I hate potty training....

I hate, hate, hate it! Oh, have I mentioned how much I hate potty training? I think Doogie spoiled us when we got him potty trained. Doogie took one week to be completely potty trained! Jayde was a total pill and took months and then of course there was Ryann who took so long I lost track of how long it took! Though to be fair alot of her potty training problems also were caused by the fact she has diabetes. Now we are working on Jaxon...it's been about a week now since I got serious about it and we haven't been making very much progress. I know he can do it...it's just getting him to realize that. I have to say the best potty training day we had was on Friday when we were on our way up to Seaside. I had put him in a diaper because I just didn't want to have to deal with wet pants and carseat on the trip, but to my surprise everytime we stopped for a potty break with the kids he was dry and used the potty for me too! I'm just hoping that something clicks for him really soon I'm getting pretty tired of rinsing underwear out every hour or so!

Our weekend on the beach

Congrats to my big brother Chris on getting hitched! We wish you two nothing but the very best and we are so happy for you guys!

Friday morning we loaded up the kids and our luggage and headed to Seaside, OR for my brother's wedding. Along the way we stopped at Mulnomah Falls and we hiked all the way to the top (yes, with all 5 kids). Doug and I were both pushing strollers for most of the way up and down. We got a lot of comments about how brave we were (or crazy) and one lady even said she was going to blog about us in her blog about how we were her heros! So we had a good time, it was alot of fun hiking with the kids. Only problem was that it took us longer than we thought to hike up the Falls with the kids that we were starting to run a little behind on schedule (we had to be in Seaside by 5:00 for the rehearsal). Luckily though we made it there right on time (barely). They rehearsed for about a half hour or so and then we headed over for the rehearsal dinner. We than made it back to the beach just in time for the sunset and let the kids run around on the beach for a while. I don't know how they could stand to get wet...I thought it was cold! But they didn't seem to mind the cold as much as I did.

Saturday morning we got up and headed for the beach again. It was a beautiful day (perfect weather for the wedding!) The kids had a lot of fun playing in the sand and water. Afterwards we headed back up to the hotel and got in the hot tub to warm everyone back up again. Then we went to the aquarium with my parents and my Uncle Paul, the kids think their Great Uncle Paul is pretty cool! We had alot of fun feeding the seals (and getting splashed) and also checking out all the other cool ocean creatures. The kids got to hold snails and touch a bunch of them. Then it was back to the hotel to get everyone showered (the girls anyway) and Doug layed down with CJ to get him to take a nap. After I got the girls showered, their hair up in buns and their fingers and toenails painted I took them over to the bridal room where all the bridal party was getting ready. I got them in their dresses and tied on their ribbons, the photographer got some cute pictures. Jayde kept telling Melissa how pretty she looked and if she could wear a pretty dress like that when she got married! Finally everyone was ready and with just a few minor setbacks we headed down to the beach. Originally Jayde was supposed to walk with Christian and Ryann down the aisle and throw down her petals, but everyone forgot about the train. So Jayde got promoted to holding the train as they walked down the beach so it wouldn't drag. She did a great job and had a death grip on that dress! In fact they all did a really good job walking and standing where they were supposed to and they were pretty patient with waiting for all the pictures to be done before we headed over to the reception.

The kids all did a great job at the reception as well. After the bride and groom arrived later on after the pictures and got a bite to eat, they did their dances. Then we let the kids go and dance a little (there wasn't really a dance floor but they did their best) it was really cute watching them dance together and Melissa's niece who was in the wedding as well danced with the kids too. When we got back to the hotel around 10:00 the kids were bushed and they all pretty much crashed when their heads hit the pillow. My dad came over to our room and watched the kids for us so Doug and I could head down to the beach and join in on the bonfire. We had a great time hanging out on the beach with everyone and talking. We originally only planned to be out there for about and hour, but before we knew it it was two in the morning! So we headed back up the room so we could send my Dad back to his!

On Sunday we packed everything and everyone and headed back home. We decided to take a different route this time and saw some great scenery. We had a great time but it was nice to pull up in front of our house again. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took while we were in Oregon. I can't wait to see the pictures that the photographer got!

Fun at the Park

We had another great playdate at the park today. We invited my friend Laura along with her two girls to come along. Jaxon has been dying to meet Hannah since he saw the pictures I took of her! They hit it off really fast and had alot of fun playing with eachother. He even didn't mind babysitting her doll for her (he is going to make some girl a very lucky woman!) The cutest thing though was when they were playing together and Jaxon just out of the blue said "I love Hannah"! It was just too cute! I feel bad that I didn't get more pics of the older kids, but I think it was because they were off playing in the trees somewhere and I had to stay with the little guys. They always seem to find someone to play with, they are all very good at making new friends wherever we go. I kept catching CJ latching on to other mom's...usually one's that had food. What can I say, he has a really good survival skills!

A trip to the doctor

Ryann had her 5 year (get ready for Kindergarten) check up. She is looking great! She is in the 75th percentile in height and weight. The doctor said she is looking good and that her AIC looked really good for a little girl her age. She had to get 5 shots today and while she gets 4 shots everyday for her diabetes...these shots hurt a little bit more. Ryann was so brave though, she just sat in my lap and whimpered while she was getting them. She kept telling me that these ones hurt! She cheered up some though when they brought in the sugar-free suckers and some stickers for her to choose from. Ryann is actually the reason they started having sugar-free suckers at the doctor's office. Not too long after she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes we were in the doctor's office for a check up and the nurse asked if she could have a sucker. We asked them if they had sugar-free ones and the nurse didn't know...she had to go ask around and found out that they didn't. I than heard her say to some of the other nurses that they need to have sugar-free on hand now for their diabetic paitents!

So anyways, she is right on track for everything and looking good! I promised her that maybe we could go and get slurpies after lunch since she was such a brave little girl getting her shots. We have a 7-11 just down the road from us, so we like to walk over occasionally and get a treat and the good news is that they have a sugar-free slurpie (well atleast they did last time we were there!) So I hope they still have it, I might have to talk to the management about them keeping a sugar-free one.

A picture kind of day...

Yesterday evening I had a photo shoot for a friend of mine and her family. When I got back home Doogie wanted me to take pictures of his bionicles for him (he can put them on the bionicle.com website). So while I was outside taking pictures of his bionicles for him (which I told him he would have to start paying me for!) I also caught some pictures of Jaxon and CJ having fun on the swings! Watching them play outside really makes you see how much they are growing up. I can't believe CJ is going to be 2 next month! Where does the time go?? I loved it when Jaxon went over and started pushing CJ on the swing (we just won't mention how a few minutes later Jaxon threw Jayde and Ryann's my little pony and hit CJ in the face...) Yes, they are filthy...it's pretty much impossible to keep these guys clean now that it is nice out and they play outside all the time. We are slowly working on getting Jaxon potty trained (long overdue...but you just can't rush this boy!) He has been wearing underwear this afternoon for me and so far he hasn't done too bad. So that is my big goal for the summer...getting Jaxon potty trained and if I'm real lucky maybe I can start on CJ too!

Happy Father's Day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day. We had Grandma, Grandpa, Grammy and Papa over for dinner and made everyone their own personal calzone. They turned out really well. Now while I didn't get to take any pictures of our camping trip this weekend (*sob sob*) I did manage to snap some of CJ riding on Jaxon's tractor in the backyard (it was probably a good thing Jaxon was sleeping on the couch at the time otherwise he wouldn't of been too happy!) He didn't do such a bad job driving around, though he was prone to running into things if you didn't readjust his course occasionally for him! In fact that was how we found him outside! He had gone outside and I had forgotten that Jaxon's tractor hadn't been put away yet and Doug went outside and asked why CJ was on the tractor. He had ran into the pole in the backyard and was just sitting out there spinning his wheels! Of course he thought it was pretty funny!

Gone Camping

Can you guys hear me crying? No, I'm not crying because we went camping...I like to camp. I'm crying because I forgot my camera!! I can't even tell you all the times I said "that would of been a really cute picture" or " I wish I had my camera". I think I probably drove Doug bonkers about my camera.

Since I wasn't able to go over to Idaho this weekend for my Grandfather's funeral we were able to load up the kids and the tent trailer like we had originally planned to do before I had heard the news. It has been a while since we've been camping, I think the last time we went Doogie and Jayde were just little tykes. We are planning on doing alot of camping this summer. We just got a new tent trailer, well okay, it's not really new. But it is new to us and we got a good deal on it at Craiglist. It's not huge, but it works for us right now and it keeps me from having to sleep on that hard ground (that's never been my favorite part of camping) and now that I have sciatica and burstis this is a big plus!

I have to say that even though we did forget a few things (I was rushing around trying to get everything packed so we could get on the road before it got too late) we had a great time camping. Well right up to the end (and I'll explain that a little later).

The kids all discovered how much they like to go hiking. I had stayed behind with the two little guys to try and get them to take a bit of a nap (and I got to doze a little bit too). So Doug took the three oldest out for a hike so that we would have some quiet. I was surprised that CJ and Jaxon didn't wake up as soon as they got back they were so loud and excited...but I guess they are used to the noise! After that hiking trip that was all they wanted to do, so when the boys woke up from their nap we all went again. We also had fun watching the ants pick up pieces of food that the kids had dropped on the ground and try to carry it back to their ant hill. That kept us all busy for a while and then of course they had to try to discover where the ant hill was!

We ended up coming home late Saturday night instead of staying the night as originally planned (we got home around 11:30 or so). Jaxon ended up burning the tip of one of his fingers. OUCH! Poor little guy was hurting, we put his finger in ice cold water and Doug was able to find some burn ointment in the first aid kit and then put a bandaid on his finger. Then of course the only tylenol we could find was the ones in the first aid kit which are in pill form. So I remembered something from my childhood (I know a long time ago) where you crushed up the pill added sugar to it and took it with some water. Well we didn't have any sugar, so we crushed up the pill and had him drink it down with a juice box and that seemed to work just as well. We tried to get everyone down to sleep (the girls actually were), but I could still hear Jaxon fussing on and off about his finger and I was cold anyways so I asked Doug if we should just go home (which he had mentioned right before we had gone to bed). So we jumped up and started packing things up and getting the kids loaded up in the suburban and we headed back home.

So now we have a bunch a filthy dirty kids who all had a great time camping (well except for Jaxon's finger) and they all want to go again. They all really did do great. I think the fact that they couldn't run off to their rooms or watch tv or play video games made them realize that they needed to get along with eachother otherwise they would of been bored silly! It was so much fun for Doug and I to watch them play together, think up new games that they could play and also how they would just help eachother out. I'm just really sad I wasn't able to capture any of it with my camera, but atleast I will always have the memories in my head.

Fun at the Park

Every Thursday this summer there is a playdate scheduled for all for all of the preschool families and anyone else they want to invite along. Today was the first scheduled playdate. The park was one that was just down the road from our house so after the kids had eaten breakfast (which we had homemade donuts!! YUMMO) I got everyone dressed and we headed out the door. I was so glad to see Ryann's old teacher from a couple years ago there (she won't be back at Preschool next year, she's trying to get a job teaching in the school district and we wish her nothing but the best though we will miss her a ton!!) We just love her though, she brought a bunch of cookies to share with all the kids, and she brought books to read (and puppets to go along with them)! I hope that she will try to be at most of the playdates this year.

Goodbye Grandpa

Goodbye Grandpa, I'll miss you. My grandfather passed away this past Sunday and though we all knew it was coming (the doctor's had given him 3 weeks) it is still hard to come to the realization that he is actually gone. I'm sad that I won't be able to see him again, sad that the last time we saw them CJ was just a little baby...I wish we could of gotten over there more to visit. I'm sad that he won't see my brother get married next weekend and I'm sad that I won't be able to go to his funeral and say goodbye.

I've been trying to stay focused on the good times/memories I have of my Grandfather. I like to remember his smile, it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. I think one of my fondest memories of my Grandfather was during one of their visits at Christmas. The tree was up, and we all had been snagging candy canes off of it. I remember watching my Grandfather pick one off the tree and then sitting down on the couch. He started sucking on that candy cane and sucking and sucking... he then pulled it back out of his mouth and asked if these candy canes were wrapped! Oh, how we all laughed about that. He replied with a "well I was wondering why I couldn't taste anything!" I also remember the camping trips and hanging out with them during summer break. I wish I had continued those trips over to see them as I got older, but you know how kids get when they get older...they want to do things with their friends.

So goodbye Grandpa. I love you and you will be missed.

Swimming at Papa's

The kids had a blast swimming at Papa's pool for the first swim of the summer. I have a feeling we will be over there alot swimming, these guys are like fishes! At first we took Jaxon's glasses off for the swim, but he just wasn't sure about the pool and I thought that it might be because he can't see things very well. So we went ahead and put his glasses back on and he did alot better. He is definitely my cautious one! CJ on the other hand wanted to dive right in, this boy is constantly on the go!

Photography

Well I believe my photography business is now officially starting. I did a photo shoot for a very good friend of mine yesterday evening. I hope they will be happy with the pictures I was able to get for them. The girls weren't too sure of me since they hadn't met me before, but towards the end they were starting to warm up some. I'm hopeful that the more I get to see them the more comfortable they will be with me and the camera. You can check out a few of the pictures I was able to capture on my photography blog So if you are in need of a photographer and are in my area give me a hollar, I would love to take your pictures for you!

Happy Birthday to my father-in-law!!

Hope you have a wonderful day!! This picture was taken back in February (I believe it was on my birthday!) when we were all in Seattle. Going to have to get everyone together again now that we live closer. Our last couple trips to Seattle got cancelled unfortunately. So this is a picture of Papa with all of his Grankids! :)

Schools out for summer...

Yesterday was the last day of school for Doogie and Jayde. They had a good 1st and 2nd grade year at Sacy and they are looking forward to being 2nd and 3rd graders when they go back in the fall. Of course they aren't quite ready yet to go back to school just yet, they are very excited for summer and now I have to think of some fun things for them to do and keep them busy! I have a feeling going to the park and going swimming will be at the top of the list (good thing the in-laws have a pool!)

Anyways, I meant to get pictures of the kids on their last day of school with their teachers (well it would be Jayde's substitute teacher since her teacher is now on maternity leave...but that would of worked since we really liked her too!) but I got a bit sidetracked. The kids and I decided we would walk to pick them up on their last day of school and while we were crossing through the school yard I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I looked down to see a bee hanging by it's stinger on the side of my foot. The darn thing would not get off and I finally had to take my flip flop off my foot and hit it off with it! I could still see the stinger in there but I couldn't get it out so I pushed the stroller as fast as I could across the school yard where I could see Doogie's class getting out. I picked him up and then went and got Jayde who was already sitting on the bench outside her classroom waiting for me. Then we all headed inside the school and made our way to the nurse's office where she pulled the stinger out for me and put on a baking soda paste. While we were waiting for it to dry and crack the kids amused themselves by weighing themselves on the scale (the boys anyway), the girls stayed out by the office where our neighbor was there with her girls and chit chatted with them.

I had planned on taking the kids out to lunch to celebrate the end of school, but I had a couple of kids who didn't want to get off the toys and come when I called them...so that planned changed! By the time I got them all rounded up my foot was really throbbing so I called Doug at work and he ran home and got the suburban and came and picked us all up at the school.

Today my foot is pretty swollen, but it probably didn't help that I have been walking on it all day (trying to clean house). I've been the evil stepmother today and have enlisted (not willingly) the kids help in cleaning up the house. It is slowly getting cleaned...

So anyways, I'm glad that school is out too. Though I'm sure the kids will drive me totally insane by the end of summer. But it's nice not to have to rush around in the mornings and get everyone out the door and we can all move at our own pace for the most part. And I have to admit that I'm looking forward to doing lots of fun things with the kids this summer (and of course taking pictures...going to work on honing up my photography skills now that I have more time to practice!) So sorry I don't have any end of school pictures to share with you all (I'm pretty bummed about that). But I promise to share lots of pictures of the kids over the summer!

Saturday

Wowsers! Why is that some weekends you just have the usual house/yard work to do and nothing else planned, and then others just seem to fill up in a snap weeks in advance? This Saturday is going to be absolutely crazy! In the morning the kids are invited over for a end of the school year playdate over at a friend's house (since they get out on Wednesday), then Ryann has a birthday party to go to in the afternoon and last but not least I am doing a photo shoot for a very dear friend of mine and her beautiful family in the evening. So it should be a very busy but very fun day! I am looking forward to seeing my friend again, I haven't see her since I was pregnant with Jaxon! We've known eachother forever though and we have kept in touch via email and now facebook. She has also been talking my photography up (even though I haven't done her pictures yet) to friends and family, so my photography business is starting to move along. So I'm very excited not only to see her and finally meet her two beautiful little girls in person, but to also take some pictures!

Pictures from our trip to TN

Blogger finally let me load them! I still need to share pictures from over the past few weeks as well, so just bear with me as I go through them all and I promise I will get some up eventually! All the pictures (except for the black and white on of CJ at the window) are from our trip up to Gatlinburg. The window picture is of CJ watching the rain pour down (nothing like a TN rainstorm with that booming thunder) and waiting for Doug to get back from his conference/class.

Keeping Busy

Looks like I've been slacking on my blog again! It's been pretty crazy over here. Doug and I were gone all last week in TN for a conference/class that Doug was going to. It was fun being back in TN again (even though it seemed like one thing after another went wrong!) We got to drive over to Chattanooga/Soddy Daisy where we used to live and see our old house and what not. I would of taken a picture of our old house but I think I would of freaked out the new owners! They were standing in the garage when we drove by and they all stood and watched us! Originally we were supposed to get away kid free, but things happened to change that...so we ended up taking the little guy with us (since he still flew free). We also went over to Gatlinburg and enjoyed the sights. CJ especially like the little zoo they had there and he was really checking those black bears out!

On the plane ride down to TN I got a little stiff and sore from being in the plane for so long and also holding CJ on my lap. I thought that once I got out and started moving around and stretching my legs it would get better, but it got worse and worse. On Tuesday, I just couldn't take it anymore so Doug took me to the ER to get checked out. I ended up being diagnosed with Sciatica and Bursitis, so it wasn't alot of fun! It took a whole day before the medicine finally started kicking in and I was able to move around more without being in so much pain. And luckily by the time we had to leave I was feeling almost back to normal.

Anyways though, things have been moving along as usual and the kids will be done with school on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to not having to rush around in the mornings getting everyone up and ready for school, but it will definitely be interesing trying to get all my stuff done during the day (not that I got that much done anyways with CJ around...but still!)

I was going to post some pictures from our trip, but for some reason the picture loader doesn't want to cooperate so I will have to try again later.