Our little butterball

Leah at six weeks

Leah at almost 6 months

I just want to kiss this little girl over and over again, she is the sweetest thing! You can't help but love her and all of her rolls that are included.

When we first brought our little Leah home, I was sure that she just wasn't going to survive. She got all the way down to 5 pounds after being home for less than we week. I was just almost scared that I was going to hurt her every time I would pick her up. I remember calling the nursery at the hospital, and I was just crying as I talked the nurse asking her how I could get her to eat more, and what all I should be doing. She assured me that things would be okay.

Let's just say the nurse was right, and things are more than okay now with this sweet little girl. Before I couldn't get her to eat, and now I can't get her to stop eating. She started on baby food about a month ago, and she loves it! I can't get Audrey to eat anything but Leah sure loves her food, and it shows. She is growing, growing, growing.Audrey has always had at least a pound on Leah, and I would say that now Leah has at least 2 pounds on Audrey. She is much bigger than her sister.

I still am in awe as I just look at my four little daughters every night. The good days by far out weigh the bad ones. It may be an estrogen filled household but I still love it!

It's my lucky day!

Who-hoo, today has been a GREAT day. The morning started off with a trip to Home Depot to pick up some flowers so that I can try and attempt at beautifying my front yard. After we got home Kelsie's best friend on the planet came over to play. In the meantime I was looking through our bills and decided that I was going to call AT&T to see about lowering our phone bill,and that my friends was when the great news hit. Instead of paying for our cable through Comcast which is another story in itself, I could have cable, Internet, and UNLIMITED LONG DISTANCE CALLING for a much better rate than what we are paying for just cable alone. On top of all of this we also are getting a $150.00 cash back incentive just for signing up. It doesn't get any better than this or so you would think but it does. There is also some type of promotion going on in our area and for 6 months we get all of this for $79.00. Doranda at AT&T deserves a raise, she just made my day.

My husband also has not only today off from work but has TOMORROW OFF as well. His last day off of work was March 16th if you can believe it so days off are definitely a luxury around here. We love having him home with us!

Tonight, we are off to a barbecue and I don't have to have to cook which I am very excited about. I love days like this!

Spring is in bloom, the weather has been in the high 80's, and my days of waking up at 5:45 a.m. are almost over as summer will soon be approaching. Life is good.

The many faces of Kelsie

I am litterally at the end of my rope with this little girl. I have to admit that out of all these pictures, the last one is my favorite and says a lot about her still to this day. SHE IS CONSTANTLY GETTING INTO EVERYTHING! If it's not play-doh all over the floor, it's her getting into my lipstick, if it's not lipstick, it's pulling everything out of her drawers in order to look for the perfect outfit. If she's not upstairs making a mess, she's downstairs making a mess. Yes I will admit, I would rather be doing something else other than constantly having to clean up after her but her messes aren't the worst part. It's this whole separation anxiety that I mentioned before that is just driving me to drink, (which is saying a lot considering I don't drink) If I am clearly not in her view she goes ballistic. Here are just a few examples: yesterday we all went to an outdoor mall where they have some water fountains that kids can play in. I let her and Alyssa play while the babies and I sat down on the grass. (Mind you, it wasn't far from where the fountains were but I made sure to tell Kelsie exactly where I would be.)In the middle of playing in the water she can't see me and so she starts screaming. I put the babies both down on the grass and run over to her as fast as I can to assure her that I haven't left. She's now okay for the time being. Next scenario, I didn't go to church today but called one of my ward members to see about her taking Alyssa and Kelsie to church. She comes to pick up the girls, and immediately Kelsie starts screaming. All morning long I had a talk with Kelsie and told her that I wouldn't be at church today but that this lady who she knows very well would be taking her and Alyssa to church. It was a no-go, no-win situation, and she would have NOTHING to do with the situation.

Tell me please what I am doing wrong here. I need some advice quick! I feel like she is definitely acting out and I am not sure how to help her. Maybe she is jealous of the babies, maybe she needs some alone time with Mom. I don't really know what the problem is. She has never acted out like this before, and it concerns me. Please help me bring back my fun-loving four year old.

Alyssa's first marathon

Well we had the first marathon runner in our house and sadly to say it wasn't me nor Kevin that ran, our seven year old beat us to the punch. Alyssa ran her little heart out tonight at the Tennessee Titans stadium. Her elementary school has been running 1 mile each day for the last five weeks totaling 25 miles ran. Well, tonight they were able to run the last mile making it a grand total of 26 miles ran. Jeff Fisher, the coach of the Tennesee Titans was at the finish line to shake each child's hand that ran in the race. The marathon was for all the elementary schools in the area, and each grade ran at different times throughout the night. Alyssa got a little nervous when she saw how many people were there to watch but she did great. She even wore her lucky red ring for the race.

It made me so proud to watch as my cute little daughter ran across that finish line. She was so happy to be a part of the Nashville kids marathon.

Rachel and her fight with MS

To know Rachel is to love her, and anyone who knows her would definitely agree. Rachel and I became great friends several years ago while living in the great cinderblock apartments at the University Of Utah. Our friendship has remained constant, and she has been such a great source of inspiration to me.

Rachel was diagonosed with Multiple Sclerosis 11 years ago, and through it all she just remains positive. Here is a story that Rachel wrote about having MS.

Everyone hates to have a rock in their sandal, you notice it immediately and the first few seconds are spent wiggling your feet or kicking your sandal to get the rock out...I have had a proverbial rock in my sandal since Easter of 1998. I was a month shy of my 20th birthday and had come home from college for the weekend, but with a weird symptom (numbness in my right hand that interfered with daily life). I told my parents who took me to the doctor and a slew of tests later, I was given my humbling diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. I remember the day as clear as if it were yesterday, the sky was gray and I think my sisters looked at me just a little differently and my parents gave me unconditional, yet nervous hugs. The symptoms disappeared after 3 weeks and a follow-up appointment with MRI showed the lesions had resolved. Three years later, married, in the middle of nursing school I had my second “noticeable” attack, this time with tingling down my legs when I bowed my head. After consulting with my nurse friends I went to the doctor and was advised to start medication; but, my husband and I wanted to have kids--we were given a month to "try" and got Jorden, I believe it was meant to be. I was very stubborn though and wanted to breastfeed, against the advice of my doctor. I didn't go back to the clinic. I enjoyed my day-to-day life, trying not to think about 'it", any little things that made me stop and wonder 'is this an attack?' were brushed under the rug in my subconscious.When Jorden was three years old I gave birth to our second son, Cameron, things were great, and I went back to work part-time as a nurse in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit and just took care of my family and home.Thanksgiving 2005 was not all about the turkey, I had another attack, but this time it affected my walking, my left leg felt like lead every time I would get up from sitting or laying down, I would have to grab the wall to steady myself, the symptoms only lasted 10-20 seconds, but it happened every time I got up, I was scared. The fear itself was disabling....I looked at my young, young boys and cried wondering if I would be able to take care of them....I didn't hold anything back, I told my husband and my in-laws and knew that the 8 years of denial would have to stop. I went to my doctor and with a lot of prayer and faith knew that starting one of the MS disease-modifying drugs was the right choice, I chose Copaxone because it was the one I knew I could still breastfeed my baby with.The symptoms disappeared, just like the others and I have been giving my daily “pinch” (as Jorden calls it) for about a month, they still sting and I hope it is doing it's job... These last few months have probably been the most emotional and trying months of my life thus far. I know my husband is scared, he worries about me and wonders what the future holds, but he loves me dearly. So, hopefully someday there will be a cure and others, especially my children or grandchildren won't be plagued with the fear, uncertainty, pain and frustration, won’t be plagued with the "rock" that we have dealt with

Rachel is my rock, and I look up to her in so many ways. Thank you for being such a great friend Rach!

All in a day's work

Anyone ever tried this at home? Looks like a grand idea if you ask me. No, don't worry, those aren't my kids but today a little four year old at my house could of used a cage. The morning started with a doctor's appointment down in Nashville for a lovely skin condition that Kelsie and Alyssa have now been struggling with for almost a year. Paid $40.00 basically to learn that I need to put some ointment on their skin, and give them some oral prescription medication 2x a day for 4 months. Kelsie actually behaved herself at the appointment. Mission accomplished, onto our next assignment which was going to be going to the grocery store until the babies decided that it was nap time. Headed home for naps, and decided to tackle the grocery store when Alyssa got home from school. This was not okay with Kelsie but I told her politely that I was her boss, and she was not the boss of me. She politely told me that she didn't like me anymore. OUCH! We made it home safely, and she was onto her next project which consisted of cutting itty-bitty pieces of paper up and spreading them all over the floor of our office. She even added butterscotch tape to the mess. (Butterscotch tape is what the normal person refers to as scotch tape. In Kelsie's eye's it's butterscotch okay?) A little later after her cutting mess, it was time for Kelsie to have a much needed nap. Nap's don't happen every day but boy when they do it's a bonus! Alyssa soon came home from school and we headed out to the store. Things went great at the store and we didn't have too much drama. Kelsie enjoyed seeing the live lobster's which is always the highlight of the shopping experience. Came home from shopping, and Kelsie and Alyssa were playing outside while I was making dinner. One would think that it was Christmas today the way that they were squealing with delight playing with their new caterpillar friends that they found on the porch. (All of the caterpillars even have names.) The fun got cut short when Kelsie peed her pants. Let's just say that this behavior is getting old really quick. The girl is completely potty trained at night. It's not like she is still wetting the bed, but for whatever reason when she gets playing or is side tracked, she pees her pants and it's driving me CRAZY! I got her in the bath, we had dinner, and bedtime couldn't come fast enough. Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh is all I am going to say about today. Let's hope that tomorrow we can have a non-pee in your pants day.

While we were visiting Utah, I had the privilege of meeting Lana. I met Lana through one of my favorite couponing websites that I became a member of while living in Utah. We were both expecting twins around the same time, and would just talk to one another through E-mails. Lana lives about one hour from where my Mom lives, and so we decided that we should finally meet each other. Besides being the mother of the cutest little twin boys, Lana is also the mother of six other children who are UNDER the age of 10. Lana and I have become great friends, and it has been so nice being able to talk to someone who understands what it is like raising twins. Lana and I are the same age, and actually we have a lot of things in common which is great. Our twins are exactly one month apart. Aren't these four babies just so cute? I think so.

It was so nice meeting you Lana!

Sunday's are relaxing? Who are they kidding

This morning I was dreading getting five people ready for church, and the thought of Kevin being at work didn't make things any better. Somehow the morning routine was fairly easy. The kids cooperated in getting bathed, getting dressed, eating, and all the other usual Sunday things. I even got the babies to take a good nap before church which isn't always the case. Then it was time to leave for church, still things were pretty smooth sailing. We sat down in sacrament meeting, and the people around more were so accommodating to help me with the kids. (an extra pair of hands is always appreciated) Pretty soon after sacrament begins, Audrey begins to cry. No big deal, hurry make a bottle and plop it into her mouth. Then Kelsie decides that she needs to get her hand stuck in the bench in front of us, and she starts screaming with her ever so pleasant scream. No biggie, tell her things are going to be fine and she will be okay. Sacrament is about to get over, Kelsie decides that she needs to cry some more. Problem this time, she doesn't want to go to primary by herself. This separation anxiety is getting old really quick. For about the last month or so she hasn't wanted me to leave her side. Back to the story, so I go with her into primary and sit by her with Leah in tow. Leah starts getting fussy, and so I make her a quick bottle, feed it to her, and things are good. Leah falls asleep and so I quickly tell Kelsie that I am going to go out into the hall to grab her car seat so I can put her in it. About five seconds into the hall, I hear Kelsie's beautiful scream yet again. I head back into primary to try to calm her down. So far so good. I then tell her that I am going to now go to my class and that she can stay with her class. Nope, not a chance. She is going to come with me to relief society whether I want her to or not. We head to relief society and Audrey now is ready to be fussy. My patience was cut short at this time, and off we went to our church meetings held in the comfort of our own house.

Can I just tell you how annoyed I was today? Sometimes I seriously wonder why I bother going anywhere with four kids by myself. People complain to me all the time about how hard it is to take care of one kid, and I just want to slap them.

Sorry to be onery, I just have to vent but I am so ready to just throw in the towel. Unfortunately that's not very practical at this point in time. Now I better go figure out something to make for dinner.

Kelsie was the first person to make Audrey laugh, and guess who was the first person to make Leah laugh? That's right not me, it was little Miss. Alyssa. Leah started laughing out loud while we were in Utah, and I took this cute video of her. There is something about children laughing, I love it!

Grandma Shirley and Grandpa John

My Grandparent's have only seen the babies in pictures and they absolutely adored Leah and Audrey. I think that my Grandma was thrilled that we used the name Leah since that was the name of her Mother who would be my Great-Grandmother.

My Grandpa claims he doesn't hold small babies but I made him hold them anyway. He was an old pro at it too.

My Grandparents live just next door to my Mom, and so we spent a lot of time together. I think that I have the best Grandparents on the planet, and they have been such great examples to me. They are going to be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in a few months and still act like newlyweds. (I am serious) My Grandpa's face still lights up whenever he sees my Grandma. If everyone could love like they do, the world would be a better place.

Happy anniversary to you two little lovebirds!

Easter 2009

My favorite holiday is Easter, I love it even more than Christmas. Maybe it's the cadbury eggs that make it much more enjoyable than Christmas who knows, but either way I just love Easter.


The Saturday before Easter was spent going on egg hunts. We went to my Mom's work first for their company egg hunt where Kelsie won 2 easter baskets full of goods. The next hunt was over at my Aunt's house. We took a hayride down to several fields that her family owns and the kids went crazy looking for eggs. It was really fun!

We were able to color Easter eggs, and the Easter bunny did indeed find the girls in Utah which was a huge concern of Kelsie's.

Easter Sunday we went to church with my Mom, and then headed out to spend Easter with Kevin's family. If we want good food, you will definitely find it there! His family can cook and boy have I missed their cooking. We had another Easter egg hunt, and then had a little birthday party for Alyssa and Kelsie.

We had a wonderful Easter holiday!

Crystal hot springs

I have way too many pictures to make just one video so I am going to try to make separate videos of different things that we did while we were in Utah. We went to Crystal hot springs with my family, and my kids loved it there. They weren't fond of the salt water but had a good time anyway.

We're back....Did you miss us?

Beautiful Utah

What I miss most about Utah

To all my fans out there, don't worry! WE ARE BACK. I know that you all were dying to here all about my vacation to Utah,so here it is in a nutshell. First and foremost I have to tell you how much I enjoyed looking out my Mom's window every morning to see the beautiful mountains. The trip was highly enjoyable, and it was so good to see everyone again. It's hard to believe that I left Utah over nine months ago. This trip made me realize how quickly time flies.... Now, back to my vacation. Where was I? Okay, I already told you about the plane ride. It really wasn't as bad as I expected honestly, and people at the airport and on the plane were more than willing to help us which was so appreciated. I would fly again with four kids by myself in a heartbeat if that says anything.

We stayed at my Mom's house for the entire three weeks, and it was so fun to spend time with her. ( I don't know if it was fun for her and my sister having us there, but we enjoyed ourselves) My Mom was a great hostess. Thanks Mom for everything!

My good friend Kendra entrusted me to borrow her brand new Ford Taurus for the entire three weeks, and it was so fun driving a sports car around instead of the boat that I normally am driving. Thank you so much Kendra!

Alyssa, Kelsie, Leah, and Audrey were absolute troopers. There were times that I definately wanted to pull my hair out but through it all we survived.

I could go on and on about all of the fun things that we did, and all of the people that we spent time with but that would take more time than I have at the moment.

Just know that we had a lot of fun, and it's great to be back in Tennessee. The girls and I were so excited to see Kevin again, it's been a while. It was so cute, on the way back to Tennessee Alyssa kept passing me notes on the plane telling me how much she missed her Dad. One lady sitting behind me was watching her pass the notes back and forth and just thought Alyssa was so cute.

Thanks to everyone for making this trip so memorable, we hope to see you all again soon!

Goodbye moon pies, Hello fry sauce

Utah here we come! Leah looking a little nervous to fly

Alyssa and Kelsie on board

Well, we have actually been in Utah now for a little over a week, and boy is it nice to be back. It's As soon as we started flying over the mountains I started getting a little emotional. It was so nice to see the mountains again. However, I did not enjoy seeing the white substance that they were covered in.

For the record, flying with four kids alone really wasn't too bad. Kelsie and Alyssa sat in the row in front of me. I was able to take one car seat on the plane, and so I just alternated Leah and Audrey from riding on my lap to riding in the car seat. It was quite humorous watching person after person pass up the opportunity of sitting by me. I couldn't understand why they didn't want to sit next to the girl with twins. Oh well, their loss! I was really impressed with how well all four girls did on the flight. I was also impressed with how well Southwest treated us. The minute I stepped off the plane, they had my stroller ready for me, and just helped me with whatever I needed. It was great! Oh, and I almost forgot. We had a layover in Denver for an hour. The babies were starting to kind of fuss a little so I was trying to find a place to sit down with them. Low and behold, I look up and see my old neighbor and her husband and guess what? They are on the same flight heading back to Utah. They ended up sitting by us and helping me with the kids. It was so great. I truly felt like we were being watched over.

One major observation I have made about Utah is that it's way too COLD here! When we left Tennessee it was 70 degrees. Well, it was about 34 degrees the day that we flew in with lots and lots of SNOW!

So far it has been a really fun trip and we even managed to get sick. Kelsie ended up getting the flu a few days after getting here. Alyssa and I also ended up getting sick the night before her birthday. She also had some kind of flu, and I ended up the the flu plus strep. I don't know if it was the change in climate or what. We are getting better now though which is good.

It's been a week filled with lots and lots of activities, and very tired kids.

It's been so fun great spending time with everyone, and seeing my family and friends. I have to say that I do miss my king size pillowtop. This sleeping on hide-a-bed stuff is no good. I also miss my husband. The last time we spent three weeks apart was when he flew out to interview for residency programs. I didn't even recognize him at the airport when I picked him up. (I guess that's how you know it's been too long since you have been apart) We really do miss him, and the girls miss him too!

More excitement coming soon.....