Carter Jay

We just got back from our appointment with the Perinatologist. Thank god that the ultrasound came back clear, and everything looks great. Also we found out that we've been blessed with another boy. We had already expected that, so it really wasn't much of a shock. I'm so relieved that our little Carter Jay is healthy, and he is growing right on target. We can't wait to meet him, and hold him in our arms. Until that day, we (OK I) will be shopping for all of his needs. Now to figure out which bedding we want to do.

A Christmas Miracle

With Michael being gone, I decided to take the kids on a shopping trip with Grandma on Saturday. The kids were awesome! I took my big double stroller that I literally had to dust off because I haven't used it in so long. Mikey brought his Leapster and played on that for most of the way. The miracle part of this story is that Mikey finally sat on Santa's lap. I can't believe it! He's been scared to death of him since he was about 18 months old and had a bad Santa experience (another story). Anyway, we actually got a cute pic of Mikey and Jovie on his lap. Afterward we went to Red Robin for lunch where Mikey decided he wanted to play the claw game. He walks up to the machine and sees a Buzz Lightyear buried in the back. He says to me "I'm gonna get that Buzz"... I think to myself "yeah, right". He sticks the coins in, uses the joystick, and actually snags the Buzz by the arm, and pulled him out of the huge pile. I couldn't believe that he actually won it, and I know that it was pure luck! Needless to say, he thinks that he is all that right now.

On an even better note, Michael is coming home tomorrow!!! Yay!! I'm so excited to see him, and spend some time with him before our appointment with the specialist on Thursday. He is only home until Sunday morning, and then he won't be home until Christmas Eve. I'm definitely going to have my hands full getting everything ready for Christmas on my own, but I feel like I'm up for the challenge.

It's The Little Things...

We've had an interesting week so far. Michael was called to go to Nevada because of a big derailment that needs to be fixed. Right now it's looking like he won't be home for most of this month. He will definitely be home for our big appointment with the Perinatologist next week, but will most likely have to go back right after that. The kids and I miss him so much, but we're handling things just fine. I'm really thankful that he has a good and steady job that allows him to provide for our family, and him going out of town occasionally is just part of it. Other than that, there's really not much new going on here. I've been busy selling on Ebay, and trying to finish up our Christmas shopping. On a good note, Mikey is now sleeping through the night without a Pull-Up. It has been an entire week with no accidents. I'm so proud of him, and glad that I don't have to buy those anymore. Now I'm down to Jovie in pull-ups at night, and a new baby to start all over again with :)

Giving Thanks

First of all, I just realized that I hadn't updated the blog since our Ultrasound. We went in for it a week ago, and I could feel that something just wasn't right when the tech was doing the exam. We had decided before the appointment that we would actually find out the sex of the baby, but it just wasn't in the cards. We don't know if it was the position of the baby (or the fact that he/she would not stop moving), or what, but the U/S just didn't come out very clear in a lot of areas. I called my OB with concerns later that day, and he said that he didn't see anything of concern but we should probably make an appointment with a Perinatologist. I had my regular OB appointment on Tuesday, and he said that after our conversation he had spoken with the tech and they both have some concerns. Needless to say, we're a little freaked out at this point. We really don't know if there is something wrong, or if the doctor is being overly cautious. We will find out more on December 11th. Until then all that we can do is pray, and count down the days. I'll be sure to update after our appointment.

For Thanksgiving we had a really fun day. The fact the the Lions got massacred didn't stop me from enjoying my day. To be honest, I had expected that kind of outcome. We started out with donuts and the parade. This is the first year that the kids actually cared about it, and it was so cute to see them get excited over the huge balloons. After that, we went to Michael's mom's house for our Thanksgiving "lunch". Jovie didn't stop eating the entire time. A few hours later we went to Thanksgiving "dinner" at my mom's house. Jovie didn't stop eating there either, and even asked for "chips" after the table is cleared. I have no idea how she is so tiny with as much food as she puts away. She is a huge fan of Thanksgiving now. It's amazing to see how the holidays get more fun as the kids get older. I just don't want them to ever outgrow it.

This morning, Michael and my mom hit Walmart with the crowds, and scored practically everything on our list. I don't know how he does it, but he got us some great deals. We've spent the rest of the day lounging. Here's to an awesome December!

Disney On Ice

We had a fun week although it started out very rocky with the stomach flu attacking our entire family. By Wednesday we were feeling somewhat normal and ventured to Salt Lake City for Disney On Ice. This was the 100 years of magic show, so all of the kids' favorite characters were there (with the exception of Sleeping Beauty who must have been sleeping). We had an excellent time, and the kids were especially happy with the souvenirs they got. Jovie ended up with a light-up tiara, and Mikey got a Buzz Lightyear sword. What a night!

We also took the kids to see Madagascar 2. We all give it a 2 thumbs up. It just as good as the first. The rest of the week was spent recovering from the illness and of course watching Football.
We have our big 20 week ultrasound this week, so I'll be posting pics from that on Friday.

Vacation!

Tonight kicks off our 10 day vacation. Where are we going you ask? No place except home! We are very excited to just spend the week together as a family. We will be doing a little Christmas shopping, maybe seeing the new Madagascar movie, and going to Disney On Ice. We can't wait for a week of just relaxation and fun before the craziness of the holidays starts.

Halloween!!!

I've been a little behind on posting, but here goes. We had an excellent Halloween. Mikey was a Denver Bronco, and Jovie was (as she called it) a "Pink Princess". They both looked adorable. We started off our celebrating by carving our pumpkins on Wednesday. We had taken the kids to the pumpkin patch the week before to pick them out. Mikey was in no mood for pictures that day, so I only got one decent one. The carving of them went well. It was hilarious since Mikey's pumpkin was so huge that he practically had to crawl inside of it to get the seeds out. It took awhile, but he finally got it done. He decided on a scary face, Jovie wanted a happy face, and the third pumpkin was one Mikey had gotten at his preschool.

On Halloween we went out with our neighbors for some trick-or-treating. The weather was pretty warm for most of the time, but it did start to rain a little. The kids had a blast, but were definitely beat by the end of the night.

Snow Day

We woke up this morning to about six inches of snow on the ground. I just looked out the window, and it's still coming down. The first thing that the kids wanted to do was play in it, so we got them bundled up as best as we could and sent them out. I wasn't quite prepared for such an early Winter, so they don't even have boots yet. We improvised with gloves for Mikey. Oh well, they still had a fun time.

A Day At The Fire Station

Michael's football team took a trip to the grand opening of Clinton City's new Fire Station last week. Mikey went along with him, and thought that it was awesome. Not only did he get to sit in a fire truck, but he got to help put out a fire. He also got to see a helicopter land.

There really hasn't been much else happening around here. Jovie has decided that she is really a princess and insists on wearing a head band every day (which she calls her crowww (crown)). She simply can not wait until Halloween when she can wear her new princess dress. Mikey has told me all month that he wanted to be a football player for Halloween, so I figured that we were set since he already has a uniform. Unfortunately he has now changed his mind and wants to be a dragon. I guess that I'm going to be doing some more costume shopping this weekend.

The Circus

Last night we took the kids to the Ringling Bros Circus. We had row 2 seats, and they were absolutely perfect. The first half was a lot of clowns that did slapstick comedy which seriously cracked Mikey up. He was laughing so hard that the people around us kept turning around to look at him. He was so cute. Jovie liked the ponies, and the Lemonade that Michael had bought her. The second half was more of the daredevil stuff like the trapeze which the kids didn't find as entertaining. We ended up leaving a few minutes early because Jovie was falling asleep and Mikey was getting really ancy. It was a really fun night, and I'm so glad that we went.

My Prayers Have Been Answered!!!!!!!

OMG!!!! I still can't believe it!. Something of gigantic proportion has finally happened. The Detroit Lions have fired Matt Millen. I'm still in shock from the news I have gotten. I absolutely can't believe that the parasite is finally gone from our organization. I've been hoping and wishing and screaming for this to happen for years now, and the time has finally come. I'm off to do ten thousand back flips and scream from the rooftops. My entire week has just been made. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

Ten Things I Love About Michael

I love my husband so much, and appreciate everything he does for me. I don't think that I always show it, so I decided to write a list of 10 things that I love about him...

10. He is willing to continue watching my Lions play even though they continue to lose week after week, or year after year.

9. He has an excellent sense of humor that makes me smile every day.

8. He can be like a big kid that can entertain our kids for hours just by giving them funny looks.

7. He is smart, sexy, handsome, and adorable all rolled into one man.

6. He always remembers the important dates.

5. He works hard every single day to provide a beautiful home and a full pantry for our family.

4. He always tries to be helpful to others and is always thoughtful to their needs

3. He shows so much patience to me especially in the trying times (like when I'm a hormonal maniac!) He also ALWAYS treats me like a Princess even when I don't deserve it.

2. He has given me three of the most perfect children in the world.

1. He completes my life in every way, shape, and form.

I love you Michael. Thanks for everything you do.

Time To Celebrate!

I have recently started watching my nephew three times a week. It's going to be pretty easy since his is only a little younger than Mikey, so they play together all day long. I decided that this would be a very good time to get Jovie potty trained, and I think that we were finally successful. She's now officially grown from a toddler to a little girl. Now I have to start all over again with diapers in the Spring. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the freedom.

What About Me?

Yesterday I took my kids into Jamba Juice to get a smoothie with a gift card that I've had since my birthday in March. I only ordered one because I figured that I could just share a little with my kids after we got home. I picked up my drink, and as we were leaving Jovie stopped in the middle of the store and said "Mama, what about me?". She was wondering where her drink was, and she said it in the sweetest most innocent voice. Right then I thought to myself, What about Jovie? I've been so focused on Mikey lately with all of his new events, and haven't really given Jovie the props that she deserves. Luckily today she started her new dance class which is a Mom and Tot class that gave me some alone time with her. She did SO well with it. I was very impressed by the way that she picked it up so quickly. She walked on the balance beam without any help from me, and even did a few somersaults all by herself. I'm really proud of how big she is getting. Jovie is definitely growing out of the Toddler stage and into the Little Girl stage. She now has to let us know what her favorite things are. She reminds us that Purple is her favorite color and Ajax is her favorite dog (I'm not sure where she gets that from hmmmm) every single day. Her most favorite person in the entire world is her Daddy. Rightly so since he's one of my favorite people too!

More News...

I just wanted to share that we are very excited to announce that we are expecting a new little one next year. We have already been checked out at the doctor, and have a little heartbeat. We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything will go well from here on out. Michael and I have decided to NOT find out the sex of this baby as well. I really want to enjoy this great adventure as it is the last time that I will be pregnant. This child will definitely complete our family.

Yay For Mikey!

So after the disaster Soccer game two weeks ago, Mikey came back with a vengeance. Not only did he participate in the Soccer practice, he played a very aggressive game against the Oreos. The Roaring Dinosaurs ended up losing this game, but they are very determined to try beating the team next week. Mikey was so cute, and played a tough game. He even took a couple of kids out showing that Football probably really is his sport of choice. I'm beyond proud of my little guy. I feel as though a huge weight has been taken off of my shoulders as I watch his confidence grow. I can't wait to see what else he is capable of.

Jovie was supposed to start her Dance classes this week, but missed it due to yet another throat infection. She will most likely have her Tonsils taken out next year. Mikey started his new preschool, and seems to really like it. Otherwise, it has been a very boring week. We are definitely looking forward to the NFL games tomorrow. Football season is here folks! It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Mikey's 5th Birthday

Mikey had a huge week. First, he started it off with losing a tooth on Sunday. You can kind of see it in this picture. It is on the lower left (his left). The tooth fairy paid him a visit, and brought him a five dollar bill. He went to Dollar Tree the next day and spent it on Dinosaurs. On Thursday we celebrated his birthday by taking him to an arcade and to the Dinosaur Park. We had a lot of fun, and he loved all of his presents. One of his favorites is his very own Denver "Donkey" uniform. What a cutie! We had his actual party on Saturday, and all of his cousins and his friends Edward and Charlie came over. He got tons of Hot Wheels and other toys. He is so spoiled! It's really hard to believe that my little guy is five already. He has a lot of big events coming up in the next couple of weeks. He will be starting preschool, and his religious classes. His first Soccer game was actually on Saturday, but he chickened out and didn't want to play. He doesn't have a game this Saturday, so we're hoping that he'll get more brave for his game in two weeks. Keep your fingers crossed!

The Treehouse Museum

Wow, I'm really behind on posting. Honestly, there hasn't been that much going on besides watching the Olympics. Today Gretchen and I took our kids to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. We try to do a mini-party for our boys' birthdays every year. We had an EXCELLENT time, and I highly recommend a trip to the museum to anyone with kids. Mikey had a blast although I'm not sure that he really saw anything since he ran through that place like a tornado. Jovie had a lot of fun too, but she definitely wanted to spend a little more time at each exhibit. There is one room where there is nothing but a bunch of musical instruments. Let me tell you that it was VERY loud, but so much fun. Afterward we went to Costa Vida and had some lunch. They have a glass wall where you can see people surfing on a simulated wave in the next room. I can't wait until all of the other businesses are finished in that area of Ogden. It feels a lot like the Gateway to me. I'll be posting more this week after Mikey's birthday on Thursday.

What's Really Important & Breaking Dawn

Ok, so I'm about halfway through Breaking Dawn. It's SO GOOD! If you haven't made it to page 350, or so then you need to stop reading this blog, grab your book, and speed read to get to that part. I'm hoping to be finished with the rest by tonight, but might have to wait until tomorrow.

On a different note. We took the kids to a children's mass today at St. Mary's. We hadn't been to one in awhile, but Mikey was still very excited to participate. There was one part where the priest asks the kids what they would like to pray for. He handed the microphone around the room and most of the kids were saying things like "My Sister"."My Family", "My Grandpa". Can anyone guess what Mikey would like all of us to pray for?? Let me just say that it wasn't any of those things, and it wasn't Ajax, not Bud, not even his friends.......... Mikey announced to the whole parish that he would like us to pray for his dinosaurs. I had to seriously contain my laughter. So, if you could, would you please say a little prayer for Mikey's dinos today.

Today At The Duck Pond

I have been trying very hard to keep my kids busy during the Summer. The boredom can creep on you so fast, that I've been forcing myself to get out of the house and do some fun stuff. Today, we met up with our friends The Travis' at our local duck pond. The kids were super excited to see all of the ducks and to feed them our hamburger buns. As Jovie says "The ducks were honkin' at us!" We walked on the trails for quite a while feeding them as we went along. Little Gavis was so cute with the way that he would conserve every little piece of bread (just like his Daddy!). My kids would just break the bread in two, and throw both of the big hunks into the water. We even found one with a crazy haircut! (Think Elvis).

The nice thing about this park is that there are lots of trails along a tiny stream, and also a huge playground for the kids to play on. We stayed for a lot of the morning, and probably would have gone for lunch afterward if Jovie wouldn't have taken a fall right as we were leaving. She managed to trip over a crack in the sidewalk and land straight on her forehead without any cushioning at all. It was one of the worst sounds that I had ever heard. Needless to say, she was very upset (so was I). The bump didn't swell right away, and looked pretty funky, so I decided to call her doctor right away. They told me to bring her in, but they couldn't get her in for another 2 and a half hours. I decided just to wait it out a little bit because I didn't feel like she really needed to go to the ER. She came away with quite the bruise, but she's OK now. On a good note, I finally found a tumbling/dance class for Jovie to join. It is a Mom & Tot class that will work perfectly into our schedule because it is only a mile away, and it is during Mikey's preschool class. We will be taking the class with our friends Gretchen and her daughter Lauren (I think our kids do everything together lol!) She's VERY excited to start "dancin school" in the Fall.

Kung Fu Panda

We went to see it yesterday with the kids and their friend Edward. Are you ready for my review on it? Here it is..... It was the BEST kids movie I have seen since Cars (nothing will ever compare to Cars in my eyes). They matched up the voices to the characters perfectly. Everyone knows that Jack Black is the voice for Po (the Panda), but nobody mentions that Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu are also in the mix. My kids have a very short attention span (thanks to their father lol!), and there was only a very short part in the middle of it where they seemed just a tiny bit bored. The fight scenes were simply awesome. Even if you don't have kids, this one is a must see. Mike and I found ourselves cracking up at most of the little jokes. Jovie has been running around all day saying "Hi.... YA!" and performing Kung Fu kicks. We even finally conquered the Kung Fu Panda Wii game yesterday. It was a complete family effort with Mike and I passing the tricky parts, Mikey passing all of the fighting parts, and Jovie offering moral support while annoying her brother at times.

Mikey's Trash Talkin'

Lately Mikey has turned into quite the cocky boy especially when it comes to video games.

Here are a couple of phrases we've been hearing from him...

"Dat bawl ain't 'elpin you any"
"You let a window open"

And our absolute favorite.....

"You wanna piece a hot dog" (we think he means "you wanna piece of this?")

A day at the bowling alley...

The Wii has become quite the addiction in our family. It has even stemmed to my mother who will stop by to "see the kids" and play a game of bowling with Mikey. He absolutely loves that his Grandma is willing to play a video game with him.
Last Friday night, my parents stopped by for a little visit. There has been an ongoing challenge between Mike and my mom as to who is the better bowler (I must say that my mom is actually quite good considering she never even mastered the workings of Mario...lol!). Anyhow, the challenge was brought up again and the Wii was broken out to test the strengths of all who were up to the challenge. Let's take a look at the competitors...
First, we have Grandma (sorry that this one is blurry). The thing to know here is that Mikey designed this Mii to match her COMPLETELY on his own. He did a pretty dang good job. Grandma was quite excited that during the five-game challenge she gained enough points to hit her Pro status and claim a new ball as her own.

Second, we have Mikey who for a four year old can really knock down those pins. He recently added some class to his Mii with the added freckles.

Now we have Grandpa. Once again, Mikey designed the Mii all by himself. We think that Dad looks more like a child predator in this depiction, so we're going to be making some changes. One thing that will stay is the mustache that has earned him the name of "Two-Turtle" since it looks like a turtle with two heads.

Last, we have Mike who designed his Mii himself. He also earned a new ball during the course of the game to which Mikey replied "That ball ain't helpin' you any". He's becoming quite the little trash talker.

The five game challenge came to an end with Grandma winning the whole shebang! What did that win her? An invitation over for dinner the next day when we cooked a Pork Loin in the "Big Easy" and some Dutch Oven Potatoes. It was quite yummy, and of course another Wii challenge followed (which Mike was the champion of).

Mikey's Growing Up

My sweet little boy is growing up. It's something that I've always had a hard time dealing with, but I know that I just have to get over it and live with it. Kids certainly don't stay little for too long, and I've tried to enjoy every moment of being a Mommy before I become just a Mom.

He proved to me that he's growing up today when I found him studying his arm rather intently. I watched him for a little while wondering exactly what he was looking at. After a few moments he looks at me (his eyes wide with excitement) and says... "Momma! Look! My fur is getting long like Dadda's!!"

One Busy Summer

This has been one very busy Summer for us. Between keeping the kids entertained, millions of illnesses (I may have exaggerated that one), and working on our yard.... we haven't had time to breathe. I thought that I would share some of the major highlights so far...

First, we finally moved into our new home. YAY! We have been lucky enough to finally have some good neighbors. Not to mention that we now live only around the corner from my Mom and Dad. The kids have really enjoyed playing with the neighbor kids, and walking up to Grandma and Grandpa's house. The yard is finally completed (at least for now..... a yard is always a work in progress). Here's an updated pic...

I am simply amazed by how quickly Michael has managed to get it done. He has put in a fence, built a shed, put in a sprinkler system, curbing, flower beds, and grass in less than two months. I will have to post pictures of our backyard later. He's even planted a couple of trees for us to enjoy. He has done a wonderful job, and our kids are loving it!

Mikey enjoyed a session of swimming lessons for the first time. He had a lot of fun, and learned how to maneuver around the water pretty well. One of his favorite parts was "jumping" off the diving board into the arms of his teacher. This pretty much involved me throwing him into the water because he would chicken out every time. He still doesn't care to put his head underwater, but that will come in time.

Jovie finally made the move to a big-girl bed. It was surprisingly easy. There was only one night of major tantrum, and she goes right to sleep in it now. Of course she had to bring her entire crew with her. Notice all of the "chicken bears" that she has lined up beside her, and also the pile of My Little Ponies that are tucked into the bottom. She has to have all 18 of them in bed with her before she will even consider going to sleep. Trust me when I say that she knows exactly where each and every one of those little suckers is, so there's no tricking her.

We took the kids down to Thanksgiving Point to visit the Dinosaur Museum. It was a blast, and the kids had a great time! While we were there we decided to watch a 3D movie. Here are some pics of the kids with their "birth control" glasses on.

The 4th of July was a fun day for us. The kids had been sick the entire week previous, so we weren't sure if we'd be able to do anything. We kept it pretty low-key. We took the kids to the Clearfield Parade in the morning. Jovie was really nervous because of all of the sirens, so she took a seat on Daddy's shoulders. Once the ponies showed up she was fine, and was diving for candy with all of the other kids.Later that day, Michael set up the blow-up waterslide for Mikey and the neighbor boy, Edward. They played on that for hours, and had a great time. Jovie went down a few times, but she got frustrated easily because she couldn't get her little legs up the climbing wall.

Instead, she enjoyed an ice cream cone. Which you can see she really got into...

Michael treated us to a "fried" Turkey that he made with his brand new Big Easy "oil-less Turkey fryer" . I must admit that I was VERY skeptical of it since you can't really fry something without oil right?!? However, it was very tasty and very crispy. Kudos to Mike!

Journaling

Welcome to our new blog! I'm realizing that I really need to journal the funny things that my kids do as they grow up, and this seemed like an easy way to do that while keeping in touch with our family and friends.