MY SISTERS

        Since this is kind of my journal I have been thinking about things I want to remember and things I want my kids to know about me that they might not remember.  One of them is how much I love my sisters.  I think most people with sisters would agree that sisters are the best.  My sisters are my best friends and if everything else in life went wrong I know every single one of them would be there for me.  I think once a week I am asking at least on of my sisters, "What do people do with out family around if they aren't religious and don't have a church family?" I really don't know.
         Every sister has their own strengths and their own weaknesses.  All of ours really compliment each others.  It is so cool that God put us together.  He knew that our personalities needed each other.  
        Cori is the head of the sister hood.  We usually meet at her house.  If we need help with any crafty anything she is the one to go to.  Cori planned all of of weddings. Cori is the type of person that will help you no matter what if you ask. She is always the most excited one out of all of us about anything good going on in our lives.  Especially babies, Cori loves babies.  Cori is the one you can call for any question.  She always has an answer. She is not an "I don't know" kind of women.  It is the best.  If she doesn't know the answer she will find it. 
      Sheena is the peace maker.  She is also the least judgmental and likes to see the good in everyone.  When one of us judges, she always makes comments that make you think deeper into that persons life.  She is really fun and is always keeping us superstitious. Which is very important to our family.  HaHa....it's true.  
     Natalie is the life of the party.  We all really hate how busy she is.  For some reason Natalie is the one that everyone wants to be present the most.  The funny thing is most of the time Natalie doesn't say a lot.  Every once in awhile she will say something funny.  If she has a funny story though she will share it with every sister.  Good thing she is a good story teller because I usually here the story 4 times.  I am always with her so I am usually there every time she tells a sister. It is way funny.  Natalie will not say no if you ask her for a favor.  She doesn't know how.  Sometimes us sisters have to be careful not to ask too much because she has no limits.  She is my best sister friend.  We live on the same street and are in the same ward. Everyone thinks we are the same person.  We do our shopping together, Chores together, family outings together, errands together, just about everything together.  Our husbands are best friends even.  I am pretty sure we are codependent on each other and we know it is really  unhealthy but we don't care.  We have no intentions on changing it.
     Jessica is the extra good natured, spiritual one.  She always has been.  Her and I are very close.  She is the baby but I have always looked at her as the older more mature one.  She is really grounded and has never struggled with putting the most important things first, like family and the gospel.  She is who I go to if I am struggling spiritually.  She can make us all stop and see a situation for what it really is.  She is the only one that lives far. (some of you are probably laughing because it is only 4 hours) We really miss her and want her to come home.  She is by far the most forgiving person I have ever met in my life.  I love her for that.

Trip to St.Louis 2010

 I love this picture. Curtis is not happy when he's hot. Glad I got a picture of it.

 Ivy loved this mural on the wall. She kept clapping with the crowd.

 Ivy loved uncle Reza.

 Cove was pretty hot the entire trip and he hates being hot. At the zoo Reza took him in with the penguins to cool down.

 The hale looks small but it wasn't. Look at it in comparison with the yellow line.

It's hard to see how dented the car got but it was bad. We were so happy. We got a new paint job for just $200.  That's not a bad deal at all. Thank you insurance.

In the beginning of June we drove to St.Louis to see Curtis's sister and family. It was quite the long drive. It was 2 full days. It was such a fun trip but really strange things happened on way there and on our way back. We barely get to Colorado and got a flat. Then while we were stopped changing the flat a fire starts on the other side of the free way about 1/4 mile up. I started getting a little freaked out but it ended up being fine.

When we got to our hotel room in Denver we were all (Curtis, Krissy, Ivy, Cove, and I ) so tired we went to sleep at 7 30pm. We were planning on leaving first thing the next morning but a stupid ghost, yes I said ghost, decided to wake us up at 11pm. Ivy started screaming, Krissy's phone started vibrating, Curtis's phone started vibrating, and the alarm clock radio started playing the song "magic's in the air" all at the same time. The alarm clock was set for 4:30am. We all tried to go back to sleep but none of us could so we decided to hit the road.

We drove all night through Colorado and Kansas. On our way I noticed Ivy didn't really have an appetite and her entire face, neck, chest and stomach was covered in a rash. I gave her some Bendryl but it didn't seem to help. When it got light outside we saw a sign that said "KANSAS THE WHEAT STATE". I was thinking, how did we not know this was the wheat state. We don't even have Ivy around flour and we toke her all the way through Kansas. The rest of the trip was wheat fields. It takes 7 or more hours to get through Kansas. My little celiac daughter had been ingesting wheat the whole time and we didn't even know. I didn't even know wheat could give her that bad of a rash. It was crazy.

It really was way to long of a drive with kids. The kids were being really good but Ivy didn't sleep the entire trip. I don't know how she did it. I kept falling asleep on her car seat but every time I closed my eyes she would say, "Mom, your eyes are closed." It was pretty cute and a bit of a bummer. Cove didn't cry at all and Ivy just watched one backyardgains episode over and over the entire time. It was interesting. I was really surprised how well they did. Kids are kids though and that just makes it hard to travel.

We didn't tell Curtis's sister we were coming early. They were really surprised to see us for lunch when they were expecting us for a late dinner. It was really funny to see the look on all their faces. It was so good seeing everyone. They are such a great family. While we were there we got to do so many fun things. We went to the Mississippi river, it is so huge. We went to the arch and the city museum. Ivy loved it because they had stuffed animals. I don't mean the cute little kind either. I mean the animals that were once alive. She thought it was so cool. We also went to the zoo and the science museum. It was really great going on a family trip. I think we all needed it.

The first couple of hours of our trip home were fine. Then it was constant stopping for the restroom. My poor Mother in Law was having some problems. That probably pushed us back an hour or two. Nobody seemed to mind though. Then we stopped for lunch. I had just heated up a burrito in the gas station microwave and set in on the back seat on a blanket. The baby was in his car seat next to wear I set the burrito. I left for a second and when I came back somebody had put the blanket on the baby and didn't see my burrito. Cove was screaming so hard. The burrito fell and slid under his foot. He had a really bad burn. I felt so bad. He was in so much pain. Luckily we were in the part of Kansas that actually had stores. We went to a Walgreens and asked the Lady what to do for a burn and told her what happened. She was so mean. She thought that it was on purpose. We got him all doctored up and then went on our way. Poor baby boy cried on and off in pain the rest of the trip. That pushed us back another hour or so. I felt so bad.

All the way through Kansas the wind was blowing hard and the weather wasn't the best. It was kind of nerve wracking considering we were in tornado alley. I was a bit on edge the entire time. We were just leaving Kansas into Colorado and I said. "Do you think the cloud looks like a Tornado is starting." Then I say,"This is so out of my comfort zone." Katie(my mother in law) says,"Not out of mine I'm fine." As soon as she finishes saying that hale the size of golf balls and bigger starts to fall. We couldn't see at all. The semi next to us slammed on his breaks and fish tailed into our lane so we had to swerve into the medium. Then the semi pulled over. Everyone was stopped and the hail just kept coming. Katie turned to me and said."I am out of my comfort zone now." It was so loud in the car but we were all so scared. I yelled to Curtis and asked if we should pray. He asked me to so I said a very loud prayer. As soon as I ended the prayer I looked to the right and saw light and the baby stopped screaming. Then we remembered a story very similar to ours that was told to us on our trip. My brother in law, Reza was driving and all of the sudden hail hit. He said everyone stopped and he kept going. He said he was glad he did because when he came out of the hail he saw a big funnel. We had a feeling that story was for a reason and started driving. We could hardly see but I new that we were going to be okay because of the feeling I had after the prayer.

We stayed the night in Denver and was so happy to be there because just over the hill from Denver they had Tornado warnings the entire night. I hate tornadoes. I have had tornado night mares my entire life. They freak me out. The only freaky thing that happened that night at the hotel was the bathroom light turned itself on a couple of times. Same hotel in case you were wondering.

The next day we woke up early and headed for home. For the most part it was an okay trip. There was heavy rain and a bit of snow and the Colorado rivers was flooding a little. But compared to the rest of the trip we felt pretty safe. Right before we got to Utah a car slid of the road into the medium. It was a green car and hard to see because the snow wasn't really sticking. It was more like slush I guess. We tried calling 911 for 45 minutes but didn't have any service. By the time we got service I had forgotten about them completely. We got home 5 hours later and remembered. Talk about good Samaritans, NOT. I felt so bad. Good thing they didn't roll.

Fun at the Play Ground

 Cove was so red faced. He couldn't stop running.

 Cove is by far the thirstiest little boy I know. He even says thirsty. He is to cute.

 Ivy was so cute. She kept making goals to accomplish while we were there. She was afraid to cross the ropes at first but made it her goal to do it. She was so proud when she did it.

This was our first experience taking all 3 kids out to play. It was fun, hot, and chaotic. We totally over packed and made the biggest deal of it. I have a hard time feeding the baby without a pillow so I brought my BF pillow along. I also have a special BF blanket cover I brought. Then of course the snacks and drinks. It was pretty funny. I am glad we did it because the kids had a blast.

River's Blessing Day

River's blessing day was very special.  It was such a nice time filled with family love and support.  He was so cute in his little outfit and was such a sweetie that day.  Curtis did such a good job on River's blessing.  The spirit was very strong. 

So Blessed

I can't help but feel so blessed when I think about the last couple of years.  It has definitely been the most difficult years in both mine and Curtis's lives but at the same the most rewarding in ways.  I don't always feel like it is such a blessing though.  So I thought I would blog so I can remember the blessings when I am full of unwanted self pity. I look back and I can now see so many miracles that I didn't think anything of then.  I was working when I had a sudden urge to do Foster care.  I never wanted to do foster care before because I saw what my sisters went through with it and I didn't want that for me.  Well my mind changed and we started to do it.  I was able to quit my job and be a stay at home mom.  I also had the urge to start making bread and play dough.  For those of you who know me well you probably know I hate to cook, so this was strange.  I had also been trying to get pregnant for a long time before Cove.  I kept getting pregnant and miscarrying.  Now looking back I realize God's hand in it all.  If I would have gotten pregnant when I wanted I would have had a newborn baby right when Ivy was diagnosed with Celiac disease.  If it wasn't for the sudden urge to make bread I wouldn't have dared to even try  to make anything Gluten Free for Ivy.  If it wasn't for my suddenly wanting to do foster care I would have been working and everyone would have been stressed trying to figure out how to feed Ivy and I would have been stressed wondering what Ivy was eating while I was at work.  Then right before I found out about my brain lesions Curtis and I decide it's time to move to town closer to family.  We decided that we would take a loss every month and just rent some place cheap.  As soon as we moved in we found out about the lesions.  If it wasn't for the move, there is no way that family would have been able to help out as much with the kids and things during my medical stuff. Then right before or right after Cove turned 1 he started to get sick we already had him on a GF diet so we were confused as to why he was sick. We took him to the doctor and found out that he has IGA Deficiency and some other health problems.  We also started giving him wheat so we could get him tested.  It was obvious that it was making him way sick but he came up negative for Celiac Disease.  The doctor didn't think he had it even though it was making him sick because it didn't show up on the test.  I later found out that the IGA deficiency messes up the celiac test.  I feel so blessed that Ivy had already been Gluten Free and Diagnosed or we would have never known that Cove had celiac too.  So he would have just been really sick and nobody would have been able to help him.  Recently we had a health scare with River. It is still kind of going on but I can't wait to look back on this and realize how much we are being blessed in this. (other than knowing for sure that we are not having more kids LOL).It is just crazy that all of that was happening and while it was happening I didn't even know I was getting handed miracle after miracle. Later in blessings I have received I was told that "angels" and "heavenly hosts" had been assisting me.  I just love that.  I can see so clearly now heavenly father's hand in all things.  I feel so blessed that he sends help to me because trust me there is no way I did the past 2 years alone.  Sometimes I think that I can't do this life, it is to hard.  Then I remember my blessings and that I am never alone. When I forget, God sends me a message. Tonight it was Heidi's and Danielle's posts.  I feel so burdened and equally blessed.  Now Heavenly Father is blessing us "beyond belief" with our new home and the support of parents and siblings.  I am so overwhelmed in every way.  I need to remember.  

Happy Birthday River Cluff Lee

Our sweet baby boy is with us now. It has been really good. He is such a good baby so far and we have really been enjoying him. Curtis took the first week the baby was born off work and then went back for a week and now he is off work again for 2 full weeks. He is really helping out with the kids and baby. It is so nice. I feel really blessed to have such a great husband. Our little family is feeling more like a family every day. It is strange how much love you can have more a baby and then still have more love for the rest of you babies. I don't know if that made sense. I love you little River, Happy Birthday.

My labor was soooo easy this time. It was only 7 hours. Usually I am stuck at a 9and3/4 for 3 or 4 hours. This time I went from a 4 to a 10 in about an hour. At 5:10 I sent a message to all my sisters saying that I was almost 5 cenimeters and that I just got my epidural so it was probably still going to be awhile. I had been stuck at almost a 4 for 5 hours so I didn't think that I was going to go so fast. All my sisters but Natalie were at lunch/dinner. I sent them a text saying to hurry up because I was having the baby soon. I had the River at 5:38. Luckily everyone got there in time (except Natalie).

It was really nice having everyone there for the first moments of River's life. I love to share that with my family right off then have the whole rest of the night with just Curtis, I, and the baby. That way all of the visiting is done all in the first hour. I know a lot of people like this long period right after the baby is born with just them and the baby but that's not for me. I get why people do it though.

Curtis and I are trying to decide whether or not to be finished having kids. Apparently we have some messed up genes and make kids with health issues. Ivy has celiac disease and is hypoglycemic and Cove has IGA defficency and some other health problems. We are pretty sure he has celiac disease too. I am not complaining. It's just now we have to make one of the bigger choices in life. Should we keep making kids that might have health problems or let little Riv be our forever baby. I sure wish God would just send us a letter.

Our soon to be new home

We are building a house right behind my Mom and Dad's house and we are so excited. Curtis and I are both the type that want to raise our kids in just one house. This will be our "forever house". This is the place where we will make our memories as a family. I am so excited that we are getting our dream house the exact way we want it so soon. We feel very blessed that we have so much help and support from our family in making our dreams come true. I tried to blog my plans but it won't let me. I am really sad too because I wanted to share it with everyone because I am so excited and the plans are as far as we have gotten so I don't have any other pictures to post.

Ivy's language and Curtis's prayers.

So far this week Ivy has said, "Come her you little slut" to Cove. She said it like a mom talking to a baby. Then she said, "Cove, If you touch my papers again I will be so pissed off at you." So I said, "Ivy, don't say that it's bad to say piss." Then she responds, " Oh but Mom, I will be pissed off." Then she yelled dammit. I said, "Ivy that is a bad word and you know it. Don't say it again." Then she says, " It's okay Mom. I am just pretending to be a Mom." That's just some of the recent things she has said. I will not share the rest.
This is Curtis's prayer after Ivy's day or weeks of bad language. He said, " Please help us to not be so dumb and watch what we say around Ivy so she won't say bad things all the time and make us look stupid." Curtis says the best most blunt prayers. Some might disagree with his prayers but I love how blunt he is while praying. Another example of something Curtis would say in a prayer is, "Please help our foster kids make better choices so they will stop bugging the crap out of us." I love my family.

It's a Boy

I would like to say we are so happy we are having a boy but I don't know if we are so happy to even be having another baby yet. I wanted a girl but I don't really care now that its a boy. It will be nice for Cove and baby River to be so close in age. I really hope they are close. Part of me is happy to get the pregnancy part of my life over with but a way bigger part of me is really starting to freak out. I mean I have a 10 month old and I am having another baby in about 4 months. It should be a fun and crazy ride raising these kids. I just keep thinking to my self, I am so happy I have the trials I do in my life. Everyone has trials but some people's I could not handle. I am happy God knows that.