Well, here we are again! I think since the last time I blogged we have had Christmas, New Year's, two birthdays, a handful of soccer games, several swim classes, lots of colds, the flu (twice!), moved Brock to a "big boy" bed, Miri started walking and Ella (with some major help from Chad) sold over 200 boxes of girl scout cookies!

I'm happy to report that everyone is doing well and thankfully we are all much healthier than we were this time last month. Ella is keeping busy with school where we were delighted to hear that she is doing amazingly well. She scored above her grade level in several areas during their testing last month. She also goes to girl scouts once a week and sold 232 boxes of girl scout cookies! Now, more than half of those orders came from Chad's work, but 75 of them were phone calls she made or doors that she knocked on. She worked really hard and is really excited about it. I'm sure we will be slightly less thrilled about a week from now when those cookies invade our house and we begin the process of delivering and collecting money! (Do Chad and I get prizes for all of our hard work?) Ella is also playing indoor soccer right now and having a lot of fun with that. The hardest thing for the kids to remember is not to steal the ball from their own teammate!

Brock has officially moved to a "big boy" bed, which he has learned to love. He definitely loves the part where he can get out of bed on his own and has even begun to be sucessful at opening his own door (yeah, I've totally tried to child-proof knobs...he just pulls them off). He and I go to a mommy and me swim class twice a week and he loves it. Last class unfortunately, we had to leave because I forgot to pack my suit in our bag (strange, they have this rule that says you HAVE to wear one in the pool) and he threw an absolute fit! He was so angry he did not get to swim. The food issues continue pretty normally but every couple of weeks he decides to randomly try something new...which is usually followed by a funny face and a dramatic show of fake gagging. Whatever, we will take what we can get I guess!

If you haven't heard, Miri (or Meer-cat as well all call her) started walking! She took her first steps officially on her birthday and is attempting to pick up the pace so she can run everywhere. I guess walking just takes too long when you have bookshelves to clear, cabinents to re-organize, laundry to unfold, and carpets to color on! She loves to explore the halls during church (whoever heard of class anyway?) and follow her brother and sister around wherever they go. She might be full of trouble, but I don't know what I would do without that adorable little smile and musical laugh of hers!

Our plans for the next few months are hopefully going to be exciting! We should be getting to WA pretty soon and then we'll be taking a trip with our Brock side of the family to Van Couver this summer. We look forward to both!

All right, hair or no hair, is she not just the prettiest baby girl in the world?

My little angels decided to raid the m&m jar when I wasn't looking!

Yes, We are Still Alive!

Whew! I know some of you were sure that I'd never do this again, but here I am! We have been so busy that it's hard to know where to begin. I started coaching the Colorguard back in mid-May and since then our life has been crazy! In June, I took Miri with me to a 4-day long band camp with the high school kids while Ella and Brock split their time between Chad and my mom. Almost right after band camp, we headed off to CA to see my sister Brittany and Mark get married in the LA temple and visit with some other family down there. On our way back, we stopped in Vegas and took the kids to see the Knights At the Round Table show, which they all LOVED! Miri even had her moment in the spotlight (literally!) as Merlin came over and commented on how cute she was. Chad and I were pretty proud to have the spotlight on our baby girl and hear the entire arena give her an, "Awwwww!"

We had two parades in July that Brock and Miri marched in with me (more like rode in the stroller) lots of practice in August, and then Ella headed off to first grade! Going to school all day was challenging at first, but at this point she is doing well, constantly coming home with fun stories to share with us. During my practices during the schoolday, Brock and Miri sometimes went to a baby-sitter's house, stayed home with daddy, and even tagging along with me. They have put up with so much over the last few months, and have been great about it! A big thank you to all of our family members and friends who have helped out with babysitting as I have been at various shows and especially a big thank you to Chad for taking 4 days off of work to stay home with the kids, while I went down to St. George with my students. By the last day, I was MORE than ready to come home. Having to fight the urge to steal some stranger's child was proof that I was going through withdrawls!

As for our family, everyone is doing great! Ella is enjoying first grade, learning how to read, and looks forward to girl scouts every week. Brock enjoys walking to the bus-stop with me and he just lights up when he sees the school bus come around the corner! Miri is crawling everywhere and getting into everything! She helped herself to my wallet, Brock's sandwhich, and even dove into Moby Dick the other day. Chad was asked to take a class with his company in Salt Lake a few weeks ago and he was really excited to get to meet the CEO of the company as well as one of the founders. We had fun on Halloween, taking our little Leia, Obi-Wan, and Ewok out. For now, we are all looking forward to a relaxing Holiday season at home this year!

Brock 'n Roll Mania!

What a banner partial-week this has been. I'd just like to share the events and hopefully they will give you your good laugh for the day.
Sunday: We pull into the parking lot at church, Chad parks the car, a few comments are made about having to walk across the parking lot, and then we hear a sigh from the back seat and a complaint: "Oh great. This is going to be a pain in the a$$." Both my and Chad's eyes bugged out of our heads as we quickly demanded to know where the new vocabulary word had been learned. The culprit? George of the Jungle. A legnthy discussion followed on how we don't need to use that word, and gave her some acceptable substitutions. And then, if we continue to use such words, all movies will be taken away for an extended period of time. She said she was sorry and wouldn't do it again. We felt she was being genuine, so we were glad.
Monday: Doctor visits for Miri and Brock, who's coughs will just not let up! Brock diagnosed with RSV (again) and Miri is given an RSV test that comes back negative. While at the doctor Brock is climbing all over the exam room, standing up on a chair and nearly falls off. Thanks to mom reflexes, a potential disaster is averted. I have to add how sensitive and kind Ella is about her brother's and sister's feelings. She rememberd getting an RSV test a little over a year ago herself and when the nurse comes in to do Miri's she cowered in the corner, knowing how difficult this is going to be for Miri. I love how she loves them!
Tuesday: While doing my hair, the phone rings. I answer, forgeting to close my bathroom and bedroom door, providing a perfect window of opportunity for mischief making. I hang up only to find that the house is quiet. Too quiet. I find Brock sitting on my bathroom floor...holding a bottle of body wash...opened...all over his fingers...smeared around his mouth. I didn't think he had eaten much because the look on his face did not exactly say, "yummy!" Just to be sure, I call poison control. Brock is is normal self the rest of the day.
Wednesday: Brock discovers Ella's spray watter bottle. While I cook, Brock (in a matter of minutes) manages to drench his face and jammies, and I notice the hallway carpet feels damp. He thinks its halarious and is proud of his new skill.
Thursday: Outside, Brock discovers a pot still containing soil. He begins to play in it and I think, "What harm can this do? Boys get dirty." I take Miri inside, put her down, and come back outside to get Brock. I lean down to pick him up only to find that he has potting soil in his hair, on his hands, down the front of him, and caked around his mouth. As we are washing, he throws up. Once again, I am on the phone with poison control. While on the phone with them I look over at Brock and see that he is standing in a puddle of pink strawberry smoothie, leftover from our afternoon snack. He then decides to take off and tracks smoothie and soil all through the kitchen. As I'm cleaning that mess up, I remeber that I didn't put the baby gate up. And sure enough, Brock is in the kitchen, making an attempt to climb the stepladder which was leaning up against the wall. And it's only Thursday! Two more days to go still! But before you decide to call child services, I'd like to defend myself: I'm usually more put together than this! (Sorry, that's the best I could do right now!) I don't know what else to say. I suppose my husband said it best when he said that the kids have really let me have it this week.
But just when I'm not sure what to do with them anymore, they flash me a smile and my heart melts! I sure do love those silly kids! Miri is great, as always. (I'm sure her trouble-making days will arrive soon!) She is starting to smile at us and has become a bit more social. It is fun!
Wish me luck in surviving the rest of my week (Chad will be home, so I'll have re-enforcements) and hopefully next week will be better!

Welcome Miri!

So I know that Miri is officially 8 weeks old now and I still haven't had time to do a new post yet, but deal with it people! My days are so full of Miri feedings, Brock snack times, getting Ella ready for school, putting kids down for naps, cooking for the family, 10-15 diaper changes, baths, and a shower for myself, that I hardly have time for much else! Although I love to blog, it has definitely taken a backseat. The priorities are making sure the kids are clean, fed, and each get 5-10 minutes of one on one time with Mommy. If I happen to have any extra time, I try to get a quick workout for myself in and then start attacking the laundry and dishes at warp speed! (And to prove my point, I am sitting here at 2am writing this blog, although I probably won't get to finish it for at least another day or so.) It certainly is busy, but I'm learning to manage.

Since I haven't blogged since Miri's arrival, I'll share that story. And to save all of your stomachs, I'll just pick up at the part when we went to the hospital. We had a scheduled induction for the morning that she arrived, and I ended up waking up just a few minutes before our alarms were to go off, only to find that my water had broke! When we got the the hospital though, I still wasn't in labor, so they gave me some Pitocin. Once the contractions did start I called for the epidural. It didn't help much! Around lunchtime, my parents and sister Brenda arrived to check on us for a bit. They hung out for awhile and figured they would go see Ella and Brock and wait for us to call. We joked about them staying if it was time to push, but figured I'd still be a few more hours. Only a few seconds later I felt like it was that time! The nurse came in to check as my Dad and Brenda excused themselves and I was under strict orders to do absolutely no pushing until my doctor arrived. This was because she was nearly out. The doctor raced in a few minutes later, I gave 3 pushes right in a row, and Miri just kind of fell out. It was a fabulous way to have a baby; I highly recommend it!

Things continue to go well at home. Miri is a great baby who really enjoys sleeping for long stretches at night (again, something I highly recommend!). She eats well and has the cheeks, 2nd chin and thighs to prove it! She takes good naps and simply requests to be held every once in awhile. She is a FABULOUS baby! I keep saying that if I knew for sure that they would all be like her, I'd be more than willing to have 10 or 20 more! But since we don't think this is very realistic, I think we'll stick with the status quo for a few years!

Brock is happy with his baby sister. He loves her so much and gives her giant slobbery kisses all day long! When she cries, he tries to shush her and will even attempt to rock her. It really is cute. He surprises us every day with how much he understands, and how much he tries to get away with! He gets this adventurous look in his eye and smile on his face, and you know that he's up to something! Of course, with this desire to explore comes some not so fun things....you know, the tantrums that are inevitable when we have to take away Ella's scissors from him, or close the bathroom door so that he doesn't play in the toilet again, or tell him no, he can't have cookies and m&m's for dinner. He can be a troublemaker, but he also has a mellow side. At least once a day, Chad or I will go to check on him and find him in his room, sitting quietly, looking at his books. Brock just LOVES his books. Of course I get a little sick of the same ones over and over, and am proud to say that I know "Old Hat, New Hat," "Pajamma Time," and "Snuggle Puppy" all by heart. But Chad and I both love that Brock loves to read so much.

Ella is doing very well in school and her reading skills are coming right along. She has had her frustrated moments with it but gets excited when we point out to her how much she has improved in just a matter of weeks. We had her parent/teacher conference just last week and she is above average on just about everything. She's also above average in the "talking a little too much at her table" department. There's a shock! She is also a tremendous helper at home. She sometimes gets frustrated that Brock and Miri both still need so much from Mom and Dad, but usually she is pretty understanding and ready to jump in and help. One of her favorite ways to help is to read with Brock or play "puppy" with him while I feed Miri. It always makes me laugh to see the two of them crawling around the floor, chasing each other, barking, or panting, tongues out and all! We are still trying to get over the shock of her transition from "little girl" to "tween" though. She chooses the Jonas Brothers over Princess now and tells us how Chad Dillon Cooper on the Disney is the handsomest Chad she knows. And then of course, she remembers that her dad's name is Chad and reluctantly adds him to the list.

Chad of course is not thrilled about many of these developments, but what father is? He's just hoping that she will give us a few more years before she brings home her first date! And between Ella, Brock and Miri, Chad doesn't have time for much else besides work. When he is home, he helps me as much as he can, so much that I wonder how I handle it all when he's NOT home! He was proud to be able to bless Miri at church last week, with my dad, Ian, Eric, Mark, and Chris. We were so happy to have so many Priesthood holders in our family that could participate. While it was a great day, know that those of you who could not be there were missed, Loyal and Javier especially!

For the moment, what are we looking forward to? Full nights of sleep from Miri, Brock turning 18 months old so that he can go to nursery at church, and Ella is always looking forward to the next play date. And we are looking forward to a trip to CA in June. My sister Brittany will be getting married to her long-time sweetheart, Mark, whom we love! When they are married, we are going to be able to have my entire family in the temple together for the first time and we know that those moments will be so special. To sit and be reminded of the love that God has for us and of the blessings He wants to share with us, will be beautiful. We miss you all and pray that God will be with each of you!

Brock is walking!

Hello everyone! I think I've been doing a little better lately at this whole blogging thing, you know, posting a little more often so that people can actually see pictures of the kids and hear how they are doing more than once a month (or two!). But don't get used to it! Who knows how it will go once "baby girl Jordan" arrives. Yes, so far, that is still her name. And honestly, we don't have a name decided, it's not that we're just trying to keep it a secret.. We have a few that we both like, but nothing that we are just loving right now. Chad is still pulling for Baby Blodwyn though...anyway! We had a great Thanksgiving and hope that everyone else did too! We took off for a few days and spent it out in Elk Ridge with my parents and family that was around. The drive wasn't too bad on the way out there, Ella complained a bit, just because she was anxious to get there. Brock did great though, with minimal problems! The day before Thanksgiving, we spent at the mall, just doing some window shopping and enjoying being out in the holiday hustle. And while we were out, I finally got that fruit smoothie I had been aching for! Thanks Mom! But by the time the day was over, I was definitely ready for bed. Just wandering around the mall really wore me out! I don't think I'll be spending that much of a day on my feet again, at least until a few weeks after the baby comes! Of course, Thanksgiving dinner was great, and it was nice to be able to visit with some of my family that we hadn't seen since Cheriss and Chris' wedding back in August! Unfortunately, we are pretty sure that we won't be heading out that way again for a few months! The car ride home the next day was miserable, to say the least, for Brock and myself. Brock was so sick of being in the car that he just cried for most of the last 40 minutes or so. And then, my legs and back were pretty sore from riding in the car and so that made me even more cranky! We did enjoy the time we got to spend visiting, but like I said, I don't think we'll be jumping up to do it again until the baby is a few months old.
Other than that, I guess the biggest news right now is that Brock is walking! It is official! He really just started taking off last Sunday and every day since then, his walking spurts have been getting longer and steadier. He is doing so well, and of course, so proud of himself! Ella, as always is my little helper. She is doing very well in school and earned all of her Indian Feathers for the first trimester. There were 10 things the kids needed to be able to do, such as knowing half of thier letters, being able to write numbers 1-5, basic shapes, and knowing some basic grouping skills. For each of the 10 requirements, they were awarded and "Indian Feather" that was then put on a head-dress for them to wear as Indian Chiefs and Princesses. She was so proud that she got all 10 and so were we! Work is going well for Chad and he finally is getting a good amount of time off during the week to spend with us. We all miss him on the days that he works because we rarely get to see him then, but when he is home with us, we sure do enjoy it! Ella looks forward to those days very much, by counting down how many work days left. And Brock notices too, I know. Just today as I was putting him down for a nap, he kept calling out, "Dada! Dada! Ou ooo!" Translation: "Daddy, daddy, I love you!" And I think the one that took the cake for me today was when Ella was lying down, watching tv, and Brock went up to her, without being asked or told to, and just wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. They may be almost 5 years apart, but they do have a good relationship, and for that I am so very grateful. I just had to smile and thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such a beautiful family. I hope that everyone else is doing well and that the upcoming weeks bring joy to your homes and families as well! By the way, this last picture of Brock is him watching the very beginning of the BYU vs. Utah football game (aka Daddy's school vs. Mommy's school). Comfy chair, bottle, blankie and a bunch of guys beating on each other! What more could a boy ask for? I guess we would have been happier if we had won, but it was still a pretty good game!

What a Weekend!

We certianly have had a busy, but very fun week and weekend! All of Ella's "silly" days at school this week were a lot of fun for her and her friends, and since this week was also Red Ribbon week, she came home wanting to enlighten us on all of the bad things that drugs do to you. Horray for Red Ribbon Week! Of course, Friday and Saturday were our busiest days, Friday we baked a total of 3 cakes: 2 to take to Chad's office for his birthday, and 1 for Brock's birthday party. The stegosaurus turned out great, thank you to my mom for her help! And of course Friday was a day full of anticipation as we waited for my parents, my sister Brittany, and my niece and nephew, Alexis and Spencer to arrive. Finally they did, and the kids had a great time playing together.

Of course, they were up early the next morning, but we had told them that it was not okay to wake any grown-ups until it was light out. They waited as instructed, but then woke Brittany up to a picket line in the living room, chanting, "WE WANT BREAKFAST! WE WANT BREAKFAST!" They even made signs out of Ella's art supplies to give the full effect! I swear, it was only 8:30 in the morning! They were not about to starve! I woke up to some loud whispering in the hallway, and apparently, they were planning out their protest. It sure sounded like Ella was the ring leader! Surprise, surprise, right?

Our party got started at about noon, with an extra 10 people in our house: my parents, my sister, my niece and nephew, and our next door neighbors (a family of 5). Brock was not at all excited to get up from his nap to see his house overrun with a bunch of people and burst into tears. But I was able to help him slowly work out of it, and he did okay from that point on. We tried to get him to open presents, but of course, he wasn't really into it. And when he did get into it, he was more attracted to the wrapping paper than the gifs. And as for the cake? Well, that took him some time as well. He didn't really love the texture of his frosting, so he was pretty hesitant to break into it. But by the time he was done, he had sucessfully place frosting all over his face, throughout his hair, all over the high chair, and even on the wall behind him.

The kids got to still play for a little bit after the party, and while Spencer and Chad played with the remote control car, the girls decided to paint each others faces. I suggested that they do some cute little butterflies or a flower and well...they didn't exactly take my advice! And then, they asked to paint Chad's and my face. I declined (I know, what a boring Mom) but Chad stepped up! What a guy! I think it started out as Indian warpaint, and then once a pirate mustache was added, he became a "Captain Hook Indian." It was quite the look. After sadly sending our guests off, the kids caught quick naps before the Halloween party. That of course was fun, complete with games and then a trunk or treat. They both had a great time and when it was time for bed, we were ALL more than ready to get some sleep. I don't think I have ever been more grateful for that extra hour than I was this morning! It was definitely a fun weekend. Unfortunately, with all of the excitement yesterday, Chad's birthday today got a bit overshadowed. But this year I didn't end up bursting into uncontrolable sobs like I did last year on his birthday, so I figure it at least had to be a step up, right? (Reminder: Brock was born just several days before Chad's birthday, so my hormone levels were taking a nosedive at the time, thus, the sobbing.) As you can see, it's been quite the weekend for us! But we had a great time and are now anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving when we should be able to get out to my parents house for a few days to visit.

To finish up my post for today, I have complied another top ten list. This one is "10 Ways You Know You're Submitting to the Small-Town Culture"
1. You start referring to the 2 blocks in the center of town as "downtown."
2. It's not uncommon to have a gun or hunting magazine lying around the house.
3. You are starting to think that camo is the new black.
4. You get excited whenever Vernal is mentioned on the news, even during the weather.
5. Your daughter asks if she can start wearing a large belt buckle and cowboy boots.
6. Your daughter suggests that you start wearing a large belt buckle and cowboy boots.
7. The sight of roadkill no longer upsets your children.
8. Hunting stories fascinate you.
9. You consider attending the cowboy poetry reading.
10. The thought of standing in line behind one person at the post office is an outrage.

All right, in all seriousness, we are enjoying it here, and are doing well. The baby is doing great, and should arrive right on schedule. As for her name, "Kavindra" won the poll, but Chad is still pushing for "Blodwyn." He says it has more of a ring to it. Take care everyone!