The Hopes

Dance class

2012-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Charlee had her first dance lesson yesterday. She was SOOO cute! She kept telling me she was going to be a Cinderella. She followed directions really well. Right after, we went to Target and bought her a dance outfit. She looks too cute!

I included a pic of my Christmas present. My Aerogarden! I am so excited about it. My plants have already started growing nicely. For the last 2 summers, I have spent a significant amount of money trying to container garden. In-ground gardening is not an option in my sloped backyard. Anyway, the container gardens were always an epic failure. So, I figured an indoor garden is better than nothing, and helps cure the winter blues. I love it! In just a few weeks, I will be enjoying some lovely fresh herbal teas and cooking with herbs.

That first pic of Jack is Jason's first attempt at editing with his new camera! Unfortunately, Jason took his camera to Alabama with him for these 2 months, so my pics will continue to be crappy until he comes back.

Christmas Letter

2011-12-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

Life is crazy busy right now. Something has got to give. Right now, that something is Christmas cards. I am choosing not to send them. Instead, I wrote my Christmas letter and decided to post it on the blog. Mostly, for my own sake. I get my blog printed in a bound book and it becomes sort of a journal/scrapbook. So, for those who take the time to look at my blog, here is our year in a very small nutshell.

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. Life seems to go so much more quickly as I get older. Our kids are growing up a bit faster than I would like them to, but they are such a joy to have around.

I guess I’ll start with the youngest and go up. Jackson is almost 4 months old now. He is such a happy baby! He laughs and chatters all the time. He loves his siblings and chatters at them with the most vigor. They return his adoration with lots of kisses and pats. Jackson is even thoughtful enough to let mom sleep very well at night. He only wakes up once or twice to eat and then goes right back to sleep (well-almost always).

Charlee is growing up fast. She misses her brothers when they are away at school. But mommy appreciates this time with her because she knows all too soon Charlee will be going to school as well. She is looking forward to preschool next year. She is also looking forward to dance lessons starting in January. And let’s face it….mommy is looking forward to that more than anyone. Since I only have one girl, I pretty much insist on Charlee taking dance just so I can dress her up!

Jayden is in first grade this year. He is doing very well. His teacher tells me all the time how much she loves Jayden’s personality. He is such a sweetheart to everyone he meets. He gets so enthusiastic about life and everything around him. It is very contagious. Very often, when I ask him about school, he will say, “Best. Day. Ever!” And then tell me some sweet story about why it was the best day ever. I just hope that someday I can adopt that positive attitude and have that many “best day evers.”

James is in third grade this year. I cannot believe how advanced third grade is! He is doing some challenging math! Sometimes when he asks for help on his homework, I am secretly figuring it out on my calculator under the table. I know, right? But he is keeping up with it very well. James is at the age now that sometimes after the other kids go to bed, he and I sit and talk. We have had some very stimulating conversations about life and the gospel. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me to have him growing up right before my eyes. I think to myself, “How am I going to teach him everything he needs to know?” I guess that is when I just get on my knees and beg for help and guidance. Parenting is a big job, you know?

Jason had a wonderful year this year. He really loves working with GPS. And apparently, he is super good at it. He won the CGO (company grade officer) of the quarter award at the squadron, wing, and 14^th air force levels. I am so proud of him. He is actually away right now in California for some training he was hand-picked for. Then in January and February, he will go to Alabama for another training. He is moving onward and upward. What a good husband I have, huh?

I am still working on my Masters in midwifery. I can’t wait for the day I can write in my Christmas letter that I graduated from MCU and am a certified professional midwife. But alas, it is still a couple of years away. I am on “maternity leave” right now from attending births. I am going to start going to births again after the first of the year. It will be tough to leave my baby, but I am going to start slow. I only have 1 birth a month scheduled right now. Sometimes it seems impossible to keep up with everything I need to be doing. School, callings (yes, plural), housework, exercise, scripture study, homework with the kids…and the list goes on. But everyday I strive for balance. I tell my birthing moms to be gentle with themselves, and I need to remind myself of that same thing on a daily basis.

We miss our families that live far away. We wish we could see you more. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Pictures of the Big Man

2011-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

I love the Christmas season! The lights, the music, the parties...everything. A friend emailed me a copy of a 25 day advent activity that I'm very excited to start with the fam. It is a scripture, song, and story for every day in December. What a great way to bring more of the spirit of Christ into Christmas!!

I have tried and tried to get a picture of Jackson smiling. He smiles all the time...he's such a happy boy. But of course, as soon as the camera comes out, he stops smiling to check out the camera. Oh, well. Here's what I've got. Enjoy.

Big, puffy cloth diaper bum. :)

Caught him mid-yawn

Love those big beautiful eyes

Love those kids!!

Don't tell....but Jason is getting a camera for Christmas. So, hopefully in the near future, we will have some higher quality and quantity pictures comin' this way.

Fall Break

2011-10-16T19:27:00.001-07:00

The kids are on fall break right now. It's nice to have the boys home with me during the day for a while. Charlee loves it when her brothers are home. Jason took a couple days off and we spent time together as a family. Friday, we went to Wishing Star farms. It was really fun. The kids rode ponies, had a hay ride, went on a 50 foot slide down a dirt hill, pet the animals, and all sorts of other fun stuff. Then we picked out pumpkins at the end. James and Jayden had to carry their pumpkins to the car. They, of course, picked out the biggest pumpkins they could find, so it was no small task for them to get them to the car. But, they did it!

Blessing Day

2011-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today was Jackson's blessing day. Because of our distance from family, only Daniel and his son Joseph could attend with us. But it was a beautiful day, although we missed our families. Jackson looked so cute in his blessing outfit.

Jackson finally got of O2 last week. It was a marvelous day! Life is so much easier with a baby that isn't connected to a tank or a machine. I can actually walk freely around the house now while holding him! And travel is so much easier. I am so grateful for a healthy baby.

We are finding our new normal as a family since his birth. I was telling Jason the other day that I can't believe it is October already. Jackson was born in August and it still seems like August in my mind. Jason said that outside my little nest (my house), the world has kept going. It has been wonderful to take some time off work and just enjoy my baby.

I have still continued my "bookwork" studies. I try to just keep trucking along with that. It seems to take forever for me to finish classes. Thank goodness for a school that has flexible due dates. People ask me all the time when I will finish school. For right now, I am scheduled to finish in 2014. I know that seems like forever. But basically I am getting another Bachelors degree with a Masters degree on top of it. It's a lot to learn! I am really loving school and I am so grateful for every new thing I learn. Sometimes I wonder if my brain has room for it all. :)

Jason has had such success at work these last few months. He received the CGO of the quarter award for the squadron, group, wing, and 14th Air Force. Next he will compete for the award for the entire Space Command. I am so proud of him. He is really good at his job. More than once, he has been instrumental in preserving the GPS signal you and I use everyday. Love him.

Still on supplemental oxygen. He doesn't look too happy about it.

Worldwide day of play. We celebrated at Peterson AFB. They had tons of fun kids activities.

Charlee and James trying to stay on their feet.

Jayden is dodging the wrecking ball.

Somebody loves his daddy.

Now that is adoration.

Yes, Jackson is freaking out. Out of about 10 pictures we took, this one is the best. Sad.

Love that face.

Baby Jackson

2011-08-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm sure everybody who looks at this blog already knows we had our baby. He was born August 15 at 10:45 pm. It was a fast and furious labor that ended with a beautiful baby boy being born at home (yes-on purpose!). He was born in water, which was a new experience for me. He was a little stinker and didn't breathe right away, but it only took him a little over a minute. It has been an adventure already, as we spent a day in the hospital due to bradycardia (medispeak for slow heart rate). His heart checked out fine, though. He has been on supplemental oxygen ever since because his pulse ox kept dropping. That basically means that his oxygen saturation levels are lower than we want them to be. The doc assured me that it is very normal here in Colorado due to our elevation. Combine that with his fast birth (more fluid left in his lungs) and his intermittent breathing pattern (normal for babies, they just have to outgrow it) and it means that he just needed a little help for a while. I think it scares people when they first see it, so I just assure them that he is fine and they get over it.

About an hour after birth. Isn't it amazing and wonderful that we are in our own bed?

Cute little squishy newborn face.

Poor Jackson. He is hooked up to oxygen, heart monitors, IV fluids, and a pulse oximeter. There were so many tubes and wires coming off him. Makes me want to cry. They strapped his IV arm to a board so he couldn't bend it. It looked so uncomfortable. He was less than 48 hours old.

Arrgh! I be a pirate! The first few days, Jackson wasn't big on opening his eyes. He would open just the one, and usually decide it wasn't worth the effort and close it again.

Wow, two eye open! Good job, buddy.

One week old!

Every military baby has to have some camo!

Jayden is 6!

2011-07-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jayden asked for a party so he could have goody bags. Apparently, that is what birthdays are all about. :) But I finally had to tell him I was too pregnant to handle a party at home. So, he chose ITZ instead. It is a place with crappy food, but lots of games and some rides. A kid's wonderland, in other words. He also chose to pick out his own presents this year. So, the morning started out with a trip to Walmart where Jayden picked out some toys. (Seriously, at this point in our lives, I keep thinking on every birthday, "Do we really need any more toys??")

Anyway, I took the kids to ITZ this evening and I think it was a big hit. Jayden invited a friend (a girl whom he has said repeatedly he wants to marry...so cute!). Seriously, there are no boys his age, at all.

I am so grateful that Jayden is a part of our family. He is a very smart boy with a huge imagination. He is so tenderhearted and loving. He has a zest for life that helps me take a step back and really enjoy things more. I love him so much!!

Oh, What Do You Do In the Summertime?

2011-07-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

I look forward to summer all school year long. I love getting out of bed in the summer and not having to rush around getting people dressed, teeth and hair brushed, lunches packed, etc. It's so nice to just take it easy...for about a week. Then comes the, "I'm booooooored," from the kids. Most days I do have something planned to keep us busy, but only for an hour or two usually. Jason has been working a lot of odd hours, so most of the time it is just me and the kids...all day every day. I lament the fact that we live on a street where there are very few kids to play with. So my kids are left to their own devices to entertain themselves for hours a day. It's been...interesting. Here is a sample of what we've been up to.

Swimming lessons - all three kids are loving it.

Checking out the lifeflight helicopter. We got to see it take off, too. The kids thought that was super cool. Almost every week we have been to the free concert in the park. They have lots of booths that give the kids free stuff-which they think is absolutely awesome. It is sponsored by a hospital, so they have been able to check out the helicopter, ambulance, baby-mama ambulance, and firetruck.

Face painting at the free concert at the park.

Independence Day at the Air Force Academy. It was a really great show. They had the Academy band and CS orchestra there playing music. They did the 1812 Overture with real cannon blasts! That was followed with a spectacular fireworks show. The only down side was that it took 2 hours to get home (about 8 miles away) due to the huge crowd.

Dinosaur museum in Woodland Park

Charlee is scantily clad most days at our house lately. We are trying our darndest to potty train this girl. Let's just say she is putting up her best fight. Lately, her thing is to act like a puppy and pee and poop on the carpet...just feet away from the toilet. What am I going to do with this girl?

The kids had a great time at a birthday party in May. It was at a gym, which is perfect for my energetic kids!

Always the life of the party. That is frosting all over their faces.

I have 5 weeks left until D day! This baby is very active. While I was hoping for a calm one, I am already thinking I am not going to get it. I was telling my dad the other day on the phone that I think Heavenly Father must have a lot of trust in me because he has sent me 4 very active, headstrong children. I mean, they are downright crazy with energy sometimes. I love them so much, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade them for anything! But this big, pregnant mama gets exhausted easily these days. I sure hope my energy level returns to normal fast after birth. I need it!

James's Baptism

2011-05-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Words cannot express how amazing it was to watch my son James get baptized. As usual, the morning was crazy to try to get all the kids dressed, ready, and out the door on time. But when it came right down to it, the only thing that really mattered was when James was baptized and confirmed by his daddy. There were so many people there because there was 9 kids from the stake getting baptized that day. But when we broke up into ward groups for the baptisms, it was a much more intimate group of people. James even had the opportunity to bear his testimony after his confirmation. It was so sweet and sincere. He bore his testimony of the reality of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and that we can all live with Jesus Christ through the ordinance of baptism if we endure to the end. I love his sweet testimony and his strong faith.

My parent were able to be here for a few days, which was a lot of fun. Poor Charlee was sick the entire weekend, which made things interesting. Actually, the day my parents left, Charlee's eardrum ruptured, which was definitely a new experience for me. But not to worry, she is fine now. Anyway, we saw some new sites, which is always fun when my parents come into town. I really appreciate Colorado Springs a lot when they come to visit because they give me an excuse to go see the sites. We went to a charming little town right next to the Springs called Manitou Springs. Definitely a town I want to visit again. We also went to Palmer Park, which is a like going to the mountains to hike and mountain bike, but it's right in the middle of a city! All in all, a very great weekend!

I also included some pictures from the Schreiver Zoofari, which was right before Easter. The kids played lots of games, got tons of prizes, and even got to see the Easter Bunny. It was a blast for them.

I almost didn't include this picture. I have issues with how I look pregnant. Oh well, at least I know this is my last baby and I can work to "get my body back" after the birth.

The boys are standing on a lookout at the Air Force Academy. That is the chapel in the background.

Could he look any more grown-up?

Drum Roll Please.....

2011-04-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's a boy! Had an ultrasound today and everything looks great with this little guy. In babies past, I haven't been able to tell much what I was looking at. But because I see ultrasounds so much more often now that I am a student midwife, I knew the whole time what I was looking at. It was fun. So, now I need to start buying boy clothes because I gave all of mine to goodwill or the garbage can (they had gone through 2 boys already and weren't really going to last through another baby anyway).

Charlee remains queen of the Hope household. At least in her mind, anyway. :)

James turns 8

2011-04-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well, it is finally happening. We have a child old enough to get baptized. Who woulda thought? James turned 8 this week. Because of Jason's crazy work schedule, it was sort of a celebration spread over several days. We went camping last weekend and included some birthday celebrating into our vacation. Then, we took James to Toys R Us a couple days before his birthday (due to Jason's work day-of) and let him pick out his own present. He thought that was cool. I took cupcakes to his school class on his birthday, which he was so excited about.

But we are still looking forward to the most important part of this special birthday...the baptism. He will be baptized April 30. We have been talking a lot about baptism in our family. I really hope he feels ready and fully understands what choice he is making. I think he does. He is so full of faith. He is so GOOD.

His biggest birthday present was a new set of scriptures with his name printed on them. He picked them out himself, and they are very nice. He is really excited to take them to church for the first time tomorrow. This morning, after chores he brought them into the kitchen. He said, "Guess what I'm going to do now, mom? I'm going to read my scriptures because I want to learn more about the word of God." He teaches me so much and helps me be a better person. He gets so excited when he learns the stories of the scriptures. I hope someday I can be more like him. I am so grateful to have him as my son. I love you James!

More Pictures

2011-03-24T20:13:00.001-07:00

OK, I just found a bunch of Christmas pictures that my camera refused to import for some reason. Anyway, I knew I wasn't as crappy as I thought about taking pictures at Christmas. :)

James's school Christmas program. I'm a terrible mom and forgot the camera for Jayden's program. :(

The boys got daddy a headlamp. They were very proud of it.

We had 2 Christmases! Lucky kids. One early with daddy and one with Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the crew.

I got to see my good friend Marie and her family. Even at only 9 weeks pregnant, I can barely fit into that sweatshirt. :)

Life has been busy at our house, but apparently not much has happened that I felt was blog worthy because it has been quite a while. This last week was different, though.

Charlee turned 3 last weekend. Crazy! The older I get, the more time seems to fly by and it makes me kinda sad to see my kids growing up so fast. We did have a great time celebrating with Charlee, though. She is just the cutest little girl ever. She sang happy birthday to herself in the car for days before the big day. She would randomly yell out, "I love cake and presents!" for days before as well. I guess this year was really the first time she actually knew what was coming and was very excited for it. I bought the presents and was sure we were ready to have a family party. Jason came to the rescue, though, when he called me the night before (he was working a bunch of night shifts) from Walmart and asked if I had bought decorations. I said no. So, the next morning when Charlee and I took the boys to school, Jason surprised us both by decorating the kitchen with a banner, birthday tablecloth, and other fun decorations. Charlee was beside herself when she walked in and saw it! Then, that evening when we had our family party, Jason brought out some glow bracelets that he bought and invented a game on-the-spot with the kids that was a huge hit. Dads are so great at that kind of stuff! So, we ended up with a really great birthday party for our little Chars.

She is a little bugger, though, I gotta say. I tried really hard to make her hair all cute for her big day because I knew we'd be taking pictures. That girl really hates to have her hair done. Anything I do to it, be it ponytails, barrettes, whatever...she has it out within minutes. So, even though I DID do her hair that day, you can't really tell. :) She also insisted on wearing her hat like a horn. :)

The kids got a hold of the camera and took several hundred pictures. I am including a few that were not too blurry or, you know, just pics of the fridge and carpet. :) The kids had just eaten birthday cake in a couple of these.

Christmas

2011-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

OK, once again I'm crappy at taking pictures. I really should have tried harder because I saw so many loved ones over Christmas that I hardly ever get to see.

I went to Utah and Idaho for a week for Christmas. Jason had to work all through the Christmas break, so he didn't come with us. We missed him a lot, but we had fun seeing family.

We spent a couple of days in Utah with Jason's parents. It was really fun to see them. The kids had a great time being wild and crazy with their cousins.

Then we went to Idaho to spend a couple days. Brent and Jenn were there, which was a special treat. I got to hold baby Cameron for the first time. He is a very sweet baby.

I announced to the families during our visit that I'm expecting baby number 4 this summer! It came as a bit of a surprise to Jason and I, but we are happy about it. Unfortunately, I was feeling kinda yucky during the visit due to the loveliness of the first trimester, so sorry everybody if I wasn't up to my usual standards. :)

I love it when I can make time to see my Grandma when I am in that neck of the woods. It is sort of becoming a tradition to go see the lights on temple square with her when I go home for Christmas. She is always so great with my kids and they love seeing her and the magnificent lights. Here are the only pics I took on the whole trip.

New pictures

2010-12-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

Keeping up with this blog has its good times and bad. Plus, I don't take that many pictures, unfortunately. But, thanks to my dad, I have a few to post here.

My parents came up in October along with my sister Kelli and my neice. We had a good visit, and went to the zoo and garden of the gods. Kelli had her baby boy just a few weeks later. Can't wait to meet him!!

The boys just finished swimming lessons. They start basketball in January. Charlee feels very sorry for herself that she doesn't get to do these things. I'm thinking dance lessons in the next year or so.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at our house at least

2010-11-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am that girl...the one who listens to Christmas music right after Halloween, puts up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and this year I even put the lights up a few days before Thanksgiving. I can't help myself. I just love this time of year. I don't feel so bad about the house lights, though, because I've got at least 6 neighbors who turned on their before I did.

I hate my crappy camera and the injustice it always does to everything, but here is one of the house lights, which I proudly did myself! I had to crawl on the roof to get the lights up beyond the driveway. It was really scary at first, but I got over it and then it was fun to look around my neighborhood from that vantage point.

In other news, I finally created a website. I have been resisting for years because it was just too intimidating. But I finally did it because I really need the exposure. So, if anyone actually reads this blog, check out my new website and give me your constructive criticism. Really. I need all the help and ideas I can get. It's www.hopemidwifery.com. Since I don't have my cushy birth center job anymore, we are feeling the crunch a bit here in Colorado since I am still attending births and paying babysitters, but not getting paid for any of them. So I was hoping to make up for it doing doula work, but that has not worked out for me yet. I think that the competition is pretty fierce here. So, I need a lot more exposure. Any of you business minded people out there in a sharing mood need to give me all your good tips.

The kids are growing up fast and they amaze me everyday. Jayden is doing well in school. He is a super speller and he loves being in school. When I ask him at the end of school how it was, he says to me, "It was super, super, super, super, super, super fun!!!" And then I say, "What was so super, super (you get the idea), fun about it?" He says, "We had gym!" I think he is going to be the athlete of the family.

Charlee is talking like a big girl now, which makes me kinda sad since she is my baby. I was in my room, and she came to the door and started to close it. She says to me, "Goodnight, sweetheart." It was 9 in the morning. The other day, James found a spider in his bathtub. I came in and killed it, but not before all the kids took a good look. This morning, I told Charlee it was time for a bath. She said, "No mama, theow a scawy spida in the bathtub." I said, "No, I killed it, remember?" She screams, "Oh, yeah! You kiwwed it. Yea!!" and then strips naked and sings herself all the way to the tub. She loves to sing. She sings to herself in her carseat all the time. But if you pay too much attention to her while she is doing it, she'll get shy and stop. I love it so much.

We still have a job

2010-10-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

So, about a year ago we found out the Air Force was doing what they call "force reshaping." Which basically means laying a bunch of people off. They do it by year group (the year you came into the air force). They told us they were getting rid of quite a few people in Jason's year group and we have been very worried about it ever since. We prayed a lot about it, and we felt like we should stay in the military as long as we could, only getting out if they kicked us out. Many people got out voluntarily, but it would not have been worth it for us to do that.

So, Jason has been telling me that the AF said they would let everyone know in November, which we interpreted to mean Dec or Jan. But he was surprised today at work to find out that the force reshaping board results were in. He was called into the commander's office and handed a paper that says, basically, "You have been selected for retainment in the Air Force..."

We are so very blessed. There are many who were not as lucky, and we feel for them right now.

This has been a faith promoting experience for us. Because we were extended several times in Montana, Jason had to "compete" against fewer people than if we would have moved earlier, as we expected to do. Also, Jason's leadership the last year or so in Montana were really great guys who helped a lot with making Jason "look good" on paper, and we were so blessed that they were the ones in leadership positions at that particular time. Of course, it helped a lot that Jason came out of his training in California this summer as a "distinguished graduate." I was and am so proud of him.

So, we have much to be thankful for as we head into the holiday season this year. It has been quite a roller coaster ride of a year, and it's not even over yet! I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for looking out for my precious family.

As a side note, we went to the mall this evening to exchange a shirt for Charlee. We walked around the stores and played at the kid's play area. In the car on the way home, Charlee shouts out, "I love shopping!" in her cute 2 year old voice. All I can say about that is Wow. She is starting out a little young, isn't she?

The basement from start to finish

2010-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

OK, I have been meaning to post this ever since our basement was finished. It was quite the process. I may never buy a house again with an unfinished basement after this experience...we'll see. :)

We opened up the stairwell to make it feel less cramped and also to allow furniture to go down.

What will become the rec room and bathroom as well as hallways.

The big open space that will become the bedroom and the rec room.

Looking at the framing for the bedroom.

We had to have the drain jackhammered to move it back to get more bedroom space.

Looking at the bedroom wall from the rec room.

Bedroom after drywall.

The finished bedroom.

Looking at the bathroom with framing and insulation, from the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

The future rec room.

We insulated the ceiling very well because of the hardwood floors above.

Rec room in the process of being drywalled.

Jayden posing in our newly finished basement.

We bought some furniture on craigslist because we have never had 2 living rooms before. So, we got a screamin' deal on this furniture and here is the way our living room looks now.

So, these pictures don't even begin to portray how hectic and crazy it was to finish this basement. It was made much more complicated by the fact that Jason was in California for training for 95% of the project. So we were trying to make decisions via phone and pictures. After Jason got home, we had drywall, so we painted ourselves and did the woodwork (which was a whole fiasco in and of itself...ug). Anyway, we are very happy with the finished product (minus a few annoyances here and there) and we are enjoying the space. We had a birthday/housewarming party on Friday, which was so super fun. It was funny because we challenged our friends to find the sump pump, which they found to be unexpectedly difficult. The reason it is funny is because it was such an eyesore before and in the worst place ever. Now it is practically invisible. So, come visit us and you too can play "find the sump pump."

Jayden turned 5 and is a Kindergartener now!!

2010-08-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Jason has been home a couple weeks now, and it is so nice. I've been grocery shopping by myself a few times, and it is actually fun. :) I even got to go get my hair done yesterday. Yay for husbands being in town.

Jayden turned 5 last week. How in the heck did that ever happen? Seems like yesterday he was just a toddler hanging onto my pants to steady himself while he learned to walk. But he is a big boy now! He had his first day of kindergarten on Friday. Of course, I bawled after he walked into the school with his teacher, leaving me behind. At least it is only half day kindergarten. We can both ease into it this year before we jump head first next year for first grade.

Jayden could not be more excited to be in school. He was so cute on the first day. The kids had to line up outside the school to wait for their teacher to come and get them and bring them inside. Jayden walked right up to the other boys and said, "Hi, I'm Jayden. What's your name?" Then he came over to me and said, "Mom, that kid with the transformers backpack is Aiden." He did that several times. I was so happy to see that he wasn't too shy or overwhelmed. He was happily telling the other kids about his Buzz Lightyear backpack that is "3D without glasses!!!" I am so proud of him.

We are starting to get more settled in Colorado. Our basement will hopefully be finished within the next few weeks, which will be a relief. My whole house is in terrible disorder (for my liking, anyway) because of the basement construction. Every time someone goes downstairs, they come up and track drywall dust and other crap through the whole house. I will be very glad when that stops.

It has been thunderstorming (ya, I just made that word up) every afternoon for the last week and a half or so. I really like it. Not only does it smell nice, but it means I haven't watered my lawn for a while now. And since we actually have to worry about our own utilities for the first time in years, that is a good thing. Colorado is beautiful, and there is so much more we have to discover and explore. Jason loves it here, and it has been a while since he has liked where we have lived. Hopefully we can stay here for a little while.

Well, as usual, we love and miss you all. Come visit us!!

We took the kids to Mr. Biggs for Jayden's B-day. It was a blast.

Only a few days left

2010-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Jason will be home this week! Hooray! We are more than ready to see him again. Single mothering is way too hard...my hat is off to any mother who has to do this full time. The kids and I have been trying hard the last few days to not get on each other's nerves. Luckily, I had a couple lifesaving friends come to my rescue lately. I went to the new Twilight movie with my friend Kamee Hale (yes, all you Montana friends, That Kamee). Her husband was a saint and offered to watch the kids while we had a GNO. Much needed on my part. Anyway, that was super fun. And then my visiting teacher called and offered to take the kids for a couple hours. I didn't do anything super exciting, just grocery shopping, but even grocery shopping without kids seemed like a treat to me. And now the end is in sight. And you know, 7 weeks is a long time for a 2 year old. She has changed a lot since Jason left. She speaks in almost comprehensible sentences now. Won't Jason be surprised.

Motherhood

2010-07-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

I cried when I watched this...hard. With Jason gone, things have been hectic, to say the least. I've been less patient and understanding than I should have been with my kids. I know I need to rely on Him a lot more. My children are the most amazing people in my life and they deserve my very best everyday. Sometimes messages of hope like this one are exactly what mothers like me need to hear.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to live in this country. I am grateful to my husband and all the military members who give their time and energy so that we can continue to enjoy our freedom. Our lifestyle depends on these people to keep being selfless in helping preserve our freedom. Thank You!

Jason is still in Cali, but I wanted to make sure and celebrate the 4th with the kids somehow. I found out that Fort Carson was hosting a big celebration, and since Colorado Springs didn't do a thing, it seemed like a good option. I am so glad I went! I've been telling everybody that the army really knows how to throw a party! There were about 20 jumpy castles for the kids, booths, lots of food, glow necklaces that my kids loved, and a band that was very entertaining indeed. The rock band and a traditional band accompanied the fireworks, which made it even more amazing. I was worried that the kids would be awful considering I had them up 3 hours past their bedtime, but they did remarkably well. Charlee was scared of the fireworks at first. I had her up on my shoulders until she started pulling my hair out to get down. Then she hid behind my legs, only peeking out briefly and then hiding again. But after a while, she warmed up to it and was just as enthusiastic as the boys.

My parents came up a couple weeks ago and we had a ton of fun exploring Colorado Springs. It is very beautiful here with lots of things to see and do. I think we only scratched the surface, and we were busy for 5 days. Here are some of the highlights.

Cowshare

2010-06-12T13:48:00.001-07:00

So, in the last year or so I've been learning a lot about the virtues of whole foods. I still have a long way to go in cutting out so much processed foods from my family's diet, but I took a big step today. I was searching online for organic coops to see if there was anything available here in my new town. I came across information about a farm just outside of town that does cowshares. Since it is illegal in most states to sell raw, unpasteurized milk, this farm sells shares on cows. So you are not buying milk, you pay for the farm to board and care for your cow. So basically, I go get the milk from "my cow" once a week, plus sometimes yogurt, kefir, cheese, cheese curds, ect. Cool, huh? If any of you think I'm crazy and want to know what possessed me to want to do something like this, I highly suggest you google Weston Price and read about his studies. Fascinating.

I took the kids to the farm today to check it out and meet the cows. Besides getting a bit soiled from stepping in cow you-know-what, it was great fun. Charlee was so happy to see the cows, right up until one sniffed her up close. Then she got scared and buried her face in my shoulder. The farmer told us about their personalities, and we decided our favorite is the trouble-maker. She came right up behind James to check him out. He was pretty surprised to see her there when he turned around. Instant friendship, I tell ya.

So, here's to improved health and well-being for my family. Cheers.

Some good pics

2010-06-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog about the moving the tramp adventure. Jason was dreading taking the trampoline apart because we knew we couldn't take it with us to Colorado (having bought a house with a sloped backyard, and all). So, anyway, it turned out that our friends down the street wanted the tramp, and they got a couple friends together to help move it. I honestly didn't think it would work without taking it apart, but this is the result of their teamwork. :)

So, I am always trying to come up with easy things to do with Charlee's hair. She is like her mama and has long, thick, unruly hair. And, just like me when I was a kid, she HATES to get her hair done. She cries and fights the whole time I'm trying to do it. I look online and there are all sorts of cute ways to do girls hair, and most of them involve time-intensive flips and braids and multiple rubberbands... Ya, Charlee will not go for that, I've tried. So, I got online and ordered these super-cute headbands with big flowers that are very "in" right now. And sooo easy. This is the very adorable result.

And finally, only my family will appreciate this, but we have this home video from when we were kids and Kelli is famous for her "I some" line. So, here is Charlee with the exact same sentiments.

Nothin' Much

2010-06-06T13:01:00.001-07:00

Now that I have unpacked as far as I can until we have a basement (finished, that is), we have thankfully been able to have a little more order in our lives. I have finally been able to get some homework done, although it's been precious little, and I have a lot of catching up to do. The kids I think are lonely for their friends because we still don't really know anyone here. I have been taking them to ward playgroup every Tuesday, but that is all the social interaction they get besides Sundays. I did take them to an indoor playplace yesterday called Lil' Biggs. It was fun, but something we will only do every so often because it's expensive. I need to start taking the kids to see the local (free) attractions. Luckily, our ward had an RS meeting on that very subject this last week, so I am more informed at this point than I ever thought I would be so early in a move.

I am still pretty worried about the whole babysitting situation for when I start attending births again, which I am hoping will be soon. But, like all things in life, I need to just have patience that it will all work out sooner or later, with the Lord's help.

Our New House

2010-05-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I took these pictures just now. So this is our new house! We love it. We still have a bunch of boxes in the garage waiting until our basement is finished before we unpack them. We have a lot less storage space in this house. But we love Colorado Springs so far are are happy to be here and starting to get settled in.

I'm here

2010-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody (if anybody actually reads this)! Well, we're here. And when I say we, I mean everybody, even Jason. He wasn't going to come until the end of May, but he couldn't stay away that long. :) So, we are playing house now and getting everything unpacked. Unpacking is a huge pain in the butt and I don't enjoy it at all. I just wish I could pay somebody to unpack and get my house all set up for me and I could just go on with my life. I hate this long break from routine. But I do love my new house a lot. Jason has been a great help in making it beautiful with curtains and wall hangings. We met our neighbors and sat and talked for a long while this evening and they seem really cool, so that is always a plus. I still have a lot of unpacking to do, but I haven't done homework in about 3 weeks so unpacking is going to have to take a back seat for a while now.

OK, so I promise that once my house has some semblance of order I will take pictures and post them. I really want you all to see our new place. I will email with our new address and stuff soon.

Moving This Week

2010-05-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting in TLF (the base hotel, basically) surrounded by the few toys I let my kids keep out of the packing. We had the movers come pack us up and load all our stuff on a big semi-truck. The trick was to keep the kids out of the way. They thought it was all pretty interesting. Jayden was very excited to see that the semi truck was yellow (his favorite color). After they packed us up, I spent a few very long days cleaning the house from top to bottom. And I mean clean...you could probably eat of any surface of the house. :)

So now, we are just basically waiting until Tuesday when the housing office tells us if I have done a good enough job of cleaning to turn the house over to them. Then I will immediately start driving to Colorado to get there in time for Thursday when they do a thorough walk through and explain every aspect of the house to me. Then closing on Friday and I will officially be a Coloradian (is that a word?). So, wish me luck that all this goes smoothly. To all my very loved Great Falls friends, I will miss you intensely and will be forever grateful that you have enriched my life.

Tender Feelings Today

2010-04-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

I had my last day of work as a student at the birth center today. It was a good day. I have definitely improved and learned a lot since starting as a student almost a year and a half ago. But I have worked for Elaine at the birth center in various capacities, including childbirth educator, birth assistant, and student midwife, for almost 4 years. That is as long as I've ever had a job. But this was so much more than a job to me. In fact, for much of it, I made next to nothing or literally nothing. Working at the birth center was like living my dream job. It was like finding out who I really wanted to be in life. It was about finding out how much courage I have. And it was about having good friends.

I owe Elaine so much, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay her. Here are some of the gifts she has given me:

- She gave me an opportunity after meeting me only twice. I walked into the birth center one day and said I was a childbirth educator. She asked me to come back and meet with her and her partner. I came and met with them and they gave me the gig on the spot. Thus began my childbirth education classes at the birth center

- I was her first birth assistant at the birth center. I had been to births as a doula before, but I don't think she really knew how inexperienced and scared I really was then. But she trusted me enough to allow me to come to births and be taught by her. This was the beginning of a whole new chapter in life

- After working with Elaine for a while, I became pregnant with Charlee. There was no question in my mind that I would have my baby at the birth center. But after some upheaval in the birth center staff, Elaine had decided to not accept insurance anymore. This included mine, of course. So she did my prenatal visits and attended my birth for free. I don't think I've met anybody as generous in my life

- Soon after Charlee's birth, I felt some desire to become a midwife. It seemed like the logical next step, and yet an insanely scary one. Watching Elaine care for women and give them opportunities they never would have had in another birthing environment made me want to be involved in this amazing work, too. But it took me a while to build up the courage

- Finally, after much prayer and stress, I decided to take the plunge and go back to school to be a midwife. Elaine, of course, was tremendously excited for me and readily agreed to be my teacher. How could I have done any of this without her encouragement and support? Not to mention her unfailing belief in me, more than I had for myself?

- The last year and a half, I have work even more closely with Elaine as a midwifery student. She has given me opportunities for learning and growth and helped me be brave, and yet has not pushed me faster than I could go. I can only hope and pray that when we move, I will be able to find a midwife-teacher as amazing as Elaine has been for me.

So, today, after we finished up the clinical work, Elaine took me, Melanie, and Brianna out to lunch. I was so happy to be out with these wonderful friends, and yet sad that my time was up with them already. We had a great meal and were visiting as we finished up. Then, as a perfect ending to a midwifery apprenticeship, Elaine got a call on her cell phone that a mom was in labor and to hurry quick to the birth center. She and Melanie got up and quickly ran out the door to go down the street to the center to be with this mom on this most significant of days. Tears ran down my face as I watched them leave...without me. I can't believe this chapter of my life is over. I'm not sure I'm ready. Moving hasn't been this hard since I left Logan and my best friend forever Marie. But, life marches on. And, just like all the babies I've seen be born grow up and change, so must I.

More karate moments

2010-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Jayden absolutely loves being in Little Dragons. He does very well (I would say best in the class, but of course I may be a little biased). Anyway, today his teacher says, "Our three best weapons are our brain, our voice, and our feet. Why our feet?" and Jayden says, "Because they stink!"

LOL!

I am always getting after him because he puts his shoes on without putting on socks first. I tell him it makes his feet stink (it gets pretty bad). Apparently he did hear me, he just decided to ignore the advice! :)

James is a GOLD BELT!

2010-04-10T11:54:00.001-07:00

James had his karate test today to earn his gold belt. Jason took James early this morning and the test lasted for several hours. Here is James's final portion of the test. After testing all their skills, the testees must break a board to earn their belt. As you can see, it is very exciting to see the kids break their boards. James didn't think he could do it, but he is stronger than he thinks!

Also, James had his birthday party at McDonalds yesterday. He had a lot of fun with his friends, despite the fact that some kid (not involved with our party) threw up in the playplace and we had to keep the kids out of it for the remainder of the party. YUCK!

James turns 7 and other items of interest

2010-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

It has been spring break for the kids since last Thursday. We've been having fun, despite our kids being sick. The ward has been passing Hand, Foot and Mouth disease around, and Charlee got it. James has been sick and was pretty much couch bound yesterday on his 7th birthday. :(

Anyway, we took the kids to the circus on Friday, which was fun. We saw some friends there and went out to dinner afterwards, which is always enjoyable. Then we watched conference and went to a birthday party on Saturday. Sunday was great because between sessions of conference we went to the LaDuke's house for an Easter egg hunt with several families. We love friends!

Monday James got sick so we pretty much just hung out at home. Then yesterday was his 7th birthday. I don't know how the time has gone so fast. He got to open his gifts from Jason and I on his birthday, but we will celebrate on Friday with his friends at McDonalds.

This morning, Jayden's preschool had an Easter Parade at a local rest home. The kids got all dressed up and paraded in front of the residents and got Easter eggs to take home. When James got his eggs, he shouted, "Awesome!" and everyone laughed. It was cute.

I took some pictures of Charlee and her friend Jake sharing the lazyboy. They have a love/hate relationship. They hate it when they have to share toys, but they really love each other. My friend Alicia LaDuke and I watch each other's kids for our work days on Mondays and Wednesdays, so our kids get to see each other a lot. Anyway, I just thought they were very cute. Charlee kept leaning over to kiss Jake, but of course wouldn't do it when the camera came out. :)

Fun at the circus

Easter morning

Silly Charlee with a robin egg and a huge smile!

At the Easter Parade

Charlee and her best friend Jake

Moving

2010-03-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, we finally got a closing date. It will be May 14. And, Jason's orders got changed to training en route, so that makes things a lot easier on us. I will leave with the kids on the 12th or 13th to be there for closing on the 14th. Jason will have to stay behind until May 28, then he will leave and come down to CO for about a week before he leaves for training in Cali. Then he will be back at the end of July. So, our time in Montana is wrapping up. I will probably stop attending births here at the end of April, and Jayden will finish up at Miss Carol's school in April. James will continue school until right before we leave. Then he will be done for the year (there was no way I was putting him in school for the last 2 weeks in Colorado).

So, after 4 1/2 years here, we are moving on. It is bittersweet for me. I will really miss Elaine and the other birth center staff. They have been so good to me. I will also really miss our ward. It is always hard to try to start over making all new friends. Hopefully our new ward will be just as awesome. But, they have a lot to live up to.

Charlee is 2!!

2010-03-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, how time flies. I am happy and depressed that my daughter is 2. She has grown up so fast. Her birthday was interesting. I did her hair up all cute and put on her cutest outfit for the special day. Then I went to the HAWC to workout and she threw up all over in the kids room. One other mom had her kids in there and I could tell she was really mad. Anyway, after getting that big mess cleaned up, we went home and poor Charlee looked so sick. On the way home, she had the runs all over her carseat. Oh, what fun. I had to run inside to give her a bath quick before it was time to go get Jayden from school. When I got home, I put the kids down for a nap. We celebrated Charlee's birthday after James got home from school. Charlee was not longer in her cute outfit and had bed head from her nap, but oh well. She still loved her new toys and had a great time opening her gifts. She seemed to be feeling better, so we chanced giving her some cake. She thoroughly enjoyed eating her pink cake (everything was pink-including the wrapping paper on her gifts...it was a bit pepto bismol-ish). So, all in all, a good birthday.

I love you Charlee, and I am so happy you were born!

Major Update

2010-03-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so a lot has happened since I last posted. First of all, we found out that the military decided not to send us to Cape Cod. At first, it was a major disappointment...especially since they didn't immediately have anywhere else assigned to us. So, we spent a couple frustrating weeks wondering what was to become of us. Then, they told Jason he could choose between Vandenburg, California, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Oh, and we had less than 24 hours to choose. So after some stressful and prayerful hours, we decided on Colorado Springs. Then, in classic military style, they came back and said that Cape Cod wanted us back, but we could choose to stay with Colorado Springs if we wanted. So after some more stressful and prayerful hours, we decided that Colorado Springs was where we belonged. We feel good about our decision.

So, soon after all this happened, we decided we needed to see our families before our move. So we went down to Utah and Idaho for a few days each to visit. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera so we have only one picture that Grandpa Hope emailed to us. I had two days of conference for MCU while Jason spent time with his family and the kids at G and G Hopes house.

Then we drove to Idaho for a couple days. That's when things got even more interesting. We were in contact with our realtor trying to work out some days to travel to Colorado to house hunt. Turned out that the very next week was going to work better than any other time. So, we talked my mom into watching the kids while Jason and I travelled to Colorado Springs. We spent the next 5 days intensely shopping for a house (I am not exaggerating...he had us looking at over 60 houses the first day). The Lord's hand was definitely in it because after a series of chance meetings and happenings, we found a beautiful house that we never thought we wanted. It seems to be in a great neighborhood and I feel like it will be a great place for our family to live. Another interesting circumstance that took place is that in order to get this house, we had to bend our ideas on when we wanted to close. The owners (the building company) insisted that we close 2 months earlier than we wanted to. So, I will be moving very soon (unless a miracle occurs and the builder changes their minds...we will find out for sure tomorrow) to Colorado and Jason is going to have to persuade a friend to let him crash at his place until he is OK to move, too. It will be a crazy few months, but I think in the end it will all work out.

So, thanks a million to my mom for watching the kids. It was a huge sacrifice for her and I love her a ton for it. We couldn't have done it without her.

Pictures will be forthcoming of the new house. The builder's sales rep had her husband go and take a ton of pics of the house today and is mailing the CD tomorrow. So, when we get it I'll post a few pics of our new beautiful house.

Happy V Day

2010-02-14T17:11:00.001-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I just wanted to say how much I love my little family. Jason is such a great daddy and husband. He works so hard at a job that isn't always easy to go to. I know he has sacrificed a lot to provide such a great life for us. He takes off work to watch the kids while I go to births sometimes and has taken his much needed vacation time to watch the kids while I go to school conferences. He is generous with gifts for me and the kids because he loves to see the delight on our faces. He is so smart and he definitely does not give himself enough credit for that. He is a talented writer and very thoughtful. He has taught me to think in new ways and he is always encouraging me to be a better person. He teacher Sunday School at church and it is such a privilege to hear his thoughts and his testimony. I LOVE YOU JASON!

James is an amazing boy. He is so much smarter than me and Jason combined. The things that come out of his mouth sometimes astound me! He bears his testimony every month in church and it is so fantastic. He has a very profound and yet simple testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. He is a loving kid with a soft heart.

Jayden has a huge heart, too. He loves to cuddle and show affection. His smile melts my heart. He loves his friends and family and takes great pleasure in being around people. He is very active and does well in karate and will probably love sports. He is so creative. He has a big imagination, which sometimes gets him into trouble when he doesn't think about the consequences. :) He is a lot of fun to talk to because he has such great ideas in that head!

Charlee is a huge delight. She is growing up fast. She loves to sing and talk, although most of the time we still can't understand yet. She is a smiley girl and laughs all the time. Other moms comment to me how well behaved she is and how "easy" she is. For the most part, I have to agree. She does have a tissy fit sometimes (girls tend to do that), but she IS easy and a joy to have around.

Heavenly Father has really blessed our family. We love each other so much and each day is a new adventure. Happy Valentine's Day my little family. There is no one I'd rather spend my life with than you.

Compliment

2010-01-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

I attended a birth the other day, which was great. I got to help deliver the baby, or "catch" as you might say. Later on, the midwife told me that the new daddy said to her, "Does Nicki HAVE to go with her husband to Massachusetts?" She said, "Ya, it's not like he's going to Iraq or anything." And he said, "Well, it will be a big loss for this birth center when she goes."

Awww, thanks, new daddy. I appreciate that. I need all the confidence boosters I can get, being an awkward student and all.

Shopping at it's best

2010-01-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

I went to Old Navy yesterday to shop their clearance. I had an entire cartful of stuff for the kids for this and next year. I thought I had struck gold when it only cost me $116. Then, a friend I had run into while shopping called me and said that the clearance was going to be an additional 50% off starting today and that I could take my receipt in and get a price adjustment. So, today, I shopped some more (you can't beat 50% off of clearance prices) and got my price adjustment, and I basically have everything I need for next school year. And I spent a grand total of $127.47. Can you believe it? That is 47 items at approximately $2.70 an item! If I had paid full price, I estimate I would have paid $700. And that is probably a low estimate. Whoo Hoo for me!

Another scary day

2010-01-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

I think it may be more difficult to keep Jayden alive and well than it is my other kids. He has a bad habit of putting things in his mouth that shouldn't be there. First, it was medication that he found on the floor at my parents house. This resulted in a very traumatizing trip to the ER (maybe more so for me than for him). Then, last month, he ingested an entire bottle of children's vitamins. I didn't know how this would affect him, so I called poison control. Luckily, they said that he would be OK, with maybe some digestive upset. Well, this evening, as we were dishing up dinner, he started projectile vomiting at the table. It was so strange, as minutes before he had been playing and talkative. After clean up and a shower, I asked him if he had been feeling sick. He said he felt sick since his quiet time. (Quiet time is AKA mom's break time when Charlee sleeps and Jayden is expected to play quietly in his room). I asked him if he had eaten anything since lunch. He said he hadn't. Then he added as an afterthought that he drank yucky water during quiet time. After further questioning about what yucky water he was referring to, he said he had made yucky water in the bathroom during quiet time. I told him to show me what he put in it. He put toothpaste, "No More Tangles," and handsoap in water and drank it.

AAAHHH! How am I supposed to keep this kid alive when he keeps doing this? He really scares me. What, am I supposed to ban handsoap from their bathroom? I already banned kids vitamins. Any advice?

Our awesome Christmas

2009-12-27T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas this year. First of all, daddy was home, which is the best present of all. We had a family tradition growing up of going out to eat (or having Brent the chef cook if he was home that year) and going to a movie on Christmas eve. Christmas eve is also my mom's birthday, and we always looked forward to it because we knew we could all be together and have a blast. So, even though Jason and I stayed in Montana for Christmas this year, we kept up the tradition. We went to Macaroni grill and ate (such good food, yum!) and then took the kids to Disney's Christmas Carol at the theater. It was 3D, which was a surprise, but really good, I thought. It scared the kids a little, but they got over it. :) Then we drove around looking at Christmas lights. That evening, we made sugar cookies and decorated them. We also got online and tracked Santa, which the boys really got a kick out of.

Christmas day was really fun, too. We got up pretty early and the kids really got excited about their presents. That always makes Christmas so fun. Then we cleaned up and got ready for Christmas lunch/dinner with our friends, the LaDukes. They came over and had a yummy roast dinner and we each made stuff for the meal. Then our kids played for several hours while we chatted and played our new Wii. The next day, Alicia told me she was sore, and so was I! I guess we were pretty enthusiastic about the game. :) We spent the evening just chillin' at home while the kids played with their new toys. It was wonderful.

Then, yesterday, we took the kids out sledding by Monarch (about 45 minutes away) out in the woods. We found a really good spot and James and Jayden had a lot of fun. We only have one sled, so we decided that next year we need to buy a big tube so more of us can fit. Then we ate at the Cub's Den in Monarch, which is a little bar/restaurant that had really great burgers.

We missed our family, but our little Christmas here in Montana was very special. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and know that we love you very much.

Christmastime is here!

2009-12-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

We are having a great Christmas season so far. Both the boys had their Christmas school programs this week. Since I could not operate the video camera and the still camera at the same time, I have no pictures of it. But they both did a great job and were so excited to do it. James's was on Wednesday, the day I watch my friend's kids, and so I had all 6 kids there watching the program. It was pretty challenging trying to get all 6 kids herded through the crowded school halls, but I got through it and the kids had a lot of fun.

I am so excited to have the kids out of school for a couple weeks. It will be nice to have a more relaxed schedule for a while. I just hope I can keep them sufficiently entertained so they don't drive me and each other crazy!

We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas at home. Last year, Jason had a Christmas alert and so I went to my parent's house without him so I could see my big brother. It was a big sacrifice for Jason to let me go. This year, he is really excited to have a nice Christmas with just our little family and no worries that he might get called to work. Life is good for us.

We will miss all of our family this Christmas and we hope it is a happy one for each one of you.

Cute little girl hairdo

2009-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

I looked up some little girl hairstyles online and I am so proud of myself! Charlee's hair for church today was so super cute, if I do say so myself. Here are some pics for your viewing enjoyment.

Havin' fun

2009-12-13T17:57:00.001-08:00

We went to the OG Children's Christmas party yesterday. It was really fun. The kids got to sit in a helicopter, joust, make crafts and talk to Santa. I love it when there are free, fun kids activities going on. Speaking of free and fun, the base just opened up a family play area in the base gym. It has two jumpy castle things, badmitton, soccer, and other games to play. Why wasn't this here for the last 4 years?! We've been reduced to going to McDonalds during the winter to entertain our kids. Anyway, we are excited to be able to use it for the last few months we live here.

Pictures of the Birth Center gang

2009-12-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

We had a baby shower for the birth center receptionist today and got a picture of (most of) the gang. Just thought I'd share so you know who I'm talking about when I mention them.

Far left is Melanie, the other midwifery student; me of course; Brianna, the receptionist; sitting down is Elaine, the midwife; and Tiffany, a fellow birth assistant.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

We had a really good Thanksgiving. My parents came up and it was my first time hosting Thanksgiving. We had a wonderlicious meal. I was grateful for my parent's help and advice cooking the turkey and stuffing. The kids were so very excited about having grandma and grandpa at our house. I felt sorry for my dad because he had kids hanging off of him the entire visit.

Friday we went to White Sulfur Springs to a hot springs pool. It was a little ghetto but we still had tons of fun swimming with the kids. We watched a lot of movies, too.

I was sad to see my parents leave this morning. But I am grateful for such a fun Thanksgiving. We missed all the family we didn't get to see and hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

First Catch

2009-11-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

I caught my first baby today. It was one of the most overwhelming, spectacular, humbling, scary experiences I've ever had. I can't go into details here, but this was a big milestone for me and I had to include it here. Wow, what a privilege I have to do the work I do.

Halloween

2009-11-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween. The kids were super excited. Jayden wore his costume pretty much constantly this whole week. I even had to wash it before trick-or-treating because it was already dirty from wear.

We had a ward party on Friday, and then of coarse trick-or-treating on Saturday. The boys were both power rangers and Charlee was the cutest little Dorothy you've ever seen.

The last few weeks of our lives

2009-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

We have had an eventful last few weeks. The first week of October I went down to Utah again for a school conference. It was an awesome conference and I leaned and experienced a ton. The first 3 days were prenatal care lab and then I took sexual abuse. I missed my family so much since Jason took the week off again to watch the kids at home in Montana while I was away. I stayed with my grandparents. My grandpa passed away the second day of the conference. My dad called me during the day to tell me he had passed. I was so glad that I was there in SLC and that I had been able to see him for a couple of days before his death. My mom was there staying with my grandparents, too, since they new my grandpa wasn't doing well and would soon die. It was a bittersweet week after that because we were sad at grandpa's passing but also so happy to see so much family that came in. I cancelled my Friday class because that was the funeral day. Everyone was there except for one cousin. Even Brent flew in from Boston and my cousin Brian flew in from the Virgin Islands. I saw family members that I had not seen in years. We all felt Uncle Bruce's loss pretty keenly during that time.My family loved spending the short amount of time we had with Brent. We went out to eat the night he came in and then after the funeral we just hung out for a while. I went home on Saturday and had the rest of the day to wash clothes and prepare to fly to Las Vegas on Sunday for a family vacation. Jason was angelic and had the whole house clean when I got home. I was so surprised and delighted! Las Vegas was fun. We walked around and saw all the lights and massive casinos. We took the kids to the Tournament of Kings at the excalibur. That was super fun. We stayed at Circus Circus and the kids liked the circus acts and the games, where they won lots of stuffed animals. I took the kids to Shark's Reef, which is a great aquarium, while Jason went to the LV temple. I think the boy's favorite part was when we took them to the Adventuredome. That is an indoor amusement park. Our latest bit of adventure was a few days ago when we found out we will be moving to Cape Cod, Massachusetts next year. We are excited. It will be a whole new adventure for us. So, if any of you have ever been there, we would love info since neither of us has ever been to the Cape.

me preparing to get a pap from the student pictured below. (Yes, we all had to wear the headlamps. Funny, I know.)

Don't worry. I had to do the same to her after.

Just a cute pic of the kiddos

All the ladies from the Utah MCU conference

The conservatory at the Belagio

Whenever I say "say cheese," this is the face I get from Jayden

Charlee sitting next to me at the Tournament of Kings

With a "king" from the show

Adventuredome

The boys rode this ride MANY times

James lost 3 teeth in a week

My cutie face bug

Nursery

2009-09-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Charlee! She just turned 18 months on the 19th of this month. The next day was her first nursery day. I always am unsure of how my kids will react to being left in nursery at church. But she just walked right in and started playing! The leaders said she was so good the whole time. And since our nursery has 23 active kids every week, I am glad to contribute a well-behaved child to the mix. This was her second week, and she did just as good as last week. Hooray for a social child!

My interesting food day

2009-09-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

For my holistic health class, I have to do a bunch of "practical" assignments, which basically means make and do lots of fun stuff. So, this past week I have made my own creme frache (European sour cream), homemade cream cheese and whey, and sprouts. But today I stayed home all day and make lots of fun stuff. First off, I made a "green drink." Here is what I put in it (and I drank the entire thing, I might add): handful of spinach, 3 stalks celery, fresh homegrown sprouts, a thumb of ginger (yes, that is what it is called), juice of a lemon and a lime, an apple, a handful of parsley, and a banana. I can't say it appealed to my epicurean side, but I did feel good knowing I had all those servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think I'll make this a once or twice weekly habit.

My next feat was to make my own chicken stock. It took all day, but the results were awesome. I can't wait to make something with it.

Then, over the last week, I've been preparing a sourdough starter. Today it was ready and I made sourdough bread. It's...interesting. There was no yeast in the recipe, and they turned out a little brickish. They taste good, but they're not so much light and fluffy like I'd hoped. Anyway, it was a learning experience. I didn't take a picture of them because they are simply not pretty. Tomorrow, I am making a potassium tonic (it's gonna taste gross, I already know it) and starting a mint chutney (what do I even do with that, anyway?). Wish me luck.

As part of the class, I have to go on an "optimal" diet for a week. This basically means I have to eat food full of vitamins and healthy fats and such. So for dinner, of course on a night when Jason was on alert because he HATES fish, I made grilled salmon, sweet potatoes and whole wheat and oat rolls. It was super fabulous. I mean, I am only beginning to be a fish lover, but this was some of the best fish I've had yet! I am so proud of myself. I have to give the credit to my dad, however, because right before I made dinner I called and asked him how to grill the salmon and he gave me some ideas that made it so tasty. Basically, I grilled it skin side down first and put on melted butter, sprinkled on lemon juice and garlic and then flipped it, peeled the skin right off and added the same seasonings. Sooo Yummy!! Even my kids ate it, and that is saying something. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture because life gets crazy at the Hope house around dinner time, especially when Jason is gone.

In other news, I'm finally posting Jayden's pictures from his first day at Miss Carol's preschool. He is loving it there.

smoke alarm misadventure

2009-09-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

I had to blog about this because it's so funny/annoying. About midnight our smoke alarms all through the house start blaring. We raced around the house trying to figure out what it was. The poor boys were in their beds curled up in fetal positions with their hands over their ears. Charlee was sleeping right through it until I opened her door. Anyway, we couldn't figure out why they wouldn't turn off, so we finally had to call the fire dept. They told us to wait outside for them to arrive. We got the kids and waited in the car. When they came, Jason went inside with them. The boys thought it was totally cool that there was a fire truck (with their lights on and everything) and firemen at our house.

Well, after what seemed like hours (it was probably only about 30 min) the firemen came out and I asked what was wrong. They said that it is common in our base housing for dust to get into the smoke alarms and set them off. So they had blown the dust out. They left and we put the kids back to bed and not 2 minutes later the alarms were back on again. It was so nerve wracking!! We called the fire dept again and they said that it was now a housing maintenance problem. So we waited with the kids in the car again (the house was just too dang loud) and the guy took forever getting here. Here is the really funny part. (sorry if this is distasteful to some, but I think it's hilarious) James said, "Mom, I think I set the fire alarm off this time cuz when I went to the bathroom I accidentally farted." He was so serious! He was like, "I'm really sorry, it was an accident." After laughing really hard, I assured him that it was not his fault that the fire alarms were going off, it was just probably still dust. I'm not sure he believed me, I think he was convinced that this was his doing.

Jason went in again when the housing guy showed up while I stayed with the kids. They watched Cars on our laptop and I tried (unsuccessfully) to snooze. By this time it was almost 2 in the morning. So Jason came out and said the guy had replaced our smoke alarm and we could all go back to bed. Needless to say, we are all a little tired and grumpy. Poor Jason had to get up early and go on alert.

Another race and a new school year

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I hate it when I go this long without updating because then I can't remember all we've done. Well, first of all, I did another race. It was supposed to be the base triathlon, which me and a couple of friends were doing together. We got there the morning of and saw that the pool was only about half full. I guess the guy that usually takes care of the pool levels and all that went on vacation and his replacement screwed up big time by emptying the pool! Oops! We were all pretty disappointed that our triathlon was canceled, so we decided as a group to just do a biathlon instead. So we did the biking and running portions of the race. It was super fun. Once again, it was harder than I thought it would be, but I was so glad I did it. Unfortunately, I still can't say I've ever completed a triathlon, though. :)

That afternoon, I drove down to Idaho to see my brother who had just returned from his mission (Texas, Houston East mission). It was awesome to see him. He has sure grown up a lot. We did a lot of fun things. We went to a movie together, just David, me and Kelli. We took the kids to an indoor playground/arcade and once again Kelli, David and I got to escape for a while to play mini-golf while our angel mother watched the kids. It was so great to spend time with my siblings. We missed Brent, though. David gave a great talk in church and we had a whole lot of family there. They all came to my parent's house after and had lunch. It was nice to see so much family that I hardly ever get to see anymore.

James started first grade the day after we got home from Idaho. I can't believe he is old enough to be in first grade! I blows my mind. He is doing very well in school so far. His teachers name is Mrs. Kakalesic. Try saying that 5 times fast. The poor first graders just call her Mrs. K. He says he likes her and that she is nice. That's always good news. Jayden will go to Miss Carol's preschool again this year. He starts this week.

Our trip

2009-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

My parents were supposed to come up last Sunday, but called me and said they were having serious car trouble and couldn't make the trip. As a last minute decision, me and the kids went down to Idaho. It was really fun. We went swimming at Lava Hot Springs the first day. It took all of us to keep track of the kids! It was a super fun day. Then we went camping at Scout Mountain. We rode my parent's four-wheeler and made s'mores. My dad brought some wakie tackies and James spent most of the time talking to Grandpa and me on them. My dad taught him some nice phrases like, "over and out" & "rodger that." He thought it was great fun and it was so cute to listen to him.

After the overnighter, we took the kids with their cousin Kassidi to the Idaho Falls zoo. It was really fun. The kids were excited to be together and see all the animals. There was this really funny monkey there that was totally showing off.

10K

2009-08-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Me and some friends decided to do a 10K. We trained together 2-3 times per week at 6 o'clock in the morning. It was a lot of fun running with friends who encouraged me and helped me improve. On the day of the 10K, I drove to Choteau with my friend Alicia. She was doing the 5K, and some other friends of ours had driven up the day before because they were doing the half marathon starting at 6 am (Yikes!). The run was harder than I thought it would be, with a killer hill right before the turn around. But I'm so glad I did it! I used to hate running, but now, I think I'm starting to like it. It's surprisingly relaxing. :) After the race, someone pointed out that I was bleeding! I had a scab on my ankle from running with an anklet a few days before, and it opened up on the run and blood was running into my shoe. Yuck. But it was fun to get a picture of my battle wound. :)

Jayden's birthday

2009-08-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

We've had an eventful few weeks. Jayden turned 4, and I can hardly believe it. I know I say that every time my kids have a birthday, but man! It was a super fun party. We had a lot of friends come over for a BBQ and water party. I wasn't sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but it turns out that kids don't care. They see a slip-n-slide and they are in it! Jayden really enjoyed himself, and so did I.

Temple trip

2009-07-26T20:30:00.001-07:00

I had a great weekend. On Friday, we went to the base picnic, which was...fine. It was hot and I was by myself with the kids. I saw some friends, so that part was fun. Anyway, after the picnic, I packed and got ready to go on a girl's weekend out. I was so excited.

My friend Alicia drove, and my friends Patty and Kathy went, too. We drove to Billings and stayed in La Quinta. We ate at Red Lobster, so yummy, and then just hung out talking, laughing, and playing card games in the hotel. I gotta say, I love girls nights out!!

The next morning we went to the temple, which was a great experience. I feel very blessed to have been able to go the temple 2 months in a row. Jason was great to stay home and watch the kids to help make it happen.

So, after the temple, we went to an LDS bookstore, and I bought a Worldwide Ward Cookbook. There are lots of yummy looking recipes in there I am excited to try. Then we ate Thai food. Soooo good. Jason isn't much of an adventurous eater, so I was happy to be with friends who would be adventurous with me. Maybe I'll have to try some Thai food recipes when we is on alert. My friends told me about a great new Thai place here in Great Falls, so I'll definitely have to find an excuse to try it out sometime.

So, that was my week. I am looking forward to my parents coming up the first few days of August. We might even go camping, so that should be fun. Then my brother comes home from his mission in just over 3 weeks! Yay!

Just Chillin'

2009-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hey. Just thought I'd write a little. We haven't been up to much. The kids have been in swimming lessons for the past few weeks. I keep forgetting to bring the camera, but the boys are doing really well. James can go off the diving board by himself without help, which is a big improvement over last year. Jayden has lots of fun and is being brave in the water. He is already showing improvements and it's his first year.

I took my first formal test for my Master's degree today. I think it went OK. We'll see when I get my grade back!

I am totally annoyed that we haven't got our orders yet. For months they told us "early to mid summer" and now it's the end of July and they are still saying "it might be a while." I am on the edge of my seat, here. A lot depends on this move. Midwifery in every state is different. I really hope we go somewhere where midwifery is legalized. Anyway, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. When we know, you'll know! :)

Charlee is FINALLY walking. She was taking a few steps here and there for a while, but not really trying to walk. Now, she is pretty much walking everywhere and crawling only when she is on an unstable surface. She is very proud of herself and gets really excited when she sees me watching her. I love it.

Jayden is turning 4 next week. I can't believe it! He was only 4 months old when we moved to Montana. We are having a backyard BBQ and slip'n'slide party with a few of his friends. It should be a fun time. I'll post some pictures of it after the big event.

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Charlee was a big pill today in church. She doesn't do too well with the 11:00 church schedule. It is right in the middle of naptime. After we got home, I asked Jason to take her while I cooked lunch. He came and got me after a few minutes to show me what Charlee had done. He said she had thrown a huge fit for a couple of minutes and then it all the sudden got quiet. He checked on her and this is what he found!

We had a really fun fourth. Me and the kids went to our ward breakfast. It was fun. Then we went with my friend Shar and her boys to the parade. It was fun to be there with a friend, especially considering that it was really hot and the parade was really long! But we had a good time and the boys got tons of candy. They have a new rule here that they can't throw candy. They have to hand it directly to them. So the boys had bags they held out like trick-or-treating and got tons of candy. Then we went home to rest for a while before our evening festivities. Jason came home from alert and then we went over to our friends, the Lotz's house, and had a potluck BBQ. It was really great. Finally, we finished out the holiday by going to yet another friend's house, the Daw's, to light fireworks. It rained on us really hard for a good part of the time we were trying to do fireworks, but we still had fun. Jason sat in the car to light them and then either threw them out the window onto the street, or else ran out to the middle of the street after lighting the bigger ones. It was pretty funny. But the rain settled down and we finished up just chatting with our friends.

We missed our families. We love you all and hope you had a good holiday.

FINALLY some cute kid pics

2009-06-28T14:42:00.001-07:00

I guess Charlee was in a good mood this morning because she finally allowed us to get a few fun pictures. Enjoy.

Baseball game

2009-06-28T14:29:00.001-07:00

(James is one of the kids in black)

It was military night at the Voyagers Baseball game (local minor league) last night. They had a special BBQ for Malmstrom little league and their families, which was fun. Then James got to run out to first base with the rest of the little leaguers from the base to hight five the first baseman right before the game started. He had a great time. It was funny. The announcer goes..."There's the little leaguers from Malmstrom running out on the field. Let's give them a hand and get them off the field!"

Mini-golf

2009-06-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

I took the boys the other day to a mini golf place we recently found out about. It's a bummer that we've lived here for 3 1/2 years and just found out about it. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. James was pretty good, too!

Still trying to get a good picture

2009-06-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

I tried again this morning before church to get a cute picture of the kids. The one I have posted on this blog is really old. But, of course, they didn't feel like cooperating again. So, I'll just have to share the pictures I got. You'll get the idea of how it went.

This week

2009-05-31T17:31:00.001-07:00

This is as posed as I could get the kids for a picture. Pretty typical! The kids NEVER seem to stop moving!

Charlee's favorite word the last few days is NNNNNOO! That's exactly how she says it. She'll sit and play with her toys and yell out NNNNNOO! every few minutes. It's really funny. I tried to get her to do it in the video, but she didn't say it with as much gusto as she usually does. She has been babbling a lot to anyone who will listen to her, especially in church. It's very cute.

So I am leaving for Utah in a week. Jason will be alone with the kids for about 8 days! I am nervous, but I think it will be good for them. I hope the kids get some good daddy-bonding time. As for me, it will be fun to have a whole week to myself. Of course, I will be pretty busy with the classes and stuff, but I have a whole day on Friday to spend having fun with my friend Marie and my mom. Hooray!! Plus, I'll be staying the whole week at my grandma's house, whom I hardly ever get to see anymore, so I am really excited for the trip.

Jayden's last day

2009-05-26T06:43:00.001-07:00

That last post drove me crazy. I couldn't get anything to go where I wanted it. Ahh!! OK, got that off my chest.

Jayden had his last day of preschool last Thursday. They had a party at Gibson park. There is a big pond there with lots of ducks and some swans to feed. Jayden couldn't contain his excitement! He kept throwing whole slices of bread at them instead of breaking it up into little pieces. The kids played for a while on the playground and then had a picnic. There was duck poop everywhere and I had to push my stroller through it. Yuck. :) Miss Carol also had a parachute that we played with. The kids didn't so much play with the parachute as fight over who got to hold the beach balls we were trying to bounce on it. Oh, well. They're 3, right?

I am kinda sad he's done. Carol is the best preschool teacher ever. She loves those kids so much. Since we will likely be moving sometime later this year, I didn't reserve a spot for him in her 4 year old class. Maybe if we're lucky, she'll have an open spot and he can go for however long we live here next school year.

Cute pics

2009-05-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

Charlee gets really funny and happy at meal times. The way to that girl's heart is through her tummy, I tell ya. She is very cute at the the "how big is the baby?" game. For a while she was only doing it with one arm because that's all Jason could do with his hurt arm. It was pretty cute. She is such a daddy's girl. The other day in church I kept saying, "say mommy!" and she would laugh and say "dada" over and over again. What a stinker! :)

Speaking of food, Jason gave her a chocolate chip cookie the other day. As you can see, she thoroughly enjoyed it!

Catch up

2009-05-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

OK, so again, it's been awhile. We went to Utah all the sudden this week for a quick trip to see Jason's family. It was a good visit, but too short. I had too many commitments to make the trip longer. The kids really enjoyed seeing their grandparents and cousins. Charlee took instantly to grandpa Hope. They had a good time playing together.

Jason is healing relatively well from his broken clavicle. He is still in pain, but it's getting slowly better. He has been doing about 1/2 days at work. He has also watched the kids for me when I get called to births. He is a good man to do that even though he hurts.

This is my Mother's Day gift from Jason (the flowers). It is exactly what I wanted. But in addition to that, he gave me a digital frame! I'm spoiled, I know.
This was the huge snow storm the last day of April. I was so bummed. But, the snow melted and now we are just waiting for the trees and shrubs to have leaves. Utah was in full blown spring. I was so jealous and it made me not want to come home! It's the middle of May and I'm still waiting for spring to come. Ugh! :)
This is so funny to me. I have a picture of me as a baby at about this same age crawling around with a bottle hanging from my mouth, too. Like mother, like daughter, I guess!

James's 6th birthday

2009-04-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

James turned 6 on April 6th! I can't believe he's so old. We had a fun party at the Children's Museum. There was a small turn-out of kids, but I think James still had tons of fun. He had been asking for a Bulkhead Transformer toy for weeks, and he was very excited to get it.

New House

2009-04-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I know, I know. It has been a while since I posted. Here is my excuse. We had 2 weeks notice to move out of our old house and into an almost brand new house on base. They are going to tear down the houses in our old neighborhood this summer. This announcement came while Jason was tremendously busy at work getting ready for his 6 week TDY (basically, he's gone for 6 weeks to California). The housing office said they were supposed to give him 5 days off for moving. He got 1 1/2. My parents mercifully came up and my mom watched kids and helped pack and my dad and Jason did all the heavy lifting. It was a ton of work and we owe my parents a ton of gratitude for all their help. Anyway, Jason barely had time to get all the moving paperwork done and pack for his trip before he was headed out the door for 6 weeks. We didn't even have time to have a night out together or anything because of all the moving chaos. Anyway, I had to clean the old house and unpack the new house (a work still in progress...probably will be until we move again) by myself. I didn't do homework for almost 3 weeks, a fact that is causing me much stress now that things have somewhat settled down.

So, as you can see, blogging was just about last on my to-do list. Although my plate is still full, I wanted to post some pics of the new house (remember, it's a work still in progress) for those of you who were curious.

Front of house

View when you first walk in the door

Bedroom

Dining room and family room/playroom

Living room

Charlee is 1!

2009-03-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 1 year old! It's depressing and exciting all at the same time. I think her brothers enjoyed her birthday more than she did. They kept asking when Charlee was going to open her presents.

You'll notice in the background that there are boxes. That is because we have to move! We were told on Monday that we are being "kicked out" of our house and moved onto a newer house on base. They are tearing down the houses like mine and building new ones. Many of our friends and neighbors have already been moved to new houses. It stinks because we will be PCSing at the end of the year. Two moves in one year. Oy.

Bike ride/fiasco

2009-03-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Jason bought me a wonderfully nice bike for Christmas. We got it out of layaway a few weeks ago, but the weather has been too bad to take it for a ride. Well, yesterday it was finally warm enough to melt almost all the snow. After running around all day with the kids, I asked Jason if I could take off for my first bike ride on my new bike. I was practically bouncing with excitement. I had been practicing on our indoor bike trainer and especially practicing clipping in and out (I have special bike shoes that "clip" in to special pedals on the bike). I got the bike outside and tried clipping in on the grass, just in case. Well, I apparently had not practiced enough with the new clips because I simply could not do it. I fell over numerous times before finally losing my pride and fetching Jason to help me get on my bike. He held the bike while I clipped in, then let go and I started pedaling. I rode about 16 miles, the whole time worrying about what I would do when I needed to stop. It was getting kinda dark and I saw a car up ahead (only about a block from our house) flashing lights at me. I panicked because my plan had been to slow down and try to clip out on our front lawn again, so if I fell, it would at least be in the grass. Anyway, I realized it was Jason and the kids in the car and I tried to stop, but did not do so correctly, and of course, crashed on the pavement. I threw a temper tantrum (embarrassingly enough) and ripped my bike shoes off and walked home in my socks, walking my bike along side me. Now in addition to having a sore butt and calves (from the workout) I have a sore elbow, knee and ripped pants from the wreck. The worst part is my sore pride from my lack of clipping ability and my toddlerish tantrum. Jason was shocked, saying he's never seen me act like that. Oops.

Well, my good husband took the clips off his own shoes and his own bike and installed them on my shoes and my bike (I am more used to that type of clip, buy was stubbornly trying to use a "nicer" road clip). Anyway, this picture is of me right before this whole fiasco started, when I was still naively dancing with excitement.

OK, so for some reason today it won't load my picture. So, it will maybe be coming later.

Creation

2009-03-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Anybody and everybody who reads this blog, please follow this link and watch the 2 minute video. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much with the desire and ability to CREATE!! How valuable we all are to each other. We can bless each other's lives so immensely with what we choose to create.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

Bowling fun and crawling Charlee

2009-02-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Alicia's husband is TDY for 2 weeks so she invited us to go bowling for FHE last Monday. Jason was busy that night so we went and had a great time. The on base bowling alley is kid friendly with ramps the kids can launch their balls down and gutter guards and all that. I managed to break 100 (with the help of the gutter guards!).

Charlee has been crawling for a while, but I don't think any of the grandparents have seen it. So, here is a video for your viewing pleasure. She won't lift her chubby baby belly off the floor, so she has perfected the army crawl. She does fairly well keeping up with her brothers this way. I'm in no hurry for her to learn to walk because then she'll be unstoppable!

Banff

2009-02-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

AFTER

OK, I finally have time to post about our trip to Canada. We were gone for 5 days. The first 3 were fun. Then Charlee had had enough and it was rough after that. She doesn't like to sleep anywhere but her own bed, so she was getting pretty sleep deprived.

We drove to Cardston on Tuesday and did a temple trip. Cardston is a small town. The temple is probably the biggest and nicest building there. We ate at a Chinese restaurant, and honestly, I have never had worse food. It was awful! But the temple was awesome. The next day, we drove to Banff via Calgary and Olive Garden. Yum! The Canadian Rockies are beyond description. I was in awe. Banff is a really cool touristy town. It has lots of fun (expensive) shops, good places to eat, and lots to do. We stayed at Douglas Fir resort after a friend told us about it. Thanks, Lacie! We went on the Banff gondola. This takes you to the top of a mountain where you can see the whole world, it seems. It was a partially foggy day, so that was a little bit of a bummer, but it was still gorgeous. Our boys absolutely loved the gondola ride. Then we went to Upper hot springs. We couldn't stay for long because it was really hot water and our kids were getting pretty red in the face, but we still had a good time there. We found some really great places to eat. The hotel itself was a blast for the kids because it had it's own indoor playground and water park.

We tried to stay another day in Banff because we were having too good a time to go home, but the resort was full, so we decided to take the long way home via Whitefish, MT. Bad idea. Charlee screamed the whole way there. Then, she wouldn't sleep that night, so I drove around town all night so Jason could sleep (and drive home safely the next day while I slept!). She refused to sleep anymore in anyplace other than her bed, so we didn't do anything in Whitefish. We just got in the car and started for home. Charlee SCREAMED the whole way home. It was a long drive, to say the least. Anyway, we eventually made it home safely and put Charlee right to bed.

Did I mention I had my stitches in the whole time? I felt really ugly because my face was all swollen from getting my moles removed and the stitches were getting really irritating. My good friend Alicia came over that night and took them out for me. Instant relief! What a great friend, huh? So, now my face is mole-less. When the scars fade, hopefully it will look nice.

I went to an obstetric conference in Helena on Tuesday with Elaine the midwife and Melanie, my fellow student. It was fun and I was pleased that I actually understood most of what they were talking about. Me and Melanie were the only non-nurses there. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot, but I missed my kids terribly all day.

I think that's about it for the last couple of weeks for us. Maybe (cross my fingers) life will return to some sort of normal now.

I missed church...again!

2009-02-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

OK, so in the last 5 Sundays I have been to church once! Ahh! Not only does my heart feel heavy and in need of a spiritual lift, but I miss my ward family that I've come to love very much. A good friend of mine, Tiffany, had her last Sunday today and I missed it! I'm so sad about it. I got a call last night that there was a lady in labor in Helena and so I made arrangements to go. Luckily, I didn't have to go until this morning, but I was gone all day. My babysitter, Liz, is heaven sent. I feel bad making her miss church, too, though. Last week Jayden was throwing up so we couldn't go to church, but the other weeks it has been births keeping me busy. If any of you babies up in heaven can hear me, I need to go to church next week. Please choose another day to come!

In other news, we are headed to Canada this week for family vacation. We are all very excited. We are going to Cardston the first day and going to the temple. Then the next day we are headed up to Banff. It should be fairly awesome. :) We are staying there for 2 days, then heading back down. We may or may not stay a day in Calgary. It depends on if our excitement and our money hold out or not. Hooray for leaving your cares behind for a few days and having no obligations except to play with your husband and kids!! I may have to sneak in a few hours of homework in there, but hey, that's what long car rides are for. See you all when we get back!

Births and more births

2009-01-31T19:02:00.001-08:00

No cute pictures this time. I haven't had time to breath, much less take pictures of my cute family. I had 3 births in as many days, and 2 of them were very long. It is good to be getting some numbers, but man oh man, it was intense. My house was an absolute disaster until today. I spent all day cleaning and it feels great to have a sanitary house now. It was pretty bad before.

School is going well so far. I really love learning all about midwifery. I have learned a lot at the births I've been attending.

Jason is still working hard on his Masters degree. I usually proofread his papers. He is a really talented writer. I am proud of him.

I volunteered at James's school on Friday. The kids are really cute. I am impressed with how much James is learning. He is reading really well. He needs to work on his writing, but he is doing well overall.

Jayden LOVES Miss Carol's school. He announces himself when he walks in the door. Miss Carol, I came back!

Charlee is finally crawling. It's still just an army crawl, but she gets around very well. She said her first word last night! I am proud to say her first comprehensible word was Mama!! Both boys said Dada first, so it's fun to have a mama's girl.

That's about it for us!

First lost tooth of the Hope household

2009-01-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

James came home from school yesterday with a very loose tooth. He was super excited about it and couldn't wait for it to come out. He had to make sure and tell everybody about it and made a point to show it off for daddy. Well, Jason watched the kids last night while I went for a massage (long story) and when I came home, Jason told me to walk over to the counter where there was a glass and look inside. Well, lo and behold, there was a tiny little tooth inside! I went downstairs and James was beyond excited to tell me all about it. So, the toothfairy came and brought him a $1 bill last night. He woke up extra early (yay for me) to show it to me.

Since I mentioned Charlee's fraggle rock hairdo last post, I thought I'd provide a picture this time. She does not like to get her hair done! But look how super cute she is!

On the school front, I am feeling very overwhelmed with all that I have to learn to become a midwife! Ahh! I am just such a newbie when it comes to all the medical side of childbirth. I am learning to take blood pressure and I feel clumsy and ignorant even just with that skill. I have a long way to go.

More snow and preschool

2009-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I would put another snow drift picture on here. This picture was taken AFTER I had been hacking at it for about 10 minutes. Poor James had to climb several mountains of snow just to get to the school bus.

Jayden had his first week of preschool. He was very excited. He is not quite potty trained yet, but Miss Carol was nice enough to accept him anyway. Well, she may be regretting it now because he pooped BOTH days of preschool and she had to change his pants. Yuck. I felt really bad. We have been trying to work on it with him, but he is really resistant. I hope he doesn't give me as much trouble over it as James did, or I may not recover. If anyone reading this has potty training tips, I'd love to hear them. This kid needs to do it, and fast. I really don't want Miss Carol to have to change any more diapers.

Anyway, other than that, he's had a great time. When I ask him what he did at preschool, he says, "Played and ate snacks." That just about wraps up a kid's life, I guess.

I failed to take a picture of it, but Charlee had her first ponytail yesterday. She was really mad at me for bugging her and fussing with her hair. Once I finally got it in, she looked like a little Fraggle Rock. It was pretty funny.

Saturday

2009-01-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Just thought you'd all enjoy some more pictures. There is SOOO much snow in our yard. We have the worst yard for snow drifts. Our neighbor's yard is practically bare because all the snow blew into our yard and driveway. We have had several friends comment to us on how crazy it is that we have such huge drifts. Jason and I had to work late into the night last night to dig out his Jeep so he could drive it to work this morning. Yikes.

Anyway, I took the kids to Home Depot for the kids project. They had fun. James even screwed in the screws (almost) all by himself. They are very proud of their new bookends. I, on the other hand, had a blast looking through the clearance Christmas decor and getting some cute new things for next year for super cheap. Life is good when you know you got a good deal. :)

Then, we made a stop at the mall and ran into friends in the parking lot who said I should check out the good prices at JCPenney for kids clothes (Shar, you'll enjoy this story). So, of course, I did. I found several cute, cheap things for each of the kids and was very happy to make my purchases and leave to go home. It had been a long morning carting all three kids around town by myself and I was cheerfully looking forward to naptime. I got to the car, and realized Charlee only had one shoe. These were new Christmas shoes, so I couldn't just ignore it. I ran back into the mall to retrace my steps. I went back to the register and asked the lady who had rung me up if she had seen a baby shoe. Of course not. I gave up. So, I got home and was putting the new clothes away when, to my dismay, I realized that some of the things I had thought I bought were not there. I checked my receipt, and sure enough, I HAD bought them. My cheerful attitude was quickly waning. I called the store, and after being transfered here and there, they finally found my things and told me to come back and get them. (GRRR.) I thought back and realized that there had been ample opportunity for the cashier to correct her mistake when I had returned to the store and spoken directly to her to find the shoe. Surely she had realized that she had not bagged all my items soon after I walked away because they would have been sitting right there on the counter! (Double GRRR.) Anyway, long story short, I dragged all the kids back out into the below 0 temps to retrieve my things and we finally got home and I even got Charlee and Jayden to sleep a little, and at the same time! My evening was saved. :)

I am looking forward to NOT going to church at 9 am tomorrow. We'll see how the kids do with 11 o'clock church. Jayden will have his first week of Primary. Oh my gosh, my kids are growing up too fast. Somebody slow this train down!!

Holidays

2009-01-01T20:14:00.001-08:00

Well, the holidays are over. Crazy, huh? We had an interesting Christmas. Jason had an alert added to his schedule at the last minute, and so we had to make the hard decision of whether I would stay home with him, or go to Idaho with the kids to see my brother who only comes home about every 2 years. Finally, we decided that it was important to visit with my brother, so me and the kids left on Saturday, the 20th, for Idaho. That was earlier than we'd planned to go, but we wanted to beat a winter storm that was coming in. It was fun being with my family, but we missed Jason. We built a snowman, went sledding, played games, did some shopping, etc. The boys absolutely loved played with their cousin, Kassidi. Brent, my brother, cooked for us, which is always a pleasure.

We ended up staying 3 days after we'd planned to go home, again because of the weather. I was anxious to get home to see Jason and get back on our routine somewhat (the boys were going to bed at 10 at night and not taking naps...ahhhh!). But, eventually we did get home safe and sound.

We had a birthday get together with friends on Jason's birthday at Tony Romas. It was fun. We bought gag gifts for Jason and two others who had a birthday on the same day. The food sucked but the company was good. :)

Then, last night we were invited over to our friends, the LaDuke's house, for games and food on New Year's Eve. I played the game Settler's of Catan for the first time. I didn't really get it at first, but then when I started understanding, it was more fun. We had our own countdown (several minutes after midnight, I think) and drank Martinelli's. It was a lot of fun. I love being with friends.

Well, that about wraps it up. Me and Jason and James start school again on Monday. Life will be pretty interesting after that.

Cute Christmas Princess

2008-12-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

I just had to post these cute pictures of Charlee in her Christmas outfit. We took her to my work party in it, and of course everyone thought she looked adorable.

James had his Christmas presentation at school the other day. I had my friend Alicia's kids with me, so it was a little crazy, but I enjoyed seeing James sing the songs he learned. Unfortunately, my camera was being naughty, so the pictures didn't turn out good at all. I did get most of it on video, though.

Jason and I were planning on going out tonight to celebrate our anniversary (eight years on Monday!!) but the weather may not allow that. We have huge snow drifts and the temps are below 0. I just hope the weather behaves closer to when we want to travel to Idaho for Christmas. I would be absolutely heartbroken if we couldn't go.

Anyway, enjoy the pics.

School news

2008-12-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

So I finally heard from the Midwives College of Utah today and I got accepted into the program. Hooray! Now I can finally get going with things that have been on hold while I've been waiting to hear back, like getting my apprentice license. I attended a couple of births last week at the Birth Center, and Elaine the midwife there started teaching me a few things. It was very exciting to start learning new things. I know I have a really long way to go, but I love learning and expanding my skills. It's kinda weird to be a college student again. It's definitely not going to be the same the second time around.

Christmas lights

2008-12-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

So I am very proud of myself. I hung Christmas lights for the first time this year...all by myself! It was kinda scary when I was hanging them at the highest part of the roof, but luckily I didn't fall off the ladder. Now I just need to figure out an easier way to have them turn on and off, cuz I get sick of going out every evening to plug them all in and out.

We went to the Christmas stroll and lights parade last night. The kids had a lot of fun at the parade. They collected a lot of candy and got excited about all the lit up floats. Afterwards, we went home and watched the Grinch on TV and they ate all their candy. I figured, hey, it's the weekend, it can't hurt, right?

The kids

2008-11-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of what the kids have been up to. James is playing indoor soccer. I don't think he likes it very much. He obviously stays away from the ball and doesn't even try to kick it unless it is right in front of him. After a while in the games, he just walks aimlessly around the court and says he's tired of running. :) I guess he won't be a professional soccer player. Sigh. Just kidding. He reminds me of me. I never could get into playing sports when I was young. I was always confused about the rules and afraid of the ball. I do want to encourage him to participate in some kind of physical sport in his life, but maybe that will be something like biking or snowboarding rather than organized team sports. We'll see. The other pictures are of us at the festival of trees. It was really fun. They had lots of rooms with different activities for the kids, and the main room had lots of beautifully decorated trees. I think this will be something we will do again next year (if we are still living here next Christmas, that is. Can you believe we are counting down months instead of years until we move again?)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I was a dork and forgot the camera during our Thanksgiving dinner, so you'll just have to read about it instead. It was so nice to have somewhere to go since Jason was working. Me and the kids and 4 other families and the missionaries gathered at the church for dinner. We all made food to bring. I made a 24 pound turkey (the biggest and, might I say, the best I've ever made so far) and stuffing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, and pilgrim hat cookies for the kids. There was all sorts of yummy food there. It was a lot of fun. We just ate and talked and one of the families brought Wall-E for the kids to watch. All of us there live far away from our families and so we just became family for each other. I am so grateful to live by really wonderful people who care so much about each other. It makes living far away from family bearable. If any of my Great Falls family (aka my awsome friends) are reading this...I love you!!

Update

2008-11-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

I hadn't posted in a while, so I thought I'd update. Not a lot has happened that is worth mentioning. I went to Twilight with my friends Shar and Tiffany today. I definitely love the books more than the movie, but that's not surprising. It was super fun to get out and spend time with friends without kids, though. Jason was a sweetheart and stayed with the kids for me.

I haven't got called in to a birth for the last 2 months when I have been on call. I am finding that I really miss it when I don't go to a birth for that long. I really love what I do. Also, I need to be saving birth money for school, so hopefully I don't have too many more "dry" months like this. I don't know if any of you watch the Today Show, but they featured doulas last Thursday. I was pretty disappointed with their segment. They had a doctor who claimed that doulas are only a luxury for women with means. That is very much not true, as many doulas work for barter, low fees or for free. They mentioned a few other things that just put doulas in an unfairly negative light. I just hope that women who are considering a doula do their homework and don't just take the media word for it. There, I'll get off my soapbox.

Well, I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. I wish we could be with you all. We miss our friends and family!

Christmas freak

2008-11-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm an official Christmas freak. I've been listening to a Christmas radio station on itunes since 2 days after Halloween. My kids kept pressuring me to set up our Christmas decorations, so today we set up our Christmas tree. There are two rows of lights out, though, so now I have the fun duty of going through each light to find out which one has gone bad. Yeah. :( So, I know that whenever friends come over between now and Thanksgiving, they will make fun of me, but oh, well. Christmas music and lights just make me happy and put me in a good mood, and who doesn't want that? So, Merry early Christmas everyone. Plus, since Jason is on alert during Thanksgiving, I am not really excited about that holiday, so I'm simply skipping over it. :)

Halloween

2008-11-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Halloween is so fun with kids. They were totally excited all day. Charlee was a big hit with everyone in her little devil costume. We took them to the mall to trick or treat, which was pretty crowded and chaotic. Then we took them around a neighborhood on base. We hardly got any trick or treaters because our neighborhood is clearing out and they are not moving anyone else in (our houses will be torn down after all the people move out). So now we have too much extra candy. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Home Sick

2008-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm totally bummed to be home sick today because we missed the Primary program. James diligently practiced his line and had it down perfect! I was so proud and excited to see him say it and sing in the program, but then I woke up at about 4 this morning and knew I wasn't going to church. Jason is on alert, and so the kids just had to stay home with me. I have practically no voice. I had to call my friend Shar to come get some crafts to display at church for our enrichment group coming up, and I'm sure she loved hearing my crackly "man voice" over the phone.

In other news, I had my official interview with the midwife college this week. It went very well. My only concern is that I think they have lost a couple of my application materials. She asked me if I was going to send in another recommendation letter and I told her it had been sent in and marked as received for weeks! So, she ended up just calling my friend for the recommendation, which ended up being good cuz then my friend totally bragged on me. (Thanks, Marie!)

The kids are doing great, besides the fact that Charlee is totally bugged at me right now for not holding her. She is spoiled and likes to be in somebody's arms at all times. James is loving school. It is fun at the end of each school day to see him come off the bus and be all excited to tell me about what he did that day. I check his school work and am very proud of him because he always does such a great job.

Jayden is in a joyschool (funny huh? Remind you of the 1980's, anyone?). My week for teaching is this week and it's my first time. Wish me luck. There is only 3 kids, though, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Holidays this year are going to be lonely. Jason is on alert on Halloween and I just found out yesterday that he is going to be on alert during Thanksgiving, too. If they schedule him for Christmas on top of that, I might freak out. So, maybe we just won't do turkey this year, cuz there's no way I'm cooking a whole turkey dinner just for me and the boys.

Help!

2008-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

OK, I need help. I've just spent the last couple of precious child free hours trying to look up ideas for our Christmas enrichment. I have gotten nowhere. It seems the internet has a vast amount of information today, just not the information I need. So if ANYONE is reading this blog, please give me ideas on memorable Christmas HFPE nights or anything that might spark something in my brain. As of right now, I've got nothin'.

Here's a few more pics

2008-10-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

I just have so many pictures I love and want to share with whoever actually reads this blog. There's a couple more of the corn maze and some of Charlee in a really good mood.

Corn Maze

2008-10-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Once again this year we had a great time at the Corn Maze. We didn't even go through the maze, but there was so much fun stuff for our kids to do. They had some corn boxes (like sand boxes) that our kids just loved. Even Charlee loved them, but we had to watch her close so she wouldn't eat it! Then they had a tube slide and a cow train and lots of fun stuff. This is one of the highlights of fall for me. It was windy out, but not too cold. Happy fall, everyone!

No husband today

2008-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

So, Jason was supposed to come home from alert today. But, instead, we have another day without him because it decided to snow today. Yes, it is still not halfway through October yet, but the snow was coming down hard all morning and Jason is clear out in the middle of nowhere. He called me this morning asking about the weather, and I knew it could be a bad day. Then right after church, he called again with the bad news. I hope the snow lays off for a while so that my husband can come home tomorrow! I'm spoiled now that Jason isn't working the 3 day alerts anymore and I can't go 2 days without him.

Our life on pictures.

2008-10-09T18:31:00.000-07:00