Going Private

I've decided to make our blog private, and to start blogging again.... If you are interested in following our family's news, leave a comment with your email. Thanks.

Aleia

She's here!! Aleia was born October 12th at 7:53 in the morning. She weighed 7lbs 14ozs and was 19 inches long. I know most of you were expecting her name to be Daria... since that's the name we've been telling everyone for nine months.. We've had that name on our list since Naiya was born, have always loved it. For several weeks before she was born, I had struggled a bit with it, thinking maybe it wasn't her name after all. The night before she was born I was having serious reservations... I told Jamis I didn't think her name was Daria. He told me he'd been having the same feelings! I went in to my room and said a prayer... I know it seems silly, we named our other kids without heavenly help, but I was so concerned that I had no idea what this little one's name was going to be! As I stood from my prayer the name Aleia came to my mind (just with a different pronunciation) I went out to share it with Jamis and he suggested we pronounce it uh-lay-uh. The minute he said it I knew that was her name. She's beautiful and the kids are all so sweet with her. Jonas could hold her all day long, Adia sings her made up lullabys and Naiya wants to help in any way she can... including changing diapers!! My family is growing and I'm loving watching their personalities develop. Today I just sat and smiled as I watched them. I'm so blessed to be a mother.

The faces of Jonas....

Sadly the summer has gone by without many pics. Our camera has been out of commission. We finally got it up and charged long enough to download some pictures. I had to laugh looking through all the pics of Jonas. He has such an expressive face... So I thought I'd share.











If you zoom in on Jonas's face... who do you see? I call this his litte "Nacho Libre" picture..


I haven't blogged for a while and could only figure out how to download 5 pics at a time, these were some of the funniest...

My kids are growing up so fast. Naiya started 3rd grade last Monday. She is a little social butterfly and loves to read. Jonas will start preschool next week. He keeps us busy and entertained. He loves to tease... just like his dad. Adia is developing a spicy little attitude... but is still so loveable at night when I tuck her in to bed. And- on the 12th of October we will welcome child #4 girl #3 into our lives. We're all excited, well Jonas was a little put out when he learned we were having another "geel". It's been almost a year since my last post... Hopefully this year I can do better!!!

Birthday Wish Contemplations

I made Jamis a Coconut cream pie for his Birthday because he doesn't like cake. It turned out so yummy! I told him to make a wish and it took him like 5 minutes to blow out his candle. Hee hee hee.



He told me he needed to think about it...



He takes this wish thing pretty seriously...



Still thinking...



Finally.... he blew out the candle and of course I missed the shot. It was so funny to watch him try to think of something... I wonder what he wished for...

Evening Run, Fall Leaves, Gratitude

I've been feeding the kids earlier so that when Jamis gets home, I have already done the 30-40 minutes of "eat your food, sit back down and eat, if you get out of your chair one more time, you're done..." etc.. So when he joins us, we've all but finished and he can eat in relative peace and enjoy conversation, then we have time to go out and enjoy the last few nights of warm weather in our newly sodded back yard. I didn't get my workout in yesterday morning, and so as bedtime was getting closer he told me he would put the kids to bed so that I could go for a bike ride or a run if I wanted. WOW! I was excited! It was such a beautiful evening for a run. The mountains are full of red and orange, the sunflowers are out everywhere and the sky was streaked with color. My little ipod shuffle brought up some instrumental music, that normally wouldn't really get me going for a run, but under the influence of the beauty around me it was perfect. I'm so thankful to Jamis for making it possible for me to go last night. I'm thankful also, to my Heavenly Father for my body. I'm thankful that it does all the amazing things it does. Moms do a lot of physical labor, and I manage to keep up with all three of my kids and their needs. I'm thankful to live in such a beautiful world, and I'm thankful that my spirit rejoices and sings praises to my God when I see His creations.

It's A Beautiful Day!

I love when I get to take a Sunday nap. I love that today I got to take my Sunday nap with Jamis- who's never home in time for Sunday naps. (We had a Regional Conference today so he didn't have meetings.) I love that when I wake up from said nap, there are always love notes from Naiya. (She has "quiet resting time" instead of a nap.) Today her note was pushed under the door. Last Sunday it was resting on my stomach. Apparently I was pretty out of it last week. I love that Jonas is a crazy little man, but when I tuck him in for his naps, he always has to wrap his arms around me for one good snuggle, and a song.. I love that Adia gets ticklish when she's tired, and even when I'm not trying to tickle her, she squirms and giggles.

A new post... a new pass time..

So, it's been almost a year since my last post and I've given up on even trying to play catch up. The fam is great. Naiya started 2nd grade and is loving it. I miss her like crazy though. I feel so much better about her teacher this year than last..(I had to call and request a change) it pays to be "one of those moms." If we don't stick up for our kids... who will? I've discovered a new pass time that has been a stress release for me. My sister in Missouri wanted to see so I thought I'd post it here for your viewing pleasure.


The long pieces of ribbon you are seeing are headbands. So fun.






I put my phone in this pic so you can get an idea the size of the flowers..


Here you go Chesea, I modeled the brown one just for you!



I know, I know, I'm gorgeous... :)



Just for kicks here are some pics from our last horse show...aren't they cute!?


They even got me showing this year. It's been fun. I still have a ton to learn.

Weekend in Vegas, Birthday Pics & Sonny And Cher

Jamis had a CLE in Las Vegas last weekend and so I went with him and we made it into my birthday weekend as well. He went to lectures all day and I got to lay out by the pool. We stayed at the Mirage and the pool was amazing. It was so nice to just relax and take time for me, although I'll admit, at first I felt almost "lost" I didn't have anyone needing anything from me, nothing to clean... We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, ate sushi and other deliciousness, watched the water show at the Belagio (my favorite thing to do in Vegas), went to the Beatles "Love" by Cirque du Soleil, did a little shopping at the outlet stores. It was such a nice break, but as always at the end of my little vacations, my arms are ready to be filled with my babies and I'm ready to jump back into my life.
Jamis chillin in the hotel room.

Us in the hot tub at the mirage pool. No not the topless pool, the regular one. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME AND JONAS!!
My cute neighbors decorated my front windows for my birthday.

Then out of my kitchen window I saw these cute signs.

This is probably the last year we can get by with just a little "family" party for Jonas. I'm sure next year he'll be old enough to know he wants a real party. I kept telling Jonas that it was his birthday and that it was mine too.. he got so mad, "no it's my birthday!". I can't believe he's 3. What an amazing journey we've had with him so far.


So, I've been trying for 8 years to get Jamis to dress up as Sonny and Cher with me. For 8 years he has turned me down. This year he finally consented, with one major condition. Sonny had to be a Zombie with injuries from his skiing accident that killed him and he wanted to carry a ski with him to the party. I gotta hand it to us... I think we looked pretty dang awesome! Jamis did his own makeup and wound. It was a lot of fun. And we took first place at our friends' annual Halloween party!

Well, it's been a sad summer for blogging with the battery charger for our camera gone missing. We finally ordered a new one and now can take pictures again. My sister was telling me about a blog called Nie Nie's Dialogues. What an amazing story. She's so inspirational! I stopped blogging in part, because of the missing battery charger, (where's the fun without pics?) but mostly it was an excuse to stop. I struggle with writing. I want so badly to be witty, inspirational, authentic in my writing, but alas, that is not my gift. I FEEL so much. But when it comes out in words it often feels empty and strained. I remember when I was 17 sitting in a rain storm and being so overcome with the beauty of it all that I tried to write a poem. I would post it here if I knew where it was just for laughs. So, as I contemplated the end of my blogging career, the thought came to me, practice makes perfect. And, while my story isn't what some would consider amazing... it's still my story... and it deserves to be told. A very big part of my story is my amazing J. We met in the MTC. As cheesy as this sounds, I fell in love with his incredible spirit. I knew then that he would be a powerful tool in the Lord's hands. We've been married for a little over 8 years now. Jamis was called as the first counselor in our Bishopric. His first meeting on a typical Sunday morning starts at 6:00 am. Then he has meetings up until church starts at 9:00, then the 3 hour block, then usually 2 hours after church. That's 8 hours on Sundays! I'm not writing this to complain, but to thank him. I know it's early in this calling. But, not once has he groaned, or complained about the early mornings. He kisses me goodbye (5:45 am) and I get to roll over and go back to sleep. He puts in long ours at work, helps Dad with horses and hauling hay, and still manages to fill my life with love. He is a man of integrity, honesty. He is a great man. He is part of my story. I love you J.

Wranglers....

Jonas's first horse show. This was the closest thing we could get to a smile. He sure makes a cute cowboy! This was before his surgery. We are post surgery now, about a week and a half and his eyes look great. The red has cleared almost all the way and his eyes look straight. Time will still tell if he needs a repeat surgery, but for now he's doing really well. Thanks to all who helped with kids and meals during this stressful time!

This is the wrangler butt shot. Jamis was quite proud. I'd say it's his best asset.

At Long Last....

My, how time flies when you're: packing, moving out, moving in, unpacking, having sick kids, having car troubles, having parties, making new friends, riding horses; the list goes on and on. We are in our new house!! We moved in January 24th. We love it. Naiya has made a little friend across the street from us. They decided they are sisters and call each other sis all the time. I have found a running/biking partner to train with for my triathlon. (Sprint) We love the house and the neighborhood. So, why haven't I posted about our relative bliss? Jonas has been having eye troubles and gave us quite a scare for a while. He had a fainting spell and so he had to have an EEG (to rule out seizures) an MRI to rule out a tumor or brain mass. So, he took all my emotion and energy and I didn't have any left over for our blog! All tests came back normal. He is having eye surgery on the 29th of May. I don't know what the recovery will be like or if it will even take. So, I thought I'd let you all know, (that is if anyone is still checking to see if by some miracle I have posted...) that we are alive, and well. Happy it's summer and loving being outside all the day long. I'll try to post again soon.

Trick or Treat!!

Jonas pouting in the background. This was the best he'd give us. The three of them with Grandma Gardner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONAS!!!

Jonas turned 2 on the 27th of October. He is such a loving little guy. So affectionate with Adia. Always caressing my face. When I get him out of bed after naps and in the morning. I give him a big hug and say "hi baby". The other day as I lifted him out of bed, he took my face between his tiny little boy hands, looked in my eyes, then put his arms around my neck and put his head on my shoulder and said "hi baby". I just can't imagine our lives without him.. he makes us laugh so hard with his facial expressions, his "tantrums", "jumping" and running. He does everything with %110 of his energy. Here's some of my favorite pics from his first 2 years.

Valiant. To be, or not to be...

I've been reading a book on my mom's recommendation. It's got kind of an interesting twist on the pre-mortal life and what our experiences there might have been like. It has caused a great deal of reflection. In the book there are 3 distinct groups of people. The valiant spirit children who chose to follow The Father and His Son. The group who followed Lucifer and his plan. Then there was the third group... described as those who were just luke warm, fence sitters. Spirits who chose the Fathers Plan, but didn't really embrace it. I wonder if I was in the "Valiant" group or the "mediocre" group. So, I started thinking about my life and things I'm doing that put me into the mediocre category in this life. As silly as it sounds, I feel like my biggest vice right now is the T.V. Satan has such control over it. And when I turn it on, I invite him and his evil into my home.. my "temple" and safe haven, if I'm not vigilant about only watching the good. I have decided to start weeding out the bad. So that I don't go completely into shock from withdrawal, I will start slow, eliminating only one show at a time.. I've decided to make it official by putting it on my blog... no more Grey's Anatomy. It's just getting downright nasty. There's no way in the world I would let my daughter watch this, even if she were older. Why am I subjecting myself to it?

8 Things Tag/Quirk Tag

I've been tagged by my sister and by Shelley, so I'm combining the two...

8 TV Shows I Like To Watch
1. LOST!!!!
2. 30 Rock
3. The Office
4. Prison Break (although I gotta say, not too impressed with this season. Has the acting always been this bad?)
5. Grey's Anatomy (yes, I know... pure trash... At least it's not Sex and the City re-runs!)
6. American Idol
7. So You Think You Can Dance
8. 24

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Held my sick baby for most of the day
2. Took my kids to the park (savoring the last bit of nice weather before the snow comes..)
3. Made two hair bows
4. Exercised
5. Showered
6. Blogged
7. Watched Grey's Anatomy
8. Scrubbed my kitchen sink while singing Killing Me Softly (Fugees style... oh yeah.)



8 Favorite Places To Eat
1. Olive Garden
2. Hyman's Seafood in South Carolina
3. In-N-Out
4. Cheesecake Factory
5. Melting Pot (I've never actually been...but I know I will love it when I do go!)
6. Wendy's
7. Chipotle
8. PF Chang's

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To
1. My HOT date tonight!
2. Going to France with Jamis in 2 years
3. Moving in to our new house in December!!
4. The Twilight Movie November 21st!
5. Holiday Parties and Being with friends/family
6. Fitting into my favorite pair of jeans again
7. Doing my next race
8. Getting my kids over their ear infections

8 Things I Am Passionate About
1. My family
2. My faith/church
3. Staying healthy. Participating in race events
4. Creating... I love projects and trying new things
5. Getting my food storage started
6. Making my kids laugh (I'm going to do this more often...)
7. Singing/Performing (I have not done this nearly enough in the last few years. Where is a house wife gonna sing? There's always the kitchen sink that needs scrubbing I guess.)
8. Dancing (I love to dance. With my kids... all alone when no one is watching.. with Jamis.. really dancing not just swaying back and forth to the music.)

8 People I Tag
1. Luella
2. Marcy
3. Martine
4. LaHoma
5. Brooke
6. Ami
7. Jennifer
8. Tawny