The Pratts

Utah Trip 2011

2012-02-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

We had SOOOO much fun in Utah our first week there. We partied with the best of them. Our second night there Kaysia and I went to the Nutcracker with all the girls in the family (plus my brother Chris). We went to dinner at Olive Garden before hand and then headed over for the ballet. We had a blast and despite Kaysia asking questions the entire time I am really happy she came with me. Just to see the excitement on her face with each new dance and remembering what it was like for me my first time to the Nutcracker...ah (sigh). It was a life long dream fulfilled.And just as I suspected she has a love for ballet that nearly matches my own. So happy about that. Hope it sticks.

Leaving for the Nutcracker

Olive Garden

My sister Karissa and her daughter Faith

Kays with cousins Mckay and Mara

My lovely mother and sister Cherish

Chris with Brin and Alyssa

Thursday we went down to Springville to visit some close friends. The Taylors. Oh how we have missed them. Kaysia tells us frequently how when her and Cars are big they are going to get married and have kids and go on road trips. We had a lovely time visiting with them and didn't want to leave. We thought we would for sure see them again before heading back to Virginia but it didn't happen unfortunately.

Just like old times

Baby Abby is no longer a baby

Nothing like the comfort of good friends. For a moment it felt like we had never left :)

That night was the Hayes family Christmas party. It was a mixture of mayhem and pure joy. To be surrounded by all the people i love that I have missed so much was like heaven on earth. We ate, we sang (my favorite Christmas tradition), we laughed, and we cried. Oh how I love my family.

Cousins Lije and Presli girl. He is such a sucker for the babies.

all of us singing around the piano

The boys lovin on Ryd. LtoR:Gage, Lije, Rex

Ty flew in Christmas Eve and we enjoyed a quiet night with my parents. We ate hamburgers and root beer floats and sang songs around the piano before watching the nativity movie. It was SO nice to finally be reunited with my sweet husband. That morning we had gone to my Dad's side of the family Christmas party at Classic Skating. A tradition that has gone on my entire life. Kaysia rocked it on the skates and we all loved the blow-up toys. Man those things make me sweat. Its the best work out ever especially when you have to carry a 26 lb 2 year old.

watching Maverik. And yes he loved every minute.

the skate party

he was not liking the Santa's lap idea

doing the hokey pokey.

Christmas Eve

yes dad more singing :)

we have a picture like this of us when we were engaged...oh how time has changed us!

Setting out the goods

and now we wait...

Christmas morning came bright and early

my cute parents

He was mad we put him in there but he wouldn't stop with the opening

the fantastic four

And so it began...

Never too sick to lick the bowl though. Go Ryd.

December Celebrations

2012-02-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

Oh where to begin. Lets just start from the beginning and see how things go! We jumped started our Christmas celebrations this year which is a HUGE first for me. Up until now I have been absolutely solid on keeping Christmas at bay until after the Thanksgiving celebrations are over and done with. The only problem is I married a Canadian. And for those of you who are familiar with Canadian holidays you will know that Thanksgiving for them is in October. Ty has tried for years to creep Christmas into November but I have been too stubborn to change my ways. Until this year. And I have to admit I am 100% converted. I love having a full two months of the Christmas joy filling my life. Plus we were able to do so many fun things before heading off to Utah.

We actually went to our Ward Christmas party this year and had a blast. The kids absolutely loved every second. Especially Kaysia. They had all the kids sit together for dinner and then the youth took all the younger kids off for an hour to play games and decorate cupcakes and cookies. We sang songs, listened to performances and enjoyed just being able to get to know people. Plus they even had gluten free spaghetti and cupcakes for those of us in the ward with allergies. SO AWESOME. The kids each brought a gift to give the "baby Jesus" and one by one took it up to the stage they had set up and handed Mary and Joseph the gift. They had a real couple dressed up with their baby pretending to be the Christ child. There was a really special feeling there. The kids were all so reverent about it. And the gifts all went to charity. I thought that was such a great way to bring Christ back into Christmas.

That Sunday we went and saw the lights at the D.C temple. Definitely not Temple Square but still very beautiful. I always love going to the temple grounds because I immediately feel safe. Like I am home. Our friends Dan and Patience got tickets to see Jenny Oaks Baker perform that night so after looking at all the nativity sets from around the world we headed into the concert. It was UNREAL. She is SO talented. Her three daughters performed as well and they were unbelievably good. Ryder was mesmerized the minute the music started. He is a total music lover. It was nice to finally be able to do some of those things we haven't been able to in years past because of having tiny babies that can't go out in the cold.

We had our little family Christmas party on Saturday the 17th of December. We didn't want to have to take everything to Utah and we wouldn't have time when we got back so the 17th it was. We woke up and opened presents and then had a yummy breakfast and just played all day long. The kids got so spoiled by Nana and Bompa and we felt so blessed to be able to give them something even if it wasn't us who bought it for them! Monday the 19th the kids and I flew to Utah.And I just want to say they were incredibly good on both flights out there. Ryder didn't nap but he stayed happy regardless and Kaysia wooed all the stewardesses with her charm and ended up drawing them each a picture. They loved to come chat with her during the flights and we were called the party row! I loved having such kind people to talk to during such a stressful time. Anyway more to come about our time in Utah!

Santa's lap at ward party...

She forgot to tell him what she wanted and was really worried about it for weeks

Kaysia and her cute friend Lyla. Ryder reeeally likes "Wywa".

Loving the candy cane fun

Kaysia looked so big up there with all the kids doing a bell song

Kaysia and Ryder with their "Santa Bags"

Washington D.C Temple

Love his cheeser face

Ryd with our friend Patience...a fellow Canadian:)

Kaysia with friend Emma at Jenny Oaks Baker concert

Love my boys

Our Christmas party. December 17, 2011

The blocks we made to remind us of our "gifts" to the Savior for 2012

The blessed dress-ups

Ride got his first bike! Hopefully he will grow enough to reach the peddles soon.

Oops I made a Girch

2011-12-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

Definition of Girch: Kaysia's word for "making a mistake"

Thats what Kaysia said the next morning after I came downstairs to find she had done this little deed while I was gone to the temple the night before with the YW in our ward. I may have gotten mad. Okay I may have gotten REALLY mad. But after getting them fixed I am feeling much more calm and actually love her new look. The funny thing is she wasn't trying to be naughty. She told me "Mom I thought they would look really cute. but they sure are ugly." Glad she learned her lesson. Next time I won't tell her about her friends who have done the same thing. Pretty sure I put the idea into her head. Hopefully there won't be a next time but if there is I will try to be better at handling the girch. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems! Lesson learned. For both of us girls. Lucky for her she is so beautiful she could be bald and it wouldn't matter.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

The minute I laid eyes on this beauty I knew it was the perfect one for our family. Exceptionally round, a little awkard and slightly leaning. Love at first sight. We brought it home the old fashioned way strapped to the top of our car. A vision I have had for myself since I was a little girl. I grew up with a wonderful fake tree but hoped someday I would get to have a real one. And this year my wish came true. We had so much fun driving around to find a Christmas tree lot and then even more fun looking for the one we would call ours. And it looks beautiful as ever in our home. Wish we could have it all year round. LOVE LOVE LOVE-in me some Christmas.

...and the search is on

Ryder was in tree heaven

We may have played hide-and-seek too...just for fun.

the only decent family picture of the year.

love it

don't hate the process:)

just needs a star and some presents

her letter to Santa

Kaysia wrote her letter to Santa and drew corresponding pictures all by herself this year. So fun to see her get excited and into the spirit of things this year. I am really trying hard to put the focus back where it should be on the Saviors birth though and need some good ideas for kids this young. So anyone that has things they do that they feel really helps to remind their kids whats important please send them my way! Thanks! Only one more week and then we are off to Utah! Can't hardly wait!

Thanks Giving

2011-12-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

Pretty sure I am a tad bit behind again despite my best efforts to stay on top of things. oh well. This year we spent Thanksgiving with just our little family and it will definitely be a year to remember. It was the first time we were alone for this blessed holiday and we realized just how important family is. We also realized that although we are in a period of time right now where money is REAL tight we still have SO much to be grateful for. Its not the stereotypical traditions that make this holiday special. Its the people you surround yourself with and the joy you bring into those peoples lives. Never have I understood that more than I did this year. We found ourselves tableless and our cupboards bare as we started the day. And although I felt sad that my kids couldn't enjoy the typcial Thanksgiving foods and smells I instead tried to focus on making it special in other ways. We joined Ty in the morning to watch him play some football and then we spent the day lounging in comfy clothes listening to Christmas music and playing together. It was a nice relaxing day. We ate at our makeshift "table" and said things we were grateful for. All in all it was a good day. Hope you all enjoyed your holiday as well.

i LoVE yOu JUst bECaUse

2011-11-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

...

Thanks to Tyler, Kaysia and I have started telling each other 3-4 things we love about each other when I put her to bed at night and it has quickly become my favorite time of the day. To lie next to my sweet daughter and share my love with her is such a tender time. Sometimes our lives get so insane and there is so much adult stress that my kids can't understand that they have to just suffer through but I am realizing more and more how fast my kids are growing and pretty soon they won't let me smother them with my kisses or sing ridiculously loud about nothing when they are upset or snuggle them in their beds while whispering all the things I love about who they are. Pretty soon is coming WAY too soon. but for now they are mine to love closely and tenderly. and so that's what i will do.

Kickin It Virginia Style

2011-11-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

I can totally hear all of you sighing and saying FINALLY. I promise I wanted to post pictures of our place out here in Virginia a long time ago but lets be honest...with all that has been happening it has not been forefront on my mind. Here you go though...Enjoy.

(Note: we are not finished hanging things up and decorating,

and yes the walls upstairs are green and they drive me crazy:)

The view from our kitchen window and front of house

The living room. We have whats called a sunken living room so the dining and living area are all in one but the living room is lower. Opens things up a ton.

other side of living room

taken from the dining area

Ryders room

Kaysia's room

kids bathroom

Master bedroom

master bathroom

Kitchen

We also have a half bath on main floor near kitchen and front door

basement

picture doesn't show this but there is a washer and dryer to the right

that door goes to the storage room which is quite large.

back patio. so great. out our gate is a park

We live on Golf Course Drive people!

There is a gorgeous golf course that goes in a horseshoe shape around the neighborhood we live in.

I love it here.Just last week we had 75 degree weather. IN NOVEMBER. So nice to not be stuck inside already. The people are wonderfully nice, and there is so much to do and see.

Ryder's Birthday

2011-11-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

(November 15)

Since he wakes up so early and I think its extreme torture to make people especially kids wait until evening to open presents...(so rude)...we opened his in the morning. Or rather Kaysia did because all Ryder wanted to do was play with the 30 balloons I decorated with. We had an overall good day and Ty even made it home in time for the cupcakes. Yes I made GLUTEN, SOY, and DAIRY FREE cupcakes and frosting and Ty will tell you they were pretty darn tasty. Ryder just wanted the frosting which I was totally fine with. Finally we had a child get messy on their birthday! HOORAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYDER HAYES PRATT!!

The birthday pile

Officially TWO

Not sure what to do

He got a Mater bubble-blower toy, firetruck, and a tool workbench

Its not pretty but it served its purpose

he attempted to blow it out but Kaysia graciously offered to do it when he couldn't

It took him a full 5 minutes before he gave it a try

Loved the frosting

Love you muchly sweet boy

because because because

2011-11-18T11:58:00.000-05:00

Because of the wonderful things he does!

Yes this is a post dedicated to my baby boy. Who is STILL my baby even though he is now TWO!

Here are a few things I LOVE about him...

I love how he says "OH. MY.GOSH" before every sentence.

I love how well he talks in general.

I love how he LOVES music...especially church music. Not just primary songs but hymns too. He knows every word of Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel and loves to sing at the top of his lungs.

I love that he loves stuffed animals and is always hugging and cuddling them
I love that he loves to wrestle anytime I lay on the floor

I love that when he poops he asks ever so sweetly,"I go poop behind TV?" So private and polite.

I love that he chews/sucks on the corners of his blanket. They are soaked 100% of the time and smell like mildew which means I have to wash it every other day!

Anyone who has talked to me on the phone while I am driving will know what this picture is of. He loves to just close his eyes and go "ahhhhhhh...." every time we are in the car. Not sure why. but I love it.

I love that he loves sour things and doesn't even make a face when he eats them.

I love that when you ask him to show you his smile he does this face.

I love that he LOVES to look at and read books. I have high hopes for this book worm.

I love that he has gained over 5 lbs in the last 3 months since taking him off allergy foods.

I love the sound he makes when he eats something really tasty.

Some random facts I'd like to remember:

his favorite things to eat are currently pepperoni, tortilla pizzas, spaghetti, peas, mango, banana, and of course anything with massive amounts of sugar in it.

he is obsessed with the book spooky wheels on the bus and can sing all the words

he asked if we could talk to Jesus on the iPAD

he can man the iPAD like he designed it

he wakes up between 4-5AM every morning and rarely goes back to sleep

he HATES being cold

has to do EVERYTHING by himself and takes decades to do them

Laughs hysterically when he toots or burps. (definitely my fault)

is obsessed with closing doors

likes to be held by Mama

Sure do love our big boy. Can't believe its already been two years since he came to our family. I never even wrote down that experience and now I am afraid I remember only bits and pieces. Shame on me. More to come on the actual birthday celebration.

The Amazing Race(r)

2011-11-14T07:25:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was our Stakes "Put A Lid On Hunger" day. Everyone brought either canned food or money to donate. They also had some races and so our little family did the 1 mile "stroll" which turned out to be mobs of people running with strollers and wagons...weird. And Kaysia decided she wanted to run the 100 yard kids dash. It was FREEZING up at Fairfax Lake Park and somehow I didn't think and definitely under dressed my sweet kids (which is probably why they are incredibly sick this week). But it was so beautiful up by the water and surrounded by the gorgeous fall leaves. Kaysia was so excited even though she was super cold. She waited patiently for them to start the race and when that beep sounded the kid took off. She held her own and only almost ate it one time. She ran as fast as she could and after getting to the end of the bridge and coming back towards the finish she was in third. Only two boys who had started out in front remained ahead of her. Then Kaysia in her classic Kaysia way started running into the crowd with that "Dur" look on her face like she had no idea where she was going but she wasn't going to stop running! I was laughing so hard as I ran after her to show her the way. CLASSIC Kaysia. She has always been a very coordinated yet very distracted little athlete. She still beat all the girls and got a medal which she carries around with pride.

We are so proud of her. The girl has NO fear and that is something I genuinely adore. She will try anything and has no problem making mistakes and trying again in front of people. She is the bravest little being I know and I am so anxious and excited to see what she is capable of as she gets older. Go Kays!

Ryder was less than excited about being so cold

Eating some good fuel before her race

Daddy was nice and shared his coat

Listening intently to all the instructions

Look at that awesome "race" face!

I love this picture. Ty lucked out and got a great shot of her in action

Just before she got distracted. I will remember that moment for years to come so I can tease her.

Us with our Champion

The funny thing is...the first thing she said after she was done was "Mom guess what? I didn't even look back. Not once!" I just smiled. From the time Kaysia could walk she was running and she always ran with her head down or looking to the side or behind her. Its been a constant battle trying to teach her the importance of looking ahead. I can't even count the times she has run into poles, walls, windows, and doors from this distracted habit. Plus almost every single pair of stretch pants has holes in the knees from her biffing it on something she didn't notice because she wasn't looking ahead. So you can imagine how proud I was of her for NOT LOOKING BACK during that whole race.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T22:02:00.000-05:00

This year Halloween was so much fun! Both kids are old enough to really get excited. Ryder was beyond thrilled with the idea of walking door to door and getting handfuls of candy. I could NOT believe how much candy they both got. Their buckets were so heavy even I got tired of carrying it by the end. Kaysia was Love-A-Lot Bear again and Ryder was a Calgary Flames hockey player! So stinkin cute. Its too bad we all don't eat sugar. :)

We only made it to the last 30 min of the trunk or treat due to a time mess up :) So we played for awhile in our costumes so we could get our fill.

Us at the last part of the trunk or treat

Go Flames

Our wonderfully sweet neighbor Virginia (aka Grammy)

You'll notice that pile is barely the top layer of whats in their buckets. gross.

Visit to D.C

2011-11-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

When Cindy came to town a few weeks ago we were able to go into D.C and visit some of the sites there. It was a perfectly gorgeous day and the only thing I regret is not bringing a stroller for the kids...dur. I was so excited to finally see some of the famous places I have read or heard about my entire life. The kids did surprisingly well thanks to the awesome tour bus which made it easier to see a bunch of places in a short amount of time.

Looking over the river at Arlington

Lincoln Building

I loved all the writing on the walls. So much about God. How did we get to be so far off from where we started is my question. Especially when there are reminders everywhere.

Nana and kids with Washington Monument

Up on top of bus. We got front row seats which was awesome!

The Jefferson Building

I LOVE the fall leaves

Ryder loved the bus ride

"House Where Lincoln Died"

Capitol Building

I can't remember what building this was but it had Canadian flags so I had to take a picture!

I hope you all know what this building is. But in case you don't its the White House.

iPhone dump

2011-11-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Man life is busy, busy, busy. We are all moved into our new place though and after 2 whole months of being in Virginia I can finally say this is home. I even know my way around the crazy streets here and that is a HUGE accomplishment. Trust me if you have ever been out here you'd know what I am talking about. A little update on everyone...

RYDER is now just 2 weeks away from being 2 and man is he living up to the "Terrible 2" stereotype. WOW is the only word I can think of to describe Ryder. He is SO dynamic. Up down up down and all around is Ryder's personality in a nutshell. He is going going going all day long. He copies Kaysia and follows her everywhere. His is always yelling "Come on Kaysia!" He loves trucks, animals, marshmellows, the iPad (especially Ice Age 3), dinosaurs, noodles, his "deedee"(blanket) and lambie, and most importantly his Daddy. He is still dairy, soy, and wheat free with his diet and has gained 5+ lbs since going totally off all three. He is hungry all day long and loves to drink lots and lots of Flax milk. Don't judge its delicious AND healthy. He HAS to walk EVERYWHERE we go and is obsessed with having Kaysia's car seat rather than his own. He is very protective of his mother and when left by said mother is distraught to say the least. Something we never went through with Kaysia so we are still trying to figure that part out. He is full of hugs and snuggles, loves to sing at the top of his lungs, and "reads" books out loud for all to hear. He loves his Heavenly Father and Jesus and talks about the temple frequently. He has an "old soul" as my MIL says and is such a sweet boy despite his defiant little age. We love him mucho much and love watching him grow.

KAYSIA has grown up so much these past 6 months. She helps me out a ton with Ryder and keeping the house nice. Preschool is too expensive out here so we decided to just get her into some community classes and so she has been in a swim class the last 3 weeks and loves it. She is definitely a little ahead of the game since we practiced a lot this summer but I still feel like its teaching good techniques and its something to get her interacting with other people besides Ryder and I. She had her first Primary program on Sunday and did an AMAZING job. We were late moving into this ward so they were worried about her not knowing her part but not surprisingly she had it memorized after only 5 times of me telling it to her. She knew all the songs and sang them beautifully (and LOUD:) which made me smile the entire hour. She plays "pretend" most of the day and can entertain herself for hours. She always includes her little brother and makes sure he is having fun too. She loves to color, and make cards with stickers to send to her friends and cousins, and she loves to play board games. She has the biggest heart and it is full of love for all those around her.She especially loves her Savior. She sings primary songs constantly.It doesn't matter where we are. She smiles sweetly as she sings to everyone that passes us in the store. I don't even stop her because I can't tell you how many people go from frowning to smiling when they hear her singing about her Father in Heaven. She brings the most incredible spirit into our home and reminds us constantly to make good choices and to be patient. She is still quite a challenge for me but I have really grown to recognize and love those things about her that try and test me. She jokes and plays around with me now and we have so much fun hanging out together. I can't wait to see where this next year takes her.

Tyler works and works and works. :) That sounds awful...and trust me it is...but it is also the truth. And its not even busy season! We are SOOO proud of him though and incredibly grateful for how hard he working. What a sacrifice he is making for our little family. I would not want to be in his shoes. He commutes an hour and half on a good day and then works extremely late and then makes the trek back home. And he does it EVERY SINGLE DAY. He is truly amazing and I am so lucky to have him in my life. We live for weekends when we get him for a whole 2 days! The kids have had a hard time adjusting to him not being around but they take every second they do get and soak it up.

And Me...its hard to say things about yourself, but for documentation sake I will say I am doing alright. I feel like Heavenly Father has really helped me to adjust quickly to life in the fast lane and has given me added strength to handle all that has come our way since we moved back here. Its been like the 20 "plagues" no joke. Just when I think things couldn't get more complicated something else comes up. At first I felt overwhelmed but with a lot of praying and a whole bunch of faith now I just laugh with each new thing that arises. I know Heavenly Father is refining us and I am 100% willing.

Anyway that's all for now. We are doing good and are so happy. Life is moving forward and we are growing and learning and that's why we are here. These are just some pics from my phone that I thought I would post until I can get my regular camera downloaded.

In the hurricane booth. I don't think Ryder liked it so much.

Kaysia the thrill seeker was game.

Lounging with the iPad

The week before moving to Virginia

Ryder just out of the bath

He wanted to wear his dragon rain boots to bed...

And old one from this summer but I had to put it on here

these all look better on my phone

At Cox Farms

He LOVED the tractors

So beautiful

giddy up!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE. So squishy

We'll see y'all later

Settled (This is a long one...don't feel like you have to read it)

2011-10-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

The last month has been somewhat of a blur. Since we arrived in Virginia we have spent most of our time looking for a more permanant place to settle into for the next few years. The search was exhausting and incredibly discouraging. However I have had so many amazing, and special experiences through it all that I felt I should document our journey so far. To a reader these moments may seem so inconsequential or maybe even coincidental but I know without a doubt that Gods loving hands were involved and He has been with us every step of the way.

When we first came out to look for a place we went from sun up to sun down looking furiously with no luck. Without knowing the area it was hard to determine what spots were safe and conveniently close to things. Just before our flight on the Sunday we left I found this place that only had a photo of the outside. There was a number for a broker but he didn't answer. It seemed pointless to follow up on something I knew nothing about with such little time left but I couldn't shake the feeling that we needed to go check it out. I left another message for the broker by email this time and then Ty and I headed over to go see if anyone was home. When we got there sure enough no one was home but we looked around the area and in the windows and we IMMEDIATELY fell in love. It was perfect. And to make things even better the LDS church was just across the street as well as the Elementary school. I was certain this was our home...only I didn't know how to get a hold of anyone on such short notice and with such little time.

We left for another appointment. On our way to the next place miraculously the broker called me back. He said he never usually checks his voicemail or email during the day Sunday but for some reason had and got our messages. He had tried to call the property manager but they were gone for the weekend. We were totally bummed out. After our appointment we had a little time to kill before heading to the airport and we decided to go back one more time to see if someone had come home. We knocked on the door and waited. My heart felt so desperate. I was ready to bang down the door when suddenly it opened. The woman said "You must be the Utah couple!" We were in shock. Somehow the broker had gotten through to PPM and they had called the tenant. We looked around and again felt very excited. It was going to fit our family just wonderfully. There were trails all around with fields, playgrounds,tennis courts, and a pool right near by. It felt safe. It felt comfortable.

Well the story goes that our flight was delayed and we ended up missing our connection and had to spend the night in Atlanta. Which was very stressful since we needed to get an application sent right away or we would miss out. After arriving home and getting all the necessary paperwork in we waited on pins and needles. They liked our application along with 3 others. We were elated! Then the call came...we didn't get it.

Instantly my heart broke. I felt so certain that the timing of everything working out had been a sign from Heavenly Father. And I knew in my heart He had wanted me to pursue this place. I felt so abandoned. Why had it felt so right. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed with fear of moving so far away with no plan in place.

Our second day in Virigina we had met some missionaries that lived in a month to month rental and so we decided to just stay there our first month or two until we found another place. We came out here with no plan and scared to death.

And so developed the journey of faith. With each place I took the kids to view I felt more and more discouraged. I did not understand Gods plan. I felt like He had let me down with the house on Poplar Grove and I was angry. We were living out of boxes, awake all night because the people above us were so loud all through the night, and our apartment had a water leakage which made it feel wet and soggy. I reached an all time low. And for the first time in this whole process I desperately reached out to my Father in Heaven. I decided I was going to do everything I could do have the spirit with me and pray to have faith in Gods plan for my little family. I spent all my spare time reading scriptures, and conference talks.I watched Mormon messages, and prayed more fervently than I ever have.

Things didn't get better. Nothing was feeling right. Then I got the impression to contact a different broker Ty had talked to a week or so after we got out here. I didn't know why but I called her. Marianne was so nice and got to work right away at setting up appointments for us to view some places. I was excited. I felt like I was going in the right direction. But after two visits and not feeling right about them I was starting to get discouraged. She said she felt like we should go to one more place and then call it good for the day since the kids were getting a bit restless. When we pulled up i thought, "Shoot me in the head...this place is dog ugly." However the minute we walked inside I felt an overwhelming sense of peace wash over me. It was crazy! There was nothing especially fantastic about it but I felt good. A feeling I had not felt since Poplar Grove. It had practically everything on our check list of things we were looking for. Minus the fact it was a bit further drive for Ty to commute, the wood floors were less than comfy and it being a higher price than we had originally set for ourselves...it was a keeper.

I had prayed to have good feelings about where we should be and so when I felt peace I knew it was time to act. The owners had just lowered the price nearly 300 hundred dollars 2 days before too-which was amazing. It is set right in the middle of a beautiful golf course and so the prices are much higher than other places around here. They had several people apply that offered them more money but I was crossing my fingers. Ty was in New York for training this whole time and was VERY uncertain about things. When he got home and saw the price he was very disheartened by my choice. But I knew in my heart that this was where for whatever reason Heavenly Father wanted us. After much debate and realizing all the costs associated I started to doubt myself. Maybe I had just been so desperate that I made myself feel like it was God speaking to my heart. Every time I had those thoughts though I would read or listen to something that talked about trusting Heavenly Father and having faith to step out into the unknown. It was as if God was reassuring me that what I had felt was truly divine inspiration. One morning I lay in bed holding Ryder while he slept and I was overcome with sadness. They had chosen us. Above everyone else even with better offers and the only thing holding us back was our financial situation. I sat there thinking," I can not ask my parents for anymore help. I won't. So I guess that means we will have to let them know we won't taking it." I started bawling. All the emotions I had felt all month long came rushing out and I could barely breathe. I have never felt more alone than I did in that moment.

Just then I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text from my beautiful mother. It was not even 6am her time but this is what she wrote, "I just want you to know that if you need help paying rent for that new place your Dad and I want to help you. We talked about it last night. Call me when you wake up." It was in that moment that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my Heavenly Father loves me. That He had heard my prayers and was very aware of what was going on in our lives.

I called my mom a bit later and asked her why in the world she was up at 6. She said," I never bring my phone to bed and I never ususally open my eyes until 7 even though I am up much earlier. But for some reason when Dad's alarm went off I got the impression that I should text you and tell you what Dad and I had talked about the night before. At first I ignored it and tried to fall back asleep but again the impression came so strongly that I could not lay there any longer. I immediately grabbed my phone and texted you."

If that isn't a testimony of love from Heavenly Father I don't know what is. He knew that I needed in that exact moment to know that without even asking my parents were willing to help and because my Mother is always SO close to the spirit and ALWAYS follows its promptings she was inspired to text me the exact words I needed to hear.

In this book my Mom sent me for my birthday Gerald Lund says,"Sometimes the Lord sends His blessings in such a highly unusual, dramatic, or precisely timed manner, that it might be likened to a "divine signature." It is as though the Lord "signs" the blessing personally so that we will know with certainty that it comes from Him. In so doing, God not only gives us the blessing, but at the same time He strengthens our faith and deepens our testimony of Him."

That was precisely what happened that early morning when my Mom sent that message. It was Gods way of letting me know He cared. That He wanted me to trust Him and that He would make it possible to do so.

The story doesn't end there. We have had many obstacles come since making the decision to move forward with this place we are now living in. There were costs we didn't think of and each day there seems to be another issue that arises that causes us to feel fear and doubt. In fact this place was in total disrepair. I spent hours scrubbing the walls, floors, kitchen, and bathroom. Things are broken and there are giant bugs in our storage room along with massive mold growing in the corner that has yet to be rectified. But each time something comes up I no longer question God. I dont doubt His plan. I don't know WHY He wants us to live here. I don't know what experiences we will have or people we will influence but I do know that He has a plan. That He can see what we can't and I trust in His way completely. He knows what things we need to go through in this life to refine us for eternity. And only time will tell what reasons He had for bringing us here but I will no longer ask him WHY.

It has taken me 27 years to realize that the only way to not have fear is to have faith. To be able to feel peace and happiness we must be obedient and willing to follow Gods plan for us rather than our own plan.

If nothing else this whole experience has allowed me to develop the kind of relationship with my Heavenly Father I should have always had. The kind He wants us all to have. It has taught me that He so wants to bless us. Not that He can but WANTS to. And its up to us to come to that knowledge and draw close to His spirit.

I can genuinely say that despite all that is happening I have never felt more joy. Ty even called last night and said the Jetta engine gave out and he was stranded at a parking lot near the bus station. My feathers weren't even ruffled. In fact I laughed right out loud. I looked up to the heavens and thought, "Heavenly Father you really are having fun up there aren't you."

Life will never be easy. Nor will it be fair. But the tender mercies and divine signatures of the Lord are seriously happening all the time if we will but look for them.

I am anxious to see how this journey unfolds. And I look forward to what lies ahead whether it be good or bad. Because I know now I am safe in the loving hands of my Heavenly Father. And all these experiences will be for our good.

Until next time. Farewell.

Zion's Hike 2011

2011-10-13T22:12:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures from my 12 mile hike that I went on this last July with my dad, brothers, and niece Kaia.

Left to Right: Jesse, Dad,Ty, Me, Kaia

Random cows way up in the mountains...we were a bit confused

Me, Dad, Chris, Jesse, Ty, Kaia

the descent

my first blister

I look like a man

Kaia and I

All American Hero

My brothers Chris and Jesse spent most of the hike having photo shoots

snack time

Chris attempting to crawl through a hole.He abandoned the idea thankfully when he realized he might get stuck and we wouldn't stick around to wait for help

so beautiful

Not a fan of the gross water

He is crazy. And so much fun to watch.

Victory

I didn't know it was that deep and went all the way under. SO FREEZING.

wondering how much longer...my feet were done at this point

I put my cold hands on my dads back and he screamed...ok yelled

Notice the difference in Jesse's (center)face from beginning to end. Love it! :)

Since We Arrived

2011-09-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

It has officially been 2 weeks since we arrived in Virginia. Currently we are renting month to month in a place called Parc Reston. It is directly across from the town center. Reston was a "planned community" which means it is very family friendly and very easy to access anything you could ever want to do or see. There are trails EVERYWHERE that connect you to EVERYTHING. Insanely awesome if I knew where I was going or wanted to go. There are so many trees I can't tell where things are until I am literally right in front of them. Everyone raves about the town center and the concerts and activities that are held there year round. I am excited to be a part of that...assuming we stay here in Reston. It is an hour commute for Tyler which with his hours will get very draining but any closer to D.C and it gets mighty pricey and extremely tight living quarters! But we'll see. We are doing everything we can to find a permenant place but are not having the luck we had wished for. We are learning that if we are being obedient and faithful the Lord will direct us in His own time. The hard part is letting go of trying to control the situation and trusting in His guiding hand. However I know He is aware of our needs and our situation and will bless us with the right thing for our family when He sees fit.

Our first weekend here we headed up to see the D.C temple. I have very special feelings for this temple although up until now I had never seen it in real life. When I was going to be baptized my bishop let me choose a picture of a temple and I chose the D.C temple. It hung in my room all the way up until I was married. So of course I was dying to finally be able to see it up close. It was every bit as gorgeous and magnificent as I imagined it would be. And its amazing how as soon as you enter Temple grounds you feel like you have come home. That has happened to me on more than one occasion but its like instantly you feel comfort and peace. I love that.

We walked around the grounds and then spent some time in the visitors center. They have a lot of programs and events there for people to come to and I can't wait to attend some of those. Kaysia and Ryder loved the Christus. Ryder still talks about Jesus living at the temple. Afterwards we drove a bit further to the new CAFE RIO they have here. Ahhh....for just a moment I really did feel at home. So yummy. I am so glad they have that here.

We are still trying to settle into our new life but each day gets easier. And the more stuff we find to keep ourselves busy the better. I am sure another 2 weeks and we will know this city inside and out. :)

We miss everyone so much but we know that this is where Heavenly Father wants and needs us to be. And already I am recognizing the blessings that have come and continue to come from living out here.

Very gross. That was Tys hat after moving everything into our apt.

I have never sweat so much in all my life. I feel like I am sweating 24-7 out here.

Not used the the humidity I guess.

Ryder pretending to be Daddy

Our apartment is always hot and humid so he spends a lot of time in a diaper

Our first glimpse of the temple

After listening Kaysia leaned over and said, "Mom I can feel Jesus loves me in my heart."

The most precious feeling we can have as human beings and my 4 year old felt it. A very good day.

So tender and incredible how when children see Jesus they become so still and peaceful.

Cafe Rio

an hour of walking and we finally found a playground

A lot of painting, coloring, and play dough goes on here

"I want Ipad" is Ryder's newest and most used sentece

Kaysia braving a favorite childhood snack of mine...Nilla Wafers with pickles on top! Yum.

Saying Goodbyes

2011-09-19T21:57:00.000-04:00

Rather than doing individual posts on every get together we had to say goodbye I decided to just clump all the photos together and just give brief descriptions. Mostly because the more I think about it the more I cry and frankly I am tired of crying. I have been doing it all summer long and continue to cry daily. So right now I am all dried up. Our last weekend in Utah we met up at the zoo with our closest friends and neighbors the Taylors. Carson is Kaysia's best bud and I am so sad to not have him around. We were so lucky to have them right next door and I miss them so much it makes my stomach hurt somedays. They were truly wonderful friends and will be missed tremendously. We did end up seeing them one last time while we loaded the truck and we played games and let Kaysia and Carson play a bit. But then it was for real goodbye.

Us at the bird show

Abby, Tonya, Me, Ryder, Carson, Kaysia

They loved each other. Most days.

typical kid shot. No one paying attention.

Us playing games one final time

Kaysia and Carson 2011

I wanted one last photo of our home of 4 years even though Ryder was not there. Technically Kaysia was not supposed to be there either because we had left her when we went to Victoria but it took us longer to load the truck and she couldn't last another day with my mom so she brought her down. I feel sad i ever complained about living in that wonderful place. Now being out in Virginia that place is like a palace compared to these box huts! I learned my lesson too late. I am so grateful we had such an incredible home to bring our babies to those first years of marriage. I have so many tender memories attached to this place and Springville will always hold a special spot in my heart.

This is a picture at my going away party that my bestie Meag threw for me. A bunch of friends from growing up and high school and college came. It was fabulous to see everyone and to have a night to talk without kids.

Meag, Jessica, Me, Aly, Becca, and Laura

Then while we were up at my parents I invited some girls over to say our final goodbyes. We just let the kids run wild in the backyard while we snacked and chatted. I have been so blessed to have such amazing friends. And to have them so long. These girls have been there through the thick and thin of it. And even though life doesn't allow us to gather often I know that if I needed them they would be there. Cream of the crop women with so much to teach me. I really am so lucky. Thank you girls for always being the incredible women you are and for loving me despite my quirks. You all know the ones I speak of. :)

Meag, baby Luke, and Laura

I love the kid shots. Meg, Emmalee, Ryder, Kaysia, Luke, Easton, Lucy

Laura and Lucy

We HAD to get the Penske picture. We did this when we moved to Houston 2 years ago and it seems surreal that we are already doing it again. The men left for their "4 days of driving" journey shortly after this picture was taken. I had four more days to enjoy my family but man it sure was hard to say goodbye knowing that our path most likely will never cross back into Utah. I will definitely miss my home of 27 years but I know that the Lord has big plans for my little family and it is with faith and trust in His plan that we set out on this new adventure!

Phew...I am FINALLY caught up!! Woo-ha. Now if only I can stay caught up. That would be nice. Lets cross our fingers!

Grandma's House

2011-09-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Our last month in Utah was spent living at my parents house in Farmington. Ty and I were gone the 2nd weekend in August when we flew out to Virginia to look for a place to live and Ty's mom and sisters watched the kids for those 4 four days and then 2 weeks later we went to Victoria, BC to have a memorial service for Ty's Nana who passed away last year. but the rest of the time we spent here and I am so grateful we had that time with my side of the family. I was able to soak up a lot of moments with my sweet mother and I was able to say goodbye to each family member (with exception of my oldest brother Tyler and his family since they are in Michigan). We enjoyed having our own space and not having to worry about packing for a bit. It was great to just play in my parents nice backyard and to eat out on the deck. The kids especially loved to ride in Gma's car with the top off. Ryder still begs to do that and I can't explain how gmas car is really far away! My dad even took us up to Pineview for a final run on the tube. Couldn't have thought of a better farewell.

He did this himself and we died laughing (its the Hayes genes for sure)

and yes that is Kaysia's underwear

playing piano at Gma's

The awesome swing at Nichols park

It was the coolest park I have seen in a long time

Kaysia showing off her climbing skills

Learning to eat with a spoon

Our last visit to Pineview

my good boys are the only ones looking

He loves Gompas boat

She loved...He hated

Gpa is such a good man

And you all wonder where I get it from

Riding with the top off

Saying goodbye to my lovely grandmother and namesake (Jen)

Pratt Family Reunion 2011

2011-09-19T20:55:00.000-04:00

August 1-5

The day after we got home from St. George the Pratt Family reunion began! I know...talk about a crazy summer. And this is all on top of packing my entire house up to move 2000 miles across the country! Insane. Regardless it was a total party from sun up to sun down for the entire week. Unfortunately i didn't get to make it to everything because I had to have our whole house packed up so we could move up to my parents house for the last few weeks before our move. But they had food, games, movies, prizes, pictures, a service project, and so much more. It was so nice to see everyone before moving. It has been wonderful having Ty's extended family so close these last 4 years and they will be greatly missed. Especially his sweet Grandma Nila. She is the reason i joined the family in the first place. :) Ty introduced me to her the first Sunday we hung out and I knew he had to be good quality with such an incredible grandmother. She is a beautiful person inside and out and I feel so blessed to know her and to learn from her example.

The only day I really got pictures was the day we all went to Park City and rode the Alpine slide and did the other ride whatever its called. We also did the zip line. I was mortified being that I am deathly afraid of heights. I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time we stood in line. But it ended up being much more fun than I had imagined. The kids of course had a ball and again we felt so lucky to just be able to spend time with family.

This is all he wanted to do during the reunion

The kid let her climb up for free just to see if she could do...we showed him!

Everee and Kaysia at Baha Cantina

Three of us girls sporting our Canada shirts.

Riding the lift up to the top of the slide

So high...no likey

She loves the adrenaline rush

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Alexa

Aunt Camilla and Aunt Kaiti

In line to ride the other ride

He thought he was so tough

The kiddie rides tuckered him right out

Ryder squealing like a girl

St.George 2011

2011-09-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

July 25-31

We were only home for a week after Island Park before we headed back out for another trip. Just enough time to unpack, do a thousand loads of laundry, get Ryder scoped from top to bottom and bottom to top (which was awful and is a story for another time), and then pack back up again. All in a days work hey! This time Ty was able to come and oh how much more fun it is with the husband around! It was HOT, HOT, HOT down there which was in our favor since Ryder only swims in 100+ degree water so he actually spent some time wet rather than causing mayhem.

Again there was a lot of chaos with so many people there but so much fun. The house in St. George is much bigger than the cabin in Island Park so it didn't feel as crazy. Tyler loved golfing with the men and I loved spending time with the girls. I did however agree to go on a 12 mile hike through the Narrows with my brothers, dad, and niece Kaia. It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! In more ways than one. Amazingly beautiful, amazingly exhausting, amazingly terrifying (i don't do heights, nor do I hand repel off those heights with water shoes on, but I did and it was awesome) amazingly gross swimming in that extremophile water, amazingly painful by the end because of my awful shoes, and amazingly rewarding to have done it and to have done it with my family!

Tyler was great and stayed back at the place to watch the kids which ended up being ALL DAY LONG. 12 miles is a long way and took us longer than we thought because of my dumb feet and shoes! It was fun and I'd love to do it again with better shoes of course.

The rest of the time was spent swimming, playing with the kids, and eating. always eating with the family! Love it.As you can see I didn't take many pictures and none from the hike. My brother has those and I will post them later. That's what happens when your having too much fun I guess. I got what I needed though :)

She swam so much she couldnt open her eyes there were so swollen

we love gpa

the splash pad in downtown St. George

they both loved it here

for a child who dislikes water as much as he does this place sure was an exception

and yes he was diaperless-such cute bumcheeks

Riding the "worsie"

Ryder and Kaia

he liked it in a I-am-terrified-way

thank heavens for dvd players

she doesn't get it from me :)

Island Park 2011

2011-09-16T12:26:00.000-04:00

July 7-14

Its been years since I have been able to go to Island Park with my family and so this year I decided that it may just be my last chance (at least for awhile anyway) and so I braved the drive up without Ty. I did ask my cute niece Mckay to drive with me to help out and she was fabulous! Ryder has been obsessed ever since this trip with both her and my other niece Kaia. They were a HUGE help for this single mama!

Despite it being quite chaotic with SO many people there...it was an absolute BLAST! I think we had nearly 20 kids there at one point. C.R.A.Z.Y!!! I am so glad I went though because we were able to get some good family time in before heading out for D.C. Kaysia REALLY enjoyed having her cousins around 24-7. We ate, played minute-to-win-it, swam in the freezing cold water, and tubed until our bellys hurt from laughing so hard! I was the only adult up for the tubing too and the cousins loved going with me because gentle, careful Grandpa turned into the Dad I grew up with where there was NO MERCY for those riding the tube. It was SO much fun. I haven't screamed/laughed that much in a very long time. Kaysia was the one always doing the thumbs up for Gpa to go faster! She loved a wild ride and said, "I just close my eyes like you do on rides at the fair...then it doesn't matter how big the waves are!" Such a thrill seeker child. I love it!!

I decided that its way more stressful than enjoyable to vacation now that I am on the other side of things. I was always the kid and I realize that is WAY more fun. Everything is bought, packed, cooked, and given to you just when you need it. I miss those days :) However, I will look back fondly on this summer and all the "vacations" we took and remember how awesome they were even with all the stress. thats the way it goes right?

We were the last to go home with my parents and my niece Kaia and so the last day we were up there we decided to head into West Yellowstone. We saw an IMAX, shopped,and ate dinner. I am so glad we stayed and had that fun day with Gma/Gpa and Kaia. It was definitely worth it!

July 2011

Our cabin and a cute lady :)

He didnt mind the vest

Nice to have boys around to toughen Ryder up

A mothers favorite sight...her kids loving on each other without being prompted to

He was in heaven having gpa around 24-7

Snuggling with MA-kay

He spent A LOT of time doing this and it was annoying to say the least

getting ready for the next minute-to-win-it game

the onlookers

she held it up high the whole time

GO GIRLS TEAM! We ROCKED IT!

He loved him some "baby ewie"

They both spent the week pointing at each other saying "baby" even though they are the same age!

Faith and Kaysia braving the cold water

Me, Kaysia, and Mckay going for a Kayake run

Faith, Kaysia, and Osten riding the tube

He was always running away from the water...boo.

A lot of playing, late nights, and junk food=one tired girl with nasty,crazy hair

they had a lot of fun playing with only a few tiffs

the crew of early risers! Gage and Ryder

I love my NIECES

us at West

Trying on cool hats...gpa even joined in but I wasn't quick enough to get a pic

I love Island Park and will miss it dearly

Kaia and us. We miss this girl in an enormous way!

such a squish

Naked

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-04:00

Yes naked...that is how I have felt the last week and a half without internet or cable! It is SO sad too. I just kept telling myself, "Its okay you lived more than half your life without such technology." But myself was having a hard time listening and today after the nice Comcast man installed everything I had to restrain myself from hugging him and singing his praises!

Okay actually it wasn't that bad but man it feels good to be connected to the world again in my own small way. I don't have pictures uploaded yet and I have A LOT of backtracking to do...but...I will say that we made it to Virginia safe. That we are frantically looking for a reasonable place to live (without much luck so far) and we will MOST certainly NEVER be living on the ground floor of an apartment building again so long as I live. I forgot how awful it is to have people above you. Especially people who stay up running around past 1am and then get up at 445am! Talk about NO SLEEP. Such goes life though and its all part of this adventure. Or at least thats what I tell myself. All that matters is we made it and will hopefully be finding our permenant landing spot soon. Pray that it is VERY soon. I promise to update a bit everyday until I am caught up. Until then.I bid you all goodnight!

P.S I miss you all tremendously :)

Happy Happy Birthday

2011-07-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

Kaysia's 4th birthday was just that. Happy happy happy. Most years on her birthday we are getting things ready to make the trek to Calgary and so we don't usually have time to do a lot of celebrating...but since we couldn't make it up to Canada this year we were able to make her birthday really special and fun.

We started the day out with going to see the hot air balloons take off in Provo with my friend Tonya and her son Carson. We all loved it. I don't think I have ever seen hot air balloons that close up. It was crazy to see just how big they are. While we were gone Ty got the house all decorated up. Usually I stay up late the night before. I have everything all done with balloons and presents so when she walks down the stairs she sees it but we waited this year and when she came down she got really sad and was like "I guess the birthday people forgot it was my birthday!" You can imagine her joy when we got home from seeing the hot air balloons to find the "birthday people" had not forgotten after all!

After playing around for awhile I made both my kids nap since Kaysia was going to be staying up until midnight and thats about 4 hours later than she is used to!

At 3pm we had her "Animal Birthday Party". We did it over at Ty's gmas house in her yard and I thought it went really well. They started out by making animal visors. Then they played in the elephant pool and on the slip and slide. Then we played pin the tail on the giraffe. I had all sorts of animal snacks like crushed oreo and worms as bird food, fishies as bear food, juice as butterfly food, trail mix as squirrel food, chocolate covered bananas with sprinkles as monkey food...you get the idea. We had a pinata and then Kaysia opened presents and we had cake and ice cream. I wanted to get her a pink ice cream cake but instead she opted to have me make a pink cake with pink frosting and get bubble gum ice cream from Baskin. So yummy. It was just the right length and I think the girls (and Carson :))all had fun. We had 8 friends in all and then my sister brought a couple of her older kids! We have gotten really lucky with friends around here. Kaysia has so much fun with all of them!

That night after Ryder went to bed Kaysia and I headed over into Provo with the Taylors and waited for the Stadium of Fire fireworks to start. It was a blast! hehe no pun intended. But seriously I never get out that late and even though I was beat after such a fun filled day it was nice to have some alone time with my baby girl.

She has really grown up this year. School helped focus her a lot and she constantly surprises me with her knowledge and understanding of things. She is full of energy and gets excited about the simple things in life. She and Ryder are great friends and have more and more fun together all the time as he gets older. She loves challenges and asked for roller skates and her training wheels off so she could work on those things. She got a braclet making kit and lots of other craft projects that I am really stoked to see her work on. This age has opened up so many more great things for us to do and I can't wait to see what this year holds for her.

The new FOUR year old

Waiting to go see the balloons

They were HUGE

He was mesmerized

The present stash

hungry hungry hippos,princess shoes, tea set, princess roller skates...

She had to get out and give them a whirl

Making their animal visors

Kaysia didn't get the "smile normal" memo

L-R: Abigail, Maddie, Caroline, Hallie, Kaysia, Faith, Alyssa, Carson

waiting to hit the pinata

opening even MORE presents! Thanks everybody!

Giving Hallie a hug

she got SO MUCH STUFF. Time to D.I the old stuff I guess

Waiting for fireworks

BFF's! We will miss you Cars!

They wanted to both sit with Brandon! Typical.

Happy birthday Kaysia. We love you SO much. And we think you are the most beautiful, funny, and smart little girl out there. Thanks for teaching us so much about what it means to love, to be kind and patient :), and to have a lot of faith in the Savior. We thank God every day that you are ours forever.

Dear Daddy

2011-07-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

We love you so much!

Thanks for working so hard to make us money so we can have toys.

You are THE.BEST.DADDY. in the whole world

I know Father's Day was awhile ago but it was also the same weekend as Ragnar and I have been some what of a deadbeat since that weekend! Ty is a wonderful husband and father and that weekend was no different as I left him to take care of the kids so I could go and do what I love! He does so much for us and makes us all smile when he comes home after a long day at work. We just can't get enough of this guy!

Thanks Ty for being such an amazing husband and father! We are so lucky to have you!

Art City Days

2011-07-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

We actually made it out to the parade this year. And despite my doubts I really enjoyed myself. Mostly because I love watching Kaysia and Ryder get SO excited about every little thing. We somehow ended up in the "Quiet Zone" which I was bummed about because lets be honest...the best part of a parade are the annoying sirens right? But we stuffed ourselves with candy and joy and then went home for a nap so we could have energy for the fair later that day.

As soon as we walked onto the fair grounds Kaysia was freaking out. She is such a thrill seeker. Which of course makes me happily terrified. I was never a brave child so I am glad she doesn't have so many fears like I did but still I'd hate to get the "Most Seen Patient In The ER" Award with her! We ended up getting her an all day pass so she could hit up as many rides as she wanted and hit them up as MUCH as she wanted. The girl was in heaven and quite exhausted at the end of the day!

We got there just in time!

Candy Scavengers

Ryder starting running after the horses he was so excited!

Love the hands up!

Didn't quite get the whole blanket idea...she came down and said "Yuck mom, why did they make me use that gross blanket when its so hot outside!"

She had to keep telling me to breathe. I HATE heights!

He wasn't supposed to be able to ride this ride but the nice man let him as long as Kaysia held onto him!

She wanted to ride the "scary" ride but once going was REALLY nervous and kept saying "mom make the man stop!" Instead I told her to close her eyes like I do on rides!

You can imagine the fight we had getting him off the train

I see future rock climber written all over that wall

Relaxing after so much fun in the sun!

WE LOVE SUMMER!

For My Posterity...Let It Be Written...I Ran

2011-07-15T23:29:00.000-04:00

I have SO much to blog about. Ugh. Its quite exhausting but I really want to do it before I forget which will be soon given my "Mama" brain. I just have to write about my Ragnar race experience since in all likelihood I will never be running it again! I don't actually know where to start other than from the beginning.

For those of you who know me I HATED running when I was younger. Hated is even soft for my feelings towards the pointless sport. In high school I was known for running the mile in bare feet or flat foot Adidas. (which explains a lot of my foot pain now.) However when I went to Romania, Meags and I started running and I began to develop a secret love for this new release. My body didn't agree with me though and I ended up getting knee surgery in the fall of 2005. I didn't really run again the same way until Kaysia was nearly 18 months. In October of 2008 I decided to do a beginner training program that teaches you to run 3 miles by slowly building up your time running versus walking. It was tough and I cried the second week when they said to run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute for 30 minutes. Seriously I cried. I was ready to quit. LONG story short. I didnt quit and I ended up running my first half marathon in April of 2009. (And yes I was 3 months pregnant with Ryder!) I was so proud of myself! I had never felt absolute triumph in such a huge way! I had done something seemingly impossible and I was only in a lot of pain...not totally dead.

Then my pregnancy with Ryder was awful and I lived in Houston Texas and I stopped running. Until in September of 2010 my SIL Kaiti asked me to be on a Ragnar team. I had heard stories but was too ignorant to resist. I needed to get my butt in gear anyway right? Well after MONTHS of running what seemed like every spare second of my life the time came to race.

I knew absolutely NO ONE on my team except Kaiti. But was greatly surprised to find that I had scored an AMAZING team full of incredible women! And I got to spend 2 whole days bearing it all with them! I won't get into much detail about the race other than to say it was full of a lot of crazy people dressed completely ridiculous, and I learned some hard lessons about what it means to be truly dehydrated! Those poor port-a-pottys!

My first leg was 3.2 miles straight up Trappers Loop. It was hot, and much steeper than anything I had ever run for 3 miles continuously. But I made the choice to do intervals (which for those of you who don't know exercise lingo means to alternate sprinting and walking). And I ended up finishing it in just under 35 minutes. SUCCESS!

My second leg was 5.5 miles around a lake in the middle of the night. Now you see Van 2 was not able to get much sleep. We had long miles in the night and not enough time to stop between exchanges. I was exhausted after my first run and it was much too cold to take water. I did it in 45 minutes though and that was another SUCCESS. However I didn't drink water before, during, or after and I woke up around 630 sicker than a dog. Seriously never been so ILL in all my life. I spent the next 5-6 hours running to the nearest bathroom praying to live another day. I finally got some good electorlytes to stay inside me and some salty chips and in about an hour I was good to go. Thank heavens since I still had a 7.2 miles to run downhill into Park City. Barf. No one told me it had 3 UPHILLS mingled in its hateful grasp.

My legs were so tired from dehydration, exhaustion, and miles of running. And I thought for sure at any moment my knees would collapse and I would roll down the hill and break all my bones (which honestly didn't seem all that bad at the time). But then I remembered back to my first training program where 3 minutes on 1 minute off seemed tough and I realized how far I had come since that day. And I have never felt so proud of myself! And I instantly felt my Heavenly Father's love and support. And I knew He too was proud of me. That He knew all those years ago that someday i would do something that for so long I thought was too difficult to even comprehend!

And I know it seems weird but I just kept thinking that running really is so much like every day life. Somedays I truly don't think I can take another step. I can't do one more load of laundry, I can't listen to one more person screaming, or change one more blow out diaper. And then somehow at the end of the day I did it all plus some. And I think Wow...look how much I was able to accomplish even though I wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep forever! God truly does know us better than we know ourselves. And I now understand that reality more than ever after finishing Ragnar. Nothing is too difficult. Nothing. Not having 2 colicky babies in a row, or holding your reflux baby 24-7 for 6months straight and never sleeping or eating, or having an extremely itchy rash consume your entire body when you are 7 months pregnant with a 2 year old you have to take care, or moving all the way across the country to a place you know absolutely no one. God knows how strong we are.He knows how GREAT we are. And He makes up for what we THINK we can't do.

And thank heavens He does. Looking back I am grateful for all the times He kept me running when I just wanted to stop and lie down. Not just in this race but in every life experience I have ever been given.

I can't say I will be racing to sign up for Ragnar anytime in the near future but I will say I learned a lot during that race. A lot about myself and what exactly I am made of. And I know now that I definitely can DO HARD THINGS. Because I have, and I did, and I will continue to.

Ko'Olina 2011

2011-07-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

Back in May we were lucky enough to go on a trip to Hawaii for 2 weeks. Ty's parents own a condo there and graciously gifted us a 2 week paid vacation for his graduation gift last year. We decided to wait until this spring to take the trip so that our kids would be a tad bit older and much more fun! And I am so glad we waited because it was a total blast! Kaysia had never seen the ocean and so you can imagine her excitement on the 6 hour flight! I will never forget her face when we finally got to the condo and walked out to the beach! Those are the moments where being a parent REALLY pays off! She was in HEAVEN. I wish I could say the same for Ryder but his extreme distaste for sand and cold water really got in the way of him loving the beach! However we managed to enjoy ourselves 150%! The first week we were there with Ty's mom and sister Kaiti and we were able to do a lot of the sight seeing stuff that week. Like the Dole Plantation, the PCC, the Swapmeet at the stadium, a Japanese temple monument?, and other fun places like that. Adjusting to the time only took a few days and I was amazed at how being up at 3 am didnt bother me one bit being that I was in freaking HAWAII and could walk outside with Ryder and not freeze to death!

The condo is at the beach villas in Ko'Olina. It is right on the beach and is connected to several other little lagoons. It had an amazing view from the balcony and It was great for kids because there was very little surf and we even had a cove next to us filled with little turtles that Kaysia was able to feed sea lettuce. We spent a lot of time swimming or at least Kaysia and Tyler did and I spent a lot of time running after Ryder and or holding him if we were on the beach so that he wouldn't touch the sand. He did have a couple days at the end where he warmed up but if his hands got too sandy he would cry and hold them up like he was so disgusted and desperate to be saved from the evil stuff. There was a lot of construction going on and Ryder loved to stand and watch all the trucks and excavators. Thats what he went to the beach to do...watch the trucks. Typical. He is one crazy little boy I tell you.

I loved every minute and just looking at the pictures I feel like I could hop on a plane right now and go back. But alas it can't be done. So instead I will just continue to look at the pictures and remember what a great 1st family vacation we had!

WE MADE IT!!!

So excited to be OFF the plane! FINALLY!

Riding the train at Dole.

Our latest family picture

Kaysia's favorite part of the PCC

She waved at all the people in the boat parade!

Nana was kind enough to be on Ryder duty

Eating yummy Mexican food

Me reliving my Romanian glory days ringing the bell at the Japanese Temple.

We climbed a lot of trees

I found a spot with big waves that crashed on the rocks...and I shared my secret spot

Japanese Temple Monument

I felt like I was on"Lost" with all these bamboo groves. I kept looking over my shoulder for the polar bears.

yuck...is right.

Sunday stroll

The boat from Pirates was docked just down from us

"Mom...laying out is...really hot"

watching the trucks

Eating in Waikiki

watching waves at North Shore

having a "sand on my fingers" freak out!

Unlike other 18 month olds who like to run and play he spent his time there.

Our view

Kaysia practiced swimming a LOT.

All the kids loved the hot tub.

Finally giving in...to both the hat and the sand

He even got brave and was running in and out of the water

Her first sand castle. Notice her long "flag"

Yes, They Can Be MoNkEyS...

2011-05-17T22:41:00.000-04:00

but they are MY little monkeys.
And I LOVE their guts! Just a few of my fav pics taken as of late.

Happy Mother's Day to me

Ryder's face is ALWAYS dirty

Classic scene: Kaysia in her princess hat manhandling Ryder. Ryder temporarily dealing with it like a champ.

They copy each other constantly

She asked me to take this picture saying, "Send it to Dad and he will say...Oh my goodness she is beautiful!"

What does a piggy say?

Also asked me to take this picture of her and her "friends"

At least he throws a tantrum in style

This is how I found them chillin in the backyard

Showing off his worm tat

He is frequently hugging her. And she is frequently in her underwear.

Catching rays

Playing in Gma and Gpa Hayes' backyard!

Cheese

2011-05-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

My #1 favorite thing: Ryder's cheeser smiles. He walks around yelling "CHEESE" with my phone outstretched and a perma-grin. Could not be any cuter. Love this kid.

Some other things I love about Ryder at 18 months

-He loves his blanket and chews on the corners to soothe himself at night.

They are always soaking wet and smell like mildew no matter how much I wash it.

-Loves music. He dances and sings to all types.

-He loves Kaysia. He yells her name first thing every morning and continues all day long.

It is definitely his most used word.

-Loves fruit.

He can't have milk, soy, or wheat and so things can get quite boring but he never tires of his frozen fruit.

-Weighs the same as he did at his 9 month check up. He can't seem to make it past that 20lb. mark.

-Is absolutely obsessed with trucks, cars, motorcylces, trains,buses, etc. He hyperventilates every tuesday morning when the garbage truck comes. He glues his face so hard to the window I seriously worrry about him breaking his nose.

-Wants to read books nonstop. He is always bringing books to one of us. He hands us the book, plops down and yelps until we read it 100 times.

-Laughs whenever we watch or quote "Despicable Me". He even has the "Oh yeah, oh yeah" part down.

-Thinks that when given a sticker it automatically goes on his face. The poor picked on child.

-Is an amazing sleeper. I don't have to do anything but put him in bed. And he sleeps all night long.

-He thinks Kaysia is hilarious.

-Drives us all crazy with his screeching/yelping when he wants something and we can't understand what he is saying. (This i don't love so much)

-He says "hi"and "bye" to everything that passes him.

-Does not like to be left in nursery:( Good thing that is my calling :)

-Has the cutest laughs.He has an evil one, a girly one, and a belly one.All equally amusing.

-Will wrestle/body slam anyone that lays on the ground.

-Loves to snuggle with momma and give Kaysia lots of hugs.

We love our Ryder so much.He can get on our nerves a lot but his smile melts our hearts and his little personality shines so bright that we can't help but think he is the most precious boy on earth.

Dinosaur Museum

2011-05-17T11:45:00.000-04:00

I am so behind on our latest happenings so I decided to collage this outing. A few weeks ago the kids and I went to the Dinosaur Museum with our friends Tonya, Carson, and baby Abby. The kids loved it and I learned a lot. I know this is totally nerdy but someday i want to go back alone so I can read all the plaques of info that I wasn't able to because I had to chase kids. I thought the price was a little steep for the amount of time we were there but it was worth the fun I guess. Ryder absolutely hated the sand at the end and cried inncessantly until I removed him from the pit. He was literally gagging everytime he was forced to touch the sand. Hope that changes before next week because I hear Hawaii has a lot of sand :) and it could be tragic for all of us if he doesn't enjoy playing in it!

Viva LAS VEGAS

2011-04-19T00:26:00.000-04:00

This year Ty's company had their annual conference in Las Vegas. We were able to find sitters to stay with the kids and headed off on the 31st of March for 4 days of freedom and fun. Okay I was the only one that really got to enjoy myself but let me tell you. I REALLY ENJOYED MYSELF. It was sunny and hot and the Aria hotel was all the ritz and glamour I imagined it would be. I got to sleep in the most comfortable bed I have ever been in, eat delicious food, shower with no one screaming at me, and lay by the pool reading for hours on end. It was bliss. I even got an hour massage and relaxed in the spa.

Ty unfortunately had to be in meetings most of the trip which was totally lame but we still managed to get a tiny bit of sight seeing in (which is more than enough in Vegas if you know what I mean).

Before we left I thought for sure I would just sleep the whole time but somehow my body was just too excited to sleep and so I did a lot of exploring, a lot of running in their incredible fitness center, and a lot of reading. I felt like a real woman again. Just being able to dress up and go out at night instead of getting in my pjs at 7pm and watching tv was a nice change. Of course we were still pooped by 11pm and were definitely the only people in bed that early in probably the whole city of Las Vegas. Oh well. We didn't care.

Thanks to everyone who watched our kids. We will forever be in your debt.

While we were gone the cute couple that watched our kids were able to help Kaysia overcome her potty fears and she is now 100% potty trained. She has been using a pullup for her #2 needs for almost a year now and it has been really discouraging. Somehow Dannel was able to work her magic and Kaysia is over that awful stage and I couldn't be happier.

Such a classy hotel. I will never forget that deliciously comfortable bed!

Another view of our room

My handsome husband

The Aria

Ignore my fatigued look.It was extremely hot and I had just run 6 miles and was STARVING.

Us with the other "Mormon" couple Katie and Craig Tyler. Oh and some drunk guys who jumped in our pic!

We played a few slots just to say we did. Only $5 but I felt dirty after :)

The crepe place in the Bellagio. Mmm... good.

the fountains at the Bellagio

Here is to 6 months with Ryan. Thanks for the great vacation. Maybe next time you will let me enjoy it WITH my husband rather than keeping him in boring meetings all day!

MARCH 2011

2011-04-18T23:15:00.000-04:00

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much I want and need to blog about. I know that sounds ridiculous but I really like to keep some sort of documentation about our lives and since the video camera rarely gets used and I never get a chance to write it in my journal... this is it. So bear with me and if you're not in the mood for reading then just enjoy the pics.

In March we went to the Aquarium with some friends and had a total blast! Kaysia was of course loving all the fish and other creatures and Ryder just loved following all the other kids around.

Kaysia is growing up so much

He was a bit apprehensive about touching the giant frog

Lucy, Laura, Meag, and Easton

I love watching them when they see things for the first time

A rare groupie shot

The penguins were our favorite part

Also in March Tyler got injured yet again and is now confined to a lovely boot for the remainder of the spring! Basketball and I have a very strained relationship.

Ty and I have been making more of an attempt to get out together and last month we finally got away for an overnighter at the Anniversary Inn in SLC. It was so much fun. The room was amazing and it was just what I needed to regain some much needed sanity back!

Us at Ruby's Diner up the canyon in SLC

The sweet bathtub and towel display

Our room was called Savannah Nights and had a little sitting room that was adorable. And freezing.

The fireplace

The delicious food that I of course couldn't eat :)

For Nana and Bompa

2011-03-14T23:13:00.000-04:00

Just a few pictures for Nana and Bompa.

Thanks again for all the amazing clothes. We love them all!

And here is one of her latest artwork...just in case she becomes famous one day.

And one of the goober just because he is incredibly squishy in a onesie!

Survivor: Springville

2011-03-14T22:54:00.000-04:00

The beginning of February started out as good as ever.

We were having a blast doing things like this...

Then Kaysia came home from school and disappeared for a LONG time. I went to check on her and found this...

And I knew we were in for trouble.
Sure enough disaster hit the next day.

We were hit hard. And my poor kids were miserable for more than 2 wks.

There was a lot of this...

A ton of this...

sadly some sick eyes..

A nonstop amount of snuggle with Mama time...

And after awhile they knew the drill...

blow, wipe, check temp, take meds, sleep, sleep, sleep!

Somehow though we survived and I couldn't be more happy to just see them up and playing. I wont lie though I will miss the 14 hours of sleep at night and the couch lounging which included lots of snuggling with my babies. Ryder pretty much just slept for two weeks straight. He would wake up after a 13-14 hr night only to go to sleep in my arms and eventually end up back in his bed for 4 or so hours. He would do this all day and then still sleep all night. What a trooper!

Plus I was extremely blessed to not get it. I don't think things would have gone near as smooth if I had. Tender Mercies for sure.

PiLLoW tAlK

2011-03-11T01:58:00.000-05:00

So I had an idea and I am trying it out on my new blog...

Let's Get Real

Check it out and please don't be afraid to contribute.

P.S Yes it is still a work in progress but its already midnight and I know if I don't go to bed I will be VERY sorry!

P.S.S yes I am keeping this blog as my regular every day blog in case you were wondering.

Knowledge is Money!

2011-03-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

This is a campaign my SIL Kaiti is heading up and she could really use all of your help! All you have to do is click on the link at the very bottom and watch the 5 minute film. Please do it for me :)

Do it by Tuesday evening! Thanks!

We are a team of five from Utah Valley University, and our campaign is called "Knowledge is Money". We are trying to promote financial literacy throughout Utah county, specifically about credit management and budgeting, and becoming financially secure. Our materials are from the http://www.facebook.com/l/d9a2c6aUrxcjMv8zRNJ1q9TfOaQ/smartedgebygmac.com website, and Ally Financial is our sponsor. We want to educate as many people as possible, and it does not have to just be people from Utah county, we want people from all over.

We have a short online webinar linked to our facebook "Knowledge is Money", and want as many people as possible to be educated!!!!!! There are also tips on our facebook page. We would LOVEEEEEEE more interaction on our page as well. Here are links:

Click here

Princess Party

2011-02-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

Kaysia was invited to a princess party last Saturday. We showed up as the only ones that didn't have a princess dress...surprise surprise. Kaysia is just learning the names of the princesses and has had very little interest in them until recently. Now after that party she is all about dressing up like one. I knew the girly girl would make its way to the surface eventually!

I stayed to help out and it was a really fun party. The girls all looked so cute and after making crowns and putting on makeup a "real" princess came and read stories and showed them how to act like a princess. Kaysia was thrilled. Amazing how gullable 3-4 yr olds can be. I love it!

She has been talking about it nonstop ever since. Nothing like a little fun to brighten up this winter gray.

Snow White

Making crowns

A few of the girls

All the girls with the "Real Princess"

Since

2011-02-06T17:43:00.000-05:00

Growing up I absolutely loved winter time. Making snow caves in the massive amounts of snow, sledding in Woodland Park, snowmobiling at Monte Cristo, and later snowboarding 3-4times a week. (Which yes got me 6 "U"'s my Senior year of HS and required a LOT of boring community service in order to graduate!) But you get the point. I loved winter growing up. However its a different story when you are poor with young kids. Our idea of getting out is going to Walmart. Kaysia has started saying "oh no...not walmart again mom." Sad.

We play a LOT of games which has been nice since Kaysia is now old enough to play things that aren't totally boring. And we eat I feel all day long. But somehow we make it through and we talk of all the fun things we will do once the warm weather arrives! I am grateful that Kaysia has school and gymnastics twice a week as well because it gives her a chance to socialize and get some of that energy out.

And I guess I really cant complain because things are good. Ty and I even had a chance to go out on a date. The first in a very VERY LONG time. An absolute necessity. One of which I realized has been on the back burner for far too long. We went to the Jazz game with my sister and her husband and we had so much fun! My dad got the tickets from his old law firm so it came with a dinner before and refreshments at halftime. Plus we were on the 9th row which was cool. Amazing how one night off can really refresh you and rejuvenate you enough to get you through the next long haul. Hopefully we will start to go out more than every few years this time around!

Just a few pictures of the latest happenings and the daily grind. I really do have the best job in the world even if the bags under my eyes say differently. They keep me on my toes and I think thats exactly where i should be.

he carries it on his shoulder all day saying... "hi"

Being a tiny person has its setbacks...

Holding baby Luke. She is such a baby lover.

thank you home depot

Always wanting to snuggle daddy the minute he walks in the door.

I love free balloons

waiting for the game to start

my beautiful sister Cherish and her handsome husband Wade

so weird.

Tyler said the dress looked like a bag...a few touch ups and I think it turned out pretty cute

He is finally giving kisses and we are all taking advantage!

Rewind

2011-02-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

Christmas was so last year I know. And quite honestly I don't have many pictures of our trip up to Canada since I let Aunt Kaiti do all the picture taking with her super awesome camera. So this post is really mostly about December as a whole and not so much Christmas. We had such a fun time celebrating the holidays this year with Kaysia finally being old enough to get into the excitement. We made it a point to do all the things we want to ultimately have as traditions. So we went to temple square and saw the lights, we ice skated, we went and saw Santa at the mall and Kaysia also got to ride the train there as well which I must say outshined sitting on Santa's lap. Oh well. We played in the snow, went sledding, etc. etc. etc.

There are a few pictures from Canada but rather than making this a complete documentary I will just say this. We went to Calgary for 10 days. We had a wonderful time. We ate, we laughed, we played non-stop and the kids slept like angels. We had very little heartache traveling in the airport and during the flight I only once wished I could jump out the window :) We saw zoo lights, we went on a sleigh ride, we went sledding, we shopped, we watched movies, we opened a plethora of amazing gifts. And Kaysia was in heaven every moment of every day.

I love being a parent for holidays. It is a gazillion times more exciting than it was as a kid. And I can only imagine it gets better with the kids as they get older. So much to look forward to. Here are a few pictures. And by a few I mean a TON.

watching Kaysia and daddy skate

getting so big

she went for two and half hours without tiring a bit. If only I had the same strength

Daddy and Ryder at the mall waiting to see Santa

Story time with Mrs. Clause

She told him what she wanted and then quietly confessed that she loved him before jumping down off his lap.

She could have ridden that thing a hundred times and never tired of it.

Ryder + winter garb = no fun

At least Kaysia seemed to enjoy herself

My first and only attempt at a snowman

in front of the tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Absolutely amazing

The lights never cease to amaze me

such a cute girl

my little wing man

they loved the rides at the mall in Canada

Ryder cruising in cousin Everee's Santa gift

I love how he looking at her a bit concerned that she is in there with him

He knows he has a long wait ahead with no chance of running around

Grateful

2011-01-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love good days. I have been having a lot of them lately. I am in such a good place right now. Which considering this past year is truly amazing. It was a tough year to say the least. I can genuinely say that I have never been pushed to the limit like I was in 2010. But incredibly enough with a LOT of help from the Lord and my sweet husband (and many others) I came out conqueror. And as a result I am a much better version of myself. I still have miles to go but I am one step closer to where I want to be. I am always stunned at how challenges seem so impossible when we are in the midst of them but once we reach the summit we look down to realize that we reached the top a very different person than the one we started out as and we would never trade a moment because that is what made us what we are today.

I am so grateful that God knows me so well. Tonight at dinner Kaysia asked when Jesus is coming again. We have been talking a lot about Him and the Holy Ghost and she has been a little sponge, hungry for knowledge. I told her He would come once we were able to tell everyone on Earth about Him. And in her sweet innocence she said "Mom I know Jesus. And He knows me. And I love Him Sooo much. We should tell all the people that."

She says things like that all time. Simple truths that remind me what it means to be childlike. And have childlike faith. What an amazing thing we are a part of. I feel overwhelmed at the thought that I got so lucky. Its a big responsibility but one I am so grateful for.

Here is to a new year. To all the adventures that lie ahead. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. And I have a plethora of pictures so be ready. Once I can pull myself away from Mockingjay I will maybe post them all. :) Until then.

oopsy

2010-12-07T21:32:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when your three year old opens the dressing room door when you are standing there in your underwear...

and you go to quickly move her out of the way so you can close it.

Yes I am a horrible mother. Yes she has told everyone that I "threw" her. And yes I am absolutely positive her teacher will call family services tomorrow when Kaysia tells her her side of the story.

Happy Belated Birthday

2010-12-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Ryder turned 1 nearly one month ago and here I am just finally getting around to doing a little post. Lets just say its been a crazy few weeks. And the saddest part is we didn't even really celebrate his birthday. Mostly because we started this Extreme Fat Loss program on his birthday and getting it all organized was a bit stressful. Also he cant have milk or soy so I had a hard time figuring out a cake/treat to use. And as a result didn't make anything. I know I am awful but I figure he is one and will forgive me.

Just a few things I want to remember:

he has started standing/walking on furniture and will stand up in the middle of the room
he loves to push things around and walk with them (ex: kaysia's doll stroller, the cooler, the wagon, his walker toy thing)
will sing whenever he hears music
loves the phone and chatters non-stop. He even called 911 a bunch of times and the cops came for a visit. oops!
LOVES his daddy. he will go to him over me any day.
is always tooting.
screams if kaysia takes his toys
LOVES to jump and will take any opportunity to do so
found his nose and frequently has his finger in there
LOVES the song "Hey Soul Sister" and will rock out whenever we turn it on
laughs hysterically when we ask him "what does a snake say?"
knows what a cow, horse, dog, and snake say. Still working on the rest.
loves to sit and look at books.
can sense when the bathroom door is open and will make a beeline for it. He is obsessed with the toilet and the toilet paper. ugh.
loves my curling iron and carries it all over the house
is a total boy and loves balls. He throws them and then crawls after them as fast as he can.
will only kiss stuffed animals. (most specifically kaysia's lambie.)
claps when he sees other people kiss
loves the 50 Years Little People kid CD. Its the only thing that keeps him happy in the car.
eats chicken nuggets, grapes, pears, peaches, cereal, and dried blueberries for practically every meal
refuses all veggies except cucumbers
still wants to be held a lot of the time
gets held a lot of the time because he is so irresistible.
has the most contagious smile
loves people and will go to anyone. He gets passed around RS every Sunday as a result.

We love Ryder so much and are so grateful he is part of our family. We are anxious to see what kind of things he has in store this next year. Hopefully nothing but good things right?! I guess only time will tell.

squishy

2010-11-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

We are seriously eating up Ryder at this age.
Its hard to imagine he is the same baby that cried 24-7 for the first 7-8 months of his life.

Its been very difficult for us to accept (and by us I mean ME) that he will continue to get bigger.
If it were up to me time would stop today and never start again for this little guy.

He is SO lovable. Always good for a smile. And I feel a lump in my throat when I realize that this time of him being my little snuggle bug is coming to a close.

He will eventually (and unfortunately) get more teeth, he will learn to walk, and talk. And before I can even blink he will be a sweet little boy going off to kindergarten. Ugh the thought makes me so sad.
I know there are wonderful things to come with this kid but man he sure is fun right now. And I hate to think I will never have him like this again. Not ever.

I guess all I can do is enjoy each day and take a million pictures. Here are just a few of him recently. He learned to stand up and walk along furniture. Its only a matter of time till he takes off.

Already a fan

Eating/Playing the piano

Riding "girlie" style

He spends most of his day on the bottom stair yelping and banging the phone on the gate

sweet boy

playing chef

heartbreaker

I love you my little squishy

Hallows Eve

2010-11-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

For months Kaysia talked about how she wanted to be Love-A-Lot Bear for Halloween. I looked EVERYWHERE for such a costume but had NO luck and finally decided that since I would be staying with my mom the week before Halloween I might as well take advantage of her sewing skills and get some lessons. And I must say that her costume turned out perfectly adorable. However, fabric and patterns are NOT cheap so I don't know when I will do that again. It was worth her excitement though and it kept her warm in the freezing downpour we ended up trick-or-treating in!

My family has a Halloween party every year and since Halloween fell on Sunday this year we celebrated Saturday night. Everyone was there except my brother Ty and his family who live in Michigan. It was extreme mayhem, but SO much fun! We had some delicious food including soup, chili, breadsticks and cornbread. Then all the kids headed out to collect some junk. Very few lasted in the pouring rain but Kaysia and a few of her boy cousins were hard core treaters and she ended up with the biggest stash of anyone. And man was she proud. I of course was frozen by the end since I had neglected to put a jacket on thinking she would only last a few houses. But it was so fun to see her run to every house yelling trick or treat all the way from the sidewalk to the door. And after every house she had to come show me how much candy she had got. Her bucket was so heavy by the end but she wouldn't let me carry it. She is very protective of chocolate. Probably cause she never gets it!

He was not sure about the whole idea of 1)wearing a headband 2) walking around in the pouring rain for no good reason!

Posing in the rain before taking off

Jordan, Alyssa, Gage, and Rex

Kyle and Lije

Kays with her cousin Osten

Cher and Wade (they always have great costumes)

Jesse and Joni

Karissa and Joni

ew.....

Full shot of the costume

Visit to Gma's

2010-11-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

This past week the kids and I trekked up to my parents house in Farmington to stay while Ty headed to Dallas for the week.

He has had to be gone so much lately and being stuck at home in the rain was getting REALLY old. It turned out to be a super fun week despite the freezing cold weather.
And once again we managed to enjoy ourselves even though we missed Daddy tremendously!

I feel like I am starting to get more used to the "single parent act."

I know that probably isn't a great thing but its very reassuring for me since after the first time I thought I might go crazy!

It is very exhausting and the kids definitely miss having the "fun" parent around but I'd say we did pretty good dealing this time around.
Hooray for us!
Anyway, here are some pictures of the week. Oh and I stuck a few of our pumpkin carving in as well. Kaysia was really grossed out by the pumpkin goo but she still wanted to dig it out anyway. We carved them with our friends Tonya and Brandon and as always Ty, Tonya and Brandon's were all amazing and well...mine was just average. Or less than average. Mostly because I was too tired to care. Typical I know. Get over it.

Playing at Tonya and Brandon's
Tyler, Brandon, and Tonya

Gutting her pumpkin

i am a lame carver...i know.

Lovin' him some grandma...

and grandpa!

I always loved raking leaves as a kid because we had such a big back yard with LOTS of leaves and you could get a wicked pile going to jump in at the end.
So while we were up at my parents I took advantage of passing on a great tradition.
Saturday morning Kaysia and I headed out with our rakes and got to work.
I am definitely not as young as I used to be because several hours later my back was screaming.
But still we had a great time.
As I laid in the leaves with that dry, crusty leaf smell all around me looking up at the giant trees swaying silently above I felt 7 again.
And it felt wonderful.

Pre-School

2010-10-20T12:37:00.000-04:00

After quite a bit of thinking we decided to put Kaysia in preschool. Airtime Gymnastics offers a preschool combined with gymnastics for a really great price and we just couldn't pass it up. Especially since Kaysia is so ready and SO BORED at home all day with me. I was apprehensive at first but after picking her up Monday and listening to her talk non-stop about how exciting school was I realized we had made the right decision. Its nice too that they get 40 min of gymnastics along with the learning. Because she has A LOT of energy to burn.

She begged to wear her backpack even though she didn't actually need one. And when I went to pick her up 2 1/2 hours later she was still wearing it. I couldn't help but laugh. She is so funny that way. Likes things just so. And no and I mean NO amount of coaxing will change that. That's what makes Kaysia so amazing. And so frustrating. Sort of like someone else I know...:)

It is a WIN-WIN for all of us. She gets to learn and be challenged while meeting and playing with other kids and I get to go grocery shopping without her and get all my cleaning and stuff done without having to constantly tell her not to make Ryder cry. Plus its nice to have some alone time with Ryder since he never gets that.

Seriously?!?

2010-10-20T12:25:00.000-04:00

Ty would kill me if he knew I was blogging this but I just couldn't help myself. Last week just before taking off again for another business trip he split his head playing basketball. If any of you remember what last year was like you will remember that we got to the know the ER pretty well. First with him tearing his ACL and then slicing his hand open...both of which he had to get major surgeries for. NOT FUN!

So when he came home covered in blood I wasn't all that surprised.He actually didn't dare wake me up but I of course sent him to the dr. first thing in the morning after he showed it to me. Luckily he only had to get a few staples and that was that. I am in no mood to go through another surgery! Lets cross our fingers that we won't have to frequent the ER anytime soon. It's never a good thing when the ER doc knows you by name without looking at your chart.

Visitors

2010-10-20T11:51:00.000-04:00

This past week Ty's parents and younger sister Alexa came for a visit. Of course Ty had to be away on business the WHOLE week...AGAIN...but we still managed to have fun without him! :) Thanks again to Nana and Bompa for all the food and fun you provided all week. We are now going through entertainment withdrawals!

We hit up the pumpkin patch (as is tradition) early this year and during the day since Nana had to leave a day early to go to Toronto. It was nice actually being able to play for a bit and see the pumpkins. The past two years we have gone just before closing and it always gets dark before we have a chance to even look around.

Ty and I are absolutely loving that Kaysia is finally old enough to really understand and get excited about all our traditions that we created 4+ years ago. It makes everything SOO much more fun. I actually feel giddy just thinking about Christmas and how much she is going to love it. Kids really make it all seem magical again. The same way the holidays felt growing up.

Ryder was not sure about the whole pumpkin patch idea!
Kaysia thinking about which pumpkin is best to pick
The search is on...Ryder loving on Nana
Kaysia playing in the soggy corn. Mmm...

This year they had animals! So fun!

We both got our hair cut and needed a shower. I just couldn't resist a perfect picture moment

Our first real date in...well...forever. So nice to be alone.
Thanks Nana for staying with the kids!

Ryder's two new favs...Bompa and the phone!

Bring on Fall

2010-10-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

This is my absolute favorite season!
And not just because of my October birthday (although that is nice!)
I love
pumpkin spice candles,
ugg boots,
Halloween,
caramel apples,
leaves changing colors,
crisp blue skies,
general conference,
the smell of fall (I know that sounds weird but it's real)
and I especially LOVE the food.

Last year I was consumed with the woes of pregnancy and that AWFUL rash and I completely missed this beautiful season! Thus I vow to relish every moment! And trust me...I will.

Ryder Hayes

2010-09-29T13:02:00.001-04:00

A few exciting updates about this little man:

-He is finally crawling and is ALL over the place
-He is starting to clap and wave bye bye
-He no longer eats baby food
-He is still on a bottle
-Sleeps through the night (most of the time)
-Has quite the little temper
-Hates getting toys snatched from his hands
-Follows Kaysia everywhere
-Loves music and will bebop when it comes on
-Feeds himself like a champ
-Is still very needy
-Smiles everytime you look at him
-Says Dada in reference to Tyler and JaJa in reference to Kaysia
-Loves his Mama (even though he wont say it) more than anyone on Earth!
-Is quite honestly the most adorable thing that exists!

Friend Fun

2010-09-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

The last 7 weeks I have been watching my friend Tonya's little boy Carson every Tuesday! He is perfectly adorable and although the day is absolutely insane sometimes we LOVE having him here! Kaysia loves her "best friend" and they have so much fun together. Well...most of the time anyway. Of course they have their moments and sometimes their hours but still they are so cute together. Carson also loves Ryder and frequently rubs his soft head and kisses it. So sweet. Plus if you could hear Carson talk your heart would melt. He is not even two but talks so well and in the most precious little voice. I don't know how he ever gets in trouble because just hearing him talk makes me want to scoop him up and snuggle him!

Next week is my last week of watching him and I am genuinely sad. Good thing they live next door and we hang out often so we wont go through any Carson withdrawals!

Ryder wishing he could go play with the kids

Playing up Hobble Creek Canyon...they got a little wet!

Being silly

Sweet Carson

Future Gold Medalist

2010-09-29T11:52:00.000-04:00

All summer long Tyler and I contemplated what kind of program we should enroll Kaysia in this fall. We researched a bunch of different dance classes and just couldn't find anything we thought would be 1) worth the money and 2) challenge her the way she needs to be challenged. So after quite a bit of "mulling" we went ahead and said nay to ALL the dance classes and signed her up for GYMNASTICS! And we have not regretted it one bit! The girl is not only built to gym-nast (which is not a word but I am using it anyway!) but she LOVES it! She comes home so excited to show me all her new moves!

Plus she looks fabulous in her adorable pink leotard and black stretch pants! If only I could look so cute in such an outfit!

2010 FAMILY PICS!

2010-09-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that the Pratt's FINALLY got family pics?!? The first time ever! Sad but true. Ty's cousin Nikki is just starting up and so we thought the opportunity was perfect! She did a fabulous job and I am so glad we got pictures of the kids right now. They are both at such adorable ages and I couldn't be happier with the results. Here are a few from the photo shoot. And sorry they are in no specific order!

Coming into Motherhood

2010-09-09T12:03:00.000-04:00

To Kaysia and Ryder,

I promise to do my best
to make our home a place
where you can feel an outpouring...
of love
of the spirit of Christ
of respect
of admiration/appreciation
and of trust
To use only...
gentle words and actions
and kindness in firm discipline
And to fill your days with...
adventure
creativity
learning
and fun.
And most of all... I promise to make our home a place to feel Joy.
A haven of peace from the outside world.

I will do this because I love you. Because God loves you.
and He trusted ME enough to be your Momma.

I came upon a blog the other day that I have already in this short time come to cherish. It is called Bloom. The girls that started it are real moms, struggling with the real day to day problems we go through as women and making their lives beautiful in the process. I encourage all of you to check it out. You won't be sorry. Plus they have cute ideas too!

p.s i don't know how to link their blog through the word "Bloom" so I will just write the blog address here: www.placetobloom.blogspot.com.

Tid Bits

2010-09-09T11:09:00.000-04:00

This post will be mostly pictures I promise. But there is just one thing I wanted to say...

Last weekend was my Dad's 60th Birthday! I know he hardly looks a day past 20 so you would never guess but alas its the truth. We surprised him by having my oldest brother Ty fly out from Michigan (we wish Line could have come too :() and ALL the adults met for dinner at the Roof. We reserved a private room with a breathtaking view of the temple and surrounding SLC. It was so much fun to be there will all my siblings and their spouses, laughing like we always do and honoring the man that loved and sacrificed so much to mold us into the people we are today!

There was so much love and admiration in that room and I am truly so grateful for family and the incredible institution that it is. What a strength it is to be bonded together like that. I feel sad for others that are not as fortunate to have families that respect and love each other the way my family does. We are so blessed.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our latest happenings.

A beautiful view

Cher and Wade looking quite ravishing

The "Man of the Hour" and my brother Ty
(how nice to see Ty and the temple in the same pic :))

What happens when daddy babysits

playing together

enjoying his absolute fav...a Popsicle!

the "best friends" riding the 4wheeler!

This is what happens when Momma babysits

My little squishy!

Sunshine in MY Soul

2010-08-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

I am the biggest slacker. Straight up:) I have had so much to tell and so little desire to tell it. Except I know if I don't write it down now it won't ever happen. So while I have a quiet moment to myself (finally) I will give a rundown of the past few weeks.

First off it was my turn to plan our anniversary this year. And no I have no pictures. I took my camera everywhere with me but alas I never once took it out to capture the day. Oh well. I had arranged previously for my neighbor to watch Kaysia during Ryder's nap so Ty and I could hit up the driving range. He has been saying all summer that we should go and so I decided he would probably appreciate a little driving range action! We spent a whole hour alone enjoying the beautiful morning air. Laughing and joking like newly weds. It was so refreshing. I even got some decent shots in. And by decent I mean they went more than a few feet :) After that we headed home for a yummy crepe breakfast. The rest of the afternoon was not special since Ty had homework and an interview but after the kids went to bed (this is when a 7 o'clock bedtime comes in handy) I ran and got Bajio and a movie. I decided men need pampering too and so while we ate I soaked his feet in a lavender bath and then made some homemade parafin wax that he covered his feet in and wrapped in sandwich bags. After they got good and soft I massaged lotion into them. It was a bit more stressful than I had anticipated but the night turned out well despite and I think its safe to say the day was quite a success.

Okay so its been forever since I wrote about Ryder. And I must say he has come A LONG WAY. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I am happy to say we made it! It was touch and go there for awhile but I finally feel like we are over the worst! He is literally the Sunshine in MY soul these days. He is such a happy, rolly polly little dude. Always chattering and smiling. He still adores his sister to pieces and wishes he could follow her every move. Unfortunately he still hasn't mastered the art of crawling yet. He is close and wants to but just cant quite figure it out. I am certain it is coming...one of these days. He is still on his reflux meds and special formula but eats tons of other solid foods. He is a fruit lover of course and screams when he smells veggies coming his way. Its been hard to find finger foods for him to snack on that don't contain milk or soy but my hope is that by one he will be over these allergies. but if not...i am sure there is a reason and lucky for him he has a mom that knows exactly how to deal with such things! He sleeps through the night now and takes two wonderful naps. I finally switched the nipple on his bottle because he was barely getting any liquids and now he drinks 3-4 8 oz bottles every day. AMAZING!

Every day I look at him and think about how far we both have come in the last 9 months and I am astonished at the progress. Sometimes during the dark hours you feel like you will never be normal again. That things will always be in the current state they are in. But then slowly you start to see changes and improvements and then before you know it you are out of the worst and you realize that you did it. You don't know how but you did. And you are all the better for it. I don't know why Heavenly Father chose to give me the trials that I have gone through. But I do know that I have been gently molded and refined. Polished and prepared for whatever future trials may come my way. That is after all His plan for us. And I know now that He knows me so much better than I know myself. Trust me...if I had seen this year before it happened there is no way I would have chosen to go through it. But He knew I would make it and He was with me every step of the way.

I know this all may sound a little dramatic. But if you have ever had a child with reflux or any chronic illness it is beyond difficult. It takes every ounce of strength you possess and then some. I am just glad that we are past it for the most part. I am finally able to really ENJOY my sweet baby boy. And trust me I do. I cant get enough of him and some days the love I feel for him and Kaysia is so overwhelming it makes me sick. I wish I could just freeze them and keep them this small and adorable forever. (minus the tantrums).

My goal this next month is to really try and soak it up. Every minute. We only get one chance to go through each phase in life. And I know that if I don't live every moment in the moment then I will look back with regret and I don't want that.

Sorry for all the bantering. But this is after all my "journal" and so all the thoughts must be written. And dont worry Jerry there will be PLENTY of pictures to follow!:)

Moving On

2010-08-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

I have been in the college scene for almost 7 years now and boy does it feel good to say we are done! For now anyway. After months of applications and interviews we finally found a job that feels right. At least for the time being. Neither of us imagined that we would be in Utah after graduation and we especially didn't think we would still be in Utah County but I guess the Lord has a different plan for us. Ty accepted a position with a company called Ryan that is based in Dallas, TX but he will be working in the Highland, Utah office. Its a tax consulting firm and to be honest that's about all I know. We will be staying in Springville for the time being but come January we will start to look around for our own place.

We are so grateful for all the love and support we have gotten from family during these last 4 years. Jerry and Cindy have been so gracious in letting us live in their town home. It has been a huge blessing to have such a nice place to raise our family. It is filled with memories that I will be sad to say goodbye to but at the same time moving on will be exciting and is something I am really looking forward to.
This is truly an incredible time for us. The road ahead is filled with opportunity and the possibilities are endless!

C.A.L.G.A.R.Y 2010

2010-07-30T13:06:00.000-04:00

This year we made the Calgary trek minivan style! I fell in LOVE immediately and will spend the next few years saving every penny to buy me one of them minivans! We left Saturday and stayed up at my parents to cut out at least one hour of our trip. (or actually 3 hrs since that is how long it took with all the dumb construction!) Then we woke up early Sunday morning and thanks to our little built in alarm clock (Ryder) we were on the road by 630 am. The kids did MUCH better than I thought they would. And I only left ONE thing at my parents. Ryder's blanket that I spent months getting him attached to! DUR! But he adjusted well and since Kaysia could ride with Ty's parents he took 3 really great naps! We got extremely lucky at the border and made it through in about 15 min. A huge miracle. We pulled into the Pratt's at 745pm. I was SO happy we didn't have any problems and that we had made good enough time to get there early so that I wouldn't be so stressed out about getting everything set up and ready for them to go to bed.
A nice start to a couple weeks of some serious fun! The first few days were rainy but it cleared up long enough on Thursday that we were able to spend the day at the Calgary Stampede. Kaysia was in H.E.A.V.E.N. She went on a GAZILLION rides. Even ones I thought for sure she would be scared on. But nope she is a little thrill seeker! She said her favorite were the swings. Which surprised me cause as a child I used to hyperventilate on those!
We also got to go mini golfing, Butterfield Acres (sort of like Thanksgiving point), and Calaway Park (an amusement park). We ate amazing food (including a fantastic gluten free pizza) and played hard all day everyday. Ryder's favorite thing was the car swing. The kid probably would have sat in there all day if we would have let him.
Ryder ended up getting croup the secound week and had me a bit worried a few times but he stayed happy regardless and slept like a charm. Too bad that didn't stick.

Thanks to Jerry and Cindy for showing us such a good time. We may just come back! :)

I know there are a TON of pictures but we took so many I just couldn't help myself.

Nana bought 1000 balls and Kaysia made good use of ALL of them!

He liked them for awhile as long as he didn't tip over!

His favorite hang out spot!

1000 balls + Trampoline = F.U.N!!!

Chillin with the boys talking sports and economy!

Ryder people watching at the Stampede!

...didn't quite get the concept!

Ty's big win. He made 2 shots in a row at the basketball venue!

MESSY! We painted his face with his oatmeal!

If only we could get Kaysia to make a normal face in pics!

Calaway Park

We stuffed her in the back! Nice and cozy!

My Birthday Girl!

2010-07-30T00:30:00.000-04:00

It seems totally surreal that I actually have a child that is 3 years old! Have I really been a Momma now for 3 whole years!?! I can still remember how nervous I was the morning my water broke. I had waited my entire life to be a mother. Literally. Its hard to describe how much you change that first instant you see the face of YOUR child. The one that Heavenly Father trusted you enough to send...even though he knew you would make a LOT of mistakes-which I have. But its amazing how unconditional a child's love is. They forgive so easily. Kaysia never ceases to surprise me. I am constantly in awe at how intelligent and beautiful she is inside and out. She is truly a special little girl and I feel so unworthy to be her momma. I pray that I can have the patience to guide her along a path that will lead her to her highest potential. She is going to do some wonderful things in this life. I just know it. I am pretty sure she was sent her to teach me not the other way around.

I actually tried to be a bit more creative this year and so after she went to bed I went and got a bunch of balloons and candy and tied the balloons to the candy and scattered them around the room and then put her presents in a pile in the middle so she would come downstairs and be so surprised...and she was. Just seeing the joy on her face was worth every ounce of sleep I lost that week trying to get things ready! This year Ty's family was in town for the celebration too so they came over later in the morning to open more presents. She just kept saying "This is my best birthday!" We were going to do a party but most of her little friends were out of town and since we were leaving for Calgary the next week I just didn't feel like I could put it all together. She didn't seem to mind though because she had so much fun with family in town.

All decorated up!

First shot of the 3 yr old! She came in to our rm and said "Momma am I 3 yet?"

All cleaned up to go downstairs! Couldn't forget ALL the Lambies and blankies!For two whole months we looked at that panda every single time we hit up Walmart! That is all she wanted for her birthday!

Trying out the new pool!

Opening more gifts from Nana, Bompa, and Lela!

Ty's cousin Nikki and her husband Wes let Kaysia go for a ride on one of their horses! You can't even imagine how happy that made her! She still talks about it!

Home

2010-07-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

I know I have a TON to catch up on since its been quite a long time since I posted anything of worth! But after 14+ hours in the car with two ADORABLE children I think I will just hit the sack early and pray that tomorrow I find a quiet moment to sit and document. Starting with Kaysia's birthday, our travels to Calgary, and Tyler getting a job (YAY!) But until then enjoy this extremely cute picture Ty got of the kids while shopping at CO*OP. I had to look at it 100 times because it made me so happy that we captured such a perfect moment!

DISTURBIA

2010-06-22T15:06:00.000-04:00

did you know there are actual websites designed for married couples to connect with the intent to have an affair! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN THIS DISTURBING WORLD WE LIVE IN??

Honestly...it is sad. And disturbing. And I feel sorry for those that create and participate in such horrible things.

there. I feel better. just had a moment there where I felt like I couldn't handle the prospect of having to raise my beautiful, innocent children in such a nasty place! A little bit of pressure to do a good job. Lets hope I can do it!

P.S i promise to do a real post soon!

Hold Her?

2010-05-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

Despite our best efforts to teach Kaysia
that Ryder is male and that the appropriate thing to call him is a HE
she still asks us constantly if she can "Hold her?"
This is the only time Ryder is not fussing...well I guess that's not true...as long as anyone is holding him he is happy but he is especially happy when Kaysia is holding/playing with him.
It's exciting to see them interact with each other!
I hope as they grow up they will always stay so close.

He loves to stand up against the couch and look at her

Already buddies

He is always smiling when she is around!

I love my sweet babies.

PS. Kaysia is finally potty trained. She has been ready forever but I...I'm afraid...have not. However, I finally bit the bullet and found that with her being almost 3 it was practically painless. Hooray for undies! And the $40 we will be saving every month!

Ryder 6 Months

2010-05-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Some things about Ryder:

-He is so freaking cute...as you can so clearly see!
-He can sit pretty good now with a little support of course!
-Is ready to get moving. He wants to crawl so bad...I have no doubt its just around the corner!
-Is crazy about his sister. Squeals with delight the minute he sees her!
-Wants to be held...a LOT!
-Gets bored easily.
-Laughs and smiles at anything and everything.
-Is sleeping and eating better and better all the time.
-when he is hungry he is HUNGRY and must be fed or gets VERY upset!
-Can roll both ways and from front to back and vice versa.
-Loves to be tickled...surprise surprise!
-Is constantly holding/sucking his feet. Which I think is so cute. Kaysia never did that so this is something new and adorable that I love to watch!
-Only barfs sometimes. :)
-Had his first blow-out up the back. I was so happy I didn't care about cleaning it up!
-When he gets excited he kicks his legs nonstop and thrashes one arm all over the place.
-Is the loudest baby I have ever heard.
-Is not cuddly in the least but lately he has liked laying on my shoulder and I relish every second.

Ryder gets more lovable and kissable with every passing day. It is such a blast to watch him progress and go through all the milestones! I feel so blessed to be his momma. He definitely tests my patience but I know that soon this phase will be over and he will be more grown up and won't need my constant attention and I will look back and miss this time.
So for now I will just be grateful that he lets me hold and kiss him nonstop!