Catching up...

I haven't posted anything for awhile and I need to get caught up.  This is just the random day to day pictures and some updates on things I love that they say or do. 

Madi has no desire to have her hair done and freaks out if I try to do ponytails or pig tails, braids, bund or anything that involves more than a clip or a headband.  Headbands are her favorite.  She finds them and puts them in herself.  Doesn't she do great?!

My mom had made me several dolls over the years.  A lot were ruined by my sisters with nail polich or markers, so I have given them to Madi.  She loves them and carries them around, but her very favorite are the most recent two that sit on our bookcase and are not for her to play with.  She climbs on things and finds a way to get up there to get one or both down.  I caught her sleeping with one the other day.  She said she wanted it so I told her to ask grandma.  Guess we know what she'll be getting for Christmas. :D

Our little E Baby thinks he is a diva.  He LOVES headbands, crowns, bows, flowers and anything else he can put in his hair.  He puts them on and then is so proud and struts around.  The kid cracks me up! 

Uh-oh, it's upside down...

Madi recently learned that she can hang from the bottom closet rod, climb up the wall and flip over.  She also holds on and "swings".  Such a little monkey! 

I love the way Madi says yogurt.  She switches the u and r and says yogrut.  Every morning when we wake up she asks me if my back feels better.  Every morning I tell her "a little, but it will take a long time to get all better."  she says "oh daown it."  She frequently asks to see my owie.  She has been a pretty good helper. 

My ward has been amazing and there has been someone coming in to help with my kids or they take them to their house to play twice a day for a couple hours.  My kids have LOVED it and are willing to go with pretty much anyone.  Earlier this week I was buckling Easton in and Madi says "Don't go with me, okay mom."  Sad day...  My little girl is getting too big.  I am so grateful for my ward though.  I think they would be going nuts and I would be too if it weren't for the women and girls in our ward!

Easton is doing pretty good at using utensils and thinks he is the biggest kid ever.  He loves to be outside and if he hears the door he zooms down the stairs as fast as he can to get out there.  He is still is a good cuddler which I love. I am lucky to have such sweet kids!  

Sittin'...

Three days post surgery and I am sitting at the computer!  Who would have thought?  I have felt pretty good since surgery and seem to have done ok so far.  My restrictions are NO LIFTING, NO TWISTING and NO BENDING.  I am super glad I asked for more clarification on that one.  I figured that sitting was part of that since I had to bend to sit, but I asked and my doc said I can sit as long as I am comfortable and don't do it for long periods (20+ minutes).  Yea me!  The percocet is still knocking me out, so I have slept since we got home for the most part, but I have been able to get up and walk and move around.  I still get sponge bathes until Wednesday, but as soon as I can get in the shower, I think I may be going out!  Starting next week I can walk a 1/4 mile a day and add 1/4 mile each week until my six week follow up. That will be nice to be able to get outside every day. 

Derrick has been sick since Wednesday and doesn't seem like he is getting better.  Poor guy, probably from all the stress he has been under.  I wish I could be taking care of him instead of the other way around.  He is amazing!  He doesn't even complain, he just takes care of me and the kids and is so good to us.  I love him so much! 

I think the hardest part of the whole recovery process is going to be when I am starting to feel back to normal and other people are helping me with my kids and not being able to do it myself.  I have the most amazing ward and I am not sure what I would've done without them.  I love our ward and the friends we have in it and am so glad that we live here, even if it is far from our family.  Thank you ward family for all do!

Surgery...

Tomorrow I go in for a microdiscectomy.  I am not really nervous about the surgery itself, but I am worried about the recovery part.  I am mostly worried for my kids.  My ward is amazing and is going to help alot but I am sad I will be missing such a fun part of their lives.  I am hoping for a quick recovery which means I am going to have to really do what I am supposed toso I don't have any set backs and that worries me.  So anyway, my blog is temporarily on hold until I am able to sit at the computer again.  Wish me luck!

Yea for splash pads!!!

My kids love the water so we were excited for the splash pads to open.  This was Easton's first time.  He was a little hesitant at first (I think cause we woke him up) but thought it was the greatest thing ever once he started playing.  Madi was a little braver this year and I think Kelin liked it too!

We love summer and all the it brings.  Wish we had a splash pad in West Point! 

A siesta...

Madi loves to lay on the back of the couch because Easton can't get here up there.  The other day she was up there and when Derrick went to say hi to her she was out!  Who would've thought that would be a great place for a quick nap? :D

Since moving to a big boy bed, Easton thinks he is big enough to play instead of nap.  Guess that's not always the case. 

A Big Boy Bed...

Since I will be unable to lift our kids after my surgery we decided we better put Easton in a toddler bed so he would be used to it by the time my surgery came around. We bought this one on KSL.  Since I will be using Madi's bed after my surgery, my amazing sis-in-law got another toddler bed from her friend we planned on putting Madi in.  Easton thought his new bed was awesome and thinks he is such a big boy in it.  He is so cute!

The second or third night he slept in it, we went to check on them before we went to bed.  He had climbed in bed with Madi.  That kid LOVES his sister!

Well, since he was now able to get out on his own, he decided that he needed his BFF as soon as he woke up.  That is great for him, but Madi sleeps longer than Easton since she doesn't nap anymore and does not do well being woke up.  After a few days in a row of an ornery Madi, I decided there was no way I would be able to deal with that after my surgery.  So, on Friday my house went into complete chaos and over the weekend we moved the guest bed into Madi's room, my craft room into the guest room, our room into the craft room and Easton into our room.  Now they each have their own room and are each able to wake up as they please.  Since the rooms were so big, we bought a full mattress for Easton and turned his crib into the frame and gave Madi the queen.  The white toddler bed will be going up for sale on KSL and the other in storage. 

Easton hadn't fell out of Madi's or the toddler bed so we thought we could get away with no rails.  After the first night we discovered that was not an option. 

Happily Ever After...

On May 26,2012, my brother, Andrew, got married.  There are MANY pictures to follow, but that is what happened when you ask me to do pictures. :D  This is my little princess.  We wanted all the nieces and nephews to match, so I made this dress for Madi and made bow ties for the boys and my sis in WA made dresses for the other three girls and the hair bows.

I love how they turned out!  They all looked so cute in their dresses and ties.  I wish I had been able to get a really good picture of all of them together.  I guess it will be outdated soon anyway since we have a baby B growing in Annie's belly.

Onto the main couple...  Don't they look happy?  I love Andrew's smile.

They were sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (unless you ask Andrew.  He'd tell you it's the Okra Mountain Temple).

They look so good together.  I am super excited about Holly being part of our family.  :D

I love this one of Holly.  She's so pretty!

Madi loves ANY dress that twirls.

The best man, our "little" brother, Kelin.

Little Miss Ava.  Isn't she pretty?!  She is super photogenic.  She looked great in almost every picture!

Not sure why, but I LOVE this picture.  Her bouquet was gorgeous!

Poor Caitlyn was sick the whole time.  Thank goodness for Tylonol.

Madi loved having her cousins around.  She misses her friends.

Ava & Colson

Derrick was amazing (of course, when isn't he?) and took care of the kids all weekend so I could spend more time with my family.  I have the best hubby ever!

The funniest part of the whole day... When Holly went to sit down for the garter, the chair needed to be scooted back.  Andrew pulled it back and I said "wait, wait, wait" but I don't think she was totally listening to me because she totally sat down and yep, the chair was gone.  Ok, probably not the best part for Holly, but a funny wedding story.  Totally could've been on America's Funniest Videos. 

Brenton caught the garter.  Does he even know what that means? LOL!

Love this of Madi and her great grandma walking at the temple.

Look at my cute family.  I am so lucky!

All the grand kids on my side of the family (except Baby B, of course)!

And I actually got a cute one of my two together, and they are both looking, and both smiling!

I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday...