What We've Been Up To Lately

We had a fabulous Memorial Weekend full of fun and family. We kicked it off on Saturday by going to my parents' house to take care of the dogs while they went to Colorado. That night we dropped the girls off at Josh's parents' home so that we could go on a date. We went to Fat Cats in Rexburg and ate pizza and watched "What to Expect When You're Expecting" with our free date coupon from my ob office.

Sunday we were invited by my gracious S-I-L to have lunch with her and her family. After we ate the kids and Josh watched the 3rd Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while Melissa, Ben and one of her friends were upstairs decorating for my nephew's 1st birthday party. I stayed downstairs to keep an eye on the kids and help with the cupcakes.

Monday we were invited to a BBQ at Josh's Uncle's home. It was so much fun! We had lots of good food and played Mormon Rummy. Then we headed home so that we could all get rest and get back into our routine. We got together again a week or 2 later and had another fun game playing, good food eating day with them! Love it when you've got good company and food, couldn't ask for much more.

We've also really enjoyed watching the NBA playoffs. Definitely rooting for OKC to take home the Championship but we'll just have to see. They've been a fun team to watch and have so much talent.

Here's a quick breakdown of what each member has been up to:

Josh-

He's keeping busy between work, yard work and working out.




The day after Memorial Day he was asked by his boss to go to Salt Lake City with one of the partners and another co-worker. They weren't sure how long they'd be gone so I packed him enough for the remainder of the week (hoping and praying it was enough and that it didn't last longer than Friday). They got to work long hours and he ate out more that week than we have in the last 6 months. We were so glad to have him come home that Friday night. Ashlyn really had a hard time having her daddy and best friend gone for that long.



Today he gets the chance to go hiking with his Uncle Mallory and is really looking forward to it. Next week he gets to go to Island Park for a work retreat and then 2 weeks later he gets to take his scouts on their 1st campout of the summer season. He is also waiting for the results to find out if he and my B-I-L drew on their hunt or not. I know he's hoping so that he can get some hunting in, since archery season isn't looking so good with the baby coming at the end of August.

Jamie~

I've mainly just been busy growning a baby. Definitely feeling large and uncomfortable but keep telling myself that it's all worth it when I finally get to hold my little boy. Glad that I'm in the final stretch of the pregnancy. Everything is going well with the pregnancy and am so glad that I'm down to bi-monthly appointments. Below are pics of my growing belly.

(22 weeks 5 days)

(28 weeks 2 days)


Something I've really been enjoying is weeding the flower beds. Need to be better about the garden but it'll get there. I can't do it for very long because I swell up really bad in my feet and hands but it has been quiet theraputic to me.

I also have been getting everything changed around and ready for when this little guy makes his debut. I've already got a case of Newborn and size 1 diapers, his bedding (thanks to his Auntie Melissa) and some clothes and blankets. They are all washed and organized on the shelves. The baby and Kaylee will be sharing a room so it was fairly easy to get it organized. Just need to order the replacement pad and canopy for the car seat now.

Just registered for classes this last week, but not a 100% that I'll take them. We'll just have to see how I'm feeling. It was hard enough to take classes with 2 kids, trying to imagine it with 3 under 3 and it's not sounding fun at all.

Ashlyn~



This cute crazy girl is so much fun! She's really getting into playing games and has a love for taking showers lately instead of baths. It's crazy what she's been telling me lately because they are related to things I thought she would have forgotten by now. One example of this is when she was playing with her stuffed animal puppy she said that the puppy pooped on the floor and she had to put her in her crate for being naughty, just like when we were trying to potty train Marley (which we no longer have).

She loves to go anywhere that there is a slide or the library. I just signed her up for the summer reading program and she has already finished 1 chapter book. I'm surprised she even picked the book, but who am I to tell her she can't read a book that is in the kids section.

Nursey is still a wonderful place that she looks forward to every Sunday. This last week when I went to get her she was helping the teacher by pushing the vacummn around. She insisted that she had to get all the stuff on the floor picked up and she did it and was so happy with herself. She loves her teachers and loves telling me about what she learned.

She is still testing the limits to see what she can get away with but for the most part we simply enjoy her fun personality. She is such a sweet and sasy little girl who just wants to help around the house, have fun with her sister, and create havoc from time to time.

Kaylee~



This crazy adventurous girl is a lot of fun! This girl has no fear of anything, except maybe being gone from her mommy too long. She loves to climb over anything and really enjoys anything to do with water. The other day I had given her Kool-Aid and she was so round up that she was climbing up on the couch and onto the back of the couch and throwing herself over the side. After repeatedly doing it 3 times and her laughing the entire time I finally got her settled down for nap time.

Loving that she is still willing to take 2 naps a day. Sometimes they are shorter than her usual 2 hour naps but hey I will still take her napping twice a day any day. She loves to chase her big sister and tries to copycat her.

Singing songs is an absoulte favorite of hers. When we sing songs she loves to dance and try and sing along with us. She even claps her hands to the song "If you're happy and you know it". She's just so darn cute you can't help but love her.

Well that's what we've been up to and will be up over the next few months. Hope you all are having a fantastic summer and have lots of fun things planned.

Kaylee's 1st Birthday

Birthdays come but once a year. Growing up my family always just had the family living at home, a cake, and our presents. If someone wasn't there it wasn't a big deal. As we got older and started leaving the nest, birthday cards or a simple phone call is what is considered normal. With Josh's family birthdays are a much bigger deal. Everyone that can come is invited. So each time one of the girls have a birthday we invite Josh's family over. It's fun to see their excitement and our girls excitement. As my kids get older I'll probably end up letting them have friends over and doing parites but for now, I'm simply content that it's just a small family gathering.

I decided to try my hand at decorating a cake that I could be proud of and that I could actually take a picture of without being totally embarrassed. So I got on pintrest and found a cake similar to this. The only difference is that I used sprees instead of those big colored mints witht the white dots on them (couldn't find any). I found a cake mix and chocolate frosting that didn't contain milk or butter products (Uncle Samuel is allergic to those types of things) and this is what it came out looking like.

I also made cupcakes because I wasn't sure we'd have enough. I used a yellow cake mix and frosted with chocolate frosting. Knew I should have made a homemade frosting so that Aunt Rachel could have had some (sorry Rachel, wasnt' thinking very clearly).

Those in attendance were Grandma & Grandpa Harmon, Aunt Melissa & Uncle Ben and their 3 kids, and the aunts and uncles who still live at home. We also invited our friends the Wilcox's over (they are in our ward and live in the same subdivision).

Kaylee was spoiled with the cupcakes, cake and presents. Here is a picture of her with her cupcake after we sang Happy Birthday.

Presents that she got included a cell phone, blocks in a wagon, a dolly with a cow (the cow scares her whenever she sets it off), soft blocks, books, and some stuffed animals. She also got her first birthday card from Grandma & Grandpa Brown that had a $2 bill in it (Each grandkid gets one for their birthday each year).

It was a great day and we were so lucky to celebrate it. Kaylee we love you and the joy you bring to our lives. You've grown so much already in this 1st year and we look forward to seeing you grow and become your very own person. We love you!

KAYLEE

Kaylee had her 1-yr check-up last Wednesday. She is weighing in at 19 lbs 6oz (25th percentile) and is 30 1/4 in. (80th percentile)tall, has 6 teeth and is a healthy little girl. She did fairly well at her appointment considering she was cranky because it was almost nap time and she had to get 4 shots. She didn't like those at all, but what kid does. To help her the nurse gave a sucker and then gave both the girls a free coupon to get ice cream at Rupe's.

Kaylee loves bath time still and could play for hours if I let her. Just like her sister she's usually not ready to get out when I'm done and would rather stay in the water even after it has gone cold. Following Ashlyn around is a constant. Anything she sees big sister doing she wants to do, for instance she can do summersaults from watching Ashlyn do them. Climbing and being held are also things she loves. She likes to clap and dance around when there is music and will sometimes try to sing along. She is now really starting to understand bye bye and will often wave and try to say bye when people leave. Another favorite of hers is getting a hug and kiss from daddy whenever he leaves for work and when he comes home trying to escape into the garage to meet him. She no longer takes the binki (broke that habit around 10 months of age)and continues to sleep pretty well. I'm lucky that she still takes 2 naps a day.

Some of her favorite foods are eggs, toast, and lasagna. She pretty much eats anything within reach. She is even trying to eat with a fork. Transitioning from a bottle to a sippy hasn't been easy for her, but with time it will come. I was told to try and have her off the bottle by August (15 months)but we'll just have to see. Right now it's a struggle to get her to even do 1 sippy cup. I think it's just a comfort thing for her and I didn't really introduce the sippy to her until about 11 months of age (where as with Ashlyn she was trying it around 6 months).

Kaylee's biggest challenge right now is dealing with separation anxiety. If I leave the room, even when others are there, she freaks out. She's definitely a momma's girl. I hate to have anyone babysit her because I know she'll just cry most of the time, but I know it needs to be done. Her doctor said that she was a little more on the extreme side and if we didn't leave her with others while we go out then it's just get worse when the new baby comes. So here's to hoping, this weekend some friends of ours are going to watch the girls while we do dinner or something to celebrate our anniversary.

Kaylee, we love you and are so grateful to have you in our home. You bring so much joy to our lives! Love mommy and daddy!

We're having a BOY!!!!

Today we found out that we are finally having a boy! We are so excited and Ashlyn was so happy that her brother is indeed a brother. It was so cute, on the way home I showed her a picture of the ultrasound and she kept saying "this is my baby Jacob" and wanted to hold the picture all the way home. We are right on track with his growth and couldn't be happier that he is doing well. We are pretty sure on his name first name already and are planning on calling him Jacob. Ashlyn has been calling him that for weeks and we feel like it just fits.

Pregnancy wise things are going pretty smoothly. My energy level is slowly coming back and I still get my headaches but have found that by cutting back on salts and sugars helps reduce the intensity and the regularity of them. Here is a belly shot of me as of today (4/23/12), I'm 20w3d along. Wahoo, we're half way there!

Wasn't she just born yesterday?

Kaylee is getting so big and is no longer a little baby that is 100% dependent on her parents. She is growing so much, I can't believe it. She's walking and climbing over everything and loves to be heard. Can't believe she's going to be 1 next week. Will post more after her year-checkup. Love ya baby girl!

Tauphas Park Zoo~April 21st

Aunt Melissa invited us to go to the zoo with her and her kids and of course we had to go. Grandpa Harmon, Aunt Daisy and Uncle Samuel also came along and took turns pushing the strollers. Ashlyn loves animals and Kaylee has never been. So after Josh finished with his scouting responsibilites we loaded up and headed out. It was a lot of fun even though it was hot and there was about a 30-45 minute wait in line. Ashlyn kept asking where the cows were. Thinking we might need to take a trip to see Aunt April and Uncle Fred's dairy farm so she can really have some fun with the cows. It was a fun outing and such nice weather!

Getting into Mom's mascara

Check out the awesome unibrow I constructed :)

Wasn't the happiest about this since she used up my whole tube, but I knew I needed to document because I'd laugh about it later.

Ashlyn's March Photo fun

This little girl loves to have her picture taken!I told her when we went outside I'd take pictures. I didn't even ask her to pose at all, this is all her and her personality

Josh's B-day

So Josh celebrated his 26th Birthday this year. Wow he's getting old (j/k). Seeing that it falls in the middle of tax season we just had a small celebration with our little family. I attempted to make him a cake, but it didn't turn out very pretty so he told me not to take a picture (someday I'll eventually make a cool cake and be able to brag about the awesomeness of it). I made him a nice dinner and he actually picked out his gifts, which was fine by me. He picked out things that will go with hunting so I think overall he was a happy camper. Here's to another great year hun! We love ya!

Potty Training~Feeding the Fishies

So after finding out that we are expecting I told Josh that there was no way that I was going to have 3 kids in diapers. I said the same thing when expecting Kaylee but I was more determined this time. So once Ashlyn finished her bag of pull-ups I told her that she had to wear panties. She has done really well with pottying in the toilet but bowel movements were another story.

Somedays I really wanted to just go back to the pull-ups but I knew it wouldn't help so I continued to clean up after her and make her help. Well as you can imagine having to clean up yucky panties while being pregnant is not the funnest thing in the world. So I decided one day to search on babycenter.com on the discussion boards to see what other parents were doing.

One lady said that the only way her to get her 3 year old to poop in the toilet was to tell her that she was feeding the fishies. At first I just laughed and thought that was so gross, but it was literally the only thing on the boards that I hadn't tried. So I told Ashlyn the same thing and ever since she has been going regularly in the toilet. What a relief! There are still days that she has an accident but overall she is doing really well at it. She gets so excited to feed those fishies that live at the bottom of the tank and tells me that they are all fed and she's a big girl for feeding them. She even had me document it, so here's a picture of her sending the fishies their food (don't worry it's just her flushing the toilet and pointing as it goes down).

Goodbye 1st trimester

So I have definitely been blessed to have a rather easy 1st trimester and can't believe that tomorrow I start the second one.

A few things I won't miss: Being so tired and getting over my cold.

Things that I'm looking forward to: More energy, food cravings (but kept in check), feeling the baby move, hearing baby's heartbeat on March 20th, finding out baby's gender and seeing the little sweetie again in April (roughly around the 17th, and starting my yoga up.

Here's a belly shot for anyone that wants to see; I'm 13 weeks 6 days in this picture.

We're what???

So Josh and I got the shock of our life last week when we found out we are expecting. I've been having a lot of uti's and right side pain since the end of December so we've had a few ultrasounds done. At first they thought it was my kidney, and then my gallbladder, and then they just didn't know. I was going to go in for a VCUG to check for urinary reflux on Feb. 16th and decided I better take a test so that the office wouldn't charge me for one.

I just knew we were wasting our money on a pregnancy test, but would rather pay a cheaper amount for one. Much to my surprise it came out postive rather quickly (I'm talking less than a minute). I guess I should maybe listen a little more to Ashlyn when she's telling me something. For the last couple of weeks she's been telling me that I have a baby in my tummy. Of course I would laugh and then brush it off. I thought she was just saying it because she has heard us talk about friends and Aunt Jessica being pregnant. So who knows, maybe she'll be right about the gender to, she keeps telling me it's a baby brother.

I was so shocked to see the postitive test! I walked out to the living room a little after 5 a.m. where Josh was getting his workout in and showed him the test. He looked at it and asked me if I read the directions right. I had and even told him I read them several times to make sure.

A million questions went through our minds that day, like when did it happen?, how far along do we think we are?, why wouldn't the ultrasound done on at the end of December show anything?, who will we use as our doctor and where will we deliver?, etc.... The last time I tested was on Dec. 4th because I had to go to the doctor for another uti. We just couldn't believe it. We've always had to use clomid to get pregnant.

I of course can never hold out for the first 13 weeks before telling anyone so we let our family members know that day. Of course the regular questions came like are you feeling sick?, have you had any symptoms?,how far along?, how are you feeling about it?, etc.... The only real symptom I ever noticed was the nausea but we thought that was because of my increased thryoid medicine and the anitibiotics I'd been on for my uti's since that's when it started. It was only 2 days prior to testing that I started to get a sick feeling around the smell of meats. We had no clue how far along we were, but I was guessing where my test showed up so quickly that I was probably between 6-8 weeks (I've never gotten a positive prior to 5 1/2 weeks).

Once the initial shock wore off I was excited and nervous about having another c-section later this year and also the closeness in age between Kaylee and this baby (Kaylee's not even 1 yet).

So Friday, I spent the day calling around to the different hospitals and doctor's offices to get a feel on them and their prices. After looking over everything I decided to go with an Idaho Falls office and will deliver in Idaho Falls. I got my first ob appointment scheduled for Tuesday Feb. 21st and was so anxious for it to hurry and get it to know how far along we were.

So yesterday (2/21/12) I went to the dr's office. I called them earlier to confirm my appointment and they said that it was still good for 11 that morning. When we got there though they told me that my appoinment wasn't until the following Tuesday. As one can imagine I wasn't very happy but calmly explained that I had called earlier that morning to confirm and they told me it was today. I said I'd be happy to see any of the providers and explained that we came from Blackfoot and that Josh had taken off work for our appointment. Thankfully they were able to squeeze me in.

Once we got back into the room, the nurse did all the usual things (i.e. blood pressure, weight, asked about my medicial history etc...) then we waited for the ultrasound. When the tech was ready she came and got us and as we were walking down she was saying she was sorry it took so long, but she had been doing twins all morning and wasn't ruling me out until she got a good look. Of coures, I told her that I doubted it was twins and hoped that it wasn't twins. I just don't know how I would have wrapped my head around twins, especially where the pregnancy was such a surprise. She had a lot of patients to get to so she just did a regular ultrasound with the hopes I was far enough along. To our amazement, she told us we were already 11 weeks and 4 days. I can't believe that I didn't know I was pregnant for basically the whole first trimester. With both girls I was puking before this point and with Kaylee I was already in maternity clothes. It's kind of nice though to think that I'm almost done with the first trimester and it's been pretty easy, it makes facing the next two easier.

Our respective due date is September 7th-bad timing for archery hunting, sorry Josh,John and Max :).Here are the ultrasound pictures from the appointment. We will find out the gender in April.

Can you tell who's who?

So I was looking at pictures of the girls when they were little and I couldn't believe the similarities and differences. Can any of you tell who's who? First day of Life:

3 Week Old Newborn photo shoots:

Ashlyn turned 3

Can't believe my energetic,sassy, sugar-and-spice little girl has turned 3. Where has the time gone? Ashlyn totally understood birthdays this year and has been telling us that she wanted a fairy cake and puzzles and princesses for her special day. Well I didn't do the cake she wanted (maybe next year)but we did get her a few 3-d puzzles which she enjoys and a tinker bell barbie to add to her collection. About a week before her birthday I started working with her to transition saying she was 2-n-half to 3. She loves being 3 and will tell me all of her cousins who are 3 (Ellie and Jenna). We sure love you Ashlyn! Here's to another year of laughter and learning with you.

January 2012

Welcome to the new year. Last year we had a lot of changes so it'll be interesting to see what this year has in store for us. I didn't take any pics this month so I thought I'd just do a quick recap of last year and the little bit that has gone on this year for each member of our family.

Josh was able to get a job in May, which was a blessing seeing that he graduated in July. We moved our family to Blackfoot in June for his job and then he commuted to school for the last month. He also started back up on P90X with the goal to actually finish it (he's started it several times but never made it through). He's been doing great and only has several more weeks left before completing the program. Josh and I were able to buy our first home in Decemeber. He has also been called to be the 11-year-old scout master in our new ward. He was pretty excited (I think) especially since he'll get to take them on campouts. Now that it is January tax season is upon us and his busy season has officially begun.

I quit working at the hospital in Rexburg around June to be a stay-at-home mom. I survived Kaylee's pregnancy and was able to carry her to 38 weeks before she entered our home. After quitting work, I got busy helping Josh secure an apartment in Blackfoot for us. I also enrolled in school again and got accepted. I started school up in Jan. and am currently half-way through the semester. My biggest accomplishment with school is that my highest grade is math, which for anyone who knew me back in school knew that it was my worst subject. I have feebly attempted to do 2 workout programs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight but never stuck with it, but I did get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight anyway so that made me happy. Just trying to balance being a mom and going to school at the moment. Trying to come up with fun ideas to decorate our home.

Ashlyn:
My sweet, energetic, sassy girl is full of fun and mischief. She has continued to grow and develop healthy, which we are grateful for. She is definitely talking a lot more now, but still is hard to understand sometimes. Her favorite things to do are have tea parties, put puzzles together, watch anything to do with faries and princesses, and pretend that she is going off to school. One of my favorite sayings from her started in Decemeber right after we bought our home. She likes to go outside but when she gets to cold she comes in and says "Mommy, I a popsicle." Another funny thing that she does lately is she has arguments in the mirror with herself about who is the "real ashlyn" and who isn't and also who's 2 and who's 3. Potty training is still a working progress. She does really well pottying in the toilet but it's the pooping that is taking the longest. She'll get there, just need to keep giving her positive praise everytime she goes in the toilet.

Kaylee:
My sweet Kaylee cakes is growing up so fast. I keep trying to hold her back and convince her it's okay to stay little for a little longer. She is a fast learner and always on the move. She is now eating almost anything. A favorite food of hers is a bagel with cream cheese. She is crawiling, climbing, and even taking steps on her own now. It won't be long before she is off and running after her big sister. For the most part she sleeps really well and adores her big sister. One of her favorite things to do lately is to hand you an object and have it passed back and forth between each other. She thinks it's a great game. Also, she loves stairs so if she can get there she'll climb up them as fast as she can. I am truly one lucky girl to have these 3 wonderful people in my family and I love them to peices. Well I better be off for now before I find who knows what all over the kitchen. I told Ashlyn she could help me make some cookies.

Christmas 2011

So I'll have to try and post pictures later, for some reason the computer isn't uploading correctly. We had another great Christmas and it was so fun to watch the girls open presents. Kaylee wasn't really sure what to think until the wrapping paper but Ashlyn sure was excited. If we would have let her she would have opened every single present. We started up the pj tradition this year and Ashlyn was in heaven with her dora nightgown!This was the year of books and puzzles at our house. Christmas Eve we spent with my family, like always and had a blast! We then held our very first Christmas Dinner in our new home and Josh's family came out to eat with us. We were so glad they could come and hope they enjoyed the food and time spent as much as we did. We were truly blessed again this year!

Christmas Time Again

I love how this time of year can change people's hearts. It's a time full of laughter, family fun, and remembering our Savior and his birth. I've loved not being out and about with all the bustle of holiday shopping. I've enjoyed putting our home together since the move and just getting out our simple Christmas decorations out.

Ashlyn has really enjoyed getting the tree up and can't wait for Santa to come. This year I've put more of an effort into baking sugar cookies with her and just teaching her about Christmas and instilling in her that it's not just about presents and Santa; although, those are fun things to anticipate.

This year we will be having our very own Christmas dinner in our home. Looking forward to the challenge but also just the joy that it is to have a home and that we are starting our own traditions now that Ashlyn is a little older and starting to understand what the different holidays are. Hoping everyone out there is enjoying this special time of the year and reflecting on our Savior

Ashlyn's new haircut

Before

After

Our home

Here are some pictures of the house. I haven't gotten my pictures up on the walls yet but besides that and a few touch up painting jobs we are basically set until summer time. It is a 2 bath home even though I only took a picture of the master bath.

Office Closet

Office/workout room

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Master Closet (crawl space is found here)

Linen Closet/Washer & Dryer area on the way to the girls' room

Girls'Closet

Girls' Room

Dining Area

Kitchen

Living Room