Back Online!

We've been here in Illinois for about 2 weeks now and I finally have internet again! Wahoo! Next step is to find the USB cord for the camera and then I can upload some pics of our new digs. We are currently in a temporary, 2 bedroom apartment until we find something else. The weather has been very rainy, so the boys get a little restless, but I am enjoying not having so much space to keep clean.


After all the hype to get here and have more time with Wayne our dreams haven't quite come true yet. Some projects and things are keeping him at work about 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week (yes, all SEVEN!). We're all praying things won't last like this for long.

Parker is adjusting well for the most part. The school here is very different from the one he came from. He still loves school, but they do a lot more worksheets and busy work and not as much fun, hands on learning. Not to mention we had maybe 1-2 days of homework a week in NE (usually a game to play or book to read) and now have worksheets everyday here. We both are adjusting to that one.

Aiden has been very whiney since we've moved. I think he's bored being home everyday. I know he misses having play dates with his friends and going to preschool. Thankfully we have friends from Kansas that also got a job in Wayne's plant and have moved here just after us. They have a 4 year old daughter that has become Aiden's friend. He's also the one who asks the most if Daddy is coming home.

Brenner seems to be doing well. The apartment is so small that he has a lot more access to things. His favorite thing to do right now is wait until I'm not paying total attention to him and he'll get into the fridge and pull out cheese, jello, or whatever is on the lower shelves and take it to the table to eat. He also can reach the scissors out of the drawer now and we found him Sunday morning with a cut open bag of raisens. Oh, my sweet little menace. I think he's also realized that if he makes Hyrum cry I will pay attention to Hyrum and he can go do more damage.

Hyrum is....surviving Brenner. Brenner loves Hyrum don't get me wrong; he'll talk sweetly to him and gently tickles him, but whenever Brenner wants attention or attention to be diverted he will attack Hyrum. He either hits and sits there waiting for you to come or he'll hit and run and while you are helping Hyrum he's in another room getting into something. I'm just thankful that Hyrum is such a good baby and recovers quickly from these attacks.

I'm trying hard to survive everything right now. I just keep telling myself that this won't last forever and I need to find "joy in the journey, now.", as President Monson has adviced.

Pictures will come soon...I hope. ;-)

Can you tell?

Everyone is always telling me how similar my children look. So tell me, do you know who is who? ( My boys only got one right.)

Hyrum's Blessing Day

We blessed Hyrum this past Sunday. He looked so cute! We originally thought we would be blessing him in Illinois, but since we had to delay our move we were able to do it here. It was great to be here to share this day with the wonderful friends we've made. Wayne's parents also came up. We almost thought they wouldn't make it when a big snow storm headed toward Kansas City. But they quickly changed plans and came a day early to beat the storm. We were very happy they did.

Our family ready to head to church.

Our cute little baby.

Later I was trying to get Hyrum to smile for a picture and this is how I did.

I finally gave up and Wayne decided he wanted to show me how "easy" it is to get Hyrum to smile. This is what Wayne got.

So then I tried to make my voice deep like Wayne's (thinking that must be what the difference is). It got me smiles and funny looks from Wayne, but Hyrum was unimpressed. So is it my face? I guess I don't blame my boys for liking their Dad so much. I think he's quite great myself.

It was also our last regular Sunday in our ward. I had many tearful goodbyes, but the most came when my senior Primary kids lined up to hug me goodbye. One girl even broke down in tears. I've truly loved working with the Primary children and teaching them gospel principles and truths through the songs we sing. I will miss them.

We all will miss this ward terribly. We have made such dear friends here and we feel so connected to everyone. It's a great ward and we would definitely move back if the opportunity arose. Thank you Cottonwood!

Look Who's Smilin'

These mostly show up when Hyrum hears his Daddy's voice. It's so cute!!

What a difference a day makes

Okay, not even a day.

After all my hard work to get caught up with the blog, just after I posted everything life went a different direction. That wonderful rental house I was praising just yesterday morning, was found to have mold growing throughout the basement. Wayne had people cleaning carpets there yesterday and they first told him they thought there might be a problem. So he got a home inspector out there yesterday evening and sure enough, it's all over the place. After talking about the options--1. the owners having it cleaned and then we move in or 2. find a new place--we chose option 2. We feel it is the safest option given our boys' history of respiratory issues and Hyrum being so tiny. It's a little sad because there were some great things about that house and because we have to start all over again, but it's for the best. And we are grateful we found it before we moved.

So we are not moving on Monday. We do have to be out of this house by April 17th, so we have a one month deadline to find something. Feel free to throw some prayers our way. ;-)

We don't feel discouraged, though...a little overwhelmed, but we are optimistic. We have felt the hand of the Lord in our lives a lot recently and we feel sure that he is not abandoning us now. We'll keep you updated on what happens.

March: Madness

We may be less than 2 weeks into the month, but it is already madness. I am very busy being a single mom; Wayne is very busy with his new job; we're both very busy getting the last stuff settled with this house and getting ready for the move to the next. We're so anxious to be together we decided to move the week of the 16th, which is coming fast.

Right now Wayne only comes home every two weeks. The last time he was home, I think he forgot what it's like to have a two year old around and he left out his clippers. Brenner found them and....
do you see the hole in the middle of his hair?Brenner is actually quite proud of himself, if you point it out he will say, "Yes, buzzzzz."

Speaking of Brenner and his sayings, he has come up with some pretty regular phrases now that Hyrum is around. Here are the most common:
"I hold it, Mommy. I hold it?"

"Mommy eat Hyrum?" (meaning am I feeding Hyrum)


"My see baby Hyrum?"


It's pretty cute.

Last Wednesday I lost my wallet. Madness! My wallet that contained everything. Credit cards, ID, immunization records, social numbers, everything! I know, I know, you aren't supposed to put all that stuff in there...but it's just so much easier.

I had it on Wednesday afternoon when I was using my ID for some stuff at the computer. When I finished up I handed it to Aiden and asked him to put it back in the diaper bag. Thursday morning I went to get some money out and it was gone. Aiden says he put it in there, but it is no where. Thankfully I have my checkbook, so I am able to get money, but the rest is a mess!

But on to happier topics...my boys.

Parker is looking forward to the move and new adventure, but very sad to leave as well. He's doing excellent in school. His teacher just informed that in this past quarter Parker has jumped from an E reading level to an I. He's very into reading scientific books and then he likes to tell you how everything works.

Aiden is still bouncing off the walls with anticipation of the move. He also constantly asks if spring is here yet because that means his birthday. They recently got pet hermet crabs in their preschool and he thinks that means he's partial owner. We've decided when we move that he will switch rooms and be with Brenner, and he's looking forward to being the bigger brother in the room.

Brenner is still a sweet little menace. He's obsessed with Hyrum, which is both good and bad. He also has learned to take advantage of the time that mommy is busy feeding Hyrum. He runs downstairs and pulls a chair up to a counter and will get into any junk food he can find. He's generally a very happy-go-lucky kid which makes him really fun to be around.

Hyrum is a very good baby. He's already sleeping five hours at night and is very relaxed and laid back whenever he's awake. We love having him here. Just look at these cute pictures.

We may still have a ways to go to get through March, but we are all feeling the effects of the madness. Just look at Brenner

February: Month of Miracles

Our first miracle came on February 9 at 1:53 pm. That's right I'm incredibly late announcing that Hyrum David has finally joined our family. He weighed 8lbs. 9oz. and was 20 inches long. We're so happy he's finally here.

The proud brothers each taking a turn holding Hyrum.

ParkerBrenner

and Aiden

Look at all my boys

I'm so lucky!!

The Friday after Hyrum was born we got an early morning phone call from the school saying it was canceled. When we got out of bed, it was sunny and no sign of problems. By 9:00am flakes were starting to fall; by noon there were a couple inches on the ground; by the end of the day we had about 7 inches!

But for the boys it was a miracle to finally have a fun day in the snow with Dad.
Wayne helped them make a little bump at the bottom of our little hill out front.
They loved it.

Here's video of Wayne throwing them down the hill.

Parker

Brenner

Aiden



The next miracle is the miracle of technology. Especially when it comes to medical. Hyrum came out very bruised when he was born, which can lead to jaundice. A couple days after we brought him home we had to return to the Dr. to have him checked. After taking his blood he was found to have very high levels and we were told he would have to be put on the billi blanket. Thankfully with the wonders of technology, this just meant he had to have a pad wrapped around him that shined special lights on his body. He didn't seem bothered by it at all and actually slept most of the three days he wore it.
Wayne was sad I didn't get a picture with the lights in the room turned off so you could really see how much he glowed.
After three days his levels went down and he's been fine since.

Next, Grandma came!! Maybe blessing is more the right term for this, but either way we were SO happy to have her. Mom was a HUGE help getting the kids where they needed to be, food in their tummies, keeping the house clean, and giving me as much rest time as possible--including the nights. I love it when she comes!

She and the boys gave me a late birthday celebration.
My birthday was (is) the day after Hyrum was born. I had a wonderfully sweet friend make cupcakes with the boys that day and they brought them to me in the hospital that night. Thanks Crystal!

Our next two BIG miracles came just before Mom left. I had teased our realtor from the beginning that right when I had the baby would be when all the interest would come for the house. Sure enough, the day after I had Hyrum Wayne had to get the house ready for a showing. Then the Saturday after we brought him home, we had another one. Miraculously the people from the Saturday showing loved the house and made us an offer!! After some negotiating, we accepted!

Right around the same time, Wayne found us a house in Illinois. Since we still have our house in CA , we lost money on this house, and we're moving to an area that has a very depressed housing market, Wayne decided he didn't want to buy again and that we would rent. The problem: it's hard to find a 4 bedroom house to rent. Another miracle.

After trying to work with a realtor and not getting much of anywhere, Wayne went out searching on his own and stumbled upon a house that was for sale or lease. He got a hold of the people, took a tour of the house, and decided this was the place. It's an older home and the owners are asking very little rent for it. It's on a cul-de-sac with only three other houses. We found out recently that all the house come with 6 year olds, which is making the move more exciting for Parker. The owners also said that we could possibly cut the rent in exchange for updating the house. How cool is that?

And all this came together just before I was to be left alone with three little boys and a newborn. I definitely feel watched over.

Our last, but not least miracle came when Parker didn't break his neck--or anything else--climbing up--or down--this tree.

Can you find him at the very top??

February was a wonderful month, full of many blessings.

January: A new year

We started off the New Year going to the Air and Space Museum just outside of Omaha. It was something we said we wanted to do for a long time, and now that we are in a countdown to leaving, we decided to do it.The boys loved it. (Especially the big one)

It amazes me to see all the switches, buttons, gadget, and instruments you need to know how to use and read to fly one of these huge planes.

And their favorite thing was the play area--of course...
and the "rockets"

On the fifth we put our house on the market , the next day we had our first showing...yeah! Unfortunately nothing came of it.

Then Wayne left to start his new job and the 14th. It's challenging, sometimes frustrating, and a lot of hard work, but he's loving it. (they always start out that way). ;-)

We then took one last trip to the zoo.
these aren't the monkeys from the zoo...these monkeys are permanent residents in my house.

Brenner was very excited to be able to walk around instead of staying in the stroller the whole time.

And this is pretty much the only prego shot. I'm not a cute prego, so I don't take pictures.

(this is about two weeks before having the kid.)

New Year's Eve

We had a very lazy New Year's Eve day and then after eating pizza we decided to go to the fireworks show in downtown Omaha at the last minute. Nice thing about working downtown is the free parking at ConAgra Foods on the top of the parking garage...great views. The building the fireworks are being shot over is the building Wayne works in.

Snuggled in the back of the van

The grand finale caught on tape

Rock Band

We had a little get together at our house with some friends and played a little Rock Band...




Well you can see the video on the camera and computer fine, but didn't come through well on Blogger...sorry

Random December Pictures

"I tuck!" (he opened then closed the door without getting his shirt out of the way first...)

Our house with the lights...and yes, the upper peaks too (inside joke)

Univeristy of Nebraska-Omaha hockey game

Baby Batman all tuckered out after a long day

Reading our traditional Christmas stories on Christmas Eve

Our Shepards (from a far off galaxy)

"Hi Doggy!"

Sledding

We had a white Christmas and the boys got snow discs from Santa, unfortnately the next day it warmed up to about 60 degrees and the snow melted, we did get some sledding in before it was all gone. We went sledding with some friends from here at a local high school. So here are some nice "helmet cam" videos for your enjoyment...or nausea.

Announcement #1

For family and local friends these are not new announcements, but for everyone else who reads this.....


We are moving! again! I know, I know, surprise, surprise. We are making quite the habit out of moving each year. Our year mark here came on Thanksgiving weekend and here we are planning our next move. This will be our 4th move in 4 years; 6 in the 7 1/2 years we've been married. We have really warped poor little Aiden, who has never spent more than a year of his life in any one house. When we told him we were moving he said, "YES! Another new house! And we get to watch movies in the car! (during our drive to the new house)." Yah, he's warped.


Here's the short(ish) story. Life has not been real easy having Wayne gone all the time, as I'm sure you can image. It just seemed to be getting harder and harder, especially with this pregnancy. On General Conference weekend I felt it was time for the boys and I to excercise our faith and start praying for Wayne to find a new job. After a few weeks we decided to invite our families to help. Within days of doing that Wayne was presented with a number of opportunities. We prayed about each one and moved forward on what we thought was the right choice for us. After a couple months of trying to make a particular job work (and never feeling quite like it was), we went back to the beginning and changed our course of action. Within a week Wayne interviewed and was offered a new position.


Wayne will now be the Operations Manager in a plant in Illinois. It's the exact position he wants and needs, and he feels very excited about the people he'll be working with. And no more traveling, YEAH!!! The area we will be moving to will be a change for us. (We've become rather spoiled having all our needs easily within reach.) We'll be in a much older town, kind of out of reach of the big shopping and fun stuff, but we feel that this is what we are supposed to be doing and we are all excited about it.


So now we just have to get through the whole move process--selling the house (at a good price), finding a new one, changing schools, etc., and having a baby in the midst of all of it. Yes, we're crazy. Somehow it will all work out. I feel confident of that.

Announcement #2

While going through this job change process, it became evident that this baby was going to be born in the midst of chaos. I began to feel strongly that I should suck up my pride and find out the sex so that I would have one less "un-known" on my mind. SO without further ado......

we

are

having

a-

nother

!!

I am extremely excited (and somewhat relieved). Not that I don't want a girl, it would be nice, but I know boys, I can do boys.

Wayne of course just keeps patting himself on the back...Parker is happy....Aiden made a frown, but then said, "But I'll still love him."....and Brenner has no clue that the baby he keeps patting on mommy's tummy will eventually come out and join us. This will be the eighth grandson on both sides of our family--there are no granddaughters--and Wayne's sister is having grandson #9 in March. As my sister says, what stinky households we will all have in a few years.

(We are in desperate need of name ideas, so feel free to offer up any.)

Family Pictures

We finally took some family pictures. Ours are sooo outdated--and yes, I realize these will be too very soon! We have a family tradition of having a portrait done of the kids when they are two that will be displayed all the time. So since we were taking Brenner in to get his done, I decided to get us all done.

The pictures are pretty grainy because they are off the portrait website, but you can get the idea.

Look at my handsome men!!

Me n my boys

The boys call this the choo-choo train picture

You can see Brenner's ornery personality in the side pictures

Little tough guys

I love my family!!