love for stripes is genetic.

Porter's Blessing Day!!

2009-02-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a wonderful and beautiful day to bless baby Porter. He received a very inspired and heart-felt blessing. He is such a wonderful little baby and we are so happy to have him in our life!! Thanks to our family that made it, we wish all the family could have been here this special day!

Valentine Dance

2009-02-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Joe and Kayla went to a Daddy/Daughter dance this past weekend and had a blast. Kayla had to make sure to bring her princess slippers so she could dance like a princess. They had a wonderful evening together. They danced, ate dinner, made a craft, Joe gave Kayla a wrist corsage, and she even got a heart necklace. What a fun night for them!! Kayla was beaming with excitement when she returned home to tell me about her exciting adventure. I think this is the beginning of a new Valentine Day tradition!!

Painting toes

2009-02-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Kayla has been begging me for weeks to paint my nails, and I finally gave in. Don't you think my toes look beautiful? When Joe got home from work, he saw my toes and thought I was bleeding :). So, if you are in need of a good pedicurist, let me know, I can get you a great deal.

On a different note, Porter is starting to getting so many rolls. I love it when babies get chunky. Today he smiled at me for the very first time. He smiled at Joe about a week ago, but today, he finally gave in and decided to smile at his mama. It makes all those late night feedings worth it!

Beware of Dog!

2009-01-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

Today we decided to try to get a little creative. My creative skills really have been lacking lately, so I decided the kids needed something to do. They LOVE to scare Joe with anything and everything. Since we were talking about the letter D, we thought it would be fun to make mean dogs behind a door. The kids decided that when daddy gets home tonight, they are going to have him knock on the door and scare them with the dog. I don't post this because I think it is the most amazing idea out there (because clearly it isn't), I post this because Kayla wanted to write "BEWARE OF DOG" on her door, and her cute little handwriting amazed me. I didn't know she could write so well, and she is only 3!

You better watch out Joe, this is what you have coming to you.

Little Boy BLEW

2009-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

He looks innocent doesn't he? Just peacefully looking around like nothing in the world is wrong. Yesterday I was changing his diaper on my bed. I guess, I had his legs up in the perfect angle because all of the sudden he squirted a lot of mustardy substance all over my shirt, pants and freshly washed sheets. I just had to start laughing. And this is about exactly how his cute little face looked after. I love this little guy, squirting and all. That's why I thought the name little boy BLEW would fit him perfectly, but he does look very handsome in blue too!

Watch out Technology, here come Kayla and Isaiah

2009-01-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

Kayla and Isaiah LOVE playing with Joe's iPhone. It is incredible how fast the kids catch on, and I swear they know how to use it better than I do. Kayla and Isaiah are definitly going to be ready for the erupting technology this world has. This phone is seriously amazing, it reminds me of Star Trek. I am just waiting it for it to magically cook dinner or do the laundry for me. Wouldn't that be nice?

Two little copy cats

2009-01-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

After dinner almost every night, Joe loves to read the kids books. This is such a classic picture because the kids love to copy Joe and get in the same position he is in.

My two little boys

2009-01-17T23:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am a mom of these two little boys. I am so excited to watch them grow up together and be best buddies!!!

A few pictures

2009-01-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

Since I have been so behind on my blogging, I thought I would post a few random pictures from the last few weeks.

Kayla and Isaiah LOVE little Porter. They really can't get enough of him. Isaiah constantly wants to hold him and give him kisses. I am so glad they have taken the new baby so well, and have been so extremely helpful. Kayla is the little mom around here. Whenever she hears Porter cry she wants to be the first by his side to comfort him.

This is how I found Isaiah sleeping the other night. Looks comfortable, don't you think? My how my little boy has grown. He really isn't too little anymore, I can hardly lift him anymore. He is a very solid boy.

Kayla helping Grandma blow out her candles.

Grandmas are truly the BEST!!! The kids look forward to seeing them all the time!

The other day, I went to my parents home. My mom was reading Isaiah a book and pretty soon he was asleep. This NEVER happens, my mom liked it so much that she quickly fell asleep too. I just had to snap this cute picture of them.

On Christmas Day we had a huge snowfall here. Joe made a sledding hill for the kids on our back porch. Joe is always so fun with the kids.

Life really couldn't be better. We love our little Porter, and we are so glad that he is here with us.

Birth Announcement

2009-01-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Pageant

2009-01-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

Our kids fit the roles perfectly this year to act out the Christmas pageant. Isaiah was so proud to be Joseph!!! Now, every time he sees the plaid blanket he wore to be Joseph, he puts it around himself and says "I'm Joves mommy!"

Porter photo shoot

2009-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Joe took a few photos of our little Porter. I think they turned out great!

We found Porter's twin

2008-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Introducing.....

2008-12-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

Porter Hyrum Skousen

December 10, 2008 5:11 AM
7 lbs 12 ounces
21 inches

I am so glad to be home from the hospital with a new healthy little boy!! He has brought a wonderful spirit to our family and we are so excited that he has come to join us. I went into labor on my own on December 9th, and in the wee hours of December 10th they measured me at 5 cm and I quickly got an epidural. After the baby was born, the doctor handed the baby to us so we could see on our own if it was a boy or girl. I instantly began to cry when I saw it was a boy!! I couldn't be happier!! Everything went smoothly with the delivery and we feel so blessed that Porter is healthy!!!

We had a difficult time narrowing our list of about 30 names down. Joe and I have always loved the name Porter. If any of you are familiar with the stories of Porter Rockwell, you know that he was an amazing man. He was not only Joseph Smith's bodyguard, but also his true and faithful friend. Click here to read the inspiring story about Porter Rockwell. Also, we thought it would be appropriate to use Hyrum as the middle name. Two men that were not only true to Joseph Smith, but true to God!!

We love our little Porter!!! Thanks for coming to us!!

Rock-a-bye Baby

2008-12-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Kayla loves to sing Porter songs every time she holds him. This one is her favorite to sing to him.

First bath at home

2008-12-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite times is bathing newborns for the first time at home. Little Porter didn't enjoy this experience as much as I did, but soon he came to like it, as you can see by one of these pictures.

And here's the picture when Porter decided that he was okay with a bath. Joe decided to give him a little spa treatment. He ended up focusing time on his belly button to help dry the umbilical cord out. Joe is always so creative. :)

And our freshly clean boy:

Our Sweet Boy and My Beautiful Wife

2008-12-11T09:29:00.001-08:00

Thanks Mom!

2008-12-11T09:24:00.001-08:00

Tired but happy parents

2008-12-11T09:22:00.001-08:00

Oh, and we almost forgot.........

2008-12-10T04:56:00.001-08:00

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!

Is that a smile!?

2008-12-10T04:52:00.001-08:00

Uploaded - 12\10\08-1

2008-12-10T04:49:00.001-08:00

Together at last!

2008-12-10T04:34:00.001-08:00

First picture with baby! December 10, 2008 - 5:1¹am - 7 lb 12 I'd - 2¹inches

Baby

2008-12-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yup, the baby is still cooking. I went to the hospital to get a non-stress test done because of gestational diabetes, and everything looks great. If the baby doesn't come within the week, I will be induced on the 11th of December. I am so excited to greet this little one in the world.

Pregnant Gingerbread Cookie

2008-12-01T20:21:00.001-08:00

Joe made gingerbread cookies with the kids and decided it would be appropriate to make a pregnant one. Can you tell my back has been aching me?

Looks just like me :).

What is your guess?

2008-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Baby #3 will arrive very soon. I am getting so big and uncomfortable that I am really looking forward to the delivery. I can't wait for another little tiny newborn. There is nothing like cuddling with a baby fresh from heaven.

Before this all unfolds... I want to see what your guesses are. What do you think........is this baby a boy or a girl?? I have gone back and forth, and of course it really doesn't matter, but I am curious to see what you think. I am excited to be surprised on the day of delivery!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2008-11-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

Joe and the kids were able to head up with the rest of the Skousen Family to cut down our beautiful Christmas tree. I stayed back, just because my back has been giving me troubles, but they had a really good time. It is such a fun tradition to cut down our very own Christmas Tree. We have done it every single year of our marriage. Even when we lived in Michigan we went to a Christmas Tree Farm. I love the smell of it.

Here's Aunt Lizzy giving Isaiah a ride through the snow.

Kayla had a fun time running in the snow. This girl was born for the cold. I freeze up when I am cold and Kayla comes alive.

Joe, Kayla, and Isaiah, next to our soon-to-be Christmas Tree:

And, cutting it down together:

What a fun day they had getting the Christmas Tree. We all relaxed that night with everyone at our home with some homemade Cafe Rio and the BYU vs. UofU game!

Park twins

2008-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

It has been so warm here lately. I am loving that we are just getting eased into winter! I wanted to post just one last picture of the fun park we go to, before it gets too cold. Kayla and Isaiah love going down the slides together. Don't they look like twins?

Fairy Day!

2008-11-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

Lately Kayla has been so obsessed with Fairies. I don't know what got her started, but I think it was the book "Sleeping Beauty" that we have. Last week she requested that I make a wings and a wand for her and now she likes to turn us all into different things. Joe has been a horse, Kayla a dog, and she likes to turn me into a witch and a frog. Gotta love the imagination of a little three year old.

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The time has come.....

2008-11-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight we weighed Kayla and Isaiah. Isaiah now officially weighs more than Kayla. Kayla weighs 28 pounds and Isaiah weighs 29 pounds. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Kayla had 3 good years of power over her brother, but now it all ends. You better watch out Kayla, I think we have a linebacker on our hands.

The memory of a child

2008-11-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Kids have the best memories. I always heard that before becoming a mom, but now Kayla has confirmed that to me. Many times I tell her something that we can do the night before and then the next day she is so quick to remind me of my promise. Well, last night Kayla wanted one more bedtime story. Joe told her that when she woke up she could come in our room with a book and he would read it to her. Well, early this morning, Kayla crept out of bed and brought Joe "Sleeping Beauty", and she said, "Okay daddy, I'm ready for my book." It was so cute. Shortly after Isaiah woke up and wanted to be part of the fun, so I had to snap this picture. Thanks for being such a great dad Joe!!!

Pregnancy update

2008-11-19T12:22:00.001-08:00

Well, as you can see, baby #3 is going to arrive here pretty quick. All has been going pretty well this pregnancy. I have, for the most part, figured out how to deal with gestational diabetes, but I gotta admit every once in awhile I fall. It is so hard to control diabetes by diet alone. A pregnant girl just needs some sugar once in awhile, not to mention chocolate. So I have my ups and downs, but I am hoping that this baby isn't too enormously big. Sometimes I feel like this baby is going to be huge because my back has been hurting me so much!! I just hope all will go well and that the baby will be healthy and happy. We are so excited to greet this new little one in the world. Many people have asked me if we have thought of a name yet. To tell you the truth, we have been so excited to find out if it is a boy or girl, that we have hardly even talked about names. But, I think we will know when we see the baby's cute little face. I went to the doctor a few days ago and I am dilated to a 1.5 cm and 60% effaced. This could be good news, that the baby will be coming pretty soon, or it could be a long wait. You can never tell with this baby business. We will keep you posted.

Doll House

2008-11-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

When we first moved here, Joe's parents were EXTREMELY generous and gave us many things to put in our home. One of the things was this old doll house. Joe was so excited to repaint it with the kids. So the other day, Joe draped the kids in garbage sacks and gave them some paint. The kids had a blast and even in the end began painting each other. :)

The kids have had a blast decorating the doll house. Every day I ask Kayla what she wants to do and she almost always says she wants to paint the doll house. I will have to get some updated pictures up soon. They have fun picking out different colors for the rooms and carpet and decorations. It will be fun to see the final product of this house.

Happy Be-lated Halloween

2008-11-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

I have been quite the slacker lately with updating this blog. I think it is mainly because it is hard for me to sit for long or really any period of time because my back is starting to hurt so bad from the baby. But here you go, I am FINALLY posting some pictures from Halloween. Since the costumes from last Halloween still fit Kayla and Isaiah, we decided to use the same ones. Kayla was proud to be in her cowgirl outfit and Isaiah LOVES dogs. I think we will have to get him one in the near future. We had fun trick-or-treating with the kids, going to parties, and doing MANY MANY Halloween activities.

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The kids had fun dressing up to go to Daddy's work. Joe even had a clown nose when he opened the door. The kids were very confused as to why their Daddy's nose was red. What a fun fun day!!

Whale

2008-11-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kayla and Isaiah were painting at the counter. Kayla dropped her paint brush and said, "Mommy, will you pick it up?" I told her, "It hurts my back to bend over because I am a whale." (I call myself a whale because how big I am getting with the pregnancy). Kayla looked at me confused and said, "Mommy your not a whale, you just look like one."

So there you have it, one honest three year old.

One proud wife

2008-10-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Joe's BIG day. Joe officially became a Lawyer!! It was amazing how fast the swearing in was, but in retrospect, it took MANY MANY MANY baby steps to get to this HUGE step. I was so excited and proud of Joe. I have been the eye witness of this happening in Joe's life and Joe has worked tirelessly to finally attain this huge lofty goal. Joe and I have been through so much together these last 4 short years of marriage. We both graduated from the University of Utah (political science and nursing) had 2 (almost 3) babies, moved many times, spent a summer in Oklahoma and one in Utah BARELY making ends meet, spent 3 cold winters in Michigan, Joe sucessfully finished lawschool and passed the bar.........and the list could go on and on. I am just so happy that Joe has set his goals high and acheived so many AMAZING things. I can't wait to acheive more goals and watch all the wonderful things Joe will do in the future.

Here's Joe waiting for his name to be called (sorry about the bad picture, I was far away)....

Here's Joe getting sworn in (he is on the front row).........

My parents, Joe's parents, Maryann were in attendance for the big day:

One HAPPY family.....

YAY!!! What a fun day!! I am so proud of my husband, GOOD WORK!!!! And good work to all you other high acheivers!!

Timpanogos Cave

2008-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

Joe's Dad had a WONDERFUL idea of hiking to Timpanogos Cave last Saturday. We made it up there the last open day of the season. Since they don't allow strollers, we took turns carrying the kids up. It was funny to see the reactions of fellow hikers watching me try to lug up my pregnant body and carrying a kid at the same time. At one point a lady hiking down said, "Wow! Good luck!" I must have been a sight to see waddling up the mountain side, but we had a great time.

The group shot:

Isaiah leading Joe through the cave:

Kayla and her cheesy smile.

We had a great time and hope to do it again when it opens in the spring!

Moments like this....

2008-10-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that is seemed no matter how hard I tried, the kids just could not get along. In an attempt to calm them down, I turned on a cartoon and quickly went upstairs to grab some dirty laundry to throw in the wash. When I came back downstairs, I found Kayla and Isaiah holding hands and watching the cartoon together. It's moments like this that make it all worth it!!!!

First Snow

2008-10-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

When we returned from St. George, we were amazed by all the snow we had received by our home. The kids were especially excited when they woke up this morning. It seems that winter has come WAY to fast this year, considering we just came from Michigan. Joe and I don't even feel like we have had a summer yet, but we are very excited for a Utah winter. When the kids woke up, the first thing they wanted to do is play in the snow. I found the boxes the snow stuff was hidden in and we set to work to get them all bundled up. Man, it is a chore to bundle up kids for the winter weather, but this is one of our favorite things to do together, play in the snow and I pull them around on the sled.

Here are the kids all bundled up before we ventured out in the snow:

Of course, Kayla had to start a snow ball fight with Isaiah, and Isaiah finally was able to put up a fight of his own.

Kayla could live in the snow all day if I let her.

Here I am pulling the kids on the sled, Kayla smiling, and Isaiah getting his first bite of snow. He kept saying "Yummy Mommy!"

Here's Kayla and Isaiah at the top of the sledding hill close by our house.

And here they are going down.

The kids are in heaven. I guess they are too used to the cold Michigan weather. I just looked at the forecast and it is supposed to be 70 by the weekend. Can you believe that? Maybe we will post some swimming pictures then. :)

Isaiah's first use of the potty.

2008-10-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist taking this picture. This past weekend we went to St. George to get away from the cold, but honestly that was the coldest I have ever been in St. George, it was in the 40's. But despite the cold weather, we had a fun relaxing time together.

Over the weekend, Isaiah kept wanting to sit on the potty. He has always been so scared of the potty and has wanted nothing to do with it, but this weekend he wanted to sit on it over and over again. He was so proud of himself.

I love his big happy smile and big sister sitting on the floor looking up at him.

A day with the Cousins

2008-10-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Katelyn and Jacob over to play today!! It was a fun-filled day and the kids are already asking when they can see their cousins next. It has been such a treat being so near to family, I think Kayla and Isaiah are getting so spoiled - two sets of grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins. Life couldn't be better for them. It sure has made the transition a lot easier.

Kayla has been wanting to have "spider day" for a few weeks now. Joe doesn't like spiders, so Kayla loves to think of ways to scare him. In fact, we bought a whole bunch of fake spiders and Kayla put them all over Joe's bathroom, pillow and his side of the bed. It was great to see Joe's reaction.

With the cousins today, we made spider webs and spiders out of candy. Katelyn and Kayla loved it.

Here's Katelyn showing off her spider web:

Spider candy:

Isaiah LOVES Jacob. They were making each other laugh all day. I think Isaiah was so glad to have a boy with him today.

Big cousin hug.

And of course, dancing. Life wouldn't be complete without dancing for these girls. I swear they changed outfits like 10 times. They are perfect for each other.

And here's a video especially for you Julianne, so you could see how cute our kids were dancing together. Thanks for a fun day!

Poor little Isaiah.

2008-10-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

Isaiah went in for a MRI yesterday. About 6 or so months ago, we noticed that one of his eyes wasn't aligned with the other eye when he looks to the side. We took him into an ophthalmologist and he wanted to do some further testing of his brain with a MRI. It was more of an ordeal than I thought it was going to be.

First, they gave him an IV to be able to sedate him. This picture is after they gave him the IV. Joe is distracting Isaiah with crayons and a coloring book.

Look at this cute little hand. Joe could distract him for a few minutes, but then Isaiah would look up at me with tears in his eyes and say, "Owie mommy!" It just broke my heart.

Joe took the above picture with his phone. This was after they had sedated Isaiah and got him all ready for his MRI.

Kayla and I waited in the recovery room for about an hour and a half and this is how my little boy came back to us. Completely out. He was in a deep heavy sleep and they let him sleep for about an hour and a half and then we began waking him up.

This is how Isaiah woke up. One groggy, but happy boy.

Here I am trying to get him to eat and drink. He did really well.

After the recovery period was all done, Kayla and Isaiah were able to ride in a wagon out to the car. I love how Isaiah is all lounged out and Kayla was having the time of her life in the wagon, she couldn't be happier.

When we got home from the MRI, Isaiah could hardly stand and he kept bobbing his head back and forth because he couldn't hold it up straight, it was so sad, but funny to see him try to walk around.

Thankfully, today, the drug is completely out of his system and Isaiah is his cute little self again. I am so thankful for modern day medicine!! What a blessing!

We love you Isaiah!!!