Halloween...yah, I know its late.

When we went out to let Hailey take pictures for the reflections contest, we threw them in a picture. I think it turned out okay. I won't be sending it in a Christmas card or anything. (And not just because I usually don't send out cards...) None of them have their hair done, they have on their coats and Kaden has a huge hole in his pants. I thought the picture was at least blog worthy. We had a lot of fun for Halloween. We went to my brother's house the night before for his wards trunk-or-treat and then a family party. We had a lot of fun.
Hailey dressed up as a pixie. I think she liked her pink eyelashes the best.

Kinley makes me laugh. First she wanted to be a kitty. Then she wanted to be a fairy. Then my friend Melisa brought her over a tu-tu *THANK YOU* and she wanted to wear that. I called her a dead cat when she wasn't around....BUT the OFFICIAL name she had was........A dancing kitty fairy. Go figure.

Kaden wanted to be yoda ever since he found the "perfect yoda walking stick" in the summer. I looked and looked for a costume. They had some really cute ones for toddlers....but really dorky ones for bigger kids. Kaden had faith in me though...he kept saying that he KNEW I could make one. He was right, I tricked my sister into making this robe for him (THANKS COLETTE!). She gave me the job of the ears. I am not a seamstress, so I am so proud of my ears and the fact that you can somewhat tell they are spost to be yodas! YEA!

Happy Birthday Kinley!

October 29th, 2004 started out like any other day for a 36 week pregnant lady. I didn't feel good. I was "done" being pregnant. After I picked Hailey up from pre-school, I went to my moms house. I started throwing up around 1:00. Non-Stop. Finally, mom decided that she would call my OB. I had just seen him the day before, but he told her to have me to go the hospital and they could stop the throwing up and give me some fluids. When we got there, we discovered that I had PIH, Kinley's heart rate kept dropping, and they were afraid my uterus was going to rupture. I was in for another emergency c-section. At 10:59 p.m. my beautiful baby girl was born. They called out the weight of 4lb 6oz and I remember saying.."wow, I must be really high, I thought they said 4lb 6oz...they HAD to have said 6lb 4oz." She was 18 inches long. TINY. She was PERFECT! She only spent 1 hour in the NICU for observation. (above: at the hospital 5 days old.)

(above Kinley 3 weeks old.)
Kinley grew fast and has always had a strong attutidue. We call her our spit-fire girl.


(above: Kinley's first birthday)
She always carried around that pig (pictured below). We finaly convinced her to put it in my cedar chest, but she still asks to see it every once in awile.

(below, she wanted to hold the frog, but not touch it. She would hold the snake and the lizard, but apparently frog was too far!)

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. I think she is beautiful!

We have had a lot of parties, and a lot of celebrating. It has been a really busy week! I can't believe my baby is 4 years old!! Where did the time go?

My blog is going Private

BUT, I still want you around....so go comment and I will invite you

A catch-up post

It has been a blur of a month! Last Friday, I was picking all the red tomatoes out of my garden as I was pulling the plants out to winterize the garden. Those tomato plants were tough and wouldn’t come out of the ground, so I pulled harder, and harder. Finally I pulled so hard, I hurt my back. I couldn’t walk, bend over, sleep, lay down, sit down…I was in so much pain. Oh well…too bad for me. I had to pick the rest of the plants and tomatoes. (I was only 1/3 the way done when I hurt myself!) I ended up sitting on my bottom and doing my best. I got them all out, peppers too, and got them in the 20 black yard garbage bags! The next day I canned all the tomatoes into juice. This year has been a successful canning year. I got 12 quarts of green beans, 59 pints of salsa, and 65 quarts of tomato juice. WHEW, I’m glad it’s over!

We went to J&J’s hayride to get a pumpkin. We went with a few of our friends and had a blast! It was threatening rain the whole time and was cold, but I think only the moms noticed it was cold! The kids were going crazy trying to find the best pumpkin out of the entire patch. Of course, all 3 of them couldn’t carry their pumpkin (still couldn’t walk, stand..ect) but I got them all to the van.

All my hard work and pain was worth it, Thomas didn’t think it would snow, but we got A TON! I say 6 inches, he says closer to a foot…who knows for sure?? (Weather man?) After church, the kids ran outside and made a huge snowman (well, Kaden was throwing up, so he didn’t…) Once Kaden felt a little better later in the day, they went to make another snowman, but the first had fallen over and they made a snow fort! It was nice to play in the snow.

This week I also went to training for my new job. I am doing early voting (so, more like a 3 day job??) I couldn’t even sit there listening to how we need to look up people’s names and give them a card to vote. Thomas called a chiropractor for me and got me an appointment. I have never been to one, so I didn’t know what to expect. He did some reflex things and made me bend and move ect. He took some X-rays and hooked me up to this machine that shocked my back. IT FELT SO GOOD!! He got the X-rays back and said it was a torn muscle. That is good/bad news he said. Good because it will heal, and I can do exercises to make it strong again…Bad, because it takes a long time to heal. He then cracked my back and sent me on my way. I COULD FINALY WALK!! I have an appointment on Monday with him, and I just may kiss him. I have been sore, but not in pain and can actually DO things. Ahhh I am in love with him ;)

The kids were out for UEA, so I had told them if they cleaned the house Thursday, we could do something fun on Friday. We went to cornbellies at Thanksgiving point with some of our friends. The kids had a blast!! We wore out the moms, and called it a day.
If you got through all of that…thanks! I have been busy with paperwork for super Saturday coming up next Saturday, trying to winterize our yard, cleaning, canning, and trying to have fun in the mist of it all!! The next few weeks will include me working early voting, Kinley’s birthday, a birthday party for Kinley (Yikes, that could be scary!) a visit from Thomas’ parents, pumpkin walk, Halloween parties (school, family) and Halloween. Should be busy and fun!

My "Alone-cone(s)"

When Hailey and Kaden were smaller, they loved to watch dragon tails. (Kinley, not so much). To be honest, I was a little weirded out with Zach and Weezy. Boy/Girl dragons that are stuck together.
In one episode, Zach needed to be alone, so he put on the "Alone-cone". It was a cone that he put on his head so he couldn't see or hear his sister. (I personally, don’t blame him...she was super annoying...LOOOOOOVEEEE ITTTTT!!! Ug, its been years, and it still can haunt me!) ANYWAY. For the past year, I have been somewhat jealous of Thomas' office. I told him all the time it was his alone-cone. A place that he could go, and the rest of us just didn’t go there. Well, with the basement finished, I got some space all to myself. Lets check it out. (CAUTION: These rooms ARE NOT decorated....you have been warned!)

With Kaden moving to the basement, it freed up his room to be my much anticipated "office". I have a desk, my computer and my all craft crap in here. The closet is full of all my scrapbook stuff I have collected but not done over the years. I has my toll painting, sewing (which I don't know how to do, so I'm not sure why I have it...) I have loved coming in here to talk on the phone. Shut the door (put on the cone) and have a quiet conversation. I have yet to have time to do any of my projects (I have been canning) but that will come!!

This is my workout room. Yeah, its safe from everyone else. Thomas keep threatening to use it, (and that would be okay) but so far, its just a threat. I love to watch the TV use the treadmill...sweat...go numb...ahhh my alone cone!! It is complete with a lock on the door. Kids have stopped even trying to think they can come in here. Its moms room :).

This is my bedroom. Not new, but it is one of my favorite places in the house that is mine. I do let Thomas in here, for the record.

I have enjoyed the basement. It has opened up a lot of room. Kaden has voiced his opinion that "mom has a lot of room's to herself" to which I reply "when your the dad you can give your wife lots of rooms to herself."

I'm not spoiled. I'm well taken care of....there is a difference!

Thinking of Onions.

Do smells ever make you remember things? They are harvesting the onions by my house. You can get some strong smells once in awhile. Today, as I was driving down the street, I saw an onion on the side of the road, along with the smell. It reminded me that 3 years ago today, I had my hysterectomy. How, you ask, does that even go along with each other? Well, my mom was coming over to my house after I got home from the hospital. Thomas had taken off time from work, but had to go back...mom and dad were my babysitters. Kinley wasn't quite one yet, so I needed a lot of help. On her way over, she realized that she had forgotten an onion in the bag of things she had brought over to make me soup. She saw an onion on the side of the road on the way over, and made dad stop to get it.
I remember telling her that I had onions, but not much more then that (drugs, baby...) The point is, she didn't care if it was embarrassing or who was watching...she was doing it to take care of me. Her whole life she put us kids in front of her needs. I am grateful for her in my life and today seeing onions all over the sides of the road I couldn't help but think of her. I sure miss her. Maybe I will pick one up and make me some soup? Onion rings anyone?? :)

Plastic Bag Parachute's

Last night I was letting two of the kids play outside while the third was taking a bath. Hailey was taking her bath first, so I was chilling out in my bedroom. I hear Kinley and Kaden go in out out of the house a few times. I go out to get Kinley to take her bath and find that they are parachuting. That is right. Parachuting right here in our backyard. Kinley goes in and Hailey came out (that is why I don't have a picture of Kinley). Well Hailey and Kaden decide that the reason they aren't flying is because they don't have enough bags on their back. Here Kaden is showing that he has 5 plastic sacks on his back. He is ready to fly "super high"!

I remember thinking up ways that I could fly when I was a kid. The safest way for me to try out my ideas (none of which were any good) was to convince Nate to do them. (Not just flying...any idea!) Ahhh good times, huh Nate!? Nate?? NATHAN!?!??