Our busy lives

So, I constantly am thinking these days that I need to blog. I need to record what is going on in our lives right now. I need to cherish these days and get them on paper (or digital paper) because time really does fly by.  One week Kamryn and Kyler will be doing cute things and then the next week those cute things are replaced by other cute things.  and I'm forgetting a lot of it... :(  So sad!

BUT with 2 kids  (and one being a toddler who LOVES the computer like her Daddy ;) jk) it is just almost impossible to get on the computer to blog.  By night time I'm too tired and impatient to wait for pictures to upload...but like I said--it's not really feasible during the day.  Any ideas?


Today I find myself with a little bit of time to blog...but unfortunately I don't have any pictures with me (I'm not at home).  So, this will be a quick catch up and a reminder post for me to remember what things have happened lately that I'd like to post with pictures! :)

-We moved.  We are now officially moved into my parents house and checked out of our apartment.  It was quite a bittersweet experience for me.  As I was cleaning the apartment with Ryan the night before our checkout, I was surprised to find myself sorta sad to leave.  It was our "first" apartment. (I say "first" because it was our first one out of student housing.  Nicer and bigger.  Lots of "grown up" things happened there) :)

Along with us being moved--we are now at my parents and we LOVE it!  So convenient in a lot of ways and so fun to see my family more often and Ryan's family who are just a quick 4 minutes away!  Some people probably couldn't stand living with their parents and younger siblings again, but it is working out well for us so far. :)

-Halloween!  I wanted Kamryn to be Boo from Monsters' Inc. this year because I'm always getting comments from others about how much she looks like Boo.  So, to go with that, Kyler was Mike Wazowski. I managed to make their costumes for $24.  Not too bad and they turned out so cute!  My friend, Nancy, and I took our kids trick or treating around the neighborhood like we have the past 2 years.  This was the first year we both had 2 kids each to worry about.  It was okay but then it POURED on us!  So rainy, so wet, but so fun.  We are hard core trick-or-treaters I guess! :)

-Babysitting.  We babysat for some of our friends for a whole week in Mid-October and then this weekend we have been babysitting again.  It's fun but it's beginning to be a lot more difficult for us to do it anymore because we have 2 kids now.  It's nice to get a little extra money here and there though. :)

-Kamryn is our little climber.  She climbs out of her crib.  Out of a porta-crib.  Into Kyler's crib... :)  Everywhere!  She also can open doors--even with a baby handle on it!  Every door I don't want her opening better have a lock up high or else she will open it.  She also has found light switches.  If it is on (even being used)--she turns it off.  If it is off because someone is sleeping--she turns it on! :) What a toddler!  She talks all of the time these days.  She is constantly making us laugh.  She sings along with songs--even if she has never heard them before! :)  Her newest and funniest thing is when she does her Taekwondo moves.  (My brothers and mom are in Taekwondo and are often practicing at home.  Kamryn recently picked up some of her own moves from her observations of them!) :)

-Ryan is applying for the BYU MBA program on December 1st.  We are really really hoping he gets in for next fall.  The timing just feels right.  Please pray for him. :)

-This morning we went to my cousin, Jantzen's, baptism.  It was a wonderful meeting and experience.  I love going to things like that to help remind me what life is really all about.  About living to serve others, being around family and supporting those you love, and it's about following Christ and becoming like him.  Today was Kamryn's first experience with baptism and she was a little nervous about what she was seeing, but I think it made a good impression on her.  I feel so blessed to be able to live close to my family AND Ryan's family and to have support and good examples for us and our kids.  My grandparents drove down from Northern Idaho (2 day drive) to be there for him. My Grandma got to stand up and say a few words to Jantzen and she told him to be like his Daddy.  Be like his Mommy.  And he will be happy.  I thought about that and it's so simple but so true.  I am blessed to be part of a family who have made good choices and who are happy.  And isn't the point of life to be happy?  It's a wonderful feeling to feel like I am raising my kids in a good place with good people surrounding us.  Not to say that anywhere else COULDN'T be good--because there are many many good people in this world and I have no doubt we will find them when we move someday--but for the time being, this is where we are supposed to be with our little growing family.

-After a wonderful morning, however, it all came crashing down :) (luckily Ryan and I were happy and patient with it though!) :)  I was feeling sick to my stomach on the way home. Then I turn around to see Kamryn in the back seat and she is throwing up her breakfast!  Got EVERYTHING messy--her, her hair, her clothes, her blanket, her carseat, the car and seatbelt, on me, on Brandon, etc. It was nasty! Poor little girl!  Then we got that all cleaned up (Ryan was a good daddy and hosed down the carseat) and then I smelled something. Kyler was stinky.  I opened his pants and there was poop EVERYWHERE!  Another stinky nasty mess. 
Poor kids, I hope they aren't coming down with something!   Needless to say my stomach has still felt queasy all afternoon--but I think they beat me to being sick! :P

As you can see, lots to report, no time to blog!  :)  

I still have faith that someday I'll find the time...but for now this will have to do!

6 months old

I can't believe my little man is 6 months old already!  Time has flown since he was born.  Some fun things Kyler does these days:
-Kyler LOVES the camera!  (as you can tell from the pictures above!) He will smile and smile and laugh every time a camera is pointed in his direction.  This is SUCH a relief for me because Kamryn has always been exactly opposite.  It's like pulling teeth to get her to cooperate in front of a camera!
-Kyler can sit up by himself and will play contently for long periods of time.  Sometimes I forget he is even there because he can entertain himself so well. (also something Kamryn is STILL working on! ) :)
-Kyler can almost roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy.  Both of my kids have been "later rollers"
-Kyler will scoot himself in circles and is constantly flapping his arms and legs wanting to "GO"!
-Kyler loves to watch Kamryn play and be silly. 
-Kyler loves to take baths with Kamryn. He thinks she is just the funniest thing! :)  It's too cute!
-Kyler got his first cold this past week.  Poor baby has a runny/stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, slight fever, etc.  He has trouble sleeping even with the humidifier right now...but I guess you have to have a first for everything.
-Kyler eats 5 bottles a day and is starting solid foods.  He loves everything we have tried thus far! It's great.
-Kyler still has his 2 dimples on his cheeks. (my favorite feature ;) )
-Kyler puts everything in his mouth. blankets, hands, toys, hair, etc.  I get sick of everything being wet sometimes but its all good.  He is inquisitive and learning.
-Kyler has quietly weaned himself off his binkie.  He just isn't interested in it.  (Now I just wish Kamryn would become disinterested too!)
-Kyler still grunts a lot like he did when he was brand new.  In fact, his belly laugh is a mixture of laughter and grunting.  Kinda cute.

-Kyler will reach for EVERYTHING in front of him---so watch out when you are holding him! :)
-Kyler is ticklish on his neck and tummy.  Nowhere else.
-Kyler loves to play with his own feet.  There have been times I think he is going to eat them, but not quite yet! :)
-Kyler weighs over 16 lbs
-Kyler doesn't really nap.  He will take little 10-20 minute catnaps about 2-3 times a day.  I miss my good napping hours when I could get stuff done or just have a break! :) 
-Kyler will scoot around on his back in his crib (thus bonking his head on the rails and then screaming)
-Kyler is learning how to share a room with his sister these days.  Quite the adventure.
-Kyler has been sleeping 9-11 hours a night for the past couple of months.  It's been really really nice!  However, we moved last week and with all the changes and then him catching a cold, we've been missing that sleep lately.  I am hopeful it will return soon!  :) 

Love you, Kyler bear! 

We're moving! (AGAIN)

Our contract in this apartment ends on Halloween.  Because Ryan has decided to get an MBA at BYU and we are going to stay put here in Utah for a while, we have started househunting.  But because we are house hunting and know we aren't going to stay in this apartment for much longer anyway, we have decided to move in with my parents in order to help ourselves save up for a down payment AND to avoid wasting more money on rent.  So...this month we will be gradually moving, saving for a down payment on a house, househunt and look into grad school more!  Wow!~  What a busy month! :)

We keep joking around about how much we move.  This apartment is the 5th apartment we've lived in since we got married (just over 3 years ago!!)  We promise we don't just LIKE to move! :) haha  But we really appreciate everyone who helps us every time! ;)

Couple of new posts!

Blogging is one of my favorite things to do...but with a 2 year old and a 6 month old...I just have the hardest time finding time and energy to do it!

And Although, I can't promise anything--I will try my hardest to blog at least once a week!  (however, it will be even more difficult this month because by the end of this month, we will be moving in with my parents.)

Enjoy the 2 posts I got done tonight! :)  Comments always motivate me to keep blogging! ;)

24

So, my birthday was a couple weeks ago.  Ryan surprised me when I woke up with a nice card and note that sent me on a scavenger hunt around our apartment.  At each of the 5 "stops" there was a 20 dollar bill and another note.  The money was all for a little shopping trip that night.  We went to the mall where I found a pair of black heels I've been wanting for a while.  We went to Kohls, where I didn't find much (unfortunately) but it was still fun to go shopping with Ryan and have no babies for a couple of hours.  We went to dinner at Pounders.  It is a YUMMY YUMMY Hawaiian grill!  (If you haven't been, you should TOTALLY go!!  Soooo good!  Now in Provo!)  

And then we went to my parents where our kids were and had ice cream cake and sang happy birthday.  It was a great day! :)

  I feel so blessed--wonderful husband, wonderful kids, member of the LDS church, we live near family, have a great job.  Here's to my 25th year being just as great as 24! :)

Pass of all Passes!!

My Mom and Dad emailed us a few weeks ago and told us about "The Pass of All Passes".  This is a pass for unlimited Trafalga (in Orem and Lehi), Seven Peaks Water Park (2011 Season), all Owls games and all Flash games.  And at the time we could get it for $35/person on Citydeals.com!  So we went for it!  And we've already gone a couple of times.  It's been great! :)

We went on the slick track.  Kamryn wasn't so sure about going quickly in the cars but she got more comfortable with it as Ryan drove with her more.

Her FAVORITE activity is Mini Golf.  We told her we were going to play with balls and asked her what color she wanted.  She thought for a minute and said "Green?!"  It was so cute.

 She loved running down each green to the hole.  She understood that she had to hit the ball with her "stick" ... but did it one handed.  She loved to follow EVERYONE's balls and then pick them up and give them to that person! :)  So funny! :)

 One handed AND upside down! :) That's talent!

Kyler watching everyone golf and not keep score!! 

We went again (to Lehi this time) tonight and she loved just running around the golf course ... wasn't as obsessed with the balls this time.  But this time, on the drive there, I heard this from the back seat: 

"Balls?! Green....pink....blue.... OK????!"  

I couldn't stop laughing!  What a silly and smart girl! 

Golfing with Grandad and Grammy

Anyway, I think the passes are still available!  And they are SOOOOO worth it!! :) 

Our Crazy Life

So, how many of you have noticed that my blog has been severely suffering from lack of posts recently?  Well, the only excuse I have is that life is crazy!  Especially this past week--  but also that I don't really feel like I have much to blog about.  I feel like every day is pretty much the same and not very exciting.  In fact, I have sat down at the computer a few times to blog, and I look at my camera for recent pictures---and there isn't much there!  I don't know if that's because I'm just too busy to think to take pictures anymore...of if there really isn't much to take pictures of.  Ha!  This will probably be a long a rambling post...with a few pictures! :) But here's an overview of life for us right now:

Ryan is still working at BYU and loving it.  For a while there we were thinking about going to get an MBA outside of Utah, and therefore find another job outside of Utah, and move soon.  But, recently Ryan and I have felt very strongly that we should stay around here and Ryan should get his MBA at BYU.  So...we're staying put for now!  HOWEVER, we don't really want to stay put in our apartment we are in for the next 5 years or so (too small, no room to grow, NO STORAGE...No garage, etc.) ...so we are starting the house search.  It is very fun to think about...but very very tiring at the same time and somewhat frustrating.  I have always struggled at being patient about big decisions...but I know that when the time is right, we'll find where we need to be and we'll be able to afford it.  So, we're just looking and talking about it as much as we can, without it becoming a huge stress on our shoulders.  Ryan has been very excited about BYU's football season this year.  Kyler is enjoying his first season with Daddy.  I keep thinking I need to get him a BYU shirt.  Kamryn had one, but I think if I dig it up it will already be too small for Kyler, :( (they just grow too fast!)

Watching BYU football with Daddy

Kamryn is getting bigger and older by the day.  She weighs over 30 lbs. now, but still likes to be carried here and there.  I can barely do it...but luckily daddy is strong!  She still loves her binkie and her two favorite blankets.  She loves to play outside, watch movies, play with water in her teaset, take baths, talk with Kyler (although, she wishes he would do more to interact back with her), sing songs (or at least do actions), dance, play with Disney characters, play with friends, cook, and Talk!  She picks up like 10 new words a day now.  I wish I could post a video of her talking these days...but it's hard to capture AND keep it short enough to post on blogger.  She knows everyone's names, she can count to 10 (skipping 3 and 4), she knows 4 shapes, and 5 colors.  She can recognize a few letters of the alphabet.  It is so fun to see her learning things so quickly all of a sudden because I feel like I've been waiting for it to catch on for quite a while! :)  My only challenge with her talking so much now is to not let her talk with the binkie in her mouth.  I know MANY kids who talked lots with the binkie in, and then had to do speech therapy for a little bit because of a lisp.  I'm afraid we may already be heading down that road--but I try hard to avoid it.  

Kamryn has also been more and more interested in going potty.  This past weekend I tried to really help her figure out what it feels like to go to the bathroom in the potty and we had ONE success that was barely a success...but I think she is understanding it more and more.  Hopefully soon she will start to figure it out and be ready for it because 2 kids in diapers is very hard on our budget! :) ha!  But I'm not so desperate to start pushing her...then I'll just be more frustrated and I definitely don't need that! :) 

Kyler is sleeping 10-11 hours at night these days! I am SO grateful for it!  Not even 5 months and he is so good at it usually! :)  He wakes up between 7 and 7:30 every morning (no matter how late he got to sleep, though, unfortunately) and eats a bottle.  Then he plays happily for a couple of hours and then around 9:30 he is ready for a nap.  He takes a 30 minute or so cat-nap and then he is up again and ready to start all over!  I sometimes find myself being bored with his routine and feel like I'm always doing the same thing over and over and over again every day.  Although, he's happy and I can know what to expect, so I can't complain too much.  

Kyler can now sit up on his own and he is working on rolling over still.  Sometimes he will be on his tummy playing happily, but then suddenly start screaming because he doesn't want to be there anymore but won't push up on his arms to roll over.  Silly boy!  We're working on it!

He loves his exersaucer. 

 Loves his play gym.  

Loves his bumbo.  Loves to watch everything Kamryn is doing.  Loves to take baths with Kamryn.  She loves it in return.  They are so fun to watch interact with eachother! I love it.

 I think you're a little too big for that, Kamryn!

We have started giving Kyler solids here and there...he LOVES it!  One thing I will say about my kids is they are big and good eaters! :)  Kyler has had rice cereal, bread, bananas, and carrots(mushed of course).  He makes such a mess!  I remember being able to control KJamryn's messes when eating, but Kyler is everywhere!  :) 

This weekend was Stake/Regional Conference for us.  It was a wonderful and much needed experience for me and Ryan.  It is amazing how difficult it is to keep up on my own spirituality with young children.  I think I have often thought that being a Mother and being spiritual/in tune with God always went hand in hand.  But I have realized this week that it is important for me to take the time to worry about my  personal spirituality as a separate thing from my kids and their testimonies.  I haven't been great at personal scripture study for a long time...kids just take up so much time and energy and I'm sorry to say I'm just not good at remembering!  But I was reminded this weekend that if I even take 5 minutes a day to give back to God, then I am being humble.  I am being submissive.  I am working on other Christlike attributes that aren't always focussed on with young kids (though many other Christlike attributes ARE focussed on with kids!) :)  And humility and faith are what we need to be happy in this life.  I heard a quote at our adult stake meeting Saturday night that 

"Humility determines how we live our lives"

And I believe it. I don't always think about every choice as whether I'm being humble or not...but it really does come down to humility.  For example: 

Am I humble enough to live within my means and not get into debt?

Am I humble enough to give a compliment when a compliment is needed or deserved?

Am I humble enough to admit I don't know everything?

Am I humble enough to have faith that God does know everything?

Am I humble enough to step back and see the big picture on a situation?

Am I humble enough to ask for forgiveness?

It was a wonderful weekend to end an ever crazy stressful beyond stressful week.  But now we have a new week to look forward to and use to our advantage!  I'm so glad! :)