We are alive!!

Well, the blog has been quiet for about 2 months.  We have been hiding out in the woods!  This post will be an update of our current situation.  I will have to update with our normal, everyday posts after we move into our house.

Since we moved out of our home on May 21st, it has been a little bit crazy.  We moved our stuff into a storage unit since we did not have anywhere to live.  Nathan temporarily stayed with a co-worker friend and the kids and I headed down to my Mom's house.  Well, we ended up decided to build a house because we could not find one that was already built that we liked.  We also could not find a decent rental that I would feel comfortable living in for at least a year that would not break the bank.  So, building turned out to be our best option.

So, now we are staying in our builder's former home as a temporary rental.  While we are grateful to have a place to stay, this home presents some challenges:


1.  It has been unoccupied for over 2 years so it has just been neglected.
2.  It is huge (4500+ square feet).  We are using less than half of the house....especially since we only have our beds, dining room table, the futon, and a few toys.  It looks just about as empty as before we moved in!
3.  Despite having 4 1/2 bathrooms, the only one working is the master bath.  We have had some intense running up the stairs sessions since Maya is still a fairly recent potty-trained girl.  It is giving me a work-out!
4.  No dishwasher.  Enough said :(
5.  Phone reception does not work in the house, no tv, no internet.  I have enjoyed napping with the kids and I am reading roughly 4-5 books a week.
6.  I wake up every morning to several new bugs since it is out in the woods
7.  No washer/dryer.  Right now I am at the laundromat on a Friday night.  Hey, at least I am getting to use the Internet!
8.  The air smells moldy coming out the vents despite my efforts to clean the basement.  It must be in the actual air conditioning unit.  I wake up every morning remembering that I do in fact suffer from allergies :)
9.  The home only has well water.  So, we just buy our drinking water since it is sometimes very rusty and filled with sediment.


Despite the challenges of this temporary housing, it has been good for several reasons:
1.  I am a more relaxed mom.  I have learned the joy of hot dogs.  Since we are technically camping (and I don't have all my kitchen items), I have indulged in buying more quick foods.  The kids think it is fun.
2.  *Gasp* The girls are getting to hang their artwork and treasures on the wall!  Best part of the rental for them I think.
3.  No lawn to mow :)  I am sure Nathan is glad about this.
4.  Since we are not paying utilities, I can crank the air down as low as I want. 
5.  I don't really have to clean that often.  There is nothing to dust so I just have to vacuum, mop, clean the one bathroom, and wipe down the kitchen counters.  Easy, peasy!
6.  We are enjoying living right by the beach.  We can walk to the beach from our rental and it has private, deeded access to this beach.  We are also enjoying going up to Silver Beach.
7.  We are saving money.  We appreciate the blessing of having this temporary housing.















The house that we are building is starting to come together.  The framing is almost completely done.  The girls love to visit the jobsite and get excited about it.  The especially like playing in the dirt mounds in the back yard!  We are anxious to be a little more settled and return to "normal" life.  Hopefully our house will be finished by October.

Weighed and measured :)

Bennett had his 1 year doctor's appointment yesterday.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz (50%)
Height: 30.5 inches (75%)
Head: 19 1/8 (90-97%)

I would have thought he was higher than 50% on his weight...he feels like a tank!  Good thing he will be walking soon :)

Bubby's Birthday!

Bennett turned 1 on May 12th.  Poor kid sure did not get the shindig the girls got....but hey, he is the 3rd child and we are beyond crazy here with the move.  So, Bennett, when you read this when you are grown, don't worry, I loved you just as much.  I was just busy!

We had pizza (Papa Johns...I didn't even make it!) and I threw together a cake out of cupcakes with some plastic bugs thrown on top!  I am not sure why I spent so much time and thought on the girls' cakes.  As a mother of three, I have had to learn to simplify.  Oh, and Bennett got sippy cups and plates for his birthday.  Poor kid just got things he needed since I don't want to have another toy to move.  I will make it up to you soon Bubby :)

12 Facts about Bennett
1.  He LOVES baths.  I can barely see when I give him a bath because he kicks non-stop.  If the girls are in with him, it turns into a giggle fest because they (and I) get so wet!
2.  He has three teeth on the bottom (one of which is completely crooked.....$$$ braces here we come) and 1 on the top.  It looks super cute right now.
3.  He is completely attached to his pacifier.  I am not messing with it until we get settled in a new place.
4.  He is a human vacuum.  He inhales anything I put in front of him (except cottage cheese and string cheese: both of which he used to eat).  He is so inpatient.  He thinks that as soon as he is put in his high chair he needs to eat.  Lately, he has been finishing Maya's dinner since she often does not eat dinner.  He finishes his and he is fussing for more so I dump her plate on his tray!  He is a huge eater. 
5.  He says Mama, Dada, occasionally nana (banana), and recently I have heard him say something that sounds like Jadyn after I say her name
6.  He does not like to keep shoes on.
7.  He is very active.  Diaper changes are so challenging and usually end with either him or I in tears...or both :)
8.  He is starting to walk along furniture, walls and loves the family room railing to practice on.
9.  He is fearless.  He just goes for whatever he wants...which often leads to bonks on his big noggin'!
10.  He still usually wakes once a night....although now is it usually between 3-5:30. 
11.  He only nurses 3 times a day now.  He still will not drink much (he will only drink out of straw cups not a traditional sippy cup) so I am hesitant to stop nursing quite yet. 
12.  He is an absolute joy.  He brings peace to my heart and calms me from the drama of his older sisters!  He is a blessing to me and I can't believe he has been mine for a year now.  I know I will cry like a baby when I send him on a mission in 18 years.  He is the sweetest little boy.

Birthday Boy wakes up!

Loving the mismatched teeth

Looking like a stud muffin as usual

Mom's quick attempt for your cake

New straw sippy cups...so exciting!

Impatiently waiting for Dad to get home for cake...notice the packing chaos in the background

Oh wow Mom, that looks tasty

Eh, what is this? I am not sure about this

Finally after I broke open the cupcake and didn't watch him, Bennett went for the cake

You have been holding out on me...this is what sugar is....Delicious!

Mom, I inherited your sweet tooth!

Bubby Boy is vertical!

Bennett's favorite thing to do lately is to pull himself up to standing.  He looks like such a big boy when he is vertical.

Whatcha lookin' at?

Partners in crime

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter celebration.  We attended 3 egg hunts, decorated Easter eggs, I spoke in church, and we had a great Easter Dinner with some friends.  It was a wonderful time reflecting on the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bennett at 11 months!

I am a slacker.  I have not been blogging (or taking pictures for that matter).  But hey, I did take these pictures of Bennett only 1 day after he turned 11 months!  Isn't he cute :)

Pumpkin Blueberry Pancakes, Pulling to Standing, Beauty Salon, & Curls!

Since I have been slacking with my blogging lately, here are some recent random pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Bennett loves food.  Here he was demolishing a pumpkin blueberry pancake.  I have no doubts that he will "go for" his birthday cake.  It will be fun to watch.

Bennett loves pulling up on anything he can lately.  Watch out world...here comes Bennett!

Maya's Beauty Salon.  Watch out: she is not at all gentle!

Bennett's  hair now has curls behind his ears....or wing tips as Nathan calls them.  They are super cute and I might not cut his hair when he turns one like I originally planned.

Drinking ketchup?

Maya has been doing really well with potty-training.  I haven't even really been training her.  I just take her when I remember and she has been staying dry.  So, since she filled up her princess sticker chart, she got to go to "Donald's (McDonald's)" tonight. 

So, she starts eating her meal and I look over at her.  She looks down and notices the little white ketchup cup.  She proceeds to pick it up and try to drink it.  I told her, "Maya that is for dipping your fries, you don't drink that".  She looked at me as if saying, "Whatever Mom, I see these cups every week at church for the sacrament and I know what they are for!"  She tried to drink it again, but after I kept giving her a weird look she decided to skip the ketchup drink.  It was hilarious.  She is right though, she sees these little cups each Sunday and has only been to McDonald's a handful of times in her life so it is no wonder she assumed she was supposed to drink it :)

He (We!) Made It!

Well, after an intenive 20-month MBA program at Michigan State, Nathan is now an MBA graduate.  WAHOO!  We all made it.  It was very challenging and we are glad to be able to now reconnect as a family.

The girls were saying "GO STATE"

We were fortunate to have Grandma Ann and Uncle Brad come to visit.

Someone made me get in for a picture :)

We made it!

While I was out trying to get Bennett to nap, Maya fell onto the row in front of us and her top 2 teeth cut into her bottom lip.  Poor thing was bleeding pretty badly and was exhausted.  She fell asleep after we cleaned her up and went back into the ceremony.

Look at this cute little graduate.  He is the best thing that came out of this journey!

What am I needed for?

It looks like Jadyn has potty-training and babysitting under control.  Guess I can take it easy!
 

Happy St. Patrick's Day From My Cute Little Munchkins!

And the months keep rolling by...

Bennett is 10 months old!

Here are 10 facts about Bennett:
1.  He is now crawling.  He is my earliest crawler yet!  It is so cute to watch him explore a room by crawling, sitting up, looking around, and then crawling to a new location.
2.  He loves his pacifier (it really calms him) and he is very adept at putting it in his mouth by himself.  Dreading having to take it away...although it should be easier than Maya's thumb!
3.  He is a much better sleeper than a few months ago.  He now only wakes 1-2 times a night. 
4.  He LOVES to eat.  I really have not found anything he has not liked to eat yet.  We had tilapia last night and he was gobbling that up.  He already seems to be a bottomless pit at dinnertime.  I am dreading the teenage years.  We will have to take out a second mortgage for his grocery bill :)
5.  He still only says Dadda and Momma....but he is super cute saying them.
6.  He is wearing 18-24 month clothing.
7.  He loves toys, clothing, etc with strings/ties.  He finds them fascinating.
8.  The girls can get him giggling hysterically.  It is so fun to watch.
9.  I can't get him to want to even try to drink from a sippy cup.  I have tried several different types...he doesn't even want to put his mouth on them.  Oh well...this should make transitioning from nursing to cow's milk interesting in a couple months. 
 10.  He is developing/expressing his personality more each day.  He is still such a sweet boy.

Two little chompers :)

You obviously never "Feed Me" Mom!

Please, no cameras Mom!

Beautiful Bride.....

just about 20 years too soon!

Go State!

Nathan graduates in 18 days....not that anyone is counting :)  Here are the girls in their "State" gear from Grandma Julie.

Bennetty Boy is crawling :)

Did I blink?

When did Jadyn grow up?  I feel like I blinked and missed it.  She is looking so much older lately.  Here she is this morning as she was headed off to school.  Love this girl :)

RIP Abby

Well, Jadyn's fish lived 6 days.  When I came down and saw she was not moving, I was dreading telling Jadyn.  All Jadyn said was "Oh, can I get a new one?"  She certainly was not as torn up as I thought she would be.

So, today we went and got 3 new fish.  At .19 a piece, I figured we would get one for each kid.  I was hoping they would last awhile so I would not have to keep going to the store.  Unfortunately, Abby (Jadyn chose the same name) and Bennett's fish (did not have a chance to name) went belly up within an hour of being at home.  Maya's fish (named Strawberry) is still alive....for now.  Even Maya said her her prayer, "Thank you my fishy not dead yet".

We think our house is just too cold for the fish.  I keep it at a balmy 67 degrees.  Nathan is trying to get me to turn up the heat (has been all winter :)  Sorry Charlie, it is staying at 67.  We might try to spring for the next fish up next go around :)

New addition to the family

Meet Abby: Jadyn's goldfish.  She is thrilled that I finally let her get a fish.  She has been a great help to me lately and has been very responsible.  So, I decided it was time to let her try having a pet.  She has been great so far at remembering to feed her at morning and night.  We will see how long she remains interested :)

*Disclaimer: this is the only type of pet I will EVER allow!

Bubby Bear's 9 Month Portraits

Enjoy!:

https://viewimages.jcpportraits.com/sharealbum/sharealbumlist?rndId=BghSVFZDD1haCldQBlRRAk9YDw1ZUQQBUlIIRlwICFY4AAMJCAJCW11dWw==&uId=BQMCBgJH

My Valentines

Maya loves to watch and mimic Jadyn

Who knew cloth flowers could smell so good?

My 3 sweeties

What a stud muffin!

The princess :)

I carry on the tradition that my mom did growing up of having a little something for the kids on Valentine's Day.  This year the girls got jewelry (Barbie and Tinkerbell watches), flowers (cloth bendable ones), and candy (heart ring pops).  So, they made out pretty well :)  Bennett got puffs and a toothbrush/toothpaste.  We had a fun day.  I am so blessed to be their mother.

Bubby Bear keeps growing

Bennett had his 9 month appointment this morning.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 4 oz (70%)
Height: 29 " (80%)
Head circumference: 18 3/4 " (97%.....as expected :)