Utah {Week 2}

Another week here in this desert has flown by. In a way, I'm glad that we are staying for another week because a lot of this week was wiped out. Remember how C had a bad cold? Well, we had to take her to the ER because she couldn't breathe she had so much gunk in her. They had to stick a tube down her little nose and suction everything out. Boy, was that a long night. Needless to say, we didn't really go anywhere this week, and I had to cancel some plans, because I didn't want to spread the germs...

So, we stayed home for the most part.

We dyed Easter Eggs for the first time. 

Yes, for the first time. 

It was a lot of fun, and the girls were quite creative. 

Halle loved the little wire that held the eggs. She thought it was her little spectacle and used it to "look" at everything.

She gave me this look a couple of times, and I'm so glad that I caught it on camera, because it is absolutely priceless! I just love the shape of her little lips!

After dying the eggs, the girls decided to try and climb the fence. I was proud of Halle for trying to climb the fence in her rainboots. That's talent, I tell ya!

My mom is the stake YW president, so she was busy getting ready for the broadcast. She was in charge of centerpieces, and she didn't really have the time to get them done, so I took the project on myself.  I went to Joanne's and got some little flowers and made 12 centerpieces. I was pretty proud of how they turned out!

We went shopping at City Creek with my Oma, and the girls got little cell phones that have makeup inside of them.... so this week, they have looked pretty awesome. I felt like I have been walking around with supermodels. :)

Ava finally convinced Halle to let her do her makeup, and this was the end result....

Purple eyeshadow with black eyeliner. It's a classic look, don't you think?

Towards the end of the week, it was nice weather and Colbie was feeling better. We headed to Temple Square or "Temple of the Squares"as Halle called it. 

Since I grew up in Utah, I feel like I have taken the rich history for granted. I want my children to come here and appreciate our culture and our heritage. I loved walking around and seeing the tourists, the missionaries, and especially the brides. Why the brides? Because it reminds me of my wedding day.... almost 7 years ago.... and how lucky I am to be sealed to my husband. I feel like the SL Temple is like a castle.... it's just breathtaking! 

Since it's so close to General Conference, Temple Square was busy being prepped for next week's events. I loved seeing how hard the people were working... it gave me a little glimpse as to how hard the pioneers worked to establish Temple Square. No wonder we are called the Beehive State. :)

 Next, we visited the Children's Museum. Halle loved wearing this bright yellow skirt!!

P.S. It drives me nuts that Blogger uploads some pictures sideways!!!

Today, we had and Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma C's house. This is the first year that we have been able to go. For the first few years, I worked every Saturday, and we were in Oregon last year, so it was fun to be able to participate. 

Finally, here are just a couple of random pictures from today.

Ava likes to carry Colbie around.... mind you, Colbie weighs a whopping 17.82 lbs, so it's a little difficult for Ava... but I feel like Colbie is stable enough for Ava to carry while she's standing up. Does it make me nervous? Heck yes. But I have to learn to let go sometimes. Ava has been prepping for this day since little (big?) C was born.

 P.S. Aren't they gorgeous girls?

And lastly.... I tried to get a decent pic of Halle, but this is all I got...

The last one is my favorite. This little girl is so full of personality. The other night, we were putting her to bed, and she told us she couldn't walk because her toe hurt.... we asked her why it hurt and she said it was because she fell off the bed.... last night. Hmmmm..... so her toe mysteriously hurts 20 hours later because she fell off the "bed" she's been sleeping on? Just so you know, the girls have been sleeping on the floor, so it was hilarious that she "fell off the bed".....

We have one more week left here, and it's filled with visiting friends and family.

While I am grateful for the time I have had here, I am missing home and Nate. Man, do I miss talking to him late at night and I miss being in my own home. But, this little vacation won't last forever, so I need to just take advantage of the time I have here in Utah.

Power of the Priesthood

Growing up, I always had the priesthood in my home. My dad held it, and has always respected it greatly. While I knew what it was, and had heard stories of it, I never fully understood its power until my brother was diagnosed with cancer. There were many times when he received priesthood blessings, and I absolutely know that he is alive because of the priesthood.

 

Since I witnessed miracles with Nelson, having my husband be a worthy priesthood holder was something I insisted on. I knew I wanted someone who took the priesthood seriously, and someone who would cherish it as I do.

 

It's no surprise that Nate is a worthy priesthood holder. He has given me blessings, and has given our girls blessings. He has also help to administer blessings to others when needed.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that our Heavenly Father delivers miracles through the priesthood. Everytime I have had a blessing, been set apart, and even when I do temple work, I feel the spirit so strongly and receive the confirmation that this gospel is true. It's real. God is real. And He loves us so much that He has given this amazing power to act in His name.

 

 

 

Where am I going with this? Well, Colbie has developed a cough while she sleeps. It has made for some long nights, and the other night, it was a disaster. She coughed so hard that she puked all over herself. Not once, but twice. She had so much gunk in her, that it was making it difficult to breath. Since I am here in Utah, and hundreds of miles away from my doctor and health facilities, I asked my dad to give her a blessing. He went and got his next door neighbor, and they administered to her a priesthood blessing. The moment they laid their hands on her, and my dad started to speak, I was overcome with the spirit. While my dad was physically doing the talking, I know that the things said came from Heavenly Father.

 

After the blessing was done, I went and wrapped Colbie up and laid her down. She has not coughed once. She hasn't gagged, she isn't stuffy, and she is able to breathe easily.

 

I know that the blessing she received healed her.

There is no other explanation for it.

 

I am so grateful to know that I can go to my dad, or my husband and ask for a priesthood blessing.



Utah {Week 1}

This first week in Utah has flown by. I am loving every minute of it, but I find myself missing Nate, and missing the green trees. And the nice weather.

:)

 

Our first night here, Colbie was all smiles and giggles... but then again, when isn't she all smiles and giggles. Honestly, she is just the most pleasant baby that has ever been on this earth.

She has loved getting lots of attention from Opa and Grammie.

 

Some may be wondering why I came a little early to Utah. Originally, I wasn't planning on coming until the 22nd, but then I found out that my brothers were going to be in town, so I came to spend a couple of days with them. They absolutely love their nieces, and my girls love them.

 



When I came to Utah last August, there was a whole list of places I wanted to eat. Crown Burger was one of them... sadly, I didn't make it. So, I made sure we ate there first thing!!

 

Since I knew I would be consuming a million calories on this burger, I made sure I went running that morning. My brother made fun of me for doing it, but it's pretty much the only way I could justify eating this delicious pile of meat.

 



 

And I am not ashamed to say that I stuffed my face. Then, I saw this picture, and realized just how faat and short my fingers are. Now I am certain of where Ava got her little pudgy fingers. Ha!

 



Monday, we went to my soul sista's house. Andrea and I have been friends for 9 years. I met her when she was engaged to her hubby, and she was there when I met Nate.... I think I've mentioned this before, but her #3 child was born on my birthday, and my #3 child was born on her birthday. Crazy, huh? I just love her and her kiddos, and we had such a fun time!! She even pampered me and gave me water with a straw! Now that's a thoughtful friend!

 



We have spent time with Nate's family. They all got to meet Miss C for the first time.

 



 

And it has snowed. While the snow is just gorgeous to look at, it's just not for me. I was reminded of this as I was scraping off my car, and my hand almost fell off because it was so cold.

 



C turned 4 months. More on that later...

 



 

 We have been able to hang out with Margeaux and her beautiful miracle baby. Margeaux and I have known each other since 8th grade. We lived by each other in student housing, and we even went to hair school together. She is one of my dearest friends!! Baby Z was born 6 days before Colbie. I love that Margeaux and I have kiddies the same age!

 

Margeaux has 2 dogs, and A and H had fun feeding them and playing with them.

 



 

 Saturday, it was my mother-in-law's birthday. She requested that I make her cupcakes, but she doesn't really like chocolate. Hmmmm..... so when she wanted me to make her some Oreo cupcakes, I immediately knew that I wanted to try some Golden Oreo cupcakes. They were delicious!

 

 We were able to visit my Oma and Opa. Colbie is named after my Oma. Her name is

 Anneke (Ona-ka) which means little Anna. I still have all four of my grandparents alive, which means that my kids have all four of their great-grandparents alive. I know I am blessed, and I want to savor each moment my kids are with them. On the way home, I want to stop at my mom's parents house and my great-grandma's house so they can all meet Colbie and I can get pictures of them with my girls.

 

 

 

And I just had to take this awesome picture of Halle. Her hair has been so static-y lately... it cracks me up!

 



 

We Made It!

I've wanted to come to Utah since about January, but it's been hard to pinpoint when I wanted to come. To be honest, I really didn't want to tell anyone that I was coming because I just wanted to be able to leave Oregon whenever I wanted to.... and come back whenever I wanted to. I guess you could say that this is my last crazy-free-for-all-hippie-no obligations vacation before I come a school mom. Ah yes, a school mom. When Ava starts kindergarten in the fall, my life will dramatically change forever. My life will revolve around school and days off and school lunches and everything in between... and I will no longer be able to wake up whenever I want to and do whatever I want to. I am excited for this new school adventure, but nervous at the same time (I'm not much of a morning person...) so I decided to pack my 3 girls up and drive to Utah. By myself. In my unreliable van. In one day.

Crazy, right?

Yep.

However, it was a blast traveling with my girls. They were absolute angels, I tell ya! They fought like one time, and Ava was my lifesaver! I left at 6:30 a.m. and we made 3 stops along the way, just so I could feed Colbie, and we made it to Utah around 11:00 p.m. In one piece. And we were happy. And we surprised my mom!

You see, she thought I was coming around the 22nd... but then I found out that my brothers were coming down from Boise the 18th through the 21st, so I figured I might as well join them! And why not? I don't have any obligations to fulfill up in the Great Northwest, and I knew Nate was a big boy and could handle himself for a few weeks... so I told my dad I was coming down, so that if something happened, he didn't have any plans and could come help me.... and we were able to keep it a secret from my mom! Eeeee! It was so exciting!

So, here I am, in Utah, for three whole weeks... maybe longer.... just kidding. I miss Nate too much already. I can't be away from him for any longer than that.

I am so grateful I made it here safely. I know with every fiber in my being that Heavenly Father sent angels to watch over me and protect me. I said many prayers and I know Nate was praying for our safety.... and here we are!

We made it!

Colbie {3 Months}h

Oh, how I love this little lady. She literally melts my heart every. single. time. I look at her!

She has made life so rich and so enjoyable. As much as I love being a mother to three darling girls, I feel as if I'm finally taking moments to just stop and smell the roses. I am not anticipating Colbie's next stages, but trying to savor the sweet stage she is in.

 

She has just gotten over a terrible, terrible cold, but you would never know she was sick. She just constantly smiles and babbles away. She loves to tell us stories, and is becoming very animated and expressive.

 



Yes, we are still dealing with thrush. I slather her bottom with coconut oil (which is antifungal) after every diaper change, and I apply coconut oil to myself as well. I'm still taking probiotics twice a day and trying to limit my sugar intake. Every load of laundry is washed with vinegar, which kills the yeast, and  I have my Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract on hand and ready to go just in case the thrush completely flares up again. But in the mean time, I've just come to accept that this is how it is, and while it is cumbersome at times, I am grateful it hasn't gotten to the point that I can't nurse her anymore.

 



Colbie weighs about 17 pounds right now. She is bigger than her BFF, Piper, who is 2 months older than her. She is wearing 6-9 month clothing, and has literally grown out of every piece of clothing I had for her. I wasn't prepared to have such a squishy baby, so needless to say, I get to go shopping a lot. :)

 



We are still in debate as to whether or not she will have brown eyes. There are times when I swear I can see flecks of brown and gold starting to form around her pupil, but then other times they look blue. However.... they aren't a bright blue like Ava's and Halle's were at 3 months.... they are still a steel color, so I still have my fingers crossed!

 

Colbie is sleeping through the night, and has been for a couple of months... I have yet to move her into her own crib, and she still sleeps right by me. This is the longest I've had any of my girls sleep in our room, but I am not ready to have her sleep alone. :( She still stirs around 5 in the morning, but I quickly feed her and she goes right back to sleep, so maybe that's why she is still sleeping by me.

 



Dang Blogger... it sometimes loads the pictures sideways! Yikes!

 

Nate loves Miss Colbie. He loves to hold her and play with her, just as much as I do. I am forever grateful that he wants to be involved in our girls lives as much as possible. He is completely willing to change diapers, give baths, comb hair, read stories, and spend time wrestling and playing with the girls, and let me tell you... the girls just eat it up! I absolutely adore the picture above, because only a baby can make a grown man make funny faces, talk silly, and work harder than anything just to get a sweet little smile.

 

We love our Miss Colbster. 

Thoughts

Once upon a time, I was a mother of two kids. As this mother,  I often wondered why other mom's seemed to struggle with getting things done. For the most part, my house was cleaned on a regular basis, dishes were done every night, and the laundry was pretty much put away. I got up and showered and put on makeup and actually got dressed. Grocery shopping was done on a consistent basis, I exercised somewhat regularly, and I usually had time to fit in a couple of crafts here and there.

 

And then,

I had a third kid. 

 

The past three months have been a beautiful whirlwind of mass chaos. I now understand constant fatigue and constant mayhem. I am learning, ever so slowly learning, how to pick my battles and what battles to pick.

 

So for now, my battle is the downstairs of our home. It's picked up every night, and the dishes are done. The upstairs, however, is a different story. It maybe gets a thorough cleaning once a week....

oh well... that's life, huh?

 

There are days when I am sinking. I feel overwhelmed when I look around me and see all that there is to do. I'm not complaining, because being overwhelmed means I have responsibility. It means that I have 3 children who depend on me, a calling to serve in, a house that needs taking care of, meals that need to be cooked, laundry to be folded, and tears to be wiped.

 

But there are days where I am happily swimming. Days where I look around me and see how blessed I am, where I can laugh with my girlies, days where I have endless snuggles with my favorite baby, and days where I actually get stuff done. :)

 

Speaking of getting things done, Nate and I have been refinishing a table. When we moved up here, we bought a pretty cheap table, one to just get us by for awhile, and I've been on the hunt for a table to refinish since buying a whole new set is just way too pricey for me.

 

My friend, who is a genius at refinishing furniture, found a table at Goodwill for $15. The best part? It comes with a leaf... even better is it didn't have any chairs. I have wanted mismatched chairs forever!

 

We started by sanding the top of the table. It was a lot of work, but fun!

We stained the top a deep brown color and distressed it somewhat, and it turned out beautifully (pictures to come later).

 

 

I decided to spray paint the bottom an offwhite color. I have way too much black and red in my house, so I'm trying to brighten things up a little bit.

The chairs will be painted the same offwhite color, but I want to stencil numbers on the chairs in light blue, light green, and yellow.

 

 

 We have all been sick... not all at the same time, but one right after the other, so we have spent lots of time in bed. First Nate got it, then I got it, then Ava had a little bit of it, and I think poor Halle got the worst of it...

 

But through it all, Ava has been a tremendous helper to me.

She is very proud that she can hold Colbie without help, and I love it because I can get things done without feeling like I'm totally neglecting Colbie. 

 

Speaking of Colbie, I've felt a little guilty not being able to hold her as often as I want to. She is such a fantastic baby, and hardly cries, so it's easy to just let her lay there...

but I have stuff I've got to do. Anyone else feel like this?

 

I love this girl we call Halle. She has officially entered the thundering three's. Whoever said it was the terrible two's obviously didn't have a three year old. Halle has picked up on Ava's whining habits, and can wail like the best of them... she's stubbornly independent, and has a curiosity about life that cannot be satisfied. However, she has a vivid imagination, and when she's happy, she has the purest look of joy. She is pretty much a happy-go-lucky kind of girl, and she is so much fun.

 





Ava is growing up a little too fast for me. She already has had her first love (our neighbor named Kadin). She loves to give bunny ears to people when I'm taking pictures of them... she thinks it's the greatest thing on the earth. We recently registered her for kindergarten, and she talks all day about going to school and eating lunch there. I've had to explain to her that she won't be eating lunch at school until she's in first grade, but she still likes to talk about it. Ava is a little afraid of riding the bus. She is worried that she'll get on the wrong bus, and won't know how to get home. I've explained to her that the teachers will help her get on the right bus, and she knows our phone number, so she can tell the bus driver to call if she is lost. She is also worried that she is going to miss me when she's at school, so we are going to make matching Mom and Ava bracelets to wear. When we are missing each other, we can look at the bracelet and know that everything will be alright.

 



Ava is pretty creative, and she has been expanding on that creativeness by making food art. Most recently, she has made bats out of Oreos. My friend bought me some MEGA Stuff Oreos, which were absolutely delicious! So much better than crappy single stuff ones.

 



The girls play with each other all day long. They set up elaborate games of Littlest Pet Shop, Barbies, Princess, and Ponies.



I just love seeing what they come up with.

 



 

I have been getting oodles of smiles and giggles from this little girl.

Our world revolves around her, and we are just fine with that.

 

 Life may be chaotic right now, but it's a good life.

I wouldn't have it any other way, and I am preparing myself for an increase in chaos, especially when Ava starts school. :)