ELLINGSON FAMILY together forever

Long overdue

2011-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

This is a long, overdue update...5 kids is wearing me out! When I do have time to be on the computer, I really don't want to...I'm exhausted! But I do want to remember the last 2 months. I met up with my MIL & SIL's at Cornbelly's...it was closed, so we went to the BooYard. The kids had so much fun looking at all the animals, going on a tractor ride & riding the horses. Lexi was excited to ride a BIG horse...She started preschool back in August, she loves it! She met a new friend, who coincidentally lives in the neighborhood behind us. She's learning to read, & really enjoys homework.

Kyler riding one of the horses...he loves animals! He thoroughly enjoyed his ride!
He's been a major pest since Kate was born! He gets into EVERYHING!! I've never had a kid get into so much trouble before. He's learned to climb onto the counter without using a chair or anything else to stand on, Makelle taught him how to climb out of his crib...so there goes any place for him to actually stay out of trouble, I can't keep him in once spot. I took him in for his 18 month check up...he's up to 5% for his weight instead of 3%! This is the first time since he's been born that he hasn't lost. I'm very excited about that!

Makelle loved her ride. Not much is going on with her. She's a quiet child, stays out of trouble, plays good by herself & entertains Kyler really well...she teaches him lots of things. I like that they play so well. She loves to learn & really wants to know her letters & numbers just like the big kids. Lexi loves to play school with her & teach her what she's learning.

I didn't see much of Ethan, he was running everywhere...
He is officially a 1st grader. We had our first parent teacher conference recently. They had all good things to say abou him. He's on a 2nd grade reading level & is excelling in all he does. He loves to play tetherball at recess. I don't see much of him...he's always playing with friends, or at soccer practice. He's done really well in soccer & totalled about 9 or 10 goals for the season, which is pretty good considering he's playing up a grade & playing against 2nd graders.

My little Katie Bug...How I love her! It's all sinking in that this is my last, she is my baby & growing too quickly. At her 2 month appointment she was 11 lbs. (50%), 5% for her head :) I thought it was pretty funny that she has such a small head! and 25% for her height. She's chunking out good & I love it! She's so smiley & happy 95% of the time

We have a tradition of doing a spooky dinner every year at Halloween time. We had witches brew, Bat blood (homemade tomato soup, YUM!!), eyeballs (deviled eggs) and Jack o'lantern sandwiches. And muddy, worm pie for dessert. The kids love it & I love going all out for this holiday.

We blessed Kate on Sept 25th. I didn't have much luck with pictures...I forgot to take them & then she was super fussy. I hate the binki picture, but I kinda want to remember the ugly binki that she will only suck on if I try for a good 5 minutes...she hates the thing, but it's better than a crying baby in the car.

She is one cute little baby! I love her to pieces! I love that she'll sleep for a good 6-10 hours, (I can never predict which one), but it's usually all night...I love it! I love that every time she sees me or hears my voice she gets a big smile!

She was about a month old in this picture...I haven't been great at taking pictures. I forget, I get busy, I'm tired! These kids are sure worth all the work, though. I've really been blessed to have such great kids.

Kate

2011-08-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kate!

6 lbs. 5 oz. 18 3/4"

Born on Aug. 8th, at 7:00 pm

I can't believe she's finally here!
She's a snuggler! I really can't complain too much, she's a great sleeper. She's been sleeping great at night, waking up only once or twice. She's happy & content as long as she's full. She does have a great set of lungs & lets me know when she's hungry.

Ethan absolutely adores her! Today he sat on the couch and watched Rio & held Kate. He's been a big helper!

These two keep each other entertained. They've been playing so well together since I've been home... it's a miracle!! Makelle loves to hold her & look at her & loves helping me by getting diapers & nursing pads & water. Kyler will poke at her head & repeat "baby, baby, baby..." over & over & over. He definitely has a spot for Kate in his heart. When all the kids are getting a turn holding her, Kyler will sit on the couch & hold out his arms. Then he'll kiss her head & hold her for a minute. It's very sweet!

Lexi is my little mom. She is constantly asking to hold her. She is always asking where she is, when she's going to wake up & if she's done eating.

Our five adorable kids!

Recovery has been the hardest with this one. I have one AMAZING husband who has stayed home & taken over duties. I have amazing neighbors, friends & family who have brought dinners & taken kids. THANK YOU! I couldn't have made it without you. I'm finally feeling about 80% now & have started a "normal" routine with all 5 kids.

Lexi has started pre-school & Ethan starts 1st grade tomorrow, so I will be posting more soon. Time flies so fast!

Making Memories

2011-07-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

The month of July has just flown by! We've kept so busy, trying to enjoy the last little bit of summer before school starts again.

We went to a ward BBQ, they had face painting, which obviously the kids LOVED! They had a dunk tank & bouncy slide. And lots of yummy food. Ethan & Lexi had lots of fun trying to dunk people in the tank. Makelle loved the bouncy slide & Kyler loved running off.
We went camping. Normally we go 5 or 6 times during the summer, sometimes more. The weather has kept us from going that often. And I really didn't want to go being as far a long as I am. Jeff opted to take the older 3 & I stayed home with Kyler. Ya, that lasted 2 days. I went up the last night & enjoyed spending time with them. I missed them so much! Let's just say the TV was on WAY more than normal because I missed the noise, it was way too quiet while they were gone! They had fun in our trailer, making a fort,

catching fish

shooting guns. Ethan also brought his bow & arrow & had fun shooting birds.

And eating rabbit. My nephews shot a rabbit, they cooked it up & ate it one night. Everybody seemed to like it, luckily that was the night that I wasn't there...I'm not so sure I really want to try rabbit.

We had a fun playdate with my cousin Stephanie. She found a fun park & we met up there to let the kids play. As you can see it took Kyler a while to warm up to the place. He just stood there like this for the longest time. I couldn't figure out why he was being so weird, normally he loves parks!

This is the park we went to. There was so much for the kids to do, I really liked that there's a toddler area where I didn't have to worry about Kyler falling off of anything. The place is pretty big & I couldn't keep track of the older kids at all times. But they had fun!

They had some super fun swings. All the kids had a blast!

Ethan lost his first tooth!

And 2 days later he lost his 2nd tooth!

School starts in 3 weeks! I'm not so sure I'm ready for that, especially with a new baby. It's going to be quite a challenge, but we'll make some good memories just trying to get through each day!

Oh where does the time go?

2011-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have been quite the slacker at blogging! It normally doesn't take me this long to update, but I haven't been feeling my best, we've had internet issues & the kids take up so much of my time. We have done a few fun things, despite my condition.

We went to Lexi's dance recital. We got cute video of her, but no pictures. We did snag some pictures of Makelle copying the girls on stage. She sat in awe for the first little while, she clapped when they were done & said when I'm 4 I'm going to do that! Then she got down & danced in the aisle for most of the show. It was adorable, apparently she wants to be a dancer!
We took the kids to the aquarium for the first time ever. They loved it! They bounced from one thing to the next not staying at anything for long.

Kyler has found a new way to entertain himself. Not only does he love the swing, but he loves it when we turn on the sprinklers under the tramp.

Ethan has officially graduated Kindergarten & will start 1st grade in August. I can't believe he's that old! He got the Super Reader award in class. He's already at a 2nd grade level.

I wish I was better at taking pictures, but thus I have left my brain somewhere & can't find it. We have enjoyed lighting fireworks off, doing sparklers & pop its. Oh, and only 4 more weeks & we'll get to meet our cute little Kate!! I don't know who's more excited, me, Jeff or the kids!

Too much going on!

2011-05-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

The past month has gone by so fast, I can't believe it's taken me this long to update. So much has been happening, time really got away from me. No, Kyler is not potty training, nor am I even thinking about it. But he is obsessed with the potty!! We are re-potty training Makelle (long story!), so we are spending A LOT of time in the bathroom. He is constantly pointing to the potty & saying "poo! poo!" So I'll take off his diaper, he'll sit there, read some books & have a good time.

We did celebrate Easter. I'm so grateful for the resurrection of my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that he made it possible for me to return to live with my Heavenly Father & family again. We started off the celebration with a party at my mom's, an egg hunt & lunch. As you can see Kyler wasn't too excited to get his picture taken in his Easter outfit. The picture with all the grandkids isn't the best picture, but it's the only one I got with everybody in it, it's hard to get all the kids to hold still & look at me. Kyler was more interested in a ball than finding the eggs. But he did find a few & his siblings made sure he didn't go without.

At the end of April Jeff & I went to Supercross. It is an annual thing, his company gets box seats & Jeff & I get a night out. This was the first year that a baby didn't have to tag along with us, well, kind of. This baby girl was a lot easier to take care of! Let's hope she stays put for a while! Ethan & Lexi both celebrated birthdays in May.

Ethan turned 6. He chose Carl's Jr for dinner. He had pancakes for breakfast & had a blast going on a treasure hunt to find his presents! He also found out he has his first loose tooth!

Lexi turned 4. She chose cereal for breakfast & Chick Fil A for dinner. I took her & her friend Abby to a nail salon to get their nails painted. They had so much fun!
Makelle has recently started dance. A lady in my neighborhood put together a little class for girls her age. She feels so big & is loving every minute of it!

Ethan & Lexi have started swim lessons. They both look forward to it & the day of lessons they are constantly asking if it's time to go yet. It's nice to switch things up while Ethan's off track.

Lexi graduated from SuperKid Preschool. It was so cute to watch her perform her songs & talk about how she wanted to be a doctor & a mom when she grows up. She has enjoyed going to preschool with her best friend Abby. She's grown up so much & come out of her shell. She's much more confident & friendly to other kids. I love the picture with her in her cowboy hat, she saw me hold up the camera & totally model posed for the picture.

I'm loving feeling our baby girl move all around. I'm still "taking it easy" & trying my best to keep her in there as long as possible. The kids are very helpful, as is Jeff. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful family & friends surrounding me.

I'm reading a book called 5 Spiritual Solutions for everyday Parenting Challenges. It's by Richard & Linda Eyre. I LOVE it!! If I could pass one thing on, it would be this: "As our literal spirit brothers and sister, children are worthy of our respect and diligent care, and parents are their stewards rather than their creators-who should do their best to discover who and what their children already are and raise them accordingly." I view my children in a whole new light & strive each day to respect them & share my knowledge with them, rather than say do this & do that. They have helped create 5 important rules in our house & its consequence, each consequence is a natural consequence, not something random. I no longer have to think up a consequence for random behaviors. Each behavior fits in with one of the rules we have created & there is less fighting & more Spirit & love in our home.

Oh so blessed

2011-04-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed to have 4 healthy pregnancy's. I have been blessed to have 4 healthy babies. Heavenly Father has richly blessed my life with these 4 beautiful kids.

At about 16 weeks during this pregnancy I started having braxton hicks contractions. It's not normal for me to start so early. They didn't go away by resting or drinking water. At about 22 weeks I started having real contractions & cramping. They didn't go away by resting or drinking water. That is what concerned my doctor. Bed rest? I begged him not to. He told me to take it easy. Take it easy with 4 kids? I don't think so! But the contractions kept coming, so I said "Ok, I hear you! I'll take it easy!" The contractions have lessened. Yesterday, my dear sweet Kyler head butted me in the stomach. Oh how it hurt! It has caused me so much pain, I don't know if there is truely something wrong or just bruising. The contractions are back, not regular, not close together.

I am learning that it's ok to have a mess. My kids are learning a little bit more responsibility. I am learning more patience & to rely on others. I am learning to let go of pride & let others help out. I am learning that my will is not always the will of Heavenly Father. I so want the contractions to stop & the pain to go away, so that I can be a mom again & help out around the house again. Is that weird that I miss cleaning & taking care of things?

I truely have the best husband. He is concerned about me & the baby & is doing everything he can to make sure the baby stays in there & continues to grow & develop. He takes care of the house & the kids & goes to work & he's been taking care of me. He is truely Superdad!

Happy Birthday Jeff

2011-04-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet Jeff turned 29 yesterday. I wanted to shout it out to the world how much I love this man! I made a list of 29 things I love about him & he gave me a weird look, & asked why 29, that's a random number. Well, honey you're 29... not such a random number :) Since I've made the list I've thought of more, so here's a few:

*He's so patient

*He's always happy

*He makes the best out of any situation

*He rarely gets mad or upset

*He always upholds his Priesthood

*He serves in his calling faithfully

*He helps me with meals, cleaning & the kids

*The kids adore him & he's such a great dad

*He's always willing to help out & doesn't think about himself

*He may not be much of a talker, but he's a great kisser ;)

I'm seriously the luckiest girl to have this man sealed to me for all eternity! I'm blessed each day by his presence & his example. I love you babe! Hope you had a Happy Birthday!!

Mounds

2011-03-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we gave my in-laws a candy bar, wrapped up; it had a note that said: Remember Almond Joys have nuts, Mounds don't. Well, there's no nuts on our girl! They opened a Mounds. It took my mother-in-law a while to get it. Needless to say, I'm still in shock that it's a girl! I was kind of expecting a boy, Jeff thought for sure it was a boy & I guess he got it in my head that that's what we were having.

They got a clear shot & it's definitely a girl. And she's healthy & right on schedule. We are very excited to welcome the tie breaker!

The big ONE

2011-03-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby turned one! Time literally flew by! Here's a few pics of our celebration. Above is Kyler's cake before he completely demolished it. And him on the carousel ride they had at Pirate Island. He loved that ride!! He got a bunch of balls, clothes & books. The blue & yellow ball was his favorite, once he opened that he didn't want anything to do with the rest of the presents.
Ethan & Lexi were so excited to go to Pirate Island for Kyler's birthday they couldn't sleep the night before. I don't think they were disappointed, they had a lot of fun!!

This picture was taken after lunch & all the games. The kids were pretty wiped out. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there. But they all had a blast!

Kyler absolutely loved his cake. He dove in face first! Once he did that all of the kids started laughing hysterically at him, so he laughed back & put his face in again. They all laughed again. So he kept going, he absolutely loved all the attention! The kids had gathered around him and watched him until he had demolished the whole thing.

Here he is face first. Jeff's family came over on his birthday to enjoy the little show. And eat some cake & ice cream with us.

The end result. He didn't eat a ton of it. Most of it is on his face & hands & then he started throwing it on the floor. A quick bath & he was back to the party begging ice cream off of grandma, as if he didn't already have enough sugar!

Last night my family came over to celebrate with us. We enjoyed some dinner & then sang Happy Birthday to the 2 March birthdays. My neice Natalie & Kyler were born just 2 days apart. Instead of making an entire cake for him & her, I just made cupcakes. He ate the entire thing!!

Natalie enjoyed her cupcake too & ate most of it. She's so lady like. She hardly got messy compared to Kyler.

Needless to say I am pooped from 2 days of partying & celebrating. But I am really glad we have family to celebrate with!

I love Kyler & am so glad he is part of our family!

counting my blessings

2011-03-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated. These 4 kids keep me busy. Each child brings so much joy to our family, I want to document & share what each child is doing.

Ethan is loving kindegarten. He's off-track right now & misses school, he misses his friends. We had our 2nd parent teacher conference with his teacher recently & found him to be on a 1st grade reading level. He got 4's (which is the highest) on everything except his handwriting. He is our sneaky, teasing, loving, kind big brother. I often find notes on my bed that say, "I love you mom. Love Ethan" with cute little pictures. It makes my day! The other day I found a note on my pillow that said "Ethan did your bed" and on the back it said "love Ethan." I can often find him doing random acts of kindness for me & I love it! He is currently playing indoor soccer & is signed up for outdoor soccer & baseball in the spring. He's very athletic & very competetive! Ethan loves playing Mario Cart. I love to see his testimony grow & hear him talk about how he feels about our Savior.
Makelle is definitely in the terrible two's. There's a lot of crying & tantrums. But then I see a side of her that is so sweet. She's always concerned about "ky ky" she loves giving him hugs & kisses. She loves to dance & is obsessed with Mickey Mouse & Dora & the new show Bubble Guppies. She got a new bed yesterday, which I will have to post a picture of; Jeff & his dad made it & it is awesome. She loves being a big girl & doing what the older kids do. She loves reading books! She loves nursery. She has an amazing sense of humor for a 2 year old.

This picture says what Lexi loves to do the most. Not only does she like to push Kyler around in her baby stroller, but she loves to play his mom. She's always picking him up & consoling him when he's crying. She really does a great job taking care of him- if only she'd learn to change diapers!! Lexi's second favorite thing to do is practice her cartwheels. She's recently mastered a one handed cartwheel & is now trying to learn how to do handstands. She's doing very well! She loves going to dance & preschool. She's become quite the social butterfly since attending these two activites. Lexi has always been on the shy side, until now. She will now talk to any adult who comes over. Now we just need to get her talking to more kids her own age. The kids recently went to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned. Ethan still has no cavities. Lexi had 2 this time. Can I just tell you how devastated I was?!? I felt like a horrible mom, they had to do a baby root canal on one. I'm so blessed that my mom was the dentist assistant & was there for her. She said that she did awesome! And afterward she chowed down some pizza & breadsticks while still numb. And of course a strawberry shake.

I don't even know where to begin with this kid. He has been a struggle from the start. He's never been a good eater & I'm struggling with that now. I know part of it is because he's teething & part of it is his cold. Most of the time I can peel a pear or an apple & he'll walk around chewing on that, but refuses to sit in his seat to eat. He refuses a bottle & doesn't drink much from a sippie, no matter what's in it. Lexi ran him over with her bike the other day & gave him a bloody nose & scrapes all over his face. He's doing better & now his nose is just bruised & a little swollen. He loves to scream & cry. He loves his daddy & cries at the back door when he goes off to work. He says: mama, dada, bye bye, hi, ball, num num, no, ya... and others, my mind has gone blank. I have been blessed that he's been an ok sleeper. He'll usually sleep from 7pm-7am. With two, 2 hour naps. He loves to blow kisses & play pat a cake. His absolute favorite thing is balls, he loves to play catch & kick the ball around. And his next favorite thing is wrecking whatever the kids are making. He's already learned to take what he wants & he loves pulling everything out of my cupboards.

I have seriously been blessed with these 4 amazing, beautiful children. They bring so much joy & happiness into my life.

I love free stuff

2011-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

When I heard that the zoo was having a free day, I just couldn't pass it up. It wasn't too cold once we bundled up a litte bit. The animals were a bit more active than in the summer. And the kids has a lot of fun. I wish I would've taken a picture of the ostridges (sp?), they were running around like crazy and giving us a really good show.
The famous elephant shot. Each kid wanted their turn sitting on the trunk

So they got their wish

I loved that it wasn't too crowded. I was disappointed that the tigers weren't more active. They were takinga nap. But still cool to look at.

My little man, all bundled. He was chill & loved watching the animals. Kyler is now walking! I'm glad he finally did it, he's been trying for weeks now. He entertains himself so much better. I rarely see him, he's off playing with the other kids, but comes and finds me when he's hungry. Wow, I have awesome kids! They let me get my stuff done & wait patiently for me to be done, so they can have mommy time. They were all so helpful in getting themselves ready one morning when we were in a rush to get out the door, no whining, no tantrums, no fighting. I am so grateful for that morning & pray I'll have many more like it!

with a new year comes...

2011-01-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Need I say more? We're excited to welcome the tie breaker to our family. The baby is looking healthy & I am feeling better than expected. My due date is August 14th

The Diaper Fairy strikes again

2011-01-03T09:51:00.001-08:00

The diaper fairy came & took all of Makelle's diapers about a week ago. She left a puzzle, Makelle loves it! She can do it herself & does it all day long! The first day was a disaster! She had more accidents than successes. I was really frustrated & thought maybe it was too early. The next day she didn't have one pee accident & since then really hasn't... unless we're at Grandma's house; she's too busy playing. She's pooed on my floor quite a few times, but had her first successful #2 in the potty a few days ago. We were so happy! She's still a work in progress, but for the most part it's done! Can I just say how excited I am to only have one in diapers!!! That hasn't happened for about 3 1/2 years
Here's my big 2 year old. HOORAY!

Christmas love

2010-12-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know what the deal is, but my kids have been fighting like mad lately! Ethan is off-track & so that has thrown off our routine. He's definitely a boy & LOVES to tease his younger brother & sisters. I can't take credit for this idea, the Spirit definitely spoke to me on this one, but I thought it would be fun to have the kids focus on the good things they can do for each other. So when they do a good thing for someone they come tell me & we write it on an ornament & hang it on our tree. So far it's working great, they're excited to see how many ornaments we can get on our tree before Christmas.
The things they're doing for each other are very little, but a big deal for them. Makelle played & shared with Kyler, that's a big deal for her...she's 2! She hates sharing! I love focusing on the good things they're doing, when they fight I remind them about the ornaments & things turn around. Ethan is excited to show Santa just how good he's being so he can get lots of presents.

Lexi had another dance recital last night. She did wonderful! Thanks for the flowers Gramma Jann, what a great idea! She felt so special & loved. Lots of people told her what a great job she did. She practiced the most out of her class, so she got a special Dance Force Acadamy bag that has her name on it. It was so cute because the teacher presented it in front of everyone, she also got lip gloss... she was pretty excited about that!

Santa was there, so we let the kids sit on his lap. As you can see Kyler really didn't care about him. Makelle was a total wreck!! She hated him, but I got a picture & she got lots of hugs after. She got a huge pouty lip after I took her off, I felt so bad for her. She did talk about it on the way home & she was proud of herself for doing it, cause the big kids did it too.

Festival of Trees Recital

2010-12-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

I just want to start off & say how proud I am of my 3 year old, Lexi. She has been working so hard & practicing almost everyday. She knew this song inside & out & really performed well! She had the opportunity to perform at the Festival of Trees with her dance class. I got better pictures of her practicing that day than I did at the recital.... I just wanted to watch her, I didn't want to be bothered with taking pictures :)
They danced to Hear Comes Santa Claus by Alvin & the Chipmunks. These 3 year olds were so cute!

My mom & Lexi before the recital. I do believe she's a natural, now she's not quite on beat all the time, but I'd say she pretty darn good, but I might be biased

Here she's practicing her march & whistle. She was very excited for make up, I had fun dolling her up. I was a little surprised she didn't get stage fright, she danced her heart out & afterward told us how much fun she had... this could get expensive. It'll be worth it, she's so happy! Stay tuned for a picture of Lexi & her best friend Abby at the recital...I'm still waiting for that photo :)

Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus...

November 8, 2003

2010-11-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

This was the happiest day of my life. My life changed forever. I'm so lucky to be married to such a great guy! He has taught me so much, he's so sweet & patient & loving.

Jeff is such a wonderful dad! I love that he will listen to all my stories... or at least pretends to ;) I love that he supports me in all that I want to do.

It was my year to plan our anniversary. We have never been away in the 7 years we've been married. We were both ready for a break, so I booked a room at the Anniversary Inn. My in-laws were sweet enough to take the kids for the night... the kids did awesome! Slept through the night & behaved themselves... what a relief! We spent the day at Gateway & went to a movie. There's a store called Brookstones, they have massage chairs & we took advantage & sat there for a 20 minute massage. We window shopped & then went to Rodizio's Grill for dinner. I loved spending time with just Jeff, no other responsibilities, we focused on each other & enjoyed every minute of our getaway. It was much needed! On the drive home I started missing my kids. I was glad to see them again, but loved having a day away.

Happy 7th baby! Love you forever!

13.1

2010-11-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

After giving birth to my 4th baby, Kyler, I decided it was time to take a little time & take care of me. For some odd reason I decided to start running. My neighbor found out I was running & asked if she could run with me. I thank my Heavenly Father for her because she has kept me going, we have pushed each other & struggled together to lose our baby weight... our babies are just a few days apart. We started running in June or July & signed up for a half marathon in August? I don't remember the exact time, but after I did it I remember thinking... What WAS I thinking? Another friend joined us in our training & pushed us harder. On October 30th we ran the Halloween Half, we had every intention of running this race together... with over 2500 runners we got a little lost. My mom also joined us in running the race. My goal was to run it in 2 hrs 30 min. The first 5 miles were very much down hill & pushed me a little faster. I finished the race in 2 hrs 13 min. Jeff was holding a sleeping Kyler, so he didn't get a picture. Which is fine, afterall I had just ran 13 miles & I looked it. However if you click here you will be linked to Zazoosh photography. They took all the pictures for the half marathon & if you type in my last name or my bib #:1590 you will find some photos of me. I warn you if you do this, they're not pretty & please no making fun :) In one I'm eating my sports beans, so I've got a very funny look on my face... but those sports beans saved me! Thanks Amy for introducing them to me! Also if you hook on the link link from my blog-The Callahan Clan-you will find a picture of all of us before the race started. I had a lot of fun running the race... I think I'll do it again.

...I'll cry if I want to!!

2010-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the time has gone. So many people-family, friends, & strangers have all said treasure this time!! It has been engrained into my brain & I am. We still have our bad days, but for the most part I am enjoying my young kids. Makelle has been such a treasure to our family! She is so sweet, very much laid back...well, she is a girl & so we do have our ups & downs. But for the most part very, very sweet. She has been my best baby by far, sleeping through the night at a month old & still is. She loves tomatoes, noodles, & candy. She is obsessed with Minnie Mouse & Daisy Duck; hence her birthday cake & her Halloween costume. She gives the BEST hugs! She's very ticklish & we all have so much fun tickling her to death. She started talking really well during family scripture study. We read the words & have the kids repeat it. She does very well & looks forward to scripture time.

She started off her birthday opening up presents from Grandma Jann. In the far right picture on the bottom she's digging deep into the bag to get the stuff out. When the other kids woke up she opened the presents we got her. She got a Minnie Mouse doll, a purple baby (she's obsessed with purple!), a stroller, a Minnie Mouse shirt, Red Rover... she spent the day playing with Minnie, her new baby & stroller, her coloring book & running from Lexi; who felt so left out that she teased Makelle all day long, just for attention. We took the birthday girl to Chick-Fil-A for dinner & let her play on the play set. Then came back for her Minnie cake & pink ice cream.
Can I just mention that birthday girls still need their sleep?! She missed her nap & by 7:00 I could really tell; she was flipping out over everything! So the birthday girl got her last birthday present... early bed time!!

Friends, Halloween, Crawling & Snow

2010-10-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Is this the cutest picture or what? These two are such good friends, they go to pre-school & dance together & love to have play dates; they usually plan them themselves. I love to see their friendship grow
Just a little preview of the kids' Halloween costumes. They got all dressed up for the school's Halloween Carnival. It was lot's of fun; but so crowded we didn't get to everything.
Our nephew Caden is a dead football player, Ethan is SWAT boy (he added the boy part, I don't know why, or how he thought of that part), our neice Kessie is a mermaid, Lexi is Barbie & Makelle is Minnie (she is obcessed with Minnie & Daisy) On a little side note: once Ethan put on that costume he strutted around like he was the King. It was so funny to watch his confidence go up just because of a costume, he did get a lot of comments on how much they loved it.

This little man is now crawling, he's been crawling for a while. This picture was taken when he was beginning to learn. Is he flexible or what? He's crawling all over the house, causing lots of trouble, he gets into EVERYTHING!

This is September. I can't believe how warm it's been. I don't really understand how we went from sprinklers on the tramp to...

snow in less than a month. My kids do love the snow & ask to go play in it every morning. I hate getting them all dressed in their snow clothes only to have them come in five minutes later. But I guess it's worth it to see them happy.

Family Pictures

2010-09-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's about time I updated our family picture. Even though I wanted to lose more weight before I took pictures of myself, I decided to buck up & just do it... who knows how long it'll take me to lose what I want to. Thanks to my friend Janae who made the girls' bows at the last minute. And thanks Carli for taking our pictures...again. I think they turned out pretty cute, considering we couldn't get one smile out of Makelle, but at least she was actually looking at the camera.

Trials

2010-09-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

We all go through different trials in our lives. Though this trial that I am going through now doesn't compare to some of yours, it is my trial nonetheless. I am so thankful for friends & family; love & support, it makes my trial that much easier to bear.

Someone out there has taken my debit card number & gone on a shopping spree. As of today over $700 has been spent in mine & Jeff's name. Is someone out there so desperate for money that they feel like they need to steal from me? Or, are they just that selfish? If you need money I will gladly share what I have, but please don't steal from me. I feel so violated & angry. I don't know how far this will go, if they only stole our number or if they have stolen our identity. In some ways I feel peace about this trial; yes I am angry, yes I am hurt. But if this person came up to me & told me it was them; I would forgive them, no questions asked. Why? Because I don't want this to consume me, my life, or my family. I want it taken care of so they can't do it to someone else.

Has anyone else gone through something like this? What can I do to protect my identity in the future?

Marathon Relay

2010-09-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Left to Right: Amy, Jackie, Me, Melissa, Mom

Last Saturday my sisters, my mom, my friend Amy & I were able to run the Utah Marathon Relay. We each ran 5.2 miles; a running total of 26.2 miles. I had a blast training for this & actually running it. I got my best time; I averaged a 10 minute mile, not bad for just having a baby. I also won an iPOD nano... I never win anything, so I was pretty excited! This relay worked really well into my training for my first half marathon. I'm running the Halloween Half down Provo Canyon in October. I have hated running, but also loved it. It's helped me feel good about myself & lose a lot of my baby weight. I just hate waking up at 5:30 am!

I want to give a huge shout out to Jeff who's been sooo supportive of me doing something for me. He's been the best! On the day of the race he took all 4 kids out by himself for the first time.
He's the best dad & the best husband. He's getting quite good at multi-tasking; he can hold Kyler, cuddle with Lexi & sword fight Ethan all at the same time. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my kids. Thanks babe, Love you!

Movin on up

2010-09-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Makelle has decided to sleep in a big girl bed. I love that it was her decision. We put the bed in her room & let her choose. She's done so well all week, she stays in bed & calls for us to come get her. She loves that she can get in by herself; she is Miss Independent right now & I have to say I love it! It's nice that I don't have to do everything for her. I do allow more time for things; getting everyone loaded in the car usually takes about 10 minutes, but it's ok.
Since Makelle gave up the crib Kyler FINALLY gets a crib. He's been sleeping in a pack 'n play since he was born. Jeff says that he's deprived. I say he's the 4th, not deprived, not less loved, just different. Last night was the first night for his bed; it didn't go so well. He was up every 3 hours. BOO! I don't know if it's because it's uncomfortable for him, or just because it's different, but I sure hope tonight is better!!

Ethan has started soccer again. I believe this is his 10th season...I can't keep track though. He scored 10 goals his last game. His coach is trying to teach him to pass more to give the other kids a chance to play. In his last game the other coach was getting sooo frustrated because Ethan kept taking the ball & dominating the game... He took off his hat & chucked it. I got a good laugh. Through all of this though I believe Ethan has been a good sport, congratulating others when they score & being a good team player.

Lexi has started pre-school with her dear friend Abby. As I was driving her to the orientation she explained to me that she wanted me to leave & she wanted to do it all by herself. I chuckled to myself because Ethan told me the same thing on his first day of kindergarten. I explained to her that the teacher needed to tell me some things so I had to stay, just this time. So now everytime it's time to go to school she tells me she wants to go all by herself & I can pick her up when she's done.

These 2 have become the dearest of friends. They still have their moments of fighting. But they both miss each other when the other is gone. I love the bond that they have created & hope it continues throughout their lives.

Blessings

2010-09-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I believe in fasting. We go without food for 2 meals & pay what we would have spent on those two meals to our bishop. As we go without food we also pray for specific needs, or blessings, or people. Each time I have fasted I have been blessed to know someone specific who is in need of my faith & prayers. Today was no different. I give all credit to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this guidance & revelation. I have seen mighty miracles, softened hearts & many, many blessings come from fasting & prayer.

My cousin does a marriage blog where she posts "apples" to try each day to help our marriages. She posts talks & uplifting quotes. Today she posted a talk by Julie B. Beck given at Women's Conference. I tried this "apple" & have truely been uplifted & inspired to be better, to prioritize essential, necessary & nice-to do things. HERE is the link to read it.

Today started off as quite the "poopy" day. It's amazing how aware my Father in Heaven is of me & my needs. He sends instruments in his hands to help & uplift me. How grateful I am for friends, neighbors & family; each one was sent to me for a specific reason & purpose & I'm grateful to those who listen & follow promptings to serve me.

The Cabin

2010-09-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if anybody really cares; but here goes another post.

We headed up to our cabin over my birthday weekend. Last year we did the same thing & on the drive home Makelle got car sick & threw up all over! This year, I got lucky, no throw up! We had lots of fun looking for deer, frogs & killing flies. The adults stayed up late & played Loaded Questions... I love that game! I haven't laughed so hard it a very long time!

Ethan is loving Kindergarten, he looks forward to going every day. Next week he goes off track, I'm not sure how much I'm really going to like tracks.

Kyler is sitting up & rolling everywhere.

Today I'm thankful for patience. The kids are fighting like mad, but I haven't lost it yet. Heavenly Father really is watching over me & helping me raise these kids.

July catch up

2010-08-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law's parents graciously let us use their condo & their boat & we headed up to Bear Lake with my family. We all enjoyed the beach... Ethan didn't like the sand getting EVERYWHERE! But he loved the boat ride. And he loved swimming in the pool with his water wings. Lexi is our little fish. She swam in the lake & the pool & went EVERYWHERE! She is fearless! But she did awesome swimming all by herself. Makelle loved the beach! She loved getting sandy & playing in the shallow part. She HATED the boat ride! She clung to me the entire time & so OW! OW! She didn't like the pool at first either, once she got used to it she didn't want to leave. Kyler was chill everywhere we went. He was sooo good about being drug here & there. He was up every 3 hours at night; but during the day he was a peach! Lexi chose to go on the boat instead of going to the caves with us. We had fun & got quite the workout climing 996 stairs.

Kyler is growing up so fast! He's rolling everywhere & loves when his siblings play with him; he always gets a huge grin when he sees them.

Makelle goes missing every once in a while. When I haven't seen her for a while I always look in my bathroom first & 99% of the time I find her here... in the sink. She loves to draw on my mirror with my deodrant, pretend to paint her toes, put on make up & read books.

Guess who started KINDERGARTEN?!? I can't believe it either! He started on August 3rd. He's my little social bug; I never worry if he'll make friends, he makes friends EVERYWHERE he goes! He's loving going everyday & looks forward to centers. Right now he's not learning anything new, he learned everything in pre-school. He's reading REALLY well & recognizes all his numbers. He loves to write & draw really cool pictures. He has a great imagination!

A few people asked how I did dropping him off on his first day. I DIDN'T CRY! Ethan is SUCH a good boy! I knew he would follow the rules, make good friends & love every minute of being away from home. Ethan is so loving, he always says "Bye mom, I'll miss you. Love you." And when he comes home he says "I missed you, but I had a lot of fun." I LOVE HIM!

Firsts

2010-07-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

We took the kids bowling for the first time. It was nice to do something we don't normally do. We all had a lot of fun!
Ethan won the game! GO Ethan!! He even got a strike! I got 2 strikes at the end & took 2nd place- wahoo!

Makelle helped roll some of the balls, she was just happy to watch the balls come up. Good family fun!

My mom ran her first half marathon. She did awesome!

The finish line... maybe one day I'll run one too.

In other news, Kyler has 2 ear infections... & so does Makelle. Kyler is on his 2nd medication because the first one didn't clear it up. Makelle is on her 4th medication, because the first 2 she was allergic to & the 3rd one didn't clear it up. This is our last option, if it doesn't clear up this round then our only option is tubes. We took Kyler in for his "well" check (even though he was sick) only to find out that he's losing weight instead of gaining. I felt a little bit like a failure. We are now bottle feeding & he is much happier & will hopefully start gaining some weight. He was in the 10 % for his weight. It was stressful for the first 2 days to get him to take a bottle; he's getting used to it now. Needless to say it's been a very stressful 3 weeks.

This is pretty cool

2010-07-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Left to Right: Ryder- Sept '09, Tucker- Nov '09, Coen- Jan '10, Kyler- March '10, Ikyka-

May '10

These are "the 5 boys" born on Jeff's side of the family. There is no shortage of friends for Kyler. It's kinda cool that a baby was born every 2 months for 8 months

INSPIRATIONAL

2010-07-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

I needed THIS today. It's been one of those days. It is very inspiring & gave me modivation to continue my day striving to do the best I can & rely more on my Savior. I can't do it all by myself.

I've lost it!

2010-06-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

So I lost our camera. I have no idea where I put it & I'm a little bit peeved about it. So here's a little update & when I find the bloody camera I'll post the cutest pictures you've ever seen.

Lexi has started dance with her cute friend Abby... they're so cute together! I love that she has a little playmate, I love that they play so good together & I love my cousin Stephanie for doing joy school & arranging their friendship!

We took our first camping trip of the season. We went up to 12 mile canyon. We had lots of fun playing "baseball", I say "baseball" because Ethan makes up his own rules for the game; so it was closer to baseball than any other sport. We played catch, rode on the 4-wheelers, relaxed, & fished. It was an okay trip until the ride home. We got stuck in the stupid Utah County traffic (down to two lanes on the freeway on a weekend, PATHETIC!) So it took us about an hour just to get through Utah County, & then 2 miles from home our trailer blew a tire! Thanks to our awesome neighbor for coming to the rescue & helping change the tire!

Kyler is officially rolling over & is the happiest he's ever been. We found out yesterday he has his first ear infection... let's hope he doesn't keep getting them! And Makelle has 2 ear infections. It seems with 4 kids not all can be healthy at the same time, it's always one thing or another.

Here's hoping for the best summer ever!

2 Special Days!

2010-05-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Lexi had a birthday on the 15th of May. She was SO excited! She loved all of her presents & was equally excited with each one. After Ethan's soccer games we had a picnice lunch and headed to the zoo. Don't waste your money there: no bears, no zebras, no mountain lions. We saw a whole bunch of monkeys & 2 penguins. They're bringing in some polar bears & sea lions, so go when they actually get some cool animals. The kids had fun though, it was the first time Makelle got to see all the animals that we've been talking about. She LOVED it! Lexi picked Red Robin for her birthday dinner. Ethan is starting to get goofy, every time we get out the camera he strikes a silly pose; too cute! Lexi is FINALLY 3. She's been asking every day for months if she was 3. She's going to start pre-school in September, I don't think she's really excited, but she needs it! Lexi loves playing with babies & wearing my high heels. She loves talking on the phone & she loves her baby brother!
On Sunday we blessed Kyler. Thanks to all our friends & family for making his day so special! I can't believe how big he's getting... all except for his head, he was 75% for his height, 50% for weight & 20% for his head. But I think he's adorable! He's very laid back & rarely cries. He loves to smile; as soon as he sees me he gives me a big cheezer. I love him!

You've Had a Birthday Shout, HOORAY!

2010-05-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Ethan is 5 already! The years have just flown by! He's been so fun...

Ethan is so loving & caring. He can always be found by the little kids giving hugs & kisses. He's always willing to help me out & do whatever I need him to do. He loves playing soccer & has a natural ability to do it. If he doesn't score at least 5 goals he's just not happy. But he always tries his best. He's one smart kid, he's reading & telling time. He loves pre-school & is looking forward to kindergarten! He's been planning his 5th birthday since his 4th birthday. He wanted a party with a pinata & he wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. He got his wish & we had 12 little 5 year olds running around our house having a ball. Then we took him to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. He's now planning his 6th birthday. Throughout the day Lexi would say "Happy Birthday, Ethan!" It was cute that she remembered it was his day. And surprisingly there was no fighting all day. BEST DAY EVER!

Lexi loves to hold Kyler, every opportunity she gets she's always asking to hold him. He's smiling so good now, even the kids can get him to smile. Moab, a little girl I teach piano to got the first laugh out of our little guy. He's so fun & sleeping at least 8 hours at night, YES!!

Ethan's pre-school took a field trip to Wheeler Farm- thanks Jackie for helping me out with the kids! I couldn't have handled all four kids by myself at a place like that! They had lots of fun running around in the freezing cold! It was fun, I look forward to getting out more as the weather continues to warm up!

Oh & FYI the tiniest picture in the collage is Makelle on time out. She puts her nose in the corner & stays there for one minute. She cries the entire time... but stays there, surprisingly! It breaks my heart, but does the trick; she doesn't repeat that behavior when I put her there. Yesterday I saw her putting her dollie's nose in the corner... too cute!

I guess it wasn't the worst day

2010-05-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

This post is mostly for me. I want to remember what happened, but then again I want to forget about it too. It was a really emotionally draining day. The day started out fairly normal. About 9:30 a.m. Kyler started being REALLY fussy. He's not a fussy baby by nature, he's so happy & content to hang out. I figured he had a stomach ache, because of something I ate; that happens all too often. I held & cuddled him ALL DAY LONG! Emotionally draining! He would fuss through feedings, but was still eating; I wasn't too worried. As the day wore on there were no smiles, he slept or cried. I could tell he was in pain & felt bad about the pepperoni I had eaten. About 6 o'clock as I was feeding him I noticed that he felt warmer than usual. I took his temperature... 101. Here we go again. I had just taken Makelle into the doctor last Friday for her temperature of 103 (they think she has a sinus infection). I called the doctor & they asked me to bring him in. The doctor took a LONG look at him. No ear infection. No evidence that it was viral. No evidence that it was bacterial. The doctor proceeded to tell me that 97% of the time it is viral, but there was a 2% chance it was bacterial. There was no way to find out unless they did blood tests, urine samples, maybe even a spinal tap. The thought of nurses & doctors poking & prodding my son had me in tears. HE'S ONLY 7 WEEKS! The doctor felt it best to send us to Primary Children's Hospital downtown... the one in Riverton doesn't admit infants overnight; so he thought it best to start downtown in case he needed to be monitored overnight. I went & picked up Jeff & my mother-in-law took the older kids to sleep over at her house. It was nice to know they were well taken care of, one less or more like 3 less things I didn't have to worry about. We got to the hopsital about 9 o'clock p.m. The waiting was probably the worst part. I just wanted to know my son was going to be ok. As we waited in the waiting room a couple of patients waiting their turn started talking to me & were genuinely concerned for Kyler. I in turn was asking about their situations & feel so blessed that this was only our first (& hopefully last) trip to Primary's. We finally were able to be seen. They poked & prodded, he cried & fussed. We would get him settled down & they would poke & prod some more. I did leave the room for part of it... I'm not a fan of needles & I hated to see him in so much pain. Jeff stayed with him & was my rock the entire time we were there. He was so calm & knew everything was going to be fine. I think I cried for 9 hours straight. About 1 a.m. my dad & Jeff gave him a blessing. That was the first time I felt comfort... the Spirit was so strong in that tiny room. I'm so grateful for the priesthood! And finally at about 2:00 a.m. the doctor came in & told us the blood tests came back normal. We are still waiting on the spinal tap test. We get the results tomorrow & pray that it is normal. As they were discharging us they took his temperature one more time, it had started to go down. I was hopeful once again that he would be fine. Today he is giving me smiles & acting more like himself. He is still one sleepy baby.. all that prodding all night long sure took a toll on him. We love Kyler & are thankful to our Heavenly Father for blessing us with this sweet spirit!

I'm still learning

2010-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

One of my goals is to prioritize my time better. I LOVED Sister Julie Beck's talk.. it was the Saturday morning session of conference. It really hit me hard! That talk was for me! I'm trying not to tell my kids that I'm too busy, or I'll do it later. I'm trying to live in the moment. I'm one that when I start something I just want to get it done, I don't want to take a minute away & do something else. So... I'm trying to take that minute & hug & cuddle my kids when THEY want it & to give Jeff a kiss when he comes home, no matter how busy I may be. So this week I took some time & took pictures of the moments I saw.

Ethan & Lexi doing service... they volunteered to make our bed, so that I wouldn't have to. I love this moment! It makes me feel so special & loved.
Makelle playing peek-a-boo

Lexi & Ethan "playing" together. They were really fighting until I took out the camera.

Kyler smiling... it's just a little one. He was giving me huge ones until I took out the camera.

These are the moments I don't want to forget!

Easter Fun

2010-04-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Our cute little man is almost a month old, boy that time went by fast! He's adorable & LOVES to be held! I can hardly put him down during the day. Which I love & hate at the same time. He won't want me to hold & cuddle him for very long so I want to live it up while I can. But then it's hard to get other things done. I'm getting good at doing things one handed.
We colored easter eggs. The kids had lots of fun & didn't want to be done. They didn't have the patience to leave them in for very long, but the eggs turned out good just the same.

Makelle really wanted to join in on the fun. Mean mommy & daddy wouldn't let her. But she had fun peeking in on the kids.

Easter morning... They didn't seem too excited to do the hunt. They watched TV in our room for a while & then Ethan asked if they could go get the eggs. I was surprised they waited as long as they did, but I did get to sleep in a little; so I didn't complain.

Ethan was such a sweetheart. After they got all the eggs Ethan got Kyler's basket & put some of his own eggs into Kyler's basket; He just wanted Kyler to have some too. I thought it was so sweet of him to share!

Lexi with her basket.

Our cute little guy on Easter morning.

Makelle thought the dyed eggs were yummy... what a character!

We enjoyed conference & celebrating the ressurection of our Savior!

Adjusting!

2010-03-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Adjusting to 4 has been harder for me than adjusting to 3. I've heard people say that 3's the hardest. Well, not for me. I know it's only been 2 1/2 weeks, and maybe I should cut myself some slack. My kids are cute & have been very helpful, bringing me diapers & whatever I need. And Jeff has been so good to pick up a little extra slack around the house.

We decided to take pictures of the kids in their easter outfits. Makelle wasn't very cooperative when we wanted a picture of all the kids, so Jeff had to sit with them.

Kyler is still a sweet little boy, we're very blessed to have him in our family. He caught a cold from his big sister. Oh the joys of older kids. I have been a bit worried that it will turn into RSV because he's so little. Can I ask for prayers in his behalf? I need all the faith & prayers I can get. The more kids I have the more worries I get. Jeff gave him a blessing & I know he'll be ok, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy, I hope it is, but it's in the Lord's hands.

As you can see from the big middle picture, the kids LOVE him! It's as if he has always been part of our family.

It's all about Kyler

2010-03-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Kyler joined our family Thursday March 11th 2010 at 2:02 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and is 20 1/2 in. long. He was alert for the first 5 or so hours & only cried once when he made his entrance. He still doesn't cry too much, but he definately speaks his mind when he's hungry {which seems to be more often than not} He's such a good baby & puts up with a lot from his siblings. The kids are adjusting well to him... Lexi always wants to hold him, Makelle likes to point & say "baby", but she doesn't really care much about him. Ethan is constantly washing his hands so he can touch him & kiss him.

We're so blessed to have Kyler join our family! I can't wait for the newborn stage to be over :)

if only it lasted longer

2010-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love moments like these. I love that Ethan is learning to read & loves to read to his little sister. This was a very short moment, when no one was crying or throwing a tantrum today.

Have You Ever?

2010-02-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt overlooked? Like your opinion & what you do doesn't matter? Have you ever felt so alone, like no one else knew you existed? Have you ever felt like you've given all you can give & just don't have anymore to give? Have you ever felt like YOU were the one who deserved it, but it's always someone else that got it? Have you ever tried to be a good friend but didn't receive the same in return? Have you ever felt your Heavenly Father's love surround you so completely that all those other feelings got lost? My Heavenly Father loves me & is aware of me & my needs. He knows the blessings I need & the trials to make me grow stronger. My Heavenly Father does not overlook me & I matter to Him, he never leaves me alone & gives me strength when I feel all is lost.

I had the opportunity to listen to Sheri Dew speak at a Women's Conference. She spoke of influence. Each day we are influencing at least 100 people, how are we influencing them? Are we being charitable? Are we living the way Heavenly Father wants us to live so that those we are influencing come out better people? As I went through the line at the grocery store the cashier smiled & complimented my enormous belly. She influenced me & made me feel better for having seen her. How am I leaving those that I see? Although I may feel sadness or anger from something that happened, I need to make sure that I'm leaving others better than how I found them.

What are we letting influence our lives? Is the TV on too much, are we letting the world influence who we become instead of the Lord? I know in my house the TV could be on less & we would be a closer family. How grateful I am for my family & the wonderful influence they are for me & for my kids. Every woman has the right to feel validated, loved & accepted. May we all strive harder to validate & love instead of tear down others.

Getting through it

2010-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have asked me how I do it: being pregnant & taking care of 3 kids. We've been taking it one day at a time & surviving most days. Our days consist of Makelle boxing...
Ethan going camera happy on Lexi...

...and on himself...

Makelle hiding in the cupboards... this is her favorite spot & she literally does this all the time, I don't know what it is, but she loves to be in there...

and bathtime... the kids' favorite time of day!

I've been trying to enjoy every moment I have with these kids, things just aren't going to be the same after Kyler joins our family. I don't know how I'm going to get through it... I'll probably never leave the house. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I love my life & the challenges it brings. I'm learning to love the challenges because I'm learning to better myself & the way I handle them.

Ethan is loving pre-school. He's doing so well & even starting to read. He's looking forward to Kindergarten.

Lexi loves to look pretty & so we spend a lot of our days putting on make up & doing nail polish. She's initiated learning her letters & writing her name. She's so proud of herself & know she's smart... "like Ethan"

Makelle is so happy & has a fake laugh that just cracks me up every time. She repeats everything we say & loves it when the kids involve her in their playtime.

I'm looking forward to having this baby... I bet no one out there understands that... you all love being pregnant. I'm experiencing more aches & pains than ever, but somehow manage... how did I get so lucky to have the best husband ever? He's an amazing support & I don't think I would make it if it wasn't for him & the joy he brings to our family.

Capturing Moments

2009-12-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

I love moments like these, I tried so hard to burn it into my memory. No kids were crying, no kids were fighting. Ethan was at Grandma's playing. Lexi wanted to play with make up & Makelle wanted to join in. We painted fingernails, put make up & jewelry on & had a girly day. The girls put jewelry & make up on me & we just enjoyed being girls. Makelle was so cooperative, she felt so big & loved having jewelry & make up put on.
Lexi got make up & lots of jewelry for Christmas & has loved using it! The picture below on the top right corner is when she did it herself. She put lipstick all over her cheeks & hair & when we tried to scrub it off it wouldn't come off. It died her cheeks, but she sure had fun. She also got some dress ups that she rarely takes off.. she loves feeling pretty.

Santa always comes to my mother-in-laws Christmas party on the 22nd. Lexi & Ethan patiently waited their turn to sit on his lap (there's 23 grandkids & they were one of the last to get their turn). Ethan was so excited when Santa walked in, he screamed "Santa's here!" I asked Lexi if she was gonna tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas & she said, "No, I already did." Santa had come to our ward party. She was right, why did she have to tell him again? Makelle did not like him! But at least we got the picture. The kids enjoyed opening their presents on Christmas morning. It was fun to watch their faces light up. We had a wonderful Christmas & enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Winter Fun

2009-12-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

My kids are so lucky to have such a great dad! I don't enjoy the snow, I hate being cold. Luckily the kids have a dad that will play with them in the snow & show them how to make snow angels & snowmen.
Here they are making the first snowman of the season. Lexi didn't last too long, I think she's like me & doesn't enjoy being cold either.

TaDa!

My sister gave me such a cute idea I had to share it. You get sugar cones & paint them with green frosting & decorate them as a tree. The kids had so much fun doing this for family night last night... Jeff liked it too. The kids probably had more fun licking their fingers & knives filled with frosting.

Lexi ended up decorating two, she just had too much fun.

I am terrible at sending out Christmas cards. I have good intentions every year... most years I even get them addressed, but never sent, I don't know what my problem is. So consider this your Christmas greeting from the Ellingson family

Merry Christmas!

I just can't believe it!

2009-12-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

I have had the flu 3 times this pregnancy. I had no morning sickness, but thrown up more this pregnancy than I have since being pregnant with Lexi. Makelle started throwing up on Thursday night. We thought it was too much oil in her tummy from dinner, there was no fever or any other symptoms. And she was fine the next day. Saturday night on the way home from my parents Ethan started throwing up.... why do my kids ALWAYS throw up in the car? Luckily I had a garbage bag & we caught it all. We also ended up on the side of the road with him puking some more. Saturday night I started feeling nausious & was out all day Sunday. So far everyone is feeling better... we're hoping no one else gets it & those who have had it are all over it! I want to enjoy the holiday parties & not worry about whether we should even go, so as not to get anyone sick. I know that was kind of a gross post, but I'm so sick of being sick!!

Loving the holidays

2009-12-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come & gone. We had a wonderful time with Jeff's family & then we went over to my family's for pie, well... more pie. It's been over a year since ALL of Jeff's family has gotten together, we were actually only missing one person, nothing like the holiday's to bring a family together. The day after Thanksgiving I decided it was time to use the treadmill that just sits in my room. It didn't take long for the kids to come in & want a turn too. Lexi is patiently waiting for another turn
I'm hoping to instill in my kids the importance of exercising & eating right now. They seem to enjoy exercising... it was Makelle's first time on the treadmill, I think she liked it.

Jeff decided to put the tree up. If he would've asked me I would've wanted to wait until the middle of December... I hate keeping Makelle away from the tree. She's drawn to it & loves to take the ornaments off, I think she loves to drive me crazy. I'm looking forward to all the Christmas parties we have going on. My most favorite tradition is boys against girls on Christmas Eve. We go with my family to shop for a family in need. We see who can get the most stuff without going over our limit. Then we doorbell ditch & leave their stuff on the doorstep. We get food & some gifts... I love teaching my kids that there are people out there that don't have as much as we do. When I asked Ethan why we celebrate Christmas he told me it's because when we want a toy Santa can bring it to us... we had a family night lesson on the real reason & now we have brain washed him to say exactly what we told him. One day he'll find out for himself, but for now me & Jeff try to teach our kids through our testimonies.

So Much to be Grateful for!

2009-11-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Our days have been filled with Ethan's soccer games. He loves playing & looks forward to his games. He had his last game on Saturday & scored 17 goals. I was so proud!! I hope the other parents enjoyed coming to watch my little boy dominate. He actually had an ok team this time... 3 other boys on his team scored too & helped a lot with defense. All his other teams, he's been the only one who knows how to play, so he does all the work.
I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it was cute anyway. He's giving his coach knuckles after one of his goals. He had 10 goals the 1st half & the 2nd half the coach tried to get him to pass the ball to his team. He got the game rolling & his teammates got into the game. We will definately keep him in soccer as long as he enjoys it.

Ethan and Lexi taught Makelle ring-around-the-rosies. She absolutely loved it!

She always got a little too excited & fell down before it was time. But she got the jist of the game.

I am so grateful for my kids! I love how good they play together. I love everything that they teach each other. I loved that when they were sick they wanted to cuddle me & stay by me; I'm grateful that now that they're better I have space & don't have 3 tag-a-longs. I'm so grateful for the conference edition of the Ensign. I love the reminders I get as I read it of ALL the things I need to do to be a better mom & a better wife. And I'm so grateful for my family & friends, for their love & service. It makes me want to do better at finding ways to serve others.

Catching Up

2009-11-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

On Halloween Ethan started coughing & not feeling so good. Two days later I started coughing & not feeling so good, I got a fever & the body aches. I called my OB & they treated me for the swine flu. I was down for 3 days with no energy... literally. I just layed around for 3 days, barely able to get up & shower. I kept watching the kids & calling the pediatrician with any symptoms they had that were remotely like mine. None of them ever got the body aches & none of them lost their energy. The kids & Jeff were spared, how? I don't know, but I'm grateful they were. The kids have had coughs & low grade fevers & we are now just getting back to our normal selves. I now have the energy to blog again... last night ALL of the kids slept through the night!! It's been 2 1/2 weeks, but we finally pulled through it.

I haven't had the energy to do much, but I saw this cute idea on another blog & just had to do it. The kids feet are the body of the turkey & their hands are the feathers. They had so much fun doing this, Ethan did a lot of the cutting himself, the hands were a little tricky, so I did help him out there. But he did all the gluing & placing... Lexi put the glue on & drew her eyes, I thought they were pretty good considering it's her first time drawing eyes.
Makelle has been my challenge through all of this. She's been so needy & clingy. We have read book after book after book. And gone through so much motrin it's ridiculous. Apples have kept her happy for a half an hour or so... she did get 3 teeth while being sick, so I'm sure that made it twice as bad as just being sick. I can't tell you how happy I was when after two weeks of being cooped up in the house I got to go grocery shopping... the kids were excited too, & they were so good. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving & normalcy.

All rolled into 1

2009-11-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

We should start with Halloween, because that happened first. Ethan is a knight (he chose that because he got to carry a sword & a shield around), Lexi is Cinderella & Makelle is a ballerina. Jeff took E.E. & Lexi trick or treating, while I stayed home with Makelle & handed out candy. The kids had a blast, they stayed out for about an hour and a half & came home freezing but happy.

Happy 1st birthday Makelle! The year flew by fast! She was funny & kept those sunglasses on the entire time she opened her presents. We had a hard time getting her to move on to the next gift, she always liked the one she opened. We also had a hard time keeping Ethan & Lexi from opening them for her, they were too excited. She got some books & babies & pretty's... Lexi was so excited everytime she opened up a baby, "For me!!" She was heartbroken when we told her they were for Makelle... even though she has a billion babies herself. Makelle tried reaching her cake while we were still singing to her... apparently she couldn't wait. She REALLY enjoyed the frosting on her cake. She never actually ate the cake, she just smeared the frosting all over her hair. I thought it was adorable, but a little hard to get out. We're so blessed to have her in our family! What a joy!

Just making memories

2009-10-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Makelle's new thing is to hide under the table, eat an apple & poop. I think it's adorable! It keeps her happy & healthy.
One thing I look forward to every day is having dinner as a family. We never miss a night. I love that Ethan volunteers to say the prayer every time & Lexi repeats exactly what he says. What a good example!

Ethan had his pre-school Halloween party. He was so excited to dress up. His eyes are half closed in this picture, so he doesn't look excited. But he sure came home happy!

My knight & his valiant steed. He was so excited when we called to tell him he was going to have a little brother. He ran to tell Grandma, screaming "It's a boy! Grandma, it's a boy!" He was so excited that he tripped & fell & then kneeled on his fingers trying to get up. Oh the memories we create!

Learning & Sharing

2009-10-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Let's start off with my lovely shiner! Lexi got rough on the bed & jumped & landed on my cheek bone. There was so much force that she gave me a huge goose egg & a nice black eye. This picture was taken about five days after it happened, so most of the swelling is down & it has a nice pretty color. I get lots of funny looks & a lot of people really think Jeff did it.
I've been into Super Nanny lately. She gives some really good tips on how to deal with the little munchkins. She talked about a listening game. So for family night we blind folded everyone & they had to listen to whoever was giving instructions to find a ball & put it in a bucket. The ball & the bucket were in seperate rooms, so it was kind of difficult. Afterwards we talked about the importance of listening to mom & dad, so we can be guided to our goal. It was a fun game for the kids. And they did pretty good.
We've also started a new thing; before we put the kids to bed we tell them ALL of the good things they did that day. I've been trying to write them down as I see them. So that even if there are tantrums & fighting at the end of the day we can still end on a good note. I've noticed their desire to do more good things throughout the day.

Ethan wanted to go on an adventure today. He wanted to look for shapes. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to help Lexi learn her shapes. We searched around the house for lots of different shapes. The vacuum is a triangle. I thought it was pretty clever & pretty close. It was even Lexi's idea... I think it was a lucky guess, but the more we do it the better she'll get.

This was their star find. Not too shabby.

Ethan noticed this rectangle right off... the door, but actually the rug woulda worked too.

I'd love to hear your ideas & activities that you do with your kids. I'm not very creative myself, I have to steal other people's ideas, that's why I watch Super Nanny. And don't forget to vote, the poll is at the top of the blog... boy or girl?

I'm Lovin' It!

2009-10-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love all the energy that I have. Even though I'm not fully myself, I'm enjoying what energy I do have & am enjoying my kids a whole lot more! With no energy I literally didn't want my kids to do anything, I didn't want to clean up the mess. But now, I'm having more fun with them & don't mind the clean up. We let the kids paint pumpkins... they had tons of fun & made a huge mess. Good times! We made sugar cookies for family night. They had so much fun rolling their own dough & using the cookie cutters. Our family night was on service, we were supposed to decorate the cookies & give them to our friends & neighbors. We actually didn't have time to do that yet, so hopefully today. That was an even bigger mess & more work for me. But we had fun & made some good memories. Makelle was happy to entertain herself & was all smiles... she got to taste the dough too. She's been in a new phase where she wants to feed herself. So we gave her a plate & she had a blast eating pizza.

We find out what we're having on October 30th. So vote & tell me what you think I'm having. I've been secretly hoping for a boy, I believe three teenage girls would make me crazy, especially given how close they'll be. I know we'll survive & I'll be so happy either way. After talking to my aunt who has 4 girls in a row & super close too, I know I could do it & will have love & support. Let's just hope this one is a good sleeper too!

It's Amazing

2009-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how little minds come up with big ideas. Ethan wanted to put on a show for me. Him & Lexi used the chair as a stage & did tricks & dances for me. He told me to put up the blanket & where to put the chair. I thought it was a very cute idea & their performance was spectacular.
Ethan showed Lexi how to do it & she did her own little rendition. It was adorable & I look forward to the next one

It's amazing that Makelle is up & walking. I don't know how it happened, every time she would get up to walk some little child was there to push her right over, or pick her up, or even try to "help" her. But she is walking everywhere now, so I figured it was a good time to put shoes on. She loves them & doesn't do to bad walking in them.

It's amazing that our garden produced as much as it did. This is me & Jeff's second year planting a garden. We are still figuring out tricks & what works & what doesn't. Guess what, pumpkins worked! We had a fun time picking the pumpkins together.

Yes Lexi is eating a tomato like an apple. I don't get it, but she seemed to enjoy herself. Our zucchini & squashes have also done well. We're so lucky to have a garden & eat the fruits of our labor

The Diaper Fairy

2009-09-29T09:18:00.001-07:00

Lexi decided to regress from potty training & started pooping in her panties. This happened at least twice a day, sometimes more. I found it easier to put her back in diapers. She was still peeing in the potty, so I still considered her potty trained. I was complaining to a cute friend of mine & she suggested the diaper fairy. The fairy comes while she's sleeping & leaves behind a special gift. While we were in Disneyland I talked to her about the diaper fairy & what was going to happen, and asked her what she wanted the diaper fairy to bring her. By the time we got home from Disneyland she was pretty excited for her to come. So we gathered all of her diapers & put them in a basket by her bed. When she woke up the fairy had taken all her diapers & left her some make up.. (she's such a girl!) She understands there are no more diapers & has done so well! She has pooped in her panties once & had to clean it up. She got poop on her hands & hated it. I made it clear that it's her poop & she has to clean up her accidents... of course I cleaned up after, but when she wasn't around, so that she knew it was her responsibility. Lexi is now potty trained.. again & hopefully it will work for any of you struggling to potty train your little ones.

Disneyland, "diego" zoo & Sea World

2009-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our trip started early Monday morning, we left for the airport at 6 am. We barely made our flight, security was super busy! Ethan & Lexi enjoyed their first airplane ride. Lexi kept saying, "Hold on, hold on tight." Makelle on the other hand cried most of the time & was not enjoyable. I don't blame her though, it was quite early & she was rudely awakened. We had a rough time finding our hotel, we went the wrong way a couple times, but we finally found it & headed off for Disneyland. The second we stepped in Ethan threw a fit cause he wanted to buy the first thing he saw... and the tantrums continued!!
The first character we saw was Captain Hook. Lexi was scared of him. Ethan was excited & Makelle really didn't care.

In Mickey's house, they were mad at each other & wouldn't sit closer together. I thought we were in a magical place, so the fighting would stop, but... I was wrong!

Here they are fighting over Mickey's chair. A little embarssing? I'd say so! It did make me feel better when I saw other parents dealing with tantrums too. They fought a lot, they continued their fighting in their sleep!! "Stop kicking me!" "You're on my side." After that we put them in seperate beds & things were much better.

In toon town they have a little play ground, Makelle was so excited to get out of her stroller!

Lexi looks a little worried, "He's touching me!!" She likes her personal space. Ethan loved seeing all the characters he sees on TV

This was the best part of my day! Lexi chose a new purse filled with good stuff for her souvenier. She hasn't let go of it since. She fell asleep everyday & missed out on some rides. But I was happy because she wasn't whining or crying.

This is included in the best part of my day. She usually fell asleep the same time Lexi did, so we had peace & quiet for a few hours. Bliss!! Makelle found this bear at one of the shops & would not let go of it! We tried every stuffed animal & character in the store & she pushed 'em all away. She had her mind set, she's a girl who knows what she wants. We were lucky to have my in-laws with us on the trip. My father-in-law doesn't like going on the rides, so he stayed with the sleeping girls when there was a ride that I could go on.

Ethan picked out the most annoying sword in the world for his souvenier. But I always knew where he was, it was that loud!

Makelle cuddling her two favorite things in the world. I don't know what I would do if we ever lost either one.

Goofy's line was always so long, so I just snagged a picture. He was always moving, so it was hard to get a good shot.

Waiting for the Buzz Lightyear ride. It was Ethan's all time favorite ride. Why? Because you get to shoot guns!! We went on it probably 3 or 4 times in a row, the line was short & it was fun for the kids to shoot the targets.

Mulan wouldn't touch the kids. They were soaked! There was a splash park type place in the Bug's Life & they loved it! It was so hot!

I think Minnie was Lexi's favorite. Makelle was puzzled by all the kissing noises she was making

Mater & Lightining Maqueen. Ethan was fascinated!

The next day we headed over to California Adventures. Ethan loved the Toy Story ride over there. More guns! The line was super long, but worth it, it did go pretty fast. And that is where we saw the Bawden's... any of you Harvest Park friends remember them from the other ward? Lexi enjoyed the swining ferris wheel ride. We also saw a Bug's Life 3D show. The kids hated it!! I thought it was good, but the kids thought it was scary. I also took Lexi to the Muppets 3D show, it wasn't really scary, but she didn't like how close everything got.

Ethan didn't enjoy the rides that were dark or got you wet. But he was a good sport & tried most of them. I wish I could've gone on more, but it was still fun to watch the kids enjoy the magic.

Thursday we headed to San Diego. Ethan kept calling the zoo the diego zoo, instead of San Diego. I was hoping he wasn't connecting it with Go Diego Go & be disappointed when he wasn't there. Ethan liked the bronzed animals more than he liked the real ones. He had to get his picture taken next to every one he saw.

They have a cute little play ground for the kids. They all enjoyed it!

I love Lexi's cheeser's.

Makelle loved exploring & getting dirty... anything but that stroller ...AGAIN!

These are the tigers. Apparently they have 4, but can only bring out 2 at a time because they don't get along. It was cool to see them so up close. They also have 2 lions, we got to see them chewing on big huge bones. The San Diego zoo is huge! I sure got my workouts in walking up & down those big hills.

The polar bears were the most exciting part. They were so active & playful, we spent the most time watching them. This was the first time I'd ever seen a panda bear. It was so cute! And of course we had to get the picture of the elephant stomping on the kids.

Friday we headed over to Sea World. They had an awesome penguin exhibit. And the kids got to play with the starfish.

They got to see a sea turtle

Ethan thought it was so cool

I didn't forget about Makelle. I know there's not tons of pictures of her. But she was good to either sit in the stroller or sleep. But by this time she was getting ancy.

Of course we had to see the Shamu show. The kids didn't particularly love it. They didn't want to sit down & watch anything. But I love to watch these animals. They amaze me!

There was 3 performing, I had an older man with a really big hat sitting in front of me, so I didn't have the best view, oh the things we do for our kids.

They had a really cool shark exhibit as well. You go underneath the ground & the sharks are swimming all around you.

They had a cute polar bear exhibit, but the bears weren't as active as the ones at the zoo.

Saturday we headed home! We are all pooped. The kids had fun enjoyed the rides, & really didn't want to leave. Makelle did much better on the plane ride home. She slept most of the time.

Ethan & Lexi enjoyed their new coloring books & watched a little TV. Before we knew it we were home! I'm happy to be home! Vacation is a lot of work, but we enjoyed our trip & hope to do it again when the kids get a little older.

Thank heaven!

2009-09-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Since becoming pregnant I have had NO energy... not even a little. It may seem like an over exaggeration, but I could barely muster enough energy to give the kids the things they needed, making them a little more independent. They've been so good to help out. We did do some swimming, and camping, but mostly just staying inside, out of the heat! Since the nights are cooler we are hanging outside a little bit more & the kids are much happier.

Makelle is taking some steps & getting closer to walking.

Lexi is finally getting alone time with mommy. Ethan has graduated staying home & is now at pre-school 3 days a week. He is loving it & has made some friends & even learned a few things. I love having the time with Lexi, I can finally dedicate time to just teach her... Makelle naps while Ethan's at pre-school, so it's been convenient.

I'm now 14 weeks & getting some energy back.

The kids were so helpful one day in helping me clean up the play room, they picked up all the toys themselves. As you can see some things really should've been left on the ground

They were so proud! And so was I!
My brother-in-law & sister-in-law have been trying to have another baby for about 5 years. They have one little girl who's 6. And attempted to adopt twice, both adoptions the parents decided to keep the baby at the last moment. It has been heartbreaking watching them go through this. She is now about 20 weeks pregnant & having a boy & an adoption finally went through for them, they just brought home a little boy named Ryder. We're so happy for them! Prayers are answered, even if it did take 5 years.

Oh the joys!

2009-08-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

We got to spend my birthday weekend up at our cabin. The cabin is one of my favorite places to be, I learned so much up there growing up & have so many fond memories. I hope it's around for a long time so that my kids can make fun memories up there as well. We took a lot of "hikes" as Ethan called them, but they were more like walks. Me & Ethan had a little mommy/son time & took a long walk together. It's so nice to have that one on one time together. After that one on one time Lexi decided she wanted it too. So I took a walk with her too, this one wasn't so enjoyable as she wanted me to pull her in this tiny wagon. I was holding Makelle as well, so it was awkward & hurt my back. But we still had fun being up in the mountains & exploring.

Makelle absolutely adores stuffed animals! Once she gets a hold of one she has a hard time letting go. It's so cute to see her cuddle the animals & love them to pieces.

When Grumpy got up to the cabin he took us all to the shooting range. Lexi & Ethan were lucky enough to ride in the back with Spencer & Amber. They enjoyed being with the big "kids." They were so helpful and helped find all the clay pigeons that didn't get shot.

I am now officially 25. And for a wonderful birthday present Makelle decided to throw up all over her carseat on the way home from the cabin. What a wonderful present, right? After we cleaned it up as best we could with scented baby wipes & germX, we rode home with the windows down! She ended up just having a little too much oil in her tummy from the lasagna & was perfectly herself after throwing up.

Each of my children are such a blessing in my life! They bring so much to the family, so much happiness & joy. I can't wait to see what the next one will bring. They're all so different & I can't imagine what this one is going to look like, or be like. We got to see the heart beat today & everything is looking good. I'm excited to welcome another baby into our family!

Spencer & Amber are married!!

2009-08-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Spencer & Amber joined in holy matrimony for time & all eternity Thursday Aug. 13th. The ceremony was beautiful! Of course I cried, my only brother tied the knot. It was just yesterday he was kicking us with his cowboy boots & eating an apple everywhere he went. I'm so happy for him! He's lucky he found a girl that likes to hunt & fish just as much as him.
There was a lady there from Amber's ward that was doing balloon animals & things for the kids. Lexi got a pretty flower, & for most of the night she was making me smell it. It kept them entertained for a while considering how long of a day they had had.

She made Ethan a sword, hat & hilt. The batteries in my camera died yesterday so I took a late picture. He is absolutely in heaven!

The kids were so patient waiting for all the pictures to get taken. It's so nice they have cousins around the same age to keep them company. It was so nice to see old friends at the reception. It was a long day, waking up at 6 & getting into bed around 11:30. The kids were pretty good sports & slept in a little bit. All in all it was a good day & congrats & Spencer & Amber!

A very eventful weekend!

2009-08-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

More camping! After this trip I'm all camped out! It was a lot of work this time for some reason, but we made it. Makelle did this for most of the weekend, just played on the stairs of the trailer. It was tough because she wanted to crawl everywhere, but she kept eating rocks & leaves. This seemed to keep her attention for the majority of the trip.
Ethan caught his very first fish on his very own pole. He was so proud of himself. This is daddy gutting it.

Makelle loves her daddy. She got a diaper rash & diarrhea while we were camping, so she wasn't always her happy self, but daddy can usually get a smile out of her.

Grandpa is a brave soul & let Lexi drive the four wheeler all by herself. She's one crazy driver! Lexi & Makelle were on the 4-wheelers for a lot of the trip. When I couldn't get Makelle to calm down I would take her on a slow ride & she would calm right down, until I took her off, she loved it too much to give it up.

A couple people brought their dogs on the trip. They were very well behaved & Makelle absolutely adored them! She's pointing to the dog & whining to go after it. She was very soft & loving to the dog & always wanted to be by them. She's actually signing dog & saying dd- code for dog

We took the kids to the zoo last weekend & got to see the new baby giraffe. He was born the day before we got there & was already about 6 feet tall. Makelle loved seeing all the animals & pointed at everything & laughed & smiled. Yesterday at church Jeff took Lexi to the bathroom, as she was running to the door to catch up to Jeff she ran smack into the bathroom counter. It knocked her flat on her back. Jeff cuddled her & tried to make her feel better, until she moved her hand. Blood was gushing everywhere! He came to get me & we rushed her to Insta Care. The nurse looked at it and said 3 or 4 stitches & she'll be as good as new. He put some numbing gel on & we waited about 25 minutes to get her back for the stitches. She was so good through the whole thing, she only cried when she saw me crying, so I tried to be brave for her. Jeff took her back & they cleaned it out. Come to find out it was way deeper than they initiallly thought. Jeff got to see her skull. I'm so glad I wasn't back there, I definately woulda fainted! Jeff even got a little queasy. They ended up having to give her a numbing shot inside her cut. Jeff said that was the hardest part for Lexi, it took a little while & he had to help hold her down. They said that if she didn't hold still during the stitching that we would have to go to the ER to have her sedated. Jeff said she did so awesome! She just sat there, which if you know Lexi it's next to impossible for her to do such a thing. As long as she could see Jeff she was fine, but when the doctor's arm got in the way of her view of daddy she got a little worried. 3 deep stitches & 6 surface stitches later she is whole & happy! Any time someone asks her about it she says "all better, all done." She was so brave, braver than me. The big picture in the middle was taken today of her stitches, Jeff took a picture of it before the stitches, but it's pretty gory so I won't post that one. We missed most of church, but we thank friends & family for all their concern for Lexi, she felt so loved!

She Did It!!

2009-07-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday Lexi told me she didn't want to wear a diaper, she wanted to wear panties. I said ok, reluctantly, I wasn't really ready to take the time to potty train. She had 3 accidents that day. The next day I put a diaper on her because I wasn't going to be home & didn't want to deal with it. Thursday she wore panties all day & hasn't had an accident since. I can't believe how big she has gotten so fast! I'm so proud of her & am so thankful it was so easy! It's so nice to only have one child in diapers!

Parade Fun

2009-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

We went to the Bountiful parade yesterday with my family. The kids had so much fun eating pizza & sno cones
and laffy taffy. Every time people would throw candy, if they didn't throw enough my mom would get out her stash & throw some to the kids.

Makelle snuck some pizza while no one was looking. And look how happy she is!

The kids waiting for the parade to start

Makelle had fun playing with whatever she could find, she didn't care for the parade

I can never get a straight face from Jeff, he's always got to do something silly

Lexi & Makelle absolutely adore their soon-to-be aunt Amber. She's so fun & outgoing, who can't help but love her?

Ethan showing me one of the many treats he got. He actually got sick of picking up candy. The parade lasted about 2 hours... they had about a 10 minute intermission for some reason, so it seemed to go on too long. They only had 2 or 3 impressive floats, the rest were schools & businesses. But we had fun anyway.

PaYsOn LaKe

2009-07-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took the kids to Payson Lakes. I love it because it's so close! They had fun swimming in the lake, feeding the ducks, feeding the squirrels & chipmunks & playing with cousins. The squirrels & chipmunks would come within a few inches of us for the food. One squirrel actually ate bread off Jeff's shoes. It was fun to watch the animals in their habitat.

Ethan has started outdoor soccer again. He's loving it, but he's sure getting worn out! He's the only one on the team that knows what to do, he's always going after the ball & scoring goals & blocking others from making goals. He's such a natural soccer player & he really loves doing it.

I read a conference article the other day that talked about the temple & the importance of making your home an extension of the temple & letting your kids go see the temple. It said something to the affect that-as you touch the temple the temple will touch you. I felt a greater desire to help my children understand the temple & have a desire to go. So we ventured out to it on Sunday & let them see it & touch it & talked a little about what goes on inside. I want the temple to touch my home, I just need to make a greater effort to help my kids understand it.

Random Joys

2009-07-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Jeff and his dad made the kids a swing set & brought it home yesteryday. The kids have loved it! They'd be on it all day if they could. I guess I would prefer something that doesn't involve me so much, cause now I have to push them all the time! But oh well, they enjoy it & it gives them something to do other than fight.

This far right picture of Makelle standing up outside the tub was the first time she pulled herself up onto something. She was so proud of herself! She's growing up too fast! She's still on the verge of crawling, she's scooting around everywhere & gets where she wants to go.

Lexi had a break through this week. She's been crying through nursery for the whole 2 hours. And this week she whined a little when I dropped her off & then went & played. I'm so proud of her! Prayers are answered! It might seem insignificant to some, but I really needed her to go to nursery so I could fulfill my calling & let Jeff go to his classes, without feeling guilty that I left my 2 year old to cry. It took about 8 months to soften her heart, but it was worth it! Let's cross our fingers that next week is just as good!

It's hard to believe that Ethan starts pre-school in a couple months & then off to kindergarten next year. He's grown up so fast! He loves writing his letters & learning how to spell things. The other day he said "Mom, I know how to spell piano; P-N-O" He was close & I thought it was so cute that his mind was actually trying to figure that stuff out.

Bear Lake & Happy 4th

2009-07-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

So we went to Bear Lake this weekend & wouldn't ya know it I forgot my camera. We left on Thursday, it was kinda rainy & cold that day. On Friday we took the paddle boat out to the lake & then went to the beach with the extended family for lunch. There was a pool at Ideal Beach, my kids enjoyed that a little bit more than the freezing lake. Ethan learned how to swim with his life jacket... he is so proud of himself! Lexi & Makelle had lots of fun floating in their tubes. Friday night we went to my aunt & uncles cabin for dinner & a treasure hunt. Five of the teenage boys got to pick the teams, my cousin who is down syndrome picked me to be on his team. Just a little side note here, he has such a sweet spirit & is so loving, we have always had a special bond & I felt honored to be the first one picked on his team. We had 8 things we had to accomplish as a team: play horse shoes (everybody had to take their turn), walk across a log, jump rope to a song, jump on the tramp for 1 minute as a team (we were almost touching the ground), sing 2 primary songs around the fire pit, say the pledge of allegiance & sing a patriotic song around the flag, build a rock tower that didn't fall & blow a bubble with your eyes closed.

I felt so close to my cousins & my uncle that were on my team, I got to see them in a different light. It was fun to bond with my cousins that I don't see very often. Lexi was on my team too, it was fun to see her try to jump the rope & walk across the log. Good times... Moyes girls, you missed out!! Saturday we took the paddle boat out again, made lunch & headed to town for a raspberry shake, can't go to Bear Lake without having one of those! Anyway, we made it home safely without any blown tires!!

Saturday night we went to fireworks with some friends. The top left picture is of the finale for Riverton fireworks & the picture underneath that one is the finale for Herriman fireworks. Good one eh? My camera was way slow, but the Herriman fireworks weren't that great anyway, they only lasted 10 minutes. A few minutes into the Riverton fireworks Lexi said she was done & wanted to go home. The kids were so tired from camping & swimming, I don't blame her. But she toughed it out & enjoyed the show. Makelle slept through it all & slept until 7 the next morning! Makelle is also trying so hard to crawl... she'll get on her knees & rock & scoot, it's only a matter of days before she gets it. I'm gonna miss the stage of just sitting & being happy.

It's raining, it's pouring

2009-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Things have been going too well for too long. It was our time for a trial, or bad luck, whatever you want to call it. We headed out on Wednesday for 12 mile canyon. We got to Nephi & one of our trailer tires blew out. It took a little over an hour to get someone with the right tools to help & get it taken care of... come to find out our trailer tires are Carlysle. I don't know how many of you know the recall that went on with those tires, but apparently the tread just falls right off.
The kids did surprisingly well while they were fixing the tire. But were definately ready to get back on the road. We finally got going & watched as our exit passed us right by. We mis-counted our exits & the next exit wasn't for another 20 miles. DOH! We finally got turned around, got off the right exit & a 2 hour destination only took us 5 hours!! Good times.
Jeff & Ethan had lots of fun fishing at the lake. Ethan helped reel in our friend Daniel's fish. It was a brook fish & was a really pretty orange. Jeff had some luck but didn't keep any.
Me and Jeff got to take a 4-wheeler ride together. We went on a really fun trail & on our way back to camp I took a turn too wide & didn't shift my weight the right way so I rolled the 4-wheeler. I slid about 10 feet, so luckily the wheeler didn't land on top of me. But it rolled & the handle bars got pushed all the way down, so the throttle got stuck down, the wheeler kept going up a little hill & finally hit a tree & stopped. My injuries weren't that bad considering how far I fell. Bruises on my whole right side, scraped arm & back & a sore neck. I was lucky none of the kids were with me & that Jeff was right behind me, usually he rides in front... hidden blessings! My helmet is chipped & my wheeler is a little bent up, we're so lucky that it wasn't worse. So despite the blown tire, missing our exit, crashing & the rain our trip was pretty fun. The kids didn't want to go home.
The day we got home Makelle started with a fever. We thought she was just teething, but then Sunday she started throwing up. Today she is doing better, her fever isn't as high & she's kept some pedialyte & oatmeal down. Jeff & his Dad gave her a blessing. He said the healing process would begin & her body would be able to fight off the illness. I'm so grateful for worthy priesthood holders & for the comfort that blessing gave to me!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

2009-06-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have a temple literally 5 minutes from our house. We had the opportunity to walk through it & see how beautiful it is. As we were waiting in the tent for the movie to start the wind howled like crazy. I felt like the tent was going to come crashing down, luckily it did not. As I was watching the movie the Spirit testified to me that temples are where families can be together forever, the Spirit dwells there always. The temple is a Holy place & I need to strive each day to keep the commandments to be worthy to enter it.

It was so windy! We didn't get any real good pictures because our hair & ties kept blowing away. My skirt was having issues as well... : ) As we sat there next to the waterfall the wind blew so hard that the water kept splashing our behinds.
I'm so grateful for my forever family!!

This is Amber my brother's girlfriend, she was so helpful with the kids. I actually got to enjoy walking through the temple. My parents were also very helpful with the kids, the kids wanted them anyways. They want nothing to do with me with they're around-which is fine, we don't see them that often anyway.

How lucky we are to be the only ones in the world to have 2 temples in the same city!

The kids enjoyed themselves. What a great teaching experience to take them there & show them where people get married & sealed forever. Ethan recently learned about baptisms for the dead in primary so it was cool to actually show him where that happens.

We Love Camping!

2009-05-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Makelle easing into the water, she loved the mud in between her toes.
We had fun exploring the caves & even saw some cat tracks.. we couldn't tell whether it was a bob cat or a cougar

Makelle was a little trooper, she slept most of the ride & loved being outside.

The kids loved the river, it was kinda muddy & stinky though.

We took the kids to Moab this weekend. It was such a long drive! But so worth it. It's so pretty down there & so much for the kids to explore. Our trip started off with a bang... Ethan got car sick. I got a bag under him just in time. So we had to stop & dispose of that, but after he threw up he was fine. We took the kids to a river across the road from our camp site. Makelle had a blast. One of the pictures has her pants rolled up, that was the beginning. She loved it so much that we took off her clothes & she played in the water for a good half an hour. Her diaper got pretty gigantic, but who cares, she had a blast! Ethan had so much fun playing in the dirt & trying to catch lizards & snakes. Yay for trailers cause he definately needed a shower, his face was perma red, with all that red sand down there. Lexi loved climbing on the rocks & we all had fun at the caves.
There was a lot of relaxing & 4-wheeling. Much needed for me!

A Little More Zing in Life

2009-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Lexi is known as the fiery one at our house. She's terribly dramatic, everything she does she uses as much drama as a little 2 year old can. She's been my hard child, she has to do things in her own time & in her own way.. it has to be her idea. She brings so much into this family! She celebrated her 2nd birthday on Friday. I kept asking her what she wanted for her birthday & the only answer I could get out of her was "cupcakes!" She she got cupcakes.. she licked the frosting off & that was that.. (was all my hard work worth it? ya, she was happy) She got quite a few items for her babies, she loves, loves, loves babies! She got some "pretties" & hasn't taken them off yet.. and clothes. She kept telling me over & over "it's my birthday mom!" She seemed to have a good day, she enjoyed all the attention. Happy Birthday Lexi!

On another note... I ran my first 5K today. Me, my mom, Melissa & Jackie all ran the ADC (association for deaf children). I had fun doing it, it was hard training by myself. But I made it to the finish line & that's all that matters... plus I didn't come in last place; which I kinda thought I might. We're planning on running the Race for the Cure next year & I'm looking forward to it. It's nice having a purpose to run.

Birthday Boy

2009-05-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Time sure flies by, I swear it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. Ethan is such a sweet little boy! He's so polite & is always thinking about others' feelings. He's such a big helper! He loves to PLAY! He's finally understanding teasing. He's got such a tender heart that when his uncles & grandpa's would tease him he would cry, now he plays along. I love Ethan! I have so much love for all my kids, but Ethan holds a special place in my heart (considering he's the only boy) I don't love him any more than the rest of the kids, but he's sooo special!

We started out the celebration on Friday by going to the dinosaur museum. On his 3rd birthday he told me he wanted to go to the dinosaur museum, I gave him another option & he took that one; but then he whined that he wanted to go to the museum. For a whole year he's been asking to go, so I'm glad I don't have to hear about it anymore. We had a lot of fun, Gramma Jann came with us & helped us explore. Then we went to the restraunt that has the popcorn (Winger's)-Ethan's choice.

We celebrated Mother's Day on Thursday so Ethan could have his own day. He wanted chocolate chip cupcakes with blueberry frosting. Where do they come up with these ideas? I did the chocolate chips but I dyed the frosting blue, so it still tasted fine. We hiked up to Cherry Falls after church. The kids had lots of fun exploring by the water, it was quite the hike though. I had a rough time carrying Makelle in the snugli, but we made it. We got Ethan a fish for his birthday, he named it Marbalo (kinda like the bird on Stuart Little 2, except her name is Margalo).

Lexi thought it was like Christmas & was wondering where her presents were. She kept grabbing present after present & saying "mine?" I felt bad telling her no this one's for Ethan too. Luckily she doesn't have to wait too long for her birthday presents. This ran longer than I intended... in a nut shell... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

His Loving Arms

2009-05-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Despite my struggles in finding myself I have felt His loving arms around me everyday! I am overwhelmed with the love & support that has been shown to me. Each day someone says something or does something for me that uplilfts me & helps me get through the day. My testimony is not waivering, it continues to get stronger. But I am weary, constantly picking up toys & cleaning up food & running here & there. I am learning to find joy in this "weariness". My calling is to be a mother & a teacher right now & I have a renewed desire to show my children the joy they bring in to my life... I will not let them see my frustration & I express gratitude to my Heavenly Father for sleep!! Without my night's sleep I don't think I could make it. But I am blessed with a wonderful baby that sleeps through the night.

My dear friend & neighbor posted this link on her blog & as I read it I bawled! It was so uplifting. It spoke of a mother's love for her children. It was just the thing I needed to make it through this day, thanks Cheryl! Happy Mother's day to all mom's out there, but especially to my mom. She has given me so many words of comfort & been truely inspired in my behalf.

My kids are my life & I love them so much! I'm so blessed to be able to be a mom & to stay home with them. It amazes me that Heavenly Father knows me & exactly what I need. My kids are such a blessing!

Internal Struggles

2009-05-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Can I be the first to admit that I'm struggling!! Three kids is hard, & I am hard on myself. I demand perfection of myself (not of my kids), but when I can't keep up with the house & give all three kids all the attention they demand I beat up on myself. And then I wonder why I'm so unhappy. Life has so many demands & I'm not doing a good job at prioritizing. Last night I was talking to Jeff & telling him that I didn't have a desire try anymore he said, "Can I give you one of your mother's day presents early?" Of course I said yes, but I was wondering why he wasn't giving me any advice or help. He came up with a book called Daughters of God, by M. Russell Ballard. I started to cry, somehow I knew without even reading the book that this was the answer to my prayers. I thank my Heavenly Father for Jeff & for his willingness to obey the promptings of the Spirit to get this book for me. I started the book last night & burst into tears, it described EXACTLY how I was feeling... "There are moments of great joy & incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony & frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made." It's so nice to hear those words from someone else, somebody else knows EXACTLY how i feel. And it's ok to feel that way! As I read on it asked this question: "What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure & enjoy your family more?"

As I've thought about that question as I've gone about my day today, I realize that life isn't about having perfection in everything I do. As long as I try my best in raising my children how my Heavenly Father wants them raised & that probably means that I have to let my house stay a little dirty. "It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes."

I love my children and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mother. Despite the enormous amount of pressure I feel to teach them the gospel so they can make the right choices when they're faced with temptations, I know I have my Heavenly Father's help. He's there, listening to me & helping me. I have a renewed desire to be a better mom & live in the moments that bring me happiness & joy.

These are some good times

2009-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Me & Jeff got to go to motorcross last night. We left the kids with my mom (except Makelle) & spent the day with friends & family at Rice Eccles. Jeff's work got a suite, so we got to hang out where it was warm instead of in the rain.

Some random guys off to race. I don't follow it too closely, but I know one of these guys is Chad Reed-last year's champ. Jeff was really glad he lost in the main event. James Stewart took it all, it was an awesome race.

Hanging out in the suite, enjoying the warmth & having fun with friends & family

Makelle did pretty good. Thanks to Aunt Lesa & Grandma I didn't have to hold her the entire time.

On a random note Lexi fell asleep at the dinner table the other night. All this getting up at night & not getting enough sleep is really catching up with her. She also fell asleep on the couch sitting up watching TV. She loves Max & Ruby! That's the only show she'll sit down & watch. But apparently this time she was just too tired to care what was on.

And this picture was just too cute not to post. She has chocolate pudding all over her face, but I don't care she's a doll!

Sneaky Sneaky

2009-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Makelle is getting to that age where anything she sees she has to touch. A little annoying at times, sometimes I miss it when she just layed in my arms. But it's also fun to see her personality coming out.

She sure loves that Easter basket!

She got really mad at me when I wouldn't let her play with the grass

I was trying to feed her baby food & as soon as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse got turned on she just had to watch it. So this is her trying to see the TV. Apparently she likes TV more than food, she's crazy!

Easter

2009-04-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

This post will mostly be about Easter @ the Ellingson house. But first I want to share an experience that happened to me. The last couple days Makelle has been sick, stuffy nose, cough.. She's obviously not herself which is sad to see, because she's usually so smiley & happy. I guess I spoke too soon when I said how grateful I was that she'd been spared from the cold going around our house. Last night she woke up about 11 o'clock just screaming. I tried to feed her thinking that was the problem. No go. She was obviously in a lot of pain. She cried for a good tweny minutes. I was sobbing because I felt so bad that I couldn't do anything to help her. I said a prayer. As soon as I started my prayer I felt the Spirit overwhelm me & let me know that she was going to be alright. I asked my Heavenly Father to remove the pain from her body & to heal her. Two minutes later she was asleep & slept better than she usually does, even when she's not sick. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for hearing & answering my prayer.

Now this is my happy baby when she's not sick & stuffed up. She sure enjoys her baby food!

Makelle's Easter was pretty good considering how stuffy she is. She enjoys the new toys & books the Easter Bunny left her.

The kids got to color Easter eggs @ Grandma Ellingson's house. They had fun getting messy & watching the eggs change colors. We did an Easter egg hunt @ my sister's house. I forgot my camera, but they had fun doing the hunt & playing with their second cousins. Ethan even remembers doing it last year, what a great memory!

Ethan had a lot of fun hunting eggs, he was excited to see that the Easter Bunny ate all the carrots & hid the "plate with all the colored eggs". Apparently Jeff put the plate in the dishwasher, forgetting to leave evidence that the Easter Bunny found them. Hey, we're new at this & are still learning.

Lexi started out the day extremely ornery. She bawled while I dragged her over to her Easter basket. Once she saw it she stopped & enjoyed the egg hunt. Her favorite thing that the Easter Bunny left was chapstick. She puts it all over her face & digs her fingers into it. Good times. I'm grateful for this season to reflect on my Savior's resurrection. But I also enjoy all the candy too!

2009-04-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

For the last week the kids haven't been feeling themselves. Ethan has had pink eye & then he got hives. Apparently he had an allergic reaction to the eye drops we were giving him. Lexi has had a fever & cold & life just hasn't been as pleasant. Luckily Makelle has been spared from the worst of it. I'd say a runny nose isn't too bad compared to what's out there. What a blessing!

We enjoyed conference! On Sunday during the 2nd session I played a game with Ethan & Kayla. BINGO... Our primary printed out BINGO cards.

Whenever they heard or saw one of the pictures on their card they got to put a skittle on it. It kept their attention for a little while, Ethan kept repeating random words they were saying & I had to keep telling him there wasn't a picture for that word. But at least I knew he was listening.

Ethan had his last indoor soccer game on Saturday. He wasn't quite himself since he's been sick & was very disappointed that he didn't score any goals. We will be putting him in outdoor soccer. The kid is a natural!

Makelle is the center of attention in our family. The kids adore her! She's starting to find her balance & sorta sitting up, as long as she doesn't move she doesn't fall over. She loves to play on the floor & roll around. We also bought her a BUMBO which she loves!
I'm looking forward to Easter & trying to help the kids understand the meaning of the celebration... & I'm also looking forward to them enjoying their Easter Egg hunts.

Tagged by Jenny...

2009-03-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

I can't do a post without a picture, it seems a waste. Makelle found her tongue, it's so adorable!

And now to answer the tag...

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Living in an apartment w/ no kids (weird!)

2. Working as a day care teacher

3. Being a primary teacher

4. trying to get pregnant

5. playing with my dog (who has since ran away)

5 things on my to-do list for today:

1. clean the kitchen

2. feed the kids

3. read my scriptures

4. watch Biggest Loser

5. check other blogs

5 things I would do with a million dollars:

1. pay off my house

2. Buy a nice car

3. Save for weddings, missions & college

4. travel to Europe

5. Buy a cabin in the mountains

5 places I have lived:

1. Bountiful, Utah

2. Smithfield, Utah

3. Draper, Utah

4. Centerville, Utah

5. Riverton, Utah

5 jobs I've held:

1. Lonestar

2. Day Care teacher

3. Mother (THE BEST!)

4. Secretary

5. Fast Food! That was the worst!

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:

1. Hopefully be done having kids

2. Going on family vacations

3. Serving in the church

4. Celebrating my 30th birthday (hopefully I'll still be around!)

5. Meeting new people

5 people I tag:

1. Melissa

2. Carli

3. Stephanie

4. Tiffanie

5. Jackie

Field Trip

2009-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our ward has a little play group & this month we took a trip to the Fire Station. They got a little tour of the fire house & the fire trucks

This is Ethan & his cousin Kessie standing by the fire truck. I think it's funny that the tire is the same size as Ethan- maybe even a little bit bigger
This is Lexi inside the fire truck, she loved it! She didn't want to come out.

Ethan got to be the fireman's helper. He showed the other kids how to stop, drop & roll when your shirt is on fire

The kids learned a little bit about fire safety. They mostly had fun swinging side to side on the chairs

When Kessie comes over the kids favorite thing to do is play Sleeping Beauty & the Prince. Kessie will lay down & pretend to sleep & Ethan will go kiss her & wake her up. Then they'll dance & dance. It's adorable for 3 year olds. It'll be a fun story to tell them when they get older. They both say they want to marry each other in the temple when they get big.
We've enjoyed the warm weather & can't wait for the rain & snow to stop! My kids are a lot happier playing outside & so am I.

Things I'm Loving

2009-03-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I stole this idea from Stephanie's blog... although at the end I promise not to reveal that I'm pregnant like she did. I'm loving that Makelle is sleeping through the night & that she's rolling all over the place. She's such a happy go-lucky girl & brings so much joy into my life. Every time she sees me she gives me a big ol' cheeser & I love it! She has her first two teeth & is loving all the solids we give her. I love that she smiles everytime she sees Ethan & Lexi. She loves them so much & you can see that love displayed so clearly on her face & in her body language.

I'm loving watching Ethan play soccer. Two weeks ago (which was his 2nd game) he watched himself run the entire game. He looked at his shoes & would lean over to random kids & say, "Look how fast I am!" or "I'm soo fast!" It was very cute, but he didn't score any goals & was a little disappointed. So last week he tried extra hard to follow the ball & he scored 7 goals. He was so proud each time & made sure everyone knew how good he was. I guess he'll learn humility later on in life? Ethan is such a sweet little boy & I love when he teaches Lexi things.

I'm loving watching Lexi learn new things... she loves to cook with me & is finally coming out of her shell a little bit & singing songs that she knows, counting & learning colors. No luck on getting her to sleep better. But we did cut out her nap during the day so she'll usually zonk out in about 10 minutes instead of 2 1/2 hours. She's still getting up a lot during the night & is extra ornery during the day.. this means I'm looking for new things to do every day to try & keep her happy & focused on something else besides her & Ethan fighting. Any ideas? Anyone up for a play date?

I'm loving watch Ethan & Makelle interact. Ethan loves to have Makelle lay by him & watch shows with him. She loves to watch shows too, but doesn't have the attention span he wants her to have. Ethan & Lexi love Makelle & constantly give her hugs & kisses.

And last of all I'm loving my husband. He's such a good daddy & works so hard to provide us with a good life. I hate that he's back in school, but I love that he's willing to do it for us. I love this gospel & am so grateful that we can be an eternal family!

1st Soccer Game

2009-02-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ethan had his first soccer game today... he was soooo excited! He got to dress just like his daddy - minus the yellow shirt.

This was him just after he scored his first goal. I missed his initial reaction. He put both arms in the air & started running & screaming "Mom, I scored a goal!"
He got to be the first one to kick it off, he didn't really know what to do, but he got the hang of it

He ran his hardest! They all just followed the ball... although there were a couple that just stood there & didn't know what to do, or just didn't want to. It was funny to see them all clump to the ball. Our team scored some goals for the other team & they scored some for us. They were a little confused which way to put the ball.

This is Ethan & his cousin Makailey just before the game. The ages for the teams are 3-5, kind of a big gap, but they sure had fun.

This was during practice, he's doing his best to use the techniques his daddy & uncle have showed him. All in all it was a pretty good game. Ethan scored 2 goals & each time it was the same reaction, both hands in the air & screaming "I scored a goal!" He's so excited to do it again next week.

HELP!

2009-02-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

We've been having major issues with Lexi at bed time. We cannot get her to stay in her bed. Last night it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get her to sleep. We put her in her bed & 2 seconds later she was out again. Punishments did not work, a stuffed animal or baby didn't work, closing the door or blocking the door... We are out of ideas. As you can see from the picture she finally crashed... just not in her bed. I wish it was as easy as putting up a gate, but she just climbs over anything in her way. I'm up for any suggestions... we are going crazy!

Tag You're It...

2009-02-25T07:20:00.000-08:00

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer.
2. Go to the 6th folder of photos.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and description of it.
5. Invite six friends to join the challenge

Looks like Makelle's trying to suck her thumb-again... the little turd! But a cute one at that

I tag Rachel, Melissa, Linetta, Angie, Tiffanie & Stephanie

Cabin Fever

2009-02-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Me & the kids have had cabin fever for quite some time, we're ready for winter to be over! So with Spencer coming home a trip to the cabin was evident & we were so happy to take the weekend off.

Lexi had her first salt & vinegar chip up there, it's pretty evident she didn't care for it
Ethan loved watching movies & playing with his cousin Kayla & 2nd cousin Ben. They played so good together, we rarely saw them come downstairs.
A rare occasion when Lexi actually held still & posed for the camera. She had so much fun exploring, she found lots of bugs & didn't mind picking them up & observing them
Ethan went a little camera happy, and this one actually turned out ok, at least the picture is centered
This was Makelle's first trip to the cabin. She was so good, even though she cut her first tooth the day we got there
It was perfect sledding weather, Lexi had the most fun going down the hill a million times a day. Jeff was a good sport to take her.
Jeff & Spencer getting ready to go sledding, they found a pretty good hill to go down & just couldn't stay away from it.

I went cross country skiing for the first time while I was up there. Me & Melissa enjoyed a quiet time together. We had lots of fun, I fell a lot, but once I got the hang of it I actually did pretty good.
I went a little camera happy on Makelle today, I feel bad I don't get as many pictures of her as I do of the other kids. This one turned out to be my favorite

Ethan took this one, he's getting to be a pretty good camera man.

I'm an idiot!

2009-02-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Spencer came home yesterday, I remembered everything I needed except the camera. I was so mad! His plane arrived a bit early, my mom was extatic! She'd been up since 4:30, she was too excited to sleep. We were all excited, even Ethan, he was counting how many more sleeps til he came home, but my mom was definately the most excited. Ethan stared at the stairs, almost the entire time we were there waiting for him to come down. He held his signs that he made & waited patiently. When Spencer finally came down the stairs Ethan just stared. Spencer is just a picture, not a real person, right? For 2 years we've pointed to his picture & tried to help him remember, Lexi even knew his name from the picture, but they were both a little wary. Spencer bent down & Ethan gave him a hug, Lexi was too unsure she just stared at him. As I introduced him to my two girls I started bawling, he's missed so much of their lives & I was so excited to show him what they could do & how sweet they are.

Two years has done him good, he's changed so much & you can see it in his countenance. In all his letters he never seemed homesick. He's loved serving there & loved the people. He said his favorite part of his mission was the service. We were able to go see him get released & before the Stake Presidency would release him, Spencer had to tell us more about his mission. He talked about his testimony & how much it grew, how much he loved the people. The Spirit was so strong, it helped my testimony knowing how much the Lord cared about the people in Ventura & was aware of them. He saw many miracles & had a hard time leaving those people. I'm grateful for his sacrifice & am so grateful to have him back!

1st Haircut, soccer & teeth

2009-02-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Lexi got her first haircut yesterday. She did surprisingly well. I thought she would freak out when we put her in the chair. But she got in the chair & held still the entire time. She now says that she has pretty hair & likes to style it just like mommy; she calls it hot hair.

We put Ethan in indoor soccer, he starts on February 21st. He's sooo excited! He wears his new soccer clothes all day long - shin guards and all.

We believe Makelle is getting her two bottom teeth. Early? YES! Lexi got her first tooth at 4 months, I hope it doesn't keep getting earlier with each child. She is still our happy go lucky little girl, just a little more fussy, but I can't complain... she's the easy one.

WooHoo!

2009-02-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

As many of you know my brother Spencer has been serving a mission in Ventura, California. He's finally coming home! He comes home on February 11th and will be giving his homecoming talk on February 15th @ 9:00 am. He has e-mailed us every week & has told us of miracles that he has seen, and prayers that have been answered. He actually got into a bike accident not too long after he arrived, and then later got his bike stolen. He has been in good spirits & we have enjoyed talking to him every Mother's Day & Christmas. I look forward to introducing him to my two little girls! All family & friends are welcome to come hear him speak & come over to my parents house afterwards for brunch.

In other random news, I walked in to the family room to see Lexi sitting in Makelle's carseat watching TV. She never watches TV, so it was doubly surprising and so cute!

Pudding Fun

2009-01-26T15:18:00.001-08:00

On Saturday my mom let the kids play in pudding. It's a cute idea, it kept the kids busy for about 10 minutes. I guess they don't like staying dirty for very long.

What a fun grandma! I don't think I would get in there & play with it

This was at the beginning, we couldn't get him to put his hands in it. My mom had to stick his hand in it for him. Once he did it he enjoyed it.

Lexi enjoyed it, she mostly liked to eat it.

Finally!

2009-01-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

We finally got the internet, so I can post a little more frequently. We had a girls night last night with some cousins & aunts. It was a lot of fun! I think we laughed for an hour and a half straight. It was much needed for me! We played a game called Loaded Questions. I recommend it!

Our friend took some pictures of the kids on Makelle's blessing day, I'm a little slow at posting about it, but better late than never.

Lexi dressed herself the other day, she put her own tights on & everything! You might not be able to tell but she still has her pajama top on & her hands aren't through her sleeves on her dress, but it was a nice try!

Ethan also dressed himself... He always has to have soccer clothes on, this time he picked his painting soccer shorts, but who cares when you're not going anywhere!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Makelle! She's starting to love tummy time.

December came & went so fast

2009-01-07T13:27:00.001-08:00

With all the Christmas parties & three kids, life has passed me by & I keep forgetting to update. The kids had such a fun Christmas- Ethan got his scooter (we thought it was red, turns out it was pink), Lexi got dress up shoes (which she loves! she's always wearing them) And a bunch of other toys, who knows why we bought them, next time we'll just get exactly what they ask for, no more! They did get a play kitchen, they both love it! That was defiantly worth it! They've done some sledding... Lexi actually went down the hill by herself, she had a ball! Ethan is fearless & had so much fun going up & down. My computer is being stupid, so I'll post pictures another day.

Lexi has had quite an adventurous week... she fell and bumped the corner of her eye on her bed, luckily she didn't need stitches, but it was definately a good cut... she even has a black eye. Then she cut her thumb on a blade & then her finger on Ethan's scooter, then she touched Grandma's fire place & burned her hand. I promise I don't beat her, she is just having an off week.

Life is treating us well, Jeff is finally going back to school. I'll be a single mom for a little while. But luckily I have great kids & it'll be a fun adventure. Jeff is still a ward missionary & teaches Gospel Principles every 5 weeks (lucky sucker!) I'm still the primary pianist. I love being in there & listening to all the funny things kids say. Ethan is now a sunbeam, so it's fun to have him in there with me... He's one of those that yells out random things. And Lexi goes to nursery- finally! Makelle is such a good baby, I have no complaints about her... Lot's of fun times, she smiles & laughs at everything.

Happy Days

2008-12-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

This picture doesn't even do her justice, I got the tail end of her smile, it's usually ten times bigger, but my camera is slow so I'm lucky I got this.

She's so happy & so fat! She's now 10 lbs. 4 oz. Quite the chunk! Lexi decided to dress herself yesterday. It's a little hard to see details, but that is actually her shirt, not her pants. She did put her pants on over her shirt, but she took them off before I could get the picture. It's amazing to see their imaginations!

Update

2008-12-10T11:55:00.001-08:00

We went to our ward Christmas party on Saturday. Ethan was so excited to sit on Santa's lap. Lexi would have nothing to do with him! I wish I could've at least gotten a picture (screaming or not) but as soon as I set her on his lap she screamed as loud as she could & shimmied off his lap.
Makelle is smiling! My camera isn't fast enough to catch it yet, but when she does it a little more often I'll be able to get one. She's also starting to laugh a little bit. I love to see them progressing & learning. She's 10 lbs. now... quite the chunk! But so adorable!

Lexi is copying everything that Ethan does... Ethan was saying prayers & Lexi was saying exactly what he was saying. I love watching them learn from each other. Children are such miracles!

Happy 50th!

2008-11-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Makelle just after her bath... she has such a long torso & stubby little legs. The complete opposite of my other two.

We celebrated my dad's 50th birthday yesterday. We roasted him & ate pizza & afterwards we took him to Kangaroo Zoo.

The kids had so much fun bouncing on all the toys. Jackie was such a good sport & took Lexi on the slides that were too big for her

Ethan had so much fun & wore his daddy out!

Happy 50th birthday Dad. We love you! Even though you're getting old!

The Big 5!

2008-11-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Me and Jeff are celebrating our 5th anniversary today. Time has sure flown by! Jeff has taught me so much in these short 5 years... he's taught me how to find happiness in every day life. There may be a million and one reasons not to be happy, but there's always something to be happy about & he's taught me to live for that one reason. Jeff is a happy person by nature, which is one reason I was drawn to him. I've trained myself to be more happy, but I still have a ways to go before I'm up to his level.

Jeff is a wonderful daddy! He comes home from work & gives me a break from playing with the kids. They love their daddy!

Jeff shows his love, to anyone, by serving them. He's always asking what he can get for me or what he can do for me & if I do it myself he gives me a hard time. I love and appreciate his service & try to do the same for him... think of him more than I think of myself.

I'm so thankful that he holds the Priesthood and is always willing to give me or the kids a blessing, what a comfort it is! He's taught me a lot about the gospel & applying certain principles into our lives. Like honesty... he came home from Lowe's one day & noticed that the cashier over paid him by two cents. The next time we went to Lowe's he gave the two cents back to the cashier... she gave him a funny look, but all Jeff had to say was I'm not going to be held accountable for two cents.

Happy Anniversary babe! Love you!

In Memory of my Grandma

2008-11-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

My Grandma has suffered from dimensia for years & has finally been released from her trial. At first we all laughed when she would tell us the same story 3 or 4 times in 20 minutes. But as her disease progressed we all reminised about how Grandma used to be. I am so grateful to know that she has her mind back, that she is now whole. My Grandpa has been so loving & so good to her! I will miss her, but I am so glad that she isn't suffering anymore.

Pictures

2008-11-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Ethan & Lexi Halloween night, right before trick or treating.
Our three kids! That's weird to say, I'm still not used to it. But I have to say that emotionally I'm having an easier time with three. I don't feel so bad taking the time to nurse Makelle because Ethan & Lexi have each other to play with. After I had Ethan I felt bad taking time away from him because he had no other play mate.

Ethan is such a big helper! He loves to hold her & kiss her & love her! He's always asking to hold her or give her a binki. (Not that she really takes one, but it's the thought that counts) This morning during Makelle's awake time he spent good quality time with her, talking baby talk & sharing toys... making sure she knew who he was

At first Lexi would only hold Makelle for a few seconds, now she doesn't want to give her up. She's jealous of anyone else holding her, when she thinks it's her turn. She loves to touch her & climb in bed with her... naughty, naughty!

Makelle is such a good baby! She usually only cries when she's hungry. So a lot really, but easily fixable. We love Makelle!

Makelle Ellingson

2008-11-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Makelle joined our family on Nov. 1st. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 1/2 in. long. So far she's a very good baby, she rarely cries & loves to cuddle. Ethan and Lexi adore her! Lexi hates me right now, I'm obviously a traitor since I'm holding another baby; but I know This too shall pass. We have so much support from our family & friends it makes adding another child to the family a lot easier. We are very blessed that she is so healthy & came so fast. Don't worry pictures are coming soon!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the Pumpkin Patch. They had some fun things for the kids.

Ethan and Kayla went through the hay maze quite a few times and had a blast

Jeff was a good sport to pose too.

We are very excited to welcome Makelle into our family. She will for sure be here on Saturday. But we're hoping for sooner, if she's ready that is. Ethan is very excited for the new baby to come... I hope he still feels the same when she gets here. I'm making progress & having contractions & everybody keeps asking when I'm going to have this baby... apparently I look huge & ready to deliver. I'm sure I do because I am, but it'll be nice to have strangers stop asking me if I'm trying to steal a pumpkin.

Happy Birthday to Jackie!

2008-10-09T13:25:00.001-07:00

Saturday is Jackie's birthday... since I won't have access to the Internet that day I want to wish Jackie a happy birthday! I'll keep it short & sweet so I don't embarss her.. but Jackie is the sweetest! She doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, she's so kind hearted & loving. She's such a good aunt, and always does the best she can when she tries anything new. We love you Jackie! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-10-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to wish my mom a Happy Birthday! I'll be nice and not announce her age. We'll just say she's a too young to be a grandma. Her birthday is actually tomorrow (the 9th). But I wanted to be the first to say it.

My mom is so caring of others, she's always seeking for ways to help someone else. She's very talented; she makes a great flower arrangement, she's a wonderful cook. She's been so helpful to me & Jeff. Once a month she has come to tend our kids so we could attend the temple & do sealings.

She's a great grandma. My kids absolutely adore her! Lexi doesn't leave her side when she's around. Ethan has come to accept the fact that he has to share Grandma, but he loves to play with her every chance he gets.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you have a great day!

Funny kids

2008-09-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Lexi has started a new trend, before she'll fall asleep she has to go through all the words that she knows how to say, then sing some songs... all the while Ethan is in the next room laughing & joining in. It's cute & I'm trying so hard to treasure these precious moments, but I also have to sit next to Lexi's door or she'll keep getting out of bed... if she sees some part of my body she'll stay in her bed & eventually fall asleep. So it's a little frustrating when it takes 45 minutes for her to do her routine before settling in.

Ethan & Lexi are having a blast with each other. Lexi stands outside the bathroom door "talking" to Ethan while he goes potty. He pretends like he knows what she's saying & talks back. They do an awesome job fighting with each other. Lexi is usually the one who is making trouble, she'll take his toys & chase him around the house trying to bite him. But Ethan's pretty fast & is finally learning how to stand up for what he has. (it's about time! I hate seeing him getting taken advantage of, it's so hard to stand by & watch, hoping he'll learn on his own) Ethan does his share of teasing, it must be the boy in him; he can sure get her screaming!

My pregnancy is going well. My iron has been low, so I am lacking so much energy! My poor house & my poor kids! Luckily they have a daddy who has all the energy in the world & is so good about playing with them & getting their energies out. I've been having lots of braxton hicks so my doctor is hoping I'll at least make it to 38 weeks. I'm hoping to have everything ready for the baby by the time she gets here, it's gone by too fast.

State Fair

2008-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the State Fair on Monday. They had fun going on all the "kiddie" rides. Jeff's mom was a good sport about taking Lexi on them all. She was too short to go by herself but thanks to Bonnie she got to enjoy herself.

This was the bumper car roller coaster... which she didn't actually get to go on, but at least we got a picture so it looks like she did. She was too small & would've gotten smashed.

We think Lexi enjoyed this one... we couldn't see her face most of the time. It spun too much, but Ethan and his cousin Makailey had lots of fun.

They had some barns we got to walk through & they had tons of animals. This was pretty perfect timing. The cow decided to take a poop as soon as we took the picture. So the kids wouldn't look at the camera, the cow was way too fascinating. They also had goats, sheep, and pigs (which when I took a pic of the pig she also decided to poop). Lexi couldn't stop petting the goats, she loved them! Until they turned around and she saw their faces. Lexi also got to go on her first pony ride, but the people wouldn't let me take a picture, they wanted me to pay. No Deal!

This was Ethan's first roller coaster ride. Granted it wasn't a big roller coaster. But he had lot fun anyway.

Cabin fun

2008-09-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally updating. Life has kept us busy. We took another trip to the cabin last weekend. It was our first time going up with just us. Jeff & his friends did some hunting while me & the kids went on four wheeler rides & killed bugs.

Jeff was such a peach and chopped some wood. Here's Ethan helping chop with his hammer

And here's Lexi helping chop with her paint brush

Ethan is such a goof ball... always trying to make us laugh

Lexi was a perfect angel the entire trip. Never cried once. (Just kidding) This is one of the rare occasions she wasn't crying. She did touch the hinge of the door on the fireplace & got a little blister. She learned fast that the fireplace is hot & we didn't have a problem with that again.

Lexi and Ethan played very good together. They got a little too roudy & Lexi hit her forehead into the table that's in the middle of the living room. There was blood everywhere! I felt so bad for her, it was her first big owie. She somehow hit her chin at the same time, but she didn't even notice that one- the other one hurt too bad.

Thanks to my kids for making my birthday so wonderful! I didn't have to deal with poopy diapers or fighting kids, no tantrums... it was the perfect day! Well, I did have to deal with all that fun stuff... but it was still a good day. Jeff took me to dinner & a movie, something we don't do much of. It was a real treat!

Lexi's new bed

2008-08-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

We moved Lexi to a big girl bed. She's only 15 months, but I wanted to give her time to adjust to a toddler bed before the baby comes. Needless to say she was not ready! I've spent many nights sitting by her bed waiting for her to fall asleep so I can sneak out. We're finally to the point where I don't need to be in there at all I just have to put her back into her bed a couple times before she gets the point that it's time for bed.

Last week I heard her whine a little bit, so I went to check on her to make sure she hadn't fallen out. I peeked in her room & didn't see a lump on the floor so I went to make sure she wasn't cold. I pulled up her blankets, but I couldn't find her. I thought I was dreaming, I was still half asleep. So I woke myself up a little bit more & looked in her bed. She wasn't there. I looked on the floor, she wasn't there. I heard her whine again, but I couldn't see her. I was frantic!! I woke Jeff up & we went searching throughout the house. Obviously she could be anywhere, she knows she can get out whenever she wants. We could hear her but couldn't pinpoint where she was. Finally I looked under her bed (yeah right, there's no chance!) But there she was, asleep, lying on her tummy. I don't know how she did it, there's not much space under those toddler beds. But she managed it... we lifted the bed up & put her back to bed without waking her up.