I Hate the Snow!!!

Quick update, I hate the snow with a passion! Especially on the roads! Anyways, let me explain my hatred. Ray's little sister, Nicole, is getting married on December 30 in Portland so we had to drive to Oregon. We left the day after Christmas and it was one of the worst drives I've ever been on. There were multiple snow storms that created complete havoc on the roadways to where there were at least two freeways closed that we were wanting to take. So that lead to long detours and grumpy kids in the car. But I now have a new appreciation for portable DVD players. We bought dual screen DVD players for this trip and it saved us from tying Logan to the top of the car. (J/K he did a pretty good job)
Anyways, the roads were terrible and now I only have double the amount of gray hairs than before we left, and I can't afford to get more at this point! Thankfully we got here without any major problems, and I hope that we will have better roads for the way back.

PS-I don't have any pictures to post because I'm using my in-laws computer and don't have access to anything. I will also post about our Christmas and other adventures when we get back! Bye everybody!

I Thought We Weren't in Idaho Anymore!

So we moved to St. George for a reason. And well, that reason chased down here in full force this week. SNOW!!! Yes, I am from Idaho but I hate the cold and snow. I even still wore my flip-flops during the snow storm, my toes freeze but they always thaw out.

Anyways, there are a couple of things that are nice about St. George and the snow. 1) The snow doesn't typically stick around for more than a day, and that is the kind of snow I can handle. 2) When it does snow, we get school cancelled because, well... I'm not entirely sure why but hey, it's fun to have Ray home! So as explained in reason 2, Ray had the day off from school, so after we all woke up this morning we all got bundled up, including Chase, and we went out to play in the snow.

Logan thought it was way cool. He took off running and jumping it as soon as we opened the door. Ray taught him how to make snow balls and then they had a snow ball fight which I somehow got caught in the middle of. I tried to surrender because I was holding Chase but it didn't work, they both nailed me. It was still fun. Next we took our little inner tube sled and tried sledding the small hill in our front yard. It worked for Logan because it wasn't big enough to really get any speed or to get hurt if you tipped over, it was just right. Then after that we decided to make a snowman. The snow was fabulous for making a snowman, it was nice and wet and sticky. I would say it turned out pretty good if you asked me, but unfortunately it warmed up this afternoon and it tipped over.

The thing that is kind of crazy is that just last weekend we took to the boys to the park to play and it was so nice outside! It wasn't too warm, you just had to wear a jacket and it was perfect! We went to the Hidden Valley Park and it was so much fun! They have a wide variety of toys for different ages of kids, which makes it nice for the littler kids. It was a fun day in the sun, but today we had fun in the snow! At either rate, both days were fun, and perfect days with my family. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful little family, Heavenly Father has truly blessed me.

PS- Chase has been sleeping through the night now for about a week!!! YEAH for me!!!! I think the best part about that is that we made a deal that Ray would take care of Logan and I would take care of Chase. Well, Chase hase been sleeping through the night but Logan has been waking up wanting one of us so Ray has to get up! Hee, hee, hee! I think it's great!

Oh....(happy, content sigh)

Holy smokes it has been a long time since I last posted anything. Anways, there really hasn't been anything eventful going on. Logan is really starting to put phrases and sentences together now and that helps with the communication process alot. He is also getting quite attached to Chase.

His big thing right now is that when he watches a movie he wants to have Chase lay down on the couch next to him and snuggle. The reason that this is so big to me is because ever since Logan started to be mobiel, he does not like to sit and hold still for anyone. So to watch him lay there with Chase amazes me, it puts a big smile on my face and melts my heart (I know, it's cheesy, but true.)

Yesterday I decided to be brave and both of the boys a bath together and it was hilarious! Chase loved flailing his arms and legs about splashing, which in turn only encouraged Logan to splash also. Chase would then see Logan doing it and make him do it all the more, they just fed off of each other. I was getting soaked and there was water all of the floor but I didn't care, just to watch the two of them interact like that was worth it.

I'm learning to be grateful for these small, but special moments as they grow up. I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending me these two spirits, they are teaching me many lessons and I hope to continue to improve as a mother.

What Not To Do...

Just in case anyone was wondering, poopy diapers really stink, especially when they go through the dryer. Yes, you read correctly, I somehow put a poopy diaper through the dryer. I was doing laundry earlier this week and I was pulling my fourth load out of the dryer when I noticed the odor of poop. My first reaction was that I had it on me somehow so I started trying to sniff parts of myself to see if I could trace it, but I couldn't find anything. So I returned to pulling out more clothes and that's when I noticed that the smell was from the clothes. I thought it strange that they would smell like poop but I just kind of thought that maybe somehow one of Chase's outfits just retained the smell from one of his blowout diapers. But, to my surprise, at the very bottom of the dryer laid the culprit. The diaper was in shreds with pieces of it all over the dryer and man-oh-man did it smell. I yelled out Oh Crap! (which I literally meant, hee hee) Ray came back and thought that it was pretty funny but didn't have any interest in helping clean up the mess. I was just worried that the smell would permanently stay in the clothes, but then I realized they were all mostly Ray's school clothes and made sure to point that out to him and he wasn't too thrilled, then it was my turn to laugh. Anyways, I quickly disposed of the problem and rewashed that load. Luckily, the smell washed out and nothing was damaged. But the major questiong in my mind was, how in the world did a poopy diaper get in the dryer. I have no idea if it went through the washing machine or what, but all I know is that it is not a good idea to put a bad diaper in the dryer.

So both of the boys were due for their regular checkups and vaccinations, so being not very smart decided to do both of them at the same time. Let me tell you, not the best idea I've ever had! Two screaming children is not my idea of fun, especially when both of them want to snuggle with mom and have her make everything better. Luckily, they both got over it pretty quick though.

The fun part of going to the doctor was seeing how much they've both grown. I'll start with Chase. Yeah!!! We have a chunky baby! He weighs 12.6 pounds and is 22" tall. That puts him in the 75% for his weight (can you believe it! We never saw numbers like that with Logan) and then, this is the funny part, he is only in the 24% for his height! He is short and chubby, just the way I like them. Don't get me wrong, I've always Logan for what he is, but it is also fun to have a little weight on Chase. Chase is also starting to coo and goo at us and he is also trying to laugh. Every now and then we get a little giggle and it just melts our hearts. Oh yes, I almost forgot, I am just so thrilled, Chase decided to start nursing finally this week. I like it so much better than the pumping thing, I don't quite like such a cow anymore, and it is a lot less time consuming. YEAH!

But now for Logan. I am so proud of him., he grew!!! Six months ago he weighed 26 pounds and now he weighs 28 pounds, which puts him in the 30% for his weight, and now he is 34" tall for the 40% in height. His latest trick is that he knows how to take off his diaper. He likes to go in the bathroom and take off the diaper and THEN come and tell me he needs to go potty. I'm trying to somehow get him to understand that he needs to tell me BEFORE he goes in the diaper, but I'm not having much luck. Any advice, anything anyone???

It is so nice now also because Ray is finally done with volleyball! I am no longer a single parent! I quite like having him come home at like 4:00 so that he can kind of help out with our rambuctious Logan, who also enjoys having Dad around to wrestle with. Besides that, our lives are the same old, same old. Nothing real exciting, but at the same time, nothing terrible either, just the way I like it!

A Long Overdue Update

So it has been quite a while since my last posting. Life has been a little crazy around here. Ray has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Poor guy, he is so busy. Between coaching and HOSA and just regular classroom stuff he has little free time. But I give him props, he has been doing an excellent job juggling everything and still making time for his family. What a good guy, this is why I love him. And then for me, I guess it just took a little time for it to sink in on how busy it can be with a new addition to the family. I swear I run around the house cleaning all day and then at the end of the day look back and it looks like I didn't do a single thing. It is quite frustrating because I like my house looking nice and clean with dinner made and a treat of some kind made. And I might say, none of those are getting accomplished at the moment. But, oh well, what can you do?

Anyways, tonight we carved pumpkins, or as Logan calls them "punks." It was fun seeing Logan get so excited to color "punks". We let him paint his because the last thing that we would do is let that kid have some sort of sharp object, we would all be in grave danger. But, man, did he have fun.



For another update that I haven't had time to do is on Logan's birthday. It was a fun time because we had Ray's family and my family all here because of Chase's blessing. But Logan had a lot of fun between his presents, grandparents, and his football cake (provided by Grandma Jolley). His prized gift was from Grandpa and Grandma Jolley, a scooter. The kid was so cute when he tore off the wrapping paper and realized what it was. He also got a helmet with knee and elbow pads. We couldn't get him to take off his helmet to even eat. But he got thoroughly spoiled by everyone and it was fun.







But now I need to add a little update about Chase. We might actually have a semi-chunky baby! Can you believe it, from me and Ray! Who would think it was possible! I mean, it's not like he is a sumo-wrestler or anything, but compared to what Logan was, he seems pretty big. He has some fat rolls under his diaper on his legs and I love it. He also has the cutest smiles and he is trying to make sounds out to laugh. All in all, he is a fun baby and I look forward to all the new tricks that we get to teach him.

Conference Weekend

So today was General Conference and it was kind of nice to just stay home and relax, well, relax as much as possible with an almost two year old and a one month old baby. Kristi and Trevor came over this morning and I made a big breakfast. I have to take advantage of when I can make a nice breakfast because Ray doesn't like much breakfast foods, so it was I did the the schabang. We had pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs, and orange juice. Anyways, I guess it must have been pretty good because all three of them slept through the second hour of the first session. Here is the proof if they try to deny it.




I liked that President Monson said the we need to slow down a little in life and stress so much. We need to focus on having more joy. He said that the piles of laundry, the toys strewn all over the house and such won't always be there, and when it's not, we'll miss it. We need to take time out of our lives to enjoy our kids and family. Right now I feel that really applies to me because I'm kind of in high stress mode anymore feeling like I need to have a perfect house while trying to balance kids also. The kids are what are important and I need to concentrate on that. That's what conference is for and I'm thankful for the opportunity to listen.


After conference Ray and I loaded up the boys and went for a walk. It was perfect weather. We went to the park and decided to take some pictures. Logan didn't want to cooperate and take pictures, instead he kept wanting to interupt people playing football and soccer, so needless to say there weren't that many pictures that turned out with him. But it was nice to have a weekend like this because I was able to spend lots of quality time with my family, especially my husband. I greatly appreciate him for all of his hard work that he does to provide for our family but miss him where he is gone so much right now. So it was so nice to spend two days with him, he is an amazing husband and I love him so much, I just hope he realizes that.

Also, I'm getting so excited for this coming week because all of my family on both sides is going to be in town. It will be fun and chaotic at my house because all of my side of the family will be staying with us. But this will the first time my sister, Audree, and her family will be in St. George and also my brother Caleb. They are all coming into town for Chase's blessing and then it also works out that that is also Logan's birthday, so party on!!! (I hope I am able to survive it all!)=)

This is the beginning

So this is my first time doing a blog or anything even close to it so sorry if it is lame. Anyways, life quite chaotic around here lately. Chase is a month old now and has his nights and days confused. Kathryn gave me a book called "Baby Wise" that gives direction on how to get your baby to sleep through the night and establish a routine. We've been working on this for a couple of days and it seems to be helping. We're not perfect, but there is progress. And then we have Logan. That right there should say it all. That kid has more energy than anybody I've ever met, but then to make it worse, he never wears out. He is going to turn two in a week and I hope that the terrible two's don't get any worse than what they already are. I guess I should give him a little credit. He is a pretty good kid and most of the time he tries. He is a good helper with Chase and loves his brother. It's fun right now, too because he is learning to put sentences and concepts together. The down side to that though is that he now says everything that we say.

Ray is also a very busy individual right now. Basically I'm a single parent (or so it seems). He is coaching the JV Pineview High School volleyball team, the advisor for HOSA, and teaching. Volleyball is extremely time consuming and definitely not worth the pay. He puts in so much time and effort and makes very little to show for it. But, it has been a good experience for him. As for his HOSA club stuff, he was asked a few weeks ago if he would be a state representative for HOSA also. He agreed to do it, but so far he hasn't had to do much. Thankfully, things should start to slow down for him soon.