Trip to Nashville

Some of our dear friends from Utah are in Alabama for a few weeks and we decided since we were only 7hrs away (ONLY 7 hours, ha,ha) we should meet in Nashville for the weekend. We shared a suite with a room for each family and a small kitchen and living room so we could put the kiddos to bed and stay up late chatting and catching-up. It was perfect.

Before I show you pictures of Nashville I have to take a short trip down memory lane and show you some hiking adventures we've had with Steph and Mike.

Something you may not know about Trev and I is we LOVE to go on high adventure hikes. Steph and Mike are always up for adventures so we all headed down to southern Utah (a few times) and hiked "the subway" and "the blackbox". Both hikes take about 8-12 hrs each and require repelling, climbing, and swimming (some years the water is above you head!). There is nothing like almost dying together to really strengthen your friendship. ;)

Okay, enough of that, here are some pictures of Opryland Hotel. This was my favorite part of our Nashville trip, it was so lush and just absolutely beautiful!

Love to capture these moments; there isn't near enough of them lately... lil' stinkers.

We loved lunch at the Rainforest Cafe where we were surrounded by birds, apes, hippos, and butterflies. There were even thunderstorms!

This is the first time in a LONG time that all of the kids were great at a restaurant. Loved it!

I know these next pic are pretty grainy but I have to document this part of our trip. We saw a walking bridge from the freeway and we wanted to find it. We guessed on the GPS map where it was and the GPS then took us on a wild goose chase where we finally ended up at a small airport... not the bridge.

It was late so we decided to just get out and enjoy our quickly-melting ice cream at the little airport and then the kids noticed fireflies everywhere. They were in heaven and I was so glad we got "lost".

It is my girls favorite memory of the trip.

(ps Mike is not bald, like I said these are dark/ grainy pictures... sorry Mike) ;0

Some more melting ice cream at the Parthenon Park.

Why is there a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee you ask?? Good question!
All the kiddos, who got along great together. Mike and Steph's cute family.Our cute family. ;)

The whole gang

On the way home Trev and I talked about how blessed we are to have such great people in our lives like Stephanie and Mike.

Thanks for the memories guys!

thoughts on motherhood

I shared in a few posts back the feelings of inadequacy and humility I sometimes experience as a mother. As I have prayed answers have come.

Today I read this and it brought me comfort.

"You are doing God's work. You are doing it wonderfully well.
He is blessing you, even- no, especially- when your days and your nights may be
the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even
with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to
touch the hem of the Master's garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry
and wonder and weep over their responsibility as mothers, 'Daughter, be of good
comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.' And it will make your children
whole as well."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I think I am often prideful in thinking that I should be able to do this on my own... I should have all the answers... after all, they are my children.

Sometimes I think we can be so hard on ourselves and even on each other and because we set this perfect standard we might feel some " hesitation and some embarrassment" asking for help but I love how the woman "fought her way through the crowd" to get to the Saviour. She was determined, she had faith, and the most amazing part to me is that the Lord felt she was worth saving. When she wasn't enough on her own she went to Him and He made her whole.

He sits- and we are so proud

Okay, sometimes he still falls over but this morning he sat all by himself for several minutes. Yep, he's a smarty!

Huber Farms

Trevor had Saturday off so we headed up to Huber Farms in Indiana.

There are so many fun things to do there.

There are a lot of animals to pet and feed.

Then there are a few animals that you just stare at because they are kinda freaky looking.

They have some crazy slides.

And, they have some geese that don't understand what "personal space" is....

there's that freaky duck/chicken again... weird

They also have lots of strawberries to pick. I was so bummed because my camera battery died before we got to the strawberry patch so we didn't get any pictures of that but all in all we had a great day at Huber Farms!

Trying to find my balance

Having four kids has changed everything.
It's not Davis' fault. He is a little angel boy and such a blessing but there is something about 4 busy, silly, whiny, crazy, messy, crying, laughing, screaming kids that has thrown me off completely.


I have asked myself HOW? How can I possibly be a good mom to these four dramatically different children??? Each one of them needs time, attention, hugs, kisses, discipline, food, water, shelter, clothing, baths, clean sheets (does washing their sheets a few times a year count?), Dr. appointments, tooth brushing, ear cleaning, fingernail clipping... I'm mean the hygiene alone is killing me and we haven't even started on my house or laundry or food or my responsibility to teach them and "rear them in love and righteousness"!

I've had many a prayer sent heavenward asking for wisdom for a mother of four. Answers have come here and there. Mostly on long walks with my friend or talks with my husband or quiet moments which are rare to find but so much more appreciated...


And so I am dealing with loss of control (or perceived control anyway), a very messy house that is now impossible to keep clean for more than a few minutes, body changes from 4 pregnancies... Hello, discouragement, frustration with own inabilities... I just thought I would be better at this. Being a mom is hard... especially if you want to be a good mom.

Humility... I'm learning humility.
Learning humility is very humbling... and it makes me tired too.

PS Don't worry, I'm not really depressed... remember how I'm getting off "the blogging stage"? I just thought I would be honest about the challenges of life... maybe you can relate?.

Quotes from this week

Megan- "Nobody come by the bathroom. I'm going to the bathroom and I don't want anyone to come by the bathroom door because... I'm going to be talking to myself."

I was recently released from the YW and now I'm in the primary. Last week we were talking about recognizing Satan's influence and one of the boys raised their hand and said,
" Um, um, when I was at my aunt's house I looked out the window and something red went Zooooom by the window and I think it was Satan...... or the Easter Bunny."

And finally, a sweet moment.
After sending Megan to time out for the 2nd time in 15 minutes I hung my head in frustration and Hallie came up to me and hugged me and said, "I bet it's really hard to be a mom when your kids aren't listening." You said it sister.

I'm not meant for the stage

I haven't been good to update this blog like I used to.

I have to be honest, lately our blog feels more like a stage than a journal. I don't like that- so I've decided I need to use it more as a journal again (as it was intended) and sorry if you are bored or think it is too personal.

You can skip those posts if you want ;0.

I really want this blog to reflect our lives with ups and downs and the beauty and sometimes not-so-pretty reality that it is.

So here we go... again.

Roar

Stop whining already, it's not like your eyes are swelling shut.

On the way home from our FHE outing tonight there was A LOT of whining in the backseat. Hallie especially was whining and crying about her eyes itching which is not a new thing because she gets terrible allergies here in Kentucky but it can be SO FrUsTrAtInG when she won't let us do eye drops to help.

Anyway, we were telling the girls to stop whining and threatening them that they would be going to bed early tonight.

When we got home Trevor told them to go straight to bed and when I went upstairs and saw them I yelled for Trevor to come up...

Seriously, their eyes were swelling as I stood there talking to them. They looked in the mirror and Hallie started laughing SO hard (Megan didn't think it was so funny). I was quick to get them some allergy medicine, some eye drops, and cold compresses.

Poor girls.

My Mother's Day

Hallie gave me this poem for Mother's Day. At first I thought her teacher told everyone what to write but I found out today that she came up with it herself. So creative.
Merry days,
Outstanding weeks,
Terrific months,
Historical years,
Eternal life,
Red hot heart of love.

Davis at 5 months old

At his four month check-up 16lbs4oz and 24 inches.

He's grabbing for things now and putting everything in his mouth.

He doesn't love rice cereal.

His sleeping is inconsistent (sometimes 8 hrs, other times 2hrs, ugh)

You should see the rolls in his thighs...

I could just eat him up.

Hard to believe my little guy is already 5 months old.

He is just a joy.

Honestly, his smiles and coos just melt me.

I'd do anything for this little guy.

He was a "surprise" pregnancy but he has turned out to be such a pleasant little surprise.

I want your recipes

We are sharing fast and easy recipes on nanny goat today and I want your recipes!

I know you, I love you, I trust your taste so please share.

Stop on over and join in the fun!

Derby Hats

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and that is a BIG deal around here

(this is Kentucky you know).

It's a lot of fun since everyone gets into the spirit of Derby.

Yesterday the kids came home with paintings of horses, new facts about horses, and even shiny metals around their necks from their "derby races" at school.

Megan made a beautiful Derby hat.

She is under there somewhere.

She thought Davis needed a Derby hat too so she made him this one:

He likes it.

Life: Currently Under Construction

Re-evaluating life lately.

I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed out daily and I can't do it anymore so I am making some changes, drawing some lines, cutting things out, and building a stronger foundation.

Change is hard...

Missing you my friend

Crying was inevitable

My eyes are red and swollen and my nose is stuffy.

I just dropped my sister off at the airport. She extended her stay with us and she and her baby have been here for almost a month.

You'd think we would be sick of each other but it was just the opposite, having her here for so long made it so much harder to say good-bye.

How blessed I am to have a sister who is also my dearest friend (apart from Trev, luv ya honey ;)).

Melissa and I basically spent the last 3 weeks sitting around the house taking care of babies, crafting, cooking, nursing, and talking about life, about motherhood, about faith, about our families, about ... everything.

Melissa, I will treasure the memories of these past few weeks forever. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life... I just love you so much.

P.S. Jeff, you are my hero. Thanks for sharing your wonderful wife and sweet baby with us for such a long time. We enjoyed them more than you will ever know and I know you must have missed them dearly. :)

Family Visit

It was so fun to have my parents and sister with her new baby here for spring break.

(love this shot of Campbell man... he is trouble)
We had a great time at the zoo. The lorakeets are always the favorite.



Got to go to the GAP outlet center in Cinci and do a little shoppin... it's tradition.


Lot's of fun hanging out at home and playing with babies.


Lovin on my new niece, Miss Avery.

I took lots of pictures of our babies... isn't Avery a doll?! She is like half the size of Davis and she's a week older!

I'm so grateful for for such an amazing family.

Thanks for coming to visit us, we love you guys!

The Big day...s

What a great week we have had!

It all started Saturday when Hallie was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

It was such a wonderful baptism.

Hallie looked like an angel in white and the spirit was so strong.

I was so thankful to be there to feel it and be reminded of the covenants I have made.

Sunday we blessed Davis. He is growing so fast.

Seriously, he brings me so much happiness.

My mom, dad, and my sister Melissa and her baby came from Utah to be here for the baptism and Davis's blessing, and even stayed for Hallie and Megan's spring break.

We had a lot of fun.

More posts soon.

Hallie's baptism

Hallie will be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this Saturday, March 28th at 4:00pm in our ward building.

We would love to have any friends and family who can come to be there for this special day.

Hallie is 8

March 20, 2001, I was working my shift as a labor and delivery nurse when I went into labor with Hallie. I knew I had a problem when I was contracting more than my laboring patient was. I told the charge nurse that I needed to check myself into my own room and someone else was going to have to take care of my patients. Hallie was born at 10:10am weighing in at 6lbs 3 in and 18 inches tall. She changed our world.

2 months old

1 year

2 1/2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years
6 years

7 years

I'm not old enough to have and eight-year-old!

Hallie is a joy. She always wants to do the right thing (how lucky am I) and is so good with her younger sister and brothers. She is smart, athletic, a great friend, a hugger, she is a great example, I could go on and on. We are so grateful to have her in our family.

Happy Birthday Hallie Jean.

We LOVE you!

Chapter 7 - The end of the beginning:

Well, Kathryn said she wanted me to finish our love story. What does that mean? It doesn't just finish! I don't understand this stuff. I am not sure if this will be accepted as a true chapter, but I will try. Kathryn is getting her hair cut. I am a very cheap person. I have cut my own hair since I was 15 and I even cut Kathryn's once - she said I couldn't do it any more. It saves money. Doesn't that make sense?

Anyway, back to the story. While Kathryn is back home dating Mr. "M". I am at school. I tell you about me being cheap just so you will know how much I was in love. I drove a 3 speed work truck back and forth from her house to my school, sometimes 3 round trips in a weekend before Mr M. came home (My bishop told me to make sure I was going to my own ward - I used to be so obedient). I even bought a cell phone and would use all the minutes and then use my forwarding minutes to call Kathryn. I bought a long distance calling plan on top of that. This was true love.

I did tell her she could date this guy, I knew I had to, but I did not like it. It was not my personality to be so humble and patient. That is what I tried to do though. There was something about Kathryn that I couldn't let go. Sometimes I would struggle with being frustrated at her for dating Mr. M., even though it was only two weeks, it felt like a lot more. I was tempted to walk away - I guess so it wouldn't hurt.

I am not sure I have ever been attractive to anyone before, but it seemed like my unavailability, made me more attractive to at least one girl in my ward. And she let me know. I didn't quite understand it. Even though it is nice to have an admirer - that made it even worse because it made me wonder why Kathryn needed to date Mr. M - couldn't she just see whatever this other girl saw in me?

Needless to say, we made it through that time. Kathryn dumped "M". I use the word dump, but I think she was much kinder than that. Although I never wanted to admit it, when I met this guy later, I was surprised to find that he was a very good and kind person. When I told my dad this he said, "What did you expect from Kathryn?" That makes sense. If I think she is so wonderful, wouldn't her boyfriend from high school be a good person? But you have to understand, this was survival at the time. You don't have the mindset to want to hug your competition.

In the end, Kathryn chose me. This fact was enough to forget everything else. I was the luckiest person alive. And even though I resisted her needing to figure things out, I knew she needed to not be wondering in the back of her mind when I lost my hair and got fat - "why didn't I give Mr. M a chance?" She may still think that, but that's too bad. Here I am!

Kathryn and I are going on our tenth year of marriage. We have our struggles like any couple does, but I am so grateful to her. She is a great mom to our kids and a perfect friend to me. She helps me want to change and be better. She supports me when I need strength. I am so grateful we are married and sharing this crazy existence called life together.

So there you have it. The end.



Thanks for reading.

Happy Birthday Trevor

31 things I love about you...

1- You work hard so I can be a full-time mom

2- You make me laugh

3- You serve with your heart

4- You make me feel beautiful

5- You can fix ANYTHING

6- Your willing to fix EVERYTHING I need you to

7- You support my craft habits

8- You share your testimony

9- You love to play with the kids

10- You spoil me with cameras, printers, and even a new (to us) fancy yukon

11- You are smart about lots of things

12- You pick up after yourself (most of the time ;0)

13- You are nice to my friends

14- You are loyal and good to your friends

15- You are a wiz with the computer

16- You talk to me before making any big decisions

17- You're never sarcastic

18- You're hot ;)

19- You like to sit by me and hold my hand

20- You are bilingual

21- You brag about your kids

22- You are usually smiling

23- Your not afraid of being silly, even in public

24- You feel it is important to know peoples names

25- You like what I cook

26- You'll get up in the middle of the night with crying babies

27- You are humble

28- You bought me new carpet

29- You make breakfast

30- You love to check our blog

31- You are my husband and I get to spend eternity with you... I love you for that.

"Uh oh, binky broken"

I kept putting it off, with the new baby and then when Cam got so sick I couldn't take away his best friend but last week I had no more excuses and so I finally just did it.
I gathered all of the binkies and got rid of all but 2 of them which I cut off and laid out for Campbell to find. It didn't take long and he came to me with the binkies in hand and a concerned look on his face. "Binky broken?" he asked me over and over again.
Yep buddy, binky is broken.