Megan Girl Turns 1!

How did this happen? I think I just had her yesterday! How did Megan turn 1 already? I thought it would make me seriously sad but I am really enjoying every stage she reaches! Her personality is really coming out and she is hilarious! She has been playing with the boy's toys (cars, snakes, transformers, etc.)and I thought it was time to get her "girly" stuff! She knew just what to do a with a doll. We walked through the doll aisle at Toys R Us and she about jumped out of my arms! She thought it was great! She had the biggest smile and immediately started loving on those babies! She does have her fiesty side too. She was sitting with me the other night and Dallen came and snuggled up next to us. She didn't like how close Dallen was so she just back handed him and pushed him out of the way. I guess they learn early! ha! I am hoping she will will walk soon but she has no interest. There are just too many people in the house willing to carry her! If all else fails she just walks on her knees! It's actually kind of cute! Happy Birthday, Megan!

Ethan Turns 4!

How is it possible that my baby boy turned 4? I still remember vividly the day he was born. It really does seem like yesterday. Even though he is getting so big and independent, I love that he still wants to cuddle and have his mom or dad by his side. He is such a sweet little boy! He started preschool this fall. He LOVES it! When I pick him up he is usually on the playground acting like some kind of animal chasing girls around the slide! I think that regardless of how old he gets, it will always be hard to say 'no' to those big brown eyes! Happy Birthday Ethan! We love you!

"Bring Your Wife To Work Day"

Every couple of years John's work has "SWAT Wife DAY". I was a little hesitant as I did not know what to expect. After all, they are all just a bunch of goof balls (I do mean that in a very kind and loving way)and I wasn't sure what they were going to have us to :)

We went to the NSCA to work out with the team and their trainers....oh, never mind...the wives worked out while the men watched...hee hee. We worked out on a TRX or they call it T-REX. It is cables that uses your body weight. We did a TON of exercises on it that works every part of your core, arms, legs, EVERYTHING you can imagine (2 days later I had "core" I never thought I had before! I LOVED it! I want one for my basement :)

Afterward we went to the shooting range. First we shot the handgun. That was okay, I've shot it before. Then we got to shoot the MP-5 (I think that's what it is called...see picture below). Shooting that was OK until they had us go full auto. I was really timid about doing that! I don't know why, maybe it was all the warnings John was giving me like "stay in control and don't shoot up to the roof" or "Keep leaning way forward, you'll know when your empty because you will start to fall forward and have to catch yourself" I was envisioning me face planting or something really embarrassing! I eventually did empty the gun. It was actually quite fun...I don't think I'll be as nervous if they ever do it again!

So, while we didn't actually get to go on any operations with them (not sure if I would really want to) we got to hang out with our husbands and play around a little bit. We did take a picture of all the wives with the stinky vests on (40 lbs) and the guns. I'll have to get a copy of that as well. I'm sure it's pretty funny!

Summer So Far...Part 2

Well, we were off to a slow start this summer. I guess it was bound to happen... chaos. I put the boys in swimming lessons every day. Dallen is always so much better after swimming so I wanted to take advantage it! Ethan is afraid of the water so I thought it would be good for him as well. Jaxon has been playing baseball for PAL (Police Athletic League) and John has been the assistant coach. That involves 2 practices a week plus 1 to 2 games a week! We haven't been able to really leave town yet as John in on a pager and has not been able to get off. You can only have 3 guys off the pager at a time. There are usually 2 guys on vacation and there is one guy who is out for medical reasons. So, unless you are on vacation you can pretty much bet getting of the pager is not going to happen. So, we are waiting to go on a big camping trip until John is on vacation. In the mean time we will be going somewhere close by. I say we save ourselves the trouble and pitch a tent in the backyard! I don't think the boys will go for that. Dallen wants to have a camp fire so bad he decided to try to build one on the side of our house! He stacked up some wood (quite well I might add) and proceeded to try to light a fire using a whole box of matches (from a big box). He was unsuccessful (THANK GOODNESS) but did manage to burn his finger. (see pictures below).







I have been taking the boys over to a splash pad/park not far from our house. Last week when we went I sprayed them all down with sunscreen. That night I was really curious as to how we were all sunburned! Yes, after spraying down with SPF ONE MILLION we were still sunburned...????!!!??? Dallen so kindly pointed out that Jaxon noticed the bottle was empty and refilled it with water and a little bit of soap. AHHH!!! Hence the sunburn! Wish I would have known that little bit of information before going out in the sun!

We had to take Dallen to the Urgent Care on Saturday night because he split his head open. It wasn't very big, maybe an inch, but it was pretty open and required some Dermabonding! I need to get some of that stuff for my medicine cabinet. It would save me a trip. The over-the-counter stuff doesn't work nearly as well...

Megan cut her finger open on a soda can that her brother, Ethan, so kindly gave her. A Band-Aide wasn't an option as she tried to eat the two we put on. I finally just gave her towel to hold. That seemed to work until the bleeding stopped.

Summer is moving so fast. The kids will be back in school before I know it! In a way, I am ready. They boys have been at each others throats all summer. Dallen has also really been a challenge this summer. I have been really bad at continuing his therapy at home since he has the summer off from OT. He has been having HUGE meltdowns triggered by seemingly little things. He goes into a rant that seems to last forever. I really have been at my wits end. I really have no idea what to do. I have scheduled some therapy time into our day. I am hoping that helps. If not, I am calling his therapist! Last night Dallen had another meltdown so I sent him to bed. He kept shouting mean things to me and getting out of his room. Yelling, time out, spanking, taking privileges away doesn't work for him. So, I grabbed him,gave him a big hug, told him I loved him, kissed him and put him back in bed. This lasted for at least a half an hour. I was getting tired of carrying him back to bed but I could see he was breaking! The intensity of his fit weakened significantly and you could see traces of a smile underneath the thumb he was sucking. I guess showing love is the strongest and most effective way of handling the situation. I was thinking the other day how would Jesus handle this child. I thought about Christ's life and thought came to me to just show love. I guess that's how I have to handle Dallen. It worked slowly yesterday, but I am hoping that it will work better each time. I have to trust that it will work. After all, Dallen is a Child of God too and the Lord knows him very well. Heaven knows I need all the help I can get in raising him.

Summer So Far...

I was just thinking that we haven't done anything exciting so far this summer when I started looking at the pictures we have taken. I guess it hasn't been so bad! Now, if I can just get the kids to quit fighting, whining, tattle telling, and complaining:)

I will say that Dallen has had some very funny comments in spite of him being a real trial this summer! First, on Mother's Day he came downstairs and announced to EVERYONE, "It's a known fact that I am not wearing any underwear!". Don't know where that came from. It turns out he didn't want Jaxon to give him a "wedgie" so he eliminated the necessary article of clothing!

Next,Jaxon did not have any clean long pants to go the Sky Sox game in. It was rainy and a bit chilly so he really needed to wear pants. I told him to wear a pair of Dallen's. That was that. Later, Ethan was playing with one of Dallen's new Star Wars men. They started to fight over it and I pleaded with Dallen to just SHARE!!! Dallen took the man away from Ethan and ran to the other room. A few minutes later I hear Dallen bargaining with Ethan, "I'll let you play with this man for $5.00." I couldn't believe Dallen was asking for payment to play with his toys! I started to laugh and tell Dallen that he couldn't "charge" to play with his toys. Jaxon then pipes in and says, "Dallen made me pay him 5 pennies to wear his pants!!"I tell you what...that kid drives me CRAZY but is so darn hilarious at the same time!

Here's some pictures of our summer so far:


Dallen has 5 loose teeth. He was so excited to lose his first tooth! The tooth fairy brought him a dollar which he was very proud of! Jaxon is 8 and has not lost a single tooth yet. Since Dallen has 5 loose teeth I think Jaxon was feeling a little jealous. One day, while in time out, Jaxon comes out of his room screaming. He had fallen off his bed and knocked a tooth loose, really loose! It just so happens to be the same tooth Dallen lost! A few days later the tooth fell out. I jokingly told him he did it on purpose so Dallen wouldn't be the only one with a loose tooth! Jaxon wasn't so impressed with is dollar from the tooth fairy...


Megan has been crawling for about a month now. She has also been standing and getting into everything. She even had her first tumble down the stairs :( She fell down our basement stairs (which are not finished). Luckily she was not hurt AT ALL!! I am so surprised and grateful! It scared me to death!




Sure,this looks innocent enough. Look closer. Dallen and his friend have rigged Ethan's ankle in a rope so they can string Ethan up by the ankle on the monkey bars. Dallen's friend is pulling with all his might!


Dallen turned 6! I can't believe it!! He had his first "friend" party at ArtSports. He had a blast!


For the last 2 months John has been helping my parents totally redo their landscaping. The boys loved to help! It was great for Dallen because all the shoveling and digging was great therapy for Dallen! Not only did Dallen love getting dirty but he found a new friend. He loved this garter snake! He carried it around for quite a while before I made him let it go! At least it wasn't a spider. I can handle the snake.


BUSTED! See, I am getting really good at grabbing the camera BEFORE I scold! Ethan was "just thirsty".

Workin' Hard or Hardly Workin'?

John came home Friday with a short video to show me what a hard day at work he had. All work and no play, ha!! Apparently this sort of thing is fun for him...

Eggs Anyone?

It's taken me 8 years but I think I am finally letting some things go as a parent. Things that I would have previously freaked out about now roll off me like water. It's kind of liberating! I can now step back and be the parent I wanted to be...the one who could look at a situation and not get mad but grab the camera and have a good laugh before cleaning up the inevitable mess. Years ago my mom said, "Remember their age." Indeed remember their curious exploring age. I have quit trying to figure out what they were thinking and just enjoy their learning,even if it does take extra minutes or hours cleaning up after them. Of course, after the incident I do have to let them know what they did was probably not a good idea...but it sure was funny!

Ethan LOVES hard boiled eggs. We don't have any that are currently hard boiled. While I was taking a shower Ethan decided that a hard boiled egg would be a great snack. He got an egg out of the refrigerator, put it on a plate, and placed it in the microwave. As I was getting out of the shower I thought I heard a loud pop but dismissed it as the neighbors are doing some landscaping. Well...here's what I found when I went downstairs. Eggs anyone?

What is a Policeman

Before pressing play, go to the bottom of the page and pause the music.

Holes, Holes, Holes...

2 months ago I bought Jaxon and Dallen each 3 new pairs of jeans. Between the two of them all but 1 pair now have HUGE holes in the knees. I've been buying them at The Children's Place but I don't think I will anymore. I just added the jeans to the growing pile on their dresser which has 8+ pairs with holes, holes, holes! I am going to have to cut them off so they can use them as play shorts this summer :)

Who has jeans that are boy proof but does not make them look like they are visiting from 1972 or the jeans are so stiff they can't even move? I just want some jeans to last more than 2 months...am I asking too much? Maybe so...

This Month at the Loony Bin

Dinner is always a crazy time of the day. I've heard it called the bewitching hour! From dinner time on is so LOUD and crazy!!! Since John is usually home for the post-dinner routine it has been a little less stressful. We were cleaning up after dinner and Megan was still sitting in her seat. We hear Ethan laughing hysterically and then he says, "Look! Megan is Darth Vader"! Poor girl...with all her brothers Barbie doesn't have a chance...looks like Princess Leia may take precedence! ha!


Happy Easter!


Megan's March/April Milestones

Sitting up all by herself!Note...NO BOW!! That is for those of you who make fun of me for putting big bows on her poor bald head (John)!



Baby Food! Green beans are yummy!


Mommy of the Year
Last but no least for the month of April I get "The Mommy of the Year" award. Yes, because I am so observant and in tune with the needs of my children...or thought I was...It's no secret Dallen has been a challenge for me. Figuring out his behavior from the time he was 18-months old has been a challenge. Now that we know about his sensory issues I am so glad to know how he ticks!

Yesterday in therapy (OT) we were doing food therapy. He was learning what foods he can eat to either alert or calm his system. In the process of therapy he had to lick peanut butter off of a thick pretzel. Come to find out Dallen is unable to lick. Yes...he can't LICK (who knew that is apparently important). He uses his hands to move the pretzel back and forth to get the peanut butter off. Then, when peanut butter is placed on his upper lip he is unable to use only his tongue to get it off. He gets frustrated and wipes it off with his finger or uses his bottom lip. The OT thought this was very interesting and called in a speech therapist to "take a look". She had him do various exercises and asked about his letter sounds. His "L's" sound like a "W", he has trouble with "R" and there are a couple of others that I was unaware of. Apparently his tongue is "thrusting" and is very weak. When she found out he would be 6 in June she said, "He definitely needs to be evaluated by a speech therapist". She also told me that with motor oral therapy she probably could break his thumb sucking!!! Props to her if she can do it because I am at a loss! Anyway, the speech thing is not anything major but how did I not notice?? What if I had only had the insight to get him in when he was 2? I knew he wasn't talking. I just thought it was because Jaxon talked for him. I even knew he wasn't talking well at 3. What did I do? I sent him to preschool thinking being around kids would make him talk more. When I think of the help I could have given him earlier he would have had a much better experience in preschool and even church. Maybe he wouldn't have had as many other issues at 4 and 5 because we would have already identified the problem. I know I can't "woulda, coulda, shoulda" and say "what if" because he is getting assistance now. I am learning so much and he is getting so much better...I just feel a little bit like I let him down early on. So, here's to the Mommy of the Year!

So, enough pity party. I will say this week two very unexpected things took place. For no reason John brought home a dozen pink roses for me. He called the boys out to his car before he came in and had them each bring a rose in to me then, John brought in the rest.THEN, Friday after work John came home at 6:30 to find me and the kids just sitting on the couch playing Wii. I was feeling really tired from my lovely sinus infection. John just went to the kitchen and made dinner. The evidence is below!


When I saw the apron I couldn't resist taking a picture! ha ha! Who does he think he is? A fireman?? ha ha.

Spring Break in Moab

Last week was spring break. John was lucky enough to get 2 weeks off from work so we headed to Moab with 4 other families. We had a great time even if it was a little colder that we thought it would be. I must say; however, that I was a little out of my comfort zone! This was definately a "boys" vacation!! Since I do have boys I will have to become a little less chicken! Yes, I am a chicken!! I don't mind watching my children ride motorcycles or do other crazy things but when I am the driver or passenger...I fear for my life! What can I say? I have NEVER driven a dirt bike, four wheeler, etc. In fact, until I met John I had never been on a motorcycle! Before we had kids we rode to Yellowstone on his street bike. Then, when I was pregnant with Jaxon we rode to Sturgis. I had a blast and loved going on motorcycle trips! I am thinking that riding a dirt bike or four wheeler (even a Jeep!)off or up steep inclines whether in rock or sand dunes is totally different! I will admit to being chicken!

Now, I did end up having a great time and hopefully will overcome by irrational fears! ha! After seeing Jen ride her motorcycle it gave me new inspiration! I told John that I want to be riding something...I have not decided on 2 or 4 wheels yet...but if my boys are going to do it, I may as well join them!! (eventually)!

Here are some pictures of the trip. Monday we went for a hike through a beautiful canon and then went to Goblin Valley. Tuesday each family rented a Jeep which ended up being really fun after I initially peed my pants! ha! We went on a trail called "Hell's Revenge"...need I say more? After Hell's Revenge we rode on another trail that eventually had us riding through the water. Fun!! Wednesday we went to some sand dunes. The boys were having a blast!! Jaxon tried to ride his motorcycle but the sand was way too soft and deep for his little 50 so he stuck with the little 4-wheelers. Little 4-wheelers may be our next investment! They also really loved riding in the Johnson's Razor, on John's motorcycle, and the bigger 4-wheelers. After some convincing, I took the Fleming's 4-wheeler out where I proceeded to dump poor Dallen right off the back! That's what happens when you don't know what you are doing! ha ha! Thursday we headed home...in the blizzard!! Friday John had to literally chisel away the ice and snow from the motorcycles to get them unlocked and off the back of the car! What an adventure!



Dallen's monster tumbleweed!






Jaxon jumping from "goblin" to "goblin" at Goblin Valley




This is where I almost peed my pants! Notice either side of the Jeep...






Here ya go, Shelley...Megan came with us of course. Here she is taking a break from the Jeep at lunch time! She was so patient and really didn't complain about anything!





Beautiful!


Tamzen, you are my hero!






Ethan's philosophy...when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!










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