Finally a Fence

We are finally getting our fence installed. Yeah! It will really look like a back yard now. Now we have the big task of figuring out the landscaping of the back yard. We know generally what we want but it is hard putting it down on paper so that we can actually make it happen. We probably won't do anything until spring, so we have a little time. Anyway, a real fenced back yard is so exciting.

These are the posts on the east side of the house. This is the biggest area of yard we have in the back.

The brown stick in the middle of the yard is our Maple tree. So far it is doing well. I can't wait to see it in the spring.

This is the west side of the house. This is where we plan to have our garden and build a shed. I just noticed in the picture that they didn't put the fence on our property line and I'm not sure why. It's inside the line about a foot or so. That doesn't make me happy. Also, notice the window wells on the right side? They have begun construction of another RHDC group. There are two houses going up next to us. It's our turn to go to bed every night and be woke up every Saturday morning to the sounds of construction for the next 6 months or so. And that's just on the side houses. Then they will build the houses behind us and we will get to go through it all over again. CJ is excited though because he can't wait to build with them. He says he misses the work. Plus this time it will be when he feels like working and for how long he wants to work not how long he's obligated to work.

These are the posts before they were cemented in. Kind of cool.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I have been reminded everyday for about a month now that today is a special day. Today my little Dakota is no longer in the single digits. She is now a double digit midget. She is so excited and I am excited for her. She is such a good girl, full of energy, and imagination. She is doing so well in school. Her behavior is improving and her grades couldn't be better. She is a straight A student and is trying very hard to keep it that way. She finally learned to ride a bike (more on that in another post) and she loves to play games and have fun. She is such a joy to our family. Last night before she went to bed I wanted to take a video of her on her last day as a 9 year old (now that I can.) I can't wait to show it to her friends on her 16th birthday. She also did a video just for the blog that she wanted to share.

Happy 10th Birthday Dakota!!!

The dreaded Dentist

Okay, so this is a pointless post but I thought I would share. My girls have been going to the dentist regularly since we finally got dental insurance last year. The office they went to in Orem was good and the kids made it through all the work that needed to be done. It was time for their 6 month check so I had to pick a new office for the family to visit so I picked the one closest to our house thinking that all offices are alike. I was totally wrong. I think this is the best dentist office ever. I decided to get my teeth cleaned too since it has been 20 years since my last cleaning so I visited the new office before they did. They liked that idea because then they would know what to expect when it was their turn. The first thing I liked was the smell. I hate the smell of dentist offices. The dental smells make me gag every time I walk in the door. Eventually you get used to the smell but that first assault on my nose made me dread even just taking the kids. This office smelled so nice when you walked in. There was no sign of usual dental smell at all. They have waterfalls in every room to keep you calm, as well as TVs but the access to the TVs and headphones in this office were much better than the other office. The feature I loved was the chairs you sit in. They are massage chairs so the whole time they were cleaning my teeth I was getting a massage. They also have a sound proof kids waiting area (so they can't hear the other kids scream) with a tree house, books, toys, and a TV with video games and a DVD player. That was a lifesaver when I took the girls in for their visit because they were all scheduled on the same day so we were there for 3 hours with Megan. They were so entertained that they almost didn't want to go. I think the only reason they left so easily was because they were hungry and the waiting room didn't have food. All the check-ups went really well, I only had one cavity, and none of the kids have cavities. It's so funny because they were disappointed that they didn't have a reason for going back. You know it's a really good dental office when your child comes up to you and tells you that they can't wait for their next check-up because the dentist office is the coolest place ever.

Colorful and Fruity

On Wednesday I was talking to my mom on the phone and Megan was playing in the playpen in the other room. About 15 minutes later Megan walks in to the room with a Scentsy container wanting me to smell it. I couldn't believe that she had gotten out of the playpen. She usually lets me know when she wants out but this time she just decided to get herself out. I just laughed to myself and told her to play with her toys while I talked to Grandma. It wasn't too long after that that I heard her quietly giggling to herself. That usually means trouble, so while still on the phone I went looking for her. I couldn't find her anywhere but I could still hear her giggles. I finally thought to look in a box that is in our living room. It is just an empty box left over from the move that the girls have had so much fun playing in that I have left it as one of the toys. Megan was in the box so all my worries were gone. There's nothing in there she could hurt so I went back to my conversation. 5 minutes later I was done with the phone so I went to get Megan. The house was completely quiet. I listened at the box and didn't hear a sound. I thought maybe she had fallen asleep in it. I bent down and looked in. The top flap was down so all I could see was her legs and she was sitting up. I thought it would be funny if she had fallen asleep sitting up. I got down to get her out of the box and this is what I found.


She was just sitting there as still and quiet as she could. She had some red stuff on her face and hands and their was a fruity smell coming from the box. I could tell by the look on her face that she knew she was in trouble. I thought that she had decided to eat the Scentsy wax she was playing with earlier. I figured it had to taste bad but at least it wouldn't hurt her so I went to get the camera.


There wasn't much wax on her face so I didn't think she had eaten too much. I asked her to give me the container so I could see how much was gone. She reached around behind her (she had sat on the evidence hoping I wouldn't find it) and pulled out the container, but it wasn't the container I was expecting.

She hadn't eaten the Scentsy wax, she had eaten my lipstick and grape chap stick (hence the fruity smell.) What I didn't know was that she climbed on the stool and got my wallet off the counter (stupid me for not putting it away) then snuck in to the box and got out my lipstick (which was practically brand new) and grape flavored chap stick. I couldn't believe that she had eaten the whole tube. She had also dug all the chap stick out of it's container and eaten all of it. That had to taste horrible. I wanted to cry because it was my favorite color of lipstick but all I could do was laugh. I figure the taste and texture had to have been punishment enough. I was curious for the colorful and fruity smelling poo that she would have the next day. I waited for it to come out in her diaper yesterday because she is very regular, but nothing happened. I didn't think much of it until she started complaining of stomach cramps later on. The poor thing wouldn't eat or drink much because she hurt so bad. I felt so bad, thinking that maybe I should have called the doctor instead of taking pictures and laughing. Thankfully she did pass it through today and all is well. I am a little disappointed that the poo was normal color and smell. It's really gross but I was looking forward to the colorful, fruity poo.

A glutton for punishment

Remember when we introduced you to our kitty Jack and said that we were thinking of getting him a playmate? Well, we took the plunge and got a second kitten. This one is about 7 weeks old so he is about half the size of Jack. We got him from a lady in our neighborhood.


He is also a really good kitten. He just cuddled in our laps and slept for the first two days. It took us almost a week to come up with his name. We got a suggestion to think of Disney character names so that's what we did. We named him Oliver from the movie "Oliver and Company".

I told him I was going to take his picture for all my friends and family to see. He thought he would be funny and made a face for the picture. I think he's been hanging out with CJ too long.

When we first brought Oliver home Jack was not a happy camper. He hissed and growled and attacked every time he saw him. I was not expecting that since Jack came from a home with multiple cats and he just seemed lonely. I know, I was stupid to think that Jack would be thrilled to share his new home. At first Oliver didn't care about Jack's attacks but after two days of them he started to hiss and fight back. I got on the internet to find out what to do when you bring home a new cat so that there is no fighting. It turns out that I did everything wrong. Oops. I felt really bad that I had just kind of thrown them together. It did take about 3 days for them to start tolerating each other. They would still growl but they were at least playing and not fighting. The very next day they were like best buds. Now you wouldn't even know that they didn't like each other in the beginning. The kids aren't as thrilled to change the litter box now as they were in the beginning but they are still doing it. The hardest part about having cats is that Megan won't leave them alone. She thinks they are really cool toys and she doesn't pick them up so gently. Hopefully the newness will ware off and we won't constantly have to tell her to put the kitty down.

I hate the swine flu!

Because of the fear of the swine flu the hospitals have changed their visitor policies. They are not allowing anyone under the age of 14 to visit at all, you can only have two visitors at a time and they can only stay for 2 hours. The maternity ward is the most guarded place in the hospital right now because of the newborns extremely high risk so there will be absolutely no exceptions to the rules. I can understand the reason they are restricting the visiting policy. I certainly don't want me or the baby to get the flu at the hospital because someone I don't even know (or someone I do know) brought in the germs and didn't take precautions to keep them from spreading. What it means though is that the girls will not be able to be at the hospital before, during, or after the birth of their brother. They will not get to meet him or hold him until he is 2 days old. We will not be able to take family pictures in the room just after the birth. That's a tradition for us and I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that it won't happen this time. It's not like we'll be able to do this over again after the threat of the flu is over. I wish they would allow healthy siblings of healthy newborns to visit just once for 2 hours. They could have them cover their clothes with the yellow gown, their mouths with a mask, and sanitize their hands before entering the maternity ward and again when entering and leaving the room. I know that there are many families that would not follow those rules and it would be impossible for the staff to enforce that kind of visiting policy but I can't stand the fact that my girls won't be able to be with me at any point in this journey. The regular flu infects and kills more people than the swine flu does but they have never been this extremely protective against the regular flu. With that said, I know there is nothing I can do about it and at least I have time to adjust to the situation and didn't get surprised with it on delivery day. I can see the positive in it and know that the rules are there for our protection, I just needed to vent about it and get it off my chest.

It's potty time.

I've been putting off potty training for a while now because I like to wait until the kids are older and pretty much potty train themselves. I would much rather change a dirty diaper than dirty underwear. Megan however, has been showing lots of signs that she is ready to start learning so we got her a potty seat and she loves to sit on it (with and without a diaper on.) She hasn't gone in it yet but we're just trying to get her used to it right now. It's been so many years since I've had to do this that I've forgotten just how time consuming it is. I feel like I'm obsessed with the potty. I'm just concerned that she will learn to go on the potty and then resort back to diapers when the baby is born and we'll have to go through the process all over again. I guess only time will tell.

First Haircut

Megan's hair is finally growing. It is still baby fine but it is touching her shoulders now. I have been putting her bangs in pony tails or putting them up in barrettes to keep them out of her eyes while they are growing out but she tends to rip the rubber bands and barrettes out so her bangs were constantly in her eyes. I couldn't stand it anymore. I remember how cute Lizzie was at this age with her bangs so I thought I would give Megan some bangs. I know that once you give them bangs it's very hard to go back but in Megan's case I thought it would be the lesser of two evils.

She sat very still for me while I cut them which is unusual for her.

I bet she is so much happier now that she can see. What do you think?

I was right. She looks so stinkin cute with her bangs. Now that I'm not trying to put her bangs in the pony tails her pony tails seem to be longer, plus she doesn't try to rip them out anymore. I also think it makes her look just a little older. I didn't take off much hair for her first official hair cut but it was enough to make a big difference.

Day at the beach

We still haven't explored very much of our new area yet. When we met Gavin and Jane for the going away party she asked us to meet her at Salem Park. It wasn't very far from our house and we decided we love it so much it is our new favorite park. There is a toddler play area and a play area for bigger kids that toddlers can still play on. A big grass hill for the kids to roll down. A bridge that spans over the pond that we didn't even get a chance to go on yet, and our favorite part, a sandy beach area where the kids can go swimming. I wish we would have known about the beach area because the weather was perfect for swimming and the girls wanted to swim so badly. I did let them pull their pant legs up and go into the water as far as they could without getting their clothes wet. It reminded me of some of the lake beaches my family used to visit when I was younger (but on a much smaller scale) so I wanted to go swimming too for old times sake. Megan loved the water but because she is so short she wasn't able to play without getting soaked. We had so much fun. This was the first outing with our new camera so I took tons of pix. Here are some of my favorites.

Megan on the bigger playground. She had so much fun.

Rebecca and Dakota on the fishing pier. Before we left their were some older boys running and doing flips off the pier. It reminded me of my brothers and the tricks they would try when we were younger.

Megan giving her Daddy some loves.

They were able to go farther out, I made them come in so I could take the picture.

A family photo.


Here is my first video. The microphone in the camera doesn't pick up very well if you are more than 2 feet from it so it is hard to hear the girls but you can hear me too well. Anyway, here are the girls rolling down the hill (posting video is fun but takes forever.)

Gavin's last day

As all of you know I began babysitting to bring in extra money. I started watching a little boy named Gavin when he was 5 months old and Megan was 6 months old. Gavin was a very easy, laid back baby. His mom Jane worked the swing shift and I watched him from 2pm to 11pm or midnight. It was the easiest job I'd ever had. Things changed when both babies started walking. It wasn't the easiest job anymore. Before it was like having two easy babies, now it was like having twin toddlers. It was very tiring some days but people raise twins all the time so I wasn't too worried about it. The hardest part about watching Gavin is the hours he's here (okay, he has a very annoying whine too.) It was beginning to wear me down but I kept going. After I became pregnant though things changed. I get tired so much easier now so it is very hard to keep up with "twins". Plus I want to be able to take some time off before the baby comes to get ready for him and time off after he is born so that I can really enjoy him. There are other reasons too but the point is I think it was time to stop babysitting.

Jane has found another babysitter so yesterday was Gavin's last day with us. Before he stopped coming here she wanted to get together and have a going away party. It was so sweet. We went to a park and she brought cake and ice cream for us to enjoy. We then let the kids play together and took pictures so that we could both put them in memory books.

It will be bitter-sweet now that he is no longer coming. But it was good to have a boy around for so long because I am so nervous about raising a boy and Gavin gave me some good practice. We hope to get Megan and Gavin together for play dates now and then because they are such good friends and we don't want to loose that.

New Camera

We have been wanting to buy a new camera for the last two years but kept putting it off because I couldn't justify the cost of a new camera when there was even a little life left in our ancient camera. We were hoping to make it to tax time before having to buy a new camera but that just didn't happen. Our camera died completely during our last trip to Arizona. I did my usual days of research on the internet looking up tons of cameras and their reviews. I found one that I thought would be good and was happy to see that it was on sale so we took the plunge and bought the camera. I didn't use it much at first because our old camera was so bad I just got out of the habit of taking pictures. When I did finally get it out and play with it I couldn't put it down. This camera is awesome!! It's not top of the line by any means but what it can do compared to the ancient camera we had is night and day. I kick myself for not getting it sooner because we missed some great pic opportunities in the last year. All I can say is that I love it and I am totally happy with our new toy. What it means for you is more pics and if I can figure it out, some video too. My pics seem to be mostly of Megan but that is because the other girls don't like their pictures taken as much and Megan loves it so I will work on getting more pictures of all the girls. Here are some fun pics from the new camera.

Megan posing for the new camera.

Megan has learned the secret fun of eating olives.

Megan is "cooking" with daddy.

Rebecca singing to the music of High School Musical.

Dakota was trying to teach herself how to ride a bike. She came in disappointed because it didn't go well. She threw her helmet down and went in her room forgetting to lock the front door. The babies know when the door isn't locked. Megan saw the opportunity. She quietly put on the helmet (backwards, lol) and tried to sneak outside. Gavin gave it away though because he thought she was going to leave him behind.

Megan got out her recorder and practiced it while Elizabeth was practicing her clarinet.

A sneak peak at Megan's Halloween costume. Jane gave Megan the monkey costume that Gavin wore last year.

Dakota striking a pose for me while I played with the settings on the new camera.

My willing subject for the new camera.

Labor Day Part 2

After the Grand Canyon we continued our journey home. we wanted to stop in Kanab for dinner so we didn't stop in Page. It's about 90 mile from Page, AZ to Kanab, UT. That stretch of road is about as lonely as you can get. A tiny town here and there, some rocks to look at, but not much else. We don't even get cell phone reception there because it is so remote. Exactly at the half way mark I went to pass a slower vehicle pulling a boat and just as I passed him I knew we were in trouble. I lost all acceleration to the car and the engine started sputtering. I'm sure the other car was frustrated as he had to pass me right back up and wondered why I had passed him in the first place. I pulled over and tried to figure out what was wrong with the car. It wasn't anything we were going to be able to take care of out in the middle of no where. I tried the cell phone knowing it wouldn't work but was desperately hoping for a miracle. It of course was useless. The nearest town was about 20 miles behind us so walking to it was out of the question. Trying to get someone to stop was pointless too because with out a cell phone there was nothing they could do either. I just sat there looking around at the completely empty desert and wondered what in the world we were going to do. CJ looked at me and said why don't you go ask the people in that house if they have a phone. I thought he must be hallucinating because we were in the literal middle of nowhere. There were no houses here! Turns out that behind me there was one house on top of a hill hidden next to a cliff. Right then I knew that the Lord had blessed us to be able to break down in the one and only spot where we could ask for help. If we hadn't broken down at that very spot we would never have seen that house and we truly would have been helpless.

After hunting for the road that actually led to the house on top of the big hill I went to the door praying that the residents were home and that this wasn't some kind of vacation home. The people in the house were home and they helped us call the towing company to get us the rest of the way to Kanab. It was 40 miles into the city (80 miles round trip for the tow truck) so this was the longest tow ride we have ever been on. I was so glad that the truck was large enough to fit my whole family because I didn't know what we were going to do if we had to leave some of us behind. The tow truck driver wasn't all that friendly so the ride was a bit awkward. I think he was upset that he was called on such a long tow on a holiday. The worst part was when he got close enough to the city for cell service and he started texting while driving my family 80 mph. I was glad when that ride was over. The real surprise was when the repair shop gave us a loaner car so we could find a hotel. We were prepared to walk but this was a wonderful blessing, especially for the kids.

In the end, not only did we get to have diner in Kanab but we got to stay the night there too. CJ and I missed work and the girls missed school on Tuesday but other than that we made it back home with no other trouble. I am still glad we went to the ranch because I really missed my family and knew it would be a long time before I could see them again, but I don't think we'll be taking any other long car trips any time soon.

BTW it ended up being the fuel pump that needed to be replaced. Remember to change your fuel filter regularly (every 10,000 miles or so) to avoid this problem, especially if the car has over 100,000 miles on it. This is the second car we have bought in the last three years we have had to replace the fuel pump in because the filter was never replaced. You'd think we would have learned our lesson the first time.

Labor Day Part 1

For Labor Day week end we weren't sure what we were going to do. We wanted to get together with some friends and do a pick-nick or something. On Monday my mom called and asked if we would go to Arizona for the week end. Not all the way to Phoenix, but to the "Some Day Ranch" that our family owns about 15 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Our family goes to the ranch every year for an annual Labor Day camp out. I have been wanting to go back to the ranch for a long time (I haven't been there since we moved) but wasn't sure that this was the right time. After much thought we decided that we would go. I had three days to prepare for this trip. It was going to be an 8 hour drive to get there on Friday, we would enjoy family on Saturday and Sunday, and then take another 8 hour drive to get home on Monday. I felt that if the car would make it then it sounded like fun.

We stopped at a little rock shop somewhere between Panquich and Kanab, Utah. We let the girls each pick out a rock to have as a souvenir. We added an hour to the trip because it took everyone so long to pick out their rock but it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we stopped. The girls traveled really well. Megan didn't start fussing until we were about 3 hours away but it was her nap time so once she fell asleep she was fine. We decided to take a route to the ranch that was a little faster coming from the north than it would have been if we went all the way down to Flagstaff and then back up to the ranch. This route took us right in to the Grand Canyon. I lived in Arizona for 12 years and visited the ranch just south of the Grand Canyon many times but had never actually been to it. This was a first for me as well as the rest of the family. We were so close to the edge that I felt as if we could have fallen in if I made one wrong move. It was amazing. We didn't have time to stop and look but thought we would visit it on the way home.

We had a wonderful time with our family. My brother and his family have 4-wheelers and we got to ride them around the ranch. I had never been on one before so I was very nervous. I had so much fun. I was constantly worried about tipping over but other than that I loved the thrill. The girls got to ride a child size one as well as ride on the big ones with an adult. They loved it too. CJ can't wait to buy one for us. We played games, went on walks, and just sat around and visited. I was so glad that we went. I do miss my family so much.

On the way home we did stop at a few viewing spots for the Grand Canyon. It is breath taking but the camera never tells the real story. You just have to be there to really get it's majesty.


On the other side of the wall they are sitting on is the drop off. It made me nervous having them sit so close. My legs went wobbly and I had a hard time taking the picture. I was so glad when they came away from the wall.

Same thing with this fence. I was always afraid that if they leaned on the fence it would break and they would all be gone. I am terrified of heights and this is pretty high up.

This was an area with no fence, no brick wall, nothing to keep you from falling off the edge but your common sense. Dakota wanted to prove it to herself that she was brave enough to go down the step and be just 3 feet away from the edge. I'm telling you that I believe she is brave because I could never have done it.

Our new friend.

We wanted to get a pet when we moved in to the new house but weren't sure what kind of pet or even when to get the pet. We didn't want to have a dog that needed to go outside and get all muddy because there is no grass so we didn't want a dog until the back yard was done and the fence was in. I can't change a littler box while I'm pregnant and I didn't think the kids would be willing to change it for more than a few weeks so we didn't want a cat until the baby was a little older. That meant waiting at least until spring for a pet. That was fine by me because the longer we go without a pet the newer and cleaner the house stays. Little did I know that fate had something else in mind. Two days after we move in I went outside in the back to water the tree. I thought I heard a kitten crying. There is a pile of concrete behind our house that I thought a cat may have had a litter in so I went to see if I could catch a peek at these new kittens. The sound of the kitten was not coming from the pile though so I went to see if I could find it in the field behind our house and I kept going until I heard the cry really well. The weeds were all dry and tangled together so I couldn't see the ground but I knew that the kitten must be close by. I bent down to loosen the weeds to see what I could see and was shocked to find one small kitten stuck in the weeds about three inches from where I stood. I very nearly stepped right on it. I freed the kitten from the weeds so I could get a better look and was again shocked to see that it was a brand new kitten. She couldn't have been more than two or three days old. Once I picked her up she stopped crying so I listened for a long time to see if I could hear anymore kittens because I really wanted to get her back to her mother. There were no other cries and I saw no cat. I took the kitten home to protect her just until I could find her mother. I took her to the vet who gave me some milk to feed her. I told the girls not to get attached because we probably wouldn't keep her. The vet said that she would need to eat every two hours and that just seemed like too much work when I still needed to unpack an entire house. I spent that day and night feeding this tiny little kitten every two hours. She was so sweet and by morning I was attached. I decided to go ahead and keep her because she was my baby. She even knew my voice and my scent. I was loving my new baby and didn't want to leave her even for a moment.

Her eyes are shut tight.

So tiny.

Two days later I went back up to Orem to have our yard sale and left my baby with my Mom. It was probably the worst day to have a yard sale. First there were major wind gusts that kept blowing everything away, then came the freezing temperatures (in August), and then we got pounded by rain and had to throw everything back into the house as quick as we could. We gave up on the yard sale and went home. I couldn't wait to see my baby again anyway. What I wasn't prepared for was to see her in my mother's arms gasping for each breath. I took one look at her and knew that she was dying. My heart sank and I grabbed her as fast as I could. I could tell that the end was so close and there was nothing I could do. I just took her in my room so that I could say goodbye in private (and bawl my eyes out). Before she died I let each of the girls say goodbye too. It was a very hard day in our house. I still don't know what happened. She was doing so good and then my sweet little angel was gone. I didn't think the pain of loosing my baby would ever go away. I had to hold back the tears for many days, but as they say, time heals all wounds.

The other day we were at Wal-Mart and out front there was a box of free kittens. CJ talked me into taking a look at them. They were about three months old. I held one and thought he was cute but wasn't sure I was ready for another kitten. It took quite a while but we decided that after seeing how excited the girls were with the first kitten and how much they really needed a pet we would go ahead and take the kitten home.

It took two days to decide on a name for him. We ended up just having everyone put a name in a hat and then drawing the name since we couldn't decide. We named him Jack-O-Lantern, Jack for short. He is a really good kitten.

What I can't believe is that we are already considering getting another cat. Jack seems to miss having another cat around (he came from a home with tons of cats) so we might get another one for him to play with. For now, we are just enjoying the one we have.

Dance Class

Before we moved the girls were invited to join a dance class given by one of our neighbors. She used to do a lot of dancing and wanted to start teaching dance to the kids in the neighborhood so she invited a few of the girls over to her house once a week for a few months teaching them different dance techniques and then taught them a few dances. She had a dance recital for them so that the parents could see their hard work. She had made two costumes for each of the girls to wear for the recital. It was so much fun and the girls did such a great job. I was impressed with the dances that she taught them in such a short time and the recital was so formal it was wonderful. I am really sad that they won't be able to be in the next dance recital.