The start of a new beginning

Tonight we had our second family Sunday dinner with my dad and his wife, Sandy. It went really well. We laughed so hard that mine and Lindsay's cheeks were so sore. We had a really nice dinner and then played pictionary (boys against girls). Everyone drew so good! Usually when we play games boys against girls, it becomes so competitive. But this was different. Both teams actually tried to help each other out. We did not even keep score (but if we did I think the girls won) It was really nice to be able to go over there and do things that the whole family could get involved with. I see the changes and sacrifices my dad is making to make things better. When I see that, I think I need to try too. I think that we can really make a new beginning for us. I had such a great feeling being there with them. To be honest, I never really felt that before over there. When I would look at my dad, I could just tell he is doing so much better. He is getting the help that he needs. It was nice being a big family together. Denny and Colby made it home just in time to join us so it was nice seeing everyone together and laughing. I really missed them. I love my Dad and Sandy so much. I think we are finally fixing things the right way this time. Time is too short.

Here is my Dad and Sandy.....I think this is the first of many more memories to come. I did not have my camera...so I took these with my phone. I know they have been dying to be on my blog. LOL..

Here Lindsay is working on her picture. As you can see by Amy and Jaylins face....we had know idea what she was drawing. But with a hint from Jason as he sang the "Indiana Jones" tune, we guessed it! (We did movie titles)

Thanks again Dad and Sandy. We love you guys so much. We all had a wonderful time. Just a side note: They did another cat scan on my dad and the blood is draining back into the brain..which is good. But, he is still battling the headaches. That may take some time.

Widow's Week is Coming to an end....

Well, tomorrow the boys come home from their hunt. I think I did really good this year. Maybe I am growing up and realizing I will be ok (hives and all). I mean I do miss him. I miss talking to him every night as we go to bed. I miss feeling him leach to me when we sleep. It does not matter how much I move in the night. He is right there laying next to me. I love that. I always feel safe. I do miss being able to call him on the phone when I want to tell him something funny that the kids or I have done. I miss feeling his arms around me when he hugs me so tight. OK...OK....now I am really missing him. He will be coming home tomorrow (stinky and all). I have also missed Colby. I do not know if Mason would admit it....but I think he missed him too. I love them so much. But I do have to say we had a really good time. We did some fun stuff. We went to Chuck E Cheese, Shopping for Halloween costumes, shopping with my mom for clothes, me and Mason started to decorate the house for fall/Halloween. We ended the week by going to my Great Niece Aspen's 3rd birthday party.

Most of you know that I have custody of my niece Amy. She is 11 years old. I also have/had custody of her sister Andrea who is now 18! So I no longer have custody of her I guess. I got Andrea when she was 14 and pregnant. I tell you what it was not easy. I have known Andrea for 12 years. We were really close. She has lived with us from time to time. We were more like buddies. We would go places in the car just singing to our favorite songs on the radio. She would tell me all the kid drama with her and her friends. We would laugh together and cry together. And for some reason as soon as I received custody of her, that all went away. She looked at me differently. I think she saw me as someone that was trying to take over her as her mother (who was just going through hard times in life). I never wanted to do that. We really bumped heads. It was hard taking her in at that point when she was raised for so long to do whatever she wanted and now she had to live with us where we wanted to know where she was going and would tell her what time to be home. I can understand how hard that had to have been for her. Not being able to live with her mom. It was a rocky road. She is now living back with her mom. She is of age and made that choice. Her little girl Aspen is now 3! I love Aspen so much. We got to see her grow up right in our house. She mad us laugh every day. She brought allot of happiness into this home. But because me and Andrea drifted she decided to move back with her mom. We do not talk much and I know that is because of me and my stubbornness of forgiveness. I just hate it when someone hurts me. I do not want to forgive so they can just hurt me again. All I ever really wanted was for her to love me as much as she loved her mom.

Andrea invited me and my family to her daughters party. I was not going to go....but with the help of my life coach, Lindsay and my Mom, they told me how good it would be for me to go. Maybe now that Andrea is her own person, maybe we can be like we use to be. She now knows that I can not take her away from her mom. So me and Lindsay took the kids to her party. It was so much fun watching her open her presents and Ryanne loves them so much. She was so excited to see them. I can not believe that the little girl I saw come into this world (Aspen) is now 3. She is so precious to me.

Aspen, my great-niece. She is a great niece! (Andrea's little girl)

Amy and Ryanne

Jaylin (Lindsay's daughter) and Aspen

Mason realizing this is a GIRLY birthday party

Aspen playing pin the heart on the tiara..what a cutie

Aspen opening her presents...

Aspen helping Amy put the tea party cart together that we got her

This is a picture of me and Aspen when she was just a little newborn baby.

Andrea, Amy, and little Aspen

Christmas 2007 (Our last Christmas with all of us together).Andrea, Aspen, Denny, Me, Ryanne, Amy, Colby, and Mason. I am hoping that we can build that relationship back to what it use to be (Me and Andrea) I love her and her daughter more than they will ever know.

Me, Mom, and Lindsay ended the widow's week with homemade stew at my house and yummy pies. We laughed at the Twins(Ryanne and Kamrin) They were dancing and partying together.

We watched a movie and played the Wii. It was a great week. I love spending time with the family. I always try to get them to stay longer. If I had a huge house I would probably make them move in because I hate it when it is time for them to leave. I am glad we all live so close. Heck my sister Lindsay is only 1.5 miles away! Thank you everyone that helped me get through the week. I know, it was only a week. But for some reason it is the longest week of the year...EVERY YEAR! But this time I never once felt alone.

"WHERE A KID CAN BE A KID"

Well, it was a little delayed due to my hives breakout, but we finally made it to the new Chuck E Cheese! Yes folks, that has been what my family has been counting on since we found out they were building one. We have never had one that I can remember in Davis County. The person that was the most excited about it was Denny and he was not able to join us (due to him looking for Bambi's Dad and Mom) Oh well! We could not wait any longer. So me, my mom, and my sister planed on going once my hives got under control (I had to get a shot and I am on steroids for 9 days...has just been a blast being itchy 24/7, It is still there just in areas I can hide now.) Lindsay did not tell her daughter Jaylin until they were getting ready to leave because we knew she would just be asking every minute if we were going yet. So when she finally told her where we were going, Jaylin said "You mean, we are going where a kid can be a kid?!!" She was so excited! We had a wonderful time. The kids had a blast. Amy was the jump rope queen and got over 500 tickets. Mason kept making these ID cards that he thought was so cool to pretend they were his drivers license for his power wheel four wheeler and he can also use them as credit cards. Ryanne loved the little trucks that move just a little bit and she just would never get out of. I think we used allot of tokens on those things. I want to thank my posse that came with me. I would not have been able to do that by myself. It was SO crowded with kids everywhere.

Mason and Jaylin were scared to stand next to the Chuck E Cheese mouse. They thought is was going to grab them or something.

Me and Ryanne next to the famous mouse....me not so scared

Me and Mason. This will be the last widow's week we spend together unless I can bribe him to stay home from the hunt next year too!

This is my posse! Mom, Jason, and my Sis Lindsay! Could not have done it without their help.

The Twins (cousins, and BFF's). They were so fascinated by this place they were looking everywhere. And the Chuck E Cheese mouse was right behind us. They did not know what to think about him. Kamrin became his and the fellow singing employees biggest fan...she kept clapping them on.

Here we have "Thelma and Louise"

Mason and Jaylin in "The Runaway Train"

Here Ryanne was in this ice cream like truck...

And again!....

And Again!.....She would not get out. (trust me I had ALLOT more photos I could have posted)

Every time we would take a picture of Kamrin she would say CHEESE! AS in CHUCK E CHEESE!!!

I think it was fun for the kids to go and just enjoy themselves. Thanks again posse for joining me. I really enjoyed watching all of them see Chuck E Cheese for the first time. The twins would get so excited and dance while we ate dinner. We did miss the guys....and they did miss out. But, they will be home soon! And Just a side note: There is actually a reason for my sons uncontrolled long hair. It hides a horrible scar/keyloid he got on his ear from when he needed stitches. I will get into that further in the month when we HOPEFULLY get it removed. (It is a long story)

I Am Truly Blessed....

(Sorry I have no photos for this post, I like to try and add photos with all posts-that is my favorite part)
Well, it is that time of year again.....It is called Widow's Week! That is right! Denny, Steve, Colby and all the other Men have gone looking for that "Big Buck". I have to say this is the first year though that I was looking forward to them going. When me and Denny were dating I always told him I could never marry a hunter. I just hated everything about it. So, when he proposed I said the same thing to him "I can not marry a HUNTER!" His exact words were "I COULD GIVE THAT UP FOR YOU!" HaHaHa. Well 11 years later and he is still going hunting. This year I was actually looking forward to it. I like the bonding time I get with Mason and Amy (and this year I have Ryanne too) So I usually try to do some fun things with them. Things just go on schedule without Denny. The kids are bathed, reading, and in bed on time. For some reason when Denny is home, this house is so distracted. The kids like to wrestle with Denny. I even get distracted, never ever get to bed on time. But then as they were leaving Denny called me many times to say goodbye again and again...and I started to realize how much I am going to miss them. Katey, I do not know how you are doing it for 5 months without Lance. I need just a portion of your strength. But, I have had such wonderful amounts of support from my family. Me, my mom, and Lindsay have allot of "GIRL TIME + MASON" plans. This will be my last hunting season with Mason. He is considering joining those guys next year (I am planning on talking him out of it, maybe we should watch more Bambi). My Dad and Sandy have been very helpful also. They keep checking on me too. Me and my dad are making improvements. We are taking baby steps. One of the steps we are taking is I thought we could start having family dinner every Sunday with them. Try to get to know each other again. We started last Sunday....it went good. I want to thank all of you who contacted me to help with my previous post of forgiveness. You have all given me the strength to forgive. Lindsay, I call you my "life coach". You have really helped me become a better person and work on those flaws. I am learning....thanks coach!
Well, the first night with them gone.....I was settling down for the night catching up on my TIVO when I start to feel itchy. I look down at my belly and I have broke out in HIVES!!! I took two showers and changed my close 3 times. Drank a bunch of Children's benadryl (That is all I had) It was just on my torso and I tried so hard not to itch it. Mason gets them all the time because he is allergic to EVERYTHING! But I have never had them besides when swimming (allergic to chlorine) and cats. But those rashes are nothing like this. So I thought I will try to get some sleep and hopefully be better by morning. When I woke up I noticed it had faded on my torso. I was like great! Then as I walked to the mirror I noticed it had spread to my arms, legs and now looking in the mirror I see it has spread to MY FACE! As I wake up Mason to get ready for school he says, "Mom, you do not look good, are you ok? Do you need me to stay home from school with you?" Lol. NICE TRY BUDDY. I was so bummed because I had bribed him yesterday, if we got all his homework done for the week we would go to the NEW CHUCK-E-CHEESE! As I explained to him that I would not be able to go today...he said "But I did all my homework!" Mason, I am going to make sure we go this week. I promise.
I swear weird things like this only happen when Denny is gone. I did not even get any pictures. (I know, I know you are bummed) After I took some adult Benadryl it has started to fade. But my fears are it will come back and this week will be ruined. We have some fun stuff planned. Geez, I talk allot. I think I am really loopy right now with this Benadryl! Anywho....what I was getting at was, I am truly truly blessed. I have the best family. They all checked to make sure I was OK and it has only been 24 hours. I do miss Colby and Denny and with them gone I realize how lucky I am to have those to MEN in my life. I love all of my family so much. Without them I would be lost. Denny is such a good father and husband. Colby is such a wonderful son. With them gone Amy and Mason have been huge helpers with Ryanne as we work on homework and dinners. I love my family and friends so much! Thank you guys!
P.S. Denny if you get "The Big One" this year.....don't even think about hanging it in our house. I will fight that battle to the end. Do not care how big it is!

"Tis the Season"

Fall is right around the corner. One of my favorite times of the year.....but with that we have "THE COLD & FLU" This week we are getting over Amy with Laryngitis and now Colby, Mason, Ryanne, and Denny have the cold...only a matter of time before it is my turn. So, today was a sick day. I decided to stay home at 3:30am when I realized we were not getting much sleep with Ryanne and I did not what to have my sweet sister take care of my sick baby. Then I woke up the boys who both sounded horrible. I have a hard time staying home as I have mentioned before. But when you see these faces I realize how much I miss them while I am at work....everyone deserves a sick day now and then. Ryanne had it the worst. I have to consider myself lucky because she is now 1 and it is the first time she has ever been sick besides an ear infection that was only detected by a runny nose. She was never even fussy...so we are paying for it now. She is teething, had her shots, and is sick all within 24 hours! With her, when the Tylenol kicks in she is just playing and crawling everywhere...but when that wears off she is either in her cuddly mood or her whinny mood. It was quite a day!

The 3 sick babies (Denny decided to go to work, said he was feeling better) They loved being babied.

Yes, we even made blanket forts....Ryanne loves to play in the blankets. We wanted to make sure she stayed happy.

Gotta love them eyes!

We ended up making just a big bed on the floor with cushions and pillows.

We took turns picking out movies and Disney shows....This is Ryanne's turn.

It was a roller coaster of a day.....but when I look at my babies, it is all worth it. Sweet dreams sweet Ryanne....I am sure you will be waking up again in about 30 minutes, and that is OK.

Geez, My kids grow so fast...literally

Yesterday was Ryanne's 1 year check up. It is amazing how fast she is growing. She now weights 23.4lb and she is 31.2 inches long!!!! Her height is at 100%. She is literally OFF THE CHARTS! And they say her weight is perfect for her height. She is going to be another Colby for sure. NBA-WNBA here we come!

Colby is in 5th grade. The last time we measured him he was 5ft 3in. He is in a Mens shoe size 10 1/2. He has bigger feet then me!! And I have big feet!! The doctor says he will be 6ft4in his senior year. I will not post his weight because he is so self cautious about it and for his height it is just fine. But he always thinks he needs to lose weight because he weights so much more than his friends. He is always the biggest kid in class, but every teacher says he has the biggest heart! And that is true. I have never met a kid his age that cared so much about each person in his life. Colby is not thrilled right now about his height...but I said when you get older he will. I am so proud of him.

Here is our basketball players

They say Mason is our average kid. He will be 6ft 2inches his senior year. He is in second grade now. He seems a little smaller than the talest kid in his class.

I love all my kids so much. I am proud of each one of them. I can not believe how fast time goes by and how fast they keep growing. (Maybe they are drinking too much milk!)

My Baby Girl has Turned 1!!!

Holy Cow! Where did this last year go? Ryanne is now a year old! What a day it was. We had so much fun. It was such a big day that actually ended at 1am the next morning. (We know how to party) Now I apologize beforehand for the amount of photos. I could not help myself and I do not know how many of you actually look through all my slide shows.....so therefore I will be posting most of them!

The day started by her waking us up around 6:30am. She totally knew it was her birthday. She usually comes to our bed and has her bottle and then sleeps for some time after that. Well, not today! She jumped on me and Denny and sat on our heads. She poked at our eyelids and kept saying "Eyes!"(Thanks Lindsay). We tried and tried to sleep in a little longer but that was just not happening. We then decided to get up and start our BIG day. Her birthday party was scheduled for around noon. My wonderful sister Lindsay offered to have Ryanne come over in the morning where she is use to taking her naps (She watches her for me while I work) and then we would not have to worry about her missing her nap and being an ornery little girl for her party. I tell you right there....that made a world of a difference. I love Lindsay and do not know what I would do without her. And Ryanne loves her too. So then I went over to get her ready for the party with Lindsay and her girls. We felt like we were getting her ready for her Prom/Wedding. Started with Kamrin helping me bathe her...

Thank you Kamrin! Then Lindsay taught me the trick of putting her in the sink to do her hair. (I am just not use to the girl thing yet) Lindsay is a Girl Genius

Thanks Ryanne, but I already have my deodorant on!

Now we are ready to go!

Me and the Birthday Girl..Wow! Doesn't she just look thrilled to be 1!

Here is Dad and the Birthday Girl

Mason and Ryanne

Colby with Ryanne

Amy with Ryanne (She was like a celebrity)

Here Ryanne is playing some jumpin basketball (one of her favorite things)

The Chefs! (Barbecue Style)

Some of my family

We thought why rent a train when we have Mason to offer rides on his four-wheeler?

Jaylin, Lindsay, Mom, Alyssa, and Kristi (Some of My favorite woman in the world) gathered around My Girl

Me and My Girl!

Mason showing her how to ride the bike

Now Kamrin is showing her how to ride the bike

Ryanne and her Grandma Linda (Denny's Mom)

Andrea and Tina (Denny's sister)

Let me just show you how talented these girls are. Ryanne was not walking by her first birthday, but she does have the best balance in the world....and so does Amy (check her out balancing the cup)

This was the first present she ever opened. She was wondering if she really gets to tear it apart.



This is what I am so excited about...playing dolls. I have waited and waited for this moment. I loved dolls so much and Ryanne has no choice, she will like them to. We are going to have tea parties and play house. I am so excited! (Ok, now was this doll for Ryanne or ME?)

We were not aware that this baby came with a cute nanny too! BONUS!!

Here is her Tinkerbell Cake, It was cute, do not get me started on that. Did not turn out how I had planned (Some place forgot to make it) But it turned out OK.

Lets make a wish! I think she is wishing for some cake...

What kind of mother would I be without granting that wish?

I think everyone had a good time

Then we bathed her and put her in her evening gown
(Ryanne with uncle Jason)

Now she is in her summer fun outfit (yes, she wore 3 different outfits that day)

Ryanne thinks Denny needs a pink headband too!

This is what it is like when Denny and Ryanne wrestle. They bonk heads.

Mason made sure to give the birthday girl a ride on his four-wheeler too

So after the party we were trying to decide what to do. We usually like to do something fun with the family for birthdays. We decided to take the kids on the Frontrunner, they have never been. That was such an adventure. When we finally decided that is what we are doing we had to catch a train in 15 minutes or the next one would be an hour later. We rushed so fast to get there. First we picked up my niece Jaylin and we headed for the tracks. As we are crossing the tracks we all looked down to see if the train was here yet and we did not realize that the crossing guards were coming down for the train crossing as we are under them!!!! I just about pee'd in my pants. Our truck is so high up that we do not have much clearance as that comes down. We all screamed as Denny dropped a tank of gas speeding through it. I think we just barely missed it! I kept saying this is not worth it...lets just take the next train! Denny said no, your mom is meeting us at the next stop! So he dropped me off to get our tickets with all the kids (as the train is coming to the station) The machine is not working very well. Denny parks the truck and runs to help me out, he prints the ticket as the rest of us board the train. Phew!!! What an adventure!

Party is now on the train....




We also met up with Kristi and her boyfriend Todd at the Farmington station!



Then we found the fountains. I challenged to kids to see who can stay dry...I think Denny won.

Denny would watch the fountains and studied the pattern, then challenge himself to run around the whole thing and stay dry. He would drag Amy around...the last time it squirt her right in the face, and somehow Denny stayed completely Dry.

Popps and Ryanne

They had so much fun in the water, it was a riot to watch

We decided to go and see Curtis at Office Depot, the kids were excited. He did not seem as excited to see ALL of us though. Oh well, while we were there these 3 checked out their chairs. By the time I got the camera out I missed all 3 of them sitting so cute. Alyssa thought because there was papers on the chairs saying "Take One" that meant take a chair! (Yes, she was sober)

Ryanne ended the night with her ice cream treat at Applebee's

The Front Runner

While waiting for the LAST train to leave, Todd showed everyone some magic tricks. Denny and Colby thought he was so cool and worked on those tricks the whole way home, and even showed anyone that was interested at church the next day...Thanks Todd!

Jaylin had to catch up on her voicemail...she is such a little miss!

And then Ryanne finally, finally crashed. Ryanne, I love you so much. You are so precious to me. Happy Happy Birthday Princess!

"Please, just let me sleep!"