The Jensen Family

Life with a big sister

2012-02-03T17:11:00.001-08:00

He wasn't screaming so he must not have hated it!

Hunterism

2012-02-01T13:51:00.001-08:00

We went to the store the other night as a family and when we got home Hunter walks in and says "Uh oh mom, someone came and cleaned our house!"

She is obviously so used to our house being a mess that when it's clean something is wrong! Funny girl!

Hunters dentist appointment

2012-01-30T12:26:00.001-08:00

Hunter has been begging to go to the dentist for a couple weeks. Luckily she had an appointment coming up soon! She was so excited and she did so good! She even got her pink squiggly toothbrush she wanted! I hope all my kids want to go and do as good as her! (till she gets a cavity, then she might change her mind?!)

10 months

2012-01-24T19:25:00.001-08:00

And still swaddles! I love it!

App post

2012-01-03T07:13:00.001-08:00

Playing cars!

TEST

2012-01-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

NICE MAKEUP

iphone

camera

cutie!

THE Holiday

2012-01-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas celebration started on Friday night. We had dinner at our house and Traci, Eric, Andrew and Justin came up from El Paso to join us. We had a good time as always eating good food and enjoying good company. I am going to be sad when we aren't as close anymore. I have really enjoyed being able to do things together. It's just a matter of time before we part our ways. The race is on for who goes first!?!? After dinner we opened gifts, and as always they were SO GENEROUS to our family! The kids LOVED their little sleeping bags! They are so cute!

For Christmas Eve we just lounged around together, cleaned up the house a bit and decided we would go up to Cloudcroft and enjoy a "White Christmas"! We invited our friends and went sledding! It was fun! I normally don't enjoy the snow and especially being cold, but I had a really good time and I wanted to keep playing! Hunter on the other hand started complaining the second she stepped foot out of the truck into the snow. Tyson took her down the hill one time and she wigged out! Hurley did OK. He was wet before we even started and I took him down and we hit powder just right so that it sprayed in his face. So he didn't want to go again. But he was a good sport and was enjoying the ride. Then we did some trains together while the kids watched a movie in the truck and we took turns watching Huxley.

On our way home I told Tyson that I wanted to start our own family tradition. Other than the traditional Christmas jammies, everyone does that! So we decided we will make cinnamon rolls and leave some for Santa!

And I did horrible and didn't take any pictures of them opening gifts. I recorded a video of it and didn't think about the pictures! I am upset about it! They had a good time and every gift Hunter would open she would say "It's exactly what I wanted!"

Hurley has been sleeping on us a lot over the holiday which I think we have enjoyed! The day after Christmas Tysons parents and sister Brielle came down to spend a week with us. When they got here Monday night we opened presents and visited for a bit. They were pretty tired from traveling all day so we just layed around. We did a lot of that! Grandma made them tee pees and they are so cute! Hunter was asking grandma to play with her in the tee pee everyday! Grandpa even took a turn!

For new years eve we stayed at our house and just had fun. We watched a movie while the kids fell asleep and after we put them in bed we played games. I tried to get a "Candid picture" of us at the table, but it didn't work so well. Especially when everyone stared right at the camera at smiled! So then I just decided to take one without me in it! It was a lot of fun having them here and spending time with them!

New Years goal..... take more pictures..... AGAIN!

Huxley 9 Months

2011-12-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

Stats

Height: 28"- 43%

weight: 18# 7oz- 21%

head: 45.6cm- 63%

We aren't quite sure how his height and weight can be below average for his age, yet he is wearing 12-18 months clothing?! He is happy and healthy and we love him! He has two teeth and is crawling all over and pulling himself up to anything he possibly can. He is starting to not eat his baby food very well anymore, we think it's because he is ready for texture. He spits his out and it sprays everywhere! And we have also introduced formula which he takes very well! And he is sleeping all night long with 2 naps, sometimes 3. His brother and sister love him and Hunter can not let him go to sleep without giving him loves and kisses! She is being more and more motherly to him. It is actually quite cute, except when she picks him up when I have repeatedly told her not to. WE LOVE YOU HUXLEY!

Arches National Park

2011-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

We decided that since we have been through Moab SO MANY times and every time we say "We should stop and go to Arches". So we finally did it! It was fun. The kids loved hiking! And it was a PERFECT way to end our little family vacation with just our little family! I LOVE THEM!

UTAH

2011-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

On our way to Utah we stopped in St. George to see Grandma Fuhriman. We had dinner with her and stayed over night. That was really nice! We love visiting with her and it was also nice to break up the drive a bit.

While in Utah we had some fun adventures. The kids LOVE playing outside at the farm and helping grandpa with the chores.

Tyson went to the auction with his dad and grandpa to sell some animals. He came home with a rabbit!

Hunter had some quality girl time with aunt Brielle. We went with her to teach dance one night. She did her hair for her and got to wear her dresses!

Hurley took lots of naps in the car!

Thanksgiving was spent at the Cobbleys in Mantua with the Jensens. It was fun. The kids got Brielle, Grandma, and Jaylin to slide down the stairs! We played "Things" that is always a fun one, especially with the Jensens! Read stories, Played video games, and made a plan for BLACK FRIDAY shopping. I did NOT participate. I get kid duty. Gladly! Maybe when my kids are older I will THINK about going, but I enjoy my sleep! The next night we had Thanksgiving with the Roylance side. Its always a nice visit!

The annual Lamb Harvest took place the weekend of Thanksgiving which was a BIG part of the reason we went to Utah. Tyson got to participate in that while the kids had fun playing outside and going with Jaden on motorcycle rides. I went to my sister Ryans house in Malad with my 4 siblings as we went through my Dads things. I am SO MAD that I didn't get a picture of the 4 of us together. We hardly ever are together all at once and it could be a LONG time till it happens again.

We went to Willard Bay and drove through the lights and sat on Santas lap!

Tyson cleaned up the pasture for his dad, he got grandpa Jensen to help. They removed an old sugarbeat elevator that a tree had grown through. They hauld off almost 1.5 tons of scrap metal.

We hung out at Grandma T's house and read stories under the "Hut".

Jaden turned 16 and was ordained. He asked Tyson to do the ordination. That was really special for Tyson! (He told me he choked up! How cute is that!?)

We spent a day at the Treehouse museum in Ogden. Most of which was spent at the train station. Hurley has an unconditional love for the things! He literally was there for almost the entire 5 hours! I got him to break away a couple times but he always fought it and went right back! Huxley pulled himself to standing for the first time!

Tyson and I kinda got to go on a date! We took Huxley and went Christmas shopping for the day while our moms watched the other 2. It was fun. We need to go out more often but we never do. I feel bad pawning my kids off when I have 3 and the people we trade with usually only have 1! I think it is important for couples to go out without kids and I always said I was going to do it. But we never do. We can't afford it. Maybe we should make it a goal for next year?!

DISNEYLAND!!!

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few things to remember...

*Our very first day right before we went through the castle we saw our first 3 princesses walking somewhere.

"Should we follow them or just try to meet up with them again? Let's point them out to Hunter and see her reaction."

We followed them! Our purpose in going was for Hunter and of course princesses is a HUGE part of that! And for reasons unknown, because I am not a crier, but I got teary eyed watching her love them!!! These darn kids are making me weak sauce!!!

*Tyson went on "Its a small world for his first time ever!

*The fireworks over the castle are amazing. They all watched the whole thing without a fight! (Tears, WTH?)

*We did a character dining and I'm not so sure we would do that again? Maybe cause it's just a ridiculous fight to go out to eat with our kids(Hurley), but I also wasn't that impressed with the characters/number that came.

*World of color is really neat. It would be worth paying to get a good seat simply for the fact that you don't have to wait and stand in your spot to get a good spot for an hour! It worked out OK this time, I stayed in the spot with Huxley while Tyson took the other 2 on some rides and tried on head accessories. They were both entertained during the show and Huxley slept through most of it.

*Hunters favorite ride is "NOT the Tower of Terror!" Tyson took her on it because he wanted to go and didn't want to go alone. She kept telling him she didn't want to "Disappear" like the other people! Then later I took her on Splash Mountain. Every time we would go past it she would tell us how she DIDN'T want to go on that ride! Once again, because we are awesome parents, I wanted to go but not alone so I drug her on with me. She did pretty good till we were actually on it and wanted "Off right now!" So she hid her face in my arm. So I was honest and told her it wasn't scary till the end and I would tell her when to hide her face... and she did. Poor girl got the most wet of anyone on the ride. We were sitting in the very back. Tyson did awesome of catching a shot of us going down the "Big hill!"

*The parade was good. We watched it during the day so we missed out on the lights, but it worked great. Hurley slept through most of it so we didn't have to chase him around and got to enjoy it with Hunter.

*Fantasmic! Kind of a joke, but TOTALLY worth it! People were starting to save spots 3 HOURS before the show! So we found us a spot that was AWESOME and made it work! We took turns taking the older 2 on rides and walks. Hunter and I had a photo shoot while Hurley and Tyson went out and Huxley was napping! That was a fun little bonding moment. I took the 2 on the haunted mansion, thinking it would be hard with Hurley waiting in like for like 45 minutes but he did SO GOOD! We just kept playing "Where is....?" Huxley slept in the stroller through all but like the last 5 minutes of the show, and Hurley fell asleep in my arms during it. We got some Japanese people right behind us crowding us in. Very annoying but we talked to them at the end and they were actually FROM Japan visiting. They love Disney so much it was their 5th time there! Only one could speak English.

*The Churros ROCK! We could have survived on them. And kinda did! I told Tyson I didn't want to know how much they were and to just keep getting them! They were a GREAT entertainer for the kids. Hurley doesn't just sit and eat snacks like most kids do, but he would these! Total lifesaver sometimes!

*Some of our favorite rides. Toy Story Midway Mania "Yee Haw Shooting" as Hunter calls it.(we could have ridden all day) We went and realized we could only sit 2 to a seat and we had 5. Huxley had his own seat, retarded I know. So we thought someone would have to sit alone, Hunter, knowing that she probably wouldn't. Tyson then realized the family behind us had 5 as well. So I asked if maybe one of their kids would like to sit with ours. They had a little girl a year older than Hunter and they gladly agreed to sit together! We then continued conversation and found out they were from Layton, UT! And members! So me being the nosy one I am asked about their kids and found out they had a 6 week old baby. Making 4 children total. Our conversation continues. Me: "So, They say after 3 it's all the same. Is it true?" Both of them in unison: "NO! It's so much harder!" Great! We want another one but maybe we should be done?! Ill take any other input on that if anyone wants to give it! Even though regardless I'm sure we will have another! More favorites....Buzz Light year, Bugs life, Soaring California (Hunter LOVED that! "Dad, when we go over Disney Land you have to yell "Yay Disney Land!""). They did good on every ride! I TOTALLY underestimated them for the trip! I would go back tomorrow if we could!

All in all we had an AWESOME time and LOVED spending every minute together as a family! We will DEFINITELY be going back! And I would HIGHLY recommend going the EXACT time we did. Only one day sooner. We went the week before the holiday season started which was PERFECT! We loved that it was decorated for Christmas and they had Christmas music playing. The lines were short and it wasn't too crowded to walk. We went Wed, Thurs, Fri. Next time we will go Tues, Wed, Thurs. Friday was retarded after being there weekdays! And it was opening season. Disney truly is MAGICAL!

Mission Beach

2011-12-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

Family Pictures 2011

2011-12-15T20:15:00.001-08:00

Sea World

2011-12-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

We took our first little family vacation! LOVED IT!!! It was a long thought in progress and debated for a long time, and finally we did it! Spur of the moment we got our tickets to Disneyland a week before we left! Then like 2 days before we actually left we decided to leave a day early and stop at Sea World on our way since Military get in FREE!!!

So our adventures begin...

Off to a great start!!!

We had to stop at this one pump station, in the middle of no where, in the dark, on an unlit street, in the freezing cold, wearing shorts!

Then the fun began!!! We got up and had breakfast at our hotel, checked out and packed up to go! We got parked at Sea World and started to get out and Tyson realized he forgot his PHONE at the hotel! I swear that guy would lose his head if it wasn't attached! Good thing our hotel was only a few miles away! So we had a little delay getting started, but it was totally fine! The park was very empty and we left before it closed anyways. And we agreed that it was a good thing we got in FREE because we would NOT spend the $80 per person to do that again! We would have rather spent the day at the zoo! But for free and the time we did spend together it was FUN! We loved seeing the kids have fun and get excited and that was the whole reason we took the trip was to watch them enjoy themselves!

Hurleys 2nd Birthday

2011-12-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Hurleys Birthday with just cake and ice cream with a few of the people he likes! We asked for no gifts since we already have enough toys, and he doesn't really understand yet. We will save that for when he can complain about it! It was a fun little gathering! Happy Birthday sweet boy! WE LOVE YOU!

Hurleys 2 year stats

height: 32 1/2" - 4%

weight: 23# - 3%

head: 18 1/2" - 10%

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-01T19:18:00.003-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin patch again this year! It was a good time. The kids had fun on the slides, bikes, and rolling things. So did Tyson! And of course going on the hay ride and picking pumkins! They have 3 HUGE pumpkin patches so you are sure to find something interesting! Hunter was on a kick this year of getting "cute little ones!" Hurley could care less, and Tyson likes the BIG/STRANGE ones! After we went to dinner since it was my birthday the next day and that is always a story of its own. We don't really enjoy dinner with our little family at this stage right now, mostly because Hurley is SO BUSY! (and he doesn't eat) Therefore it is hard to entertain him. Most kids you can sit at feed french fries the whole time and they are good, NOT HURLEY! Then there is Hunter who just wants to eat salt! And then we have to feed Huxley since he can't do it himself, so we don't really get to just enjoy a meal. Needless to say, we don't go out to eat much these days! Saves us money I guess!

Twinners!

Halloween

2011-11-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

"Our little flock"

I was REALLY bad about pictures for Halloween. Good thing my friend had her camera and she takes good pictures! Unfortunately I only got the kids and no family pictures. Tyson and I only dressed up for Trick of Treating. He was the same as last year, and I was too! And the year before that! Only this year it was fake! I put batting in my belly to make me look pregnant! I have been prego the last 2 Halloweens so we decided to make fun of myself and do it again! Tyson got a little freaked out when I first put it in because he said it looked real! I thought it was pretty funny cause I actually bent over like it was for real! Even though it didn't weigh as much as a real belly, it still made me feel like and show actions like it was real. I think I'm ready!

Caramel Apple Trifle- YUM!

2011-10-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

no need for words

2011-10-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

This:....

To this.....

They LOVE it!

Air Show

2011-10-12T08:18:00.001-07:00

6 Months

2011-09-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Huxley turned 6 months Sept. 24. His well baby check up went perfect and he is right on track! We still love him to pieces!!!

6 Month Stats

height: 26.5"- 41%

weight: 16# 13oz.- 28%

I don't remember his head circumference but I do remember it was over 80%!

We aren't 100% sure that is his real weight. We thought for sure he would be a LOT bigger than that, and the nurse at one point said "I think I need to zero it out." then never did. So who knows?! But if that's the case that means he has NOT doubled his birth weight, which they say is a 6 Month goal.

Ward campout

2011-09-19T09:02:00.001-07:00

We had a fun ward campout and we rented a trailer so we stayed the night before and the night after. It was nice to get away, even if it is just 20 miles away. We love to camp and don't go as often as we like, so we took full advantage of this one and soaked it up!

There was a nice storm brewing up as we were headed out and we were a bit nervous as we headed up the mountain. We stopped at a gas station at the mouth of the canyon to fill a tire with air, and when we opened the doors to the truck they about got ripped off! The sky looked amazing. It was explained by myself and many others as we talked about it the next day as "the end of the world!" Glad it wasn't but it made me feel like I was in the movie Twister when they are inside of the tornado! Lucky when we got up to the campsite we just had a lot of fog, and a small rainstorm! Nothing like expected and compared to what it was in town!

We had a good turn out of people especially since they had a big down pour in town the night before! I really doubted we would have many people. It was a lot of fun and we got adult time around the camp fire playing games and visiting. Stayed up way later than we should have!

I REALLY HATE how big and grown up Hunter looks in this picture!

Watching Phineas and Ferb before bedtime! Part of the routine at our house!

A visit from Grandma T!

2011-09-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm upset that I didn't take more pictures of her when she was here, but we did enjoy her being at our house VERY much! Her trip started out with lunch. She convinced me to go to McD's so the kids could play in the play place and get out some energy, something my kids, especially Hurley, has A LOT of! NASTY! My kids have NEVER played in one yet, so I had to get pictures cause it probably wont happen again for a long time! They didn't LOVE it anyways so I wont feel bad. They had a good time but it was too tall for them to get up to the other levels to really enjoy it, and I was OK with that! Oh yes, and the guy begging for money in a wheel chair with a pole with a bucket on the end! There are beggars at EVERY corner in El Paso, NO exaggerating! They are EVERYWHERE!

We didn't do a whole lot of fun venturing things while she was here so I'm glad we took a hike the first weekend. It was nice. Made the mistake, but it was also kinda helpful at the same time, of taking the stroller. We had never done this hike before so we didn't know that there would be some "ups" and "downs". Needless to say, I got to see my hubby's big calves and strong arms! All that PT has been working in his favor!

Our hermit days were spent doing the following activities. Making grandma play as a baby, and they gave her a wooden tree as a binky! What a good sport! Thanks grandma! She was so good to play with them and be their entertainment! Something I need to work at!

Pulling weeds! An every visit occurrence. She does it EVERY day when she is here.

Reading LOTS of stores with Hunter,

and letting her wear her glasses,

Grandma wore them right out. They crashed on the way home right after we dropped her off. And Hunter made Tyson let her baby drive while we were driving to our stops! Funny girl!

Thanks for coming to visit us mom! We truely love when you come and appreciate all your help! LOVE YOU!

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was pretty low key for us. We don't have a lot of extra money right now so we stayed in town and enjoyed spending time together as a family!

I made finger paints for the first time. Kinda fun for the kids. I never do fun things like this for them, something I need to work on. It's easy, water, corn starch, and food coloring, boil for one min. wala!

Reading stories,

hanging out,

playing outside,

napping,

being lazy,

and watching TV.

The high light of the weekend was spent in the mountains having a cookout with some friends from our ward. We had a lot of fun and the kids love being outdoors. Hunter always asks if we can go to the mountains. I love that she loves it!

(The only tunnel in New Mexico)

I still got it!

2011-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

My cute girl

2011-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Cute for church!

Sitting up

2011-08-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Getting better and better

Our pet dog

2011-08-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

I give Hurley lunch meat and he puts it on the ground, gets on his hands and knees, and eats it up like a dog. What a funny boy! Not just this one time either, its been repeated!

Lefty?!?!

2011-08-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

After having a cast on his left hand for 2 weeks, I thought FOR SURE it was going to force him to be right handed. He favored his left hand a lot the day he got the cast off. It was almost like he still had it on. Today was a shock! Dinner was eaten left handed! I'm still hopeful to get my lefty!

Cast removal

2011-08-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

We got Hurleys cast off Monday morning. He did a lot better at the removal than I expected. I thought the noise of the saw would make him scream but he didn't mind it at all. They covered his ears with big ear muffs and he just watched the whole thing! Once it was off we went to see the Dr. and they took out the pin and wrapped it up. That part he DID mind. They said it looks really good and the stitches CAN get wet (BATH!!!) and they will just dissolve, and/or fall out.

The Cast

2011-08-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a lot of good pictures with his cast during his 2 weeks, darn it. He did SO good with it! It was a part of him and he used it to his advantage. The picture I really wanted but didn't get was him using it to prop up his leg for a leg rest! He used it all the time for a pillow, and baths SUCKED! Getting in and out of the carseat was a bit difficult as well. But we all managed!

5 Months

2011-08-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

We stared rice cereal! Not a big fan!

Big Sister

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! This picture makes Huxley look huge in comparison to Hunter!

One of THOSE days

2011-08-30T19:41:00.001-07:00

The pictures say it all. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has these kind of days?! It was actually a great day, just not these particular 10 minutes!

The Surgery

2011-08-17T06:39:00.001-07:00

We went to my Aunt Tracis house Sunday evening to stay a couple nights cause it takes us 1.5 hours to get down and we had an 8AM appointment Monday morning for the pre-op and we did not want to get up early enough to pack up and go and be on time. And by staying the night we could leave Hunter at the house and so we had one less child to entertain at the hospital with nothing to do!

As we all know, when you stay at someones house over night you don't go to bed at regular time. Not only that, we were in a different place. Needless to say, Hurley was a FIGHT to put to bed Sunday night. I ended up taking him for a ride in the truck around the block a few times. Then the alarm was set for 6am, but I think we snoozed a few times, that's why you set it early right? We left the house at 7:15 cause we weren't sure how traffic would be. The timing was perfect for traffic, parking and getting to the office.

The appointments went well and we got all the info. Surgery was set for 7:30am which means an arrival time of 5:30am! YUCK! I have said it before and I'll say it again, I HATE MORNINGS! It would take 2-3 hours with a possible skin graft. He would get a pin in his finger and a cast past his elbow (so he can't play with the dressing and take it off).

After we left the hospital we had some shopping and errands to do. So we did a few things, went back to the house and had some lunch. Tyson was lucky enough to take a nap. I fed Huxley. Then we packed up again and went out for a little more shopping. We were pooped. Long weekend, traveling, late nights, and chasing Hurley at the hospital and the malls. We just wanted to sit on the couch and do NOTHING! So we did! We went back to the house and just relaxed and watched TV. Gave the kids baths, I showered, and watched more TV. Then, to my surprise, Hurley fell asleep in my lap watching TV! That sure made bedtime a lot easier.

I kept waking up in the night, for reasons unknown, and kept thinking the night was taking FOREVER! We were up at 4am! Got ready, things packed and very last loaded the boys up. Hunter was going to spend another day with "HER" Traci! We were out the door at 5am and to the hospital and checked in by 5:35. Then the waiting game. To the room we went and got him changed. The pants drowned him to he was left in a baggy shirt that kept falling off his shoulders and a diaper! He kept saying "cold". He was entertaining himself with his train, and trucks. But the worst part of all was refusing him a drink! SO HARD/SAD! Just a simple drink is all he wanted. After maybe an hour they were ready for him downstairs. We went down and were taken to his little "room" that was like a 3"x5" curtain cell. How did they expect us to entertain a 1.5 year old for a hour in that little of a space? It wasn't too bad. He had some stickers and rubber gloves to occupy some time. He only had one little fit cause he wanted to run around and see the people on the other side of the curtain. (Funny side note: A little girl next to us, I'm guessing maybe 4 or 5, said to her sister "you a dumb a**" Poor girl! Sad she has to hear things like that enough to actually repeat it! Sadly I was laughing so hard that I couldn't even tell Tyson what she said.) The anesthesia lady kept coming in and telling us it was almost time, his room was ready she just had to wait for the other anesthesiologist. During the time she wanted to warm up to Hurley so he would willing go with her back to the room. He did really well. When they walked away he didn't even flinch.

Tyson and I (and Huxley) went back to the first room to get our belongings and go back down to the surgery waiting room. As we were about to go back down the people at the check in desk talked us into waiting in the room cause downstairs would be noisy and crowded. So we stayed in the room and I thought we would go down after like 1.5 hours and wait the rest of the time in the surgery waiting room so we could go in with him to wake up. We fell asleep! All 3 of us! Huxley started waking up so I did too. I was sitting on the other chair, maybe 5 min. Tyson was still sleep and a nurse walked in, she seemed a little annoyed, and said they were looking for the Hurley's parents cause he was out of surgery. Tyson BOLTED up and he chose to go down with him. So I waited for over and hour with NO INFORMATION from Tyson on how he was doing. I wanted to see the poor boy! Apparently when he woke up he was FREAKING out! They tried to calm him down with a dose of fentanyl and it didn't work so they had to DOUBLE dose him! He is a fighter! They finally got back to the room where I was and my heart dropped! If I was a crier I would have broke out in tears that second! His cast covered and enclosed his entire hand! and went clear up to him arm pit! The club was as big as him! He instantly asked for a drink and he guzzled an entire sippy nonstop! He did really well and wasn't as drowsy or out of it as I expected him to be. He manages to work with his cast and using one arm very good! I am sure accidents will happen and we will have some tears shed caused by his cast. We will go back in 2 weeks and get it taken off and see how things go from there!

Hurleys Raptor claw

2011-08-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are getting Hurleys dinosaur finger fixed next week. We were going to wait till he was a little older so he would understand keeping his bandages on, and it doesn't bother him unless he bumps it or gets it smashed, which is probably more than most, but the Dr said that we should do it sooner so it doesn't affect the growth of his finger. So he will be getting a pin in his finger, to make it grow straight, and a cast past his elbow, so that he can't mess with that bandages. The poor kid. I feel so sad. This kind of stuff doesn't normally bother me, but this time it is. I am more sad about the surgery than when he got burned in the first place. Man this sucker mommy stuff is really sucking me in! I think it's because I have a feeling he is REALLY going to HATE the cast and I wont be able to do a thing about it. AND we are going to have to have to try keeping it dry! Big sucky since it's BLAZING hot down here, AND my kids can't keep out of the water! So I'm sure we will be hearing a lot of crying, not only from him, but that thing is bound to hit people and hurt, causing for a few more tears to be shed I'm sure!

Hurley also still seems to be pretty ambidextrous and I am sure this will force him to be right handed. Which I'm a little bummed about cause I was hoping he would be a lefty. Here is to a month long adventure!

Just a reminder, this happened back in October when he was 11 months old and we went camping. We had a fire that night, and the next morning he fell into the warm coals and burned every finger on both hands except his thumbs. We raced to the emergency room and bandaged up his blistered fingers! It was hard to keep them covered as well! They were pretty bad some of which were third degree!

October Pictures

Bluff Springs

2011-08-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

(I'm not sure why, but I all the photos I want don't load.)

Sunday after church Tyson decided we should go on a drive to the mountains since they finally opened up the forest. We were gone till about 7pm! It was so nice to enjoy the trees and weather up there! I LOVE the mountains! It has always been a dream of mine since I was as kid as long as I can remember to live in the mountains. Not so sure that dream will be taking place for a long time, if ever. Tyson was just going to take us for a drive and I suggested packing the backpacks and I am so glad I did. Our first stop was a little waterfall called Bluff Springs. We haven't been there since the first summer we lived here, 4 years ago! It was great! The weather was perfect, the sun was perfect, the clouds were perfect, the colors were perfect, the kids were perfect, it could not have been better! We let Hurley go on his own and put Huxley in the backpack, Hurley did awesome, but I think Huxley isn't quiet ready for the backpack yet. He did ok, but he was still a bit wobbly. But he didn't complain too bad. The kids had fun walking the trail, playing with the flowers, walking in the water, and we had fun watching them enjoy themselves and taking pictures!

On our way back down the mountain we stopped again so I could feed Huxley. We stopped at another hiking spot, the old train trestle that we have wanted to do since we moved here, and I stayed in the truck to feed and Tyson took the older two on the trail. After feeding, I put Huxley in the front carrier, a MUCH better choice than the backpack, and he was laughing as I walked. He is such a cutie! So I followed the trail till I met up with the rest of them as they were on the way back up. They didn't make it all the way, we found it was farther than we thought. So we are going to go back up a little more prepared next time, and go all the way. The kids do so great, and it is SO NICE to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! And hopefully when we do my pictures will all load.

I love their "CHEESE" faces! Man I LOVE THEM!

(I am becoming a MAJOR softy for my kids lately! I don't know what has gotten into me?!)

Huxleys 4 Month

2011-07-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

Stats

Height 26"- 75%

Weight 15# 5oz- 43%

Head 44 cm- 84%

Our big little guy! We sure love him! He is so tall he is wearing 9 month onesies! Hopefully this one keeps growing and doesn't end up a shrimp like his older little brother! (but we still love him too!)

I'm going to open my mouth big like a crocodile!

2011-07-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hunter had her first official Dentist appointment today! She did SO GOOD! I was so proud of her! She kept telling me she was going to "Open my mouth BIG like a crocodile!" And she did JUST THAT! Right when she sat in the chair she opened up as big as she could and kept it open! The hygienist kept telling her she could "close her mouth", "let it rest for a bit", but she kept it open! I thought for sure she would get nervous or scared at least one time, but she didn't at all! And the Doc said her teeth look great! (BIG relief! We eat a lot of sugar around this house!)

Hunter

2011-07-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

What a poser. I was taking a picture of Hurley and she yells out "ME! Take MY picture!" This was the pose she did. Funny girl! I wonder where she gets it?

I diffused her hair for church Sunday and thought it turned out so cute! I get so jealous of her sometimes! I wish the picture looked as cute as it did in person.

Hurley

2011-07-27T20:09:00.001-07:00

I love this kid! He is such a cutie! Just some randoms of our little guy...

I heard a big YAWN and looked over to see that he decided to take a nap on the couch!

Got a tin can stuck on his head! How mean for me to take a picture before I helped him take it off!

...and my favorite! He rides this tractor around nearly every day! I think it's adorable!

zoo

2011-07-27T20:00:00.001-07:00

I didn't get many pictures of our little outing, but the kids had fun. Anytime they get out of the house is a good time! The zoo in town has a fourth Friday free entry so we decided to partake, and I'm so glad we did. Us hermits don't get out much so it's always nice to enjoy a night on the town... with kids... I love them!

Popcorn

2011-07-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

We finally pulled out the popcorn maker Tyson acquired! It was fun for the kids and we are happy to know it works!

stuff

2011-07-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the ways Hurley lets us know he is done eating.

Hurley was so nice and shared his chocolate york peppermint patty!

Huxley is getting so strong

Another hair-do... or don't

2011-07-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

So cute! Her hair just isn't quite long enough and just a little too fine to hold it.

DON'T

She is lucky we can still do something to it.

Visiting Teachers

2011-07-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

My visiting teachers came over.... they shared a great message!

BIG little brother, LITTLE big brother

2011-07-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Huxley 3 mo. Hurley 19 mo.

I got these onesies for Hurley when he was a baby, they are size 6-12 months. Enough said...

Hunters picture of Hudson

2011-07-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hunter got a piece of paper from the desk and told me she was going to draw a picture of Hudson. Not really thinking anything of it, since she usually just kinda scribbles or traces her hand, I figured it would be Hudson only to her eyes. Shortly after I looked at her picture and it was clearly a person! I was SO PROUD! Even though he has 8 fingers and a goatie!

4th of July weekend!

2011-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you the greatest part of being in the military is the LONG holiday weekends! LOVE THEM! Our weekend started out with a boom. We didn't procrastinate our fun at all. It all began right after Tyson got home Thursday, and didn't stop till bedtime Monday night. We spent everyday in our bathing suits and HAPPY!

Thursday June 30

Hunter learned how to float on her back and not freak out! We had to bribe her with ice cream, but hey, whatever works right?!

"Teet Teet"

Friday July 1

I am so upset that I didn't take ANY pictures this day! This was our BBQ pool party! We had good food, good company, and no proof! After we ate we went out to the base for the firework show. Then we came back home and the Hulets came too. When we got home all the kids had fallen asleep in the car so we took them in and layed them down and we got to enjoy some adult time. And a little Hunter time as well, she thought she needed to wake up on the way to bed. Tyson and Robb got in the pool and when they got out we had a little fire. It was fun to enjoy their company and the nice weather!

Saturday July 2

Good morning Hurley! This is where I found him when I got out of bed to hear what his noise making was!

I just think this is funny. All 3 of them on 1 bench to Tyson could barely move his arms to eat, and Hunter coming her hair with a fork! I'm sure it was lots funnier in person.

Today we went to the city parade and then spent the ENTIRE day in our bathing suits in the pool. Tyson and I would switch off playing with the kids and swimming. Poor Tyson, every time he would get in the clouds would come out. But he still managed to get some sun!

Sunday July 3

Huxleys blessing day! And I didn't even get a picture of him, or as a family! I'm so sad. Traci and Eric came up for the blessing, and Andrew and Justin came along. We then of course had a delicious meal after church and hung out and relaxed a little. Then the holidays continued! The Hulets, Boydens, and Davis' came over and we broke a pinata! Then we made peach cobbler and homemade ice cream. We didn't have time to eat it before the city fireworks, so we saved it for after. We all took off and headed to the church parking lot where we enjoyed another firework show! We all came back for dessert then the Boydens went home and the Davis' and Hulets stayed for another late night. Tyson and Robb ended up in the pool again and after much degrading talk, Russ got in. It was a lot of fun. One comment I made was "When you were in high school did you ever picture grown ups with kids acting like they were in high school?! " That is just what it felt like. It was so much fun and I actually had tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so hard!

Monday July 4

We had a low key day cleaning up and doing laundry to get ready for the week. And of course more pool time.

3 months

2011-07-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know his stats right now, but what I DO know, is this guy is such a good baby! He has been so much fun and he brings so much JOY and LOVE into our home! Not to mention so handsome! WE LOVE YOU HUXLEY!

extras

2011-06-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

These were pictures I got off Megs facebook! Thanks Meg!

Lake Powell -Day 7 -

2011-06-14T15:42:00.001-07:00

Our last day! We just enjoyed the last day by getting whatever time on the water we could wake boarding and tubing. I was proud of myself for getting up the first time since I hadn't done it for 5 years! I even jumped! Yay! I was impressed with Tyson as well. He jumped and even tried a 180! He even landed it but had let go of the rope so he wasn't able to continue. Hunter came with and fell asleep in her little cubby!

Hunter gathered her last "she shells"! She helped her grandpa play cards. And headed back to the dock as we were gathering our things together. We had a good trip despite a couple set backs!

So, the total cost for the boat rental! $7,970.48! We could have bought a boat for that price!

The tow fee was $1,000.00. The labor is $1,500.00. Parts was over a couple grand. And the original boat rental and deposit was $2,800. Plus tax and shipping on top of that! Yeah, needless to say, I don't think we will be going on another trip this summer! Next time we will make sure to ask about insurance, which they didn't offer.

Lake Powell, We had a good time and we miss you!

Lake Powell -Day 6 -

2011-06-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

We loaded up and headed to the Marina! We had to empty our water tanks so we didn't over flow and have a poopy mess! As we were doing that Tyson and his dad went to the boat rental place to talk and get another boat. Well unfortunately the guy says that what happened to the motor can only happen when its not in the water. Obviously that's not the case since we were driving so therefore the motor had to be in the water. But we have no way to prove it, and we know nothing about boats to fight it, so we take it up the hiney and pay the cost. He was nice about the parts, saying he would try to find used parts so it wouldn't be as much for us. So we wait till we return the second boat to get a bill! He said the motor could be $6k! Talk about hold your breath!

So they got another boat and we got back out on the lake to find a place to park the HB and enjoy the rest of our trip! We found a place close in warm creek bay. We played on the boat a little. Hunter found a little cubby that she called "HOME". Hunter got to help her grandpa reel in a fish! Hunter and Hurley were helping Brielle reel! Hurley fell in the water and Hunter screamed saving his life! Not totally, he had his life jacket on and it wasn't very deep. His head wasn't even under water. But I was so proud of her for yelling like I had taught her! We had another HUGE fire and more smores and cobbler! Just enjoyed our last night on the lake!

Lake Powell -Day 5 -

2011-06-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

After breakfast this morning we hit the Lake for Rainbow Bridge! I was excited. My first time to see it. Grandma fell in the water while loading! Good thing it was just her legs! We got some really good pictures of everyone! It was really neat to see.

After that we decided to tour some more canyons. We went up Anasazi canyon which was a really neat one. It was then time to start heading back and find another place to move the HB. We got back onto the channel and BAM! My stomach went straight to my throat! No idea what happened! We shut off the boat and James and Tyson searched to see what they could find. They ended up pulling a black rubber piece out of the motor. That was part of the motor. A bit calming to find that we didn't hit anything and the rental place said they would cover anything technical or mechanical that wasn't our fault! So we called them, luckily we had service right then, since we were 50 miles from the marina! They said they would call someone to tow us. Right after he hung up a NPS boat came around the corner. There is NO WAY he could have hung up, called someone, them get to the boat and start it, and be there THAT fast. It was honestly 2 minutes. We were being watched over without a doubt! We later found out not only that when they called they said it would be AT LEAST 2 hours before they could get to us, but also that what happened to the motor, if we would have lost 1 little piece we would have sunk in 3 minutes! Not one adult was wearing a life jacket! Maybe James, because he is good like that, but only my 3 kids were wearing them! Blessed? I think so!

So NPS made whoever felt like they could not swim well get in with them. G&G, James, my kids, which meant me, and Jody came. They pulled us to Dangling rope where we met our next tow boat! TINY! This was going to be a LONG tow! Once again my kids did SO GOOD! He pulled us to the HB where we would unload our belongings and he would pull Tyson back to the marina so he could pull the boat out, stay overnight on shore, then get a different boat the next day. Luckily the tow guy said he would just take the boat cause he could go faster with it empty and meet the rental guy at the marina. Then we could go in the morning to the rental place.

We still didn't let it ruin the trip. Tyson took Hunter down the slide cause she was begging to go, which she didn't want to do a second time! Then Hurley wanted to go, so Tyson just caught him at the bottom. Tyson and the boys and Brielle and her friend Megan (Bings sister) played sand football and had a blast! We later had a fire and made smores and peach cobbler.

Lake Powell -Day 4-

2011-06-14T13:29:00.001-07:00

"Island! Island!" Those were the words spoken by James as he runs from the back deck through to the shore with his fishing pole as he was informing us that our big floating island had come untied and was floating away! Wouldn't you know that Tyson was out on the boat again! He always missed out on the wind fun. So I went out and rescued the float.

We did hair in braids today. All of us but Jaden and Bing also went out and explored a little and we found a cliff. I did not know till this trip that cliff jumping was illegal, but that didn't stop me. You HAVE to jump at least once when you go to Lake Powell! We guessed that the cliff was 35-40 feet high. I was the one who made it official to do it, and I had to pee so bad that I jumped first! We were all talking about how scared we were! It was a lot of fun!

Lake Powell -Day 3-

2011-06-14T13:08:00.001-07:00

We left the dock bright and early about 6am to start our day! We took the HB to the place we camped the first night. The water had risen clear up to where we had our fire!(refer to day 1 picture). We got there and tried to anchor and decided it wasn't going to work. So we backed out and luckily found another place real close by! We got all anchored, the kids got out to play, Tyson made a little kid pool with plastic he brought, and they attempted a slide that didn't work as planned.

The wind was blowing, and while Tyson was gone with everyone but me and the kids, James and G&G, the HB got blown so hard it pulled out the anchor and we were hitting into the rocks. So me, James, and grandpa did our best at keeping the props off the rocks from getting ruined. That's all we needed was to buy more props! So after about an hour they came back and we had a lot more help and got the HB anchored in again.

The rest of the day was spent just playing on the beach, going down the slide, and playing in the water. Hunter was having the time of her life getting a "she shell lection", and Hurley made pretty good buddies with Jaden.

Lake Powell -Day 2 -

2011-06-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

Day 2 started off with some cereal and packing up camp. Then to more exploring! More relaxed kids cuddling on the boat, eating "snacks", and just being together as a family with no distractions! I LOVED IT! We found some neat places.

Amongst our exploring this day, we pulled over to shore for a potty break. With the wind and waves we had this day, we got pushed back into a little spot that Tyson had to push us out of before we could start the boat and be on our way. Long story short, mostly because I don't exactly know the details and I don't think it matters, so I am not about to bring it up and ask him, but we hit a rock and destroyed the props. Yes, plural, it was a DUAL prop boat. That put a twist on the trip that very moment. I tried my best to comfort him and let him know it was ok, to not let it ruin the trip he has been waiting for a year for! He did very well actually. We could still drive the boat so we did a little till we could get service and called the rental place to find out what we should do. Of course we had to pull the boat out and take it back so they could look at it and see the damage and decide what to do. They were very nice and calm about it and just put some different props on and said we were good to go and they would figure out how much we owed them and let us know at the end so the bill wouldn't ruin the rest of the week!

Houseboat time! We met Tysons family at the top of the boat ramp. Jaden and his friend "Bing" (Tyler Bingham) got in the boat with Tyson and we launched them and met at the houseboat dock. We got checked in and loaded our things on the HB and hung out at the dock for the night. We had to sleep at the marina since it would be too dark to travel. We had dinner and organized our things and tried out the sleeping arrangements. We slept in the one bedroom with a full/queen size bed and hardly any walking room. But we made it work. Hurley ended up on the bed and Tyson ended up on the floor after Hurley woke up and Tyson took him on a walk on the dock so he wouldn't wake up grandma and grandpa. Needless to say, the rest of the time G & G took the bedroom and Tyson and I had the table bed and the kids slept on the couch bed. And Huxley in his blue recliner chair!

Lake Powell - Day 1 -

2011-06-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell 2011 was a fun trip that had lots of laughter and some unexpected adventures. Our little family left Alamogordo about 4pm on Friday evening. Our plan was to drive till we got tired and pull over and sleep in the truck. I think we finally learned our lesson this time, that the kids just don't let that happen anymore! We got to Flagstaff, AZ about 2am and decided to sleep in the Walmart parking lot, something I always wanted to do, only not in the truck... and the kids started to wake and we thought to just be still and quiet and they would go back to sleep. NOT SO! We ended up playing the the truck for about an hour and decided they weren't going to sleep. So, what else but to go inside the store at 3am with our whole family! YES, we were that crazy couple who takes their kids into the store in the middle of the night! Not to mention it was pretty chilly and we were NOT dressed appropriately! Luckily we did bring warm clothes so we did manage to get sweaters on them. Sweaters, shorts, and flip flops! That was us! We found Hunter some water shoes, and Tyson got a sweater and a bathing suit since he forgot to pack for himself! The only thing he packed was one bathing suit and a couple shirts. Good thing I packed his toothbrush! So back to the truck we went and hit the road.

When we were getting closer to Page, and the kids were sleeping once again, we tried to pull over and take a nap again. By this time Tyson has been awake for 24 hours, and we can't pick up the boat for another 4 hours! What could we do to waste time before we have anything to do? Nothing is open at 5am! So, we found a spot to sleep... and the kids woke up! No sleep yet again! So we went to Denny's at 6am! That was a fun time, we were both so tired that we laughed at everything! Hurley was eating pepper and Hunter was yelling at Tyson to "WAKE UP!"

After we ate, we went to the LAKE! WATER!!! We were SO excited to see water! Something you don't come by in Alamogordo! We went to the houseboat place to check on what we needed to do the next day and by that time we could finally get the other boat! YAY! So we got the boat and Hunter was so excited and it made us excited and we were so unorganized it took us forever and we needed to go get food for the rest of the day and the next and so we pulled the big boat train back to town to get food and I think it was just after noon by the time we finally launched the boat and were on our way! Exploring we went! Trying to find a place to anchor the house boat the next day and to camp for the night. It was so relaxing just to be on the lake and the wind blowing your hair and no work to bother, no dishes, laundry, toys, movies, just us and nature! And of course our boat and all the others. It was GREAT! The kids did SO GOOD on the boat. They didn't get scared or cry, they just layed and slept and relaxed as well. Hurley had a little bit of a hard time with the life jacket, but he got used to it really fast. As uncomfortable as he looked when he was sitting and it came up over his face, he still did good! Same with Huxley. I think the wind took their minds off it pretty quick.

All in all it was a great day. Great to explore and be on the lake as our own little family. Officially our first family vacation, other than to home!

Happy Boy

2011-05-30T14:35:00.001-07:00

LOVE HIM!!!

playing!

2011-05-30T14:18:00.001-07:00

18 months!

2011-05-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Stats:

height 31"- 12%

weight 19# 15 oz.- 3%

Still just a little guy! He is not even on the charts at the Dr. and pretty much just doesn't eat. He is non stop and is more interested in playing than eating. So now we are thinking it's time so get serious about the weight gain. The poor kid technically should still be rear facing in the car seat! But we just love his stage right now! We would freeze him if we could. He still doesn't talk a whole lot, but he sure has a way of letting us know what he wants!

2 months!

2011-05-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Stats:

height 24"- 70%

weight 12# 15 oz.- 60%

Huxley has been such a fun addition to our family! We just love him to bits and are enjoying the new baby stage! He is a very good baby so far!!! He still sleeps a lot, but when he is awake, which is getting longer lengths, he is usually very content to just sit in his chair and hang out! He is VERY smiley and is even laughing a lot! It is so cute! He is still sleeping all night, even longer now, an average of 11 hours. Along with his laughing he has started "talking" with us. The older two kids love him! Hunter wants to lay by him all the time, and Hurley gives him lots of kisses!

Slacking!

2011-05-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

The other day as I am in the kitchen doing the dishes Hunter runs in saying "Mom!! Come look at the kitty!" So I run to the front door to find the cat had run away. So I continue doing the dishes and the kids went out back to play. So after a few minutes I looked out the back door to check on them and find Hunter had found her kitty! The girl was loving it! I let her play for a few minutes then decided I should scare it away so the cat doesn't get comfortable and keep coming back.
The poor girl was DEVASTATED! So I had to tell her that cats make daddy sick so we couldn't let it stay.

I just thought Hurley looked funny with his mouth hanging open and his head tipped back to watch TV!

The chair won! Poor kid was climbing into Huxleys vibrator chair and face planted in it! He just can't go without something on his face!

We invited our friend Robb Hulet over for dinner since his family was out of town and he got so full from Tysons delicious food he got his Sunday nap! So of course Tyson has to pull a face!

Huxley

She LOVES her "lips!" (chapstick) I am pretty sure she has no idea that when she coats EVERY flavor on 6+ times that it colors them!

1 month!

2011-04-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

What a crazy month, full of craziness! My baby boy is so big! Look at those armpit rolls and double chin! He is one big one month old! But a dang cute big one month old! Love him SO MUCH!!

5 week stats

weight- 11# 8 oz.

height- 22.5"

At one month he...

- spits up a lot

-holds his head pretty good

-still swaddles to sleep

-eats about every 2-3 hours during the day, unless he sleeps through it

-wakes up once or none at night. has went 10 hours a few times!

-gets LOTS of loves from his older brother and sister! He gets mauled!

Grandma T

2011-04-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma T came to stay with us for a week while Tyson went to San Antonio, Texas for Jarons graduation. It was nice, as it always is, to have her visit. She is always SO MUCH help! She is an easy guest. She cleans, entertains the kids, and this time I racked her brain for advice! I felt so bad because Hunter was a little turd. She would not sleep in her bed for ANYTHING! We thought of every bribe in the book. It wasn't a big deal for her to sleep on the couch with grandma... if she would have slept! Instead she would walk around the house, which Tyson doesn't handle so well. Things like that freak him out. So unfortunately this made for very late nights, and unhappy parents. With the stress of work, school and lack of sleep for Tyson, this was a trial. I would say I benefit more from her "vacation" than she does! Thanks mom! I love you!

Hunter thought it would be fun to dress up her brothers like a princess! Obviously not Hurleys idea of fun! ..and who doesn't like a little bum crack!?

Jarons Basic Graduation

2011-04-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Oh the memories! This picture makes my heart race! This is by far one of the best days in a couples life. It makes a girl more jittery than when you are dating. Talk about butterflies!

What a priceless picture. This should make parents proud! Great job Jaron! We can now venture on this military journey together! Good Luck!

Huxleys first bath

2011-04-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I was so excited for this day to come! Since his cord took so long to fall off we couldn't give him a REAL bath, and this kid spits up a lot which makes for STINK! 16 days later he smells good again!

Huxley Photoshoot!

2011-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:00