New Videos

Here is another video of Keaton skiing.  This last time he did amazing!  He learned how to "make pizza" aka snowplow.  The analogy worked perfect, as soon as we told him to make his skis like pizza he was good to go.  Tiana still just wants to bomb down the hill as fast as she can go... maybe next year she will get the whole concept... or not and she will give us a heart attack.  She has GREAT balance on the skis so there is hope that at least if she always goes fast she won't fall down a ton!  The last half of the video is Tiana being the goon she is.  She loves talking in a funny voice (not always the same funny voice) and also loves coming up with new and different funny faces.  She has just learned how to wink, I will have to get a photo because it is adorable!  Last night she did yoga with me.  Cutest thing ever.  If we can we will try to video it because it is priceless.  Nothing like winding down in the evening like a workout with some laughs, nose to nose with my little girl.  She kept saying "Mommy this yoga stuff is easy" or "I love this workout with you".  She would have me help her get into the poses (as good as she could).  One time she was actually doing a move perfectly and about halfway through she said, "OUCH, this yoga hurts!".  Priceless.

Mommy Moments

This past week has been full of stress... stress that has ultimately made me question myself as a person and as a Mom.  So it was wonderful to take Camden in to his 18 month appointment and get a few words of encouragement from his doctor.  She just reminded me that I was doing a good job as a Mom and that having three kids this close together was HARD!  She said she didn't know many mom's that could handle it.  This was out of the blue after no mention of a rough week, and it was perfect.  A major fault that I have is that I have a hard time asking for help, or admitting I can't handle sometime, and I even have a problem putting too much on my own plate.  So I am learning (slowly) how to say "no", and it is hard because it is like I am admitting that I can't to everything.  Here we have been entrusted with two beautiful, good kids by their birthmothers and so I need to be able to be the "perfect" mom.  I understand that this is pressure that I put on myself but I would NEVER want anyone to be disappointed in me.

So today I was lifted up and encouraged and for that I am thankful.  If you know me personally and some days I seem distracted or quiet please remember it isn't you, and if you are friends with me and wonder why I haven't called or emailed much lately please don't take it personally, I think about you daily and wish I had more time to be the friend that I want to be.  And lastly, if you are wondering where I have been on this blog and wondering how the kids are, please remember that I have a LOT going on right now with three little ones.  We are all doing good... WONDERFUL actually.  I love my job as a Mommy, it really is a dream come true and I wouldn't change anything about it.  The most important thing to me is my little family and sometimes that means that other things have to be pushed aside until later... until every day isn't go go go trying to keep up with three hyper toddlers/preschoolers.  I don't want to wish time away but I am looking forward to when I can be a little bit less of a referee.... it is QUITE tiring to say the least!!  

I want to thank those who when I do talk to remind me that my life is normal, that my kids are normal!  Those who after I get off the phone I feel encouraged to be a better mom.  Those who I can laugh with about how crazy life is and talk about things like how we don't remember the last time we could close our eyes for all of prayer in meeting. (I remember actually... Camden fell out of his chair the last time I did so.... eyes now back open!)  Those who I can talk to free of judgment and fear of saying the wrong thing.  Thank you!!!!!!!

I am not writing this to make anyone feel bad but more for myself to remember what these days have been like... to be honest as a mom.  I feel like with facebook and even blogging, all you get is an unrealistic picture of motherhood.  We tend to put on a smile and try to be supermom when really inside we just try to make it until Daddy gets home! Don't get me wrong, I love every moment of this craziness I call life.  However, please be patient with me, I am a Mommy first.

And I will get off my soapbox!  I do have another post that will be coming soon... another ski trip, two staples in Camden's head, and of course an 18 month update!

Family Photos

As you can tell it was snowing during our photos.  It would slow down so we would get all ready and head out for it to start snowing really hard as soon as we were all set up.  The one that is a keeper just took a LOT of photoshop work retouching out all of the snowflakes!

Just got a kick out of this one.  The kids are cute, it is good of everyone and then there is Ryan!  Not surprising... just typical!

Here is the keeper!  Love the way it turned out.

Ryan and Chelsea



And this shows my youngest brothers personality! Looks like Chelsea fits right in!



Mom and Dad.  We were going to take photos of them this last summer for their 30th anniversary but it never happened.  We got a few in the snow instead!

And a few of us.  By the time that we get done with family photos usually the last thing we think about is one of the two of us.  Uncle Mark and Auntie Kyla took the kids back to the house though so we get a few taken!

Camden 17 Months

Skiing!!!

Here is an adorable video of the kids skiing.  Once we got up there Keaton kept wanting to go up the BIG mountain and was quite disappointed that we didn't take him up that one.  Daddy didn't get off the lift in time and had to jump with Keaton the first time up.  Also, Tiana seemed to think that rolling her little arms around while she was skiing was how she would steer... which ironically actually worked since she leaned her body the same way!  There is also a little clip in there of her getting mad at me.  You hear, "Stop pushing me"  She did NOT want me to hold on to her, she wanted to do it HERSELF!

Christmas Break

Daddy had a long couple weeks of work before Christmas and Christmas day, so we enjoyed a lot of time over at Nana and Papa's house the week before Christmas.

Wednesday we made Gingerbread Houses.  Keaton wanted to make one with Auntie Kyla.

Camden shows just what happens when you eat a candy cane....

and then eat some sprinkles... they tend to get stuck everywhere!

Eat a bite.....

Stick a few.... repeat!

I love it when I see this!

The finished village.

Each day included some play in the snow.  With lots of Uncles around there were slides built and snowball fights to be had!  Tiana would lay on her tummy and have Uncle Mark push her down.

Tiana also enjoyed standing at the bottom until Keaton would slide down and knock her over.

Friday night we had a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner with some of the extended family.

Camden ate LOTS of strawberry pretzel salad, and enjoyed every last bite!

We always have said that Camden is our little goon.... he loves to make people laugh and will be silly just to get a reaction.

During dinner was no exception.

Tiana and Camden love playing in the shower!

We so enjoyed spending a little bit of time with Grammy and Poppy.

 Daddy had to work on Christmas so we were VERY ready to get away.  Sunday after meeting we headed up to New Meadows for a few days.  It snowed almost the entire time we were there and we loved it!!  We don't do much with the kids for Christmas (present wise), however they have Uncles and an Auntie and Uncles girl friend and Nana and Papa who love spoiling their kids!!!  We got up to New Meadows to a pile of presents for the kids to open!

Camden opened one and then just wanted to play with it!

Keaton got a watch that he has been wanting FOREVER!!

Tiana NOT impressed with Uncle Ryan's wrapping job which included as much tape as wrapping paper!

The kids got slippers from Auntie Kyla and Uncle Mark, they all LOVE them and wear them every day!

Uncle Derek, Uncle Ryan and Chelsea made her a Build-a-bear... which she LOVES!!!!

In there made by Nana and made by Auntie Kyla jammies and of course with their slippers.

 Monday we took the kids skiing for the first time!  They LOVED it.  We couldn't believe how good they both did.  Keaton was a little nervous about it but Tiana had been SO excited about it for weeks.



Bad quality on these but they were so excited to get their equipment.  If you have any little skis or boots that you want to sell let us know!!! 



All ready to go down to the little lift.

 About the fourth or fifth time up the lift Keaton lost one of his skis.  We spent quite a bit of time waiting for them to find it and bring it to us... while we were waiting Tiana decided she had enough of this and took off.  Thank goodness we brought Chelsea (Uncle Ryan's girlfriend whom we have known for a long time) along to take photos and video because she was able to run and catch her before she skied into the parking lot!  She was NOT happy with us... she wanted to keep skiing.  From that point forward she would ski between Chelsea and I.  She did great considering she is only 2.5.  All day I heard, "Faster Mom, FASTER!"  as we went down the hill!  Keaton did awesome too, we have never been able to totally tire him out like we did this day!  The kids were so tired by the end that they couldn't even stand up anymore!  Keaton skied some on his own also and will get the hang of it in no time.  Daddy had Keaton all day so I don't know any little details of what happened!  The thing he talks about most is loosing his ski!  It made quite an impression!

This is one of the reasons that the next morning I woke up and couldn't move.... holding dead weight down the hill the first few times.

Getting off the chair lift the first time!

I don't have any more photos of the last few days because after this point I couldn't hardly move!  Earlier this same day I had fallen on the snow and between that and skiing with Tiana I threw my back out.  I had a muscle spasm and a pinched nerve and was miserable.  I have been to the Chiropractor twice and am now seeing a Physical Therapist/Chiropractor and am seeing a bit of improvement thank goodness... it has been a miserable week pain-wise.  We did go to Gold Fork hotsprings which is beautiful, but it was dark so no photos.  Tiana loved to sit in the snow and then jump into the pool.  There was a small section that is only about 2 foot deep that the kids loved.  We were in the main part (also warmer) when Tiana asked to go back into the "kitty cat pool".  She had heard us call it the kiddy pool!

What a group!  Daddy went back home a day and a half before we did and I forgot to grab out Keaton's swimsuit.  He was wearing Camden's.... can't believe I could squeeze him into it.  And Camden was just wearing his swim diaper!

In this last week and a half Camden has just taken off talking!  He is putting a few words together now and talking all the time.  Dada and mama have now become Daddy and Mommy (so cute).  He loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (up-abuda-old-o-HIGH,lika-dia-ina-SKY,inkl-inkl-uda-STAR....).  I need to get a video of it.  He gets it stuck in his head and sings it over and over and over again ALL DAY LONG!

Keaton has quite the little attitude now when he gets into trouble.  I was getting after him for being rough with his sister and told him that he couldn't play football with Daddy until he could learn to be more gentle with his sister.  This is usually a huge punishment that really bothers him.  This time though, he turned around and said, "Well, I guess it is a good thing that I don't WANT to play football then, huh!".  He really is too smart for his own good sometimes!