Beck and Boys

Surgery

2011-07-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Maylee was born with an umbilical hernia, usually something that heals but just looks gross. I made sure everyday that it was soft so we knew it was ok. Then a couple weeks ago on Monday it got really hard and an after hours call to the doctor sent us to the ER to get it checked. Course after waiting for 2 hours it went away on it's own and was soft again, they told me to watch it especially if she appeared to be in pain or it was discolored. Then Thursday I got a frantic text at work from my sitter, it had gotten hard again and Maylee was hysterical. I left work and ran her to the ER again. Her bowel had slipped into the space left in her tummy muscles and had gotten stuck. We spent several hours waiting and they finally took her in for surgery around 6:30 that night. They pushed everything back in, closed the stomach muscles, and cut off the extra skin left behind. She spent about 24 hours in the hospital. It was sad because she is so smiley and she didn't smile at all til later the next day. She is now minus a belly button but seems happier and is all healed up. So glad my poor baby is all better.

Birthday Boy

2011-06-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this is my oldest son, now 14 and way too grown up. It is an awesome and strange experience having this kid, who was once a 7 lb 21 inch baby, now tower over me and be a high schooler. He is such an amazing person and I love him and the relationship that we have. I really hope we will still be as close in another 14 years....LOVE YOU RONI!

Girls Galore

2011-05-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

We had a bbq at Miss's house for Memorial Day and I got some cute pictures of my little girl and her many girl cousins. Emma and Channing were cuddling on the couch, so cute!
Keira, Emma, and Maylee, the dark haired beauties!

Keira was being so cute with Maylee, here she was giving her kisses! She wanted to hold her and was thrilled when her dad helped her, but Maylee is pretty big for tiny little Midge to hold so it was pretty funny.
The one time Maylee is happiest is in the bath, but she hates the before and after (aka getting dressed and undressed). I think she looks so cute in her little towel!

Big Girl

2011-05-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but my baby is almost 7 weeks old! She weighs 9 lbs 9 oz and is dong great. We finally got her on some acid reflux medication and it has already helped. I put her hair in a pony tail the other day, I'm pretty sure its the smallest ponytail in the world. I love dressing her up but most of her cute outfits are for warmer weather. She will probably grow out of them before it's nice enough...the joys of Idaho. She is a cutie though and I can't imagine life without her.

Weekend With The Twins

2011-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend just the twins came to stay. It's hard to have them all here with so little room so we are switching between the older boys and Bryce and Brenon sometimes. On Friday we went to Amy's house. The kids all got guns and they were having tons of fun playing outside, they even included Emma (but she was the target so I'm not sure that counts). Hard to believe these boys are going to be 4th graders in just a few days!
On Saturday we went to see Miss and family. Channing and Maylee have the same dress so we dressed them alike and attempted to get a picture. As you can see that was easier said then done.
The boys were so sweet with Maylee, they never got tired of feeding her and holding her. With our crazy sleep schedule we usually don't get up for the day until 10, but without fail the boys would be in my room by 7 asking if they could take her. I was happy to oblige since it meant I got a couple hours of sleep. This is Bryce holding his baby sister after he fed her and rocked her to sleep.
Friday night Brenon picked out some jammies and helped give Maylee a bath. It was so cute how patient and loving they both were. This is Brenon, the proud brother, after helping get sister ready for bed. They really are amazing with her and I am so happy to see how much love they feel toward their little sister.

Plethera of Pictures

2011-05-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of cute pictures and Jen encouraged me to do a post with a bunch so here we go! This one is her cute little outfit I bought her for Mother's Day. Alas, the crappy weather has made it hit and miss for her to wear most of her outfits instead of jammies.
This is the sweet little face I get to gaze upon while she sleeps peacefully in my arms. Too bad that's pretty much the only place she is so content. Sigh.
Look at those cheeks! 'Nough said!
Another adorable outfit of hers, paired with her curly mohawk, a recipe for total cuteness!

One Month Old!

2011-05-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Just some cute pics of my baby girl I took today after her bath. This one cracks me up, I think she looks like Dr. Evil saying "One Meelion Dollas"

I like this one cuz you can see her adorable dimple. She only has one and it's so cute. Love my baby!

More Maylee

2011-05-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sucking her thumb, she couldn't get that paci from the other side of the bouncy chair so she took matters into her own hands, literally.

I call this one "I pity the fool!". Just rubbing her head with the towel after the bath ended in this curly mohawk. So cute!

Cute Baby Pictures!

2011-05-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

I managed to capture a baby grin, she was sleeping but seems that her dreams were very pleasant. She kept smiling so big!

Maylee always has her hands in front of her face like this, I have a bunch of funny pictures of her with her hands like this, I call it the "No pictures please" look.

She looks so cute in purples and blues, which works for me since purple is my favorite color! Isn't she sweet?!

New Edition

2011-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is Maylee Grace Anderson, the newest member of our family! She will be a month old on the 10th which is actually a day before her due date. Despite being an early bird, she is doing great. She is a shorty and don't let the chubby cheeks and double chin fool you, she is one tiny little thing! Her brothers are over the moon for her and this will be our first weekend all together.

It's Been A Long Time

2010-10-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that so much time has gone by without me doing anything to my blog! I could offer up a whole range of excuses but it doesn't really matter in the end! I'm back in Idaho Falls, living with my sister Jen for now while I look for a place of my own. I missed the boys WAY too much and I wasn't able to see them as much as I thought I would so I was left with no choice but to move back to them. I'm glad I did it even though I miss Boise and my friends terribly. Tyrel is 13, in 8th grade, and playing football which he loves! Trevor is 11, in 6th grade, and keeps everyone laughing with his comedic asperations. Bryce and Brenon are turning 9 in just a few days, in 3rd grade, and playing flag football. They are all as sweet and adorable as ever and I am mostly in denial about how old they are. I love my boys!

Fast Forward

2009-11-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

I have not updated since July, where did the time go? So let's do a brief recap:

August: Became employed! Starting my semester at CWI and a job with Quik Cash which I love, mostly because of the awesome chicks I work with.

September: Work and School and Work and School.

October: My babies turned 8 and got baptized! I gained my freedom and got a new apartment.

November: Bryce got glasses and he looks so cute but I haven't seen him in person yet. Still working and going to school. I'll be spending Thanksgiving with my manager (and friend) Tracey. It will be my first every year of not being with my family. I will miss everyone but with the help of medication should survive! My cord to my camera is lost somewhere amongst all the boxes I haven't gotten around to unpacking so more pictures will have to wait until I can get to it.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and I'm thankful for the part each of you play in my life!

Summer Fun and Fun in the Sun

2009-07-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

My sister Amy came to visit with her kids Kaden and Emma for 5 days in June. Her husband had to go out of town to work so we took it as the perfect chance for her to come hang out in Boise. We had sooo much fun and the kids were comfortable right away. I think they would have stayed forever, in fact they did say they wanted to. Here's some of the fun stuff we did.

We went to the zoo and visited the nearby rose gardens. We also had a picnic lunch and the seagulls were being a little too bold for my taste.

We went on the paddle boats around this little stream and pond. Kaden and I were in a giant swan and Amy and Emma had a pelican. Kaden wanted to race everywhere, typical boy. It was funny to watch Em try to reach the pedals and help out.

We stayed at a hotel one night just for fun and to have access to a swimming pool! We swam once the first night and once the next morning before checkout. Our room was nice and seriously it was the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept on. Em's wore herself out and practically fell asleep sitting up that night.

We had such a good time and I'm grateful that she came and endured the endless husbandly comments about her spending money while he was making it! We loved it and I am hoping someone else will come see me soon, I'm getting lonely!!

Tyrel is 12!!

2009-07-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Tyrel turned 12 on June 10th. His dad and step-mom were kind enough to host a sleep over for him and his friends. I heard it was fun, if not incredibly loud and crazy. At least they were laughing and joking about things like robots and toys still and not about girls. Ty currently maintains that girls are gross (yeah right) so we'll see how long that lasts. This is the only picture I have of him during his week at my house. We all know how much he LOVES posing for pictures. We went bowling and he is really good! I was very impressed, he must have inherited the bowling gene from his dad. We went to the park so he could skip rocks and went swimming twice. Pretty much everywhere else we went he would get bored in 5 minutes and just want to go home to play video games. We also went to the new X-Men movie "Wolverine" with Trevor Coronado which I know he enjoyed. I think he had fun and even though we are officially at the beginning of the awkward stage I was glad he was here. Yes people, it is no longer cool to hang out with mom. Or to answer questions with more than one word. On June 14th I went to Shelley for his ordination. His dad got to officially make him a priesthood holder! He now passes the sacrament in church and got to MUTUAL...oh man when I made that connection I almost died. I am so glad that he has such a desire to do these good things. Check out how tall he is compared to Jakob, and yes he is by far taller than me. He is well on his way to "manhood", including his the awkward facial hair that is obvious but too fine to shave. On one of my visits home I was giving Bryce and shower and washed his face. He asked me why I was doing that and I said "You have a koolaid moustache" to which he replied "You don't make Ty get rid of his moustache". Oh gosh, they kill me! So if you see Tyrel somewhere and say hi, try not to stare at his upper lip, hope he remembered to put on deodorant, and don't feel bad if he acts like he doesn't know you.

Twinnerific!

2009-07-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

A mere month later I am finally posting about the week I got to have Bryce and Brenon here with me. It was action packed so I will skim over it and put more pics up at a later date when I have caught up on it! So first we went bowling, it was interesting....for some reason the twins were taking turns being whiny and would be very frustrated if they didn't do "good" but then they cheered up and had fun (I think). This ball really isn't as heavy as Bryce is making it look! Good grief, you'd think it was a 15 pounder!

Brenon is quite the good bowler, even though he had bumpers he threw it straight many times. The funniest part (they both did this but Bren was more extreme) is that they would just run full speed to the lane and drop they ball, then run back. Oh man, you'd have thought they were throwing grenades!

Pojo's is a must for the boys and we had a lot of fun that night. This is them on the bumper cars, a family favorite. Bryce is pretty lucky with hitting the button on games at the right time to win tickets but Brenon was a ticket fiend, frantically trying to amass as many as possible. Thanks to Ramil, at the end of the night they both walked away with an armload of prizes!

This was our at home movie night. We got Spy Kids 3-D from the library and it had the glasses so we watched it but Bryce wasn't as into wearing them as Brenon (note the unenthusiastic thumbs up on the right).

It was a fun day at the park for mom and the boys. We had a picnic, then walked around on a nature hike looking for the items we put on our list. Brenon was loving putting leaves between the pages of the notebook and making a rubbing of it. Bryce was Mr. Safety keeping us informed of nearby dogs, getting too close to the water, or whatever else might spell trouble. I have a super funny story about the park but it will have to wait. I will post more pics and stories later. Sorry I got so behind. My computer is on it's last leg so at the latest I will be blogging up a storm in August when I get a new one!

Switch

2009-05-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Trevor and I drove to Twin Falls to bring him to his dad and get the twins for me. Jakob and Melissa wanted to do a temple session so the boys and I went to a couple parks, had lunch at McDonald's, and then spent about 45 minutes walking around the temple and taking pictures. The boys kept calling everything on the temple grounds "holy", so it was holy grass, holy rocks, holy water, ect. I was sad to see Trevor go, we really had fun. It was great to see the twins though and as we left Twin Falls one of them made the comment that they missed Trev and didn't want to leave him. So now we have a couple weeks with Bryce and Brenon in Boise, it should be fun and I will make sure to get plenty of hugs and kisses for all the missed time.

Trevor's Trip, In Review

2009-05-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

My computer has been acting up more often than not, so instead of the daily posts, I will do one quick recap of each fun filled activity that Trev and I experienced this last week.

At the movies (Night at the Museum), Trev ate a giant tub of popcorn almost by himself.

Smelling a rose at the Rose Garden in the Julia Davis park right before we went to the zoo.

Getting eaten by a tiger at the zoo; we had so much fun and couldn't get from one exhibit to another quickly enough for Trev.

Thumbs up for the cake he made with a little help, he ate most of it too!

And finally, today we went to a different park and were delighted to see the fountain was on. Trev was wishing we had our swimsuits but I pointed out we didn't need them! The cold water spraying over the sides felt great since it was like 86 degrees outside. We spent about 2 hours just walking around, playing ball and frisbee, and relaxing.

All in all it has been such a great time having Trevor here all by himself. Tomorrow we meet dad in Twin Falls to exchange him for the twins. I am looking forward to that but can honestly say I don't want him to leave. He was so good and I hope maybe we can do it again before the summer is out.

Future Photographer

2009-05-29T20:12:00.001-07:00

Trevor snatched the camera a few times to take some pictures of his stuffed animals, airplanes, and other random items. I have to admit he has a good eye and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw these!

Cuddles the dog tucked into the pocket on the back of my seat.

Cuddles in the bushes outside.

Leon the lion (his paws are magnetic) clinging for dear life to he lamp.

Time Flies...

2009-05-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged!! My computer was acting up, making it impossible to do anything but the basics, and then I went back to Idaho Falls for 10 days for a visit. I have tons of pictures and stories from that but I'll save them for when I have nothing else to talk about; because right now I do! Trevor came home with me for one full week of mommy and Trev time. We're having lots of fun and keeping busy. Here's what we've been up to so far: Monday we went to the park and walked around. Trev was a little scared of the geese, they hissed a lot because there were a few babies around, but he managed to stay calm. He really liked the walking path and we are planning on hitting a couple more parks while he's here.

After our walk, Ramil took us bowling which was lots of fun. Trevor was a little grumpy the first game. I didn't know about the fancy bumpers nowadays, they would come up automatically for him and go down for us. So the first game we played with none and he was getting frustrated, even though he did have some nice shots. The next two games he had bumpers and really cheered up, partly thanks to the nachos and rootbeer Ramil bought him. We had a fun time and I'm looking forward to going with the other boys next time. Today Trevor had to endure lots of mom's doctor appointments and otherwise just wanted to play video games. We had tacos for dinner (he ate 3!!!) and now we're watching a movie. We have lots more fun stuff planned so stay tuned...

Sick Bed

2009-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for a long time but I have a good reason. I had sinus surgery last Monday, it was my fourth one so not really a big deal. Everything went fine, it's more one of those deals where you aren't well enough (or allowed) to do much but not in so much pain that they give you the kind of drugs that allow you to remain comatose. So this is a picture of where I have been for most of the last six days....my bed. Complete with laptop, phone, t.v. remote, and books. I am slowly getting better, still get worn out quickly, but I will be back to my high functioning self soon, ok well medium functioning self.

Idaho City

2009-04-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

The other day we went to Idaho City, the first settled town in the state. We took Julie, Kelley, and TM with us. The drive was beautiful, we wound around next to the river up through mountains full of pine trees, it reminded me of Montana. This first picture is a pull off on the way back, the Lucky Peak Recreation area, that I definitely want to visit later this summer. So anyway, Idaho City is just this little town, lots of old buildings including the first church for "white men" in Idaho. The area was the most prosperous for gold anywhere and was full of mostly immigrants who mined the area. As we drove down the very few streets full of potholes I saw a sign for the Pioneer Cemetery. WARNING: FAINT OF HEART MAY NOT WANT TO READ ON: Now those of you who know me know that I have a serious fascination for both pioneers AND cemeteries, so how could I resist? We had to drive literally up into the mountains just following signs to find it. I have never seen anything like it! This cemetery is just scattered across this mountain, not even
close to town. The sign said they figure about 3,000 people are buried there, but they only know where 300 of those graves are. So just scattered everywhere are graves that are sunk in, or you can't see the whole headstone. It's truly eerie to walk up this mountain side and see everything from huge fancy headstones to slabs of wood. I took millions of pics but only included these two. First is one of the many that are just old blocks of wood with "UNKNOWN" carved into them. A lot of the graves themselves are surrounded with fences, the more expensive high class people have metal ones and these ones are just wood. I think the moss growing on it and the slump of the fence where it is sinking into the ground has a weird beauty. The next one was just a piece of very old wood and this pine tree has grown right in front of it and pushes it aside. I thought it was fascinating to see the way the grave marker is like peeking out from behind the tree as if to say "I was here first! Don't forget about me!" A couple more of my observations are that the earliest markers don't show birth dates; just names, age at the time of death, and the death date. And most of them also proudly proclaim where the person was from. I saw Belgium, Germany, China, and many more. Anyway I have a lot more pictures that I think are pretty cool and more stories but I'm not sure if anyone else is interested! Ramil and Julie refused to even enter the cemetery and spent the whole time I was exploring just nervously pacing. When I was done Kelley informed me that he was questioning them about their cemetery aversion and it turns out that in the Philippines they pretty much just toss a little dirt over people. Then the rainy season comes and I'll leave what surfaces to your imagination but it went a long way to explaining why Ramil wouldn't even eat and just wanted to leave! So if anyone is interested I have more pictures, stories, and information. Just for the record let me explain why I like cemeteries...I just think they are (usually) peaceful places and I like to read what family members wrote on the headstones of their loved ones. I think it also helps us feel connected to the many who came before us and reminds us not to waste our time here.

Our Anniversary

2009-04-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well it's been 7 months today since we met and had our first date. Feels like it was just yesterday and it also feels like we've already been through a lot together!

Survey Says.....

2009-04-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

I can't help but notice what a pitiful list of "Bloggin Friends" I have. Not to say anything about the people on it, they are all OBVIOUSLY amazing!! But when I go to others blogs I see these lists of 20 plus people they know/follow. Mind you it's not that I don't regularly look at other people's but I have this crazy little "rule" for myself. I won't put someone on my list unless I know that they know I look at their blog all the time, and I know they have looked at mine before. Since there is no way to tell who was at your site I don't add to my list much. So here's my idea, if you check my blog and read this then shoot me off a comment telling me if I can add you. My embarrassment will come full circle when no one comments...

A Dip Into The Picture Box

2009-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

I have been going through my box of pictures lately just for fun and found some pics I just had to put up. I miss the boys so bad and I am basically torturing myself by doing it but I can't resist. So in this first picture we have the twins eating cereal. After staring at this picture here are the cute things I noticed: First let's look at Brenon toward the back of the photo. I love his old man smile, he was always such an old man. Also notice the paci's on the table, when I was looking at pictures I saw paci's soooo many times and it made me remember how they were total addicts, I thought they would never be done with them. Ok so now on to Bryce. How adorable is that face??!! Look at the chubby hand gripping the spoon and the round cheeks on both of them. Oh what I wouldn't give to transport myself into that picture just to kiss those cheeks and get a hug from those sticky arms!

Ok next picture. My absolute favorite thing about this is that all three of them are making the exact same face! They all look so handsome with brushed hair and big smiles. Trevie is such a good brother to the twins, he always liked being the "big" brother and being buddies with them. I think he still does for the most part but he is getting to the age where it's "annoying" to have brothers. I am so thankful for all my beautiful boys.

Date Night

2009-04-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

This week, date night is featured at the lovely:

Albertson Park

Full of paved paths and wooden bridges, Albertson Park is home to hundreds of geese in the spring months. The females lay their eggs in nests constructed near the waters edge while the males stake our their territory and stand guard. The invisible boundaries known only to the geese are strictly guarded by the hissing, large wing flapping, future dads......who are lured away easily by the promise of some bread from a stranger. I wonder how they would feel is they knew how many of their kind have been eaten by the gentleman feeding them.

This is a truly beautiful park and I am looking forward to seeing it when it's not 90% bare tree branches and dead leaves. We will return weekly in the hope of seeing the adorable little babies that will soon make their debut. Only next time I won't be dumb enough to let geese surround me while Ramil patiently bides his time, then throws bread toward me to cause a feeding frenzy/territorial fight to break out in the form of powerful gray wings and sharp black beaks.

Our First Easter Together

2009-04-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't get to go home for Easter but Ramil and I actually had a really fun day together. Here are the highlights:

Ramil has never been visited by the Easter Bunny so last night he made a stop here for him. Ramil was very surprised and excited when he came here to find his very own basket of goodies waiting for him.

Ramil had heard from a couple people about the town of Emmett and so he asked me if I wanted to go. Neither of us had been so we just looked it up on Google Maps, packed some snacks and drinks and took off.

Once we got into town I saw signs for a Reservoir and Dam so we followed the signs until we found it. It was such a beautiful day and since the water level is still so low we walked around down by the river. I found a couple little lizards that we chased for awhile and Ramil tried to murder one. I still think he did but we never found the body and he denies it.

The road going into Emmett is cut right into the hill and they have this amazing pull off look out point. We stopped at it on our way back. We all know how much I LOVE pictures of me but I thought I should include some kind of proof that I was there too. You could see the whole valley and they had a 9-11 memorial and some historical points of interest there too.

This is a much better picture of the view, at least for me. It was really pretty and a fun little spur of the moment jaunt. I think we will do more of these in the future, just take turn picking somewhere nearby that we haven't been before and go.

After we got back we invited one of Ramil's classmates over who was alone for Easter and had a delicious dinner. I made all of my specialties, twice baked potatoes, 3 layer jello, homemade rolls, and then ham and white cake with chocolate frosting. It was a really nice day, very peaceful and fun. I missed my kids and other family but yet it felt good to show Ramil what an American Easter is like.

In the Philippines they "celebrate" the whole week before Easter Sunday, they call it Holy Week. On Friday you don't work, eat meat, or clean yourself. People gather to watch others hammer nails into their hands and hang themselves on crosses. Then on Sunday they have a feast to celebrate the Resurrection. Most Filipinos are Catholic but it's more of a custom of the country than just a certain religion. Anyway I think it is interesting to hear what others do outside of our traditions in the U.S. which is all most of us know. I hope I get to see it for myself someday but I definitely like ours better!

Easter Memories

2009-04-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to see what pictures I could find of past Easters with the boys since I won't have any new ones to add tomorrow. I couldn't find many because all the albums were put away in a not easily accessable place so these are just extras in my photo box.

All the boys Easter 2004

Tyrel 2004

Trevor 2004

Bryce and Brenon 2004

Tyrel Easter 1999

I couldn't find one of just Trevie that I knew for sure was Easter but this is him sometime in the spring or summer of 2000.

Bunnies Bryce and Brenon 2005

My Little Boys

2009-04-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well since I have nothing new and exciting to post I thought I'd start to dip into my archive of older pictures. This is one of my favorites of the boys. I believe it was the night before Miss or Jen's wedding and we were at the church setting up. I swear that is the same exact smile Brenon has now and Bryce has the cutest chubby cheeks ever! Trevor is adorable as always, I remember this was his phase when smile/frowned like that a lot. Tyrel looks all cool and confident as usual, but man is he little! I sure do miss these days when they were all so young and even though life was chaotic it seemed much simpler. Now Tyrel's going to turn 12 in a couple months and is taking Algebra next year which will make him officially math smarter than his mom or dad. Trevor is much more troubled by the worries of an almost 10 year old, like schoolyard bullies and the pinewood derby for scouts. Bryce and Brenon are reading over 110 words per minute and almost done with their first year of all day school. It may have been much more complicated to get everyone ready for bed, or pack the diaper bag, or make sure that we get home before anyone falls asleep in the car and then won't go to bed that night....but it sure was fun.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

This lone daffodil is out on the side yard of my apartment. There's something about that first flower of the spring, it just always makes me think of new beginnings and hope. Cheesy I know but sometimes I get like that.

Birthday Weekend

2009-04-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

I showed Makoy a picture of the park I take the boys to when they come and he spent the next 2 weeks telling anyone and everyone that he was coming to Boise and going to the park. So Saturday we went to a couple stores while we waited for things to warm up just a little and then went to the playground. We convinced Koy to be done playing only by telling him we could go throw rocks in the river. So we went down to the river bank and I took this picture of Makoy and then of the Stone family. We had a lot of fun this weekend shopping and hanging out at my apartment. I never got tired of hearing the crazy things Makoy came up with; like when I asked him what ears were for and he said "for bed" because he always pulls on his to help him fall asleep! I'm glad they took the time and money to come and hopefully they will come back soon! Happy Birthday to Miss tomorrow...love you!

"INE A GHOST"

2009-04-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Miss, Shane and Makoy got here Friday night to spend the weekend with me. Makoy was very excited to be here and immediately asked if I had toys he could play with. I showed him "cousins" toys and he had a blast playing with everything and asking what every toy in the box was called and what it did. So he found this mask and was wearing it and saying "Ine a ghost" in this monotone voice, it was so funny. I asked him to do something "scary" with his hands and this is the resulting picture, too funny.

Home To Visit

2009-04-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

After I dropped the boys off at their dads I spent the rest of the weekend with my family. The sisters had Chinese food at Jen's Thursday night and then I slept at Amy's. Then Friday I went and saw Sarah, Lynn and girls at their house. Later that day I went to my mom and dad's to spend the rest of the day and the night. Mom spoiled me rotten for the next 24 hours which was not only very sweet of her but was nice for me to have some tlc. She wanted to take me to dinner at one of our favorite places, Texas Roadhouse, and of course the more the merrier so Amy and kids and Miss, Shane and Makoy all tagged along. Makoy was sitting on this horseshoe stand thing while we waited. He will never let me take pictures of him, such a grouch about it (note the happy face). Dad had stayed home because he can't eat anyway so it's not much fun to watch everyone else enjoying delicious food, and he was kind enough to fix a few things on my car while we were gone. Point being Koy only let me take this picture because I told him it was for Grandpa so he could see what Koy was sitting on. He is OBSESSED with his grandpa, it's the cutest thing I have ever seen. Maybe it's because every time he goes to the store with Gramp he gets something or because dad shows him how to burn things with a magnifying glass, among other things no one else would teach a 3 year old. But nothing is cuter than seeing Makoy go sit next to dad on the couch and pull dad's arm around his little shoulders, or hearing Koy yell "Gwampa where are you" every time he realizes he hasn't seen him for longer than one minute. Either way they are two of a kind and I think it's so amazing that dad is able (and willing) to be the official Koy babysitter.

So back at the restaurant, we had lots of fun even if we did have to wait for an hour for our food to come. Well I had lots of fun at least. Amy was a little frazzled because her kids were attacking the peanuts out of sheer hunger and of course we made her sit at the end with the kids. Makoy was having fun "dipping" everything, even peanuts, in the honey butter. Shane got to deal with convincing Koy to eat his actual dinner. Miss told us some (long) gossipy stories about work which I love to hear, it's like a soap opera. And I think Mom was just enjoying the fact that she wasn't in charge of anyone. We had Shane take a picture of all us ladies and it was just a fun night. Mom and I got up early the next morning to hit a Kohl's sale and she bought me an awesome furry body pillow (among other things) that I sleep with every night. It was hard to head back to Boise but we had alot of fun and I've noticed I'm MUCH more popular now that I don't live there! Thanks for everything mom and dad!

Going Home

2009-04-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end so a week ago I took the boys back to Shelley. I think we all had a fun spring break and I am anxious to see them again already. On the way home the twins fell asleep in the car, I knew they would (and wanted them to) so we brought their blankies and they cuddled up in their seats to snooze. While they were out Ty wanted to take a picture of them sleeping. When they woke up he told them what he did and showed them the pictures. Then Ty fell asleep in the back and the twins had the idea to take a picture of him in trade. So here's what we have:

Brenon dreaming deeply

Bryce sleeping soundly

Tyrel totally tired

Trevor being Trevor

Happy Birthday Ramil!

2009-04-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Swim Day

2009-03-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of the things the kids were most anticipating was our plan to go swimming. They all love the water and have so much fun. My one and only friend in Boise, Julie, planned a day we could go to the YMCA together and so yesterday we spent about three hours turning ourselves into chlorinated prunes. Here are some of the highlights:

It's pretty much impossible to get a good picture of Ty since he won't let me. I got one of him when he wasn't watching but he hates it because it looks like he's trying to be sexy so we will settle for this one. Him and Bryce had such red eyes and a burn looking thing under their eyes after, I'm not sure I want to go back there if that's gonna happen. Poor Bryce fell asleep last night with a wet washcloth on his cheeks and still has red marks under his eyes.

Trevor is always such a good sport about pictures and I decided to wear him out a little by getting him to jump in the pool from the side about 80 times so I could get some good "in air" pictures. This is one of my favorites, he twisted mid-air. My camera was acting weird so we had to try over and over to time it right. He had fun though and I have some awesome pictures from it.

The twins (Bryce on the left, Brenon on right) also loved jumping in but they weren't interested in doing it over and over for my shutter bug pleasure. One of the things I thought was so cute was that they would end up getting out at the same time and jumping in together. I just thought it was too precious to watch them because they seem to be of one mind sometimes.

Last but not least, this is Kelley, Julie, and T.M. Julie has been so amazing to me, I don't know what I would have done with out having at least one girlfriend here. She met Ramil shortly after he came to the states at the Asian Market, I swear everyone he knows he met there. Anyway he took me to meet her on my third trip to Boise back in October to get her approval. Now I tease him that she likes me more than him! We take T.M. and go to the mall or hang out at one of our houses. T.M. spent the night here last night because Julie and Kelley had a bunch of errands to run today and I think she's been having fun. My boys keep saying "T.M. doesn't talk. Why is she so quiet?" No boys, I think the question is "Why are you guys so loud??".

Monday Madness

2009-03-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well I am running a day behind on posts but its better than nothing. Monday we took the kids to the park so they could blow off some steam. It's amazing how loud they sound in a little two bedroom apartment. It was pretty cold and windy but they played for awhile, threw rocks in the river, and we walked on one of the many awesome paths that wind around the river. Then we rented some movies and had pizza for dinner at home.

The boys have been watching lots of movies and they are obsessed with playing Xbox. I'm not really comfortable with them playing outside since I don't really know the neighborhood, emphasis on HOOD. The weather hasn't been very cooperative either.

My neighbors are probably wondering why after months of silence my apartment now sounds like it is a kid war zone. Laughing, crying, acting like dogs, playing swords with sound effects, jumping off anything higher than 6 inches off the ground; there's a constant source of noise with the boys around.

I think they are having fun and I love being able to see them everyday hear all their stories. Bryce kicked my butt in checkers on Sunday and the boys like to play battleship with me too. Probably one of my favorite things has been laying on my bed with the twins to take a nap, not just because of the blissful silence, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice! All in all the time is flying by so we are trying to make the most of it.

Spring Break Begins!

2009-03-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to have my boys here in Boise with me for the next week for spring break. They got here last night and we have lots of fun activities planned. Today we got started, but of course I forgot my camera. Bryce let me take this picture of him with his lion so that I would have something to put up. So here's our first 24 hours. First we did haircuts which they were all desperately needing. Then today we went to the library and they all got their own library cards and checked out some books and movies. Then we went to the awesome park here with tons of playground equipment. We'll end up going again later this week and I WILL remember the camera! The boys played on the toys and we walked down by the river. Ty threw a rock seriously almost all the way across the river, I couldn't believe it!! Unfortunately rain cut our time there short. We picked up Ramil from work and we all went to Pojo's to play games and all the boys rode the bumper cars. Now we are home just getting ready for bed....we had a late night and there is a lot of whining from some sleepy kids going on. So I will try to take more pictures and we'll keep a little daily entry of our fun going.

Tagged

2009-03-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm tagged and because I lack anything exciting to report I guess I will do it. Here we go!

4 Things About Me:

Jobs I've Had:

1: Salesgirl at JC Penney
2: Bagger at Huntsmans
3: Customer Service at Melaleuca
4: CNA at IF Health and Rehab

Movies I've Watched More Than Once:

1: Dumb and Dumber
2: Princess Bride
3: Orange County
4: Every kid movie we own

Places I've Been:

1: Georgia
2: California
3: Montana
4: Utah

Places I've Lived:

1: Dillon, Montana
2: Shelley, Idaho
3: Polson, Montana
4: Boise, Idaho

People Who Email Me Regularly:

1: Sayah
2: Jen
3: Grandma
4: Mom

Favorite Foods:

1: Fresh raspberries
2: Fresh cherries
3: Cereal
4: Hershey Milk Chocolate Eggs

Things I'm Looking Forward To This Year:

1: A new niece!
2: Getting married (I hope!)
3: Going on vacation
4: Spending time with my kids

Shows I Watch Regularly:

1: Lost
2: Man vs. Food
3: The Office
4: 30 Rock

People I Tag:

1: Sayah
2: Linda
3: Meagan
4: Jillyn

Pick a photo folder and choose the fourth picture in the album:

Oh my precious babies!
Why did they have to grow?

Missy

2009-03-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

More pictures from my trip home....I went to see Miss at her work and she posed for me multi-tasking with two phones. Honestly I think she probably does do that most days. Then we had her co-worker take a picture of the two of us, she looks cute but not so much me. Anyway I wanted to say how much I love her and how awesome I think she is! I admire how hard she works and what a good mom she is. I know she is doing her best and I can totally understand when she is hard on herself even though I don't think she should be. I can still remember when she was a little girl and we would play school or church (with me as the teacher). She has always been super cute and I love her to death! Love you Miss!

Fuston

2009-03-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post this picture of Weston ever since I got home from my trip because it is probably my favorite picture I have from that weekend. I spent the night at Mark and Jen's and we had a blast watching movies, talking and laughing. Weston always takes a while to warm up but the main thing was I couldn't get him to smile for a picture. Jen and I were looking at all the ones I had of him and he was always making the same face, a blank stare that reminds me of his dad! So after bath and jammies Jen was lifting him up and I got this awesome picture. He is so cute and I can't wait to see what his little sister looks like. Oh and the Fuston came when Mark accidentally said it as a combo of Weston and Fussy. We were laughing so hard, but I think it is the perfect name!

Love You Like A Sister

2009-03-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

This past week my friend Heather was in Boise at my house. When I was in Shelley last weekend I kidnapped her and brought her home to keep me company. She is always freezing and I am always hot so in the car I bundled her up in anything I could find and we took this sweet picture. It was so much fun having her here. We made lots of necklaces, watched tons of movies, and laughed A LOT! It's been hard for me not to be there for her, and to have her to cry to and watch t.v. with every night. She truly loves me no matter what and I appreciate that so much. It was hard to say goodbye but we are already planning her return trip. Love you Heath!

My Boys

2009-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have really been missing my kids the last couple days. It's very hard to be away from them and of course I have many days when I wonder if I am doing the right thing. I took these pictures last weekend when I was home visiting. It makes me sad to look at them, but as always I feel so blessed and thankful to be their mom, even though I feel like they deserve much better. But that's one of the beautiful things about it, I know they each love me unconditionally. I love you boys!

Sister Night

2009-02-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Another fun thing I did in Idaho Falls this weekend was our traditional sister night. All of us girls get together, no kids or men allowed! We went to Sizzler and then for pie at Perkins. We made a bit of a ruckus at Sizzler laughing about some pretty hilarious stuff that out of respect for Amy I won't mention! It's really great to have such a close relationship between all of girls and we have so much fun when we get togther. Love you ladies!

Birthday Girl

2009-02-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

I went home this weekend for my niece Emma's birthday. She turned 4 on Sunday and we had lots of fun. Emma and I have always been really close and it is both heart breaking and adorable how she misses me. She was in total denial when it was time for me to leave and even tried to sneak out of the house to come to Boise with me! She is so sweet and I love her so much! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My Place

2009-02-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry it took so long but finally here are some pictures of my new apartment.

The front, I am in the bottom one.

View of the mountains from the back porch, I love it!

The kitchen has lots of space.

Spare room/boys room.

More to come soon..........

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T22:07:00.001-08:00

Well it's the first V-Day I haven't dreaded for a long time. I feel very fortunate to have found someone as wonderful as Ramil who is so loving, patient, and kind. He's very good to me and I feel spoiled to have someone so awesome. He had to work today until 5:00 so I told him I would make him dinner. I decorated the table and made his favorite foods. He gave me a beautiful necklace and earrings that he picked specifically because they match my ring. He also gave me some perfume I have been wanting for months! I gave him a new watch and his dinner of course. We had a fun night and I am looking forward to many more Valentines Days ahead!

Put A Ring On It

2009-02-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

I think by now most everyone knows that Ramil and I are planning on getting married. He asked me to awhile ago, but considering our circumstances it was more something that we talked about at length and decided was right. We picked out a ring about a month ago and just picked it up today. I told him to hold onto it and give it to me whenever he was ready. He was really excited and managed to wait almost an hour before he just knealt down and made it official! It was really sweet and we both LOVE my ring. Here are some pictures, of course my man hands take away from the beauty of the ring.

BIG NEWS!

2009-02-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming and I know everyone has been waiting for this day to finally be here! That's right, I got a camera! I am so excited! We went to Target yesterday and since they only had the floor model we even got a discount. I haven't taken pictures of my apartment yet cuz I need to clean a little first. But by tomorrow there should be some and I will be going crazy blogging! So far I just have these two I took, a pic of me (what's with the crazy eyes?) and a cute one of Ramil.

Terrific Twinners!

2009-02-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here I sit in Boise, no camera no kids. I miss the boys so much and was looking at some of the pictures I had on Ramil's computer. I found these from when I brought the boys to Boise last fall and had to post them. I think they are so stinking cute!

Ok so this is Bryce at the zoo. He was the only one who would pose for me, and not only did he let me take his picture by the giraffe but he whipped out the silly attitude.

This was in the car on the way to Boise. It was getting late and I didn't want anyone to fall asleep so I put on "Jock Jams" (the kids favorite cd) and I took pictures of everyone rocking out. Brenon was making the cutest faces and I love the scrunchy nose!

Who is that?

2009-01-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Trevor is so thrilled by the little things in life, it's one of his best qualities. So on Saturday we went to the dollar store and he picked out this Zorro mask. He wore it ALL day, including while we were at Pojo's. I figured if he got lost we could at least find him quick by saying he's the kid with the mask on. He didn't want to even take it off to shower because he didn't want his "secret identity" exposed (we compromised by taking it into the bathroom so he could do it quickly). He also got bright orange vampire teeth with his tickets at Pojo's and was wearing those a lot too. So shortly after I left them with their dad he sent me a text saying that Trevor had fallen asleep holding his gun he got, and wearing the mask and teeth. He sent me this picture he took of him. I think the creepy thing is that Trev looks like he has no eyes at all. It's too funny though and classic Trevor!

The Mouths Of Babes

2009-01-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

So while the boys were here this weekend they said some hilarious stuff. The best part is that they don't even realize how funny it is. It was Sunday morning and I was in my room on the computer. Bryce came in to ask me something and I could hear Trevor in the living room talking WAY louder than neccisary (not surprising I know). So I said "Bryce, could you please tell Trevor that I need him to use a quieter voice?" Bryce said he would and as he walked out my door I heard him say "Trevor, mom said to shut up!" Oh my it was sooo funny. Tyrel is pretty funny too, he is very sarcastic but I can't fault him knowing where he got it from. While driving to Boise after picking them up the twins were fretting that we were going to run out of gas. I told them not to worry, if we did I would make Ty get out and push the van. Ty came right back with "You better watch it Grandma cuz when you are old I will drive you out to the highway and drop you off. That's right, I went there." Oh boy, I can't wait to see what comes next from them!

Forever

2009-01-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

So I know it has been a couple months since I blogged but it's because I don't have a camera, and hence no new pictures to post. But on the advice of Jen I will blog about my life until I get one. Boring yes, but at least something. So for those of you who don't know I live in Boise now. I am in an apartment by myself, trying to get into school to get my LPN and will be getting married very very soon. I like it here alot except of course that it is majorly lacking in people I know and love. The boys came to visit last weekend and we had tons of fun! We played video games and went to eat at this cool place called Pojo's that has arcade games and bumper cars. It was very hard to say goodbye as usual but we all managed, only mommy cried like a baby. So I should be getting a camera really soon and will post pics of the new place and some of the things I am doing around here. Thanks for not giving up on me!

Classic

2008-11-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

So I love to take pictures of the twins in a split egg. It's cheesy but one of those things that I get a 2nd grade kick out of. They are so cute!

Tagged: 7 Things People Might Not Know About Me

2008-10-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I lost 20 pounds in the last 3 months, mostly from having diarrhea every single day
I own over 20 pairs of shoes
I have 2 fiction novels and 2 children's books in the making right now
I am obsessed with buying new books
I love Mongolian food
I kiss on the first date
I still have my Monchichi from when I was little

Our Family 2008

2008-10-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to take some pictures of the kids and bought them matching shirts months ago in anticipation. Finally over spud harvest I took the boys down to the falls with the bribe of feeding the ducks if they let me take some pictures. My friend Heather was sweet enough to come along to snap a few of me with the boys too. Bryce and Brenon were not having the best of days and after a million pictures some melt downs began. In fact I have a picture of Bryce with tear stained cheeks that is a stark reminder of all the crying the two did. BUT, I did get some great shots so it was worth it. Trevor still loves to have his picture taken so he was running all over telling me to take one here and there and everywhere. Tyrel was a great sport, he hated the shirt but wore it for me, being the resourceful kid that he is he brought another one and changed the second we were done! In the end they had a blast feeding the ducks and running around everywhere. We even saw a girl on a bike get hit by a car! Don't worry, she was fine. Thank you to Heather for helping out and letting us use her camera!

Twilight is the Best!

2008-10-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

If you haven't read the Twilight series then you seriously need to have a non-reality check with yourself. It is the best! I found this awesome link on a friends web and had to try it out. Let's have a massive girls night out for the movie premiere!

Camera Shy Ty

2008-10-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

I know I don't blog about Tyrel very often but it's mostly his fault. Most of the time I get the camera out he turns his head. Since that is what I do I can't be too mad though! So here are some ones I captured on our trip. The first one is when we were all dancing in the car, notice his blanket tied on like a cape, boys don't grow out of everything! Second is him at the hotel, I believe he was eating jerky, his favorite. Tyrel is amazing. He is so helpful to me, taking out the garbage, doing laundry, and helping out with his brothers. He has straight A's right now, that includes his elective, Spanish. He is working hard at school and playing hard at home. He has taken over the care of Lily, mostly because he is the only one she likes. Tyrel shares moms love of reading and we usually read the same books. He has read almost all of the Harry Potter series, Fablehaven, Percy Jackson, and many more. We love reading series together and sometimes fight over who gets to be the first to read a new book. Ty is also very into origami lately and has made everyone in the family some sweet animals. Ty is a giant, about 5 foot 2 right now (at least), just over a hundred pounds, wears a size 8 1/2 shoe and a small shirt in mens!! In addition, anyone who has talked to him lately knows his voice sounds very different, he's a very early bloomer. Ty says the funniest things and has lots of knowledge about obscure things already. I am so thankful to have him in the family and for the important part he plays in our lives. Love you Ty!

Happy Birthday to Brenon!

2008-10-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

On October 14th Brenon Dale turned 7 years old! He was so excited that he was awake at 5:30 in the morning, I guess he wanted to make the most of the day. He was lucky enough to get to celebrate on Tuesday at home, on Friday at Grandpa and Grandma's, and on Saturday at Dad and Lissa's. At home on Tuesday we had Amy and kids over, then Aunt Amy made their favorite meal, spaghetti! Brenon had a great day and got lots of awesome toys (see Bryce's list cuz it's the same). One of the teachers at the school was remarking that day that it's amazing that they are seven and asked if I was sad. I told her that all day instead of feeling sad I just felt happy that they were alive and healthy to see their seventh birthday. I don't think Brenon minded sharing his big day with someone else. Brenon is so sweet and very loved by all who know him. Happy Brithday to you Pookie!

Happy Birthday To Bryce!

2008-10-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

On October 14th Bryce Jakob turned 7! He did have school that day so I brought some cupcakes in to help celebrate the big day. He got lots of cool toys, like a spiderman lego set, a light saber, some cars, and much more. In the morning I let him open the new shirts that I got him so he could choose which one to wear for the day. One of them was a long sleeve, brown, waffle texture Henley, which he promptly told me he didn't like because it just "looks like an old ugly brown shirt"! The first picture is him in the morning before school, and the other was his cake. I usually get the boys their own but this year we didn't have enough people over to help eat that much cake! The next morning Bryce said to me, very worried, "Mom I don't FEEL seven." I assured him that was pretty normal. Happy Birthday Boober!

Our Family Vacation

2008-10-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Aren't family vacations great? Kids create lifetime memories and parents want to go on a real vacation (meaning no kids). But seriously, in this family it is important that we do fun things together, the more positive memories they have the less room to remember the bad ones right? So this year we went to Boise, our state capitol! We stayed at a hotel with a pool, that is a must. The boys enjoyed swimming, playing in a huge playground, a trip to the Discovery Center of Idaho (check it out at www.scidaho.org), a picnic and a trip to the zoo. This is a picture of the boys in a hut in the Africa section of the zoo. I think they all had fun (except for that morning Brenon burned his finger on my curling iron and two seconds later Trevor got his hand slammed in a door). We had tons of fun and brought home lots of souvenirs, including some new stains on the carpet in the van. Hopefully we can continue to have these annual trips together so that someday the boys can look back when they take their kids on a trip and realize that their mom was a brave soul.

So Trevor

2008-10-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Over Spud Harvest, I brought the boys to Boise so we could spend time getting to know Ramil, and have our annual family vacation. While there, we went to the Boise Zoo. Trevor was the only one who would pose for this picture for me. This is him getting eaten by a life size comodo dragon. I love this picture because it is the essence of Trev, always up for something fun. Of course he stays well rounded by spending as much time crying as he does laughing. But I'll take the tears when it means I also get to hear his adorable laughter! Love you Trev!!

Mystery Man

2008-09-29T20:22:00.001-07:00

For the past almost 3 years, it has been a given that any weekend I could be found sitting (or sleeping) at home doing a whole lot of nothing. Because of this I was the one people called when their husband was gone for the day and they needed something to do, or the babysitter for date night, or the daughter who could come visit when everyone else was too busy. Lately I have been disappearing for days at a time and the news has slowly leaked out: Yes! I do have a boyfriend! Ramil and I met on ldsmingle the beginning of September and have talked on the phone everyday, usually more than once, since then. On September 20 I drove to Boise to finally meet him because I wanted to be sure that the chemistry was there in person too before I told anyone about him. It was. He is currently studying at BSU for electrical engineering and works full time at the Flying J. He is divorced but no kids, originally from the Philippines, and has been in the U.S. for about 10 months. Ramil is super sweet and everything I have been looking for in a guy, I was just looking in the wrong country! He doesn't have a car right now which is why I always drive to see him but he will be getting one soon. He is a returned missionary and awesome basketball player. We have so much fun together and he always makes sure that I am happy. Hopefully I didn't just toally jinx our relationship by posting this blog...

Here Kitty Kitty

2008-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

In August I made impulsive decision (aren't they all?) and just had to have this cute, tiny kitten someone was giving away at the grocery store. The boys were thrilled and after debating over names Tyrel suggested Lily. I thought it was perfect because I wanted to name her something feminine and like a flower, and he thought of it because it is the name of Harry Potter's mom! She is very cute and bratty so she fits right in with us. She likes to bite and we are trying to figure out how to stop that. It has been good for the boys to have the responsibility with her and it's good for me to not alwyas be home alone! Yes, we know everyone in the family are cat haters and we are keeping her far away from dad and his guns so there are no "hunting accidents". So this our newest family member!

Hold On To Your Horses!

2008-09-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all, if you have been visiting my blog and wondering why I have no new posts there is a good reason! I am having some problem with my computer putting pictures in on the wrong file type so I cannot post them. I am working on it and should have some up soon so check back later!

My Miracles

2008-09-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

PART TWO

When I reached 23 weeks of pregnancy I went into labor for the first time. The doctors said that because of the extra fluid around Bryce my uterus was big enough that it was irritated and thought it was time for the babies to be born. I spent a couple of days at the Idaho Falls hospital where they tried unsuccessfully to stop the labor pains. Then they decided to fly me to Salt Lake and so off I went in an ambulance to the airport where I was flown to the University hospital. Once there they were completely full of patients and we spent a couple of agonizing days waiting for them to do something. The specialist finally got around to us and decided to do a procedure where they insert a small needle into the sack of the baby with the most fluid and slowly drain it off, thus relieving some of the pressure. It took them a full 30 minutes to drain off enough fluid to fit in 1 1/2 2 liter bottles. The procedure was a success but I ended up in full blown labor, which was one of the risks. Jakob had a cousin living in Salt Lake who rushed over and gave me a priesthood blessing which stopped the labor. After that they sent us home and the condition improved itself for a few weeks. I was on strict bed rest for the next 10 weeks and we made many trips to the hospital to stop the almost constant contractions. Finally at 34 weeks of pregnancy I woke up feeling very sick to my stomach. I wanted to wait, having been to the hospital for so many false alarms, but Jakob saw my level of pain and insisted we go right away. When we got there sure enough I was in real labor and it was time for the babies to be born! I had a c-section and Bryce was born October 14, 2001 at 10:42 a.m. and Brenon was born one minute later. Bryce had to have oxygen the fist few days and had a very red complexion as a result of the extra red blood cells he had from getting too much blood. Brenon needed no assistance but did have apnea spells that had to be watched for. They both spent 3 weeks in the NICU in Idaho Falls learning to eat. At one point they were planning on sending Brenon home the next day, then when we got there they said he had stopped eating and couldn't leave yet. When Bryce started eating well Brenon started eating again and they came home on the same day. I still think Brenon was waiting for his brother! The twins weighed in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (Bryce) and 5 lbs. 4 oz. (Brenon). This was amazing to the doctors because normally with TTTS one twin is twice the size of the other. Bryce and Brenon have always been so close, they slept in the same crib for a long time and once we separated them they would both scoot to where the cribs met and reach through the bars to be by each other. At 18 months they started developmental and speech therapy because they were a behind which is common for preemies. By age 5 they were completely caught up with others their age. Brenon has had problems with his ears, but other than that they had been amazingly complication free. They are now healthy boys, pretty big for their age, and advanced in their school work. They are starting to complain about too many kids at school asking why they "have the same face" but they are still inseparable and the best of friends. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be their mother, but even more so that I was allowed to keep both of them with me on earth. They are my miracles!

My Little Miracles

2008-09-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

PART ONE

In early 2001 we were thrilled to find out we were expecting again. Tyrel was almost 4 and Trevor was almost 2 and we figured we could have one more baby and we wanted them 2 years apart. At my 12 week checkup the doctor couldn't find the babies heartbeat, he assured me everything was probably fine but since we had the technology we would do an ultrasound and make sure all was ok. My sister Jennifer took me to the ultrasound because I was totally scared that I had miscarried and would be too upset to get home. As the technician was looking around I noticed that the picture of the baby wasn't moving from one angle to another, just staying the same. Then at one point I could clearly see the baby but I also saw some sort of lump in the corner. I said "What is that!" because I knew either I had a tumor or there was more than one baby in there. She said "Hold on one second" then a minute later said something I will never forget "There are two babies in there." Jen and I immediatly started screaming and crying. About 5 minutes later the lady said "Um are you guys happy or sad?" It was soo funny. We assured her we were thrilled. After a very long ultraound we started spreading the word. Everyone was asking me what my husband was going to say and I said "He's gonna swear". Sure enough when I tracked Jakob down and showed him the picture labeled "the babies" he did say "Oh shoot" (but not shoot). We were so excited and surprised and started to prepare for our double blessing. At my next ultrasound we were told that Baby A (Bryce) was a boy but they couldn't see Baby B. At 21 weeks things took a dramatic turn. The ultrasound showed that Baby A was bigger than Baby B and had more fluid around him. They confirmed Baby B was a boy and they were identical because they shared a placenta. I was pretty confused when they sent me back to the doctor. Once there he put his arm around me and said "I'm so sorry. Sometimes these things just happen. Your babies have a rare condition for which there is no cure. You are going to lose both of them." He then told me that he wanted to send me to a specialist in Salt Lake just in case there was something they could do. Jakob and I talked alot on the way there about the fact that maybe we were only supposed to give these boys bodies and not make them live this difficult life. In Salt Lake the doctor explained that the babies had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This affects very few twins and only identical ones. When the egg splits after a few days instead of the first couple, the babies end up sharing a placenta. This isn't always a problem but in our case it was. Brenon (Baby B) had veins that went from his umbilical cord to the placenta and then over to Bryce. Because of this Bryce was getting twice as much blood and fluid and Brenon didn't have enough since very little came back to him. The risk with these babies is that the twin with too much has a heart attack and the twin with too little suffocates. We were at risk of losing at least one, if not both, of the babies. There was very little they could do but they hoped since I was already half way there I would make it.
STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO!

The Rundown

2008-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a second to explain our family so that when I refrence people everyone knows who I am talking about! I married Jakob Carlson in 1996 and we had our four beautiful boys together. We were divorced in 2005 and in early 2006 he was remarried to Melissa. Melissa has a little boy named Paxton who is just 2 months younger than the twins so they basically have triplets together!! Melissa is great to the kids and has extended family that have brought more love into the boys life. Paxton is so cute and loves his new brothers. We all get along well and have a common goal of helping the boys have the best life possible. It really is a case of making the best out of a situation and I am just grateful that Melissa is tolerant of all our craziness.

The First Day Of School

2008-09-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

School started August 14, 2008. Tyrel started

middle school which means he has 7 different

classes and a locker....crazy! Trevor is in 4th grade this year and is doing great. Bryce and Brenon are in 1st grade and this year I opted to have them in the same class. It is working out great, they do their own thing and it's easier for me to keep track of their work because it's the same.

Tyrel is really great at math and science and choose Spanish for his elective this year. Trevor is an amazing reader and speller, doesn't even have to study for spelling tedtd and still gets 100%. Bryce is our little colorer, I've had parents who help in class tell me they wish they could color as well as him! Brenon is picking up reading so fast and seems to enjoy it. It's so fun to see them progress and learn new things. They all enjoy school which is nice and most mornings there's not too much of a fight to get them out the door. So far they are all doing great in class and I think it will be a great school year.

Wes and Me

2008-09-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend I stayed with Mark and Jen. I took full advantage of Weston being tired and having his blankie to get some snuggles out of him. He is seriously so adorable and I love seeing what crazy lengths his parents will go to get a laugh out of him!

At bedtime Wes waved goodnight to me.....Jen said he usually won't do that. I am supposed to watch him tomorrow when Mark and Jen go to the Temple, let's hope he won't flip out too bad. The boy does love his mommy and daddy. I figured out that if I kind of ignore him when I first get around him then he isn't as shy. Luckily I don't have to worry about being too loud and scaring him, his mom has made him immune to that!!

Just Getting Started

2008-09-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the example of my awesome sister Jen I am starting a blog for our family. however, my creativity isn't on her level so hang in there while I get this up and running! Everything you see so far she did or showed me how to do. Thanks Jen!