Our Crazy Life

Packing...

2010-02-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

I HATE PACKING!!! But, I'm excited to get back to Texas, to a place I can set up as home so Jed can come home to a HOME and not to boxes when he gets back from Iraq. =)

Long Time Coming....

2010-01-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven't updated since right before Jed left. I'm really sorry, that has been nine months ago. He will be home on leave in the next two days and I couldn't be more excited!!! I will do my best to take lots of pictures while he's here and put them up. In the meantime here are some Christmas pictures of the girls that are all getting SO stinkin' big. Kimber is standing now and I'm sure will just take off after her sisters anytime now. Alyssa is talking a lot more in words I can understand and Hailey is thriving in preschool. =)

ATTEMPTED Family Pictures

2009-04-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

So, we took the kids to try and get some family pictures before Jed deployed. They were not exactly cooperative, that's for sure... Keep in mind too that I had just had a baby 8 days before, so don't look at my belly....but other than that enjoy!

Deployment

2009-04-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Jed officially left yesterday for Iraq. We dropped him off at battalion headquarters around 11 in the morning for his weapons draw. Then, we went back to the gym at West Fort Hood where we were allowed close to four hours to spend hanging out with Jed and then to say our goodbyes.
Then, the girls and I came home and Alyssa slept for the rest of the night...so almost 14 hours, she was apparently exhausted! Jed was able to text us for a while from the airport because they got stuck waiting for their plane which was stuck in Atlanta with engine trouble. They just put them on the next flight instead so they ended up leaving a little after 10 pm.
Jed called me from Minnesota around 3:30 this morning and they had a layover there, changed crew, refueled and then were headed to Amsterdam for one more stop before going the rest of the way to Kuwait. I haven't heard anymore from there, but wanted to update anyone who may be waiting to hear. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

More Cute Pictures

2009-04-22T20:03:00.001-07:00

Kimber Lynn

2009-04-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

My darling Kimber has arrived and is now almost 2 1/2 days old. If you have a weak stomach, now is the spot to just skip to the pictures, since she was by far my worst labor of my three girls.
Many of you know that the last week and a half of my pregnancy with Kimber she was back and forth between breech and vertex about three times. Anyway, I had also had elevated blood pressures, so Dr. Izu (who is wonderful) put me on the induction list for last Wednesday. To make a long story short, they didn't have room Wednesday, and actually called me at about 12:45 in the morning on Thursday to come in and start the process. Once we got to the hospital the nurse started all my intake stuff, started my IV and started my pitosin just before 2 in the morning. Then, about 3:15 or so Dr. Izu came in and broke my water, then they came in to give me my epidural around 3:45. At that point I was only about a 3, but since they had broken my water they went ahead and started my epidural. Anyway, she missed the first time and got me on the second stick, so that gave me a little relief for about two hours. But, then I started feeling more and more pain and I just figured my labor was getting harder. Anyway, by the time the shift changed, my new nurse checked me and I was only at a five, even though I was having to bear down some to just make it through the contractions. She decided to have the anestesiologist come in and check on me and he discovered that my epidural catheter had come out of my back (no wonder it hurt so badly!). So, by now it was about 8:30 in the morning and they finally got in a working epidural, at which point I mostly went to sleep, or at least was able to relax a little between each contraction.
A little before 10:00 I became rather alert and was really feeling like I needed to push, so I called in the nurse and she told me that I was complete and they were going to take me into the delivery room, where she would have me push most of the way and then call the doctor. We got down there and I think she had me push about 3 times before she called the doctor in, then with one or two more pushes Kimber was born at 10:16 am on the 16th of April. She weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. (exactly what I did as a baby....I'm sorry mom!) and was 21 inches long. She was beautiful and I adore her already. So, the labor was pretty rough, until I finally got a working epidural, plus she was my biggest baby (by nearly 2 pounds) so I'm pretty sore.
Kimber was far more interested in sleeping than eating and so she slept for about 4 hours before I could even get her to wake up enough to try. She is a champion nurser, which I was pretty happy about since my other two had a really hard time. Anyway, since she was a big baby, they had to do periodic blood sugars and at one point she was only at a 27...which landed her in the NICU with an IV in her head to get her some immediate sugar. It was extremely sad to watch them try to get an IV in her because they hit veins in both wrists, but then they would blow when they tried to put the fluids through. I know I don't like IV's so I'm sure they weren't pleasant for her either. Anyway, they were checking her blood sugar every three hours, before each feeding, and once she finally got it up it only fell hard one time. So, by Friday mid-morning they started weening her off her IV fluids to see if she would maintain her sugar levels on her own. It took until 5 this morning (Saturday) but they were able to get the IV off and she kept her levels up enough for us to finally be discharged around 5 this afternoon. It is so nice to be home and she really is a very good baby. She wakes up to eat but then sleeps rather well, even with her crazy sisters around. =)
Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Easter

2009-04-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love Easter as it is a wonderful reminder of our Savior's sacrifice on our behalf. I'm so grateful that that Atonement is infinite and eternal and all encompassing.
My other favorite part of Easter growing up was always getting a new dress. Well, here are the dresses my girls got this year. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, my girls don't like to sit still for pictures!

Again

2009-04-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

So, Kimber is breech again. I'm not going to attempt a version again, just have her sectioned hopefully sometime this week. I will keep you posted and have Jed post pictures as soon as she arrives. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

Better News....

2009-04-09T13:22:00.001-07:00

So I went in yesterday to attempt an ECV (external cephalic vertion) to flip Kimber. I got there about 9 in the morning and we spent a little while just monitoring the baby. She was obviously still head up by how high the monitors needed to be to pick up her heartbeat. Anyway, around 10 or so the nurse tried to start an IV in case anything went wrong and they had to do an emergency section. She tried twice before she gave up and had the anastesiologist come in to put in my IV. The doctor finally came in and we talked for a while about what he was going to do an all the possible side effects they have to tell you, blah blah blah. Anyway, he left again for a bit and then came back to do an ultrasound and see exactly where she was and the best way to try to flip her. Turns out sometime in all that laying and waiting she flipped herself and was head down when he did the ultrasound. Yay! He then stripped my membranes and I've been having contractions on and off since yesterday, but nothing quite enough to send me back in yet. If I haven't had her by next Wednesday they will induce me. I'm just grateful that for now we have avoided the c-section and I pray she stops acting like a gymnast for the time being!

The dreaded words.....

2009-04-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

So I went in for my NST this morning and once a week they also do an ultrasound to check fluids for the baby. Anyway, during my ultrasound they discovered that sometime since I was last checked the baby flipped and is now breech. Oh joy. So, they are going to try an external eversion this Wednesday and if it doesn't work, I have a scheduled c-section for next Tuesday. I know she will be fine, but it's just the fear of the unknown at this point...

Updates

2009-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

There really isn't much going on around here right now. I'm still pregnant, and Jed is still getting ready to deploy. He leaves the 28th. They set me for induction the 15th at my last appointment, though I'm still hoping to have this baby before then. Jed has been on leave for a little over a week now, so we have had fun having daddy home. The girls just adore him to no end! I put in our notice to move out at the end of the month, so we will have lots of packing to do as soon as possible. We are just going to do it a little at a time and then Jed's dad is going to come out and help me drive a small uhaul or big van or something back to Arizona so that I can take enough stuff for the whole year.
Alyssa and Hailey are little balls of energy and Hailey is forever talking about her next little sister. Every night in her prayers she says, "thank you for mommy, daddy, Alyssa, Kimber....and ME!" It is pretty cute. I love my girls and am looking forward to holding my next one, hopefully sooner rather than later! I hope everyone (all two of you that may read this) is having a good weekend. Love ya!

Promised Pictures

2009-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent pictures as I promised in my last post....enjoy! They are all kind of random, but fun....

Holiday Weekend

2009-02-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

So we had a fun this weekend getting out of town. Jed had Friday and Monday off and the girls especially have really enjoyed having him home. Friday we went down to Austin, which was really quite pointless, but there were some cool outlet malls in Round Rock...and even better a Steak 'n' Shake which is my favorite burger place ever. Then Saturday we went up to Waco. Jed wanted to go to a college basketball game, so for Valentine's Day that's what we did. We went to the Baylor vs. Texas A&M game, which was actually a really good game. Baylor won by 4 but it was close most of the way through and really exciting. Sunday was pretty laid back and then today we just did a lot of shopping that needed done. We were able to get a lot of the stuff Jed needs for deployment and finally get some food back in the house. Hailey and Alyssa continue to grow up way too fast for my liking, and are cute as ever. I will get some new pictures up soon, so check back in a bit...

It's A.....

2009-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

GIRL!!! Yep, another girl. It kept us from having to decide between the two cute boys names we had it narrowed down to... I'm pretty sure this one will be Kimber Lynn. Yep, that's right, named after my favorite gun!!! My husband came up with it, just like the other two and I think my dad would be proud! =)

Updates and Pictures

2009-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

Again the time since I have updated my blog seems to have flown by...I don't know how that happens, maybe this time it was the move to Texas, finding a new house, raising two toddlers, being pregnant, getting Jed (vaguely) adjusted to the real Army, the wonderful Holidays, or any other of the myriad of crazy happenings in the Robins' household....so without further ado, here are a few pictures of our new house and a wonderful Christmas with our adoreable girls. We hope you all are doing well and would love to see anyone who feels like coming to visit Texas and the beautiful 75 degree weather.

And then some random pictures of the girls...they really do wear clothes most of the time, but Hailey is in a take them all off stage and Alyssa seems to follow suit...

I am truly going to try to update my blog more often this year, especially with pictures so that Jed will be able to see all the kids grow while he is deployed (he leaves this Spring for those who haven't heard). I hope you are all having a great 2009 and life finds you happy and healthy.

Believe It or Not!

2008-11-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took the girls and went downtown to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum in San Antonio. It was so much fun! There were tons of CRAZY things to see there, here are just a few...

This might have been the most emotional one for me. I can remember sitting in my living room in Sharonville, OH and cryin with my mom as we watched the news coverage of the Berlin Wall coming down.This is Hailey sitting in the world's largest tire...actually used in OHIO!This is a replica of the eiffel tower made entirely of toothpicks. It weighs less than 5 lbs.This is my adoreable family at the waterfall right outside just before we headed over to the wax museum...hence the next pictures.

Finally, we went on the boat ride on the riverwalk. Hailey had wanted to do that for a long time, it really was quite interesting and fun. Had to laugh at the faces Hailey and Alyssa are making in these pictures...

The tree in the picture is over 400 years old. I thought that was pretty nifty.

Lots of Pictures....I Hope

2008-10-27T16:33:00.001-07:00

So, I wrote a big long note a little bit ago with lots of pictures from the birthday party I had for the girls. Except that when I tried to publish it, it vanished and I got really frustrated and haven't been back for a while.
Anyway, we are now in Texas and having a pretty good time here. We get to see Jed most nights and every weekend, even if only for a few hours. But, he graduates in a month and then he should get to live with us again (I hope). We have done lots of stuff here in Texas, so I am going to try to post pictures again and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed....

These are all from our trip to seaworld a few weeks ago. We had a great time, and an even better time since it was free. Active duty military gets them and three dependants in free once a year. Hailey had such a good time and kept talking about Shamu splashing mommy and Alyssa for at least a week if not longer afterwards. I don't blame her though, we got soaked. I should have gotten pictures, oh well...

These two pictures are from the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. It is beautiful, made even more so by having my family with me.

These are to show you how big my girls are getting. I can hardly believe it!

And finally, these are pictures from this past Saturday. We went to this place here called Green Acres and had a blast! First we played miniature golf, which I CREAMED Jed at, but he will forever blame it on helping the girls....bologna! Then we went inside and played lots of arcade games, one of which was basketball and again I beat Jed and one of the games (that will probably never happen again, so I must remember it forever...). Then, we went outside to the batting cages and hit a bunch of softballs. It was a great family fun day, all for under $20. You really can't beat that. I love these pictures of the girls, and of my hot husband. I feel so blessed to have them all in my life.
One last side note, I finally got my ultrasound scheduled for the 21st of November, so hopefully we will get to find out what we are having then....stay tuned.

Updates

2008-09-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

So, it has been far too long since I have updated my blog....sorry everyone! We have been having a blast here in Arizona, which makes me sad that that time is drawing to a close for now. But, happy that we will soon be back with Jed. We are moving to Texas next week so that we can be near him. He has most evenings off and can come off base with us every weekend. It will almost resemble normal family time. We are all very anxious to see the head of our family as he is so loved and missed! Jed is doing very well at AIT and is the platoon guide for his platoon, which means he is in charge of about 45 guys. The material has been pretty easy for him as he has studied a lot of it in college as preparation for becoming a physical therapist. Keep up the good work honey! We love you so much!
As for the time here, we have spent a lot of time just hanging out with friends and family. I honestly haven't been able to do a whole lot as this pregnancy has zapped ALL my energy. (It doesn't help when Alyssa gets me up four times in a night like last night, but oh well.) I have only thrown up a few times though, which is huge for those of you who know my pregnancies...
The girls had a blast at their double birthday party, so thank you too all who came and created the fun! Alyssa especially enjoyed her cupcake. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Okay, dumb computer isn't letting me upload the pictures. I will try again later, but in the meantime, this is what we've been up to!

Big News.....

2008-08-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Look Left.

Graduation Day

2008-07-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Jed's graduation was a pretty cool ceremony. Here are a few pictures from today. Thanks again to everyone who has supported and prayed for our family during this time. We love you all! We are so proud of you Jed!

Today was also Hailey's third birthday! I can't believe how fast my baby girl has grown up and how smart she is. Jed couldn't believe how well she can carry on a normal conversation now. It was a very special birthday since she got to spend it with daddy. It didn't hurt that she got a new barbie and a new ken either. We love you Hailey and are very proud of you too!

A Visit with Daddy

2008-07-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

After 10 long weeks we got to finally see Jed today. He graduates tomorrow from BCT and then on to AIT in San Antonio, Texas. At first Alyssa was a bit afraid of him, but when he took off the beret and she could see that it was him she warmed up pretty quickly. Here are a few pictures from today.

The pictures of Alyssa were after we had baskin robbins. It was hilarious!
P.S. My husband is SO dang sexy!

Entertainment....Car Style

2008-07-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, we have spent the last two days driving down to St. Robert, Missouri which is right outside Ft. Leonard Wood. We will get to see Jed tomorrow at the family meet and greet and then he graduates from basic training on Thursday! Anyway, I looked back at one point to see Alyssa because she was just laughing and I didn't know why...low and behold she was shaking her bottle upside down so that the water inside would get her leg all wet. It was hilarious! I couldn't help but take a picture!

My New Camera

2008-07-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

I got my new camera yesterday and I absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong, I loved my old one too, especially since my honey got it for me, but since it was broken and I can't seem to live without taking pictures, I'm having fun with the new one too. I took this picture of Hailey today and just had to share because I think it is just adoreable!

Portrait Session

2008-07-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

I took the girls to have their pictures taken last week at JCPenney. I still don't have any professional pictures of them together, and the only ones I have of Alyssa are from when she was like 2 weeks old. Well, like so many other two year olds when I was working in the studio in Mesa, Hailey was too curious about all the new stuff to sit and take pictures...so I STILL don't have any good pictures of the two of them together. I am going to go see Henele (my old manager and a FABULOUS photographer) when I get back to AZ and see if she can help me solve this problem. Here are the fun pictures that I got last week though. Enjoy!

And my favorite of their composites that they put together...

Tagged.....AAAHHH!

2008-07-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay Josie, I don't know if anyone will read these or not....no one ever leaves me comments so I don't know if anyone reads my blog! LOL! I have been tagged a bunch and haven't ever answered, but this one requires a little more thought I think then the ones that are where have you lived and what jobs have you had, so I will do it...Josie says I have to list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 obsessions, 3 goals, and 3 random facts....watch for your name, cuz that means you're next (if you're actually reading this...)

3 joys:
1. My family. I think this goes on most peoples list, but my husband and my
children truly are the joy of my life!
2. The Gospel. The promise of forever with my #1 joy makes me very happy.
3. My friends. I have been blessed with some really good friends. Good times!

3 fears:
1. Losing my husband or children. Having weathered the storm of losing both
parents, I still think it would be near impossible for me to make it through
losing my spouse or kids...
2. Deployment. It's probably pretty close to inevitable, but it still scares me.
3. Intruders. I know I would have to shoot them, and I would really rather not
have to hurt anyone....lol!

3 obsessions:
1. Scrapbooking!!!
2. White hangers. I have to use ONLY white hangers and color code my closet or
it drives me nuts! Possibly a little OCD in there?...
3. My cell phone. I'm not sure I could live without it. Especially now that it
is my only connection to Jed.

3 goals:
1. To raise good kids. I want them to be contributing, moral members of society.
2. To get healthier. I want to be around to see my great-grandchildren grow up.
3. To go home. When all is said and done I want to be considered a good and
faithful servant.

3 random facts:
1. I have been married 4 years and we are in the midst of our 7th move...and that
was without the military's help!
2. There are now only 13 days until I get to see my honey...but I'm not counting.
3. I just finished the Twilight series for the second time in preparation for the
August 2nd release of Breaking Dawn!

Lachelle, Melissa, and Kerrie....I want to know more fun stuff about you!

Memory Tag

2008-07-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

I thought this seemed kinda fun...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember that maybe brings a smile to your face!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It will be fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you are playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Home Again, Home Again....

2008-07-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we are now back in Nebraska, and extremely glad to not be living out of a suitcase anymore. We had a blast though visiting friends and family and I am SO grateful for the opportunity to see people I hadn't seen in years! We managed to cram a lot into our visit, and there were still lots more things I would have liked to have done...Some of the highlights included Kings Island, the Newport Aquarium, and camping at Pike Lake. Here are a few of those pictures. Enjoy....
My best friend from High School, Erica and IAlyssa on the swing at the Forbes'
My friends Jason and Gini Forbes with their adoreable son Carter

These five are all from our adult day at Kings Island...so fun!

These are from our trip to Newport Aquarium, the kids LOVED the exhibits!

Then, these five are from camping at Pike Lake. We didn't really camp, we had a cabin, but it was so fun to spend time with my family and for the girls to get to spend some time with their cousins. So, that should bring everyone up to date. The other highlight of my trip was going down to the Montgomery Ward and seeing SO many people I grew up with. We went to my friend Jared and Dani's for dinner one night, unfortunately I forgot my camera. It was fun though and my girls absolutely loved their twins. Thanks you guys!
Hope you enjoyed all the pictures!

A Mostly Fun Week

2008-06-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

This week has definitely been better than last week, even including the nervous breakdown on Monday. But, Monday night I went to another friends and stayed the night there so that we could go horseback riding Tuesday morning. I had forgotten how much I miss riding! It was a blast! The girls seemed to really enjoy it too.

Then Wednesday, we went out to spend some time with one of my young women's presidents from when I grew up, Kathy Geyer. She is one of the most wonderful women I know! She had a blast with the girls, especially Alyssa because she is expecting her first grandchild in August. It's always nice to visit Kathy!
Today, I took Hailey on a mommy-daughter date, our first ever, but hopefully no where near our last. Kathy (previously mentioned amazing woman) watched Alyssa for me so that I could have some fun with Hailey. We went down to King's Island! WOO HOO!

This is one of my favorite places ever! My mom and I used to go at least once a week when we lived just one exit up the freeway. We just always got season passes and would go on the less busy days. It was so much fun! Anyway, Hailey seems to be the next generation of roller coaster junkies in my family...she rode all the kiddie rides that she could, and then we went over to the other side and she rode the spider and the scrambler and then wanted to ride the spider AGAIN! It was definitely her favorite of the day. She kept pointing to all the big roller coasters and saying she wanted to ride them, then she would be mad when I told her she wasn't quite tall enough. But, with the way she grows it won't be long.....

This last picture doesn't have Hailey in it because I rode with her, but I had to pay tribute to her favorite ride of the day!

It's About Time.....

2008-06-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

...For this roller coaster of a week to finally be over! So, I have to put in a few updates real fast. I went five days trying to figure out how to get money to get gas and formula and the things that my little family needs, since my wallet had disappeared on Monday. I thought I finally had it figured out. I was going to call Walmart and see if they would cash a check for me, or even put it on a gift card, since they knew the whole story and I didn't have any ID yet. So, Friday morning, I got up and showered and called in to talk to a manager. As soon as I asked, the manager goes, well this is your lucky day (which I found a little ironic being Friday the 13th, but hey.....), someone found your wallet around one this morning and turned it in. WOO HOO! The cash was missing, but everything else is there. I figure someone else needed the $40 more than I did, and I'm just grateful to have my ID's, my social security card and my temple recommend back. I guess it was out on the ground in a cart corral near a trash can. I started crying when I got it back, and thanked my Father in Heaven more times than I could count. It is still a bit of a pain since I had cancelled my debit cards and stuff, but oh well. I'm just SO thankful that someone found it and turned it in.
So Friday, my friend Erica and I headed up to Dayton to go to the Air Force base (mostly just because I can) and to a mall to do a little shopping. It was so nice to be in a place with something besides a Walmart. We had lots of fun in Dayton, and some yummy food too. We LOVE Steak 'n' Shake!

Then, today I went down to Cincinnatie and saw my friend Janelle. We met in German class at Sycamore High School. She has a little boy now, Kyle, that is almost one. He is so cute. We took the three kids and went down the the new chidren's museum at the old Union Terminal. There are SO many fun things for them to do and play with. The girls had a blast, especially at the water works part of the exhibit where they got to play in lots of water. It was so much fun!

I realize this has been a lot of pictures, but the last several posts haven't had any so it was about time for an update. I hope you have enjoyed my cute girls as much as I do. Oh yeah, then to top off the rest of the week, I was sitting in the Wendy's drive thru tonight and thought I had put the car in park to make Alyssa a bottle, since she was screaming in the back seat. Anyway, apparently it wasn't in park and I rolled forward into the car in front of me. ARG! It didn't do any damage to their car, it was a Suburban...unfortunately their trailer hitch punched a small hole in my front bumper, but I'm just glad again that no one was hurt. I will finish this off with a few more pictures of the girls. My friend that I'm staying with, Erica, babysat a puppy the other night and my girls had a hayday, especially Hailey, so that is when these were taken. Take care and have a great day!

The Silent Ranks

2008-06-13T09:50:00.001-07:00

I wear no uniform, no blues, or Army greens
But I am in the military in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders, salutes I do not give.
But the military world is the place where I live.

I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get.
But my Soldier is the one who does, this I cannot forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough, I'm the one that's left behind.

My Soldier is a patriot, a brave and pride-filled person.
And the call to serve our country not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My Soldier makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.

I love the Soldier I married. Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks.
Known as the Military Wife.

Okay, I'm maxed out on STRESS!!!

2008-06-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

So today I have totally about lost it. Mostly though, I just lost my wallet. Last time I had it was to check out at Walmart yesterday and today when I went back to get formula and things for Alyssa I couldn't find it anywhere. We have turned Erica's house upside down searching, along with my car, the parking lot at Wally World and the managers have checked the cash office several times. I have also called the police departments in town and it has not been turned in. If I were still in Utah or Arizona, it would be a little easier to get things replaced, but since I'm in Ohio, and have no permanent address here I have no idea what I am going to do about getting a new ID. I also, therefore lost my military ID, a couple credit cards, a little cash, and a few other things that I am completely stressed about. I am hoping it turns about, but for those of you that read this, I would certainly appreciate an extra prayer or two.

The Buckeye State

2008-06-09T18:20:00.001-07:00

So, the next leg of my crazy summer has begun. I arrived in Ohio this afternoon to my best friend from high school, Erica's house. I will be here for about 3 weeks. There is a lot planned here. We are hoping to go to King's Island, a childhood favorite amusement park. Erica and I LOVE roller coasters, and since Jed won't ride them with me it's time to get my fill. I'm also hoping to get together with some other friends from high school down in Cincinnati, but I will keep you updated as things happen.
I spent my last few days in Tennessee with my family and that was a lot of fun. My cousins, Hannah and Jeremiah, graduated from high school. Their graduation was a really nice ceremony and then the next day we had a nice little party thing for them. It was nice to get to see everyone for a few days. Now they are all headed to Peru for a few weeks and then they will also be coming up to Ohio where we have a cabin reserved for about a week. That should be a lot of fun.
The girls actually did really well in the car. Thank goodness for Hailey's DVD player, it is a life saver sometimes. I think that is about all the news for now. I hope everyone is having a fun summer.

Fields of Corn

2008-05-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we have arrived in Nebraska and have actually been here for a week now. Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Hailey hasn't been feeling well, but seems to be on the up swing, and there is definitely an adjustment going on with the girls living with family and not having their daddy around. I have heard from Jed three times so far. The first was a phone call the second day he was in Missouri just to let me know that he had arrived okay...it lasted all of four minutes. The next was a bit longer....7 minutes...he was able to tell me that they were pretty much done with the paper work phase and he got to talk to the girls for a few minutes. Finally, I got an email from him last Tuesday. Apparently the people in the ward there will email for the soldiers, which is really nice because I can also email him back and they will make sure he gets it. That has been great because I don't have an address for him yet so I can't send him any mail or pictures, but this will tide me over in the meantime. He shipped for basic Tuesday and I'm sure they are tearing down the civilians to turn them in to soldiers. We miss him dearly, but Jed and I both knew this was what he was supposed to do.
My aunt, her family, and my girls and I leave next Tuesday for Tennessee. We will be there almost a week, Hannah and Jeremiah (my cousins) are graduating, and then they will all head to Peru for a bit. Hailey, Alyssa, and I will head up to Ohio at that point and spend a few weeks with my friend Erica and anyone else we may want to go visit. Then I will head over to D.C. to meet Aunt Betsy at my other aunt's house and we will visit them for a few days. After that we will head back to Nebraska, via Ohio and a visit to my great-grandma (and one of the most amazing people EVER). When we get back to Nebraska, Aunt Betsy and I will be doing lots of painting and house up keep through the month of July. Then I will head over to Jed's graduation from Basic Training. He will then head to Texas for his training as a health care specialist, his MOS, and the girls and I will head to Arizona to stay with dad until Jed gets his first duty post assignment, at which point our family will be reunited.
There is the update of the plans through November. I will write and post pictures as we go. We love and miss you all!

Off We Go....

2008-05-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, today is moving day. I'm actually pretty impressed with how much we have gotten done. We have just about everything in boxes so it will be nice and easy when the elder's quorom comes over later to help us actually move stuff out. All the stuff that goes in storage is in the front part of the house, and the stuff we are taking with us is back in the master bedroom and we will close the door so that they don't have to worry about that stuff. It has been crazy, but I have had tons of help from some wonderful people, especially with watching my girls. I can't tell everyone thank you enough. I guess with each move we have gotten better at it and more organize....of course, that should be the case after 7 moves in less than 4 years. I'm just grateful that next time the Army will take care of it for us. Well, I am going to go finish up the last bits of packing and start on some cleaning. I hope everyone has a great day!

When did she get so big?

2008-05-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that Alyssa went from baby to crawling to sitting up to pulling up on stuff faster than I could have imagined. I swear it has just been in the last week or so that she went to sitting all the way up and then to pulling up and scooting along furniture. She would much rather be standing than sitting or laying, unless she is crawling somewhere to get into mischief. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the last few days. Please excuse my mess, we have 10 days to be packed and out of our apartment.

Best Job Ever

2008-05-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that being a mother is the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I have ever done. Apparently, 5minutesformom seems to agree as they do a lot to encourage and reward mothers. For instance, right now they are doing 2 weeks of giveaways in honor of mother's day. So, if you are a mom, have a mom, or want to ever be a mom (I think that covers everyone).....go check it out!

Lots of Cleaning

2008-05-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

So we have started the packing process and today we went through both of our storage units and found a lot of stuff that we just threw out and a lot of stuff to try to sell at the yeard sale I'm going to have with my friend next weekend. I have packed about 8 boxes, which leaves about 500 to go (it seems), but it definitely feels good to have a start on it. Wish me luck!

We love toys!

2008-04-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Lachelle, thanks for the heads up on this, it would rock to win something, though I'm not holding my breath. Ha!

5minutesformom.com is have free toy give aways for the next two weeks. Check it out!

First Dates, Ice Cream, and Other Updates

2008-04-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this post is LONG over due, but better late than never right? I have a picture of Alyssa from when Hailey shared some ice cream with her that just makes me smile. They were having so much fun, and really seem to be becoming friends as well as sisters. It's pretty cute. Anyway, here is the picture of Alyssa.

My girls seem to be more grown up by the day. The Sunday after Easter Hailey wore this little yellow dress that my friend Keri gave to her while we were in Arizona. I swear it made her look like she was going on 12 at least. She has gone poo poo in her big potty twice now and when I tell her how proud I am of her she just looks at me with this big grin and says, "thanks mom". It melts my heart. I love nothing more than to make my kids happy and help them realize how much I love them. I can only hope I do it enough.

On other grown up news from Hailey she went on her "first date". We wanted to take her to see Horton Hears a Who, but didn't want to take Alyssa since she is still so young. So, we took the four year old little boy next door (Corbyn) and they watched Alyssa for us. It was so cute. All the way there they were like tickling each other and laughing in the back seat. I couldn't help but laugh when Jed would, somewhat jokingly, tell Corbyn to keep his hands to himself. Then, when we left and were about to go back to the parking lot Corbyn was holding my hand and I told Hailey she needed to hold Daddy's hand to go in the street, instead she ran and took Corbyn's hand. It was adoreable. Too bad they fought all the way home and every time they have played since. They seem to have a love hate relationship that is rather amusing.

Alyssa is crawling now and has two front teeth. She is enjoying the bath finally and the girls love to play together almost any chance they get. Alyssa seems to be learning to stick up for herself when it comes to playing with Hailey, and Alyssa LOVES to follow Hailey around the house. I hope their relationship as sisters continues to grow with love and respect. I don't dellude myself into thinking it will always be peaches and cream, but I certainly hope their love-hate relationship will turn out to be more love than hate. I'm so proud of my girls.

Also, I have been really into making cards for some reason lately. I told my friend Melissa I would post this one I did because I tried to describe it to her and I don't think it really worked. It all started for my friend Abby who asked me if I wanted to make a card for someone she knows that is having a boy. The one I made for her was slightly different colors, but the same design. The inside is a pocket and you write whatever you want on the tag. I liked so much that I made a few for me to have on hand just in case. Enjoy.....

Lots of Catching Up.....

2008-03-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to write about this week, especially since we were in Arizona for the last week or so and haven't been home. My girls are getting SO big. I swear the grow up more every day. Alyssa got her first two teeth on Wednesday, and slept through the night three nights in a row once we got home. Last night she was up twice, but I'm hoping she goes back to the sleeping through the night tonight. She can do the army crawl now, and I really don't think it will be long before she is ALL over the house. Time to baby proof some more....

Hailey seems to get smarter every day as her vocabulary just grows and grows. She speaks in full sentences that are actually right more often than not. She's still a little confused on gender and calls daddy 'she' a lot, but we are getting there.

She had SO much fun in Arizona with her aunts and uncle, and especially grandpa. She pretty much learned that she could get anything from him. If she even looked sad or started to cry he was there with a popsicle to cheer her up. She isn't too happy that that doesn't work at home, but she will have four months with grandpa this summer and I'm sure he will have stocked up. We also got a new car while we were in Arizona. It is a 2005 Toyota Camry and we love it. Our Oldsmobile was getting old and having more and more problems, so we went to the dealership we had bought it from to look around and they found us a great deal on this Camry. It will be MUCH safer for the girls and I driving all over the country this summer. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the trip itself...of all things to forget my camera was at home on the charger the whole week. Bummer! I guess it's better than last time we went down when I forgot all my under clothes...

Here are a few pictures of the girls and one of a layout I did last night to enter in a local contest...if anyone has any opinions on that, or any other comments just for fun I would LOVE to hear them!

I love this picture of Alyssa, as long as you ignore my scrapping mess in the background...

She's getting so close...I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

I don't know what is up with this face, but I still think she's adorable. I might be biased though.

This is the layout I did for the contest. The theme is spring. This picture is Hailey about 2 years ago, but I just did the layout last night...

Recent Layouts

2008-03-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of scrapping lately for my friend, Charity. I have done a few pages here and there for me too, but mostly hers right now. Anyway, I have really enjoyed it, especially since I got several new cricut cartridges. I got the one to make paper dolls, Mickey and Friends, Dreams Come True, Happily Ever After, Cuttin Up, and Zooballoo is on it's way. Anyway, I wanted to share a few recent layouts. Let me know what you think. I also made a little book of letters for Hailey and am going to make her a book about counting sometime soon. =)

Six Months Already?

2008-03-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Well, Alyssa hit six months old the other day, but I was waiting for her check-up to post so I could put up her stats and all that fun stuff. She is now 17 lbs 11 ozs and 27 1/2 inches (which is in the 90th percentile). No wonder I can never find clothes that really fit her either. She is mobile and rolling all over the place. She gets up on all fours and will rock back and forth, but always ends up going backwards. It's pretty funny. I am betting she will be crawling by next week. She loves to play and pull Hailey's hair, but I think Hailey had it coming for all the times she would lay on her or whatever. =) Not too much else going on right now. Hailey had her well check too and she is 31 lbs and 36 1/2 inches. She has learned her full name and loves to tell everyone who she is. Life is crazy as always, but I'm not sure we would know how to survive any other way. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and having a great day!

I Never Expected.....

2008-02-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

To hear Jed say he missed our dog Tessie. He told Hailey today that when we get settled and on base somewhere, if we are allowed, he will think about getting her a new dog. Then he went on to say he missed having Tessie because she LOVED to run with him and play fetch. This from the same man (I think) that once told me he would never own a pet.....hmmmmm....I love him to pieces and it's so cute to see how much he loves our girls. He is the best daddy ever!

Funny Story and New Craft

2008-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hailey comes up with the goofiest stuff sometimes. Today on the way home from church she was (as most kids do) picking her nose. I told her that that was yucky and she should stop. She then turns and serious as can be just says "Silly Hands" like they were acting of thier own accord. Jed and I cracked up.

Also, I decided that since the girls and I are going to be traveling while Jed is gone this summer I needed an easy way to take along some of my favorite recipes so I didn't have to carry a bunch of cook books. This is how I solved that problem, just thought I would share. If you have any yummy, easy recipes please share and I will add them to my box. Have a great day!

A Little Vent....Sorry!

2008-02-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

So lately, of course, we have had the new news of Jed joining the army when we see old friends or people we have known or whatever. It seems that a common answer to that for some people is "I'm sorry" or something to that effect. Why would someone say that? He CHOSE to join the army, it's not like he was drafted. Plus, if it weren't for people being willing to serve in the military we would not enjoy the freedoms that we do in this nation. Maybe I am just close to the situation and having grown up in a military family (dad-army, grandpa-air force, aunt-air force, uncle-air force and navy) I have an innate respect and gratitude for our armed forces. I understand everyone's right to their opinion, but when it comes to stuff like that I just don't think I'm sorry is an appropriate response. Am I way off base here? Thanks for letting me vent!

It's Official.....

2008-02-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

Jed is officialy a soldier in the U.S. Army. He passed all his physicals and stuff today and leaves for basic training on May 20th. He will be a Health Care Specialist so right after his 10 weeks of basic (in Missouri) he goes to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio for his job training. I am really proud of him for finding this great way to pay for school and do some of the things he really wants to do. We will miss him tons, but I know he will come home and even better man for it.

Finally.....

2008-02-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

I finally got in some scrap time and I thought I would post these two pages. They are so simple, but they really let me see the similarities and differences in my two beautiful girls. I love them so much! Hope you enjoy.

First Words

2008-01-29T14:44:00.001-08:00

So I was really hoping that Alyssa's first word would be mama since she has been way more of a mama's girl than Hailey was.....but alas that was not to be. Jed came in from school this afternoon and she got all excited. He asked her if she heard daddy and low and behold she started excitedly saying 'dada'. I was a little jealous, but glad that my girls have such a good dad. He was so excited and I'm sure I will hear about it for a while. Anyway, this was a picture I took earlier today of some tummy time. She can scoot around and I'm just afraid she will be crawling way before I want her to and following Hailey all over the place. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Time for Updates...Mostly Pictures

2008-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have posted and for that I am sorry. Life has been a bit nuts around here. We had a great Christmas, it was pretty quiet since we just stayed home, but it was wonderful. Hailey got a play kitchen from Santa that she adores and lots of food to go with it. She also got an alphabet magnet set that sings the ABC's and we hear that about 50 times a day (minimum). The other 50 times that I hear the alphabet Hailey is singing it to Alyssa which is pretty cute. She loves to sing to her and read to her or anything that can get Alyssa to smile. All Hailey has to do usually is start laughing and Alyssa will crack up. It's very cute. I have tried to capture it on the video camera, but as soon as Hailey sees it she starts performing for the camera. Anyway, Jed got a really nice bike for Christmas and we got a family wall portrait of the Savior calming the sea. It is called Peace Be Still and I love it. Then Jed got me a big Prayer at Valley Forge picture of George Washington kneeling by his horse to pray during the war. It has been one of my favorite pictures for a long time and I'm very excited to finally have it hanging on my wall.
The girls are growing like weeds. Hailey is a little over 3 feet tall now and weighs about 30 lbs. Alyssa is just under 15 lbs. and is about 26 inches long. They are both so cute and we love them to pieces. The latest update for them is that we went and got their ears pierced last night (sorry dad!) and it is adorable! Hailey had been telling me all day that she wanted earrings like mommy so we just did both the girls. Alyssa got green and Hailey got pink. Alyssa has also been eating solid foods and rolling over since the 1st of the year. It's so cute and she loves all the new things she is discovering.

Family Updates

2007-11-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

So I think it is about time that I update everyone on the goings on around here....especially with some pictures. Sorry it has been so long! Alyssa is three months old today, which is just crazy to me. I can't believe how fast time flies. Here are a few pictures of her that I took before church today. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet girl in my life!

Hailey is so sweet with Alyssa, she really loves her sister. She is always telling me she wants to hug her, hold her, and especially kiss her. Thankfully Alyssa is pretty patient up to this point. The other morning Hailey came in to my room and I was laying there playing with Alyssa so Hailey just climbed up on the bed and laid beside Alyssa to hold her hand. I couldn't help taking a couple pictures.......

Finally, I know this is really late, but I wanted to put up the picture of Hailey from Halloween. She was Snow White and she had so much fun! She just loves anything that is princess or play food related....There is also a cute picture of Alyssa smiling from Halloween morning. I haven't been able to get her really good smile in a picture yet, but we are getting closer so you will just have to stay tuned for that!

Cute Moment

2007-10-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Early today, while I was cleaning the house, Hailey came and asked me to paint her toenails. If I were a better mother, I would have stopped cleaning and taken the time to paint her toenails for her....but then I would have missed a very sweet moment. I came out from doing laundry to find Jed painting Hailey's toenails. He is such a great dad. I wish I had had my camera, but he probably would have stopped if I had tried to take a picture. =)

Family Updates

2007-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

So life seems to fly by these days. Alyssa will be 2 months old on Thursday and I can't believe all that has happened in that time. I just thought I would try to get up a quick update. Hailey is growing like a weed. She had an appointment the other day and she is measuring at 36 1/2 inches and almost 28 lbs. The difference between holding her and holding Alyssa is crazy. Alyssa was just measured today and she is just over 9 lbs. But is already 23 3/4 inches. That is over 4 inches longer than when she is born....I have two weeds! I think I will keep them in my little family garden though since they are so precious. Alyssa is smiling quite a bit now...especially in the morning. I don't know what's up with that because I'm certainly not a morning person. I guess she might turn me into one. It's so funny though because sometime usually around 7:00 she will wake up and smile a lot for a little bit, then she will want to eat and go back to sleep so we pretty much just stay in bed and it's not quite as bad. Hailey has been sleeping until around 9:00 lately and then she comes and climbs into my bed to tickle me. It's pretty cute.
We went today to try to take Christmas pictures, but Hailey wouldn't cooperate so I guess we will have to try again some other time. I got a couple really cute pictures of Alyssa though. I will try to find a place to scan them in when I get them back. I think that is about it for now. We are going to a wedding this weekend so it will be fun to see friends and family. Oh yeah, and basketball preseason has started so we got to watch the Suns kill the Jazz last night. It was AWESOME! GO SUNS!!!!!

Sadness and Joy

2007-09-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of sadness and joy all at the same time. Jed's mom passed away last night after a long battle with lung cancer. We are all of course sad, but I'm sure she is experiencing unexplicable joy. She will be missed beyond comprehension. I'm so thankful for the knowledge that families are indeed eternal.

I Can't Believe......

2007-09-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

That my precious little girl is already a month old! How did that happen? I couldn't believe it, when I took her to the doctor a few days ago she has already grown almost three inches and is up to 21 3/4 inches, but only 7 lbs 9 ozs. She seems so much more alert to me than Hailey ever did, from day one it has been that way. She loves to just look at the world around her and take everything in. The problem with that is she doesn't want to sleep and seriously seems to think she will miss something if she does. Anyway, I thought I would post a couple new pictures of my princess. I hope you enjoy them!

My Statue of Liberty

2007-08-31T13:31:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to get on here and post a little about Alyssa's arrival, other than the meager information that Jed gave while I was in the hospital, but also wanted to wait for just the right picture. Alyssa became pretty famous at the hospital. She is now known as the statue of liberty baby. You see, she decided to come out arm first. All day they had been prepping me for a c-section because the nurse could feel her hand and arm above her head when she would check me. Well, let me back up a little....My pitosin was started about 4:00 in the afternoon and Dr. Sanders broke my water just a little after 5:00. At 7:30 I was still only a 4 (and had been for about 2 hours) and Jed was starving so I let him go get some dinner. At 8:20 the nurse came in to check me and said she couldn't find my cervix so she wanted to go call the doctor. He came in about 8:23 to check and said, "The hand is prolapsed (already out)...PUSH!" My first thought was, but my husband isn't back yet! But, I didn't have a choice, with one push Alyssa Anne was born at 8:25. They didn't even have the delivery stuff out of the sterile bags or anything. Thankfully Jed got back just as she was laid on the bed, so he still got to cut her chord and all that stuff. It was pretty crazy and her arm was bruised for a few days from the contractions around it, but thankfully we didn't end up in the operating room.

Alyssa has been a joy. She is a pretty calm baby and really doesn't cry much, which I am very grateful for because Hailey is making up for that right now. She is getting her last four molars in so she hasn't been feeling very good (2 in, 2 to go). Hailey loves her little sister, sometimes a little too much. She tries to pick her up all the time and seems to think she has to lay on her to give her kisses. It gets a little crazy, but I'm glad that she likes her. She is a little jealous with daddy time or when I am feeding Alyssa, but I'm sure she will get better with some adjustment time. We are blessing Alyssa this Sunday so I will post pictures after that. We hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers especially through the end of my pregnancy.

Alyssa Anne

2007-08-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Alyssa Anne was born on Saturday August 18th at about 8:30pm. She weighed 6lbs and 15oz And was 19 1/2 inches long. She is a cutie and we are excited about having her in our life.

For many more pictures go to http://picasaweb.google.com/jrobins25

The Final Countdown! =)

2007-08-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

So this last few days has been a little trying. I found out last Friday that I have preeclampsia (or however you spell it). There are good and bad to that of course, just like everything it seems. My bed rest became a lot more strict for the rest of my pregnancy, but the good news is that's only 3 more days! With preeclampsia they deliver you at 37 weeks, so I am scheduled for an induction this coming Friday morning at 6:30. I am rather excited to get to hold my little girl! I will post pictures when I get home. I hope everyone is doing well.

We must be nuts!

2007-07-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

So, we didn't let Hailey open her presents from mommy & daddy yet, those have to wait until her actual birthday which is tomorrow. We are going to just go on a little picnic up at the park and have pizza (her favorite) and then let her open them. I'll post pictures of that later. But, this present would have been a little hard to hide after we picked her up yesterday. That's right, we got Hailey a doggie. They are having so much fun. This is Tessie and we adopted her from an area rescue. She is an aussie mix and is about 10 months old. She's been really gentle and fun. She is already house trained and spayed which greatly appealed to Jed and I. She is also probably about full grown. She is the perfect size for our little house. Hailey loves petting her and giving her hugs and kisses. Just thought I would share the pictures of the newest member of the family.

Birthday Party

2007-07-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

We had just a little neighborhood party for Hailey on Saturday. She had a lot of fun playing with her little friends. There were five of her little friends here. Mason and Maddison who are the twins she loves to play with. Then Emma and Lizzy who are sisters that just moved in on our street. Then Makinley came too and she is shy, but so cute and fun. She got some really cute stuff, I think her favorites though were the dolly and crib from Makinley and the jewelry that her friend Cloe from next door brought over later (Cloe slept through the party). Here are some pictures from the party that I thought were fun.

My big girl...

2007-07-30T06:48:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how big Hailey is getting! We had her two year well check the other day and she is an inch away from three feet tall and weighs 28 pounds. No wonder it is hard for me to pick her up right now. She had to get one shot, but when the nurse gave it to her she just held my hand and didn't cry at all. Then, she told the nurse 'thank you'. The nurse laughed and was like, I've never had a baby not cry, much less tell me thank you. It was pretty funny. I think she really liked the pink band-aid. I like our new doctor, I was nervous about finding a pediatrician, but the one we are going to is really cool. They also have a right to read program and so for every well check she goes to she gets a new book. This is a picture I took the other day. I just can't believe how big she is.

Life Updates

2007-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

So, there really aren't too many things going on in Cedar City. I'm supposed to pretty much be on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy because my contractions started a little over a month ago when I had the flu. Now, everytime I try to get up and do anything I start having contractions again. Therefore, I'm really not supposed to do much, but that is really hard with a (almost) 2 year old that is full of energy.
Hailey has made a couple friends up here. There is a set of twins in our ward that are about 6 months younger than her that she loves to play with. We pull up to their house and she starts yelling Mason and Maddison and telling me and Jed bye bye. It's pretty cute. There are also two doggies over there so I'm sure that helps her enjoy it even more. I really enjoy visiting with thier mom too, so we try to get together when we can. There are lots of really nice people on our street, though our immediate neighbors are a bit weird.
We are still trying to get a loan for our house. We actually got a letter today that said there aren't any funds available for our income category right now, but hopefully there will be soon.
Jed is working on, and almost finished with, the requirements for his personal training certification. We went to the gym the other day to take the pictures of the exercises he has to submit. He has to explain what muscles they work, then send everything in and then we should know within a month.
We will be taking a trip down to Arizona for Jed's friend's wedding in October and I'm pretty excited about that because we will get to show off the new baby. I'm really ready to just have her here and hold her. I almost feel like I will get more sleep once she's here because right now I'm so uncomfortable that I'm not sleeping at all, but that is okay. It will all be worth it at some point. =)
We love and miss you all and hope everyone is doing well.

Thought on dads......

2007-06-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

My thoughts and emotions yesterday were a bit too close to the surface to write anything, but I can't go too long without adding a little bit to my blog about my gratitude for fathers. Father's day is a bit bitter sweet for me, much like mother's day.....I find myself missing my father greatly, especially since this year was my first father's day without him. I find myself remembering long talks and trips to Disneyland, days at the range, and trips to the mall. I have never known a guy that liked to shop as much as my dad, even if it was just window shopping. I will miss him, but I also know he is in a better place and for that I am thankful.
But then I also feel incredibly grateful for the father I have chosen for my children. He is not only my companion and friend, but he is Hailey's hero...you can just see it in her eyes. He is so patient with her and they are just so much fun to watch when they play together. Lately he has been teaching her to play air guitar and lipsync to the ringtone on his cell phone. It cracks me up!
Someone said something in church yesterday that really made me think. She said, "Start today to become the kind of parent you have always wanted to be." Well, I want to be more like my husband and father. They are both great men and I am grateful to have them in my life.

Minor Victory

2007-06-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Hailey randomly came up to me and said she wanted to go potty. I was shocked because we hadn't even really talked about it. Anyway, that night we went and got her a big girl potty. She loved to sit on it, but had never actually gone potty on it. That was, until today. Then today when I was using the restroom she came in and asked again to go potty.....and she actually did! I was so proud of her. I know this is so small in the grand scheme of potty training, but it sure seems like a step in the right direction to me. Go Hailey!

Baby Update

2007-06-05T21:38:00.001-07:00

Today I had an ultrasound to try to get a better estimation of my due date. For those of you who didn't know when we got up here to Cedar City my OB said my uterus was measuring about 4 weeks ahead of my EDD. Anyway, he scheduled an ultrasound to check on the baby and see which due date was accurate. Sad to say my first was pretty close and I am due in early September rather than August like I had hoped. Oh well, I guess she just needs a little more time to cook.

Anyway, I had no idea that this ultrasound would be so cool. They did a fair amount of showing us the 3D images of the baby. We also got to see all four chambers of her heart and the tech put it into slow motion so we could see both valves working properly and everything. It was really neat. This is the picture they gave me from the 3D images. (Sorry it's not very clear I had to just take a picture of it because we don't have a scanner.) But, I just think it is adorable. Her right hand is tucked under her cheek almost like a pillow and her other hand kept opening and closing like she was trying to wave at us. I also love her cute little nose. I personally think it looks a lot like Hailey's, but that is just my opinion. I can't wait to hold this child in my arms I know she will be a precious addition to our family.

PIllow Fights

2007-06-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hailey's latest thing is to pick up a pillow and just start wailing on her daddy. It really is quite hilarious. The other night I just had to take some pictures of it. They are so cute together! This is really the only picture that you can see her face. She is plotting something, you can just tell.

Picture Attempt

2007-06-03T18:27:00.001-07:00

I keep saying that I am going to put up pictures, of Hailey, of the house, of whatever may be in my camera at the moment. So, I am actually going to attempt that now. I can't find the USB chord that goes to my new camera (I'm sure it's still in a box somewhere), but I realized that our desktop has a slot for my SD card. Let's see if this works. If not it will just have to wait some more......Yay it worked. That is a picture of the front of our new home. This picture was taken when we were just up here looking at places to live. There is now a fenced in backyard, but don't get me started on the drama of that. There is also a gate to the side. We still need to do the landscaping, but it might just have to wait a little bit until we close on the house. Our realtor told us someone bought the other side, but no one has moved in yet so I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. I would love it if they had kids around Hailey's age, that would be fun. Our realtor actually lives next door and has a daughter that is a year older than Hailey. We all went to the park yesterday and Hailey had a lot of fun with Chloe. There is also a family down a few houses that has a little girl a few months older than Hailey that Hailey has played with a little bit. Hailey is getting really big and amuses us on a daily basis. Here is a fairly recent picture of her. This picture is Hailey at her most precious moments (aka asleep).

Update on Hailey

2007-06-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hailey's fever got up to 104.4 a day or two after I last wrote, so I finally took her into to get her checked out. It turned out she had strep. Poor kid. But, with the help of some amoxicillin, lots of rest and a blessing from her daddy she is doing a lot better now. She is adjusting to the new house and we are settling in. Since she is feeling better we have been able to get a bit more done around the house. There are only a few boxes left. I am going to go for now though so we can take her down the the park close to our house. Have a great day!

The New House

2007-05-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, last Saturday we moved up to our new home in Cedar City, Utah. We really like the new place, though it is a bit smaller than our last house. Right now there are boxes everywhere and so it is a bit crazy, but it will get better. Hailey has not been feeling very good. Yesterday her temperature was 102.7 before I stopped. I figured that was high enough to know she had a fever. I know she is getting some molars, but I think there is more to it than that. I think that is about the most of the news for now, so I will update later.

Do I Live in the Jungle?

2007-05-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

So last night was a bit primal in my house. We did a fair amount of packing, which is good, and then Hailey was playing in our room with Jed and they just kept cracking me up. She is at that little mimick stage, especially with daddy. She wants to do and say everything her daddy does. So, last night he was beating his chest and making tarzan noises and she got him to take off her shirt so she could do it exactly like he was doing. It was hilarious. She comes up with new stuff everyday to make me laugh.

A Little More Insanity

2007-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

So, as most of you I'm sure know at this point we are expecting another little girl in September. I am getting pretty excited and I think Hailey will be a great big sister. We moved Hailey to a toddler bed and she seems to love it. When she wakes up in the morning she comes into our bedroom with a great big "HI" and then usually tries to tickle Jed. It's pretty funny.
On to some other exciting news for us....we are moving up to Cedar City, Utah. Jed is going to be going to Southern Utah University and majoring in athletic training. We really think we are going to like it up there. We found a little duplex to buy that we are pretty excited about. It isn't huge, but it will work great for our little family. However, the backyard is huge.....especially by Arizona standards...so I am really excited about that part and I think Hailey will be too. We are moving the 19th of this month and that leaves me with tons to do, but I think it will be really good for us. I'll post pictures when I can!

Funny Stories

2007-02-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

So, I was talking on the phone to mom today for quite a while and apparently Hailey thought that was the perfect time to get into everything I wouldn't normally let her get.....So, she took the broom from beside the fridge and used it to knock down the plastic bag organizer that is up there and somehow she got a bag of chips down too. So, when I got off the phone there were plastic bags all over my living room floor and she hand orange hands (the chips where cheetos). At that point you really can't do anything but laugh!
Jed's favorite thing that Hailey does right now is say nope. He cracks up, so he asks her all kinds of crazy questions just to get her to say no. The most common is are you going to be a big sister. It never fails, she gets this big grin and goes "nope". I hope she gets over that by September.

Yucky Cough

2007-01-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Poor Hailey has been sick for about 10 days now and I just feel so bad for her. She is all congested and you can just tell she doesn't feel very good. She isn't sleeping very well at night and she has a runny nose all day long. We tried one medicine, but the doctor gave her a different one so we are going to go pick up that one today and see if we can kick this thing. I just hope she's feeling better in time to go to nursery!

One More Try

2007-01-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

So, I tried this blogging thing a while ago and just couldn't keep up with it. Life gets crazy sometimes, but I am going to try again. I feel like my life has been on a roller coaster for at least the last six months.
Hailey has gotten really big. She is 17 months old is pushing three feet tall already. She has 14 teeth and she is walking all over the place. She also talks nonstop and says lots of fun stuff. Her latest thing is saying Mommy over and over and then just laughing. It's pretty cute. She loves to play, especially outside. She is still very much daddy's little girl.
Other events of the last few months haven't been as much fun as watching Hailey grow. My dad was in a motorcycle accident in October and passed away in November. That has been really hard in many ways. It still gets me every now and then when I realize that I'm 25 and both of my parents are gone already.
But, there is so much to be grateful for in my life. I have a wonderful family and we just found out that we are going to have another baby. I am really excited about that. It was a bit unexpected, but will be loved and welcomed nonetheless. We are due September 7th. I will try to keep everyone updated.