Mad Monster Party

Every Halloween, my Mom pulls out this Rankin Bass classic and the kids just love it! I just got it on DVD for them, so this Halloween, our most watched movie will be 

Monster Mash

Make sure to pause the playlist at the bottom of the blog before playing this!
Note: Ashton helped me put this together on JibJab.. The Frankenstein in the video happens to be Ashton's favorite person in the entire world, my Dad. We love Grandpa!!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The Beast

So back in the beginning of September, we took a little trip down to Santaquin to visit Dave's sister Kathy and take some family pictures for her and our friends down there. 

A friend's son called her and asked her to find out if anyone would like an Elk he had just shot because he and his brother both shot their elk and didn't know what they would do with TWO of them...

David and his ambitious self said he would like the elk. 

because, of course we have the freezer space...

and our DODGE STRATUS has a HUGE trunk...

Sure, lets take a however many ton animal home in the trunk of our 2003 Dodge Stratus!

On a hot September day!

While I am experiencing the JOY that is morning sickness and every smell on earth is magnified a billion times!

This could be fun! 

An adventure perhaps?

Now keep in mind that David nor I have ever (nor had I ever planned to) skinned, cut up, and packaged an animal of ANY magnitude...let alone the GIRTH of the beast that appeared before us in the back of a very weighed down Toyota pickup.

Now, I have never been known to be a girly girl, queasy at the sight of blood...or animal....tissue..

I have gutted a fish or two in my time...

I have aided in the gutting of a deer at least once in my life..

I have dissected the biology class frog..

BUT considering my sense of smell that could out rival that of the most highly trained FBI canine unit..

I took this photo and ran..

and dry heaved into the toilet. 

I'm sorry Dad. It's not how you raised me.

So, after the head was cut from the body to be stuffed and mounted..and the boys were done poking at the eyeballs and prying open the mouth..Dave began what he did not know would be a VERY long afternoon 

of skinning, cutting, cutting, and more cutting. Kathy's new bishop and also very good friend of ours stopped by after church (this is all taking place on a Sunday mind you) in his BRAND NEW suit and became David's saviour for the day..

He brought with him all the tools necessary for cutting and packaging such a creature..

and he helped. In his suit. Only in Santaquin Utah, my friends. We love you Andrew. I mean BISHOP.

I wish I could say the story ends happily with the meat being happily packaged and frozen..

but alas, I cannot. 

Wrapped in plastic and stuffed into our trunk, were two GINORMOUS back legs and buttocks of the

Cervus canadensis

or commonly known as the elk.

They were wrapped in our best sheets and hung in our garage, where they waited...and waited..

for what, I do not know..

for 7 days.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator (David) is in Wyoming installing security systems for a week...

I open the garage...and get a whiff of what to me is the WORST smell I have ever had the displeasure of entering into my nostrils..

Yes my friends..

the unmistakable stench of

rotting meat.

Sweet William, 

my father in law, came over to check on the meat...

I warned him..

but he unwrapped it anyways...

MAGGOTS.

GREEN SLIMY STUFF.

What does he do? He wraps it back up. Closes my garage.

And leaves.

Never returns.

So Dave gets home about 3 days later..

THROWS THE MEAT INTO OUR GARBAGE CAN.

We MISS garbage day.

BEST WEEK EVER.

Those of you who have ever had morning sickness of ANY intensity...

you with me on this?

Camping in August

I feel like I am going backwards on this blog...wait....I am!

Here are some pics of our *only* camping trip of 2010

It was awesome.

Jared only threw up all night long on the FIRST night, so no big deal.

Big thanks to my Dad who graciously sprayed down his puke-a-licious sleeping bag for us, he didn't know at the time, but I was super duper nauseous from morning sickness, so that was something I was very grateful to not have to do. haha

But really, we had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next year...hopefully by then we will have acquired foam pads to sleep on..this momma has gone soft!

We met some awesome people around our age who were also from Logan and stayed up all night sitting around the campfire enjoying the crisp mountain air, listening to the sound of the crackling and popping...glancing up now and then for a glimpse of late summer night stars...so clear from the high elevation..

...sigh...

Little did I know, my husband is a lumberjack. He spent a good half a day cutting up a fallen tree with his hatchet...then my Dad's buddy showed up with a chainsaw..here we go. The man cannot reject a power tool.

He shimmied up the tallest tree I have ever seen...

shimmied. Have you ever seen a 6'2'' 220 lb man shimmy? Watching him I was wishing we hadn't cancelled that life insurance policy. He scares me.

My Dad was really fun for the boys, he took them on many 4 wheeler rides, every one of them giving me more anxiety than the last. Nothing personal Dad. Someday when you're an overprotective mother you will understand. :)

The best present you could ever give Ashton: a Styrofoam bowl.

If anybody needs a good gift idea for his birthday coming up in a few weeks...there ya go.

 My Dad had a work buddy and his wife come up and camp with us, it was so much fun! I think between David and I we talked the poor folks ears off. They are really nice people though, they even laughed at our jokes!

 Ok this picture just creeps me out. Has anyone ever seen Jeepers Creepers. For real Ashton. It is a piece of bologna.

Jared's first day of school

Jared has been in school for a little bit now, but I am trying to get caught up on recent events so here it is. 

His first day he was very very excited. He has not had any preschooling so I'm not sure what he was expecting. I took him to his classroom and sat next to him at his desk. I could tell he was very nervous, I would have been too, there were so many kids, and parents and so much going on. 

He kept saying "Mom don't go, sit by me, ok?"

Well, his cute teacher, Mrs. Peterson sang them a good morning song and then excused the parents. I was panicking inside, I mean, come on, this is my little guy, is he going to handle this ok, do I just leave, or should I wait in the hall in case he goes postal and they reject him???? I was on the verge of tears myself, I was probably sending the poor kid my anxiety vibes...and sure enough, the moment I stood up to go, he started to panic and yell for me...as I approached the doorway to leave he ran towards me screaming and it was all I could do to keep a smile on my face and walk away. 

HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE

 was leave my terrified screaming 5 year old in his kindergarten classroom. 

(I've lead a sheltered life, go easy on me)

I was shaking as I walked down that hallway towards the exit, I wasn't sure what to do...

I could hear him screaming all the way to the office! I was fighting back tears.

I exited the front of the school and my awesome neighbor (who also just dropped off her kindergärtner to his first day of school) was sitting right there in her van. I went up to her and was like " What do I do???? Should I just go home??" 

She just smiled and said "Yep, just go home. He will be just fine. In 15 minutes he won't even remember what he was upset about!" 

BEST ADVICE EVER. Thank you Jen. 

Sure enough, when we picked Jared up later that day, congratulatory Slurpee in hand,

he had the biggest smile on his face I have ever seen. He LOVES school.

AND he has a girlfriend named Jaeli.

She helps him with his letters:)

He writes his name

I guess I am just a proud mom, but if this isn't the cutest thing ever, I don't know what is. 

Jared can finally write his own name. 

Thirteen

I read an old diary last night. I diary of an entire year of my life. The year I chose to read?  My freshman year in highschool. Age 13.
 Wow. Reading about crush after crush, heartbreak after 13 year old heartbreak..reading about major self esteem issues...and friendships gained and friendships lost. The TORTURE of being lovesick and heartbroken!  "Oh my gosh, he looked at me! I am in heaven!" I did not realize how obsessed with boys teenage girls can be. Seriously, I made lists on a daily basis of boys I liked and what I knew about them. GROSS. I read a few to Dave and he looked at me in a frightened sort of way. Didn't think I could scare my husband.

 Huh, I never cease to amaze..

When I was thirteen I would speculate about my life in the future, wondering who I would marry, hoping it would be Brandon....or even Chad!! I would speculate about what my life would be like, would I EVER grow boobs???
It is so funny to me now, my life is so much better than I ever dreamed of, like WAY awesomer!! LOL
I have THE most amazing husband, and although it has taken years for me to fully appreciate just how great he is, I am so grateful for him and could not have asked for a better man by my side. Brandon and Chad don't even hold a candle....
I never imagined I would have kids for some reason. I always wanted to just have pets. But holy crap, by next year I will have THREE!! And it's AWESOME! And I have a fishtank FULL of fish. And they breed like jackrabbits! Who could ask for more?

 After I finished the diary, I just sat there in bed, feeling sort of surreal. It was like reliving something and then suddenly being jolted into the present..so weird. I realized how much I learned since high school, and how much I wish I had known it then! I have learned that beauty comes from within. I have learned that you can't expect everyone to like you, and if they don't like you, you can't hate them into liking you. I have learned that there is no room for jealousy or hatred in anyone's life. (Yeah, I was pretty intense.) Oh man, I found myself wishing I could go back and do it again knowing what I know now..but it is what it is and I guess, years down the road, I learned from the experiences, and I wouldn't be who I am today without it.

p.s. I grew boobs after all.

BLAHHHH

Ok seriously, it is about to get all whiney up in here! I am just DOWN and I need to think out loud here for my own sanity.
I choose not to leave my home because all I can fit into right now is some huge scrubs I bought at D.I and a really baggy grey t-shirt that says ARMY on it. I don't know how to dress this body. I have never been this big before and I need Stacy London to come over here and tell me what not to wear, or what to wear, whichever comes first. I don't have the energy to go into the bathroom and fix my hair or face (which is all broken out, oh yeah, it's gross) and guess what, I'm having crazy braxton-hicks contractions. At 12 weeks. I had 3 last night that were actually pretty intense, and a little painful. I am drinking more water than is humanly possible and trying to stay down, when I DO stuff I contract. Doc says to drink lots of water and lay down. DONE. I passed my first pregnancy related kidney stone last week which was pretty small and I was able to pass at home so that's good. Let's hope the little guy doesn't have big brothers and sisters and uncles and twice removed viking relatives following behind. Pray for me!! LOL

Anyways, physically speaking, I am ok. But these hormones are makin me crazy!! I'm thinking too much. My mind races, I cry over everything, then I get mad at people for things that are my fault. I really just want to crawl into a dark hole for a while, but then again I don't want to be left alone with my crazy self.

I am super stressed about our business. There I said it. I am working on finishing up the last of my editing and then it is time for a nice long siesta...well, not a nap, but a break from the photography business until next year.  My clients have been so incredibly patient waiting for me to get their pictures to them. I normally only take about 2 weeks from start to finish on a session, but I am like 2 months behind. I work at it every day while Jared is at Kindergarten and Ashton is down for a nap and then again at night after the boys are in bed but I feel like the progress I am making is so little. I keep telling myself "One bite at a time..." because this is the biggest elephant I have ever had to eat. I WAS NOT aware that I would be this tired my third time around!

 BOO HOO poor me!

Ok, I am done whining. Really, I am so blessed. And, after putting this all down in print, it has made me realize how stupid and temporary it all is. When we finally decided to have another baby we knew the risks and the sacrifices and I knew it would likely be difficult for us as a family. But there is such a huge difference in being outside of a situation and actually being in the thick of it! I am so grateful I have this blog, I think getting out my feelings and sharing with others can be such a blessing during a difficult time. I think it helps me feel more human, especially on days like today. I try to be stoic, and I am not very good at letting others help me or showing my feelings, a HUGE sign of pride, which I am aware of..but this time around, I know I will need help. I'm not talking about help at home or with the kids (which we will gladly accept!) but I am talking about moral support, and just having people there, yeah even online, who are aware of the situation and aware of how I am feeling...often I feel like I don't deserve this type of support, I don't feel like I give it to others enough, but I was very alone with my other pregnancies, I wouldn't let anyone in, I wouldn't accept help or friendship and then felt hurt because nobody (except for my wonderful Mother, husband and Father-in-law!) ever called me or came to see me in the hospital....yet... I had pushed everyone away. I don't want it to be that way this time around. I have grown up a bit since then, and I know a lot more about myself and a lot more about life.

Anyways, thanks for reading, thanks for your comments, I do appreciate them.

{a little sidenote:
For those of you that are wondering, my pregnancies with Jared and Ashton were difficult. I had kidney stones throughout and preterm labor, in and out of the hospital and just completely miserable. I gave birth at 31 and 32 weeks with the boys and they were both in the NICU for a while, which is a whole different emotional rollercoaster. We are very positive about this pregnancy and hoping that the"3rd time's the charm". We are prepared for whatever happens and we have an amazing medical team on our side. This time I will be receiving P17 (17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate and yeah I totally had to copy and paste that!) shots once a week starting at 18 weeks and continuing until 37 weeks or delivery, whichever comes first, hopefully the former. So, even though I will likely have stones and kidney infections, we will be keepin' this little guy or gal cookin' as long as we can!!}

Change

I can't believe summer is over. We didn't accomplish half of the things we had said we would do this summer, yet, I feel so ready to move on. I am ready for cooler weather, and falling leaves, changing colors, Halloween and warm clothes. We have decorated for Halloween and hung our first elk(for another post!), started the first day of Kindergarten, had our last camping trip of summer and started on our 3rd quarter business taxes.

 I welcome fall, and change.

 I welcome warm fuzzy boots and sweaters, crisp air and apple cider.

 I welcome morning bouts of nausea and sudden heartburn...

I welcome little flutters in my tummy and a growing waistband..

I welcome doctor appointments and ultrasounds...

I welcome whatshouldwenameits and whatsitgonnabes.

I am so ready for this. We are so ready for this. After much prayer and consideration, we are expanding our little family, that's right,

I'm pregnant.

Our little goul.