Summertime and potty training

I was told yesterday that I never blog and that I should blog more, so here I go! It's been such a busy summer :D There have been camping adventures at the 1/2 of Ten, 4th of July and Ute Stampede in Nephi and coming soon is Salem Days, the Juab Demolition Derby, swimming at the T-Ville pool and Cowabunga Bay.

The most exciting thing happening right now is that Hayden is FINALLY potty training! We've been trying for about 4 months now and finally this weekend he has started to get it! With Jax it seemed so much easier, but it's seemed like such a struggle with Ralphie. It started this weekend while we were camping; he was VERY willing (like all boys are) to pee on trees. And since we've been home he's been pretty good about going potty, with reminders of course, but just a little bit ago he was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden jumped up and said, "Mom, I gotta go pee!" Off he ran to the potty and SUCCESS! We've been using the reward method and so far, so good! If all goes well this week, I'm taking him to buy "big boy" underwear! We just celebrated his birthday on Sunday and he is only three, but he's so smart! We had to have a Buzz Lightyear birthday and he loved it. The other kids are doing great as well; Jax just spent a week in Nephi and when I talked to him on the phone about midway through his visit he said, "Mom, I miss you, but I'm not coming home ever." According to all, Jax had the time of his life and yes, he did come home with us on Sunday :D Jake is growing and growing; he's walking and getting into EVERYTHING and loves to be in the middle of whatever Jax and Hayden are doing. Shannon is doing great too; she's getting ready for junior high and is really growing up. Her new thing lately is cooking :D I bought her an apron at the craft show in Nephi and she LOVES wearing it and helping in the kitchen. Last week she made homemade oreos (almost) all by herself. She was so proud of those cookies and I was so proud of her! And of course, my "baby" Bella is getting somewhat bigger :D She had her first haircut 2 weeks ago and she hardly looks the same!

Anyways, things are busy but good :D The first half of summer has been fun and busy and the second half promises to be the same! I'll try to blog more, haha, but in the meantime here are some pictures of the summer so far:

Jax and Hayden at a Bees Game

Hayden at the 1/2 of Ten

Jackson, Jaxton and Austin, conquering the mountain

Hayden all worn out and having a nap in Grandma Phyllis's lap.

Jake at the park in Nephi on July 4th.

Kenna and Shannon showing off their 4th of July prizes (the hats!)

Bella with her cute new haircut :D

Nostalgic.....

I had a bit of a nostalgic moment yesterday. I went to pick up the boys from Grandma's and Jaxton made me "close my eyes!" Finally when he let me open them both he and Hayden were standing in front of me with flowers that Grandma let them cut from her rose bushes. They even picked one "from Jake." So I brought them home and got a water glass from the cupboard to fill it with water and I had a moment of nostalgia......When I was a little girl I remember picking flowers for my mom. And she always got a water glass from the cupboard, filled it with water and saved my flowers until they died. It made me smile to think that some things never change. I'll probably keep these flowers on the table, in a water glass, until they die......

Jaxton

Fair warning, picture overload! Yesterday my sweet Jaxton turned 6! I can hardly believe it myself! I love you so much buddy!

Jaxton's 1st field trip!

Ah, today was such a fun day! It was zoo day for Jaxton's kindergarten class and I went with to "chaperone!" I had the best group :D Jax, his best friend Gavin and this cutie named Emily. It was a pretty quick trip around the zoo (least amount of time I've ever spent there!) but the kids were great and we had such a fun time! At the end I asked them what their favorite part of the day was; wanna know what Jax said? Riding the bus!! Here are some pictures of my adventures with the backpack brigade:

Emily, Jax and Gavin at the beginning of our "walking tour" of the zoo.

Doesn't that face just say it all? We were watching the tigers stretch and play at that point.

The backpack brigade watching the giraffes. The giraffes are my favorite!

Three buddies at the end of a great morning at the zoo! This is my favorite picture :D

Thoughts on grocery shopping

Today I did what I dread....I went grocery shopping, on a SATURDAY! Usually I have planned well enough that I am going on a Tuesday night or something, but I had no choice, today I had to brave the crowds. While I was at Walmart (yes, I know, they're evil, but I am a creature of habit) I had some startling thoughts:

When you're buying frozen foods do you ever wonder if the item you've just put in your cart was that random item that you always see shoved onto a shelf in the cereal aisle? I wonder, when the good folks of Walmart find those items after 8 or so hours spent NOT in the freezer, do they just throw them back into the freezer? Or do the responsible thing and throw them out?

Why is it that out of at least 4 carts to choose from I get the one with the crazy wheel that spins and squeaks? I even try testing them in the grocery cart selection area and inevitably the one I judge to be fine there has some sort of break down once it hits the grocery store area.

How come some cashiers appear to be fast and efficient when you're at the end of the line and once you commit yourself to that line everything breaks down? I am the WORST checkout line selector in the world. This is your warning, if you see me at the store DO NOT GET IN LINE BEHIND ME. Invariably the person in front of me will have no less than three items that do NOT have prices and/or barcodes on them and the price checks take HOURS. Or, like today, we have a minimum of four ads from various grocery stores and must price match EVERYTHING. Also, when it's finally my turn we must change cashiers......

I sound pretty whiney, don't I? So, here's why I'm glad I went to the store today:

I don't have to go back for at least a week. Just kidding! I was able to go to the store without kids, unlike some harried moms I saw. I had money to go to the store and buy groceries for my family. I now have a stocked fridge and cupboards and the fixings for two weeks worth of meals.

Coming up next: Jaxton's very first field trip! We are heading to the zoo on Monday and that should be an adventure! Take care friends!

Coping, a birthday and Bella

Hello my friends! It's been a long, strange, good week. We're hanging in there, trying to get back into a routine. We went to the drill team parents' banquet Tuesday and it was nice to be there with the parents of such wonderful girls, but it was so hard to be there without our own Kati. It often surprises me the number of times every day I think of our sweet girl and it's still a shock to the system to realize that she's gone. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that she is in such a better place now and that we were so lucky to have her for the time we did.



Of course, we had a VERY special birthday this week! Thursday, April 22nd, our Jakey turned 1!! We celebrated a bit early in Nephi on Sunday and it was so fun! Gramma Phyllis gave Jake his most favorite, by far, present:





I love this picture because it almost seems like he's saying, "Ohhhhhh, streamers on the handlebars, NIIIICCCCCEEEEE!" Even though his feet don't QUITE touch the pedals, he thinks this bike is just the best thing ever! I can't keep him away from it at home :D

Of course, no first birthday is complete without the CAKE! I got really lucky with the bakery at Walmart (I know!) and the sweet girl who took my cake order made a cute "smasher" cake for Jakey that matched his birthday cake AND had his name on it! Obviously, he enjoyed it very much :D

And finally, Friday found us adding a new member to our family. I've been bugging Shane for a few months now about letting me get my own little baby girl dog to spoil and finally, he agreed! I found this little sweet girl through a friend and the minute I saw her I knew she was mine! She's a purebred papered Shih tzu and her parents are so sweet and cute. She'll only get to be about 10lbs at full grown and that's just what I wanted. Yes, her name is Bella, but not because I'm obsessed with Twilight! I've always liked that name and I tried SEVERAL names on her after I picked her up and finally I called her Bella and it was just perfect! She is totally a diva already :D, but she's so smart! I started pad training her as soon as we got home and she's catching on so fast! She was home alone today while we went to church and when we got home, no accidents on the carpet, just on her puppy pad! She's so playful and she LOVES chasing those sweet boys of mine! She likes to cuddle with me and she's so funny! She will climb up onto my shoulder like a little bird or something and cuddle in.

It's been nice to have her this weekend and talk silly to her and think about making bows for her hair and all those crazy things people do. She's so sweet and fun and I'm so glad we found her and brought her home! She's been a comfort to me on a weekend when I'm the only girl in the house! I can't wait for Shannon to come home Wednesday and meet her :D

Good night my friends, I love you all :D

"normal"

Hello friends,

Just a quick blog to say THANK YOU! for all your love, prayers and support over the last few days and weeks.

Things are slowly getting back to a normal pace. Shane and I have both gone back to work and we're adjusting to the changes in our life.

It's strange to think that Kati is really gone, but at the same time, we're so happy that she is out of pain and dancing across the heavens......

I love you all so much and I know that we would not have made it through the last two weeks without all of your love and prayers.

In loving memory.....

Our dancing angel, Kaitlyn Mariah Adams, returned home to her Heavenly Father on April 12, 2010 at the age of 16 after a courageous 5 year battle with cancer. She was born in Salt Lake City on February 12, 1994 to Shane Adams and Carolyn Horne-Adams. Kaitlyn lived to dance and was a member of the Taylorsville High School Chirons drill team and served as its sophomore representative this past year. She fulfilled her dream this past March by performing a solo, one that she choreographed, at the National Competition in New York City. She received a 100% score for attitude and showmanship and a standing ovation. Kaitlyn was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. She always had a positive attitude and strong will. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Kaitlyn is survived by her mother, Carolyn Horne-Adams, father and stepmother, Shane and Amy Adams, sister, Shannon, brothers, Jaxton, Hayden and Jake, all of Kearns. Grandparents Chris and Kathy Horne of Kearns, Robert and Karen Adams of Taylorsville, Nyle and Julie Robinson of Nephi, great-grandparents Ken and Phyllis Ingram and Ann Denece Robinson all of Nephi, her two best friends that never left her side, McKenzie and Zandalee and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held Friday April 16, 2010 at 11:00am at the Bennion Heights 5th Ward, 5775 South, 2700 West, Taylorsville, Utah. A viewing will be held Thursday April 15, 2010 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Redwood Memorial Mortuary , 6500 South Redwood Road and one hour prior to services at the church. Interment will be at the Redwood Memorial Cemetery at 6500 South Redwood Road following services.

A memorial fund as been established in Kaitlyn's name at Cyprus Credit Union.

We'll miss you, sweet girl, until we meet again..........

A new post!

I know, I really, really SUCK at this blogging thing! I just don't have time :D I only have a full time job, three sons, two daughters, a scrapbooking obsession, a new PhotoShop obsession and so on and so on.....LOL!

Anyways--some of you may have known, some may not, but Shane was laid off on February 16th (2 days before my birthday--Happy Birthday to me!). We knew his project was ending, but he was told he would have a job until Feb 26th, an ending bonus and then help with transferring to a new project either in Orem or at the Salt Lake Convergys, so the layoffs on the 16th were a bit of a surprise. After a MAJOR bout of panicking on my part, I realized that we were luckier than most. First, we had just gotten our taxes done and were lucky enough to be getting a decent refund. Second, I've started getting into couponing and so we started building up our food storage in December. Third, we have the AWESOMEST parents in the world! Shane's parents are always sending over juice and treats and groceries and of course my parents are always there to help too! So, we cut back spending, shopped A LOT out of food storage (ours and Shane's parents'!) and just prayed a lot. Shane was spending every day applying for jobs, sending out resumes and just talking to people all day and I just kept working and talking to everyone I could think of that might be able to help. Then, on March 5th his sister told him about a job opportunity at Wells Fargo. He applied online that day, the called him the next day to set up a phone interview for March 8th. After that they had him come for a face to face interview on March 9th and on March 10th they hired him! Talk about relief!

His training starts on March 29th, so at this point he has just over a week to get my honey-do list done (ha ha!) and then he'll be back to work. The best parts of all of this are that this job is in Salt Lake, no more driving, it will be seven weeks of training and then his regular daytime schedule will start, he'll be making more money and they have GREAT benefits! I was so distraught over him not being able to stay at Convergys and if he had, he never would have gotten this opportunity!

It was a nice reminder of something I try to live by:
Everything happens for a reason, you just have to patient!

Anyways, friends. I cannot promise more blogging, but I'll try! If you want pictures, you will have to see my Facebook page :P

Love you all!

Catch up

I know, I NEVER blog! There's just been a lot going on lately! Some of you may know and some may not, but Shane lost his job about 3 weeks ago and so things have been stressful! We're taking it one day at a time and luckily Shane has an interview tomorrow, so keep us in your thoughts tomorrow!

The boys are growing and growing! Jaxton is wrestling now and it's so funny to watch! His first tournament was definitely a learning experience for him, but he LOVES it! He asks every day if it's a wrestling day. And Hayden is getting so big. He makes me laugh every day with some of the things he says! Like today, we called Aunt Nichole to wish her a Happy Birthday and after Hayden talked for a minute, he hung up on her! I asked him why he didn't wish her a happy birthday or tell her that he loved her and he said, "I forgot!" Cracks me up! And Jake is just a little monster! He's standing now and almost walking and he crawls around here so fast! He loves being in the bedroom with the other boys and right in the middle of whatever they're doing.

Work is still work and I'm so lucky to be where I am! I have some many wonderful friends at TOSH and I don't know what I'd do without them. It's such a good place to be. I love you guys!

I have a new friend too! My sweet brother-in-law has a new special someone in his life and I ADORE her! She's so funny and we have a lot in common and it's nice to talk with someone who understands a lot of things about my life.

Life has its ups and downs, but luckily for me, I have a great support system to catch me on the downs and to share the ups with.

I'll try to blog more! And hopefully this week I'll get some videos of Jaxton wrestling up!