J & J plus 3

I'm Back!

2011-01-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

Okay for those of you who have been so diligently hounding me to get back on the blogging band wagon take a moment to sit down, take deep breaths and let the heart rate come back to normal after the shock of seeing me update my blog after over a year. It is not that I have not been around because I have. I have been thoroughly enjoying all of your blogs, they have made me smile and have helped me feel connected to all of you that I love.
So to give you just a brief explanation as to why I have not been blogging...because life has been crazy!!!!!! To say the least. Over the past few years we have been experiencing what I like to think of as "The Refiners Fire". Hopefully we are now heading towards that part where all of the blessing are poured on us after the trial. Okay so maybe we have been bless immensely all along the way, I think that I am just hoping for a little bit of a reprieve from the trials.
Through everything I have experience incredible awakenings of understanding. I have also relearned the same lesson that I have been taught many times before and will learn over and over again for the rest of my life and that is that my Heavenly Father loves me and walks with me daily through this life. He has blessed me immensely and during times of trial it is so beautiful that if you choose you can see him in everything. I love him and I am so very thankful for him and his son. Also, for the knowledge I have of what they have given me. They both have been very patient and long suffering with me. During my tantrums they would let me get if off of my chest and then would lovingly show me the errors of my way. I am so very thankful for my life, for the hope I have for the future and for those around me who lift and love me along the way.

Now with all that mushy stuff out of the way, my hope is to keep up better with this blog. Everyone keep your fingers crossed, if you are still with me!

Halloween

2009-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

This year Halloween was so much fun for me because I was able to take my kiddos to my old neighborhood where I used to go trick or treating and also because we got to spend it with lots of family. The kids seamed to have so much fun and are already talking about next Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Hope you all have an awesome day!

P.S. Thanks Summer for the idea, I just couldn't help myself.

Halloween Breakfast

2009-10-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

For Halloween breakfast I planned some horrifying delectables of Giant Eyes (bagels, cream cheese and jam) Goblin Toes (sausages) Monster Mouths (apples with almond teeth) and Pumpkin Blood (orange julius). I was so excited about making such a fun breakfast and was hoping it would put us in the right Halloween mood. Well unfortunately the breakfast didn't go over well with the kiddos. They were not interested in any way with the food. So the kids had marshmallow mates and orange julius, which they did add a couple of spiders to. Well,I tried. What are ya gonna do.

Halloween Parade

2009-10-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is Drew at his schools Halloween parade. He was so nervice we couldn't get him to smile, but he was so cute in his little G.I. Joe costume. TJ and Abby had so much fun watching all the kids go by. Infact I think TJ could have sat there all day watching it.

Blessed

2009-10-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am not really sure exactly what I would like to say here or exactly how to express all of my feelings but I am just feeling such gratitude for all that I have and all that I have been given. Over the past couple of years life has been a roller coast there have been ups and downs and then some loop-de-loops. Right now I am still on that crazy roller coaster and I am not sure where it is going to go next but I am able to look back and see the path that I have been on and truly I have been so greatly blessed in so many ways and by so many people. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of where those blessings come from and I am so thankful for my Savors love for me. I am also so very thankful to all of you (you know who you are and if you are thinking I wonder if it is me then the answer is YES)who have helped me and been there for me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love you all so much.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you Cylee!

2009-06-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Cylee for giving me the opportunity to be able to take this picture. Not only did she take the boys for me while I went and got my hair cut but she also completely wore them out. I have not had them both take a nap at the same time in a very very long time, it was an amazingly sweet moment in time for me

Drew's Birthday

2009-05-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

About Drew at the age of 5:
-Very sensitive
-Peacemaker
-Giving to brother and sister
-Very silly
-Saying new things and in very different ways (unfortunately for today it was "I don't like you", I am sure I will hear that a lot in the years to come)
-Still loves Star Wars
-Loves to spend time with his Dad
-Loves being with friends
-Still our little Romeo

Drew, I love you in so many ways. I am so thankful that were my first child, you set such a good example for your brother and sister. I know that I can always count on you to help me and to be patient when I have to help one of the other kids. You are such a loving boy

Day at the park continued

2009-05-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

Day at the park.

2009-05-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

Throwback Thursday Funny

2009-05-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

So the last Throwback Thursday I did was suppose to be video clips, but I did it wrong and just realized it (not a big shocker... apparently I am slow). Here are the clips from that post. Hope you enjoy the show!

Motherhood

2009-04-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I heard about a blog a mom started to talk about all the fun of motherhood and thinking that it would give me a good laugh I logged on to check it out, boy was I terribly disappointed. Not only was the blog very negative I left it wondering why this person every had kids if all she was going to do was to complain and even curse them. For me being a mother right now is incredibly challenging with a 5, 3 and 3 month old. Some days I have to admit I wonder how I ever thought that I could be a good mom (today is defiantly one of those days). I might not be perfect, I might not get out of bed until after 9:00 and I might have shared a breakfast of teddy grahams with my kids today (and I wonder why I can't loose this baby fat!) but I totally love them and am so grateful for my kids and what they are helping me learn in life. Each child brings me different challenges and each child helps me to feel joy in different ways. I am very grateful for the gospel to help me have the desire to strive to be better and to work harder. I love my kids!!! Now I am off to tackle my ever messy house!

2009-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

By request this is a picture of my beautiful mom. Her handsome accomplice in the picture is Drew at about 5 months.

Throwback Thursday

2009-04-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is our third Thanksgiving together, but our first that we did all on our own.

Yes, it is true I left a packet in the turkey. But in my defence I
did check the bird before cooking it.

Catch up.

2009-03-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the onslaught of posts. I haven't been very consistant in posting, so make sure that you check out all of my new stuff.

LOL!!

Abby's Blessing

2009-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

This was a very special day to me for two reasons.
First reason is the spirit.
Baby blessings are so very sweet and the spirit is just so over whelming when you have a new little one who has just left their Heavenly Father to come join us in this earthly life. I also love to hear my darling husband use his Priesthood power to bless my children, I can feel his love for them, for me, for our Heavenly Father and can feel the power and authority by which he blesses them.

Second reason is family.
Both Jeff and I are so blessed with amazing families who are very loving and supportive. We love to have these events to be able to bring us all together to spend time with.
We love you all and thank you for making sacrifices to be able to share this special day with us.

2009-03-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

My 28th Birthday.

2009-03-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I had such a great birthday this year, it happened to fall in the same weekend as Abby's blessing so I had tons of family around and loved every moment. I think we should do it every year. Just maybe not with the baby factur in there.

2009-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

My little gamer.

2009-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I both enjoy playing video games here and there so naturally our kids would be exposed to them but I had no idea the level of addiction that would be passed on to Drew. The boys really enjoyed watching me play games since they could not play for themselves until shortly before I had the baby. One day I was playing a game (for the kids of course) and at one point I had to step away to do something and left the controller on the ground Drew picked it up and without any help figured out how to play it himself. Since that time it has become an everyday event to see Drew playing away with his sidekick (TJ) at his side. It is the first thing that he wants to do when he gets up and some mornings I am not even aware that they are awake until I come into the living room and see them both seated in their usual spots attention glued to the game. This was a total life saver for me at the end of the pregnancy since I was struggling to do just about anything but especially entertain my kids. Now it has turned into an obsession far beyond anything I could have imagined. Drew really enjoys playing two player games with Jeff since it makes him feel so big to be playing games with his Dad. Not a day goes by that Jeff doesn't walk in the house and the first words out of Drews mouth to him is "Do you want to play a game" and usually you will not stop hearing it until at least one game is played. I love my little gamer and am totally impressed with his ability to put a game in and figure it out. However starting next week we are having an intervention and I am sure that rehab from constant gaming will be challenging for all involved, I'll keep you posted.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

We definitely had the luck of the Irish with us on St. Patrick's Day, while the boys and I were at the store a Leprechaun came to our house and left some of his gold for the boys to find. The boys had so much fun with the hunt for all the hidden treasure. Drew being the sweety that he is wanted to make sure that Jeff was not left out since he was at work all day; so Drew took some of his gold and left it for Jeff on his nightstand (he is such a giving boy). We also enjoyed a very lucky lunch of green wraps, orange carrots and also a green milkshake followed up by their chocolate treasures.

A hazard here in Fernley that you should all know about!

2009-03-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

To those of you who don't live in Fernley you might
think that this is just big piles of weeds.
Well you are wrong!

This is what happens in the spring and fall when the wind is blowing
directly at our house, you get what we call the state flower aka
tumble weed swallowing our house and our car. Soon our
garden starts to look like we are growing tumble weed
there instead of something like roses!
Just for the record we did clean our yard up already
once this season from these menaces.
But not only did they come back but the previous one left
their mark by leaving bits of the sharp branches all
over my yard, which will eventually be tracked in on my carpets
and inevitably end up in my foot.

This particularly beautiful specimen happens to be larger then
my two year old and I have even seen them bigger then this.
Janie swears she saw a family of them crossing the road the
other day. There are times that I am afraid to let my children
out in the front yard for fear that they will be mauled by an angry
tumble weed. At night when it is dark and the wind is howling
you can hear them trying to break down our door to get in.
They are taking over our city!
Something must be done! We can not as responsible citizens
allow these hoodlums take over our community.
WHO IS WITH ME?

My new obsession

2009-03-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know that this blog has been a complete tribute to Abby so far, but do you blame me
she is so sweet and with her being so new my little world revolves around her right now.
These are her one month pictures that my friend Janie and I took ; which by the way Janie I tried
to order these from Walmart.com and they sent me an email telling me that I needed written
consent from the photographer because of copy right infringement.
So thank you Janie, you have such a good eye. You really should do this professionally

I am liberated!

2009-02-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

You know the saying "what has gotten into you", well this is not about what has gotten into me it is about what is not in me any more. After such a trying pregnancy for me I am so very excited to not be pregnant any more. I love that I can sleep on my back. I love that I can bend and move. I love that I don't look like a 90 year old with two hip replacements when I walk any more. I love that I can sit on the floor and get up with out looking like I am completly disabled. I love that I can get out of bed without looking like a beached whale. I love that I can stand on my counter top to put up my roman shades that have been sitting in our office for over six months. I love that I can chase my kids around the house to tickle them. I love that I can hug my kids and husband normally. I love that I no longer need 500 pillows to be able to sleep comfortably any more. I love that I don't have to say I can't do something because I'm pregnant.

I am so very grateful for the miracle of being able to get pregnant, to then carry the child for 9 months and then to be able to give birth to beautiful children. I am also very grateful to have that experience so I can appreciate all that I can do in my day to day life when I am not pregnant.

2009-02-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

2009-02-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Abigail Elizabeth
Born January 24, 2009 1:22 p.m.
6 lbs. 14oz. 19 inch long
Jeff and I were married for three years before we were blessed with our first child during those 3 years we had an imaginary baby named Abigail which we would joke around about, like accidentally leaving her at home when we went to church. I think that we were both convinced that our first child would be a girl, well two wonderful boys later we finally have our little Abigail.

On the night when I finally came to terms with my twinges of baby hunger last January I turned to Jeff and told him that I thought he should pray about having another baby. That night I felt so strongly that it would be a girl so I added that baby Abigail was waiting to come to our family. We are so very excited to have her here with us.

God definitely put our kids in perfect order. Drew is a great example to his little brother and sister, he is always looking out for them. TJ knows how to stir things up and is fun loving. Abigail is so very lucky to have them both.

We are all very excited to have a little girl in the house, especially me. I don't think that I can get enough pink or bows. I love putting her in all her cute little clothes. I am so very excited for the future to be able to have a little girl pal to have around to do all of those girly things with.

2009-02-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

The boys absolutley love their little
sister and are so good with her.

2009-02-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

Before

During
( Jeff thought that it would be a good idea to take a
picture of me having a contraction to help remind
me next time I say that I want another kid.)

After

I would like to mention that with in days of having
Abby we both were talking about the next baby.

2009-02-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

This is my first post thanks to my friend Cylee who has brought me into the year 2009 and the world of blogging.
This is a picture of Drew and Cylee on his first day of Preschool back in February of last year.
Cylee has been such a great friend and inspiration to me and my family, she totally makes my life better and lifts me up.

Thanks Cylee!