Grayson Robert Jones

Our first GRANDCHILD!!!

Grayson Robert Jones
made his appearance in the world after a long 12 hour labor and c-section on
October 25 at 12:20 A.M. Weighing in at 9 lbs 11 oz and 22 inches long.
Mommy, Nicole did fantastic and was a really brave girl...
She'll looks good, but wanted no pics of her (for now)!

Proud little GRANDPA!!!!

Proud Auntie Natalie!!!!
Of course he's a UTE fan!!!! What else?

We got a call at around 1:00 on Saturday that Nicole's water had broken.

It was so surreal because I talked to her early to check on her and she said she could hardly move her back hurt so badly.

I just had this feeling that she was going to have him that day. I just thought today is the day... so I took the kids to this spooktacular at Lifetime with Kate and her kids. We were there about an hour and we got the call. I immediately wanted to be there!
I felt really badly because I had offered to watch
the kids so Kate and Nate could have a date!
I backed out and just felt really stupid! They were of course very sweet about it, but I felt bad.
The kids had a lot of fun with the Reptile Man, Haunted House, pumpkin patch, bounce houses all all sorts of fun games...

Sami and McKenna racing to eat a cookie... Seriously... the funniest thing ever!
Sami was ahead in the beginning but McKenna came on strong in the end and owned her!

Well... it turns out that because of the Swine flu only 2 people are allowed in the Labor room and you can't switch out at all. Well at around 4:00 Trish says she's at a 5 so I thought well it will be a few more hours so we headed to the hospital to hang out in the cafeteria. We were there for about and hour and a security guard came up and said that no one under 14 was allowed in the building period! Sami would have to leave. She was so upset she just cried for about an hour we decided we would wait in the car and Natalie and I would take turns running in once the baby was born. Well... it's around 7:00 at this point and Nicole is at an 8. We decided to go to Barnes and Noble to get "Baby Wise" for Nicole (the best book for new moms who want to sleep.)
We thought it was a lot more comfortable and warm in there so we sat down to wait it out!!!!!

The girls had fun reading random books and Natalie insisted on reading
"Where the Wild Things Are" to Sami who according to Natalie "Doesn't appreciate the classics! Her generation is messed up!"
They were good for some laughs!!!! So the boys had been at the Utah game since 11:00. Steve too. They were tailgating and Steve never made it to the game. He took Trax to the hospital once her water broke.
Craig and the boys meet us at the hospital around 9 and Ryan and Nat and Jeff and Brad all went to Lifetime with Sami and Zach. They swam for hours and Craig and I anxiously awaited the news that Grayson was here!!!!!

It was around 11 that after 3 hours of intense pushing Nicole opted for the C-Section. The birth canal was just to small for his wide shoulders and he wasn't progressing. She had him at 12:20 and we saw him for the first time at 1:40. We are so happy that he is here and Nicole is well.
We can't wait to watch this little guy grow!!!

Off-Track Blues

So my kids are off-track for 3 weeks this month. Normally, I hate it because they get so bored but this time I hate it even more because I started working a few days at Lifetime Fitness. I wanted to just get out of the house during the week while the kids are in school and just have a little "me" time! Not to mention a free membership... we've been members for a few years and love that place but it is pricey.

I don't mind working I like getting out because I get so bored. The problem has been they keep scheduling me for weird shifts no matter how many times I say I can't work days this month or I can't work Saturday's. I've been lucky to not be put on Sunday's that I will refuse!

Zach and Sami are so attached to me that it's been hard on them because they are off-track and aware that I am gone... it's been stressful. My only hope is that November I will actually get the 2 days during the day when they are in school and not be scheduled nights or weekends. I will have to refuse that too at this point!

I also need the rigidness of a schedule or everything just goes out the window! I like waking up at the same time... eating meals at the same time... a day for cleaning/laundry... a day to volunteer in the schools and then go to the Temple... a workout time at the same time of the day... scripture study at the same time etc... if I can't plan it out then I get all jumbled and nothing gets done. That's why when the kids are home all day my schedule goes out the window and everyone just gets cranky!!!

I guess it's like I said earlier... sounds like Life!

Wisdom Teeth = One Loopy Girl

Natalie had her wisdom teeth out on the 8th. She had all four of them extracted and one of them was a mess. It was really up there and turned and coming in on top of her other teeth. She'd been in pain for a while so we figured it was time!

The thing about Nat is she is deathly afraid of doctors or dentists. She was traumatized as a little girl and she has never gotten over it. She was pricked in the finger for blood when she was around 2 and she just freaked out and it's stayed with her! She also had to go in for a surgery when she was around 4 and she wasn't completely knocked out when they took her away from me. She still has never forgiven me for that. But nonetheless, it's hysterical how she gets. When she goes to the dentist they have to pry her mouth open. She's got a teeny tiny mouth so that doesn't help, but she's so scared she tenses it up even more.

So she's afraid wishing she would have had a blessing. She's sitting in the chair just crying and tense and scared. So Sami holds her hand while they do and IV... she hates that even more than the hands in her mouth. She usually bruises like crazy when they are in her hand; actually he did an amazing job and she had no bruising... on her hand anyway her face was a different story.

Finally, we have to leave because she's starting to drift.

We get to sit with her when she's all done an hour later. She kept throwing her head against the chair and throwing her arms up and asking if she was done. She was the funniest thing! It was hard not to laugh. So finally I asked if she wanted to go home and see Izzy she just lost it and started bawling and saying," Yes Yes." She loves that dog!

So she says, "Where is my phone... I need my phone?" she kept trying to take it and we get in the car and she starts trying to text.... I take the phone and she's texting nonsense... Yum twirdery song.

To this day we can't figure out what she was trying to say.... so I have to hide the phone and she keeps trying to get off the couch and take the phone from the kids.... I have to go get her meds so I put Zach in charge of making her stay on the couch. Natalie hears that Sami is going with me and starts crying "I want Sami to stay I want Sami!" It was so cute!!!!

She couldn't hold spoons or sit up or make her lips suck in the jello so she would have me hold the spoon to her lips and then she'd swish it in with her finger... it was hysterical. Sad but funny!

We had a good couple of days with her being out of it... she's a funny thing when she's not assisted medically! She finally started feeling better, but then got dry socket in one of them. So it was a week or so of not feeling well for her!

Luckily for me Kathleen and Phil came out that weekend. Too bad for Natalie she didn't get to spend much time off the couch. The rest of us had fun with them here. They are always so generous and gracious to us! We had some fun dinners and talks and Kathleen even played Hotels with us. She won of course!!! Thanks for coming you guys... it's too far between visits these days!

Sounds Like Life...

So there is this country song about a man that is complaining about his life.. bills.. kids etc. and this old man sitting next to him in a bar says "Sounds like life to me!".

How true is that?

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing from day to day it all seems the same... laundry, cooking, cleaning, church callings, homework and more cooking. There are financial stresses, emotional stresses, struggles of every kind and yet it's all what I am here for. But, somehow I end up feeling sorry for myself that I am just always in a rut.

I think sometimes life moves too fast and before you no it another phase has passed you by.

I need to try to take time to be grateful for this life that I have for the kids and the laundry and the homework and the cooking etc.... because it's my life and I love it and I know I will blink and I will wish I had homework and someone to feed.

10 Years and COUNTING!!

So we made it through the birthdays successfully and then on the 24th is was our 10 year anniversary.

Craig planned a surprise to Vegas for us. He kept telling me that we were staying at Circus Circus. Can't say I was thrilled it's not the most luxurious of the Vegas hotels!!!!

Natalie was a doll and stayed with the kids for 3 days... she did a fantastic job!!! They even cleaned the house for me because we had Nicole's shower right when I got home.

So we flew down and then took a cab and passed all the hotels. Finally we pulled up to the Trump Towers and I am so clueless I thought the cab driver heard us wrong. He was this cute little man from Transylvania and it was a lot of fun talking to him!

So we checked in to the Trump and I was just amazed at how gorgeous it was. It's Trump so it was all gold naturally. The best part was there wasn't a casino... so no smoke!!! I love Vegas but hate that part of it and I hate being right on the strip because of the "litter".

We had a couple of fun nights shopping, eating, lounging and relaxing and oh yeah... lounging!

It was wonderful to connect and to be alone with Craig. It's one of my favorite things to do just the two of us. We always have such great talks!

THANKS HONEY and here's to TEN MORE!!!!

Seventeen

So My Natalie is 17... how did that happen?
I adore her and consider her one of my best friends.
She's a light in our family and couldn't be replaced!

I am not completely digitalized with Nat's baby photos yet...
I need to get on the ball! I guess that shows how old she is!

17 Things I Love about my Natalie

Her gorgeous smile

Her beautiful brown eyes that light up when she's happy

Her vibrancy for life

Her kindness towards her friends and those she meets

Her incessant need to watch "Friends" constantly

Her crazy words that don't make sense but make me laugh

Her ability to go with the flow and be laid back

Her love for her brothers and sisters

Her absolutely and totally adoration of her "baby" Isabelle

Her dedication to her dance

Her responsibility in work and school

Her obedience to our rules ( scriptures... curfew)

Her strong sense of values and the ability to stick to them

Her gracefulness and personal style of dance... I love to watch her dance

Her ability to make goals and stick to them

Her dreams... travel, Australia and opening her own dance studio

Her trust in me... I love that she can tell me anything and that she does!

Happy Birthday Nattsy!!!

Nat had a fun time with some friends I bought her these cupcakes
that looked like Izzy I thought they were so cute!!!!!

Natalie and Craig share a birthday so we always have a fun time celebrating with them! Last year we did a huge surprise party for her 16th and his 50th so we played it low key this year.
We did go to Texas Roadhouse with everyone and that was fun.
Just how we like it everyone together!!!!

To my dear Husband...

I love 51 one and more things about you
and you know all of them!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!
You are a wonderful father and husband and nothing means more than that!

Nine

So September is a crazy month and it just goes and goes!

Zachy turned 9 on the 6th! I just am so completely in love with Zach. He is the sweetest most sensitive soul on the planet. I can't imagine my life without him.

9 Things I love about my boy:

His gorgeous AUBURN hair and cute little freckles

His big blue eyes and huge smile with the brightest red lips

His sensitivity to the Spirit he is so close to his Heavenly Father and I feel closer to Him when I am around Zachy

His need to be with me and the thousand "I love you Mom's"

His ability to make and keep friends

His sensitivity to others

The funny questions he asks even if there are a million

The knack he has to make me laugh

His cuddles and back rubs

Happy Birthday ZACHY... I LOVE YOU

He was getting frustrated the candles wouldn't light.

We played tons of fun games with all the boys... It was a riot! The girls however wanted nothing to do with that and played in the sand the whole party.

His favorite gift... He couldn't wait to have a video camera!

Cute Puppies!

I might be a bit biased... but TEDDY BEAR and RILEY GUY are the cutest puppies ever!

We are having so much fun with them... they are cuddly and easy going and are pretty much potty trained! The other night... Riley got off Sami's bed (he sleeps with her until I put him in the kennel for the night... I feel asleep and forgot!) and went to the door and barked until I let him out. I was as proud as a mom could be. They aren't very old so it's great they are learning so quickly.


Sami and Zach adore them and I am glad the novelty hasn't worn off yet. They always want them by them and Sami loves to bathe her Riley. She likes him clean and smelling great. They are good little parents!