Daddy's Little Girl

Here is our newest addition...Madeline Keona. She was born October 1st at 11:53 AM.

8 lb 14 oz, 22 1/4 inches. And so much hair! Of course she already has daddy wrapped

around her little finger and her brothers adore her. Gabe is still trying to figure it all out,

but it is so cute when he gives her hugs and kisses.

Oh, there you are, Peter!

So...I've been thinking that maybe I should update this so everyone knows that we are still here. It has been a busy five months since I last posted even though we haven't gone anywhere.

Where to start? Here is the quick version of our lives since March:

The boys and I survived Ryan being gone to Texas for his five month tech school. It was a two year course in five months. It was intense, but he graduated with a 97% and now has more useful skills that he can put to use here as well as at Guard.

Ryan and I celebrated our seven year anniversary. Has it really been that long?

My mom got remarried a few weeks ago. It was a crazy couple of days, but turned out great. It was the same weekend as Ryan's ten year high school reunion and the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo. We opted out of the reunion, but hit the fair on the way to Filer. I go for the corn on the cob (they put it on a stick and dip in into a crockpot filled with butter :)) and Ryan's favorite is the maple bars.

Elliot starts preschool tomorrow. Can you see me smiling? This will be his second year with the same teacher. He is really excited to see his friends again and do projects. Gabe will probably be lonely for the first few days without his big brother, but I'm sure it won't take him long to enjoy the few hours he doesn't have to worry about Elliot taking everything from him.

Ryan just received a calling as a Primary teacher. Now our whole family is in Primary. He teaches the 10 & 11 year old boys. They are definitely an active class, but he will be good for them.

I canned like crazy the first few weeks of August. I did apricots, apricot jam, raspberry jam, salsa, pickles, tomatoes and chocolate raspberry sundae topping. My mom called today and said they are picking peaches this weekend, so those will be next. Elliot has pretty much cleaned me out of last year's stash. We haven't tried anything yet, so hopefully they turned out. Especially since I have given a few things away.

The only other thing I can think of is that we are expecting a baby girl around the 27th of this month. It has gone so quickly this time. We are still working on her room, so hopefully she won't decide to come early. Thanks to Colleen and Brittney, we won't have to buy her clothes for at least six months. Yay for hand-me-downs and sisters!!

Pictures will come soon. We have been cleaning out the office to turn it into the nursery, so I need to find them. Promise it won't be five more months!

The Real Housewives of Ordinary County

Confession: Sometimes I watch those reality shows..."The Real Housewives of______ County." Mostly because I can't believe that people actually live like that. And I wonder if that were my life, would I really act like that? My mom would probably come find me and ground me if I did.



My life is pretty ordinary. I make my kid's birthday cakes (I guess you could say I am the bakery and the party planner all in one.)

I get excited when the temperature reaches sixty degrees. Time to pull out the flip flops, or in this case, purchase the first pair for my kiddo who is now cruising and thinks all waking hours should be spent exploring outside.

I am also my own handy (wo)man. With Ryan gone for awile, I am learning many new skills. Like how to take apart my toilet when my baby flushes a bottle of shower gel down it and then holds the handle down until it overflows. Several times.

Who knew a three ounce bottle of shower gel could be so much fun? And that it would require stringing a garden hose through the window and into the tub to get it out?

But, at the end of the day, I have gained a new skill and new insight. The next day we purchased a toilet lock and Gabe isn't allowed in the bathroom when Elliot is in there.

My life is far from dull. I might live in ordinary county, but there's something to be said for the life of the "Regular Mom."

And Then...

(Gabe at Britt & Kody's)

No. I have not fallen off the face of the planet. I am just a lazy blogger. With all the time I spend reading other people's blogs, I really could update mine more often. However, that requires effort. And as previously mentioned, I am lazy. Well, not all the time. I promise to try and do better.

We hope everyone had a great holiday season. Don't feel badly if you didn't hear from us this year. We didn't send out a single card. Not even to our mothers. In fact, I still have my mom's presents at my house. That darn snow. It was awesome, but Mom had to spend Christmas at home for the first time in forever. Honestly, I think our street and Howard and Colleen's were the worst. They are the streets that the city plows every two to three years. This wasn't our year :) Of course the snow didn't stop us from eating way too much and the boys got so many new toys their room resembles a Toys 'R Us. I have yet to downlaod any new pictures to my laptop, so for now this is all you get. (They are still cute.)

"Umm... a little help, Mom?"


Elliot--he always seems to have a cord of some sort in his hand.

They grow too quickly!!

As soon as I get my pictures downloaded, I will post more updates.