Another summer has gone

In just a. Few short days we will be sending our kids back to school! This year we will have  two 7th graders and one 2 grader! I can't believe how old our girls are getting and how little time I have left with them at home! We had a fun summer of hiking, swimming, staying up way way to late and just being together! I love my kids and am going to miss them when they go back!

Spring has sprung

I'm one happy lady we've survived another long winter! Now it's time to plan our summer!! John has hired an employee and that has opened up 4 days a week for family time!! Last summer I was to injured to really do anything however this year I want to do everything! We love Missoula and better yet we love our business! I hope that your winter went well and that you all stayed warm and safe!

Family Update

Well we did it again, we moved to Missoula about 3 weeks ago. We love it here, the children have all settled into our new home and their new schools. John and I bought a bread route from Bimbo bread and should close on it the beginning of November. John is the "bread guy" for Missoula and the surrounding area. We truly have been blessed with this opportunity and look forward to our future in Missoula. Payten started 1st grade and she loves it. We worry about her being at school without having Kaitlen there to protect her. She blows me at least a hundred kisses from the playground before I ever drive away, she is such a sweet girl. Kaitlen is in middle school now, she worried about 6th grade for so long that I was so glad when she started and came home the first day loving it! Haven is also in 6th grade and she loves it because the boys are cute! I can't believe how big our girls are getting. We surprised them over the summer with iPhones, now I get text messages from them and I truly feel old LOL!! I spend my days at home with our two sons. Its such a relaxing time that I look forward to snuggles from Caden and sweet kisses from Brennen. The weather is changing and so are the leafs on the trees. I cant believe that it's almost time for the holidays. I hope that you all are well.

December 20,2012

Oh my goodness where to start, this part of my life that I wish had never happened. However thanks to my "bad" leg  and the fact that my best friend is no longer here with me, I'm reminded every single day that some lady by the name of Sue decided to drive that day while on prescription pain killers that say DO NOT DRIVE on the dang bottle. Linda, my mother in law my two boys and I went out that day to run a few errands. We were laughing and enjoying each others company when we saw a bronco coming at us in our lane. We had nowhere to go, instead we braced ourselves for what was about to happen. To this day all I have to do is close my eyes and I can hear the sounds of her bronco slamming into my van. An off duty paramedic was behind us he was at my door within minutes of the crash, he took Brennen who was only 2 weeks old at the time and gave him to a near by car, those people took care of him while the ambulance was on its way, I was trying to get Caden out of his car seat, he was screaming so loud and was so scared. his breast buckle had broken in half and it was stuck I was having a hard time unbuckling him. The man came and helped me with Caden, he took him to another car. Next I focused my attention on my MIL she was breathing short steady loud breaths, so I just knew that she was going to be OK. She came to once and asked me how my son's were and once I told her that baby 'B' was perfect and Caden had a few cuts she passed out again. To this day I regret not saying more to her, If I had know that those precious moments I had with her were going to be my last I would have told her how much I loved her and how her friendship meant the world to me. What felt like an eternity the ambulances finally arrived I told them to take Linda first, after she was out of the van it was finally my turn. I didn't realize my injuries until they began moving me. My screams echoed off the mountains surrounding us. For the first time I thought that I was paralyzed because my upper back hurt so bad, and then came my leg pain. The paramedics placed me in the same ambulance with Caden, he was so scared all he wanted was to hold my hand. With all my might I moved my arm and gave him my hand to hold, the pain was excruciating but he was so scared he needed to feel me. I remember fighting the paramedic about getting an IV I didn't want one because I heard that ambulance IV's hurt. Looking back on it now I can smile because that little poke was nothing compared to the weeks to follow. After we arrived at the hospital I was told that my left femur was broken, 5 back ribs, bleeding in my right knee and my right tibula bone was broken, I was told that I would need surgery in the morning to fix my femur. During this time the hospital was doing all they could to find John for me, he was working out of town an hour and a half away and I didn't remember his new cell number and stupid me had just drowned my brand new iPhone a few days before so I didn't have my phone on me. about an hour or more after being in the hospital my FIL came into my room and he told me that Linda had passed away, I remember crying and feeling so guilty because it was me who needed to go to town that day, it was me who asked her to drive my van, it was me, me,me,me and now my beloved friend was gone. When John finally arrived all I wanted was for him to take me home to hold me and make me better. To this day I have so much guilt that John's mom is no longer with us, that because of me she was out that day. Caden had a concussion, black eye and several abrasions on his neck and forehead. He was released the following day, Brennen was cleared that night he was 100% perfect.  The next three weeks I spent in the hospital, my mom took the first flight out and arrived at the hospital the next afternoon. She stayed with me everyday in the hospital, she held my breast so I could nurse Brennen, she walked him up and down the hospital hallway when he refused to sleep at 2 in the morning. She was there when I took my first step and held my head when I screamed in pain because of it. She helped give me baths and made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. She held my hand when I got the shots in my stomach 2x a day and she tolerated the hospital food with me!! I will always be grateful to my mom for her act of service and kindness following those months after the accident. John was my other rock, he stayed up every night with Caden at home, he loved and cared for our other children while I was in the hospital. I waited ALL day for him to come and visit me, my love for him grew 1000x over those 3 weeks. When we got the news that I would be going home we were all so excited and scared because at the hospital we knew what to expect and I honestly wasn't looking forward to getting into another car. My nightmares were in full force as it was and I knew a car ride wasn't going to help them. The car ride home was awful I cried pretty much the entire trip home and getting out of the car hurt like a mother, but I was home and within hours I was so glad to be out of the hospital. I couldn't return to my home, we had to stay at my FIL'S house because my house had to many stairs for me. I never returned to my home after that day, we moved to a town near John's job once the weather got better. My mom and John took care of me for another 2 months, John went back to work on his days off he would drive back to us and when he worked he stayed with his sister. My mom took care of me and my 5 kids when he wasn't home. Between the both of them I was healing and feeling better. by mid March I was walking with a cane and a very noticeable limp! My mom went home and John went to work and next thing I know I'm making dinner and I'm so happy to do it. Nearly 8 months later and I still get tired easily, I have 0 balance, I cant sit on low furniture or sit on the ground. I cant go hiking or take my kids to the park. What I can do is love them to pieces and ASK THEM FOR HELP. this is a huge one for me because I used to never ask my kids to help me do anything before. So this is my story it has been one heck of a year and I don't ever want to repeat it again. I miss my MIL everyday and play the "what if" game all the time. I have to have faith that Heavenly Father just needed her home and she is on the other side waiting for me to return. I have learned to always wear a seatbelt and to insure your cars for 200,000-100,000,000 dollars otherwise a 100,000 hospital bill will follow you around like a bad hair cut. I've also learned to love your family now because you never know when they will be called back home.    

Brennen David

December6,2012 at 10:21 pm John and I welcomed our 5LB 11Oz son into the world! Brennen came very fast when we arrived at the hospital after driving in a blizzard to get there I was at 3 centimeters. Within 2 hours I was holding my baby. Brennen was absolutely perfect, he nursed very well from the start and his first night he spent it with me in my arms. The next morning his Dr. came in and told us that Brennen wasn't maintaining his body temperature and he would need to spend some time in the hospital. We were worried sick about him, but was reassured that he would be fine once he put on a few pounds. A few days later Brennen and I were home snuggling next to a warm fire! Five months later and he is hands down my best baby! He sleeps at night, eats like a champ and is always happy. Brennen is one of many reasons why I have survived the last 5 months he has been a constant reminder that God is good and he wants all his children to be happy. I will talk about the car accident in my next post. But for now this is about my new son and what a blessing he has been to me and John. At 13 pounds he is still the tiny little baby that I fell so madly in love with.

Fall is here

Wow time just goes so fast, we are getting ready for our new little man he should be here in the next month. The girls have all adjusted to school and riding the school bus. Caden has potty trained and if you ask him he is "mommies little boy" he is my biggest fan, Caden is never more than 5ft from me. We finally have enough fire wood for the winter and now I'm ready for the first big snow storm of the season. I do miss summer days sitting outside next to a bond fire roasting hot dogs and watching the kids eat marshmallows. But the sooner winter gets here the sooner summer will be back! Next time I blog I'm hoping to be holding my new baby instead of feeling him kick me in my ribs!!

Another Ultra Sound Mistake

We had another Ultra Sound yesterday to make sure baby was growing and that the heart had all the chambers. Well the tech surprised us by informing us that our sweet little girl was a sweet little BOY!! This is the third pregnancy that we have been told the wrong sex at first!!! Regardless of this new piece of news we are still SO excited to be welcoming a new baby into our family!

"BOY oh BOY"

SUMMER 2012 is nearly gone

Oh my goodness summer is nearly gone kids start school in a few weeks and we are already getting the woods cut for the winter! We have had a fun summer though with lots of company from my end, we loved having my mom, and two sisters and their family come stay with us for 2 awesome weeks! We had a lot of laughs shared some old memories and made new ones. John and I went through the Spokane Temple on July 20th we felt so blessed to have my family there with us on our special day! We also found out the sex of our baby and after the shock has worn off that I'm going to be the mom of 4 daughters we are so excited to meet our new baby girl!!!  We have since moved from Libby to an even smaller town in MT, our new ward is a branch with only 35 active members! Sometimes I miss the larger wards, but I know our new branch needs us badly. So far no new callings for either one of us, but we know their coming!

BABY 12/12 and School

March 22,12 John and I learned that we are going to be parents all over again to our surprise baby! It has taken us a few months to get used to having another baby, but once we saw our little bean on the ultrasound it became very real to us that we are growing another blond headed, blue eye baby and we are very excited for this baby. December isn't the idle month to have a baby but like I said it was a SURPRISE :) I'm also glad to report that John and I have just finished another semester of school. Between our four kids, work, church, moving and life in general we always feel so blessed/happy to have successfully finished another semester! Lastly we are SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for this coming July He and I will be Sealed in the Spokane Washington Temple on July 20th. This is something we have been working for, for a long time but this past year seems like everything has finally come together and now we are ready to make those promises to each other and Heavenly Father!!

Kaitlen's School

After talking to my mom, and Crystal they wanted to know what Miss. Kaitlen's school looked like. Tonight I had a chance to go to her school for Payten's Kindergarten Round Up, this gave me the perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures!

 1st grader hangout area!

 "The Commons"

 "The Commons" or cafeteria, Kaitlen sits all the way back about halfway down on the steps !

 3rd grader hangout area!

 Her locker (Red fish)

 Her classroom

 Katie Ma's class room, her desk is the second row, first desk without a water bottle.

 4th grader hangout area!

 Oh John were are you?? This is another hallway!

 Front of the Kindergarten class room's (first day of spring we got dumped on)

 Outside view

Caden saw my camera and struck a pose and said cheese mom! I love my baby boy!

Caden turns the BIG 2!

March 11 Caden James turned 2 years old! John and I feel so blessed that Caden is ours, he is such a fun addition to our home full of pigtails!!

 Caden's presents

 Happy Birthday Little Man!

 He was so shy!

 Such a big boy!

 A PUPPY!

 Shy again, he didn't like us singing to him

What a busy day being two, he needed a little nap on Grandpa!

School, Birthday, and Surgery

We started out the month of February, with John and I starting another semester of school! I have such mixed feelings about school, some days I like it and I feel like I'm accomplishing something in my life besides being a mom. But then other days all I want to be is a mom and school gets in the way, but I keep going and one day I can feel smart!

My little girl Kaitlen, turned ten on the 28th, I cry every birthday my kids have, but this year hit me hard because she is ten years old a double digit. I only have eight more years to make sure I teach her and mold her into a person Heavenly Father would be proud of and a person she can be proud of. PLUS I have the highest expectations for her, she is one of the smartest kids I know, therefore she WILL go to college and and have the best life possible for her. I know this is a tall order, but I tell all of my kids that college will help make their lives better. We celebrated her birthday early because Caden had his surgery that day and we knew the 28th would be a crazy day for us. I think Miss Kaitlen celebrated her birthday for, four days that's OKAY though she is an amazing kid and deserves to have fun. John has started a tradition with Kaitlen, he takes her out on a date for her birthday, this year she wanted him to take her to breakfast. He surprised her Monday morning, she had so much fun getting to spend some one on one time with her dad. Overall, my very little, grown up girl had an awesome birthday!

 A very Happy Birthday Cake for an amazing girl!

 Presents, she wanted half of her presents early and the other half on her birthday!

 Haven's present, she is excited to open it!

 A cool shirt from mom and dad

TEN Candles, for a very grown up Ten Year Old!

Caden has suffered with ear infection since he was a new born, this winter he has had about ten infections that we have known about. So on the 28th, our very little man had tubes put in his ears to help the fluid drain and hopefully stopping the ear infections. Even though this was scary, we know that Caden needed some relief from constant pain and antibiotics, he is now allergic to amoxacilon because he has been on it so much in his young life. So far I cant tell a difference in his behavior because when they did the surgery he had an ear infection, we are hoping that this will be his LAST round of medication for a very long time.

 Before surgery, hanging out whith his dad!

 AFTER Surgery, this was the hardest part of the entire day, all he did was cry he was so confused.

 Dad got him settled down for a minute and then he would want me and the crying would start all over again.

 MARCH 1, 2012!! I know spring will be here soon!

View from our side yard!!

Missoula

Saturday night John surprised me by making reservations in Missoula for a mini vacation! We packed in the morning, picked up Haven in Kalispell and by 4 o'clock we were poolside and enjoying some much needed family time. I hope you enjoy the pictures for Valentines Day my Valentine bought me an awesome new camera!

 View from our road ! We are getting the spring BUG that's for sure!

 Little man finally took a nap, I love how he sleeps with his arms above his head!

 Time to go SWIMMING!!

Caden is all ready to go swimming!

Miss BEHAVEN!!

It was such a beautiful hotel! We had so much fun and needed the break from WINTER!!!

Snow Snow were are you??

So for the month of January we had one full week of snow and it was amazing, and now it's melting off and just a yucky mess. We bought the kids some new cool sleds and they went sledding again, but the new thing was going down on their stomachs! Maybe February will bring more snow, there is this hill/mountain area we want to take the kids sledding down they call it 'killer mountain' Just a few more months and it will be SPRING I can't wait for warmer temperatures and spring flowers!!

1981

OH my goodness how did I become so oLd? This past week I celebrated my 31 birthday, John out did himself and I had an awesome day!! He bought me a cute pair of snow boots, jammies, gloves, a soft new sweater, 2 pair of pants, wool socks (I love them) and a matching comfy outfit! Then my mother in law got me a shirt for church and a pair of earring's AND my mom and Crystal sent me a new curling iron with the round barrel, a teasing brush AND a ton of necklaces and earring's!! I'm spoiled this year!! I'm grateful that i have been able to live the last 31 years without any health problems and I'm looking forward to my next 31 years!!

Sledding in Montana!!

Montana didn't get it's first real snow fall until about the middle and end of December! Being that I have made it our family goal to do something FUN in the snow once a month we choose to take the kiddos sledding at my Mother-in laws house! We had so much fun, I didn't think that sledding could be so much fun. on top of that we used a 4 wheeler and pulled the girls around in the sled, that was my favorite part.

 

First of December we have no snow!

After Christmas, it snowed!

My beautiful Kaitlen!

Haven & Payten climbing back up the hill!

My three AMAZING girl's!
Caden won't leave his gloves on so he stayed in side with grandma!

Christmas Jar's

The Sunday after Thanksgiving our Bishop gave each family a book as a Christmas present. The book was called "Christmas Jar's" as a busy mom and student I placed the book on top of the microwave and forgot about it. As Christmas approached I received a voicemail from our church secretary asking me to check my back door step that someone had left our family a surprise. I open the gift with curiosity and was taken back when I saw a LARGE mason jar filled to the brim with change and a one hundred dollar bill folded  neatly facing the outside of the jar. Most people will not be as honest as I am going to be, but here it goes. We needed this money more than that kind person will ever know. We had saved our money so well that every last penny had been budgeted, we did not know that the oil to heat our home would cost use a whopping $1,200 a month on top of an electric bill of $300 a month. This $200 would help carry us until January, John and I felt blessed and not forgotten by members in our ward. A week later John was taking Kaitlen to school when he found a second Christmas Jar sitting on our door with another hundred dollar bill, tears of gratitude filled my eyes and I knew that John and I could make it one more month. After receiving 2 Christmas Jar’s I decided to read the book that bishop had given to us. The reason why I’m sharing this very personal experience with you is because we can all fill a Christmas Jar and help a family in need without it being a hardship on our family. Bishop’s gift was a story about a woman who started giving out Christmas Jar’s to needy people, she then made it a public thing and pretty soon it had spread around to hundreds of needy people. All we need to do is take the change from our pockets/purses and put it into a jar, when the jar is filled give it to someone in need. I thought to myself that John and I can do this that we always have change and it would be so easy to pass along a jar to family that needs a little extra help. So beginning the day after Christmas our family began filling our Christmas Jar. Every time we add a few coins to our jar I feel so happy knowing that next Christmas my family can pay back the kindness that was shown to us this holiday season. I’m hoping  that whoever reads this may feel inclined to fill a jar over the next 12 months and help a family in need next Christmas. HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

One Semester Down

  John passed all his classes this semester I'm so proud of him!! I'm still waiting for my scores to post it's killing me not knowing. I know I passed Math and Child Development I passed, but Environmental Biology hasn't posted yet and its driving me nuts!!! Next semester we are going to take 13 credit hours YIKES this is going to be interesting, because we have 4 kids :)

I DID IT

OH MY GOSH I PASSED MY LAST COLLEGE MATH CLASS! IM SO HAPPY I HAD TO POST IT!!

November

Well we did it, we survived our first snow storms, first Thanksgiving away from home and another trip to the ER! I'm looking forward to Christmas and can't believe we are in the last month of 2011.

He didn't want to wear is binnie, but I think he is so cute in it.

Caden in his snow suite, LOL I think he's adorable!

Payten in her snow suite, she had so much fun!

Kaitlen, playing in the snow she had a blast!

Caden eating Grandpa Carl's Thanksgiving dinner, he would only eat on Carl's lap!

Kaitlen broke her arm, she wanted a Christmas green cast this time:(