The Green House

 Our House 

(I forgot when we first moved in to take a picture of the front of our house. Not a fan of the green, but maybe one day we will paint it.)

Our super ghetto tumbleweeds.  They've been there for a few weeks now and this is only a QUARTER of the amount here from the beginning. Maybe in a few more weeks they'll all blow away on their own:) 

I'm not the best at taking care of the outside of the house...

Our new couches! We ordered them in the end of February and they finally came a few weeks ago.  TEN WEEKS waiting for them.  Bug.  And while they were taking them out of the cardboard in the driveway, one of the couches got cut.  So our brand new couches are already damaged.  Yeah.  We just won't be going back to that store.  But anyways, I do love my couches!!

Lincoln tried to be in every picture I could:) 

He is so silly:)

My Garden!!  

This is the first garden I've ever planted all on my own. It was some hard work!  And now that the seeds are all planted, I'm nervous to see how it turns out.  

 

The strawberry plants were already there when we moved in.  I love having strawberries:)

The backyard, I know I've taken a couple, but not the whole thing.  I love that it was all landscaped before we moved in!  Now the challenge:  maintaining.

My favorite trees, the leaves are purple and green:)

I had no idea that see-saw thing was there until I was taking the picture.  Not ours.  I'm thinking it was under the deck when we moved in and the kids pulled it out?

This tiny little rocks keep mysteriously gathering on the lawn... Darn children:)  Mike literally has been VACUUMING the lawn to get them off.

It started hailing as soon as we were coming outside to roast marshmellows with Daddy, so we had to do them inside.  But it was super cool to see it!  Sequoia got a cup and wanted to catch them.  Love her!

The Past Month...

We are finally having regular Family Home Evening with our kids.  They absolutely love it.  Linc thoughout the week in his prayers will ask if we can have FHE.  The love that they want to be around their parents and listen to them.  It's been fun to teach them gospel principles, even though as we teach them, we are finding out they know way more than I got they would.  It may not always be on Monday nights, but its been fun to do something regular. 

This is one of our projects we made together:

A home-made puzzle of the Savior out of popsicle sticks.  (Thank you Pintrest!)

Kimi's bridal shower was June 12th, so we got to take a fun little trip to Utah for it.  (It actually was a last minute trip because she had two different showers scheduled, and the one I planned on attending was for her friends and I didn't know.)  It all worked out and was fun to get to go.  Just wish it could have been longer!

We skipped one day of school for Linc and took off on a Thursday morning and went to Annie's house and got there for dinner.  Long drive, but the kids were SO good!  I usually do love to travel with them.  On the way to Utah we stopped at the new Cafe Rio (of course right after we move!!) in Rock Springs and ate with my friends Jackie and Rachel and some of their kids. It was so fun to eat delicious food, talk about life, and get caught up on all the goings on in Green River.  It was the perfect break in the trip too.

The kids were so excited to play with their cousins!  They played and played that night.  They tried to have a sleepover all in the same room, but that didn't go over so well.  In the end, once they were divided, they slept so good while me and Annie stayed up and chatted forever.  It was fun. 

I always have a need to go to IKEA while I'm at Annie's.  So after I puked and rested up a bit;) we took the daring adventure there and to Walmart with 6 children.  It was super cool because this time we took advantage of the child care, first time for us.  It was so nice!  We were so close to being done when they paged us back because Logan wanted his Mom. We ended up buying food there and having a picnic in the back of my van.  What is ghetto to us is probably super cool to kids, so oh well! (super ghetto because I have a froggy potty in our car for emergencies, and yes, we used it in the parking lot.)  Other than a metal plate smashing my foot, it turned out to be a great shopping experience:) 

Damon, Lincoln, Logan, Tragon, Sequoia, and Baby Jaron

Silly boys!

Finally a picture of Tragon.  Every time we visit I forget to take pictures!

We stayed and played till later in the afternoon then took off for Grandma Phister's.  Big mistake to leave later.  I forgot about the ridicules traffic going north.  It always makes me so grateful when I am in crazy traffic, that I live in quiet little Wyoming.  I don't think its quiet and small until I'm in a huge city.  Yuck.  I love that a long light in Casper and the occasional construction on the roads are my stress. I've not once been in traffic on the freeway yet.  Love it!

Before we got to Grandma's I had to get some delicious Panda Express.  I never really knew I liked it that much until I can't have it. And I've been craving it!  So it probably added about 45 minutes to the trip, but it was so worth it! 

I the drive there I was volunteered to watch Max while everyone went to a play Annica was in that night.  It was fun because at least Tenille and Koban came over and hung out with us.  I just love hanging out with family!  Sometimes I do wish we lived closer, but if we did, I probably wouldn't appreciate the times we get to all be together as much. 

After everyone got back home, Grandpa started a fire out in the backyard and we all relaxed and hung out around it eating smores (the best snack in the entire world).  Lincoln and Sequoia just loved getting to be up way past their bedtime and to have so much attention.  Lincoln sang "I am a Child of God" for everyone.  It was so sweet; he really has a good voice.

The two Love Birds, Tanner and Kim

Half the time we were at the fire, these three were in heaven on the tramp.  They had so much fun playing with their cousin Koban!  I love that they are all talking and like to play together!

Grandma and I went shopping the next day to all kinds of places and got food for the shower. We met up with Kim and Tenille and had lunch at Costa Vida.  Yum. By the time we made it home, we were a bit late for the shower!  Sorry Twins!

I wish someone would have remembered to take pictures of the shower!  While we were leaving I realized we didn't get any.  Sorry Kim:(  It was super fun!  Anna had it at her new house in North Ogden.  She did a good job putting it together and getting everything ready for it.  Tenille helped out so much too.  I loved my job of making food and chatting it up with everyone.  It was great to get to see so many cousins and aunts and hold babies:) 

Although I'm pretty sure my favorite part about the shower was Lincoln's little adventure.  Side note:  when the kids are playing in our own backyard and they are wet or muddy, I let them go pee pee outside on the grass.  Shoot me, whatever.  Less mud in the house.  So...  Tenille came to me and said Lincoln was going pee outside on the grass and she wanted to get Koban real quick so he could watch and want to do it to (potty training).  She was just walking outside when she said, "Oh No!  Lincoln's not just peeing anymore!"  The little guy took a dump on Anna's grass.  Awesome. We were laughing so hard!  I don't think he meant to, but it just came out.  He is the funniest little guy!  Luckily it was a turd so it was easy to clean up.  Lincoln, I love you so much:) 


I would have been great if Mike could have come with us, but he had to stay in town for work.  But he was as happy as can be home alone.  He and Tyrel (in Seattle) starting playing games together on the X-Box. Rachel also went out of town for the weekend so the two boys got to play every night we were gone.  I'm glad he didn't have to miss us too much:)  Me and the kids made it home on Mother's Day in the evening.  Mike cleaned the kitchen for me, it was disgusting when we left.  Thank you!  And the day before we left for Utah I got a Mother's Day gift from Mike in the mail.  Some delicious chocolate dipped strawberries.  Yummy!  He is always so creative.  Sure love you Mikey:) 

10 Weeks

A little more than a month ago (because life hasn't stopped long enough to write it down!) we had a pretty scary night.  I started bleeding one evening and the first thing I thought was, "Oh great, I just had a miscarriage!"  Mike had just gone to scouts and he doesn't get to go every week so I didn't call him till he was on his way home.  It was such a sad feeling.  I called the doc on-call and she told me I could either go to the emergency room or just wait till tomorrow morning to see my OB to see if we lost it or what was going on. When Mike got home we talked about it and I almost went in that night but decided to just wait. 

That might have been one of the longest nights of my life.  I slept just a couple hours and my thoughts kept running and running.  Not fun.  I just didn't know what to think.  I should have listened to Mike and went in that night!:)

So anyways, my friend Steph watched the kids while I went to the Dr to get checked out.  (Thanks Steph!:)  Mike met me there, but got stuck on a phone call and didn't make it in till it was all over.  Of course.  In the end, all is well.  My OB is thinking that a blood vessel popped in my cervix and caused the bleeding.  What a relief!  And another relief to see one little munchkin in there instead of two:) But we'll also take what we can get! 

I had received a patriarchal blessing from Mike when we first got pregnant and the word that stood out to me that was said was, "Hope."  I kept thinking of hope and will continue to think of it throughout this pregnancy and life.  It now has more meaning to me than ever before.  I'm so excited for this little one to continue to grow and enjoy the opportunity to carry a baby:)

4+1=5!

We are so excited; we are expected a little baby!  (After 15 months of trying, we couldn't be happier!)  The kids are super excited! For a while they both wanted a new brother, but now Quoia is leaning more towards a girl:)  When I asked her what she wanted to name it if it is a boy, she said Lincoln. If it's a girl, Sequoia.  I love those names!  I'll have to think about it;)  We like 2 names for a boy, and Lincoln really liked Canyon of the two. But now he's decided he wants his name to be Jimmy Neutron. (And for him its a boy, so no need for a girl name.) Love these two munchkins!  They will make wonderful big siblings.

Even though I'm so happy to have this little one, its a fact that I've not been feeling the best since only a week after we found out.  Its not morning sickness, its all day icky.  Bummer, but I'll live.  I wasn't icky like this with the other two all day, but I'm hoping it will go away when it did with the other two.  Things have been very different in our home.  I mainly am on the couch half or more of the day.  So not me!  The house has been a mess, laundry piles up, rooms and beds not made, dishes in the sink all night long (Ah!), but I'll live.  (Three months ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle it!)  Honestly, its amazing how priorities change and how things just aren't as important when you can't do anything about them.  I'm learning to just be Ok with a scattered mess all around me.  And seeing what really matters when I have to make a choice and I can't do everything.  It's been almost peaceful.  ALMOST!  :)

I am 9 weeks along and still don't even see my OB for another 3 more.  I sure love Wyo, but sometimes, I do not.  12 weeks for my first apt?  Oh well.  I'm sure I'll live.  They did call me in some Zofran for the constant nausea, so I was grateful for that. So pretty much by the time I meet the OB, I'll almost be done with the first trimester, yeah! When I found out I was expecting,  I actually had taken 3 Dollar Store pregnancy tests one weekend and all 3 were slightly positive, so I couldn't get too excited yet.  I actually had an apt scheduled with our family physician for that next day, so while I was in there I told the nurse and she ran another test within minutes and sure enough!!  I was so happy I hugged her a couple times.

I'm still loving my calling in the RS presidency. I love to go visiting teaching and love to get to know so many sisters in our ward.  Every calling I have at the moment is my favorite calling:)  Just a couple weeks ago a teacher wasn't able to make it last minute and I got to teach the lesson with about 3 minutes preparation.  I seriously loved it!  I got to teach (which I love) and didn't have to stress about it weeks in advance.  It was fun.  

Mike is still working with the cub scouts (when he's in town and available) and is having a good time with them.  He is good for those little guys. And its been good for him to have something other than work and home.

 Lincoln LOVES primary!  Two weeks ago he got to read the scripture for opening exercises, and this past week got to say the opening prayer.  He is fantastic up there and not scared at all.  Our favorite part about his prayer was "...thank you for our lives, thank you that I could say the prayer in Primary today..."  He just cracks me up!  Love him! 

And Quoi is the beloved one in nursery.  Every time I go pick her up her teachers tell me how good she is and how nice she is to all the kids.  When I go in to drop the attendance roll off in nursery, she doesn't even care I'm in there.  I'm pretty sure I miss her way more than she misses me.   And her teachers are very grateful for that too!  She just sang the whole song of "I am a Child of God" to Grandma Phister yesterday.  We sometimes forget she is only 2.  Love that girl:)

 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Wow, there's been a lot going on since our little family vacation. Let's see... Ty came home with us while we were in St George and stayed for almost 2 weeks. It was fun to have company in the house, we hardly ever do now that we live so far away now. Ty and Mike finished the bathroom downstairs!! It was a lot of hard work on their part, esp Ty working on it all day, but it was definitely worth it! It is so pretty now! I'll have to round up some beginning pictures before I post the finished project. I just love it and wish it was mine in my bedroom. And it made me very grateful to have bought our house as it is and not build one. All the choices to make with one bathroom, I couldn't imagine a whole house! 

The last weekend Ty was here, Rachel got some time off work and drove out to visit us too. It was the first time she'd been able to come out here to Casper. It was so fun to have them both here in our home. Rachel and I got to watch girly shows the boys wouldn't have wanted to watch. (One Day, Footloose, and Sunday's at Tiffany's) She helped out with the bathroom and painted it all. And I LOVE the paint she picked out! Thanks so much for all you two did:)

The past couple weeks have pretty much been catch up on cleaning the disaster of a house (esp the basement) after they did the bathroom. They had to drill a hole in the cement and dust covered absolutely everything. Bummer. We've just been getting back into a regular schedule and I'm hoping to soon get some much needed spring cleaning done.

The kids had such a fun time dying Easter eggs. It was especially fun to have Daddy with us!

They both love their Daddy so much:)

Quoi loved the stickers on the eggs the best.

We had so much trash on the side of our house (disgusting), in the garage, and tumbleweeds everywhere, so Mike and two friends got together and piled it in a dump trailer and took it off to the dump. I was so grateful. But I did feel guilty it took 4 hours to do it so we invited the guys and their families over for dinner that night. I had a lot of fun. And randomly I decided to do an Easter egg hunt since it was Easter the following day. The kids had a great time!

My friend Stacy, her husband Jason, and their little girl Haylie.

Betsy just moved into the ward and I love her already. I'm so happy they came over and we got to get to know them better.

He found the least amount of eggs and was probably the happiest:)

Our little twinners. Sequoia still loves to dress into Lincoln's clothes. I'm not sure if they are just easier to take on and off or what, but she loves to dress like her big brother. I just smile:) Her favorite color is blue, but I have noticed that since she has been playing with a family of 4 little girls lately, she is liking pink and baby dolls more and more. Yeah!

Oh, and she loves PEAS! They are her candy.

Our first park visit of the season! I'm getting pretty excited for Spring & Summer!!

The closet downstairs is another project we've been working on the past few months. (Yes it takes us that long to finish a project. Oh wait, its still not finished.) It just had some cans of paint in this little area when we first moved in. It pretty much just stayed "the paint closet." But now I'd really like this to be a food storage area and so we got to work.

Before:

After:

Mike, and slightly some help from me, got the room sheetrocked, and puttied. And then it sat there a few weeks. Enter Ty! He finished it way better than we had planned on doing it. He sanded and painted it, and then they layed lanolinum down. It is a beauitful closet and I love it! Thanks Ty! Now all we need to do is put in some shelves and we can actually start storing things. But I'm sure that will be another couple months with the way we roll:)