Some Birthday Pics

Birthday's and Kindergarten....

Well on Friday Kaeden turned 6 years old. The day turned out to be a great day. We went yard saleing in the morning, ran to walmart and Dollar store to get some party stuff for the boys' joint birthday party this coming Saturday and headed back home. Spent the day playing some Wii, and then cleaning house. In the afternoon the boys helped me make cupcakes for Kaeden's birthday. Steven got off work early and came home to help us finish up the cupcakes. once they were frosted we surprised Kaeden with a trip to Oasis for some putt putt golf. He was ecstatic :) Once putt putt game was over (which really ruined his day if you ask him LOL) he asked to play at the park on the toys for awhile. Being that it was his birthday we went ahead and did as he asked. On the way home we grabbed the boys Meals at Burger King drive through and came home to eat dinner and watch "The Mask" Per Kaeden's request. Last but not least we had cupcakes and ice cream, sang happy birthday and Kaeden opened his present from us. It was a spy gear alarm thing that goes on his bedroom door so that he will know it has been opened while he is away. Without the special card key it makes a piercing alarm sound when opened. Thank goodness for a mute button LOL

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing. Saturday afternoon we picked up Steven's Mom and headed to Warden to Corey's house to pick blackberries. Took the dogs with us as well and the dogs and the boys had a blast running around and getting completely filthy while Grandma Steven and I picked blackberries and stained our hands purple. When we got home that evening we realized we had no hot water *ugh* We were dirty filthy and could not bathe or shower. So our evening project became figuring out what the problem was. A few phone calls to people we know and about an hour later and I was informed by Ross that we needed a new water heater. I just about fell over.... Thankfully he was joking and we only needed a new bottom element ;) Steven and I ran to Walmart while Ross watched the kids to see if they had an element but of course that is not something that they carry and Ace wasn't open at 10pm :p So Sunday morning I ran to Ace with Kaeden in tow and we got a new element and stopped by the dollar store to look for some birthday party stuff. After the men got us some hot water once again we started on our next project... Making our own pinata's for the boys birthday party! We made one large one who is going to be Chomp from Mario Brothers and a smaller one who is going to be Boo. I will post pics of the whole process once I have a completed picture to share. The paper mache is still drying 2 days later LOL I just hope they turn out well!

Yesterday was filled with trying to get phone lines where they needed to be, mowing and fertilizing lawn and house cleaning.

This morning I took my Baby to Kindergarten for the first time. He's not my baby anymore, he's my big boy! He did excellent when we left. It was nice that he goes early enough that Daddy was able to go to school with him so the whole family dropped him off :) I hope that the bus ride home tonight goes as smoothly!!! As well as his first morning on the bus tomorrow.

Adios until later...

Summer is gone... School is beginning

Wow, this summer has really flown and we've kept pretty busy so not much time for blog updates.

In June we had the girls for about 2 1/2 weeks and Steven's neice Sydney for a week or so in there as well. We took the kids to Chelan Water Park for the day and they all had a blast! Steven and I ended up awfully crispy burnt from that day out but it was great to spend so much time with all of the kids. We took backroads to drive there and laughed at the stretches of bumpy gravel while the kids wondered where in the world we were going. The water slides were great and even Kailer got to go down the bigger slides on Mine and Daddy's lap. Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures because I was too busy running around keeping kids happy and keeping track of kids ;) Also in June both Sally and Jazzi had a litter of Pups. Sally had 3 little boy pups we called Bowser, Mario, and Luigi. Jazzi had 6 pups, but unfortunately we lost 2 of them. She had 3 girls and 3 boys and we ended up losing 1 of each. We loved having the pups here at the house and both of our girls did excellent with the birth of their pups and being Mommies. Jazzi was a bit young to be a Mom and only did the necessary feeding ... She let me do most of the cleaning up ;) Pups are all sold and gone now and we miss them :( We will not be breeding Jazzi again this year, but may breed Sally next heat. The money from the pups was great as it paid for our summer vacation to Silverwood! YAY

In July Tatum turned EIGHT years old. Wow I cannot believe that the baby Steven had who was less then a year old when we met is now eight yrs old and going into Third grade on Wed! For 4th of July we went over to Mike and Deb's house to celebrate. They had a huge party and more fireworks then I've ever seen at an individual's house. We had great food, ran around the yard and enjoyed ourselves. We also had the girls for another 2 weeks in July and Sydney was back off and on throughout the month. At the end of the month Chris and Tim moved into our house to try to get back on their feet, so needless to say we had a houseful last month!

The beginning of August Triniti turned Seven years old. Once again just amazes me how quickly they grow! She's starting second grade on Wednesday and growing up into a little girl quickly. The first weekend in August we took a trip to Silverwood with our boys and Chris and Tim. We left on Thurs afternoon and set up camp. Chris and Tim met up with us Friday morning and we spent 2 great fun filled days at Silverwood and camping. Friday we got a thunderstorm like I've never seen before and they closed the rides down early due to lightening. Tim and I were lucky enough to be the last batch on the new coaster Aftershock. It was fun but made me dizzy. We went back to camp that night and the men grilled burgers in the pouring rain under the protection of our van hatch as an umbrella with lightening everywhere around us. I made the boys hang out in the van with me until most of the lightening died down and then we all settled into our tents for a slightly damp night. Our tent didn't leak too badly, but Chris and Tim got soaked. Saturday was another day at the park and then back to camp for a nice relaxing evening hanging out, cooking food and wearing the kids out ;)

Now it's time for School to start up again. Can you believe Kaeden is going into Kindergarten and that he turns SIX years old on Friday?!?!?!?!?! We're doing a birthday party for both of the boys on Sept 6th and probably going with a Mario Brothers theme as they are both so in love with Nintendo right now. I went last night and purchased their gifts which are very small $5 gifts, one for their actual birthday and one for the day of the party so they have something to open from Mom and Dad. As the main gift for all 4 of the kids this year was a trampoline we bought in June. They all love jumping on the trampoline and I think it was a great investment. Scary sometimes but fun :)

In July I had my IUD removed. We're not "planning" a baby, but we have thrown caution to the wind on more then one occasion (including a crazy drunken night which is VERY out of the ordinary for me LOL) and if something happens then I'll be excited :) I am longing for another little one so badly and I think Steven is coming around to the idea. He's not chomping at the bit to make a baby, but he loves to use the phrase "hey wanna make a baby" when he wants to get some... LOL Of course this is always said during the NON fertile days.

Oh yes and 1 1/2 weeks ago our buddy Ross moved in. He's left Marie and hopefully will be able to stay apart. Not that I want him to be single, but he needs someone he is more compatible with and she is just not it. It's tough for him to be away from his kids.... It's tough on any parent... But it's nice to have him around more as the past few years we haven't seen much of him at all. Also found out last night that Chris and Tim are moving out and in with his parents in Moses Lake. So our house was superfull, but now it's emptying out a bit ;)

Looks like I am going to have a niece!!! Jared and Tammy found out they are having a little girl in December. She will be named Paightin Linn and I am very excited to have someone who carries my middle name! Kaeden has Jared's Middle name of Scott and now his daughter will have my middle name of Linn.

Well I suppose I should sign off of here and get some housework and schoolwork done (yup it's that time of year for H&R Block courses) Until later....

My Babies Are Growing Up

Today my Auggie had his last day of Preschool.... *sniff* A few weeks ago I turned Kailer from rear facing to forward facing... He weighs between 29-33lbs depending on the day, full belly, diaper and clothes so I wanted to be safe rather then sorry and at over 32months I felt it was time to turn him around. I feel great that I was able to rear face him to the limits of his seat for the most part and didn't let anyone talk me out of it, and I feel great that my big boy has finished his first year of school.. but I feel sad that they are growing up so quickly. Kai still nurses every other night or so and part of me knows this will have to end soon as much over 3 and I dont' think I should be nursing him, especially when he's shoving his hands down my shirt in public and asking for Momma's milk lol it gets a bit embarassing when he points out which boob he wants in front of strangers. I dont' want to give up the babyhood of Kailer yet it's quickly approaching and I don't like it one bit. I had a very tough time registering Kaeden for Kindy cause the school looked too big for my "baby". I'm having so many thoughts of wanting one more child and having sleepless nights over this, however I don't want to force Steven into something he really doesn't want. Some days he's all for another and others he's completely against it. If only the boys would go to bed early at night, sleep all night long and let Daddy get some rest then I would be allowed another child LOL But my boys have NEVER been good sleepers.

Kailer is speaking in sentances and comprehending so many things I just get blown away. Unfortunately his big brother is teaching him things a 2yr old need not know how to do such as fight and punch etc. but I guess that's what big brothers are for. Kaeden is reading, playing computer games, nintendo DS games like a champ and turning into a boy right before my eyes. Kaeden lost his first tooth April 7th and already has a grown up tooth growing in it's place and the tooth next to it is loose as well.... Is this supposed to happen to my baby already!?!? Kailer is learning his colors and tells me when to go when the light is green and yesterday showed me my remote and pointed at the "1" and told me ONE. He's calling me Jen rather then Mom 1/2 the time and informed me the other day that he wants to ride in a plane and drive the plane. He's got a mind of his own and he isn't my little baby anymore. He's starting to get interested in potty training and has a potty chart hanging on my fridge. Kaeden and Kai go in together and brush their teeth many times on their own as well as bathe and sometimes pour their own drinks or get their own food with the help of a chair to get into the cupboards... My babies shouldn't be able to do these things on their own~! Yesterday I stood in the dining room and rocked back and forth cuddling my naked baby until he fell asleep on my shoulder. I enjoyed it for as long as I could and then laid him on the couch to finish out his nap.... I miss those days or rocking my boys to sleep, snuggling and sniffing their baby scents, rubbing their hair without them telling me no or putting hands over my mouth to tell me "be quiet, dont' sing" when I try to sing them a song... I love their independance and brilliant little minds and love watching those gears work, but knowing that they are quickly turning into boys and soon men is so sad and coming much too quickly!

My babies are growing up ......

Long time no see... life has been crazy :(

Well I will make this short and sweet but felt like after almost 3mo it was time for a quick update!
Christmas was great, we spent it in Hermiston with our family and it turned out great. It was a tight year but the boys seemed to get everything they "needed" so badly and were happy with Santa's small gifts.
The new year has been a bit rocky however :( Since Christmas my Daddy has not been feeling so well and I have been concerned with his health. His blood pressure is up an down and all around and he's having some anxiety and stress issues as well. No one seems to know exactly what his problem is but I sure hope it can be fixed and soon!! I cannot imagine feeling like he's been feeling for so long and not just losing my mind! January was a rough month as Tammy's Mom Caroline passed away after her long battle with cancer and brain tumors. I am very thankful that we were able to spend Christmas with her and hope that she is at peace and comfortable now. Two days before Caroline's funeral I got sick at work and had to leave immediately (Jan 30th). I went to the ER and was told I was probably coming down with something and also found out my thyroid levels were high which meant I needed to up my meds and I was not pregnant which relieved Steven greatly LOL That day started the next 3 weeks of pure hell. I had terrible panic attacks and anxiety and these strange spells kept coming out of nowhere. I ended up leaving work early once again and then took 2 full weeks off where I was not able to make it into work. Not only could I barely function to change diapers and make lunch but my eyes wouldn't focus correctly, I felt like I was in a fog, my head felt heavy with small headaches, I rushed myself to the ER again but never actually went in since the attack subsided before I got there. I really feel like I am going insane. Slowly the attacks seem to be getting better after a few weeks of being on new doses of thyroid meds and anxiety meds along with Xanax for the bad attacks.
Unfortunately last night really upset me :( I had SIX wonderful days!!!!!!! I was feeling like a million bucks and started some spring cleaning and felt invincible... Last night we were at Chris and Tim's having dinner and out of nowhere around 8pm I had one of those spells where I feel like I can't concentrate, can't figure out what I"m trying to say and my body gets hot and tingly. I tried to keep myself calm so as to not go into a full blown panic attack and feel I did fairly well. When I got home I did take a Xanax and fell asleep on the couch which is my new 2nd home since getting sick. This morning I seem to be doing better, and am thankful I can still look at a computer monitor without going all fuzzy like I was before, but am now worried that this could happen to me again out of nowhere, especially since I committed myself to working next Tues and don't want to back out on them again! I figure as long as this doesn't happen to me again anytime soon I'll just talk to the Dr about it when I go in for my next blood draw which is due in a week or so. If it does happen I will be heading back in sooner as I can't keep living like this!!!!!

My boys are growing like weeds and I love them to pieces. Kai is turning into a "kid" and loves playing with his brothers. He walks around asking Kaeden if he wants to fight and they wrestle like two big kids. They love to watch TV and computer together and sing and dance. They also fight like yo uwouldn't believe 1/2 the time, but what siblings don't? lol I took them last Saturday for haircuts and Kai's crazy afro turned into a somewhat tamer afro ;) He looks so grown up and big when it's wet and combed nicely... where did my baby go? Steven and I have talked about the possibility of another baby. I am really thinking I want one more about 70% of the time and after we figure out what in the heck is going on with me we might just pop the IUD out and see what God has in store for us. Then again the 30% of doubt might get the best of me and we might just stay content with our happy family of 4. At this point I wouldn't be trying for a girl anymore.... I love my boys and really feel with 95% certainty that I would be ecstatic to have 3 boys. There's just something about knowing all of my "boys" are there for me the Mommy .. the one and only girl. However if I hope hard enough for a boy I might end up with that girl I"ve always thought I wanted LOL And if that were to happen I'd be over the moon as well... we'd just have to spend more money on a girl then a boy since I already have all kinds of clothes, shoes etc for another boy an would be starting from scratch on a girl! lol This is all just talk and maybe's at this point, but it sure felt good to type my feelings out. I'm just shocked that Steven might be willing to go for it again. I 'd really like to get Kaeden in his own room much more full time before another baby were to arrive however....
Well the boys are tearing my bedroom to pieces and it's almost naptime for Kai so I should wrap this up. I will try to get back here soon with updates and some new pics. With the way I've been feeling I don't have a whole lot of new pics to share.