Hartle Happenings

My Boys

2012-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

I haven't taken any pictures for a while, but saw these and figured they will do until I take more :) I'll write more soon!

And More...

2012-01-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Merkley Family (minus Logan *mission and Erin *super cool stuff with work)

Let's see if I can name (sorry if I misspell) all the additions since this was taken: Amber, Aiden, Korwin, Xirus, Landon, Andrew, Alesa, Van, Jace, Kayson, Cassie, Bridget, *baby girl #2, and James *even though he's already in this picture (you just HAD to be one of us huh)

Clifford, Me, Ryan, and JoAnn

Matt, Kari, Cami, Katie, Ryan, Taci, Melanie, Galen, and Justin

Poor Dad... he had to empty his pockets again 2 months later for Erin's wedding

(Had to sneak this one in) Love ya Tac!!!

Wedding Pictures Continued...

2012-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hartle Family
(crazy to believe we've added Jace, Kayson, and Christian since this was taken!)

Jay, Me, Ryan, and Lois

Ryan's brother and sister, Troy and JaLyn

Troy and Jamee's family: Kelsey, Abagail, Savannah, and Samuel

Royd and JaLyn's family: Landon and Haydon

I love this picture! 3 generations: Grandpa Loris Wooley, Lois, and Ryan

Wedding Pictures!

2012-01-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

So my amazing Mother told me the other day SHE had my wedding pictures! No wonder I could NEVER find them! I bet I forgot she had kept them for safe keeping when we were moving and such.

So better late than never :) Here they are!

The beautiful cake my Aunt Pam made! Thank you Aunt Pam!

Isaac (ring bearer)

Kennadee and Savannah (my flower girls)

Troy and Cami (best man and maid of honor)

My Dad walking me down the isle

Me, Ryan, and Isaac

Bishop John Allred married us (Kayson's middle name, John, is after him) He is an amazing man, and was a wonderful bishop! p.s. I think the way Ryan and I are holding hands is WEIRD!!! But I guess when you're just concentrating on not crying, you don't think about that!

Blackmail picture for later (*evil laugh*)

Our first kiss as husband and wife :)

I'll post more later :)

Masquerade

2011-12-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade. Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you."

I have been thinking a lot lately. Ok, so that's basically all I've done. In fact I've done that so much, I've regressed back into depression and had to get some medication again.

Bummer.

Why? Well a lot of things really. But one thing has really stuck to my mind.

People surprise me. I must give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I must believe in my soul that everyone has good in them. That's what I was taught growing up. That's what I still believe today. But I found out (6 years of finding out actually) that not everyone thinks like this. Or that if they say they do, they don't act on it.

People make mistakes. Big ones sometimes.

So what??? Isn't that life???

I've done stupid things. I've had family do stupid things. So why is it so hard to allow yourself to move on from that mistake to the greater things??? Why waste time on such negetive feelings??? It's EXHAUSTING!!!

Sometimes people don't even realize the impact they might have on someone succeeding in life because they can't get past the hurt to forgive. Instead they put on masks. They pretend everything is hunky-dory until it's time to take it off. Then the true feelings come out. And those feelings are ugly! You know what I had to do if I didn't get along with my sister Taci??? We had to hold hands while doing chores!!! By the end we were laughing and actually hugged each other when finished.

I have to admit that I have had a mask on too. I haven't posted about it because deep down it still hurts. Ryan and I were pregnant earlier this year. I miscarried the baby in October. In public I have my happy mask on, but when I'm home and I catch myself off guard, I sob. I know it'll get easier, but right now it just plain hurts to realize what we've gone through.

So what is it I'm getting at???

Don't hide behind a mask. If someone is struggling, be the person to make them feel less like a loser and idiot for things they may have done, or things they are going through. You may find in the future that they can return the favor. Nobody is perfect! You can't go back to Heaven as innocent as you were when you left. You have to have experiences in this life, and sometimes I believe they are going to be bad ones.

And one thing I've noticed is: how you treat others when they are going through rough times, is a trial for YOU too.

You really do find out "who your friends are" at the hardest time in your life. And those are the ones to hang on to. Past and all.

Merkley Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

This year I was in charge of the Merkley Christmas Party! I had NO clue what I wanted to do for the party (themes help me a lot!) so I hopped online and came across some masquerade masks. Lightbulb!

So, since the masquerade masks started in Venice, Italy I decided on a Italian themed Christmas! It turned out to be a blast! We ate a home-made version of Olive Garden's "Tour of Italy" dish. YUMMY!!! Then for dessert I made Italian sugar cookies. Let's just say that I will be the reason everyone on the "Merkley's Biggest Loser" is going to gain a few ounces. Sorry :)

For activities we did a gingerbread contest:

Mom and Dad's entry:

Matt and Andrea's entry:

It screams Matt doesn't it :)

Melanie and Scott's entry:

If you hadn't guessed alreay Melanie WON!!! Congrats Mel!!!

I have to put in Zachary's entry:

Great creativity Zachary!

Kari and Aaron's kids made some ADORABLE sleighs which I didn't even get a picture of! Sorry guys!

Logan and Cassie's entry:

Cami and James' entry:

It was supposed to look better, but it fell apart :)

And my and Ryan's entry:

Mine was 2nd place :)

We also made our very own masks:

After singing Christmas carols, which also began in Italy, we cleaned up the mess and sent everyone home.

Thanks guys for such a wonderful party! You all helped out with the food, and it was SO good to have everyone in my home! Thanks for leaving the Christmas spirit as well!

I love you!!! Have a Merry Christmas!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!!!

2011-11-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

It's Isaac's 10th birthday today!!! (We'll have a party for him later on since he's spending his birthday with his Mom this year.)

I just wanted to post a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Isaac!!!

Isaac 6 years old:

Isaac 8 years old:

Isaac 10 years old: (almost)

Love you Bubba!!!!!

A Day at the Park

2011-11-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today was SO beautiful that we just HAD to get out of the house and take full advantage of it before winter!

We went to the park since we hadn't gone for a while and had too much fun! Kayson finally figured out how to go down the slide by himself! He was so proud of himself! Once he figured that out he kept racing up the stairs to go down again. I caught it on video, but it won't download. So this is a picture of him going up the stairs backwards.

Jace is a virtual dare devil on the equipment and learned how to climb down from a crazy "S" shaped ladder (seen in the background of this picture). Even though he fell the first couple of times, he didn't cry and kept going until he figured it out. After he made it down without falling he told me "Mommy! I smart!". I agree Jace. You are very smart!

It was so much fun to watch my boys. They have grown so much, and I have enjoyed every minute!"

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

"Count Jace":

"Curious Kayson":

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

FOOTBALL!!!!

2011-10-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

So Isaac was able to play FOOTBALL this year!!! We were so excited for him and the challenge he took on of playing. If you know him at all, he's not the most balanced kid but already we can see a HUGE improvement in not only balance, but focus as well, and he's a lot happier!

Isaac we are SO proud of you and can't wait to see what other sports you play in! Good luck kido!

(Here are a couple of pictures from one of his games. I wasn't able to make it, but Ryan got a few "good" shots) He's #20:

(Far right)

(Middle)

Jace with Grandma and Grandpa Hartle:

Creepy Sleeper...

2011-10-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Jace can literally fall asleep ANYWHERE, and in ANY position! It makes for great laughs and memories, but I have to say it can creep me out sometimes:

Here's a close up:

Sheesh....

Gone Fishing

2011-10-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lateness of the post, but the pictures were on Ryan's camera. While Isaac was out here for summer, Jay took us fishing!!! The boys had a TON of fun, and I'm thinking it needs to happen more often :)

Samuel was the only one who caught (and released) a fish, although I came pretty close! (Darn fishing line broke)

Enjoy!

Isaac:

Jace, Me, and Samuel:

I picked this picture because it shows how BORED Isaac got *snicker* 30 minutes was all he could handle.

I love this picture of Samuel

Jace was constantly "helping":

Can't leave without dipping the feet in the water!

My Little Photographer

2011-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Jace has quite the talent of taking pictures. Maybe I'll enlist his help for our family Christmas picture this year :)

Oh Kayson...

2011-10-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

I hear myself saying this....a LOT. Kayson just LOVES to "discover" things. Not very surprising to me because Jace was exactly the same. I just forgot how MUCH they can get into. (I need to buy new child proof gagets because he broke most of them)

Here is his most recent "discovery":

Yep. And I had just cleaned it. I guess he took the liberty to show me all the places I missed.

Oh Kayson...

It's Been Too Long...

2011-09-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. My husband's camera currently has all the pictures from our family reunion and other fun stuff we've been up to, but every time I remember to get it out of his truck he's already at work.

So I will try to be dilligent in getting it tonight (since he doesn't have to work tomorrow) and post more soon!

Till then have a great weekend!!!

Katie

Holy Yogurt Batman!

2011-08-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

You Are What You...

2011-08-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Watch???

Last year I did a post about "Dennis The Menace" being Jace's all time favorite movie. And to be honest the word "menace" could be used to describe Jace. (In a good way of course)

Well now it's time to do a post about Kayson's all time favorite movie:

Seriously???? This is what he looks like during the ENTIRE movie:

Hmmm...... Which personality will come from this???

Just Whistle While You Work

2011-08-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

My boys LOVE (and that's an understatement) going to see Ryan at work. What kid wouldn't??? You get to ride on a fork lift (which Jace calls his tractor) and run around the huge isles without hearing Mom or Dad yell to stop or get put in the seatbelt of shopping carts for not listening. I swear Jace can't wait until he's old enough to work. He gets so hyper when he comes back from "helping" Ryan that he literally will not stop talking the rest of the day! And it continues through the weekend because he helps Ryan wash his dirty truck every Saturday. Isaac loves to spend time there as well. He has to do a few chores, but does it anyway so Ryan will take him on the road for deliveries. Totally worth it for him :) Kayson is only fascinated with the horn on the fork lift. He laughs SO hard whenever it's pushed.

Here's a few pictures:

I guess it's really true what they say; "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life".

Here's Your Proof Mom

2011-08-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ever heard your Mom say:

"When you have kids, I hope you get one JUST LIKE YOU!!!!" Well....

....it doesn't get any closer than that!

Snip Snip

2011-08-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

All 3 boys got their hair cut last Saturday. They were beginning to look like orphans!

Isaac: OH! He looks so much better with his hair cut!

Jace: (for some reason he seemed really tired that day...)

Kayson: he did great for it being his first time!

The stylist showing Kayson her clippers:

Sorry no after pictures :) Maybe I'll remember next time!

1 Fish, 2 Fish, 3 Fish...

2011-08-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

We've had a BLAST these last couple of weeks! Isaac is out here again one last time before school starts, and we've taken full advantage of having fun. Yesterday Grandma Lois and Grandpa Jay took all 10 of their grandkids to the water slide! A first for both Jace and Kayson :) At the end of 3 hours of swimming we were exhausted and HUNGRY! The boys slept really good too.

Thank you Gma and Gpa for a wonderful day!!!

Kiddie Spotlights

2011-08-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Andrea got the idea to do "kiddie spotlights" from another blog. I thought it was adorable! So here are my kiddie spotlights:

Kayson a year ago:

Kayson now:

Kayson went from being my baby to my little man these last few months. I can't believe how fast he has grown! From walking to almost running, and babbling non-stop, which is SO cute to listen to. He will say Hi and Da da da, but only when HE wants to. He is very independent, and loves to be outside. He crawls and climbs on top of everything he can. His favorite food is Sweedish Pancakes. He hates ice cream, but will go for popsicles anytime! He loves any type of fruit except bananas. His favorite fruit is watermelon, which the Grandparents have an endless supply of. Unlike his brother Jace, Kayson is tan! He looks like a beach boy for sure and his hair has lightened this summer. He loves it when Mom honks the horn, and when he gets to see Dad at work. He LOVES Jace and laughs SO hard when Jace rolls on him in the bean bag, or sprays water in his face at bathtime. He's very tolerant of Jace, but will throw a small tantrum when Jace doesn't play nice. Oh brothers :)

Jace a year ago:

Jace now:

Jace is the master of all mischief! He is very independent in the way he wants to learn how everything works! (Which he will show Kayson when he figures something out). He does chores like putting the soap in the dishwasher and starting it, and helping me switch laundry and start the washer and dryer, as well as feeding Tator. He loves doing them and I hope it sticks. His favorite food is chicken, and popsicles are his favorite treat. He is getting so grown up, and I can understand almost everything he says. He is fully potty trained and has learned to even put on his underwear by himself. He loves his friends Dominick and Sara and will hold their hands when he goes to nursery on Sunday. Jace LOVES the water! He will help me wash dishes just so he can play in the bubbles. It ends up being a mess sometimes, but always worth it. Jace loves Kayson, but has a hard time sharing with him. It's been a work in progress, but Jace is learning it's ok for brother to play with his toys and vice versa. He starts pre-school this month. Just one more thing that reminds me he's growing!

I'm so thankful for my boys and can't wait to see what adventures they have next :)

I Love My Husband

2011-07-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received flowers. No card. I texted Ryan and of course he tried to lie and say he didn't send them.

Ha ha ha babe. (The lillies and the roses give it away every time. Those were our wedding flowers)

It's been 5 years (last April) since I said "I do" to one incredible, onry, romantic, stubborn, hard working, son of a gun, man that I love. And through all the "heated discussions", the fun times, the parenting adventure, the "date nights" we claim as we go shopping for groceries without kids, and the moments I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have you as my husband, and even the times when I could duck tape your mouth and put you in the closet, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I love you Ryan. I really LOVE you.

With all my heart.

Stuck forever by your side,

Katie

Tribute

2011-07-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

I found out last weekend one of my friends from college passed away last year. I've never had a friend die. It was kind of a shocker for me. So since I didn't get to go to his funeral, I decided to do a tribute.

Steve you were a great friend who inspired me to do my best and never think my ideas were dumb. I will treasure the memories of you always!

Steven LeRoy Hansen, St. George, UT

Steven received a job offer he could not refuse. Steven LeRoy Hansen passed away on April 21, 2010 of a massive heart attack. He was born on June 15, 1972 in Murray, Utah to Nyle LeRoy and LaVerle Turnbow Hansen. Steven was raised in Holladay, Utah were he attended Cottonwood Elementary, Olympus Jr. and Olympus High. In high school he was active in choir where he developed a love of music. After high school he joined the Air Force reserve where he was a member of the 405th Combat Logistics Support Squadron and was deployed for Desert Storm. He received many accolades including the 405th CLSS Airman of the Quarter, Air Force Commendation and Achievement Medals. In the business world, Steven worked in the IT field for major companies in help desk, network administration and network engineering positions. Through this career, he found his way to Seattle, Washington where he resided for over five years building lasting friendships at work, church, and the gaming world. Seattle held a special place in his heart. In 2003 after 15 years of IT, Steven returned to school to add to his education and earn that elusive degree. He graduated Cum Laude at DSC with an Associates and Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He also obtained a master certificate from Villanova University and his MBA in International Business at the University of Massachusetts. While at Dixie he was actively involved in NETO serving as newsletter editor and vice president of communications. He also spent time working with the art department designing ads and assisting at the Sears Fine Arts Gallery. This developed into a great love and appreciation of art. He was a good potter, and enjoyed oil painting and photography. Steven was a member of the Sons of Pioneers and the VFW and served as the Post Commander for the Saint George Cottam Hafen Post #2628 VFW for the last six years. He loved to serve. As an elder in the LDS Church, he gave tirelessly to any opportunity, church, scouting, country, friends and family. He loved to set goals from a young age and had accomplished all of them. He loved his cats Sam and Basheba Spice, teasing his sisters, nieces and nephews, going to the post office, bank and lunch with his dad. He had great love for all his friends and family with many special memories. His friends say he was a gentleman, scholar, hard worker, good man, and a great American hero. Steven is survived by his parents, Nyle LeRoy and LaVerle Turnbow Hansen of St. George, UT, sisters: Nyla Marie (Danny) Miller, Hurricane, UT, Julie Lynn (Neil) Reiter, Virginia Beach, VA, Leslie Ann Taylor, Hurricane, UT, and Amity Jane John, Tooele, UT, six nieces, seven nephews, three grand nephews and one grand niece. Memorial services will be Saturday May 1, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. with a gathering on Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Panorama LDS Ward Chapel, 259 Mall Drive, Saint George, Utah. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Mortuary, (435) 673-4221. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the VFW Post 2628, PO Box 4, Washington, UT, 84780.

Happy 3rd Birthday Jace!

2011-07-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dearest Jace,

We can't believe it's been 3 years since you first came into our family. You have grown into such an incredible little boy! Your love for the outdoors, Daddy and his work, your brothers, and your ablility to learn and do things on your own make my heart both happy and sad. Happy because you are progressing, and sad because I know we will look back on these times and miss them. Thank you for being YOU and giving your Dad and I the gift of being your parents!

Love, Mom and Dad

Jace's list of interests has GROWN over the last month. His interests include: dinosaurs, stars, cooking, bikes, outside time (that one wasn't a surprise though), and his friends. For his birthday I tried to cover just one of the new ones. Dinosaurs. So he had a dinosaur themed birthday :)

His dinosaur cake! Which was SO fun to put together!!!

Then we took him to the Vernal Dinosaur Museum last Saturday. Katie and her kids were able to come too! Enjoy the pictures!

Life As We Know It...

2011-07-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Jace turned 3 yesterday! We haven't had his little party yet, but I wanted to do a post anyway. So pictures to come soon.

I also wanted to do a post because my computer is working! Yeah! Fast internet is back in my home and it's wonderful to do all my projects in my pajamas again :)

Life has been wonderful and exciting! I received a calling to be the primary pianist a few weeks ago and it's been such a wonderful blessing! Right now I can only play the top hand of 97% of the songs they sing, but I know with Heavenly Fathers help and a LOT of practice, my piano playing skills will greatly improve. With this new calling Ryan has become the "babysitter" with Kayson. Needless to say he's ready for November to come when it's Kayson's turn to go to nursery :)

My 2 boys are getting so independent! Here's what happened the other night...

I hope they remebered to get behind their ears.

We spend a lot of time with our neighbor friends: Katie, Dominick, Gabriel, and Katie's nephew Braxton. We went to another craft day at the Rec. center while Isaac was here. It was a lot of fun and got us out of the house.

4th of July craft:

We played with the games and went down the slide afterwards since it was raining outside. Jace LOVED the slide!

I'll post more soon :) Bye!

Summertime FUN!

2011-06-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

The sunny days are FINALLY here!!! Need I say more???

Jace's friend Dominick had to get in on the fun when we decided to play in the COLD water the other morning.

Plumber crack! LOL!

Best Buds

Nothing like eating outside! A favorite for the boys!

Oreos at Grandma Merkley's :)

Followed by jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath!

Kayson didn't like the cold water on the tramp :)

Drying off :)

The Uintah Community Center sent out calenders of fun activities they were doing for free this year. We went to the Father's Day craft day. WHAT FUN!!!

There was a magic show afterwards, but I didn't get any pictures. Jace must have loved it because he keeps talking about how the man juggled the red balls and made them land on his head.

Hope you're enjoying the summer as well! More to come later :)
(Mom's computer is 100 times faster at uploading pictures, so I might have to blog at her house from now on...or fix mine)

Kayson's 1st Birthday!!!

2011-05-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Kayson turned 1 last Friday! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. We celebrated with friends and family by doing a bar-b-que followed by cake and ice cream. It was a wonderful day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYSONATOR!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Popcorn cupcakes for his birthday cake! (it was SO worth making all 250 popcorn pieces to decorate it, and thanks goes to my neighbor Katie for all her help!)

Kayson did NOT like getting messy with his cupcake. He didn't even eat it (despite Uncle Troy's attempts to help him). He'll probably make up for it next year :)

More pictures:

Walking!

2011-05-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

It finally happened :)

Kayson is walking! (I think he's been holding out on me though) I've been helping him practice by holding his hand or using the walking toy, but all he would ever do is stand.

Well yesterday I was playing Celine Dions "I'm Alive" song and he started dancing like Jace used to. Just lifting each leg one at a time and swaying back and forth to the beat of the music while holding onto something. I thought it was so cute that I wanted to show Ryan when he came home from work.

I stood Kayson up when it was time to show Ryan. Then when Ryan turned on the music, Kayson SHOT across the room walking!

It was the coolest moment ever! Ryan liked it too because he got to see Kayson's first steps :)

I tried to do it again today, but Kayson wouldn't do it. Good thing I got a video of it on my camera :) If you want to see it, you'll have to look on my Facebook page since I can't seem to post it on my blog. Sorry :(

Guess now it's time to put the child proof locks back on the cupboard doors :)

"Two much"

2011-05-10T19:46:00.001-07:00

I'll ask Jace sometimes how old he is and that is what he says. Two much Mom.

That's about how things are going right now. There is so much that has happened in the last month that it's going to take me just as long to blog about it. I really wish I could start now, but our internet is extremely slow. We're working to fix the problem, so hopefully I can write about it soon.

Here's a small update:

- We moved back to our old house in the good ole basin!!!
- Kayson has learned to stand, but not walk yet. I don't think it will be too much longer :)
- Ryan has a new job
- I have a new passion that I'm keeping secret until I get more information on how to make it happen in my community.

There's so much more that I can't wait to post about!

Talk soon!

Homesick???

2011-04-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

I think Jace is homesick. For the last 2 weeks he's thrown-up at random times during the day and almost always at night. Then he's become lactose intolerant. I looked online for answers, but all they come up with is the stomach flu which can last for weeks and if it doesn't get better he would have to go on an antibiotic. My enthusiasm for that is very low, but the poor kid has had the "runs" since this started and I'm not sure how much nutrition he's retaining. Thankfully Ryan's insurance has kicked in so we'll see about a doctor visit in the near future.

The Grandma's miss the boys alot. Per the reason for the title of this post. They both think Jace is homesick, and insist that he come out to stay until he gets better :) I might take them up on that offer.

On other fun news, I made my first pie!!! I've made easy and VERY simple frozen or pudding pies before, but this time I had the urge to make this:

Home-made Apple Pie!

I know right! I feel like such a homemaker now :) I love it! My goal this year is to be able to make another one for Thanksgiving and have the crust in the TRUE latice style. As for the taste, it was amazing! And even though I worked the dough too much for the crust, I'm positive that I only need practice until I make that perfect pie crust!

I'm excited that next month is Kayson's 1st birthday! I can't wait to make his cake from scratch and decorate it!

p.s. Joker for a son....hmmm.... No thank you :)

Home-made Goodness!

2011-03-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it make your mouth water! Home-made ham and cheese hot pockets! A few weeks ago I got the biggest craving for Mom's home-made hot pockets! I called Mom and she laughed because Erin and Andrew put that on the "foods that Erin's Mom is going to tingle our taste-buds with while she's here" list. It must be the Spring air because Kari put that on her monthly menu too.

So Kari, Cassie, and I (I love that our names all start with a 'K' sound) started out by making 3 batches of bread dough. Then while it raised Cassie filled us in about healthy eating/living/exercising stuff she read about (which she will post about at a later date on the Merkley's Biggest Loser blog). Let's just say WOW! It's going to be a great summer!

Then when the dough was ready, we pinched a ball of dough flat with our bare hands and filled it with leftover ham and swiss cheese (leftover ham from a previous dinner was 100 times better than the packaged one I brought). To make it extra yummy, after we folded it over and closed the sides, we laid them on cornmeal!, and baked until golden brown.

They tasted SO GOOD! Needless to say we were so proud of our work, we're going to do this a little more often :)

It's just a little...

2011-03-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

... blood

Jace had an accident with a garden tool. Jace-0, Tool-1. Thankfully we didn't need to go anywhere, and the cool wash cloth took care of the pain. Welcome Spring!!!

... change

I turned 27 two days ago. I was going to do a cute post to celebrate, but I realized that it's just another year. It wasn't a big deal to me this year. Usually it is, but for some reason I've done more thinking this time about how I want to live the next year of my life :) I had an amazing birthday thanks to my wonderful husband (who gave me a hair cut for my present) and my amazing sisters who took me out to Zupa's for lunch (incredible!), then made me a delicious chocolate cake with strawberries on top, drizzled with more chocolate and marshmellow goodness and banana splits (Kari insisted that it was going to be some-what healthy) Thanks everyone for the wonderful birthday!!!

Then to make my birthday even more special, my sister went into labor!!! That was some awesome news, and yesterday:

Van Andrew Wheeler (7 pounds 6 ounces, 20 3/4 inches long) made his debute!!! Congratulations Erin and Andrew and big sister Alesa!!!

And to top off the rest of the changes in the Hartle family...we all got hair cuts...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BYE!!!

I'm a...

2011-03-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

...BIG KID NOW!!!

That's right everyone. Jace is potty trained!!! I know we have weeks before he's "fully" potty trained (where Mom doesn't have to help undress and dress, or wipe) but the biggest hurdle is over!

I can't believe how hard I was making it. When Jace started showing interest in going "potty" (I actually hate saying potty, but with kids it's not something I can avoid) back in December I thought it would be an easy thing.

WRONG!

3 months later our only progress was he would go #1 when he was naked. When we moved into our house other things (sickness, unpacking, stress) just took priority. I had reason for delaying this too. I wanted to get MY head on straight before trying to potty train him again. I didn't want it to be a rollercoaster event in my house. I had remembered my friend Kodi was training her little boy (who is younger than Jace) and was having lots of success. I emailed her and asked her for advice to which she replied and told me about "The 3-day Potty Training System". Only available for download on the website. Cost $25.00

I thought... "heck. Why couldn't I do that???" So I got the download of the book and read it. I liked it. It made it simple. It put less stress on me, and it was JUST what I was looking for. It used positive re-inforcement and plain common-sense to help Jace recognize his body's signals, and taught ME how to help him know what to do when they came. Here's how it went:

Day #1: JACE threw away his diapers. Thus leaving us with no crutch to go back on. I was instructed to not go anywhere for the 3 days so I could be with Jace as he learned his body signals and so I could teach him what to do when they came. It wasn't that hard! Jace wore just a shirt and underwear and going #1 was EASY. When it came time for him to go #2 (a signal which he knew because he would tell me his tummy hurt) I would take him to the bathroom. After a 3-4 times of doing this (and him not going), and using a "potty brush" which was my blush brush (just an object to distract him until he was more comfortable with the process) he finally accomplished that hurdle! I know it seems weird to be excited about that, but our last attempt before all this he kept it in until he was constipated.

Day #2: I knew this day could make or break us. Thankfully with all the positive words and rewards for everytime he was dry, it went wonderfully! No accidents!

Day #3: The final day was just as easy as the 2nd day. No accidents other than he woke up a little wet (he threw up the night before so I gave him liquid before bed to help keep him hydrated). I did as the book instructed and took him potty anyway and he actually still had to go. That leads me to believe he stopped himself from completely wetting the bed!

So that's it. Pretty simple huh! And if you're wondering about night time, he wakes up when he needs to go and I help him. Even if it's at midnight.

Jace, Mom and Dad are SO proud of you!!! We're excited that you are growing up and can't wait to take you to the store and get you your "Big Boy" present!!!

I LOVE this sight!

Sisters...

2011-03-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

...help the Mister who comes between me and my Sister...but Gee help the Sister who comes between me and my Man!!

Today my sisters have been CONSTANTLY on my mind. I have one who I live next to who has been a life-saver to my sanity since we moved here, one who is about to have baby #2, and one who just paid off a ton of debt that I'm so proud of! So I decided to do a post about each of them.

My sister Cami gave me a book of poems about sisters for my 19th birthday that I FINALLY read all the way through last night. I found one that describes my sisters to a T:

No One Knows Me Better than You, Sister

Our hearts are intertwined in a history of shared memories. We lived the same childhood, broke many of the same rules, and learned lessons from each other and from life.
Because of this, you understand not only where I've come from, but who I really am. We each have chosen our own path in life. Yet our paths inevitably converge again and again as time goes by, for we never lose sight of their origin.
Over the years, we've talked and laughed, listened and cried, supported and understood in ways no one else could. Even when we don't see eye to eye, I know you only want the best for me - just as I do for you.
No matter what else happens in my life - no matter how many times I change direction or make mistakes - I know you will always be there for me.
Your love is very special. It centers me and takes me back. It challenges me and leads me forward. I'm so glad that we will always be sisters and friends.

- Pamela Koehlinger

Sister #1 Melanie:

Melanie is the oldest sister. To me she is the teacher sister. She lets you make mistakes and shows you how to do better. I wanted her hair growing up! It was dark, curly, and BIG! I always loved it when she did my hair for school! I remember when we'd visit her after she had her first baby Bradley and lived in that tiny apartment. I got to see what she was like as a wife and mother. Watching her I couldn't wait to be a wife and mother myself one day. She had a cute way of decorating her home and still does (which is why we like the Merkley Christmas party at her house)! I admire her for her patience in teaching her kids to play the piano as well as anything their hearts desire to accomplish. She and Kari have had a great impact on my mothering/housekeeping skills.

Sister #2 Kari:

To me Kari is the mother sister. She is always making sure you are living to your fullest potential. Growing up I wanted her talent of dancing! I LOVED watching her clog and I LOVED her smile!!! Besides my own Mom, Kari is where I've learned a lot of my skills for cooking, cleaning, organizing (don't laugh), and taking care of kids. She may seem crazy busy all the time, but underneath I see she has it all together. One thing I remember about her is when Taci and I were fighting one day a long time ago, she made us do all our chores holding hands! Kari is also the sister that made sure we were always "fashionable" where ever we went! She is fun to be around and the parties are ALWAYS at Kari's.

Sister #3 Erin:

Erin to me is the sister who brings out the best in you. Growing up I loved to listen to her play the piano! Especially Christopher's Dream (I think that's its name) She is the sister who puts a passion in you to take risks and make mistakes. To do daring things and experience all life has to offer. Something I still do today. Because of her I've been ALL around the world and can't say enough of how grateful I am that I've had some amazing experiences most people will never get. One thing I remember most is when I drove for the first time on the interstate and she was with me. Erin would drive me NUTS when she would make me try to figure out where to go on my own! (rude I know) Thankfully before I had a nervous breakdown she would tell me which exit to take and what turns to make.

Sister #4 Taci:

Taci to me is the sister I always wanted to BE. Growing up she had this one shirt I would steal and wear when I knew she wouldn't be around to see me. I thought she looked SO beautiful in it, and I wanted to look just like her! She is also the one sister I fought with the most. I think it's because I'm jealous she can make our ENTIRE family laugh and smile at the drop of a hat with her funny "stories". She has an amazing talent of singing that she uses to entertain people and make them smile. One that melts hearts every time she uses it. Taci is also really good at anything! She trys EVERYTHING (including being a vegetarian) and isn't afraid if it doesn't work out. She just keeps going until she finds what she likes.

Sister #5 Camela:

a.k.a. Cami is the youngest sister and the baby of the family. Enough said...

Just kidding! Cami is the sister I was closest to. Maybe because Taci and I didn't get along all the time, and the other girls were into things I wasn't because of age difference growing up, but she is the one sister I share EVERYTHING with. Growing up it was favorite movies and books, neighborhood games, and secrets about boys! And it was a fairy-tale sharing a room with her until my senior year of high school (not really, she was a messy roommate). She is the sister that I still share my secrets with, dreams and goals with, and no matter how weird or stupid or out of reach they seem, she is the one to always tell me to go for it, or even jump on board with me! She is also the one I tend to lecture. I feel as her bigger sister that I have wisdom I need to pass on to her even if she does not want to hear it! Growing up we promised that we would be each others Maid of Honor at our wedding receptions:

And we were! Even at 9 months pregnant I was her beautiful maid of honor! (I didn't want to be called the matron of honor, it made me feel old)

Now that we're all "grown-up" and living outside of the home I've come to realize that I still rely on them like I did before. I ask for advice on how to raise my kids, cook new menus, where to go for fun, or just sit and chat. I'm so thankful I HAVE wonderful sisters that I can look up to and be with for the rest of eternity!

My sisters... I LOVE YOU!!! Thanks for always looking out for me and making me into the person I am today!!!

So ready for....

2011-03-16T09:48:00.001-07:00

This:

Jace has been in potty training mode since December. He was doing great until we moved. I knew that he would regress, but he kept ON regressing. So I decided to get back on track. I got the 3-day potty training book and started today. Jace personally threw away his diapers and has been doing wonderful this morning! He has yet to go #2 (which has been an issue because he holds it in when he wears underwear) but he knows he doesn't have any diapers anymore. We'll just have to wait and see what happens :)

Mr. Kayson is SO ready to be a big kid too! He LOVES big brother Jace, and he will not stop whining until I hold his hands to help him walk around the house. He will stand for a few seconds at a time, and I know it won't be long before he'll take those first steps. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by!

We are loving our new house, but miss Grandma and Grandpa's very much! We can't wait to see them this weekend for Samuel's baptism!!! We send them letters and art in the mail which has been a lot of fun, and we're sending this next:

We love you all! See you soon!

Guess What...

2011-03-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

More of this:

to come soon!!!

(I bought a battery for my camera)

Busy Bee's

2011-03-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. One HUGE reason for the slack is I have no camera because my battery is dead. You'd think that would be an easy fix, but I'm trying to save money and it's not in my budget this month.

Then I am working on putting together a concert for a former teacher who is having health problems. I have until the end May to pull it off and it's been a struggle to get things moving right now. I hate the waiting game...

Things are good at our new house. I have everything in place (at least all the important things) and my clutter to go through is at an all-time low. The boys have been sick, but Kayson was finally given an antibiotic and is sleeping much better. Jace on the other hand we have to re-train to stay in his bed all night. Yeah :)

I'll try to update more another day!

All Because 2 People Fell In Love

2011-02-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

This is my family. My immediate family. Want to hear some cool numbers???

10 kids.

7 spouses.

21 grandchildren.

2 great-grandchildren.

Here's how shocking that is to the world outside of Utah:

When Ryan and I took my parents to New York in the fall of 2007, we were able to go to a Wicked cast party. There we met a few of the actors in Wicked, and the directors and other important people who run the show. While we were talking to one guy, we'll call him Mark since I can't remember his real name, he asked how many kids were in our family. I said I was #8 of 10. His jaw dropped!

He then asked, "From the same parents"?

"Yes".

He turned around in his chair and announced this to the room. Yeah.

Then my Dad piped in that #10 had just left the house and he was going to P.A.R.T.Y. when he got home! Mark looked at my Dad and said:

"I think you've had ENOUGH party time"!

LOL! I've never laughed so hard!

I love being able to say those numbers and give people a little shock for their day.

I love having this unique, loveable, never-a-dull-moment, family.

My Valentine's gift from Heavenly Father

2011-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

I got a Valentine's gift from Heavenly Father this year.

A real, tangible, loving, amazing gift.

I cried over this gift.

Let's back up a bit.

March 4th, 2006. This is the day I got engaged to my wonderful husband Ryan. What do girls most often get when they get engaged??? A ring.

Mine was perfect (despite my mother saying "I know a fake when I see one" when we told her the news) She was just in shock. It's ok Mom :)

I couldn't have picked a better one out myself. I cried when I saw it.

April 15, 2006. This is the day that ring was put on my finger as a symbol that I was married. When the "for better or worse" times came, this ring would remind me of the promises I made to my companion, and help to keep us together.

July 15th, 2008. This was the day my first son was born. As I thought about the little miracle in my arms and what his future would hold, I thought about the ring on my finger and what it would be like to pass it on to him and his future wife. I wanted my ring to be passed down generations and generations to come. I wanted to have a bit of my history be in this ring.

February 9th, 2009. This is the day I lost that ring.

I didn't even tell Ryan for a whole week that I thought I'd lost it. I knew it would break his heart. My heart was shattered. All those things I had promised with, hoped for, dreamed of, were part of that ring. And I so carelessly lost it. How? My fingers were swelling on our way back from SLC, so I put it on my watch for safe keeping. We made a stop at Daniels Summit Lodge. That was the last place I saw it.

My heart shattered again when I told Ryan. He helped me look for it. We tore his truck apart looking for it. No luck. With a heavy heart we stopped looking. I would never forgive myself.

Mother's Day 2009. This is the day Ryan forgave me (of sorts) and bought me a new ring. Not like my first one, but one to show that he loved me and wanted the world to know it. My heart sunk because while I was happy to have that symbol back on my hand, it was a reminder of what I lost. I decided that I needed to move on. I needed to forgive myself.

But I had a hard time doing that.

I even kept looking. Called to see if anyone had seen it. No luck.

For 2 years. No luck.

Feb 15th, 2011. This is the day I got the best Valentines gift from Heavenly Father. We just moved (#2 since I lost the ring) to our new home in SLC. It was time to tackle my room. Clothes to go through and put away for later days. At the bottom of the tote was a brand new, never been worn, vest that Ryan bought for warmer days 2 years ago. I don't know why he never wore it. I don't know why it escaped the DI pile. I just didn't throw it out. So I picked it up to put it in the tote to go downstairs and... plunk...

I looked down.

There it was.

My ring.

The one I had made my promises with, had hopes with, had dreams about. The one I never stopped looking for. The one I never forgave myself for losing.

I picked it up. Immediately I felt like I was in a dream. I kept saying "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh". I even had Jace witness all of this. (when I showed him my ring at lunch time he said "oh my dosh, oh my dosh, oh my dosh")

I put it on. It fit. I put my watch on too. It was really there! I kissed Jace and texted Ryan that I had witnessed a miracle. I needed to tell him!

No answer.

I texted my sister Cami. I HAD to tell SOMEONE!

No answer.

I called my Mom at work. THIS WAS BIG NEWS!

No answer.

So I called my Mother-in-law. She said, "Oh I didn't even know it was lost" AHHHH!!!!! (I know I told her).

So I tried my Mom again. FINALLY she answered. She was just as amazed as I was! It was the reaction I was looking for! Just the utter feeling that this happened was overwhelming.

FINALLY Ryan texted me back and I sent him a picture of the ring on my finger. His reply?

-What? You serious?!?!?!?

-Dead serious.

-Where?

-In that vest coat thing of yours

-Wow.

What boggles my mind is everything that happened or didn't happen in those 2 years for me to really lose the ring. Like the vest not dropping it the dozens of times I packed and unpacked it, or moved it to and from the DI pile. What's even more hilarious is that I had just mentioned to Ryan LAST NIGHT that it's been 2 years since I lost it.

So there you have it. The story of my Valentines gift from Heavenly Father. I know that's who it's from. Only He knew where it was and it took 2 years to get it to me. That's ok. I'm just glad it's back on my hand and not plowed in the snow or buried in the dirt.

Next on my list is to get it re-sized so I'll never have to take it off!

p.s. SORRY for not having any pictures!!! They are ALL on my other computer and my camera battery is DEAD!!! I'll post some soon!!!

Quarantined

2011-02-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

Since becoming a Mom, I have always felt there's a list of things that will eventually happen that will qualify you to be an "expert Mom" of sorts. Like being in the Olympics. Here are a couple of examples:
- Catching throw up in your hand
- Giving your kid a hair cut and have it look professional (still working on that one)

The one I learned this last week is:
Moving into a new house, putting it together while hubby is working to provide for us, and BOTH children have:
- RSV (Kayson)
- Ear Infection (Jace)
- Runny Nose (Both)
- Bad Cold (Jace)
- Constipation (Kayson)
- Diarrhea (Jace)
- Fevers that never seem to end (Both)

So I think I've earned the Gold Medal this week for putting my house together while taking care of these poor sick boys! If your thinking I should have asked for help, you're probably right. I should have. But when I thought about getting other people sick with what we have, I just couldn't do it. No one needs to be exposed to this! I did take Kayson to the dr, and he said that Kayson didn't need to be in the hospital since he's had RSV for a week and is on the mend. I'm so thankful for advice and equipment Aunt Jamee and Uncle Troy gave us to help with his breathing!

Of course I can't forget the great things I've learned this week. Like how much of an amazing husband I have. He went to the store at 2:00 am to get some Childrens cough medicine. Kayson couldn't stop coughing and Ryan went without being asked. I love him so much!

So please no visitors yet as the boys are very contagious! We will be seeing you soon and will have pictures to show as well :) Have a great weekend and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY on Monday!!!

Update...

2011-01-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

I knew it was coming. Kayson has finally started to crawl. He hasn't gone full-blown-get-into-everything-and-drive-mom-nuts crawling yet, but he's taken the first few steps, and I know it won't be much longer before he will constantly be under my feet.

Where did the time go???

p.s. We found a place to live! But because this blog isn't private, I don't want to post where. You can call me or my Mom for the details.

Just When...

2011-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

...I've finally gotten settled into our beautiful home, we start the process of...

Moving.

Since last year's economy dip, our little family has struggled with lost job, financial stresses that come with that, and just trying to BE a family. Although Ryan's last job at Schlumberger was a blessing after 4 months of no work, it wasn't working out for us (Ryan's sleeping at home 3 nights in 5 weeks just wasn't appealing). We want and need Dad home.

So Ryan found work in SLC as a salesman for Larry H. Miller Used Car Supermarket. It's something completely different than what he's used to, but this job gives our family: Dad home every night, Sunday's off (which is a needed blessing), as well as the possiblity of getting out of some financial stress that his last paychecks couldn't cover. He's already doing very well for a "new guy", and I can see Heavenly Father blessing him, and in turn us, for following the prompting to take this job.

I'm very sad to be leaving the basin. Although I love SLC, to me it's a place to visit and leave. In SLC you find rush hour, and crazy drivers (not that the basin doesn't have any, you just see double out there), you find more noise and less country fields. Aside from the stuff I don't like, SLC offers my siblings and their families (I feel like I've lost touch with them), shopping, and fun places to visit like the ZOO or Lagoon in the summer.

The one thing SLC doesn't have, that I will miss utterly the most, are my children's grandparents. Jace is constantly talking about Mama's car, Mama's house, Mama's blankets, calling Mama at work, and just plain Mama (Mama is both grandmas)! He talks about Papa Jay and Grandpa and how much he loves their trucks and helping with the jerky. I feel like I am ripping my children from some very important people in their lives that they have grown up with and care for very much. I worry like my Mom that the boys will forget them, or be shy when we come to visit. I don't want that! I still want to see Jace run into their arms and forget that I'm even around. To pick to ride in Mama's car or stay with Mama instead of picking me. To see Jace and Kayson learning things from my and Ryan's parents, is a treasure that our family has enjoyed by living close to them.

I don't know what the Lord has in store for our family, and I pray that one day we will come back and live here in the basin. But for now, we need to live in SLC. We just need to. I'm scared, but excited. Sad, but happy. I know this is the right thing to be doing for our family.

We don't have a place to live right now, although we have applied and are waiting for answers on a few rentals we liked. Ryan is staying with my brother Galen until we find a place. Thank you Galen from the bottom of our hearts! So I will update when we do have a place. If you get a chance, please say a little prayer for our family. This is going to be a hard move.

SO, I guess I'll see some of you around soon! p.s. here are some misc pictures. Enjoy!

Jace and Kayson opening Santa's gifts:

Jace cleaning up his orange crayon on the wall

My favorite pj's for the boys! They say "Big Brother" and "Little Brother"!

Jace's favorite place to be (stinker)

Kayson balancing on one knee (silly kid)

Not much longer

2011-01-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Jace 7 months:

Kayson 7 months:

Jace started crawling at 8 months. That gives me aprox. 4 weeks before Kayson starts. Yikes.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from this years Christmas!!!

Frosting cookies (although I think Jace ate more frosting than cookie)

Jace helping Grandpa "roll the rolls". Everytime he finished a roll he put it on the baking sheet and yelled, "I did it!"

(Alesa loved everyone, but Uncle Scott was her FAVORITE!!!)

Our Christmas Eve Program 2010! (you won't see ALL the characters because we had a BIG family in a small room. I couldn't get everyone.) Sheep and Cows:

Shepards:

Angels:

Mary and Joseph (Makayla was right in front of me so I only got Bradley. Sorry!):

Grandma reading a Christmas story:

The End

Or maybe just more posting another day :)

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-12-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

WOW. That's all I have to say. The moisture that has come down in our town the last 48 hours, is the same amount that came down all of LAST YEAR (in my mind anyway)!

Rain, rain, slush, rain, snow, SnOw, SNOW!!! That's all it's been the last 2 days. I knew it would be a lot but this:

is a LOT!

Ryan has been as happy as a kid at Christmas-time! Why? He FINALLY gets to use his snow blower!!! He got it as a Christmas present LAST year, but there wasn't any snow to plow. Needless to say our neighbors are very happy to let him snow plow their drive ways and side walks to his hearts content.

Jace is loving it as well. Although he is 2 1/2, this is the first year he can really play in it. He got SO excited when I asked him if he wanted to go outside to play. He layed in it, he sat in it, he walked in it, he climbed a small hill and said weeeeeee when he slid down the 1 foot length it was.

We (meaning mostly Mom) built a snowman! Jace's first one! I would have built more, but the snow wasn't packing very well, and it took me FOREVER to pack one. That's ok. He turned out great! Jace isn't smiling in this picture because he took his gloves off. Enough said. *smile* (don't you love how his expression matches his hat)

Afterwards we came inside and drank some hot chocolate to warm up! Ahhhh....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Growing and Growing

2010-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

OK so I found my camera bag (which had the camera cord to the computer in it) and have new pictures to share!!!

I LOVE these pictures, but hate them at the same time. They just prove to me that my boys are growing up. Jace looks so big in these and Kayson is moving along beside him.

*sigh*

I promise to enjoy this moment while I am in it (even if re-arranging the Christmas tree for the 3rd time makes me mad).

It must be...

2010-12-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

that time of season. I generally get really pensive around Thanksgiving and Christmas. And this year it's been a more deep and profound kind of thinking. Yesterday Ryan had a scope done on his upper body. Nothing to report. He's fine. Just too much acid in his stomach. On our way home from the hospital we stopped by RedBox and got a couple of movies to watch while he recovered.

I must have needed to watch this particular movie without any distractions because Ryan fell asleep once we got home, Jace took a 2 1/2 hour nap on the living room floor (which was a shock because he doesn't take naps anymore let alone on the FLOOR) and Kayson took a long nap as well. I had 2 hours to devote my listening ear to the following movie:

I don't know what happened inside of me. Something clicked and I feel.... so....

balanced.

happy.

calm.

If you've been to my blog before you'll have noticed my quotes on the top right hand side. Well, I changed them. To me they seem to stick out with lessons I've learned this year. Lessons I don't want to forget. Because for the first time in my life, I feel like I could live as the person I am today... for the rest of it.

One quote from the movie I loved was:

"God lives in me as me".

I understood what Liz (the main character) was talking about when she said that, so then something else hit me. Why am I so stressed??? Why do I feel like I'm enduring life??? I'm always worried that I'm not smart enough. Not skinny enough. Not happy enough. Not organized enough. Not spiritual enough. And you know what I found???

I'M NOT!!!!

and I'm done stressing over it: a perfectly clean house, up and ready to go before the kids wake up, what to eat or not eat, what to enjoy or not enjoy. I'm not saying if you came over to my house it would look like a tornado hit it, or that I'll be stuffing my face with ice cream 24/7, but you will see toys on the floor and a batch of laundry waiting to be taken upstairs (I will never have stairs in my house again EVER), maybe even some dishes in the sink from breakfast. I will have the boys dressed, the kitchen will be tidy, and my bed will be made...(maybe).

I don't know where that pressure came from. Maybe because I see it everywhere I go and wonder why I'm not like that. But I feel like if God is going to live in me as me, then I want Him to feel the same way I do.

balanced.

happy.

calm.

I've got a long road ahead still and I do want to be better at organizing and getting ready before 10:00 am. But I feel like I can take my time and enjoy the learning process. Everyone is a teacher, everyone is a clue on how to do that.

My journey has begun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

This year was quite the change from last years Thanksgiving. I went from helping my Mom with the dinner for 70+ people in a church house gym, to just my family and next door neighbors Katie and Eric. Their plans fell through and I couldn't have them eating alone. It was really nice. But I now know the CRAZINESS of making food ALL DAY and fully appreciate all the years my mother did it for us!!! That's really all I did, and I LOVED it! It was perfect! I put the turkey in the oven at 8:00 am and didn't stop making food until it was time to eat. But I did get a lot of new recipes! Like: Artichoke and Spinach Dip! YUM! Pepper Cheese Ball (a Merkley favorite) and... others I can't remember right now. I made my first Chocolate Pudding Cream Pie. (and failed because Ryan told me to mix the whip cream in AFTER the pudding set up)*sigh*

In the end everything turned out great! My neighbor Katie made fruit salad and a pumpkin roll for dessert. WOW! Ryan was in heaven with that roll. After a lot of playing and eating and talking, we called it a night. It couldn't have been a more perfect "first" Thanksgiving for me and our family!

(p.s. Sorry no pictures due to a lot of cooking!)

A little nothing

2010-11-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

Since Halloween, not much has happened. I'm happy about that. It's been quiet, normal, and fun at times. We're just waiting for the holidays to finally come around. A few things to report are:

- Kayson has learned to roll over from back to belly! (which is new to me since Jace learned belly to back first)

- Tator "turned" 1 years old. (That just means he's survived living with me)

- Isaac got a 100% on his spelling test last week!

- Ryan and I got NEW TIRES for my car! I'm so happy to have it back.

- Aunt Taci is flying in TOMORROW for Thanksgiving! We can't wait to see her!

Kayson has his 6 month check up coming soon. Yeah. More shots. He's been doing 100% better since we put the tubes in his ears. He's finally learned to have an out-loud laugh and it's SO cute! He CONSTANTLY says Ma ma ma ma which is also opposite of Jace. Jace would only say Da da da da. It makes me smile.

Since Jace learned to climb over the child safety gate, I've had to teach him how to stay in his room at night. I'm happy to say that it didn't take as long as I thought it would, and I LOVE being able to put him to bed without having to step over the gate. Now if only potty training would come as fast. I'm not officially trying to potty train him, but he will sit on the toilet happily and I thought I'd test the waters. But after the Cars underwear got peed on (with a lot of work before to go on the toilet) I decided that he needed more time. I'll wait. I want to enjoy this journey. Not be stressed.

I'm sorry to say I have no new pictures to post. I'll work on that :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

This year we had a lot more fun trick-or-treating! Our ward, along with 2 other wards, had a trunk-or-treat at our old church house. We left at 5:30 all dressed up. Jace was a skeleton (and earlier he was a dead cowboy) and Kayson was a lion! We were ready to get some candy! Jace had the funniest look on his face the whole time we were at the church. He thought everyone's costumes were interesting, but his favorite part was walking up to the back of the cars to get the treats. He was on cloud 9 the entire time!

We left the church and hit a couple of friends house on our street. Then we went to Aunt Cami and Uncle James' house. It took Jace a second to realize who they were! We got candy and a few pictures with them, then left for Grandma and Grandpa Hartle's house.

Jace got a whole cup of candy there! We all took pictures of the boys in their costumes then ate dinner. When we left for home, both boys were so tired they slept the whole way there and while I changed them into pajamas. I didn't hear a peep the rest of the night. I think I like Halloween :)

Pumpkins!!!

2010-10-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for this post. My neighbor Katie bought pumpkins, and asked me if I wanted to carve them with her. Otherwise I wouldn't have done it this year. Shame on me! It was a BLAST!

My neighbor Katie has two boys. Dominic and Gabrielle. Both of her boys are 2 months older than each of my boys. What awesome neighbors to have! Dominic and Jace play at each others' house ALL DAY! I can't wait for Gabrielle and Kayson to enjoy their friendship when they're older.

Here are the pictures from last nights fun:

Katie bought the carving kits after last years Halloween. She paid PENNIES on the dollar for them. I know what I'm doing next week! Shopping for next years costumes!

The boys didn't do much after we gutted the pumpkins. They went and played while Katie and I did the rest.

My pumpkin is the monster. Katie's is a bat in front of a moon. Pretty good huh!

Gabrielle LOVED his pumpkin!

Kayson didn't pay too much attention to his.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What To Do When...

2010-10-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Your tire blows 1 mile from your exit off I-15:

-Have your brother-in-law watch for a good place to pull off
-Have same brother-in-law unload trunk and get spare out
-Have brother-in-law change tire
-Load trunk while brother-in-law cleans his hands with baby wipes

This was my situation a few weekends ago. Thankfully Cami and James rode with me on our trip to my nephew Bradley's ordination in Tooele. I don't know what I would have done without them! Especially with two boys in the car. Probably panicked. This was my first experience with ANY flat tire on the inter-state, and I think I handled it well thanks to James. He changed that tire in 10 minutes! I've never seen one changed so fast. We then followed my Mom and Dad home going 45 miles an hour. LONGEST 2 1/2 hour ride home EVER! Needless to say NO ONE in my car is allowed to complain about following parents home in their shaky-trailer-truck because they'll only be going 50 mph. Bad carma.

Oh the fun didn't stop there either. After our camping trip for UEA, I came back to my "Dollar Car" dead. OH and we can't forget the flat tire with a screw in it. Thanks to my awesome brother Logan and my awesome Dad, they started the car (which died because a certain little 2 year old left some rear-view mirror lights on) and switched the tire. The tire turned out to be an easy $11.00 fix and we're all good now. So in 1 month I took care of 2 tires and a dead battery! WOO HOO! (not)

My fixin car days are over for now. They work, but I still need to buy new tires for my Nissan. So if you know of any good deals for 18 inch rims out there PLEASE let me know!

Horsing Around

2010-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

When Isaac came out during his school break, we all had a chance to go four-wheeling. Well afterwards Uncle Troy hadn't put the horses up from their ride, so we grabbed the chance to let the boys ride them. I LOVED watching Isaac and Samuel ride! They looked just like the best little cowboy buddies EVER!

Jace LOVED, LOVED, LOVED riding horses! In fact he would throw the BIGGEST tantrum EVER when we took him off the horse. Seeing his face light up that day made me smile. I guess we'll have to have Uncle Troy teach him to ride now :)

Kayson didn't really get to have an opinion. I don't think he got a chance. Who could with Jace screaming the whole time to get off!

I love seeing Ryan on the horses. He would race Samuel around the small pasture, and my heart would flutter! I can't help but swoon when he does that! Every time I see him race across the ground on a horse I picture in my head The Man From Snowy River.

*sigh* He's so beautiful. I'm the luckiest girl in the world :)

Happy Birthday Grandma Merkley!!!

2010-10-26T18:12:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday!!! We LOVE you!!!

To make a long story short....

2010-10-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG 3 weeks! Ryan went to Oklahoma on October 3rd to start a 3 week training for his new job at Schlumberger (pronounced Slumber-jay). Needless to say I've been hiding out in my house, cleaning, doing laundry, and missing my husband. Thankfully the last week and a half was filled with camping, staying at Grandma Merkley's so we have a lot to post now.

First thing I wanted to post about was Kayson's surgery. Yep. He had tubes put in both ears yesterday. He did great! We got to the Roosevelt hospital at 7 am and Dr. Catten took Kayson for surgery at 7:40. Ten minutes later Dr. Catten came out said he was finished and Kayson will be coming out in about 15 minutes. WOW. That was a fast surgery! 15 minutes later a red-faced, crying Kayson came out. He looked very sad! The nurse said he took a big gulp of anethesia and it would wear off in about 4 hours. We decided to not hang out at the hospital and left for Grandma Merkley's to pick up Jace. He spent the night (Thanks Mom). He seemed his happy little self a couple of hours later, and by 2 pm he was ready for his 4 month check-up. Even if he'll be 5 months on Wednesday.

Yeah I know. I was a mean Mom. But I figured since he was on Tylenol already I might as well get his shots. Plus I wanted to see how much my little man grew over the last couple of months. His stats were:

Weight: 16 pounds 15 ounces (70%)
Length: 27.5 inches (95%)

So looks like we have a Big & Tall boy on our hands right now. The Dr. couldn't believe how big he was and how long! I couldn't either! Only 2 weeks ago he weighed 15 pounds 4 ounces. I love it! He did great with his shots. Only cried for a second, then he fell asleep on the way home. Today he is tired and a little grumpy, but he is doing great! I can't wait to see him smile because he is pain free and able to sleep better! I love you little buddy!

Kayson is 4 months old!!!!

2010-09-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

It seems only a few weeks ago that I was posting on this blog that Kayson was born. Now I'm posting that he is 4 months old and starting....

You guessed it; Solids. He only took a few bites, and it's going to take some patience and teaching, but he did swallow some. Then he decided that he liked his fingers more!

I can't believe time is FLYING by! I just realized today that I need to get his 4 month shots scheduled. Already. I'm so happy that he is at this cute stage, but I miss the brand-new infant I held not so long ago. Now he is attempting to stand, trys to giggle, talks NON STOP, and captures my attention with his heart-melting smiles every chance he can. I know the only thing to do now is enjoy every moment because it won't be here long. With Kayson it's easy to do. Jace is another story. :)

More to come soon :)

2010-09-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

Hey I have been taking a lot of pictures the last few weeks, and just when I was going to post about all of it, my battery died and the one thing I want to post about is on my in-laws camera that I'm waiting for. I'll post some stuff soon. Hang in there :) (that is if you really like to read this blog. If not I wouldn't worry your heart out)

Thanks!

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2010-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks have been crazy! To update a little: Jace did well with the antibiotics and no more ear infection! Kayson on the other hand isn't doing as well as his brother. Sad to say he is on his 4th dose of antibiotics in 2 weeks. Amoxicillin for 10 days, 2 doses of shots, and now another oral antibiotic. Today was his first day on it and he seems to be doing better, so here's hoping we nip it in the butt this time!

Here's a picture of him with the bandaids from the 2nd dose of shots:

With Ryan working for Schlumberger and me at home with Herbalife, believe it or not, it's a calm crazy. When Ryan is home we try to spend a lot of time with family. Since it was Christian's 5th birthday this week, we went to celebrate it on Sunday at Aunt Jamee's house. Then over to G & G Hartles house where Isaac (who got to spend the weekend with us too) and Jace met the horses up close and personal with Gpa Jay. Too cute!

I think Jace is pinching the horses leg in this one. Notice NO shoes:

Papa showing the boys the horses foot:

Then today while we were waiting for bath time to roll around, I took the boys outside. It was a little windy, so I thought it would be great for Jace to have his first kite flying experience. He LOVED it! Since he wouldn't hold still and fly the kite, he had to sit down. He was thrilled just holding the string, and when it was my turn I would let him throw the kite up in the air. He did great for a first timer!

Hope you all had a great Labor Day!!! Talk more soon :)

My Declaration

2010-09-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

Losing weight this last year has been both easy and hard. First easy because I found my niche and it works for me. I lost 40 pounds in 5 months and have kept it off since with the exception of my pregnancy. That was the hard part. Being pregnant and gaining weight with the baby made me almost cry! "I worked so hard to get it off" I would say to Ryan. I worried that it would take just as long to get the baby weight off again.

Well Kayson is 3 months old and I have had my pregnancy weight off for a month! I'm happy to have all my "skinny" clothes in my drawers again!

Now that the pregnancy weight is off it's time for me to get serious about the last few pounds. A few really isn't the word I would pick for 30 pounds, but because I want to set myself up for success I treat it as if the task ahead of me is already accomplised. No problem! And the best thing is I'm really excited! I haven't been "skinny" in my mind for a while and I'm excited to get my body into shape, have lean muscle, lots of energy, and focus to do the things I want.

I already have my eating lifestyle changed which gives me that edge to keep the weight off and give me energy and ALL my nutrients and vitamins, but now I've added exercise! Cassie sent me Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I'm on day 3. WOW! Everytime I start this I have to remind myself of my goals and declaration I made to my family to be 30 pounds less by Christmas time. At the end I'm sweating and ready to take a hot shower, but I LOVE the feeling I get when I'm done. I'm on my way to being a better, healthier me!

So that's my declaration: 30 pounds less by Christmas time! Talk to you soon!

Jace likes exercising too:

UBIC

2010-08-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month was UBIC! Uintah Basin In Celebration. Since I can remember it's been a Merkley family tradition to go to this outside night of fun! This year was no exception! Music was by Nathan Osmond and Pattie Loveless this year. (I hope I got her last name right...)

Kayson did great! He didn't mind the noise and he LOVED Aunt Pam tickling his cheeks! Jace LOVED it! He loved the noise, he loved being with G & G Merkley and he LOVED the fireworks! That happens to be my favorite part too! While we, Jace, me Grandma M and Aunt Pam, were walking around the crowded booth area, Jace started crying and saying "ooo, oooo" I couldn't figure out what he was saying so we bought him a 3 dollar toy and went back to our seats. I sat him on Ryan's lap and Ryan asked me, "Where is his shoe Katie?" Uhhh.... My mom then leans over and says, "That's what he was saying Katie. Shoe, shoe!" OH!...Oh...crap. Now, if you have ever been to UBIC finding something you lost is like finding a needle in a haystack. But we just bought those shoes for Jace the day before and I was NOT going to let one of them be lost! So Aunt Cami walked with me to go find it. After looking on the ground where he started crying, Cami had the idea to ask the vendors. I walked up to an older gentleman selling bird houses and he said, "Yes! In fact I tried it on, but it didn't stretch over my foot. Is that it?" After laughing at his cute joke I got Jace's shoe off his sign, said thanks, and walked proudly back to our seats. I was in complete shock that we had found it, but I'm so glad we did! Now when Jace starts crying, I'll look at his feet first.

The fireworks were awesome! And Jace couldn't get enough of them. I took some pictures so now when he sees them he'll say, "eerks, eerks!" Since we live in Vernal, we didn't get home until midnight though, so next year I think we'll stay at someones house! Any offers???

Well I'm going to bed. In case you haven't heard, Jace is not the only one sick anymore. Kayson and I also have ear infections. Yeah. Fun. I've actually decided it's better for us to all be sick at the same time. Now I don't have to worry about when it's going to hit the next family member which cuts the sick time in half! I'm looking forward to getting better and back to normal!

Those Darn Ears....

2010-08-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well as if we hadn't had enough about hearing about Jace's ears, they get to be the topic of conversation again.

Jace has an ear infection. After 11 days of no sleep (the first few of which he had a fever of 101.6) I decided to take him to see the dr. Normally when this happens the dr's tell me that he has a cold and to switch between Tylenol and Motrin until he gets better. (Hence me waiting 11 days for him to get better) Well I had enough of no sleep and Ryan noticed he had a hard time swallowing, so off we went. Turns out his left ear is really infected and he has some huge swollen glands. Poor kid. So now we are enjoying the days of antibiotics, ear drops, and popsicles. I just hope Kayson doesn't get sick. I started getting sick as well and this morning officially have sinus congestion. This sucks! But we will all survive and I'm looking forward to relaxing a little with a book while the boys nap. Which they are doing right now. I will update more another day. Until then, don't visit us (I say that lovingly. I don't want any of YOU sick during your first weeks of school!)

Good luck and have fun to those of you starting school!!!

Isn't he just so cute???? This friday he'll be three months!!!! I love it!!!!

I'm ALL ears!!!

2010-08-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

This has been quite the week for Mr. Jace and his ears. He was born with "Hartle" ears that stick out slightly. They never have bothered him or got in the way until now.

As you can see in the picture below Jace cut his ear. Mom was helping him go fast on his trike when he swerved into the entertainment center and caught his ear on one of the doorknobs when he crashed. You can't see it very well, but his ENTIRE ear was black and blue! I've never seen anything like it!

Then yesterday while we were at Grandma Merkleys, Jace "helped" Grandpa Merkley kill wasps that were on the trampoline. Needless to say one wasp didn't like that and took it out on Jace's other ear. Poor kid needed ice cream for that one!

This reminds me of a song Mom:

Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro, can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow....

Hang in there Jace!

Pictures of Kayson

2010-08-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

So I didn't take any "good" pictures of Kayson in his blessing outfit. So today before I put the little suit in my hope chest, I had a photo shoot with Kayson in it. It was made by my Mom, and it just turned out SO freakin' cute! Thanks again Mom for making it! I can't wait to pass it on to him when he has kids of his own.

Kayson's blessing day

2010-08-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ryan blessed our little Kayson on June 27th, 2010. Kayson was exactly 1 month old! Time seems to be passing so quickly and while I wish it would stop, I enjoy watching Kayson grow and show his personality. I know he'll grow to be an incredible man one day! A little info about his name:

Kayson's first name is after his Grandma Lois Hartle. Her middle name is Kay. We wanted to use her middle name for one of our girls, but since Ryan is so sure we won't have any (we'll see babe) I wanted to make sure she had someone named after her.

Kayson's middle name, John, is after our Lapoint Ward bishop. Bishop John Allred. Bishop has been there for Ryan and I since we first met. He was the one who married us on April 15th, 2006 and he was the one to help us get to the temple to be sealed a year and 6 days later on April 21, 2007. He was there to lend a helping hand, a smile, and a shoulder to cry on through the paperwork, the trials, and the joyous events that later came. He is a great man and one of many men in my life that I hope ALL my boys can live like. I don't have a picture of Kayson and Bishop together, but I'll get one soon.

Here is Kayson with Great Grandpa Wooley:

Here is Kayson's birthday buddy Bridget! She is 20 days older than Kayson:

Me, Kayson, Bridget, and Cassie:

One more of the cute cousins:

Thank you Mom for making Kayson's blessing outfit! It turned out SO beautiful! And thank you to all who were able to join us that day! Your presence made it amazing!

Paradise

2010-08-06T20:15:00.001-07:00

My parents, my brother Galen, and my sister Cami along with her hubby James went camping last weekend to Paradise. Jealous. Thankfully they weren't too mad when I invited myself up on Saturday to bumm with them. Aunt Pam and Uncle Ken decided to bumm with us too which was SO fun! It was nice to get out of the house and be on the mountains.

Things I love:

The cool breeze
The smell of wood, grass, and dirt
The smell of camp fires
The beautiful scenery
The sunset
Spending time with family playing cards and literally not being able to talk straight! (pay, dealed, and others I won't claim) :)
No phones!!! (I think my all time favorite)
NOT feeding the animals cookies
Letting Jace run wild and not worrying about it
Seeing all the deer come really close to camp
Food. Period.

Thanks for letting us join you Mom and Dad! Can't wait until we do it again!

The chipmunk we "didn't" feed :)

Jace and Grandma Clifford taking a nap

I enjoy being a....

2010-08-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

GIRL???? HAHAHA!!! Jace got into my make-up while I wasn't looking. I'm actually surprised at how good he did at putting the mascara on. That color is good on you kid! Love ya!

Happy Birthday Jace!!!

2010-08-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

July 15th, 2010

Dear Jace,
I can't believe that you are 2! It seems like not so long ago when you were born and in my arms as my first baby. You're personality makes me laugh everyday! You know how to cheer me up even when I'm mad at you for making a huge mess! You melt my heart with every new word you learn, and I try to enjoy these moments because they won't be here for long. Thank you for being the best "terrible" two year old I've ever had! We love you Monster!!!

Love, Mom, Dad, Bubba, and Kayson

Slacker???

2010-08-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I've been slacking on blogging. BUT just so you know it wasn't for nothing. We've done a lot this last month and my camera is chuck FULL of pictures ready to be shared. The hard part is remembering which computer I downloaded them on....hmmmm....

Don't worry, I'll be posting them soon. We have to cover Jace's birthday, Kayson's blessing day (from June!!!), Camping in Paradise, and other funnies like my 2 year old drag queen :)

So get ready for a lot of posting! I'll be talking to you soon!

p.s. I'm getting ready to do a weekly post about new recipes I've tried. If you have a favorite, post a comment and I'll try it :)

Germany

2010-07-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

In the summer of 2005, I had a life changing opportunity to live in Germany with my sister Kari and her family. I just recently found the pictures I had from that amazing summer, and because there are SO many of them I will have to do several posts about it.

These first pictures are of me spending time with the family right before I left Germany. I was trying to sort the pictures out according to timeline, but it's easier to do it by country or special times. This is one of those special times.

I can't remember the name of this castle we went to, but it was right next to Machenbach. Where Kari and Aaron lived. We went there to just enjoy the rest of the day and spend time together before I had to leave. It was amazing! We roasted marshmellows, played on the rails of wood, and the colors of the sunset were, to say the least, GORGEOUS!!!

A street in Machenbach:

My first day in Germany at a FHE activity:

Aarons turn on the rail:

My turn:

Makayla's turn:

Lexi's turn:

Isn't she SO cute!?!?! How time flies!

This is me and my friend Nadia:

Close up of me. Gorgeous huh???

These last few pictures I took with Kari's AMAZING camera. I was just walking around the castle grounds and was inspired by the history and beauty it portrayed that day.

My FAVORITE one:

Didn't I tell you the sunset was GORGEOUS!!!

SO....where to next I wonder???

Late blogging because that's the only time I have peace and quiet

2010-07-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

(A sneak peek at what my next post will be about...)

I can't believe it's almost the middle of July. That means two things for our family. 1: Isaac has swimming lessons and will be gone for a few weeks starting today. And 2: Jace's birthday is around the corner!!

Having Isaac here really completes the family, and when we all get along it's great! But being part of a split family is hard! It means trying to get 4 people (the parents) to agree on how to raise 1 kid. Good luck! We all have opinions, which we tell the spouse about and hope they'll take care of it. We all have ideas on how Isaac should be brought up, which we try to carry out every chance we can. We all want the best for Isaac, which means we all try to teach him OUR "best".

NO WONDER the poor kid has a hard time adjusting from house to house. He didn't want to go home today. And I don't blame him. It's not because we're the better home, or because he loves us more, it's because he wants to be with ALL of us. All of HIS family. His little heart was torn in two again today when he left. It seems his heart is torn a lot. And I think for the first time... mine was too. I mean really torn. It tore because... for the first time I actually looked at it from his point of view.

So instead of getting mad that he always forgets the "ways of life at our house", I'm going to do my best to find a way to bring both houses together. I've made up several charts to help him remember our rules, and I'm going to spend at least 1 hour each day with just him. When Ryan and I were first married, that's how it was between Isaac and I. I miss those days. So I'm going to do my best to bring those back. Library trips, visits to the park, and crafts together. I know it's going to be a big juggling job, but he's worth it.

As for Jace... I'm really excited that I'll have a 2 year old! I know what you Mom's are thinking now. I know. That just means more hectic days and more of my big "what did I get myself into" sighs. More days where I discover where that smell is coming from or learning new ways to keep things tidy. I know Mom's. I can't get out of it now, so I might as well accept it and dive into the journey because it won't last long. So bring on the two's!!!

And of course Mr. Kayson. I LOVE him so much!!! He reminds me everyday why I love being a Mom. He keeps growing, and I love watching him do so. He's SO different from Jace that I feel like I'm a first-time Mom all over again. We have the breastfeeding thing down and I'm taking full advantage of that time with him. He's been really cute too while he's awake, so even though I know it might make a certain Grandma miss him more, I can't pass up posting a couple pictures.

We love you Grandma Merkley!

Me And My Boys!

2010-06-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

They keep me on my toes everyday. What more could a mom of three ask for???

Having Isaac here has been a lot of fun...most days :) It's hard for him when his neighbor friends can't play because Jace can't do the stuff Isaac can; like ride bikes, scooters, or understand how to play board games and such. But he manages to entertain himself. His favorite part of the day is morning. He and Ryan go put those annoying flyers on everyones cars :) YUP that's us!!! And it's been nice to have him get out of the house for a couple of hours. So humor the paper underneath your windsheild wiper because it helps keep a certain new mommy sane.

Jace, I think, is finally not mad at me for adding to our family. Thanks to my mother for sibling advice while nursing! She told me to sing songs with Jace or have him sit next to me and read a book while I nurse Kayson, and it has helped. A lot! A lot, a lot! Jace can now escape outside by opening the sliding doors in the kitchen and LOVES to do it often. Thankfully he's only gone to the mailbox once. Needless to say I dead-bolt the front door ( who KNOWS when he'll start opeing that one from inside) and I put the baby gate in the sliding doors so he can't get out when he opens them. Jace has really put his words on full blast! He talks non stop and has the funniest personality I have ever seen in a 2 year old! His birthday is next month so I already call him my 2 year old. Anyway... He LOVES Grandma and Grandpas houses and LOVES jumping on the tramp by himself. He LOVES helping Grandpa Merkley till the garden and Papa Hartle turn the water on in the garden. He has quite the tan now.

Kayson is growing and growing. Most days I can't decide who he looks like, but when I see pictures of Jace when he was a baby I can see a similarity. He is just SO DARK it throws me off! He is a mommas boy and loves to snuggle against my chest. I LOVE having him here and even though it's made every second in my day busier than I ever thought it could be, it's totally worth it when I look at him.

Well they are all asleep as I write this. I had better get some too. We'll write more soon. p.s. Erin, Andrew, Alesa, and Taci this is for you:

A little update

2010-06-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hillary Weeks sang it perfectly in her "Favorite Things" diddy at Women's Conference a few months ago.

"Bedtime and naptime and bedtime and naptime. Bedtime and naptime and bedtime and naptime..."

Life with two kids is busy busy busy!!! I LOVE IT!!! I get to enjoy my almost 2 year old growing up and learning new things everyday, and I get to enjoy my newborn snuggled against my shoulder completely dependant on me. The time I get to spend on me has been cut in half again, but after two weeks I think I'm getting the hang of it. While Kayson sleeps I can shower and play with Jace. When I'm nursing Kayson, Jace HAS to sit next to me. My mom gave me the idea of singing songs or reading to Jace while I nurse and it's working out great!

Ryan has been just plain amazing! He is constantly asking me if I need anything or need help with the boys. He cooks, he cleans, he provides for us, and on top of that he's a wonderful dad and incredible husband! I'm so thankful for him. I love him so much!

We will be getting Isaac this week. On Wednesday to be exact. He has Boy Scout Day Camp so after that he'll be coming to our house for the summer! He's grown so much and I can't wait to have him here. He loves to play with his friends out here and he's excited to see Jace and meet Kayson.

I'm excited for the next couple of weeks to go by. Cassie and Logan are blessing Bridget next Sunday! I can't wait to see everyone and have them meet Kayson! Especially Bridget :) She and Kayson are the closet cousins in age. Now we just have to have them move out here so they can grow up together!!!

We'll talk more soon!

The Birth Story :)

2010-06-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry all you men who might read this, but because I LOVE reading everyone else's birth stories I'm going to post mine. Ladies, enjoy :)

Jace's delivery was so hard and long and ending up being a nightmare. I was really nervous that this delivery would be the same. Everyone would give me encouraging words that "the second one is always better", "Jace carved the way for this one", "Second babies come faster". I loved hearing the words and they DID bring me comfort, but there was still a part of me that feared another roller coaster delivery. After praying and reading scriptures, I decided that whatever happened, it would bring me a healthy baby boy.

Well "D-Day" came and we left for the hospital at 8:00 am. Jace was with Grandma Lois. We arrived, got registered, and led to my room. Dr. Griffith came in at 9:00 am and broke my water. We decided to wait an hour to see if my contractions would start on their own. At 10:30 we started the Pitocin also known as the PIT. My contractions had started, but we wanted to get them into 2-3 per minute state. I was getting really nervous at this time. My past feelings with Jace's delivery were making me feel overwhelmed, so Ryan called our Bishop and he came to help give me a blessing. Having Ryan give me a blessing was the most POWERFUL comfort for me. I felt in my heart that what happened during Jace's delivery would not happen again. From that point on it was an enjoyable experience. That's right family, I said ENJOYABLE! The day pretty much went like that morning: upping the PIT and me breathing through the contractions and being bored! I wish I had taken a card game or something. The tv didn't have ANYTHING good to watch. I took a nap at one point!!! That was fun!!!

By late afternoon (I can't remember what time it was) I had progressed to a 6 and was having a hard time breathing through the contractions. I would start to shake and my focus was leaving. I decided to have the epidural. This was the major cause of pain with Jace's delivery. I talked with my Dr, and I talked with the Head Anethesiologist and felt comfortable with doing it again. Dean (the Head Anethesiologist) did the procedure and it was NOTHING like last time! It took him 5 minutes to put it in and I didn't feel ANY shocks in my legs or ANY discomfort while it was being put in. Needless to say it was such a relief and I KNEW that this deliver was going down the right road! It actually made me really excited! I told him not to dose me up to high, so I ended up being able to still move my legs and it took the edge of pain off my contractions! It was perfect!

By 9:00 I was still at a 7, but 100% effaced. It was just a matter of waiting now. During this time the contractions were coming harder and faster. Ryan would help me switch positions so I could hopefully dialate. By 9:30ish the nurse checked me again and I was ready to push! WOO HOO!!! It was SO painful!!! I didn't feel anything with Jace because I was completely numb, but with this delivery I could feel when the contractions were coming and could actually push with them.

After a couple of contractions and pushing, it was time to get the Dr.!!! Ryan had asked if he could catch Kayson, so like the dr he got suited up :) I had to wait TWO contractions of NOT pushing!!! OUCH!!! Then after two more contractions and pushing, RYAN delivered our little boy at 10:05 pm!!! Such an AMAZING experience for both of us! A lot of pain for me, but SO worth it to see Ryan deliver our son! Ryan looked a little pale after catching him, but he told me later he wanted to do it again!

Ryan stayed with Kayson and I laid on the bed being stitched up from tearing a little. They finally weighed him and I was able to hold him when he wasn't all bloody. Ryan put him on my chest when he was born and Kayson whacked my face with his bloody arm! YUCK! After waiting for my legs to become un-numb, we went to our room and started the recovery process.

With Jace I couldn't do anything for a day and a half because of the epidural hitting my spine and causing a spinal headache. This time I was able to take a shower and walk around and feel normal! It was the best delivery experience EVER and having Kayson home with us now is amazing! I feel AMAZING!

As a side note about his name. We had decided on Kayden, but when we kept hearing how popular it was we decided to look for a second name. We decided on Kayson a couple of weeks before he was born, but didn't tell anyone because we wanted to see what he would look like when he came. I told Ryan when he placed Kayson on my chest that he was indeed a Kayson, so it became official. So sorry for the surprise, but we wanted to make sure it fit. And it does :)

Thank you for all the sweet comments! I can't wait for everyone to meet him! We'll write more soon.

Pictures!

2010-05-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

Kayson is HERE!

2010-05-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Our little Kayson is finally here! We just got home today so give me a few hours to get settled and I'll post pictures and tell you how everything has gone so far. But for now here are his stats:

Kayson John Hartle arrived May 27th, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
He weighed in at 8 pounds 1 oz and he is 20 inches long (Good thing I was induced 3 weeks early!)
He has LOTS of brown hair and is a champion eater already! He actually has gained 3 oz since his birth.
Ryan was able to catch him when he was born and LOVED that experience! I'm doing great as well and loving having my baby here! Jace loves his baby brother and will pat him on his bum when he holds him. I don't think he quite understands yet that this kid is staying with us since both Grandma's have been keeping him busy with cousins and friends (Thanks again Steph!) while we've been at the hospital. Isaac is coming in little over a week so we'll have more to tell when he gets here.

Well I'm going to get some stuff done before Jace comes home. Ryan keeps repeating how quiet the house is because he's not here. Enjoy it while you can hun!

3 Days Left and Update

2010-05-24T10:16:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Well I only have 3 days left until our baby boy gets here! As long as his lungs are developed we are good to go! And we find that out on Wednesday. Things have been really good here. Despite Jace and I getting a cold, it's been one awesome day after the other.

As many of you already know Ryan is now working full-time from home with our Herbalife business. It has been so wonderful to have him home! He has lost 15 more pounds just from leaving his stressful job! Way to go babe! He will be going to Las Vegas on the 3rd for another awesome Leadership Development Weekend and even though I'm jealous I can't go with him, I'm really excited for him! He will be driving down with our coaches Helen and Dave!

Isaac is doing great! He gets out of school on June 4th! I don't have the dates yet for when he will be here for summer, but he can't wait! We talked to him yesterday and he kept asking if he could take Tator for a walk outside! HAHAHAHA! Such a big helper!

Jace is quite the character! He LOVES the movie "Dennis The Menace". Should I be worried? HAHAHA! He will not sit down for any other movie! And it's the only movie he points to and says "Dennis"! He is learing new words everyday and will kiss my belly when asked where the baby is. He has no clue what he is in for, but I know that with the Lords help he will adjust well to being a big brother.

As for me, I'm ready to have my baby in my arms! It's snowing right now and I hope that it's just getting out of the way for a beautiful sunny day on Thursday when I go into labor.

Guys this has been such a wonderful month! I can see Heavenly Fathers hand working in our lives and most especially in our business. We have met some incredible people to help lose weight and build an at home business. I'm so grateful for his love and mercy that have helped us become stronger members of the church as well as a stronger couple. Cami and James were married on Saturday and it was such a wonderful experience to be in the temple with them. To feel the spirit and to see my little sister get married was exactly the icing on the cake this month. LOL! Icing...!

Well I had better get my hospital bag packed and Jace down for a nap. Next time I post it will be after we've had our baby! We'll talk to you all later!

Thoughts and Prayers for the Millett Family

2010-05-10T06:25:00.001-07:00

I just found out my friends brother passed away. Dustin Millett. From what I could find out on other blogs, he was driving home from work early in the morning and fell asleep.

When I told Ryan, he was just as shocked as I was. Ryan went to school with Dustin. I asked him what he was like in school and Ryan remembers him as the one goofy kid that was always cracking jokes.

To the Millett family, our hearts are sore for your loss. We are sorry we didn't know sooner about his funeral, because we would have been there to support you. We know that the Lord is with you and the rest of the family right now in this, and hope that you will feel his comforting arms around you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you ALL. At times like these, we can be thankful for the knowledge our Heavenly Father gave us that we WILL see each other again one day. We can be together forever. That is the promise he made to all his children.

Once again, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

WELCOME BABY GIRL MERKLEY!!!!!!

2010-05-07T07:29:00.001-07:00

Logan and Cassie had their baby girl early EARLY this morning! She was born at 4:27 a.m. weighing 6 lbs 10 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. She was needing a little oxygen to help her breathe, but she is doing great! Still no word on the name, but I did get this picture! CONGRATS YOU GUYS!!! I can't wait to meet her!!!

Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk, TALK!!!

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

"What's sat?", "No, No", "MOM!!!", "Ta-er", "*gasp* Uh-Oh", "Dad", "Aye, aye, aye, ayecccc"

These are probably the most used words at our house. In case you can't speak Jace, the first one is what's that, middle is Tator, and the last one is how he says ice. I don't know why or where he learned that one, but that's how it comes out. Jace is quite the talker! It's been a lot of fun to listen to him jibber jabber and now his jabber is turning into constant questions that need answered. "What's sat" is the one I hear over, and over, and over. At least it's not "Why?"

You know you're a mom when your son says your name at varying volumes to get your attention for one second of jabber, then off to play. Only to have this repeat in one minute. Now I know how my mother felt. I'm really enjoying this stage of Jace's development. He learns a new word everyday and it amazes me how much he picks up on his own, and how quickly. One lazy Sunday I actually grabbed a piece of paper to write down all the words he knows whether it was spoken, pointed to, or in sign language. I lost count at 35 spoken, 8 in sign language, and 11 things he can point to. I don't worry about the words he knows in sign language and won't speak yet. I don't sign them to him anymore and it helps in church when he can sign "more" or "drink" and keep quiet.

Here are my favorite two word sentences: "You eenk" which he got from me asking HIM all the time "You Stink Jace?". And his newest one "Min" which is "Come in" to anything knocking on a door. If you call and Jace decides to answer, be prepared for ENDLESS "What's sat" and more jabber. Ryan let him call me after he got up from his nap and I was in town doing shopping. The ENTIRE ride home was me listening to him talk, ask "what's sat" and talk some more. The fun part is if you tell him to say bye, he'll say "bye" followed by "see ya" and then hit the END button on the phone to hang up. Smart boy!

This really is a fun stage and even though it can be annoying to have him in the background of every call, I know I will miss it later. SO I'm enjoying every minute of it while I can. He has already grown up too fast.

Baby Update

2010-04-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well I had another check-up today. Not as eventful as the last one thank goodness! Everything is going great and one funny part is my belly is now only measuring 3 weeks ahead. HAHAHAHA! I guess it goes to show that measuring really isn't that BIG a deal.

We made a few decisions with the doctor today. We are planning on being induced on May 28th. Not something I wanted to do, but out of necessity has to be Plan A. Ryan is leaving on June 3rd for a business trip that won't be done until the 6th, AND my doctor is leaving for a family trip to Europe on June 2nd. I didn't ask when he would be back. SO, since Labor & Delivery doesn't schedule inductions on weekends OR holidays, which just HAPPENS to be both the cases for the last week in May, our only option is Friday the 28th. (Yes Mom I can see your eyes rolling right now)

Of course some things have to be in place for this to happen. 1: Baby's lungs MUST be developed when they do the Amnio test on the 27th. 2: I MUST be dialated to a 2 or a 3. If these are not in place, then it will be the waiting game. Plan B.

On a side note, I just have to tell you guys how AMAZING my doctor is. He is up-front and SO honest with us. I trust his judgement and know that my baby and me are his #1 priority.

I'm really excited to have this pregnancy almost over, and Ryan and I will get to meet our son. I've already started getting things organized for his arrival. I've pulled out Jace's newborn clothes, and I can't wait to use the newborn diapers!

I will keep you updated, but for now my next appt isn't until May 12th. We'll talk soon.

How Many Weeks?!?!?!?!

2010-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today has been quite the fun-filled day for our family. What made it "fun-filled" you might ask? Well ask this guy:

I had a routine check-up today. Like usual we went and the nurses took my blood pressure, asked how I was feeling, and took the baby's heartbeat. That was quite a sight to see on a side note! Kayden literally KICKED the doppler and gave the nurse a hard time before settling down enough for her to get it! That alone makes me wonder what I'm in for! HAHAHA! The nurse also measured my belly. Twice. ???. She told me that I was measuring at 34 weeks. I'm only 31 weeks. Uhhhhh..... She then said that she'll have the doctor check it again when he comes in. SO we sat there. My mind was racing with thoughts of "does this mean the baby is big???" or "does that mean I'll come early???" Thankfully he walked in before I could think anymore. Asked the usual questions and got right to checking the nurses measurement of my belly. Here's how the converstation went:

Dr: Ok let's see here....WELL she was wrong. You're not measuring 34 weeks.

Me: Oh good!

Dr: You're actually measuring 35 weeks.

Me: ----- WHAT!?!?!?!?!

Ryan: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (Aparently it was funny to him)

Me: (when I finally found my words again) So what does that mean?

The dr then went on to order an ultrasound. We talked about a few things and I felt better knowing a little of what might be ahead. Basically it all depended on what the ultrasound said. But we talked about if Kayden gets too big our option is to check his lung development at 36 weeks with an Amnio(something) test (where they stick a needle in my belly and grab a sample of fluid) and if his lungs are good then most likely I'll be induced at or around 37 weeks to deliver vaginaly when I'm "Full Term". Other options, like c-section, were only if we had to pass that and couldn't deliver "natural" because he was too big. SO, we scheduled the ultrasound for an hour later and went to get Jace and lunch.

The ultrasound tech was awesome! She's actually the same one we had with Jace and throughout this pregnancy, so it was fun to see her again. To make a longer story short, Kayden is measuring only 1 week ahead with a u/s due date of June 4th. (YESSSSS!!!!!) He weighs (give or take a pound) 4 lbs and 8 oz. I don't know how the measuring thing works, but I'm glad that Kayden isn't in the TOO BIG catagory! The tech said 2 weeks difference was considered normal, and I'm only measuring 1 week different. Me: YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

So everything is going GREAT and we're on track for a healthy baby and normal delivery! The tech said Kayden had hair on the back of his neck (COOL) and I could tell he is going to have HUGE cheeks like Jace did when he was born! LOL! I'm really excited for the next 6 weeks to go by! One cool side is we got more pictures of Kayden! Even some 4D ones!! So enjoy!! (p.s. the middle one was to verify it was for sure a boy. YUP it's a boy!)

A Little Bit of Down Under!!!

2010-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Presenting the worlds GREATEST cookie EVER!!!

This was one of those AMAZING moments of my life where my favorite-never-thought-I-would-see-it-again-in-the-USA things really DOES meet the USA!!! My sister Erin first introduced this cookie to our family when she came back from Australia after being a nanny for the summer. It has been a favorite of mine, and brings back thoughts of Australia, of course I went as a nanny too, when I eat it. Ryan remembers them too from his mission! We had a fun time eating a few of them last night while talking about our experiences in The Land Down Under. It's a favorite past time!

How did this wonderful treat find it's way into my shopping cart??? Thanks goes to the lady in front of us at the Wal-Mart check-out stand! 20 items or less! She plopped those on the counter and my eyes had to adjust and blink 100 times before I realized what I was looking at. And it WAS really what I was looking at!!! I told Ryan, "That lady has Tim Tams" and he proceeded to grab her attention long enough to have her tell us where she got them.

They taste just like I remember them!!! (And yes Erin you can still suck the milk through them like a straw and then plop the cookie in your mouth and let it MELT!!!) Go get YOUR OWN!!!

A Few of my Favorite books and cds!!! (caution: LONG post)

2010-03-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so normally I'm only into Anita Stansfield, Twilight, and other romantic books, but along with our Herbalife business came an amazing lady. Our coach Helen Huntsman. This woman has a WHOLE different "library" for me read now on a daily basis. It has turned my outlook on books entirely!

I'll be the first to admit some of the titles of these books I now love, even their covers, I would have passed by in the store or never even thought to have read. (Goes to show that I DO judge a book by it's cover...shame on me) But every book she has reccommended for me to read or listen to, has changed me for life! In just 13 months I've gained a whole new understanding of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, my marriage, my kids, and me.

I hope to one day be able to write about the changes I've gone through in a way that is composed and so you can understand my babbling, but for now I'll just tell you a few of the books I read (or listen to) on a daily basis. I hope one day you'll read them and find the joy in them that I do.

First book I read:

"The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" By Tracy Hogg

The title says it all! Being a first time mom, I didn't realize how in depth it is to raise a child of your own. Thankfully we have mom's of our own, but this book dug a little deeper since, of course, no child is the same. Jace is a champ eater and sleeper thanks to this book! I can't wait to use the same techniques on Kayden when he gets here! p.s. Yes this is one of my baby gifts to ALL new mommies!

Second book I listened to:

"The Best Live Performances By Connie Podesta"

This woman...I could listen to over and over and learn something new about myself. She focuses a lot on self esteem in her first cd called "Making Choices That Count" that really made me look in the mirror and come alive. I love her cd "Life Would Be Easy If It Weren't For Other People". HAHAHA!!! She gives such powerful lessons that you can only gain by listening, so if you're looking for something new, GET HER!!!

Third book I listened to:

"How To Hug A Teenage Porcupine" By John Lund

Being a step-mom isn't easy. Having Isaac for the summers used to be easy, but as our family grew and HE grew, so did our attitudes and old ways that worked with him. Helen had me listen to this to help mostly with Isaac. Of course, like everything else she gave me, it has really changed our family for the better. Isaac and I have a great relationship now because of this book/cd. My favorite quote is: "You will never carry out the Lord's plan in the Devil's way". WOW.

Fourth book I listened to:

"For All Eternity" By John & Bonnie Lund

This is my new wedding gift. When I listened to this, I felt a HUGE relief! Everyone told me that marriage wasn't all flowers and chocolates and happy days. I knew that. But no one told me what marriage wasn't. And that's the way it should be. It's different for everyone. So to help Ryan and I as a couple, Helen sent this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their insights!!! Their counsel is priceless and their stories brighten my day. When I'm frustrated with Ryan, or myself, I put them in and in a minute the spirit comes into my soul and whatever I was frustrated at, isn't important anymore. I love my husband more than I ever knew I could and it's because of this book/cd.

Fifth book I read:

"Finding Daylight" By Kimberly Webb

If ever there was a book I would have passed in the store, it would have been this one. Yet it is the first one I cried with. Like soul cried. There are a lot of things I don't quite understand with life and where I'm going. Why things happen the way they do, why prayers seem to take you down a bumpy road and end up being what you really needed. This book seemed to affirm what I thought all along. Heavenly Father sometimes gives you a "wrong" answer so that when you face the right answer, you have the knowledge that no matter how hard it may be, it's still right. The example Kimbery gives is with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's son Matt. At 12 years old he and his dad were returning from an exploring trip on backcountry roads. It goes on:

"We came to a fork and could not remember which road to take. It was late in the day, and they knew darkness would be enveloping them in unfamiliar territory. Seizing a teaching moment, Jeffrey Holland asked his son to pray for direction...Matt replied that he felt strongly they should go to the left. Replying that he felt the same way, his father turned the truck to the left. Ten minutes later, they came to a dead end and returned to take the other route.

"Matt thought for atime and then asked his father why they would get that kind of answer to a prayer. His father replied that with the sun going down, that was undoubtedly the quickest way for the Lord to give them information-in this case, which one was the wrong road. Now, though the other road might not be familiar and could be difficult in places, they could proceed confidently, knowing it was the right one, even in the dark".

Many times I have felt like Matt. Wondering why I would get an answer that led me down the wrong road. But then also like Matt and his father, I have felt the joy and comfort knowing that when I "turn around" and the road is hard, it was in the end the right way to go.

I have so many more that I listen to or read, and maybe one day I'll write more, but for now these are the ones that have been chosen. I'm so thankful...for the things I have learned over the last year. And I'm thankful that Helen puts up with me and Ryan and is ready-and-willing to hand out ANYTHING to make us not "grumpy" to work with. It has been an AMAZING journey...hard sometimes, but amazing in the end.

Take some time to yourself and get one of these books/cds. Give yourself something to laugh at and in the process learn something new.

From Jace's View

2010-03-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have the cutest son ever! Even when he frustrates me by getting into EVERYTHING (like: Toilet paper, dog food, movies for the 3rd time, his clothes, my make-up, and games that have TONS of little pieces) Need I say more???

The other day he managed to get my camera, turn it on, and take a couple of pictures:

When I looked at them, my first thought was, "Great. Now he can take pictures. What's next?" But then I REALLY looked at them. I realized how different we see the world. Him: a world of BIG things and BIG wonders to be explored and tested and tried. Me:(at least for now) a world where messes never end and the small things tend to make me want to scream sometimes. I'm glad I got this moment to see Jace's view of things. It makes me remember that he won't be small forever and to just laugh through my tears of frustration. The toilet paper doesn't need to be perfectly rolled to use it, the dog will always be fed, the movies won't always be in my OCD order, my son will learn on his own how to dress himself, my make-up can always be replaced, and games will go on being played. Even with knick-knacks for the missing pieces.

I love you son!

A few of our family pictures...

2010-03-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

This was my Valentines gift from Ryan:

(Isn't he the best??) I love you Ryan!

A Day with Dad!

2010-03-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to run errands with Ryan. We went to the bank, post office, and to the dry cleaners. Jace LOVES getting out of the house, and now that it's warm outside we can go to the park as well! Which was our last stop. It was a lot of fun and just what we needed as a family. Time together.

Old Video

2010-03-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

So I've been going through old videos from my camera that I haven't labeled or looked at since Jace was born. I've got everything from Jace cooing to his first steps. I couldn't pass up posting one from when he was a month old. Good thing I'm pregnant. I'm SO baby hungry for this:

Nursery Idea

2010-03-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

So now that I actually HAVE a nursery, I've been looking for color schemes or themes for it. I thought about doing a blue room with airplanes, but never really settled on it. Then I came across this:

I LOVE this color sheme! The last few weeks I've wanted green for the walls, but never found any good colors. So I searched on the internet at Babies-R-Us and TA DA!!! I'm really excited to put this all together before Kayden gets here!!!

Only 15 weeks left!

2010-02-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

I was talking to Ryan this morning about how I felt that June would NEVER get here, and when he said, "Well there's only 15 weeks left babe." I couldn't believe how fast June WAS coming.

It doesn't seem so long ago when I had this little guy:

and now he's:

I can't wait to do this all over again!!!

19 months and 23 weeks pregnant...Update

2010-02-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

Thank HEAVENS pregnancy doesn't last 19 months! I re-read my title to this post and figured it would need an explanation. Jace turned 19 months old today. No big deal other than next month he'll be in the 20's. I can't believe how fast he is growing up! He has been seriously the BEST little boy a mother could ask for! Even when he's onry or for the fifth time in a row, drags out the lids from the kitchen drawer and throws them EVERYWHERE. He still is able to make me smile. Of course he makes up for it:

We had kind of a scare the other day with him. He woke up swollen from head to toe. I thought it might have been something on his clothes because I just switched his detergent, so I put him in the bath. I asked Ryan to come look at him and he said it wasn't detergent. It had to have been something he ate. So I began to run through my mind what he ate earlier and realized I gave him a chocolate shake with peanut butter in it! He's allergic to peanut butter! Thankfully Heavenly Father had part in it this and I knew it was because of Him Jace only drank 1/3 of what I gave him! It just makes my heart sink to think of what could have happened if he didn't wake up or drank more than he did. We gave him some allergy medicine and by the end of the night he was back to normal. See...God does watch out for us even when we're not looking. Or thinking.

The other half of the title is how far along I am in my 2nd pregnancy. (For those of you who don't understand it by weeks like I didn't before I was pregnant, that means I'm in my 6th month) I'm doing and feeling incredible! I did have a couple of days of light headedness and fast heart beats, but with a lot of help from friends and family I found that sugar on an empty stomach will cause that. So with a little change with diet and vitamins, I'm back to normal. Kayden has been really active. I even think he's getting hiccups. Ryan has been able to feel him kick a few times already and it just makes me think June is fast approaching. It seemed like FOREVER before we could feel Jace kick and move, and here with Kayden the time has flown by. I guess that has to do with staying home this pregnancy. It seems there is PLENTY of work to be done. I have managed to clean and organize the downstairs, hang a few pictures, and organize the upstairs storage closet. It's so nice to have time to do that. Ryan and I are still doing Weight Loss Challenges and we just finished numbers 3 and 4. But I will write about those on another post. Number 5 and 6 start this week!

Our newest addition to the family, Tator, is doing GREAT as well. He does have to fight Jace for his bed, but other than that it's going smoothly. I was worried when we got him that I would have to watch that he didn't attack or smother Jace, but it's actually Tator that I have to watch out for! Jace LOVES this dog! He'll pick him up, hug him, kiss him (ewwww!) and play with him ALL DAY!!! It's such a nice distraction and I know that when Kayden gets here neither of them will feel like they've been abandoned. They will have each other! Here's a cute video of him "protecting" the family!

Valentines Day was AWESOME! Ryan gave me family pictures as my gift! We went to a studio and had our pictures taken professionally for the first time! I will post them when we get them. They were SO fun to do! (Thank you my wonderful husband!) Isaac was able to be here too, so that worked out perfect! I gave Ryan a picnic/movie night and we watched The Time Travelers Wife. It was good, but not as good as The Notebook. Well I want to write a WHOLE lot more, but this post is already too long. So I will stop here and save some for later. Talk to you all soon!

p.s. Please keep the Tenney family in your prayers. They are my friends family and they are going through a rough time right now. All I can say is how thankful I am that families can be together FOREVER! Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALESA!!!

2010-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ALESA,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALESA DEAR,
HAPPY DAYS WILL COME TO YOU ALL YEAR,
IF I HAD A WISH THEN IT WOULD BE,
A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU FROM ME!

As cute today as you were when this video was made last April! We hope you have a GREAT 1st birthday! Love, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Katie, Isaac, and Jace!

This is my card to you since I always forget to buy one and put it in the mail)

VEGAS BABY!!!

2010-01-29T07:06:00.001-08:00

Ok I've never liked Las Vegas. But Vegas with Herbalife....was....AWESOME!!! We had SO much fun that the next Leadership Development Weekend (LDW) will be there again in June!!! I'm so jealous that Ryan will be the only one going since I will be too close to delivering our baby boy. Oh well it will be worth it!

Since LDW was in Vegas, Ryan and I along with Helen Huntsman (our business coach and close friend) Tom Bradley and Kathy (more distributors with HBL) ....I forgot Kathy's last name.... were able to drive down. Even though my legs swelled a little, it was SO much better and less costly than an airport!

We stayed at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa!!! Our rooms would have been $400.00, but Debbie and Steve Combs (Founders of PTI) got them for $109.00!!! Thanks guys! Our rooms were HUGE!!! p.s. Debbie is the one in the pictures with the balloons. It was her birthday!

We trained Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But we also partied Vegas style on Saturday night!!! Can't wait to see all you guys again!!!

Isaac's Baptism

2010-01-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

Isaac Dean Hartle was baptized on December 5th, 2009 in Rawlins Wyoming. It was such a such a spiritual experience to be there with him and share in his decision to become an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Isaac asked Ryan to baptise him, then asked his step-dad Chris to confirm him a member. Afterwards Isaac was crying and when we asked him why, he just said he was so happy. Everyone could feel the spirit so strong! That of course made us cry too. We are so proud of you Isaac!!!

Grandpa Jay, Grandma Lois, Isaac, Ryan, Me and Jace

Cindy Smiley, Isaac and Chris Smiley (Isaac's Mom and Step-dad)-not pictured Spencer and Russell Smiley, Isaac's other brothers)

Grandma Vivian Russell, Isaac and Grandpa Dean Russell

Thank you to those who came and those who came in spirit! I know Zachary (Melanies son) was also being baptized that day, so most of my family weren't able to make it. And a special thanks to Grandma Merkley who tried to come but ended up in bed sick :) Isaac loved your gift of the Baptism Rememberance book. And thank you Grandma Lois for the scriptures with his name on it.

A pup named....Tater!!!

2010-01-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

Santa was a little late this year for Ryan. But it was worth the wait! This little puppy is Tater...like Tater Tot! Ha ha ha I know weird name, but it fits him SO well! He is a cross between Pomeranian and Chihuahua, and he is 2 1/2 months old. (Thanks for the spelling Cassie!) Jace is already jealous that my attention is now not entirely on him, but I know that it will only help him this summer when the baby gets here.

Here are a few pics. Enjoy!

My little artist in training

2010-01-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

Thank Heavens for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!

Sickies

2010-01-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I've been meaning to post pictures of Isaac's baptism, Christmas, and New Years, but Jace had a very bad cold for a week that he passed on to me. Of course since I'm older and have lots of luck, my sickness turned into an ear infection with strep throat. All is on the mend, so I will be posting something soon. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Love,

Katie

Temple Square and Forgotten Carols

2009-12-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

WOW! It has already been such a wonderful Christmas! This last weekend we (meaning Ryan, Me, Jace, Jay, Lois, Troy, Jamee, Kelsey, Abigael, Savannah, Samuel, Christian, Aunt Tabitha, Noah, and Eva) were able to go to Temple Square and see the lights! We arrived early on Friday evening, and they didn't have the lights on yet, so we went to the South Visitors Center and watched a local high school choir perform. They did awesome! By the time they finished their songs, the lights had come on and out into the cold we went. Seriously it was FREEZING!!! But despite the cold, everyone enjoyed themselves! Thanks to Jamee, we were able to take pictures of our experience and she sent me some copies. Jace LOVED it there! He kept laughing and looking at all the lights. It was a nice break to hear him laugh instead of fuss in the car because he was tired of his car seat!

Afterwards we went to Olive Garden and waited over an hour for our dinner. It was a long wait and I probably wouldn't do it again, but dinner was SOOOOO good!
On Saturday we did a TON of Christmas shopping. We hit Costco first and found a lot of GREAT deals! Then to the Southtown Mall, and Fashion Place Mall to finish off the gift buying. We ate lunch at Goodwood then dropped Jace and Christian off at Aunt Tabithas so we could go to The Forgotten Carols. It was SO cool this year! Michael McLean added a song to the end of his program that was hilarious! If you haven't seen it yet, GO! If you can't find tickets, do it next year! We had to buy our tickets in October, so write it in your calendars!

It was a great weekend and I hate to see it pass so quickly. I'm not ready for Christmas to be here. I love this time of season so much and I wish it could slow down. It seems I get so caught up in getting everything ready that the time to enjoy it slips by. Maybe I will just forget if the ornaments aren't on this year and enjoy the lights. Merry Christmas everyone!

Little Notes

2009-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Thanksgiving was a BLAST!!! I can't wait until next year to do it all over again! Thanks to everyone for such an AWESOME time! Since Cami came home this year, our family did pictures while we were all together! I can't believe how much we have grown! I'll post pictures as soon as I get them.

Pregnancy is going great! The small bout of morning sickness I had during this pregnancy is gone and life is back to "normal" as much as it can be. Jace is growing and shows me everyday why I love him SO much! He continues to climb and fall off things, but thankfully not on anything to tall...yet. :)

Isaac is getting baptised on Saturday! I can't wait to see him again! We get him for Christmas this year, and it's going to be great to have our family complete this year! We'll be getting family pictures done too, so it will be perfect!

Well I don't have anything else to say, so until next time... Happy Holidays!

Fire Alarms and Me

2009-11-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

Every house has them. Fire alarms. My house has two in the downstairs living room, and one in each bedroom upstairs. Pretty amazing creation. These alarms are meant to alert the homeowner of fire, smoke, or other dangers. Some go to the extent of Carbon Monoxide poisioning and determining the heat within walls to make sure it never reaches a certain temperature. Thankfully I have never had any of these experiences, and I feel blessed to have these amazing alarms all over my house.

I think the creators of these contraptions are testing a new line of alarms. It's undercover, so they can get "real" reactions from "real" people. I so happen to be one of those "lucky" people chosen. I'll be cooking homemade pizza, eggs, french toast, and if the alarm senses the slightest amount of smoke, it goes off! The idea behind this is that you will become a good cook when the alarm never goes off and you have amazing not burnt, great tasting food. Well I must say I know the beginnings of burning food now, but I have a problem with sensing it before the alarm goes off. Instead of worrying about non-burnt food, I have a near heart attack when the alarm goes off. I then open the drawer with my flexible cutting boards and rush over to the alarm. I then proceed to fan the alarm until it stops beeping loudly and resumes it's "normal" state. In order to keep it from going off again, I open doors and windows to air out the house. I even turn on the oven fan to help circulate the apparently smoked filled air. By the time this is all done, I have burnt food and I have to start over.

Well tonight was grilled cheese and soup night. AKA the night I don't want to cook a large meal. I already had a plan of how to cook these yummy sandwiches and not have the alarm go off. I started the first sandwich and amazingly I DID it! No alarm and no burnt food! My confidence about cooking had grown. Finally. So I made the second sandwich. Success again! By now I felt professional. No smoke alarms and no burnt food! On to the third sandwich. "In my defense" (from the words of Taci) Ryan distracted me for a minute with talking. This action not only set off my 1st alarm, but apparently was enough smoke to set off my 2nd alarm tied to ADT. Now, not only could I not smell any smoke, but I couldn't SEE any smoke. I have NO clue why it set off this time and not before. I rush over to grab my cutting board and run to the alarms and fan them until they stop. But now I had the problem of turning off the alarm on my ADT system. I rush over to the key pad and touch the appropriate numbers to turn it off. Or so I thought. It told me the alarm was disarmed, but the light was still on. I figured it needed to have a few minutes to register so I did all the numbers again and it again told me disarmed. Well Ryan and I decided to sit down and eat our not burnt dinner and wait to see if the light would go off or if ADT would call and see if things were ok.

We had just finished our meal when a knock came at the door. Immediately my heart jumped to my throat! I was shaking a little when I went to answer the door. I opened it and not to my surprise I saw a cop standing there. CRAP! But to make it better it was a friend of mine who I hadn't seen for a while. He started laughing when I told him what had happened and continued to walkie talkie his other policeman that everything was ok. I thought that would be it, and he was getting ready to leave when his Police Chief walked to the door! DOUBLE CRAP! Thankfully he was laughing as well when we explained what happened and we continued to joke about making them some! By now I was shaking a little more and I KNOW my face was bright red. Again I thought that would be the end of it, but in the distance I hear SIRENS! OH MY HANNAH!!!!! I looked to my policeman friend and his chief and my now pale white face asking if that was for me. Laughing they shook their heads yes!!! They told me goodbye and I happily made the assumption that they would "take care of telling the fire department." I did see out the front window, with the corner of my eye, the fire truck come up, talk to the police and proceed to turn around. Ryan by now is rolling on the floor laughing and at the same time calling ADT to see how we shut off the alarm.
Well after 15 minutes of talking on the phone WE, not ADT, figured out how to turn it off and get things back to normal. I hope I NEVER have to go through that again, and for those wives who are looking for a way out of cooking, Ryan has now declared himself the "cook" and I am no longer permitted to touch the stove! NO PROBLEM THERE!