Where did my baby go??

I can't believe in just a few days, Colin will be 6 months old!! Where on earth did the last 6 months go?

In honor of his half-Birthday, I'm going to give a little update on my baby boy. He's such a doll. He is growing and changing so fast. Life is certainly a lot busier with 3 kids, so often I find myself getting caught up in the hustle-bustle of laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. However I have tried to make a special effort to have some one-on-one time with each of my 3 each day, and what a blessing that has been. Colin is easy- I'm still nursing, so I just find a quiet place, shut the door and voila. Something he's recently started doing though is nuzzling and oh how I love it! when he's getting tired, he just buries his head in my chest and lays there a while. Such nice moments those are! He is a sweetheart. He rolls now, although not as often as a couple weeks ago. He's very close to sitting up on his own too! He grabs at everything- as you can tell from some of my pictures! He talks/ yells a lot and is interacting more with his big brother and sister. I absolutely love watching them all play together!

I don't know how big Colin is because I haven't had his appt yet, but he's still a little guy! We did just start him on rice cereal, so maybe that will beef him up?? Hahaha- not likely. He is growing and is healthy though, so thats all that matters!

Enjoy the pics!

Here he is enjoying some rice cereal for the 2nd time.

He took to it like a champ- no funny faces or anything!

Uh Dad, you wanna help me here?
He was "helping" me organize my coupons.

I hope I didn't want to use that one...

This pic is at an odd angle because

I was trying to take it myself,

while Colin was in the sling!

I thought it was funny.

I'm going about, picking up the house with

Colin in tow and

I hear this slurping/ sucking noise... lololol!

Brothers & an update

I thought this was cute. The other day I put Colin in this sweatshirt & pant outfit. We got it as a gift way back before Thomas was born. I went back and looked at when Thomas started wearing it- January 2004, so he was about 4-5 months old. Which is fitting sinc ethe outfit is sized 3-6 months. I put it on Colin at nearly 6 months old and had to roll the waist, the legs and the sleeves. Poor widdle Colin. LOL! Although they may vary in size, I still think it's so cute to see their similarities. (Yes, their both wearing the same outfit. Our camera back then was TERRIBLE!)Not much is going on lately. We're still on the hunt for a new job. I wish I had a better update on that topic, but I don't. We're just continuing on, trying to save our pennies where we can and praying something comes along soon.

Although the last couple days aren't indicative of Spring (as it's snowed!), I do feel like it's approaching! I've planted my peas and our daffodils are blooming! I'll have to go out and take some pictures. The kids and I are soooo glad the weather is getting warmer. They've really enjoyed playing outside this last week when our weather was unseasonably warm.

I'll keep everyone posted on our job situation, but in the mean time we sure could use some prayers!

My new Blog!

So I've finally done it. I've combined my passion for finding a great deal with my love of blogging.

Come visit my new site! http://utahdealdiva.blogspot.com/

See you there!

Find your niche in specialty wards

Robert Kirby, Tribune columnist - Salt Lake Tribune

Most Sunday mornings, you'll find me on a pew in the Rosecrest 1st Ward chapel. It's where I'm supposed to go to church. Lucky for me, it's also where I want to go. Technically, Mormons don't have a choice. For church, we're bound by the geography of the ward boundary. We worship where we live.

The only time Mormons can switch wards without also contacting a Realtor is when we attend specialty wards. For example, I went to a Spanish-speaking ward in West Jordan for a while.
Specialty wards allow members with specific common needs to worship together and support each other in their exclusive part of the Lord's vineyard. There are (or have been) lots of LDS specialty wards, including singles wards, college wards, deaf wards, ethnic wards and nudist wards.

OK, I made up that last one. There are even seasonal "snowbird wards" in places where Mormon RV owners congregate.

I talked it over with my friend (despite a restraining order) Ken Wallentine. We think the specialty-ward idea needs to be improved on in our ever-changing and increasingly divided culture.

For example, there needs to be a late ward, a ward Mormons who are perpetually late for church could attend and not feel bad about dragging their herd in 15 minutes late. The only problem with a late ward would be showing up late for a meeting that was supposed to start late in the first place. Eventually, you would end up with a ward that ran out of time before it started.. "Welcome to the Tardy 3rd Ward, brothers and sisters. We will close now by singing hymn No. 145."

Given the high birthrate among Mormons, I thought about the need for maternity wards. Except that we already have those. They're called married student wards.

A Star Trek ward might do well. The bishop would preside from "the bridge" instead of the stand. High-council Sunday would be referred to as a "Klingon Sunday."

Harley riders congregate to the exclusion of just about everyone else. Why not an LDS biker ward? White shirts and neckties go well with black leather..

Ken really wants to attend a concealed-weapons ward. He says church would be a lot more interesting if real personal risks were involved in disagreeing with a lesson.

There could be a texting ward for teenagers. Bear your testimony with your thumb. In 25 years, they'll all belong to carpal-tunnel wards.

At the less-active ward, maybe there'll be a meeting and maybe there won't.

Testimony meeting in an anger-management ward might be interesting. Nobody's going to sleep through, "HEY! I KNOW THE CHURCH IS TRUE, STUPID!"

A big hit would be the Multi Level Marketing ward, also known as a "Gadianton robber ward." With all the financial scamming that goes on in this culture, it would be nice to have them all in one place for a three-hour block weekly.

I think a Democrat ward is a good idea, although in Utah the best we could probably hope for is a Democrat branch...

Living on a BUDGET.

Can I underline and put the word "budget" in bold?! We've always had a budget, but in the last couple weeks, I've been very selective with what I spend our money on. So the kids were just driving me batty and Adrian suggested I get out of the house for a while. (yay!!) I wanted to stop by Target for a few items I knew were on sale and ended up getting just those items! How often is it you go in a grocery store and get ONLY what's on the list?! Anyhow- I had to take a pic and post it for all my fellow couponers out there. Here's what I got:

2 packages London Broil steak, about 1 lb each

2 packages of Motts strawberry applesauce

2 heads of fresh broccoli

1 head of fresh cauliflower

1 bottle Suave shampoo/ conditioner for the kids

TOTAL out of pocket: $3.97

Coupons are so great!

Spring is Here! (Just Kidding!)

Ha! It might look like Spring is here, but looks are deceiving! We decided to take the kids to the park on Saturday- it looked like such a nice day from the kitchen window! Little did we know...it was COLD! Probably around 30 degrees. Brrrr!!! Poor Colin didn't last very long, but Thomas & Hailey managed to have a fun time. Adrian & I had fun too. I reminded him how badly I throw a frisbee. Tee hee.

Here are some other random pics from this week. It just melts my heart how much my kids love each other...most of the time. They really do enjoy each other's company.

The Happy Moments!

I won't deny it- the last 1.5 weeks have been VERY stressful. My husband has no job, we have no income and no one seems to be hiring. We're trying to be optomistic and sometimes it works. Hopefully we'll have some good news soon.

In the mean time, look at my darling kiddos! That's what I've been doing- trying to focus on our many blessings and relishing in the happy moments. I have to admit- it has been wonderful having Adrian home so much! I'd love to have him home all the time. OK, maybe not all the time... I don't really feel like living in a cardboard box. :)

Here are a few good times. I'd have a pic of Thomas but all he seems to want to do lately is play Mario Cart on the Wii! Maybe I should just take a pic of him doing that?! At any rate- he is doing well too. LOVES preschool and the fact that as the weather gets warmer, bugs are returning to our yard. Yippee.

Here's Hailey being a ballerina. She is SUCH a girl. I love it. I love it too when she pushes Spiderman around in her baby stroller or is patting Woody (from Toy Story) on his back, claiming he needs to burp. tee hee.

Colin is 5 months old on Thursday! Crazy, huh?! Here he is getting a little tummy time. And drooling profusely, which is a skill he's mastered as of late.

Swaddle shmaddle. Love the red mark above his eye too. Courtesy of the book in his face by sister. He took it fairly well. Gotta love siblings.

Not all posts are happy...

There's no way to sugar coat this- we found out Monday that Adrian lost his job.

Sigh.

Taking a deep breath.

It was somewhat unexpected and not the greatest experience, but we've decided to not let this ruin our lives. Ha! No, really, we won't. I won't deny it- it's been a tough last 48 hours, but we will get through this. Not sure when times will get easier- I'm sure there are others out there reading this who know exactly how we are feeling. We are optimistic though that things will turn around eventually. In the mean time, we're developing a plan based on several different scenarios. We're networking like crazy and are glued to the "Want" ads. We're looking for temporary positions to get us through until we find a more permanent position. It's crazy right now. We've all heard how bad the job market is, but I don't think you quite understand until you experience it. It's BAD.

So on that note, if anyone hears of any Mechanical Engineering opportunities, let us know! Wait, if anyone hears of ANY opportunities, let us know!

And in the mean time, we certainly appreciate all thoughts, prayers and words of wisdom. We'll keep you posted on any developments!

Bunkbeds!

So I'll spare you all the long explanation of our plans for who will share a room with who over the next several years. For right now, we are bunking Thomas & Hailey together. And when I say bunking- I mean it- we got bunkbeds! So fun! We moved them together so that Colin could move out of our room (yay!!!!!!!!!!) and although I miss him, he is sleeping MUCH better being in his own space.

We decided to paint prior to doing the whole room switch, so we bought paint on a Saturday and the room was completed by Tuesday! It looks great! We did kind of a boy theme since that will eventually be the room the 2 boys are in. Hailey doesn't seem to mind the blue BYU theme, what a cool girl. The bunks were home and assembled in record time (thanks to my oh-so-handy husband!) and within a few hours they were in them sleeping!

Fun Famliness

Is that a word? I don't think so. Oh well. It explains everything really well. We've lately been having a lot of fun family times.

Like our recent trip to the Hill Air Force Museum. See Adrian, Thomas & Hailey in this pic? Neat! The museum was a nice break from the norm. And Free! Even better.

Or my super-cute banana snowmen for lunch...idea courtesy of Family Fun magazine. Thomas LOVED them. Hailey named hers and after that wouldn't eat it. Tee hee.

Hailey learned a new song...

and a new gymnastics move!

...and Colin learned to spit.

Ahh, good times.

Hailey vs. the Vaseline & more cute pics

My nephew, Cameron was blessed this last weekend! It was really fun being able to hang out with family. Christy & Keoki came into town Friday and stayed with us. The kids LOVE seeing them and had such a great time hanging out. Grammie made Colin & Cameron the cutest little baby quilts too! Aren't they darling?! So here are some shots from our weekend...

We had Hailey's 2 year check-up this morning. It went great! Kinda funny too since today was my due date with her- 2 years ago! She was so cute- talked the Dr's ear off. He encouraged us to start potty training and to put her in gymnastics!

She's small, but feisty- 21.4 lbs and 33.5" tall. Waaay off the charts for weight, but in the 35th% for height!

She cried really hard for about 30 seconds after she had her shots...but a Dum-Dum seemed to cure everything ;) No more shots until she's 5! Yay!

I had to add this pic too- the other day, I was taking a mini-nap while Colin slept and the older kids were watching a movie. Thomas walked in to where I was and said- "Mom, Hailey's such a mess." The way he said it I was thinking- oh no, she's gone poo poo and took her diaper off! Nooooo!!! But she came in and I didn't smell anything. She got closer to me. She looked clean. I'm confused. Until I see that...she's shiny. Is she wet? Noooo. Glossy even. Clumps of something on her cheeks, on her eye lashes and in her hair. VASELINE. Lovely. Do you know how many times I had to wash her hair to get it all out? about 10! Two- year olds are so FUN!

Hailey's party & my Sweet baby boy!

I wanted to show a few pics from Hailey's birthday party. We didn't have a "real" party this year- just had some family over for pizza and cake. It was fun though and from the looks of it, she had a great time. Her big gift was a play kitchen, which, I have to admit, I was pretty excited about! It's so fun. Oh yeah, and she loves it too! She and Thomas are constantly cooking up all sorts of fun concoctions like boiled grapes, microwaved ice cream, etc.

I had to post a few of my sweet little Colin. What a doll he is! No, he's not sleeping through the night yet, but hopefully that will come soon. He's 3.5 months old- I need to schedule his 4 month appt soon. He is smiling and laughing and is just so social. He recently started rolling over too! Crazy kid. He's my first baby who actually doesn't mind tummy time. Amazing.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy HaiLeY!!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! You're 2 today! I remember your birth like it was yesterday- Daddy running in with towels after my water broke while laying in bed, the fun (sopping wet) trip to the hospital, walking the halls with Auntie Raz, and then of course- 14 minutes of pushing and you were out! You were TINY- only 5 lbs 8 oz, but full of spunk! Now, 2 years later you're pretty much the same! We love listening to you sing and exclaim, "I LUB it!" when you're excited about something. We love how you're the center of your little world, letting us know it's not BYU, but B-Y-HAILEY! We are so excited to watch you grow up- we're so glad you're part of our family!

This morning with her Birthday breakfast- scrambled eggs, toast and banana- her choice!

My little princess!

It's 2009!

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. We really didn't do anything extraordinary- just hung out as a family! It was fun though. We all slept in (as much as a 3 month old would allow!) and took it easy. We watched movies and football and played games. It was hard doing anything outside since it was freezing cold and snowing a ton- so most of our activities were indoors. The kids all did well though- thanks to all the new toys and games from Christmas! Here are several pics of our holiday...