Leonard Life

First Surgery

2012-02-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Prentice was our first child to have a surgery. I know having your tonsils and adenoids removed is a pretty routine surgery and happens to a lot of people, it made me nervous. I just kept thinking about them putting her to sleep and having her be all by herself, and me not knowing how she was doing. She got a blessing the night before by her Grandpa Oral Ballam and it was so special. I never imagined that one day my grandfather would be giving my child a blessing. Prentice didn't seem very nervous leading up to it, but started to get emotional when they started to wheel her away to the surgery room.

Prentice decided to bring her doll, "Sally" and they even let Sally go into the operating room with her. We are friends with the doctor who performed the surgery, so that helped us feel a lot more comfortable. The staff at the surgery center was amazing and so cute with her.

It was great to have Jeremy there for support and to help with all the little things. I also think its nice for Prentice to see that her dad really cares and is even willing to take a day off work to take care of her.

I get a little emotional just looking a these pictures because I am so in love with her, and am so glad that she is a part of my life.

Of course this picture was taken right when they wheeled her back from the recovery room. When I first glimpsed them wheeling her around the corner I immediately teared up because she was sad and in pain. It's not something that any mother wants to see. She was really emotional for the first 10 minutes but as the drugs started to wear off a little, she ate some popsicles and got a lot better.

We had to get a picture of this because she was so enthralled with the purple bandage on her arm and kept holding it up to stare at it and probably asked us 5 times if it was a cast. Once she stopped crying, she actually got pretty entertaining with the random comments and mumbled answers she gave us.

She watched a little T.V. and then she did so well that they sent us home after only a couple hours.

As long as we have kept her pain managed, she has done amazing! I remember being so miserable when I got mine taken out, that I was expecting a rough couple of days. She has complained a little, but for the most part she is healing well.

Injury

2012-02-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

One of our worst family injuries to date happened because of this craft project:

Jer was nice enough to help Truman come up with a costume to look like an old man for 100's day. Truman was intent on having a white beard and unfortunately for Jeremy that involved the glue gun.

It was a bad burn to start with and got even worse when it got infected. Needless to say...I finished the beard. I guess men just don't craft enough to be good with glue guns!

First Dance

2012-01-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

I was never much into dances growing up (that's a whole 'nother story), so I was so glad to relive my dance days (but still not have to go) through my beautiful sister, Monique. I know it probably bothers her sometimes is have another "mother" living so close, but I love being able to be a part of her life. She has so many things going for her, and I am so proud of her choices and actions in live. Back to the dance...junior prom!

This was her first dance since she just turned 16 a month ago and the kids and I were thrilled when she invited us up to see her off for the big night.

Here is dad making sure she is properly covered.

Her date was so nice to bring her a bouquet of flowers and seemed so nice and happy to be going with her. Who wouldn't be.

Little Echelle

2012-01-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

We signed Prentice up for a little dance camp through the Echelle's at Snow Canyon High School. I think it has convinced Prentice that she wants to be and Echelle like Aunt Monique. As you can see from the video, she's almost there!

Prentice always has fun and plays so well with her friend London Caten.

Christmas Poem

2012-01-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the Christmas poem Truman memorized to recite to his class and the train he and Jer made for "Polar Express Day." I am so thankful for Jeremy and the time and effort he put into helping Truman with the idea and construction and even more proud of him for really letting Truman participate and make it his own. I'm also proud of Truman for memorizing the poem and for being adorable when he says it.

10 Months?

2012-01-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

It seems as though blogging has taken a bit of a back seat the last couple weeks. We have been BUSY! Recovering from Christmas, having to get back to work and a schedule, getting over sickness, moving my grandparents down from Kaysville to our neighborhood, having family for the long weekend, and helping to watch my brother's kids, are just the things off the top of my head that have put me behind a little. Most of them good things, but have me a little exhausted. I have to admit that it may also be my new found love of Pinterest.

Here is Cardon at 10 months:

eating a lot of different foods
will pick and choose on his tray what he wants to eat and doesn't
shakes his head "no"
loves to hit objects on things and smiles at the loud sound
a little explorer
whines when he needs something
mostly wants mom
had his first really bad cold, right after he got over diarrhea
not drinking as many bottles
throws his bottle behind his head when he's done
is good at self entertaining for his age
pulls himself up to everyone and everything
starting to have an opinion about things he wants ie. toys
pushes people away if he doesn't want them in his space
stingy about kisses
likes to explore outside on warm days
likes to watch the older two kids play
finds every little thing on the floor
2 naps a day and good sleeper at night
never stays in his covers
learned to blow his lips together
big chubby cheeks
puller, grabber, and scratcher (have the mark on my face to prove it)
serious most the time
when strangers try to get you to smile you just stare at them
recognize your name and turn your head
never sit still when getting your diaper changed

This is what happens when I turn around and have left the big piece of pizza too close. You are so fast sometimes.

You have been so sick and it's been nice to see you getting better and acting more like yourself. You were so stuffed up and had a bad cough with a fever. We even broke down and bought you a humidifier which seemed to help. Nothing like a sick baby who only wants to be snuggled though.

Christmas

2012-01-06T08:08:00.001-08:00

Christmas gets better every year with kids. Santa was kind enough to come a day early so we could make it up to Farmington on the actual Christmas morning. The kids were so excited the night before and I couldn't sleep that night either because I was so excited. They woke up about 7:30 and the festivities began. One of my favorite memories of the day is when Truman excitedly gave everyone their gifts to open that he bought from the Coyote Cash store at school. I could really see how much thought he put into the gifts. Jer and I got each other simple gifts because we actually got ourselves a trip without kids later in the year.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

It has been fun creating our own family traditions for Christmas Eve. It is still a work in progress, but it's starting to feel like we are getting it. Normally we drive to a spot we can take the kids sledding earlier in the day, but their was no snow to be found. We had everyone down for dinner. Then we socialized and opened some gifts from Danielle and the kids opened their Christmas pajamas. Truman and Prentice did a mini talent show where they sang songs, played their bells, and Truman gave a Christmas talk on the meaning of Christmas. Jeremy read the Christmas story and then it was off to bed to wait for Santa.

Ward Christmas Party

2012-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

We got to go to our ward Christmas party the first part of December. Jeremy and I aren't very social, but we try to support as many ward activities as we can. The kids had a great time and were thrilled that Santa made a visit. Truman told him he wanted a marble game, so when Prentice had her turn to sit on his lap, she went ahead and told him the same thing. I think she might have been a little nervous.

Not the most flattering picture of Truman with his eyes closed, but I love how Cardon is checking out Santa.

Tuacahn Live Nativity

2012-01-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

I love taking the kids to the live Nativity they put on at Tuacahn. I guess you can actually go and participate in it if you want. I think that would be neat to do with the kids one year in the future. We go every year, but this is the first year they really seemed like they understood it. When it was over they actually started to whine a little because they wanted it to be longer. I think like a lot of parents, I try to find every opportunity I can to bring Jesus into Christmas. I actually got a little emotional (doesn't happen to me often) watching the story of the birth of Jesus with my own family.

Cardon's first picture with Santa. He wasn't too sure, but there weren't any tears.

If you look closely at this picture you can see Prentice's breath. She was having so much fun seeing her breath in the cold air.

Temple Christmas Lights

2012-01-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

We went to the temple to see the lights for Family Home Evening one night. Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea, because it was so crowded. We did get to walk around the grounds and watch a video in on of the visitors centers extra rooms. The kids loved it and wanted me to take their picture in front of everything.

We were busy as usual as we were getting ready to go ( I think both Jer and I were on the phone), so Cardon and Jer's jackets got left. Luckily Jeremy made do and put Cardon in his vest. Everything was fine until Cardon barfed all over himself and we had to go back to the car to change him.

9 months

2011-12-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

Cardon had his 9 month check up today.

His stats are:

Length: 28.54 in. 61%
Weight: 19.78 lbs. 38%
Head: 17.7 in. 41%

You have low iron just like me and you brother and sister so you will be on iron drops. You got pricked twice to check your iron and one final flu shot for the year. Other than that everything was great!

I looked at this picture and realized how much hair you have now.

I do like experimenting with different hairstyles with you.

Standing up begging for food. I just love those legs.
Every day someone comments on what a wonderful baby Cardon is. Usually it is Jer or I.

At 9 months you:
get excited when you see dad (the other kids didn't seem to care for him much at this age)
love bath time
kick your feet when you're excited
bounce when music comes on
clap to patty cake
pull yourself up on everything
self feed
like to eat now
eat 6 oz. bottles about 4 times a day
just getting into 12 month clothes
have 2 bottom teeth
top tooth right of middle teeth
like to explore
put everything in your mouth
will go to anyone
pull up on us if you want to be held
such a grabber (you hurt sometimes)
won't stay when we put on your diaper
like to bang things together
give five if we put our hand out
pull everything down you can

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

We have been doing gingerbread houses with the kids' friends for a few years now. I'll be honest, sometimes I wondered if it was worth the effort...but not this year. Both Truman and Prentice were so into decorating and really took their time. In past years, it took us longer to get them ready then it took them to actually decorate them. Or they ate the candy faster then they put it on. They even put on most their frosting. I can't say I miss that job.

Cardon mostly played with his friend Zane.

And just sat and watched all the chaos on Steve's lap that comes with 11 other kids excited about gingerbread houses and on a sugar high from too much candy.

It was a great night and even though Jer couldn't make it (that's a whole new post) the kids were awesome and had the best time. So nice of Cami to put this on every year.

Christmas Jib Jab

2011-12-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

My kids have been begging me to do one of these again since Halloween. Even though my house is a mess and I really don't have time...I thought it would make them so happy. Truman is looking over my shoulder as we speak with a huge grin he is so excited. Luckily the other two are still asleep! Whenever I do something like this, I realize how few pictures I have of Jer and I by ourselves. The only ones I could find of me recently were when I was pregnant, so that is my excuse right now for my chubby face.

Christmas Jib Jab

Best Visit!

2011-12-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

My grandparents Ballam came for a visit after Thanksgiving and I have to say we had the best time with them. Truman, Prentice, and Cardon had so much fun entertaining and being around them. They were so sad to see them go. Prentice even got a little emotional.

Cardon liked them right away. He would crawl over to them and pull himself up to hold onto them or want them to hold him. I do think he wanted a pair of glasses like my Grandpa.

In this picture Cardon was rubbing his feet in my Grandpa's hair. I warned him that he is a grabber and it can hurt. Grandpa found out what I meant soon after this picture. He must of liked how his hair felt in his feet because he just kept rubbing them.

I feel like Prentice Tacy has a special bond with my Grandma. I don't know if it's because she was named after her, but their personalities really seem to mesh.

Prentice got a little tired during Monique's dance review we all got to go to, so she would just lay down on my Grandpa's leg and he would hold her head. I just love his hands placed so lovingly around her head.

This post is mostly about my amazing grandparents, but I also have to mention my wonderfully talented sister, Monique as well. It was so fun to get to see her do all her dances while they were here. How would it be to be so talented? I am proud of her and all her hard work. You can see in the picture that Prentice wore her princess dress so she would match Monique.

I will never forget the fun day we had taking them to feed the ducks and play at the park. They really did play! Prentice not only had us all entertained, but involved as well. I kept trying to tell her that we would just watch her, but my grandparents were running and jumping across the wobbly bridge, sliding down the slide, ordering and eating pretend lunch and dessert and going on pretend bus rides. That is one of the things I love about them...they are up for anything. They are so flexible and easy to be around. They are happy doing whatever you are and I really planned nothing extra for them that day, but I think we all had a special time. I was worried it would be to cold for them, but they didn't complain once and said they still wanted to go outside with us.

I can't get over how happy my Grandma looks in this picture after going down the slide.

You can see in this picture how beautiful the Fall foliage was while they were her. Prentice had fun dancing and crunching through the leaves and of course I couldn't resist the taking a photo of her with Great Grandpa Oral and Great Grandma Tacy.

We walked back to the car along the river and while Grandma and I pushed Cardon and talked. I looked back and saw Prentice grab Grandpa's had while they talked and walked. Another bonus of having them here is they taught Tacy which was her right hand and which was her left. I am so glad that my kids have such a great relationship with these two special people. I have always admired and loved them and I am grateful my children have had the opportunity to get to know how fabulous they are as well. We miss you! Come visit again.

Red Mountain Thanksgiving Hike

2011-12-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

We have kind of made it a tradition to try and do a hike after Thanksgiving. Maybe it's all the guilt we feel for eating so much food, or maybe it's because we have more time to spend as a family, but either way it's something we look forward to. This year it was just Grandpa Tony, Anton, Jer, Truman, and me. We decided to try and hike to the top of Red Mountain. I wasn't sure we could even get to the top, but I underestimated Anton's hiking skills and forgot that he would not give up trying. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the hike was a lot of steep ravines and slopes. I felt like I spent a lot of the hike crawling up on my hands and knees. I have a fear of heights, so I really had to try and keep it under control because we were so far up and the mountain was steep in parts. Truman was an awesome hiker and Uncle Anton was so good to help him up some of the harder parts.

When it started to get late I wasn't sure if Truman and I would be fast enough to make it to the top in time, and I really wanted the rest of them to have that chance so we sat and waited for them to reach the summit and then get us on the way back down. I think now that I know what I'm in for, the heights won't bother me as much and Truman and I can make it to the summit as well. It was great exercise and my legs definitely were sore the next day.

The view was beautiful. We could see from St. George all the way to Ivins. It really was amazing to be up there.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the late as usual Thanksgiving post. The one I'd been meaning to do all month. It was our first successful "Thankful Tree" yet. The kids really put some thought into the things they had to be thankful for and wrote them on leaves to hang on our paper tree. It even motivated me to add some of my own. I was going to take a picture, but you will just have to try and imagine it. Truman and Prentice have also been working on saying some things that they are thankful for when they say their prayers. I feel like it is so important that they understand how blessed they are, but don't exactly feel like it's sinking in. It seems hard to help them understand being blessed when they are so blessed. They (me included) take a lot for granted. I try to stay away from all the "when I was a kid" stories, but I have to admit that Jer and I do slip a few in every once in a while.

On to Thanksgiving day. We spent the morning on a short hike just outside of Snow Canyon Park. Luckily it was beautiful weather so it was nice to be out. It's one we'd never been on because it's only open part of the year because during part of the season it's a mating ground for frogs. We heard the frogs, but didn't actually see one. We went with Anton, Liz, Lilly and Claire.

It seems as though I didn't actually see much of Truman since he was way ahead or up on some rock for most of the hike. I would like to do it again sometime and got a little further, but it was a great way to exercise and start the holiday.

We didn't have Thanksgiving dinner until about 6 that night so we could wait until Ryan and Danielle were done with work...so we had plenty of time to work up an appetite. We all helped cook portions of the "feast" as Prentice called it. The food was one of the best meals yet. I guess we could all really focus on a couple things and everything turned out great. We kept it simple and traditional and we were all well fed. Truman had finished most his food before I even sat down.

Prentice sure had fun playing with her cousin Lilly. As usual I wish I'd gotten more pictures, but you'll just have to take my word for it. There was plenty of dress up, pretend meals, and games of hide and seek where they would hide in the same place every time.

So thankful for all I have. Especially this crazy family of mine. Loved being able to spend some quality time with them for they holiday break. Looking forward to more time for Christmas. It's always hard for me to see Jer go back to work and feel like it's back to the grind, but routine is good sometimes and I have a whole list of things waiting to get done that I've taken a break from.

Lovin It

2011-11-21T15:08:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to live here. The last couple weeks we have had amazing weather and have been reminded of how much we like the weather here. The kids and I have spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the nice warm, sunny days...in November. We so enjoy being able to go outside for most of the year and really play. This day in particular, we had just picked Truman up from school (most days we are able to walk) and were just hanging out until his parent teacher conference.

On that note, apparently Truman is an awesome kid at school. Mrs. Lent said he is always willing to help and be there for her when she needs something. I already knew he was great academically, but it was nice to hear that he is developing some great personal qualities when he's away from home. Last month he won the math award for the whole first grade. I am so proud of him. Truman has so much energy and would rather be doing a lot of other things, but he has been so good lately about getting up in the mornings and doing his homework and reading before he even leaves for school. Even his bus driver told me that he is well behaved on the bus. I still will have to see that one to believe it. My silly, full of energy Truman doesn't seem like the one who sits quietly on the bus, but I always say kids are better away from home. I am also loving how much more responsible he has become lately and although we are still working on owning up to mistakes, and doing things right the first time, I am really proud of him.

I just noticed that in all these pictures, Cardon is eating rocks or grass. And I wonder why he's been sick the last couple days.

Cardon is 8 Months

2011-11-16T19:25:00.000-08:00

I am a few days late. But here is a little about the best 8 month old ever. Life seems to get busier and busier and sometimes I don't have as much time for blogging. But I definitely didn't want to pass up the chance to put down a few things to remember little Cardon. With each child, time seems to move just a little faster. I don't know where the time has gone. I love watching him grow and seeing his little personality evolve and show itself. Jer and I are always commenting on what a great baby Cardon is. I think he is...but I also think our perspective has changed. I don't mind the messes as much. I take a moment to enjoy the fact that he is discovering something new, even if it means more work or time for me.

Cardon:

has been crawling for about a month
explores all over the house
gets excited when Truman gets home from school
loves to see Jer when he gets home from work
says "ma ma" whenever he wants something
kicks his legs when he's happy or excited
gives me lots of big kisses by grabbing my head and hair and pulling me in
doesn't like to kiss Jer (might be the whiskers)
never cries in the car
wakes up about 6:30 in the morning
likes to be outside
is good at the gym and usually sleeps
loves his pacifier now
still a picky eater
likes to be held
claps his hands
starting to wave goodbye
rocks back and forth when the music is on
likes to play the kids' bells for their music class
finds every little thing on our floor
smiles and tips back when he finally know his bottle is coming

gets put in random places (mostly by his sister)

is such a lovable happy baby and will go to most everyone

gets to help with whatever mom does

is finally starting to like eating some things, especially if it's messy (apparently this is how Prentice feeds Cardon).

can pull himself up on anything which has caused a few falls and bumps.

discovered dirt for the first time and had a great time seeing what it felt like

has the cutest chubby cheeks and big blue eyes

is starting to get some great hair does after he wakes up

can play in his walker, but mostly goes backwards

Love you so much littlest brother! We all do around here. You make us all smile and brighten our day no matter what. We can't help but be happy and in love when we're around you. I can't imagine my crazy life without you. I'm off to clean up more messes. I have decided that my house is not child proof anymore.

Thriller Night

2011-11-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Truman and Prentice were dying to go to "Thriller" at Tuacahn like they did last year. It was hard trying to fit in trunk or treating and then "Thriller" but we're so glad we did. Grandma Debbie has taken them to Tuacahn every night of the show so they could see their Aunt Monique who was a zombie for the second year. They look forward to going all year. They will be talking about it all the way until next Halloween.

Doesn't Monique look awesome!

The best part, was we only planned on going to see Monique as she walked around before the show, but my mom ended up getting us free tickets. My mom has a knack for doing this. They were on the front row and Monique came and got the kids to be in the costume contest. They actually got the most cheers from the crowd and the two of them won the whole thing. They each got two tickets to next years show of "Aladdin." It helped that they were the only kids in the contest since other kids were out trick or treating. It was funny because when Prentice stepped forward to introduce herself she said, "my name is Prentice and I'm a ladybug." Only she wasn't a ladybug, she was a caterpillar. Guess she was a little nervous and it didn't help that this was her third costume of the day.

Here is a picture of Prentice right after she sat down from winning the tickets. Thanks Monique and Grandma!

Halloween

2011-11-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Trunk or Treating

Another crazy but fun Halloween. I got to go watch Truman's Halloween parade, then help at his Halloween party, and they go to help at Prentice's Halloween party.

Prentice actually ended up wearing 4 different costumes for Halloween related activities: Sleeping Beauty, Spider Man, a princess, and a caterpillar.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

We had fun carving pumpkins on Saturday. It was nice. We kept it simple and the kids were able to do a lot themselves this year. I didn't get pictures of the finished products, but just take my work that they were great!

While we were carving, Cardon got his first taste of dirt while we weren't paying attention.

Frightmares 2011

2011-10-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be fall until we spent some time at Lagoon going to Frightmares. It's become sort of a tradition for us and this year it was especially nice because the weather was great. We got to go with both my brothers and their families. It was nice to have the kids' cousins there. They are at an age where they have much more fun if other kids are there with them.

There was no shortage of scary face pictures.

A big thanks to my wonderful mom and sister for helping me so much with the kids. I don't know if I could to things like this on my own and I appreciate them for making things like this possible.

As you can see, Truman didn't want a picture with the witches, and was thrown in the picture by Aunt Monique at the last minute. This was the first year that Truman started to be too cool for things. Too cool for the witches and too cool for the baby rides. He was just barely tall enough to go on most the big rides this time. They measured him every time, but they always let him on. I know he liked being a big kid with his Aunt.

Here is Prentice with her cousins, Dorian and Lilly that she tried to mother for most of the trip. She really was a good helper. Her and Lilly would take turns trying to lift each other onto the rides, before they would give up and one of them would go ask the ride attendant to help. Luckily Truman wasn't too cool for the Halloween shows and they all loved watching them. Prentice and Lilly even got to go up and dance in one of them. They couldn't understand why they didn't get to stay up on the stage longer to dance.

Very tired and a little grumpy by the end of the night.

What a memorable and fun trip for us. It is always a lot of work, but for sure worth it. Cardon even got where he would sleep well in my grandparents dark, walk in closet. We really appreciated and loved being able to stay with them. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the kids with the. I hope we didn't wear them right out with all the noise and energy! They really are the best. We all got a little teary eyed leaving this time.

7 Months

2011-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

At 7 months:

have become a picky eater
you will eat anything but "baby" food
started taking a pacifier
your hair is really staring to grow in
started waking up at night
sit up
starting to put food in your mouth
like to sit and play with your toys
laugh at Truman and Prentice
very serious if you don't know someone
whine if you want us to hold you or pick you up
eat 6oz bottles
size 3 diapers
wear 9 month clothes
rocking and then pushing forward on you hands and knees to get places
stingy about giving kisses
grab for everything (we really have to watch what we walk past)
like to play peek a boo
like me to sing patty cake
staring to hold your arms out when you want to be picked up
will fall asleep in our arms if you are tired enough

You have a habit of sucking on your bottom lip and I wanted a picture to remember it.

While I was unpacking from our trip I came back to find that Prentice had put you in the suitcase. You were actually pretty happy about it.

Life is busy and it's hard to document it all, but we sure do love you and enjoy having you as part of our family.

Grease

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

This little one got to hang out with Grandma

While Jer and I got to take Truman to the play "Grease" at Tuacahn. A lot of fun to be able to spend some one on one time with our oldest.

We are so lucky to live so close to my parents so we are able to do things like this. We have tickets to "The Little Mermaid" this week...so excited!

Prentice's Bust...Finished!

2011-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

We will now have a permanent 3D history of this adorable face! Once again, our neighbor L'Deane generously offered use her amazing talents to bless our family. She just finished the bust of Prentice a few days ago and we went over to take some pictures before taking it hope to put it in the niche right outside her room. When Prentice showed Grandma Debbie she told her, "now I can see how beautiful I am every day when I come out of my room." I am working on showing and telling her that she has other wonderful attributes besides being beautiful, but I can't say I disagree with her.

We feel so lucky to have this in our home and just as lucky to have L'Deane in our life. Jer and I were just saying how she is one of those people we are just comfortable with. She stops by our house and it's just like she's part of the family. We enjoy having her over for dinner and just talking with her. I'm sure our kids will always have a special place in their hearts for her.

Prentice's Quilt

2011-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the quilt for Prentice's bed. She picked out a lot of the colors and fabrics. It's busy, but totally fits her. Not perfect, but getting better with each one. Queen size quilts sure do take a lot longer than baby quilts. Just dropped another one off at the quilters...post about that one as soon as it's done.

6 Months

2011-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Cardon is already 6 months! He's halfway to a year.

At 6 months you are:
Eating some veggies and fruits
rolling all over
starting to crawl
doing push ups
getting more hair (it's still a little red)
holding your own bottle
taking 2 naps a day
getting more of an opinion
observant of when we are eating and you are not
loving Truman
always looking for dad
laughing when we "bite" you
getting over a cold
smiling
turning away when people talk to you
wearing size 3 diapers
going with spiky hair sometimes

Stats:

Weight 18.06 lbs. 57%
Length 26.57 in. 52%
Head 17.3 in. 54%

Here is a picture of you getting ready to "crawl." You get up on all fours and push yourself forward with your feet until you fall and then do it again.

You love to get up on your toes and do some push ups.

We started veggies by feeding you carrots that we made in the Blendtec. Since then you have had homemade squash, spinach, corn, and applesauce. You are liking it so much better then the other two kids. I don't know if it's you or the fresh food.

Helping make your spinach for dinner. Jer thought there was not way you would eat it, but you proved him wrong.

You actually really like riding in the jeep with the kids. You are pretty content for a while in there.

We are loving your personality as you continue to grow and accomplish things!

The Narrows

2011-09-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a hike we have wanted to do for a while now. We finally decided to get a babysitter (something we never do) for the two younger kids and take Truman to hike the Narrows. We have gone to this spot in Zions before, but we have always had all the kids and haven't been able to make it as far as we would like. It is perfect weather for a water hike, so we decided it was time. We went with my mom, dad, sisters Danielle and Monique, and Danielle's boyfriend Ryan. It was hot weather, so it felt good to get in the cold water. It got pretty deep in parts and went all the way up to my chest in a couple spots.

This kid was the best hiker. He amazes me! He was usually in the lead for most the time and didn't complain once. We made it to the spot where it splits and you either keep going up the Narrows or go to Orderville Gulch. We had to turn around there, but Truman could of kept going. We loved being able to spend some quality time with just him.

Truman managed to find time to catch tadpoles and lizards along the way.

We are definitely going to have to do this one again. It is so much fun. It felt great doing it, even though I was a little sore the next day. What a beautiful place to spend some outdoor time.

Happy and Sad Day

2011-08-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Prentice started her first day of preschool today at Coral Cliffs Elementary! On one hand she was so excited she couldn't stand it, and on the other hand she would cry because she didn't want to leave me.

I know she will have tons of fun, but I will miss my little girl. I get a little teary looking at these beautiful pictures of her. I have enjoyed some time to get things done while she and Truman are gone and Cardon is sleeping, but I know she is really growing up now.

She was so concerned that I would be alone while she was gone. I am so grateful for this little girl in my life. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is so good to help me and be there for me. I look forward to always having a special bond with her. Love you Tacy!

Leonard Family Trip

2011-08-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to be able to go to Yellowstone National Park with the extended Leonard family. All six of Jeremy's siblings and their families were able to come. We got to stay in a cute little cabin with a really hard bed. The kids were really good considering how long of a drive it is to get there and back.

We had a lot of fun when we stopped at Bear World on the way there in Idaho. They have tons of animals that you can just drive through and look at. They come right up to the car. Then they had a petting zoo and rides for the kids.

When we got to West Yellowstone, where we were all staying, our first activity was to go to the Bear and Wolf Museum. It was a lot of information for the kids, but very interesting to learn all about the bears and wolves and see the ones they had living there.

Truman and Prentice with their cousin Tallin.

The next day we were off to Yellowstone Park. The highlight of this day was the Norris Geyser Basin.

Later that day we met up with everyone else and went into Mammoth. A whole herd of elk was munching on the grass there. Uncle Trent took the kids up to get a closer look and then quickly came back when the elk came too close to them.

Then we headed to a spot near Mammoth for some swimming. This was a lot of fun and something we didn't know about the last time Jer and I were here. You could find perfect spots of warm water where hot water from the hot springs fed into the cold water of the river.

We didn't see nearly as many buffalo as Jer and I saw on our last trip, so the kids were thrilled when we finally saw one off the side of the road. I think they are so amazing out in their natural element.

Early the next morning we woke up to an ambulance outside Jeremy's parents cabin. I yelled for Jer to wake up and he headed over. Soon after I saw them help his dad, Phil out to the stretcher. They flew him to the hospital in Idaho Falls because they suspected a stroke. They ran a bunch of tests and determined it was a mini stroke. For most that day we just hung around town and the cabin because we were all worried about him and didn't have reception on our phones in the Park. Once we found out he was okay and they were planning on releasing him, we decided to head to Old Faithful.

We got there barely in time to see it go off and the walked around and visited the visitors center until in went off again.

This is what Prentice did while we were waiting for Old Faithful to go off the second time, and while it was going off. Her and Truman had the best time playing in then dirt and with sticks. I loved how dirty they were after. She hardly even looked at Old Faithful, she was so caught up in what she was doing.

The kids had a blast hanging out with cousins, and being doted on by uncles and especially aunts. Everyone did have a hard time figuring out how to "turn Truman off" once he got going. It was fun to watch them play on the grass in the evenings while Jer and I would swing on the porch.

The last day we got driving at 8 and headed out. We stopped by at some mud geysers on our way and luckily saw some more buffalo.

This was Truman's favorite mud geyser, called Dragon's Mouth.

We stopped in Jackson Hole for lunch and a last goodbye to everyone.

We are so grateful we were able to go on this trip and that Jer's parents spend the money and energy every two years to take us somewhere. I think these will be great memories for my kids and us.

Cardon's 5 months

2011-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Almost let this one get away from me, but I want to document his early months as much as possible. He is sure growing.

Cardon is:

eating rice and oatmeal cereal
growing big
smiling a lot
talking and screaming to us
getting more hair
wearing 6-9 month clothes
wearing size 3 diapers
sleeping from about 9-7
still not rolling over
hitting everything
putting things in his mouth
recognizing mom
turning around in circles
putting himself to sleep
holding onto spoon the whole time I feed him
eating 6 oz. every 3 hours
taking 2-3 naps
getting his hair spiked sometimes

We sure are loving this kid. Couldn't ask for a better baby. Love him so much and are blessed to have him in our life.

1st Grade

2011-08-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

Truman started the big 1st grade last week and I'm just getting around to posting about it. He was as excited as could be and despite Jer trying to persuade him otherwise here is is first day outfit. I dropped him off at his class and he wanted me to stay until the bell rang. We had already been to back to school night so he knew where his class was, where he sat, who was in his class, and who is teacher is. Her name is Mrs. Lent and he likes her already. I am on the PTA this year over school spirit, which means I will be at the school every Friday to give out a trophy and prizes to the class who has the most school spirit by wearing their school shirts. I have volunteered to help in his class so hopefully soon I'll get to spend some time in his class with him. He brought his lunch the first day and ate school lunch the second. This year he is able to ride the but to and from school which makes a lot less driving for me. Prentice will go to preschool at Coral Cliffs as well, starting next week.

Everyday he tells us about his day and makes sure to let us know what kids had to move to yellow or orange for misbehaving. He also is always thrilled about his four recesses each day. I think he counts before school and after lunch as a recess as well.

He is excited for a new year, and we are excited for him. Truman is one of those kids who just needs to get out. He has enjoyed being in the school setting. I found out he made it into the charter school the day before school started, but I am happy with our choice to keep him at Coral Cliffs.

Have a great year bud!

Wedding

2011-08-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures to tell the story of our weekend trip up north for Jeremy's brother, Ryan's wedding to Sam. It was such a fun wedding with the western theme.

Truman was the ring bearer and couldn't have been cuter. If have to say...he looked ADORABLE!

Cardon was pretty much perfect as usual and got passed around between all of Jer's family.

Prentice was a flower girl. She loved everything about the wedding. She loved dressing up and being a part of the wedding. She especially loved Sam in her beautiful dress. She even got to dance with her for the money dance.

Prentice and the other flower girl were actually the first two to start dancing.

Jer even danced with me for the first time EVER! I loved it.

Prentice dance the night away. It tried to get Truman to dance with me, but he actually wouldn't. He is getting to an age where he gets embarrassed about things.

We also took the kids to Wheeler Family Farm with Uncle Anton, Lilly and Claire.

What a fun park. I can see why I've heard so many good things about it.

We also managed to fit in a day at the zoo. The dinosaur exhibits were so cool. Some of them actually sprayed water to cool us off.

We invited our friends the Shepherds, so the kids had fun hanging out with their friends Chase and Berkely.

Jer and Jason had fun talking and reminiscing about old times.

We are off again in a couple days for another trip.

First Tooth

2011-08-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Truman couldn't be happier that he can stick part of his tongue through the hole in his mouth now. It had gotten pretty loose and we could see another tooth coming in. Of course he wouldn't let us pull it out, so we had to get creative. At Del Taco that night he bit into his taco and it started to bleed. After he was done wiping it, we told him he still had some blood and to let us wipe it off with the napkin. Truman, being the naive child that he is, didn't even question it and he turned around saying thanks having no ideal that dad had just pulled out his tooth. He was thrilled and said it didn't hurt at all. He was completely spoiled by the male tooth fairy in our house and woke up to $5.

Busted...

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

On our way to church Truman asked "Dad, can we not go to any stores today?"

I looked in the rear view mirror with a puzzled look and said "Yes, but why do you ask?"

He then proceeded to relate that going to stores, like we do sometimes, is not keeping the sabbath, that it makes him and Heavenly Father sad. While he refrained from directing the horsemen of the apocolypse my direction, it is fair to say I felt pretty bad. Nicole and I are still licking our wounds from the rightful rebuke of our 6 year old. The big concern is how to get an adequate caffine fix without my kids calling me out?

Zions

2011-07-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

We (by we I mean I) wanted to to one of our favorite summer hikes before school starts again. We took the kids to Zion to play and hike at the end of the Narrows. I got lots of looks and comments about bringing a 4 month old baby. Yes I know it's hot and yes I did put sunscreen on him and yes I know he has fair skin and no he isn't hungry, he just likes to suck on his hands. None of the comments seemed justified until I slipped with Cardon in the baby Bjorn at the very end and dunked him. No harm done. It was really hot, so I'm sure it just cooled him down a bit.

The kids found a spot where they could catch tadpoles.

The kids did great except for a little too much whining on Prentice's part. They loved floating down the water to have dad catch them. They sure love the water!

Cardon is 4 months

2011-07-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Cardon is four months. He had his wellness check today and he is doing well. He had to get three shots and those are not fun for anyone involved. Prentice was so upset to watch him get them that she wanted to go out of the room. She actually stayed out there with another nurse until it was over. He cried for about five minutes and wanted me to just hold him for about ten and then he seemed fine.

Here are his stats:
Weight 15.56lbs. 60%
Length 25.39in. 64%
Head 16.5 in. 39%

Here are a few pictures of our 4 month old!

At four months Cardon:
grabs for anything
puts anything he gets in his mouth
drools A LOT...still
smiles and giggles
prefers mom
is more serious
likes bath time and water
rolls over sometimes from front to back
holds onto toys
likes to have a blanket or burp cloth to hold
eats 6-7oz. every 3 hours
sleeps about 9 hours at night
will sleep in the crib or if I hold him
doesn't love his car seat
is content
lovable
smells so good
kicks his feet when he gets excited
likes to be tickled
cries if someone sneezes too loud
starting to hold his own bottle
enjoys watching Truman and Prentice play
likes going for bike rides and hikes
has quite a bit of light hair
likes to stand up

And She's Off

2011-07-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

We almost gave in and put her training wheels back on, but in the end we held strong. Prentice wanted to ride without the training wheels, but she didn't trust herself enough. She was worried to much about falling or whether or not someone was still holding onto the back of her. It really only took her two days to get the hang of it and then there was not looking back. She has even started to get it going by herself, so she is really on her own. It was a team effort to get her going with Jer and I trading off when one of us got too frustrated with her. After she was riding, we all had some fun on bikes.

After a quite a few falls she had really gotten the hang of it.

Jer taught Truman had to do a "wheelie" and Truman couldn't have been happier.

And Prentice let me ride her bike while she told me what to do. We all had some good laughs and had a nice time in the little bit cooler weather. Prentice was so excited the next day when she still remembered how to ride her bike.

Way to go princess Prentice! I love that you try so hard and didn't give up. I can't wait to go on more bike rides with you.

Fourth of July Hike

2011-07-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Some of these pictures are so breathtaking. I love where we live. We are so lucky to have so much to do, so close to our house.

We decided to do something outdoors for the fourth and went on a couple short hikes in Snow Canyon State park. The first hike was in the black rock of the lava flows. I remembered going on it years ago and thought it would be fun for the kids to see some of the caves in the lava rocks.

The highlight of the hike (if you can call it that) happened right after this picture was taken. I was up top taking pictures of Jer and the kids down below, (it was hard for me to climb on the rocks with the baby bjorn on) when I looked down to see a big rattlesnake on the rock above my kids' head. I didn't want to freak them out, but my kids do have a tendency to ignore me even when it is something important, so I wanted them to know they needed to listen and obey. The problem was, neither them or Jer could actually see the snake so they were trying to move out of the way of something they couldn't see as I described to them what to do and where to go. Talk about getting all of our heart rates up. It slithered away rattling its tail as the kids were just moving away. Looking back I wish Jer could have seen it and I could have gotten a picture. Only the second rattlesnake we've seen here in St. George. I don't know why I didn't think about the fact that we should be looking out for snakes because they would love to hide in all those rocks we were climbing in. Wish my brother Anton would have been there to see it. He would have probably appreciated it the most.

The second hike we did was climbing up some huge rock faces to get an amazing view of the park.

These pictures show that the day wasn't perfect by any means. We stop to rest in a rare shaded spot...then Truman pushes Prentice, then Prentice gives him the tongue. I only caught in all on camera, because I was in the process of getting a cute, peaceful shot of my kids sitting under a tree. Don't even know what they were fighting about.

When Prentice got tired or hot she would just lay down anywhere and take a drink. Fun day and so worth all the effort it took to get there.

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

We had our own fourth of July a day early with homemade fried chicken, potato salad and grilled veggies. We invited my parents, my sister Danielle, and of course our neighbor L'Deane. Thank goodness we did invite her because without the fireworks she brought, our show would have been a bust. Truman couldn't wait for the big day and asked no less than a 100 times when we were going to buy fireworks. After they were bought, he asked another hundred times when we were going to light them. They were pretty good leverage for good behavior.

Prentice had her toenails and fingernails painted for the fourth and I made her these bows as well.

Truman and Prentice had them all lined up from biggest to smallest along the wall in our living room for two days, before we took them out to the garage to finally light.

To keep Truman entertained, Jer rode bikes with him to wait for it to get dark.

Nothing is better than holidays with family. It's a good excuse to get together and do something different. We also ended up with a few extra neighbors who stopped to see the fireworks.

Cardon was asleep in his bed, so no one seemed scared this year, except maybe for some of the really loud ones. Thank goodness they have changed the laws and we could actually shoot some off this year. The next night we sat on my parents porch and could see fireworks all across the city shooting up.

Family Bike Ride

2011-07-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

For a simple family home evening activity, we got on our bikes and headed over to the garden to see what we could find. It was Cardon's first time in the bike stroller sitting up and he looked so cute. Prentice was so worried about him and held his hand the whole way. She was so excited to be able to ride in there with him.

We watered the plants and found lots of veggies to pick and take home.

We laugh because my dad just threw in this garden and it is one of the best we've ever had. The tomato plants are as tall as Truman already.

Temple Family Home Evening

2011-07-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't really have a family home evening planned, so we decided to head to the temple and the visitor's center since we hadn't been there for a while. We only had to yell at the kids a couple times to be reverent even outside the temple and to please stop teasing each other.

Did I mention that Prentice is into headbands lately and wears them everywhere.

The visitor's center was great except that Prentice started to sob during the movie we watched when they were crucifying Jesus. I felt really bad for traumatizing her, but it was also kind of neat that it got to her so much.

Panguitch Balloon Festival

2011-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Just the drive to get to the Panguitch Balloon Festival was beautiful. We left Friday after Jer got home from work and headed to Panguitch to our cabin that Jer had rented for the night. I appreciate it so much when Jer plans something fun for the family to do without any prompting. I love spending time with him and the kids and any chance to get away is nice. We got up early Saturday morning to watch the balloons blow up and take off with the sun rising. The whole thing was really neat to see.

The kids just hung out in the bed of our cabin while we got everything ready for the night and the next day. Cardon was so chill and just laid there with them until he got so tired he fell asleep.

We may just make this an annual thing for the whole experience and a chance to get away to beautiful scenery and cooler weather.

Dixie Rock Hike

2011-06-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

I think we fit in this hike just in time, before it starts to get unbearably hot. Prentice was so excited to use her new camelbak water pack she got for her birthday. And it's a good thing we brought it because by the end of our hike it was completely gone. We had so much fun exploring the rocks, holes, and caves. I am trying to do some of those things you never do, even though you live right by them.

Just to prove that Cardon and I were there. Cardon slept for most of it and he was pretty sweaty by the time I took him out.

Summer Fun...so far

2011-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to really take advantage of the time I have with the kids this summer. I know that it will be a lot harder once school starts (since Truman will be going all day) to do things.

We have spent some time at the splash parks around here.

I tool the kids to a local discovery museum called Creative Minds. They got to go with their cousin Lilly, and the best part is they had the whole place to themselves.

Truman has been taking tennis lessons twice a week and we really enjoy watching him.

Playing at the park before it gets too hot.

They can never get enough of the pool and so we try to go there once or twice a week.

Look Who's 3 Months

2011-06-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

By my third baby, I finally really realize how fast the time goes with kids, so I really do want it all to slow down. I'm not anxious for more sleep, or less crying, or more independence, or no diapers and bottles. I know that when all that happens, he will have gotten big on me. He is such a great baby. I couldn't ask for a better baby. He is content, happy and adorable. I don't even question that I want another one someday.

At 3 months you:

sleep through the night from about 10-6
only poop once every 2-3 days
eat 5 oz. every 3 hours
drool a lot
spit up a little
love to have a blanket or burp cloth on or by your face
don't like the pacifier
are staring to grab and hold onto things
love to smile and even giggle sometimes
suck on your hands
are getting chubby
like to "walk" when we hold you up
like to talk and smile at Truman
enjoy being held
will fall asleep in the crib or being held
follow people around the room with your eyes
just started using the "bumbo" chair
grab and sometimes hold your bottle
love the bath
have been swimming and on a few hikes
pull Prentice's hair if you can
are very content and mellow

I can't even put into words how much I love you! You are such a wonderful addition to our family...just stop getting bigger!

It's What Fun Is

2011-06-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Aunt Monique had a dance camp in Park City last week, so my mom invited the kids and I to come and spend some time at Lagoon. It was nice to spend some time with my grandparents Ballam and get to see my two brothers and their families a little. It really was a vacation for the kids and my mom and I were exhausted at the end of it. Truman is so close to being tall enough to go on almost all the rides, so he can't wait until next year. Prentice had fun mothering her cousins and we had fun just watching. Cardon was good everyday, but was a little off schedule and started waking up once at night. It's good to be home with dad.

P.S. Running out of gas in the middle of nowhere on the side of the freeway is not fun with four little kids. Luckily people are kind and everything worked out. I still need to send our good Samaritan some money for helping us out.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

We really loved being with Jer this Father's Day since the kids and I had been gone the week before (pictures later). Even Prentice couldn't contain her emotions when we left (I'm glad I'm not the only one), and said how much she missed him multiple times. Looks like we can't live without you babe! Glad you are ours and appreciate all you do. I'm so glad we're in this together and you try to be the best father you can.

We practiced the Father's Day song, "Daddy's Homecoming" for the first time Sunday morning since we had been gone for a couple weeks. The kids picked it up fast and sounded great singing to him in sacrament. We have such a small primary (11 kids on Father's Day) that it pretty much sounded like Truman was singing a solo.

I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be
Clap my hands and shout for joy, then climb upon his knee
Put my arms around his neck; hug him tight like this
Pat his cheek and give him what? A great big kiss!

Like the song, we are all "so glad when daddy comes home!"

P.S. That new father's day suit looks so good on you!

Happy 4th Birthday Prentice!

2011-06-20T16:20:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Prentice's birthday by going to the pool, and then heading home for cake and opening presents. Jer thought he had gotten up early enough to finish off the princess castle cake, but Prentice being our early riser, ended up helping him put the finishing touches on. He made the cake exactly as she had specified it. princess castle, white cake, purple and pink frosting. He even put sparklers on the top for candles, which neither of the kids could stop talking about.

Prentice is finally at the age, where she couldn't wait to open all her presents. They had been sitting out in the living room all day. I don't think I've ever seen a child more excited about everything than she was. It was one of those birthdays, where she actually asked for most of the presents after I already bought them. I actually felt like I knew just what she wanted. She got: a Miche purse and shells and a purple skirt from my family, a frilly pink skirt, the movie "Tangled," three pictures for her room, and camelback for hiking, 5 "girly" princess books, and some denim shorts with pink trim.

Happy birthday, our little princess. You are so excited to be four. The day after your birthday you would remind us throughout the day, that you could do things and reach things because you were four now. If someone asks you how old you are now, you tease them by saying you are 3, and then laugh before telling them you're 4. You are such a smart, sassy, funny, silly, adorable girl. We love you so much!

Cardon Brog Leonard

2011-06-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

We blessed Cardon this last Sunday on June 5, 2011. The funny thing is we also blessed Truman on June 5th, 6 years ago. We went up north and blessed him in Jeremy's parents, Farmington ward. It was a little more stressful, but we figured most people hadn't seen him anyway, so we would go up and show him off and bless him at the same time. There were two other blessings that day, and Cardon was the final one. Jer did an amazing job. I think he gets better with each child. Cardon was awake but happy for the whole thing. Plus he looked amazing in his new suit. We surprised everyone with the middle name of Brog. I am relieved to have it done and felt happy to have one more in our little family. He was given his name and blessing by Jeremy and I felt so proud that he did so well. The people in the circle were: Jeremy Leonard, Tony Brog, Phil Leonard, Anton Brog, Rob Potter, Jason Shepherd, Todd Rees, and Ryan Arnell. Jer and I both bore our testimonies afterward, and I'm not even sure what I said or if I made sense, but at least in was heartfelt.

The kids enjoyed riding around on the four wheeler as usual.

We were also able to go to Tallin's baptism while we were there, so we got some cute, less stressful pictures before that.

Prentice hanging out with Cardon before we get him ready for the big day.

We had a small lunch after the blessing at the park behind the church house.

On the ride up north, Prentice fell asleep and we couldn't stop laughing because although she had on her neck pillow, it didn't seem to be helping her neck much.

Las Vegas Getaway

2011-06-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

We decided to head to Vegas for a couple days over Memorial Day Weekend. The kids and I headed down for a day before Jer because he had to work, so we mostly just hung out at the pool, played tennis, ate good Mexican food, and tried to relax as much as you can with 3 kids.

While we were there I did buckle down and teach Prentice to swim. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time. It was nice to have my mom and sister to take care of Truman and Cardon so I could just spend the time with her. I was shocked how easily she picked up on it. I thought she wouldn't trust herself to try and I might have a bit of whining on my hands, but she did great and couldn't get enough of it. By the end she was trying to swim to the bottom of the pool to get toys and swimming under the water between my legs. I am so proud of her. It's nice to have 2 kids that can swim without floaters now.

Cardon was great on the trip. When we got him into the water for the first time, he actually was so content he fell asleep in my arms and stayed that way until his feet were wrinkly. I guess it reminded him of being in the womb.

We got a kick out of how much he like the big pillows on my parents bed.

Little Miss Muffit

2011-06-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Prentice had her final dance recital for the year. They danced to "Little Miss Muffit." Their costumes were adorable and she really did look like a little princess. She had a dress rehearsal and 2 performances. She thought the dresses were a little too itchy and by the last performance she got a little nervous or clingy and wanted me to stay backstage with her. I didn't mind helping out back there and getting to be with her. She did a great job. I love her so much!

Fun With Science

2011-06-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

So glad when I actually take the time to do something messy and fun with my kids. I have had this science experiment kit since Christmas and the kids kept asking to do it, but I put it off because I felt like I didn't have time and didn't want to deal with the mess. So glad I took the time to play with them and hopefully teach them something in the process!

Fire Station Field Trip

2011-05-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Truman let Prentice and I come on his kindergarten field trip to the St. George fire station. I always like going with the kids there because it reminds me that I need to make sure my kids know what to do if there is an emergency. Truman's biggest concern for the fireman was what we should do if lightning hits our tree.

It was so cute because when they picked partners before we left, Truman and Naomi picked each other. The other boys picked boys and the girls picked girls. It was like Truman and Naomi were just friends and didn't realize they were boy and girl. Truman does have good taste. Naomi is so cute. Prentice stuck with them as a third wheel the whole field trip. It was like I wasn't even there. She acted just like a kindergartner. They all held hands the whole walk to the fire station.

Truman ran away and plugged his ears when they did the siren on the truck. As you can see he loved every minute of it.

Spraying the fire hose was probably the highlight of the field trip.

2 months

2011-05-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

At 2 months you:

are more alert daily
figured out how to really coo and make noises
do the biggest grins
sleep through the night (10-6)
smile at anyone who talks to you
love the bath
are flexible
seem to be getting on a routine of 3 naps a day
hair is lightening up
Like to push with your legs and stand up
love to look at the fan
like to stare at your feet and fists
drool

We took you to the doctor for your 2 month wellness check. Prentice wasn't sure if she wanted to go because she didn't want to see you get your shots. Luckily she changed her mind and you didn't even cry too much for your three shots. Everything looked great!

Your stats:
Weight 12.13 lbs. 58%
Length 23.23 in. 58%
Head 15.7 in. 47%

As far as how you compare to our other babies you are a little bit longer so far, so we'll see if that continues. Not to mention the fact that you are already sleeping through the night. Which in our opinion, means you are a great baby.

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

We got to go and watch Truman's kindergarten. I can't believe the school year is almost over. We only have 2 weeks left and for kindergartners, one of those weeks they don't even go to school for end of year testing. Each child was assigned a profession that they talked about and dressed up as. Jer worked hard on Truman's carpenter costume and it definitely stood out as one of the best...okay, it was the best! Truman knew all the songs and his parts.

Here are his two parts:

"Hammer, hammer, saw, saw, saw
Cut and measure and glue.
I'm going to be a carpenter
And build a house for you."

"Now our Kindergarten year
Is almost done and through
We must plan and think and dream
About what we must do."

It made me sad to think he was getting so big. I guess next year he really is a big kid by going to school all day! I hope he still likes it as well as he did this year. We are proud of you Truman!

7 Weeks

2011-05-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

At 7 weeks you:
slept through the night twice
usually wake up once, between 4-6
got in the shower for the first time
started to realize you want to be held while you sleep during the day, instead of going to sleep in your crib
follow us with your eyes
like the baby bouncer and sometimes the swing
starting to make noises to us
smiling more
spiked your hair for church

Lots of smiles!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Easter egg dying and Easter egg hunt. The Easter bunny likes hiding our eggs outside if it's nice weather, but last minute after church responsibilities left some pretty soft chocolate. Both the kids were concerned about how many hard boiled eggs they got, even though neither of them like hard boiled eggs, which we proved moments later when the eggs were peeled. Went up to my mom's later that day for a non-traditional, but very yummy curry dinner. We're not big ham fans I guess.

We only had one spilled egg dye, and luckily that was towards the end. Cardon was great for the egg dying and the egg hunt even though there are no picture in this post to prove it. I thought I should at least mention that he was there. I was thinking how we will have a whole different experience next year with a one year old at Easter. Love the holidays with these kids.

6 Weeks

2011-04-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

A day late of course, but here are his 6 week accomplishments:

awake more
goes to sleep when put in crib
wakes up twice at night, at 1 and 5
found your hands to suck on
follow us with your eyes when we walk around the room
smile a lot
make cooing noises while sleeping
take pacifier only when you want to go to sleep
cross hands over your chest (so cute)
went to church for the first time
went to the gym with me
get hiccups a couple times a day
eat 4 oz. at a time
got your fingernails clipped
very content and mellow

Can you spot the baby? He sat there while I talked to him and folded laundry for about half an hour.

Happy to just relax and suck on his hands.

Hanging out with Grandma while the older kids have their Easter egg hunt.

Mostly I just had to post this picture of my mom after Prentice did her makeup. We almost got my mom to go out in public like this because she had forgotten she had it on. What an awesome Grandma to let Prentice do this once or twice a week. She also paints fingernails.

This picture doesn't tell the full story, but Cardon was so happy and smiley when Jer would touch the pacifier to his nose, mouth, and chin. He was just grinning at him. He's been such a good baby so far I already think I can eventually handle another one. That does change on a minute by minute basis, but that's how I feel at the moment. Jer just rolls his eyes at me when I say this. We'll see how long I can keep up this weekly update. Until next week...

Cardon's Newborn Shoot

2011-04-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Finally I am getting around to posting the newborn pictures we had taken of Cardon. I figured I getter get them up before he isn't a newborn anymore. They were taken when he was 3 weeks old, so thwy are already outdated. With birthdays and Easter I kept putting it on the back burner. Not because they aren't they most adorable pictures eve:). I never did it with my older two. I guess money and being a terrible mother contributed, but hopefully I am redeeming myself a little with these. He was a little fussy that night which isn't normal for him, so I was a little worried about how they would turn out, but was really pleased with the end result. He only peed and barfed once during the shoot, and was awake as you can see for the majority of it.

Had a hard time picking my favorites, but here are quite a few. After it was over I wondered why we didn't try to get a family shot, but oh well, maybe at Christmas.

Happy Birthday Truman!

2011-04-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday a day late Truman. With your birthday and my birthday being so close, I ran out of time to post on your birthday, but didn't want to let the opportunity pass to post about your 6th birthday.

We all love you so much! We hope you had a wonderful birthday and that it was everything you hoped it would be. You are so special and an important part of our family. Thanks for your contagious and cheerful smile. We appreciate your positive and personality. We can't believe you are 6 already. It doesn't seem that long ago that we brought you home from the hospital as a tiny baby. We are lucky to have you. Love you always.

Mom and Dad

We started off the day with your request of hash browns and bacon. Then you requested not to have to do your "jobs" for the day. You got many birthday calls to wish you a happy birthday and then you were off to school. Cardon and I picked you up and we went to Jumpin Jacks with your friends. You all had a blast. It is the perfect place for a 6 year old boy. Then we came home, had McDonalds, and opened presents. You finished off the night by staying up later then Prentice and putting together a Lego car you got for your birthday with dad. Before you went to bed you told dad and I very seriously that you didn't feel like you were 6 yet.

Here is the bug cake dad stayed up making the night before. He hoped it impressed you as much as the cakes on "Cake Boss."

The friends at your party were: Conner, Kai, Caleb, Ben, and of course Prentice. Grandma Debbie and Aunt Monique were there as well.

We're Glad It's Your Birthday!

2011-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Nikki! You area a remakable woman. A few thoughts about you...

I am amazed at what you do each day with our children and home. Thank you. Even though you have been told at times that "they did not pick you up in heaven" while angry about some nonsense, it is clear that your children love you and have learned a great deal from your example as well as your active engagement.

How would it be not to care a whit about sugar? You tell us. While I am sure this helps in your endeavor to keep your figure, you are very dilligent about eating the right things and keeping fit. Thanks for being a good example and discovering it is best not to nag your husband about his sugar cravings. You can nag the kids though. You are beautiful and sexy. Remember how much I love the mesh. Mmmmmm

Supportive? Check. I have made some mistakes that have taken our goals off course, but you have remained supportive in our efforts to correct course. We have had some interesting couple years and appreciate your support and encouragement in career pursuits and paths; even when they have taken me far from home. You do wonders in the home in teaching our children academics as well as being good people and keeping our home as peaceful as Leonard kids can keep it. I support your career decision to be a great Mom. Great work!

Lastly, here is a poem. While I have been known to put pen to paper and create a tender strirring of the heart, I am going to opt for a poem that we both like by Bruno Mars. It goes like this (you can picture me lipsyncing this while reading. It helps with the ambiance) :

Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful, and I tell her everyday

Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so, sad to thing that she don't see what I see
But every time she asks me do I look OK, I say

When I see your face, there's not a thing I would change
Cause your amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way are

Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me
Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same
So, don't even bother asking if you look OK
You know I'll say

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause your amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl your amazing, just the way you are

5 Weeks

2011-04-18T20:13:00.001-07:00

At 5 Weeks you:
are starting to smile on purpose!
slept through the night 2 times, from 10-5
went to Young Womens for the first time
follow objects and our faces with your head and eyes
like the car
went to the gym with me, and slept the whole time
starting to put yourself to sleep for naps
went to the Kite Festival
very content
cry only if you are hungry or tired
like the pacifier a little, but not hooked

I actually love this picture because this is what Cardon looked like after a big sneeze(notice the snot nose). Aren't colds fun!

Prentice was dancing to some music and before I knew it she had picked Cardon up and was dancing with you. Normally we only let her hold him if she is sitting on the couch, but she is itching to pick him up and treat you like her doll. She did pretty good and Cardon seemed to like it.

Nothing better than Prentice in a princess outfit and a naked baby. Prentice did a very thorough job of washing him, and then rubbed his ear until he was ready to get out. She loved it when he peed because it shot up. She asked me how we could get him to do it again.

Sweet boy.

I'm having a hard time catching his first smiles, but here is the beginning of one. Whenever I get the big camera out to take a picture, he focuses on that instead of on me, and stops smiling. Maybe I'll get a better one next week.

We love how Cardon sleeps with his hands curled up under his chin. Jer looks thrilled, and Truman is doing a cheesy grin. Just focus on the baby. Hopefully I will get his newborn pictures up soon.

4 Weeks

2011-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Cardon is already 4 weeks old! I can't believe it.

4 Weeks:
are so alert
have more awake time
so happy and content in the morning
wake up 3 times a night
want to be held all the time
got your first cold (small one luckily)
sleep anywhere but in your crib
starting to hold your head up
have a little diaper rash
went on your first bike ride
like your bath every day
seem to be most content with mom
eat every 2-3 hours, about 4 oz.
spit up a little bit
like to lay on your tummy, especially on our chest

And at 4 weeks he is still being mauled and mothered by Prentice.

The other night while we were reading scriptures and the "Friend" magazine Cardon was so enthralled with Jer's voice. I had to take a picture to show my THREE kids listening.

Prentice has even decided she will change diapers..even poopy ones. I help her a little, but I think pretty soon she will have it. I'm pretty sure she's almost ready to start babysitting.

Cardon got to go on his first bike ride with the family. We just rode around the neighborhood, but it was so much fun. We need to do things like this more often.

I took this picture of him this morning because he just sat and stared and got excited about these Easter eggs and toys, the whole time I showered and got ready. Every time I would check on him, he was just kicking his legs and staring wide eyed at everything.

The Big Kids

2011-04-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been posting a lot about Cardon and wanted to remember some of the cute and funny things Truman and Prentice have been up to.

Prentice's choice of outfits and accessories can be so funny sometimes. I really try to not be too critical and to just let her have her own style sometimes. She actually does and pretty good job and really tries to make things match and look good together. And I have to say, it does make my life easier that she can pick out her clothes and get herself ready. In this picture she wanted to wear blue for Truman's soccer game because that is his team color. And as far as the silly face goes...I have no idea, but it made me laugh.

For the last week or so, Truman has taken our fly swatter and gone outside to kill flies. It has kept him busy for hours. We didn't think he was actually getting anything, but when I went out to take pictures and film him, I saw that he really was. Cheap entertainment for a 5 year old boy. Who would have thought a fly swatter could be so much fun.

We decided to make our third attempt at a garden here in hot St. George. One of the things we miss most about living up north is our garden, so we have really tried to get one to grow here. Jeremy got ambitious (I was having a baby) and built a big garden box and luckily he has dirt and manure at his work. He even hooked up sprinklers because I have learned that no matter how much I think I will be able to keep up with watering, in the heat of summer it doesn't happen. And we can't go anywhere without having someone water. On Monday, the kids and I planted the plants and flowers to attract bees. Truman was the best helper. He planed almost every single one and was so into it. He has been learning about plants at school, so he told me all about plants and how they grow. He got so excited because after we were done planting, he saw a bee on one of the flowers and hoped it would pollinate our vegetables. Not overly optimistic myself, but still hopeful that we can get something!

The newborn stage is hard for Jer and I in many ways, but having these older two makes me realize that the newborn time is so short. Enjoy it and know that you have many wonderful stages yet to come and what could be more rewarding then these two. One day he will sleep through the night, feed himself, got to the bathroom by himself, not have to eat every 2 hours, be able to dress himself, and get himself in the car. But then he won't be my little cuddly baby anymore.

3 Weeks

2011-04-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

You are 3 weeks now and growing more every day. We are somewhat adjusting to sleepless nights and you are getting a little more consistent. At the same time, you are starting to seem like you fit right in to our family. Your brother and sister still adore you and I am hoping that doesn't change when you are mobile and can get into their things.

At 3 weeks you:
sleep for a 5 hour stretch and then 3 hours
have started to put your hands in your mouth
have purposely smiled a few times
like to be held and cuddled
fussy when you get gas or have to poop
are starting to go down on your own for a nap
eat 3 oz. at a time
mostly do formula now
are most happy in the morning after you've eaten
like the bath
starting to like your pacifier
have a little baby acne
got your newborn pictures done
grew out of your first newborn outfit
out of newborn diapers in in size 1

I can hear you up from your nap, so I guess it's feeding time.

First Official Bath

2011-03-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

We were so excited that Cardon's umbilical cord fell off so we could finally give him a real bath. Jer didn't let anything go unwashed and surprisingly Cardon seemed to enjoy it.

My mom said I looked like a teen mom in this picture. No wonder I get so many looks when I tote around my 3 kids!

All nice and clean and then he barfed and pooped on himself. In the bath again.

All clean and comfy after wash #2.

2 Weeks Old

2011-03-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Quick update and pictures for Cardon being 2 weeks old. We'll see how far I get before Cardon wakes up, I have to pick Truman up from school, or I just fall asleep while typing this.

Went to the doctor today for his 2 week check up. Everything looked great and he didn't even cry when they poked his foot and proceeded to try and squeeze blood from it for the PKU. Truman and Prentice were fascinated and felt sorry for him at the same time. The Snoopy Band-aid did seem to calm them.

Here are the stats:
Head 14.7 in. 50%
Weight 8.71lbs. 45%
Length 21.06 in. 61%

He sleeps about 3-4 hours a night.
He doesn't cry every time we take his clothes or diaper off now.
He eats about 2-3 ounces.
I pump and supplement with formula.
He follows our voice.
Seems to respond to our face and voices.
Umbilical cord came off on March 20th. Truman says dad helped it.
First bath on March 21st.
Likes to grab and hold fingers.
Usually has a good nap in morning.

He always sleeps with his hands curled up under his chin. I think he was used to being pretty squished. We have a hard time getting him to uncurl.

When did she get so big. Makes me sad.

Cardon's first smiles. I can't believe I got it on camera. He actually smiled for Prentice.

How I found Cardon when I got out of the shower. So far Prentice has played babies, Barbies, and given him Easter eggs.

Prentice reading a book to Cardon. Truman and Prentice both enjoy reading books to him while they hold him. Even if he is sound asleep to the world.

How did I get such cute kids. I just need to remember to look at this picture when I'm ready to scream at them.

Truman is such a good big brother. Do they look alike?

Prentice couldn't be a better sister. She is so good to him, and I have to say that she really does help me out with him. She entertains him and consoles him when I'm busy.

Funny picture of Cardon. Did you guess that's pee on his face. Sad that I got the camera before immediately cleaning it off. Good shot bud. At least it wasn't on me.

Cardon's First Week

2011-03-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

I guess he's already a week and a half old, so I better get the pictures up of his first week of life. I now understand how fast the time will go, so I'm trying to enjoy more of the little moments and remember that the hard moments will not last forever (you just get different hard moments). The sleepless nights are incredibly difficult for me and it's hard to sleep even when he does because he is still so unpredictable. We have had quite a few rough nights as every newborn has as they are trying to figure out life, but last night he slept a 4 hour stretch and a 3 hour stretch. I'm not naive enough to think that this will last or is any sort of pattern, but I will take what I can get at this point. He eats about every 2-3 hours. I pump and supplement with formula. He poops and pees like a champ and seems to have figured out how to pass gas and burp pretty well. He is still a very content baby, and I can't get my hopes up because I'm too worried I will jinx it and it will change. Sorry, but I feel like I deserve a calm one...maybe one like cousin Claire:)

Here is our first family picture home from the hospital. I so didn't want to post this because of my hideousness, but I figured it is for history's sake. I have to say for all of you who are worried about my fluid filled body, I have gotten better since then. I figure that hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised when you see me after seeing this. I know...I've just had a baby, but come on.

Big brother and big sister.

Checking out baby Cardon, with hands.

Prentice loved the fact that he would grab onto her finger.

We came home from the hospital to find the house covered in hearts that had various cute messages on them for Cardon and I.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. It kind of snuck up on me so I was glad we managed to find something green for everyone to wear.

Our little St. Patrick's Day leprechaun. There are those chubby cheeks we love.

I love sleeping babies. I think I've seen this look before. Oh ya, on Jer.

And then there were 5

2011-03-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

We are officially a family of five. My delivery was not as easy as Prentice, but not as hard as Truman. Here is the traditional picture of the belly right before leaving for the hospital at 4:45.

For all of you who haven't heard already...it's a BOY. Much to the thrill of Truman, and as Prentice has reminded us numerous times, not to her liking. She was a little sad not to have a sister, but has mauled (I mean loved) him enough already to become attached to her little brother, just like the rest of us. He was 8lbs. 5 oz. 20 inhes long. He was born at 7:07 a.m. and has a little blonde hair.

I had my third schedule cesarean section. I had my concerns about how I would handle the surgery and even though I tried to voice my concerns to the anesthesiologist right before my spinal, I had similar but worse reactions to the spinal then with Prentice. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled with what they do for me, but is it just me or do doctors have a hard time listening sometimes. I'm not a baby and I have a high pain tolerance for the most part, so please listen to me. I already have low blood pressure, and as I understand it, the spinal medicine drops my blood pressure even more, very quickly, causing vomiting, disorientation, and passing out. Then to counteract my reactions to this they give me something to elevate my blood pressure, casing the killer migraine throughout the surgery. Hence, I have a hard time even caring about the baby that I'm finally able to deliver. The anesthesiologist did come into my room after and (of course didn't really apologize) but gave a doctor's apology of "now I understand what you were saying, and yes you do have a reaction to the medicine." Yea...I know. When they got me all opened up Cardon pretty much popped out of my stomach and started to scream even before they had suctioned him. He was in there pretty tight. He cried most of the time until he got all warm and wrapped up and then he was a content little baby.

First washing. He loved having the water run over his head, but hasn't enjoyed taking his clothes off since.

What's cuter then a baby's feet.

Eshausted and not looking my best, but happy to have everything over. It took me a couple days to feel okay and by today I'm feeling great considering I've had major surgery. Off pain meds. Now just trying to get out of some minor post baby blues and get into the groove of having a newborn again. And coming to terms with my post pregnancy body.

We all think he looks just like Truman. I will have to post some baby pictures of Truman so you can see the resemblance. So far he's been my most content baby so far and I hesitate even saying this for fear it will stop, but most the time he sleeps about 3 hours at a time at night. May not seem great, but I'll take it compared to my first 2 babies. And yes, I let Jer get up and help me at night. It's bonding time after all. Don't they say to involve the dad.

Love you Cardon. We are all happy you are part of our family. And I'm thrilled not to be gigantic anymore.

Pre Baby Picture Fun

2011-03-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun and silly pictures of Truman and Prentice the weekend before the baby was born. Late in posting them, but I'm sure that will be more the normal for a while now. I still wanted to post the pics though because some of them just make me laugh.

Yes...this is our son in a princess outfit.

Our very own Cruella Devil, with angry facial expressions and all.

Marshmallow rainbows, with a little sampling thorughout.

A lot of time outside on a beautiful day.

Got to love the outfit.

Last Minute Thoughts

2011-03-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

It has finally come. Tomorrow is the big day. In a way it has flown by, and at other times I thought it would never come. I hesitated to blog about anything, because I feel like there is so much to say and not a good way to say it. I'll be honest, being pregnant is not something I enjoy most the time. I have struggled with various "issues" this pregnancy, but can I really justify complaining when I have the opportunity and joy of being able to bring a child into the world.

What I will not miss:
water retention
swollen limbs
not seeing or being able to reach anything below my belly
sore ribs
27 pounds
hardly being able to stand up
having to sleep on my left side
having people stare at my big self
not having energy to do much
fear of having a healthy baby
fear of having surgery
people telling me how big I am
grunting when trying to do the smallest tasks

What I will miss(the list will be much shorter):
feeling the baby move
my sleep-I hate middle of the night wake ups
the family dynamic we have now
having no diapers or bottles to worry about
some of my independence
being able to pick up and leave without much notice

Things I worry about with the new baby:
will the baby be healthy
will I be okay
what will my hormones and emotional level settle out to be
can I handle this
how will my kids react to all this
will Truman and Prentice feel not as important or special
can I handle not having my sleep
will this be that child that will cause me heartache or struggle to find their way
can I be the mother I want to be
how will my relationship with my kids change

Things I look forward to:
having the delivery be over
being all healed physically
getting out of the hospital
finding out the sex of the baby
hearing the baby cry for the first time
finding out the weight
having Truman and Prentice meet him/her for the first time
being mom to another amazing child
appreciating every moment and milestone
the reassurance that this little baby is a perfect fit for our family

We'll let you know how it all goes. Check back for pictures soon.

Just in Time

2011-03-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to the trusted Camry and a couple weeks later found our new...VAN. Just in time for baby number 3 to join our family.

I was pretty adamant that I wanted a van, especially with our growing family. Jer tried to talk me out of it and wanted me to explore other, cooler options. But, in the end, I ended up with my first car I picked out all on my own. Jer was actually really supportive and got me just what I asked for it. It took me a couple days to express how much I LOVE it, because I felt too guilty about the money we had to spend to get it.

For all of you van haters out there, all I can say is don't diss it til you try it. It is so nice and convenient, and oddly enough I even feel a little cool driving it. Jeremy did ask me on Sunday if he could take it to do some church things. Obviously he likes it as much as I do. The kids call it the cool car and are excited every time we get in it. Truman likes being the big boy with the back seat all to himself, and Prentice is excited to be in her big girl car seat and sitting right by the baby.

Jer even started "nesting" a little and got the infant car seat in and ready to go without me even telling him to. Now we can get the baby home from the hospital.

So, if you see Jer driving around in his sleek new silver Honda Odyssey, make sure you give him a honk and a wave because he will want to know that you saw him in it!

The Countdown

2011-02-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

I am down to 2 and a half weeks until my scheduled c-section. I have been contemplating this post for a while and if I don't document some of this stuff it may never happen. The main issue right now...I am feeling huge. My legs and feet are swollen, my hands are swollen so I have a hard time wearing my wedding ring, and I am just big. I even had a 4th ultrasound that we went to yesterday and my doctors measurements to prove it! I am measuring 41 weeks as of yesterday, when I should be measuring about 36 weeks at this point. Can't wait to see the havoc this has done to my body after the delivery. The doctor is convinced I could come any time and will probably come early, but as much as I wish this were the case, I am more inclined to think that the baby is nice and happy inside and will just continue to get bigger.

Here are some pics of the belly. These are actually a couple weeks old, so imagine me even bigger as I sit here in my big bathrobe typing. I have even stopped "nesting" because I really just don't want to do much at this point.

Yesterday at the ultrasound, the normally very serious tech (we know her now after a 4th ultrasound), was seriously giggling over the very round face and CHUBBY checks on this baby. It is already measuring a little under 8 lbs. and I still have 3 weeks until my official due date. It was fun to see some pictures of the baby at this stage because it definitely looks more like a baby and less like an alien in the pics. We even got to see that it has hair.

The Cabin

2011-02-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

I had to leave this...

to head up to the cabin in Alton with the girls from Young Women. I always hate leaving Jeremy and the kids, but I have to say I love hanging out with these girls. They are so fun and teach me so much. It was also nice because I got to go with Monique, my mom, and dad. I have been before and I never sleep well and am glad to get home, but it was a fun overnight trip. We made meals, ate a lot of food, talked and talked, had a fireside where the girls asked if they could have a testimony meeting, and went sledding (actually they went sledding and I stayed at the cabin). I didn't think I should spend the money to buy maternity snow clothes.

Our Valentines

2011-02-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

We always say we should keep it simple, but when I woke up (quite a bit after Jer) I found this in a bag sitting next to me. I am not a huge jewelry person, but the few pieces I love to wear are all from Jeremy. He seems to know to keep it simple and beautiful. we are going to engrave the heart that dangles when I decide what I want on it. So meaningful and something that will remind me of "us" every time I look at it. Wonder if it will calm me down when I'm mad at him.

The kids made Valentine cards and we picked up some balloons that we took to his office. The night we picked up Cafe Rio and brought it home for a laid back dinner with the kids. Happy Valentines Day!

Walk the Path of Personal Progress

2011-02-10T16:03:00.002-08:00

We had our annual "New Beginnings" night for the Young Women last night. Our ward is so small, we combine with 2 other wards for Young women, so this year we were in charge of New Beginnings. We put a lot of effort into it and it turned out great. We have a really small group of girls, but they are so great and all pitched in with talks, thoughts, and singing. A lot of work that I'm glad to be done with, but so worth the effort. Except maybe the 3 hours it took us to frost 100 cookies. I think we will go with store bought frosting next time.

The theme for the night was "Walk the Path of Personal Progress." All of the decorations and thoughts were centered around this as you can see from the pictures below.

This is the "path" the girls walked at the end of the night and then got their picture next to the temple.

Hopefully this special night helped motivate the girls to do their personal progress and just live the values the represent young women, and also the attributes that are listed in the 13th article of faith.

Sick

2011-02-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

So these pictures are about all that has gone on at my house for the last week. That's right, we have basically not left the house for over a week. Truman and my mom started with the terrible cold and Prentice wasn't far behind. It is probably the worst cold they have had. The kids had fevers up to 104.5 and Prentice was not a fan of the cold bath to help bring it down. Sometimes Prentice would take two long naps a day. The crazy thing, is my whole family got it except for me! I don't think my pregnant body could have handled it.

Seeing your kids sick is so hard and Truman was so ready to get out and do SOMETHING. We went out for the first time today to go to story time at the library and then for a picnic at the park afterward. I have always said that we have been lucky because the kids haven't gotten sick too much, but this one taught me that kids just get sick.

St. George Airport

2011-02-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

We still had not been out to the new St. George airport that opened the first part of January, so our neighbor and friend L'Deane asked us if we wanted to go with her. It is about 20 minutes away from our house and the drive out there is actually really beautiful. In fact...I haven't seen many airports, but I have never seen one as beautiful as this one. I don't even want to know what it cost, but it is amazing.

Of course one of the first things we stopped to see was L'Deane's sculpture that she spent so many long hours on, of the youngest girl to fly across the world. Her name is Vicki Vanmeter and although she has died, her family has ties to St. George, so they commissioned this sculpture and donated it to the airport. If you are there, check it out. This picture doesn't do it justice, but we are proud right along with her.

There is a lot of artwork around the airport and even the actual architecture is art.

The kids' favorite spot was an area on the second level where you can view the planes as they land and take off.

Truman patiently waited until this plane was ready to take off.

Finally it left, and the kids couldn't have been more excited to see it. Now we just need to plan a trip so we can fly out of the airport. The kids reminded me a couple times that they have still never been on an airplane.

Blog Break

2011-01-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know if many people care...but it's been too long. I feel a little like I have been on catch up mode the last couple weeks. My new calling as the Young Women Secretary has kept me pretty busy. Do you ever feel like the secretary gets to do a lot of things that just doesn't fall under anyone elses job description? Plus I am getting big enough that I think I seriously just move at a slower pace. Here are a few things the kids have been up to and into the last while.

Jeremy brought home a big box from a printer at his work and as much as I don't like the space it takes up in our house, the kids have enjoyed it so much. They have spent a lot of time decorating it and they made the inside a haunted house with lots of spooky pictures. They take whoever will go, inside and shut the door with a flashlight to scare them with the spooky pictures. On that note, my kids have played so much better together this week. I love watching and listening to them really have fun and interact with each other. I finally feel like I am really seeing the benefits of having siblings close in age:)

I should also mention that my sweet Truman did tell me he hated me this week. I honestly don't even remember why. I just remember thinking that I had no idea things like that started this early. I expected it from teenagers, but not from Truman. He did feel bad after. Both my children also called me a liar this week as well. I know one time was because I said Truman's room wasn't clean so he couldn't stay at grandmas. Turns out when we got home, I wasn't a liar!

The kids also got to go to their first baptism. They got to go and see their friend Jordan get baptized last Saturday. They had a nice time and were were so reverent. It was a nice opportunity to talk to them about baptism and what it will mean for them. Although it has gotten Prentice worried about getting dunked under the water. I tell her not to worry, that she doesn't have to do it for a while. My dad did remind me that Truman would be getting baptized in 2 and a half years. Scary thought.

These are the footprints we found in the flour from Prentice trying to get to something on a higher shelf in the pantry. It looked like one of those plaster prints you do of your kids' hands and feet. Too bad we can't save it. I guess when you have to get a treat from the top shelf, you will do whatever it takes. At least if you're Prentice you will. You can't ignore a sweet tooth.

We laughed a lot one night watching the kids "hoopa hoop." Prentice would have us hold the hoop, while she would twirl around in the middle, convinced she was doing the real thing.

This picture shows what Truman thinks of sushi, and what Prentice thinks of sushi. I am so happy because Truman has really gotten to the point where he will eat most anything. I love that he is such a good eater. He even chastises Jer for his soda and tells him to just drink water and won't accept any juice or anything if it's offered to him. I can't believe how dark his hair is getting. I think he may be dark with his amazing blue eyes. Fun to see him change.

Post Christmas

2011-01-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

We headed up north to spend time with family the day after Christmas. We had no idea we would want to turn around because we were so freezing the whole time. We have turned into wimps.

We attended the annual Ballam Christmas party. The videos are too long to upload, but the kids sang "Jingle Bells" and Truman read a Christmas book about the birth of Christ.

The kids loved being able to spend time with their cousin Lilly.

I really like this picture of my Grandpa Ballam.

We also made a trip to the Planetarium with the Larsens and Grandma Linda. The kids were still a little young to understand too much but it was still fun.

Since we didn't get to go sledding on Christmas Eve, we knew that no matter how cold it was, we wanted to take the kids while we were there. Luckily it snowed one day, so there was enough snow to sled. They had so much fun. Neither of them was a bit scared and Truman even started everyone going off the big bump. I always find it amazing that kids don't seem to notice the cold.

Here is Truman going off his jump.

Lucky for us, the Leonards have a hill in their front yard, where we could watch them sled as much as they wanted while we were warm inside. So after this sledding spot we just let them sled there.