It's quiet. Too quiet!

When am I going to learn that too much silence in my home equals an utter disaster.  One that I am left to clean up all by my lonesome.  Now, I'm not just talking about a mess that needs to be picked up and organized.  Nope, I'm talking about the scrubbing, gluing, sweating and often times crying messes that require way too much elbow grease.  Messes like...
-the 32 oz. bottle of bubbles that were spilled on my carpet
-the Kool-aid drops that dotted Kinsie's bedroom floor
-the JUICY peaches that were stolen from the kitchen counter and eaten on my couches
-the yogurt and applesauce that has not only ended up all over my little girl faces, but has somehow managed to find it's way into their ears
-the pencil, pen, and crayon  markings that I've found on my walls, chairs and table
-the liquid soap that has been dumped on my counter too many times to count
...and the list goes on and on.
You would that that after having had my fare share of disasters to clean up that I would have learned to keep better vigilance over my girls.  However, I find myself enjoying the quiet time that these disasters bring.  Sometimes it's the only quiet time I get and I think that why it takes me awhile to finally realize that messes are being made.  And it's funny, even though I know that my house is being destroyed in some far corner, I seem to find myself dragging my feet to go and hunt down my two little hooligans just so I can enjoy two more seconds of quiet.  Pathetic, yes.  Desperate, you betcha.  Worth it, the jury is still out on that one! 

Summer Happenings Part 5

We've finally come to the last post of our Summer Happenings.  Luckily, we are nowhere near to being done with our summer fun.  Kinsie's birthmom is coming for a visit sometime this month and at the end of the month we're going to be going camping one last time.  Then, in September (once summer is officially over) Chad will be heading off to Baltimore for a conference.  I was going to go with him, but figured it wasn't worth the cost of the flight.  Instead the girls and I will spend lots of time with family, eat out and play at McDonald's, and either do to the Zoo or Living Aquarium.
Anyway, like I said we still have a lot of fun summer plans ahead of us  But this is by far the most exciting thing that has taken place for us this summer.  It was actually the first on the list of our Summer Happenings, but I wanted to save this one for last.  Yeah...it's that good.
First of all I have to tell you that we weren't actually planning on having this be a part of our summer plans.   We were thinking about giving this a try more towards the Fall and even then we weren't sure if would end up working out for us.  That one reason it was kind of moved to the back burner.  Yet somehow, taking us by complete surprise, it just kind of fell into our laps.  Quite literally!!!

Yep, we're expecting another baby.  I'm 14 weeks along and the baby is due around February 8th.  This will make it three kids under the age of 3...and they'll probably all still be in diapers.  The goal is to have Kinsie potty trained by then, but she's being very stubborn about it.
Like I mentioned above this was a little bit of a surprise.  I had been seeing my doctor since November trying to see if we could get pregnant before another surgery would be required.  After months without success we thought for sure that I would have to go back in for another surgery, so we decided that we would enjoy our summer and then cross that bridge sometime this Fall.  However, our Heavenly Father obviously had other plans for our family. 
It was a pleasant surprise and exciting to know that my body is able to get pregnant on it own, so long as we keep the endometriosis under control.  I've been sicker than a dog this time around and have had no energy.  My poor girls have been without a decent mother for quite awhile now.  Luckily, over the past few weeks I've been doing great in the mornings and am starting to feel a little on the normal side again.
Anyway-That's our exciting news and a huge part of our Summer Happenings.  We'll find out what we're having towards the end of September and we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Summer Happenings Part 4

Flaming Gorge

This is the annual trip that we look forward to every year and I can easily say that this year had to be one of the best.  Only because we ended up going out for an entire week and we had everyone from Chad's family there with us (except for Amy and her little girl who were both home with the new baby).  It was also special to see Mike and Jodi for a few days before they headed off to Yale for the next few years.

Our time at the Gorge was not wasted at all.  It felt like we were constantly on the go.  We spent most of Thursday running the river with Mike and Jodi, Jason and Austin, and Kristi and Kalun's family.  Because water levels were higher this year the river was running a little faster which made for more exciting "rapids".  It was prefect for the kids and fun enough for the adults.

We had some great little paddlers on our raft.

In one raft we had our family with Jason and Austin.  The other raft had Mike, Jodi, Kalun, Kristi, and all of their kids.  We were hoping to all get into one large raft, but I think this ended up working out better in the end.

I had a great time and I think the girls did too.  Actually, Britnee slept for a good portion of the ride.  But, I think I'm safe in saying that Kinsie had a great time.  Look at that face of hers!

In the evenings, after long days at the beach, we spent our time relaxing and enjoying each others company.  One night Mike pulled out his guitar and got all of us singing and dancing.  It was so funny watching Kinsie get her groove on.  When they girls weren't dancing they were busy snacking...or sharing their snacks.

The day before we headed home was spent on the lake with everyone.  The water was really high this year which made it difficult to find any decent beaches.  However, we got out early enough that day and were able to find a really great sandy beach for the kids to play on while everyone else had fun tubing, swimming, and skiing.

The girls spent most all of their time playing in the sand (that's all Kinsie did), cooling off in the water (that's where Britnee spent most of her time) or playing around on the tube.

The rest of us tried to make fools of ourselves by trying some fun new things.  Kyle and Chad both decided to give beach starting a try.  Chad has done it before, but this was Kyle's first time.  He almost had it on his first try, but couldn't get his back foot into the boot on the ski and went down.  After several more attempts for finally made it.  Then Chad gave it a go and got up his first try.  He always makes me so proud.

Kyle

Chad

After the guys had their fun some of us decided to try to get 4 skiers up at once.  So, Chad, myself, Craig, and Melissa got in the water and gave it a whirl.  Unfortunately, I hadn't been skiing in three years and was using a heavier ski than I was used to.  We weren't able to get all four of us up, so we decided that just Chad and I would try.  Luckily, I was able to redeem myself and was able to get up with Chad, but by that time I was so tired I didn't have the strength  to ski for more than 2 minutes.  Oh well, at least I can say I went skiing this year.

We had such a great time, as usual.  The only downer about the trip was the fact that Chad and I had to speak in Church the day after we got back.  Besides that, the weather was great, the food was tasty, and the company couldn't have been better.  Oh, and lets not forget the exciting wildlife that we were able to get up close and personal with.

These big horned sheep got within 10-15 yards of us.  The babies were so adorable.

Summer Happenings Part 3

A few days following Craig and Breanna's wedding we headed off to Chad's grandparent's cabin for a family reunion.  Normally for the 4th of July we head to my grandparent's cabin for a family get together.  However, once we realized we would be the only ones there with little kids we decided it would be better to pass on going out this year.

Besides having to deal with some pretty aggressive allergies we had no regrets about our decision either.  We don't get to spend much time with this side of the family and it was nice to catch up with everyone.  The girls had fun playing with cousins, riding the four wheeler, swinging, and going for horseback rides.

We bought a new helmet for the girls to have when we go riding. Unfortunately, it's a little big on Britnee and probably will be for awhile. But, she was a good sport to let us try it on her for a quick little ride.

 I spent most of my time indoors working on puzzles trying to keep my allergies at bay.  Although I did make it outside long enough to have some fun shooting clay pigeons.  I had never done that before, so I missed a few.  Although I'm proud to say that I did hit my fare share.  But, the guys had me beat and were amazing to watch.  The had a pretty good time throwing up multiple pigeons, and testing their skills with quick draw.  It's been awhile since I've been so it was fun to get back into a little, inspite of the bruised shoulder I had for the next few days.
It was a great little trip and one I hope to repeat in the future.  The girls had fun and are quickly becoming great little campers.  Just like mommy and daddy want them to be. 

Summer Happenings Part 2

On July 1st my brother Craig and his fiance Breanna were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple.

Thanks to Chad's parents, who willingly watched the girls for us, we were able to participate in their sealing.  It was beautiful and great to be there for their special day.  They didn't have a professional photographer, so I offered to take some pictures of them around Temple Square.  I don't have the best of camera and wouldn't claim to be a good photographer, but I think a few of them turned out really nice!  Here are some of my favorites.

(I absolutely LOVE this shot of the two of them in front of the temple!)

Had to throw in the ever popular family shot.  It was so hot and miserable outside, so we all look like we're faking our smiles...which we probably were.

Later that night we attended their reception.  My mom did an amazing job setting everything up and it really was beautiful.  I spent most of my time chasing the girls around, so I wasn't able to get as many pictures as I would have liked to.  However, the bride and groom were adorable, the cake was stunning, and the food was divine.

It was a great day and we were all so excited to finally welcome Breanna into the family.  CONGRATULATIONS to the two of you.  We love you both so much!

Summer Happenings Part 1

This summer has been a busy one. It's taken me awhile to find the time and motivation to get started on these posts (I don't like getting behind on my blogging), but it's better late than never. So, we'll be starting this series of Summer Happenings with Cousins and Sprinklers.

Back in the month of June our little niece Kailyn got to come out and visit while her mommy and daddy went to New York. Since we don't get to spend a lot of time with them (they live in Vegas) we decided to make a special trip down to spend the day with her and other cousins at Kenneth's house.

Here are all the cousins in the family besides Karena's 4 kids.  It was fun having all the girls (except for Abree) together.  And it was super cute to watch them all play together.  They spent a good portion of their day getting wet in the kiddie pool and playing in the sprinkler ring.

And let's not forget how much fun everyone had with Aunt Kylene.  She was really good to play with all the kids and run through the sprinklers with all of them.  She is by far the favorite Aunt in the family!

After swimming we had a yummy barbecue lunch.  It was so much fun getting out to play and visit with family.  This is when I wished we lived a little closer to our family and the girls cousins!  The kids then went inside and played with toys while all the grown-ups sat and visited.  It was a great day and needs to be repeated more often!

 The sprinkler ring was a huge hit with my girls so I've tried to be good about getting it out and letting the girls play outside and cool of in it. 

It has been so much fun to watch these two spend time together and play with each other.  They have become such great little friends.  It seems like they both have to be doing what the other one is doing which can also lead into a few little arguments and screaming fits, but they're best buddies for the most part.

As much as they like getting wet in the sprinklers I think they like drinking the water more than anything!  This is usually what "playing in the sprinklers" looks like at our house.

So, that's what we done with some of our summer.  Stayed tuned for more exciting events.