Engstrom Family

DALLIN DID IT......HE TURNED 6!

2012-01-30T18:02:00.000-05:00

Oh man, blogging just is not my forte anymore. Wait? Was it ever my forte? Moving on.....Dallin turned 6. Yep he did.....like waaaaaay back at the end of November. I'm ashamed. Ashamed that I am just now blogging about it. But, what's a blog without Dallin turning 6? This is Dallin right before his birthday at a dairy farm he and I went to on a school field trip. It was fun. Dallin liked it.....a lot.

This is Dallin at the Children's Museum in Atlanta. The last time we went before our pass expired. He loved it too!

These are Dallin's requested angry bird cupcakes that I made for his birthday. Dallin is in love with angry birds. Well, actually...... obsessed with angry birds might be more accurate. I'm okay with it. He loved these too.

Here's the birthday boy with his crown he got at school....and the rather large bandage he got after falling on grandma's treadmill and getting his skinned rubbed right off. His neck wasn't even the worst injury. You can thank me later for not taking pictures with the bandages off. He loved the crown but did not love the burn.

Dallin got a flying pig ship and some cars. He loved those too. At least for a little while.....I'm not sure he plays with them much anymore. YES, it has been that long since I've blogged.

Dallin is a pretty sweet boy.....well, except for when he's being not sweet. Those moments are growing to be less frequent. I LOVE this boy of mine!

Have I ever mentioned that Dallin is pretty funny too. he keeps us laughing....only, he hates when we laugh at what he says/does. He doesn't get that it is a good thing, yet. He was tired of taking pictures so he decided to show me and not pose. Looks like I showed him!

Dallin also loves to draw. What does he love to draw? Yep, you guessed it, angry birds. And stick people too. Only, they look like stick aliens. Maybe I'll post a scanned picture of some of his people soon. No promises. Dallin loves to eat anything that is high in carbs. It's sick, but I can't let the boy starve. He loves to ride his new bike and be first to get anywhere (into the car, into the house, into the tub, but not into the bed). Dallin is definitely a keeper.

OCTOBER HAPPENINGS

2011-11-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

My oldest, Mia, turned 8 at the beginning of the month. Mia is at a really great age where she loves to read, go to school and church, is helpful at home and loves playing with her friends.

Mia requested a purple cake .....again......and she loved it.

Mia was especially excited about her Rapunzel doll

Later in the week Mia had a party with some of her girly friends

We ate, played, and did this fun craft

All the party girls with their frames

Then, the next day Mia got baptized. It was a lovely day and I am so grateful so many family and friends were able to come and support her. Now I wish I would have gotten a picture with everyone that came

Ben did a great job with Mia's baptism and confirmation

We were all so happy for Mia

Mia's baptism dress was made by one of my friends. All I had to do was make her dinner.....what a great trade! It turned out so pretty!

Mia with her Grandpas.....who were the witnesses

Mia with her Grandmas.....Grandma M. played the piano and Grandma E. lead the music

Cousin Emma gave the talk on the Holy Ghost and Aunt Ruth gave the talk on Baptism

Sweetest bunch of siblings ever! Here you can see her after baptism "fancy" dress

The middle of the month was pretty boring in comparison but by the end, things were lookin' up again. Halloween can do that, ya know? Dallin as a night warrior

Mia as a purple witch

Cami as a butterfly

All 3 really enjoyed trick-or-treating.....good news, they didn't get any tricks.....bad news, they got way too much candy

Then..........does anyone notice anything different about Mia?

Here's a clue

STACHE PARTY!

2011-09-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

During the summer, Dallin, Cami and I saw Cars 2 with some of the cousins. Dallin quickly became fascinated with Professor Z. If you have seen the movie you will recall that Professor Z has a mustache and a monocle. Since the movie Dallin found a suitable toy (I think a little toy dog collar) for his monocle but he has frequently asked me to make him a mustache. So usually I will go get my brown felt and cut something that resembles a mustache. He's not too hard to please. So wouldn't you know that while I was standing in a mile-long line at Old Navy a few weeks ago, I spotted a package of 5 mustaches for 2 bucks in one of their bins by the registers. Usually it's all just crap in those bins but occasionally you hit the jackpot.

My kids had a great time trying them on and when they were done we made sure to put the paper back on the sticky part so we could enjoy the mustaches for weeks to come.

Yep, I have some CRAZIES!

My absolute FAVORITE! Cracks me up.

Dallin decided he needed to dress up to match his mustache??????

No clue what's going on in this one but it looks like they are having fun.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

2011-08-13T12:57:00.000-04:00

My sweet kiddos started school last Wednesday.....like, the 3rd of August. Can you believe that? I think we are headed toward year round school. Anyway, it was a happy day. Well, except for the part where we all have to get up early when we would rather be sleeping.

Dallin so excited before his first day of KINDERGARTEN! Dallin asked me earlier that morning, "mom, will you do my hair spikey?"

Mia looking happy before her first day of SECOND GRADE!

Don't they look sweet together? I told Mia to keep an eye on her brother for the first few days. She just looked at me and rolled her eyes. HA!

I don't know what Ben told them to say but it made a cute picture.

Of course Cami had to get in a few. She missed them so much that first day. She still does.

Dallin in front of the school.

Mia too.

Dallin in his cowboy themed classroom.

Mia wanted me to leave without taking a picture but I couldn't do that.

Cami in the doorway as we waited for the bus to come.

Just getting off the bus.

Excited to be home.

This picture warms my heart for so many reasons. The girls are so excited to see each other and Dallin is so excited to see ME!

So precious

This is not precious. Look at all that sweat! It is hot on the bus. It is cruel to start school so early in the south. I should pick them up but Dallin and Mia will have none of that. I am much more bothered by it than they are. Mia was pretty sweaty too.

First Furniture Makeover Project

2011-07-11T13:31:00.001-04:00

This is an old dresser that used to be in Ben's grandparents' house and we eneded up with it a couple of years ago. It was just too plain and needed a little help. I didn't get a good before picture. This will have to do. You get the idea.

Here is one drawer after priming, painting and glazing.

Here is a drawer pre-glaze.

Another pic of the dresser pre re-do.

Glaze on a painted drawer.

The finished product.

The drawers were fun to do because they had a little dimension to them but the flat sides and top were a pain. We painted the handles with an oil rubbed bronze paint. They used to be an ugly gold color.

I was pleased with the final product. Now, my next projest awaits.

Random Photo's

2011-07-03T16:24:00.003-04:00

As I was backing up pictures on our computer I decided to flag a few of my favorites. We take so many pictures and yet so few get posted. Diane told me to leave out a few pictures because they weren't good, but I liked them anyway.

Did I mention this would be just a few?

CAMI IS 3!

2011-06-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

This post comes with much heartache on my part. I begged Cami to stop growing up but she laughed in my face. Cami turned 3 on Monday. She's our baby, she's not supposed to be 3. Older or not we are so glad she is such a sweet girl. I mean, sometimes she is not sweet but mostly she is sweet.

Her shirt is dirty. That is pretty typical of Cami. She is my dirtiest child yet. But that just means she eats and plays hard. Look at those wide stumpy feet. I LOVE them!

Cami LOVED going to the beach on our recent vacation. We couldn't keep her out of the water. We had to run after her a few times to avoid a disaster.

Excited for her birthday cupcakes. Which she requested. She was very clear that she wanted cupcakes.

Can you tell that she liked them?

He smells like strawberries!

Funny girl

This picture cracks me up and warms my heart. I think we'll keep her even if she does keep growing up.

DALLIN'S DRESS UP WEEK AT SCHOOL

2011-05-26T13:51:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Dallin had dress up week at his pre-k. What does this have to do with education? No clue.....but he loved it. Everyday he would ask me what he got to wear and this was probably the only week the whole year that he was excited to go to school everyday. I have no idea why he turned his head to the side everyday for his picture. That is just Dallin and I love him for it.

DAY ONE: HAT/SUNGLASS DAY

I thought he was supposed to wear one or the other but Dallin informed me after school that his teacher asked where his sunglasses were.

DAY TWO: RED,WHITE & BLUE DAY

DAY THREE: FUNNY HAIR/SILLY HAT DAY

What? Yes, I know the bandanna is pink. So sue me. I couldn't find the regular red and white farmer looking one. Dallin was okay with it once I told him it was his pirate hat with as much excitement as I could muster up. After school he reported that some kids laughed at him because it was pink but he said, "meh, I don't care" I was surprised to find that he still had it on when I came to pick him up, honestly

DAY FOUR: SPORTS DAY

Good thing Dallin had his soccer uniform from the fall or we would have been sunk.

DAY FIVE: PAJAMA DAY

I always think it's kinda funny/awkward looking when I see kids wearing PJ's to school. But that doesn't even compare to seeing the teachers show up in them. All in all Dallin had a great dress up week, dontcha think?

EASTERS!

2011-05-09T20:57:00.001-04:00

We had a great time over Easter weekend. We normally have Easter at my house and I host my whole family but this year we had it at my parents' house which was fun too. Cami was her usual happy self.

This was a really fun easter for my kids because their cousins came down from SC. Mia and Brandon always like hanging out.

The sun was in the girls' eyes but still cute pictures!

I can't get enough of this cute boy!

Mia and Cami on the hunt for eggs.

Looks like Dallin's basket couldn't hold even one more.

Mia likes to look for 4 leaf clovers and Cami decided to join her.

I didn't get any pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses because I didn't buy any. Easter kind of snuck up on me without a thought about it. Oh well, they have plenty of dresses to wear so no need to buy one just for one Sunday. I think I will do that every year.

THE BLOODY BATTLE

2011-05-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

FACT: It has been OVER 3 months since I last blogged......DANG!

FICTION: I do not like to blog

FACT: I am just lazy

FICTION: Nothing blog worthy ever happens around here

FACT: AWESOME things happen around here all the time including something that has been in the process of happening for a while now and it is finally done.

Mia has had a wiggly front tooth for about 10 years now. I can't remember a time when it wasn't wiggly because that is how much she did not want to pull it out. She would run away if we asked to wiggle it. It has been a battle. I told her she needed to have it out by this weekend. We were willing to let her pull it on her own but it had gotten ridiculous! This is the last picture with her tooth in tact.

Bloody aftermath of trying to twist it.....did it make you barf? I wanted to.

LOOK!! I did it!

TOOTHLESS girl.....she was so proud.... Ben and I were happy the drama was over.

Little did we know that the other front tooth was pretty wiggly too. We encouraged her to pull it too but she wanted to wait. Then tonight after Ben left on a flight she said she wanted to surprise him and have it out before he got home....in 5 days. I certainly wans't going to complain. She got right to work. She loosened it more and then she actually let me pull it out for her. It only took bribing her with a peanut butter easter egg.

DOUBLE TOOTHLESS girl!

Isn't she cute?! She asked me if I thought she would be the ugliest kid in her class now. I said, "NO WAY! Besides your awesomeness will make up for the toothless smile" She is quite happy that none of her other teeth are loose.

FACT: I am going to blog again soon!
FICTION: I am going to blog again soon.

Snow Snow Bo Bo Banana Fana Fo Fo Me My Mo Mo SNOOOOOOOOOOOW!!

2011-01-24T13:27:00.004-05:00

So, as I am sure you all know......we had snow IN GA a couple of weeks ago. It was super fun until about the third day of being stuck inside with nowhere to go. The kids were out of school for a week. Yes, a week. Don't laugh all you northerners. See, the thing is, we got six inches. No big deal, right? Well, metro Atlanta has 5.5 MILLION people and we have a whopping total of 11 snow plows. Therefore, when we get 6 inches of snow that later turns into huge sheets of ice, you kinda can't drive anywhere. This is how it looked when it was all pretty coming down. We were still excited about it at this point.

Meanwhile, the kids were fast asleep and had no clue. I had to share this picture because we laughed so hard when we checked on the girls and found Mia like this. She had gone to a birthday party a few days before. It was a slumber party and she came home with this as well as her hair and nails done. Pretty funny, huh?

The next morning the kids were extremely excited to go play in it. Well, after it snowed we had some freezing rain come down on top. Meaning, the snow was not really fun to play in. It was iced over and a little crunchy. Definitely not snowman building snow. The kids still made the best of it and even went sledding down the hill in our back yard the next day. I didn't get pictures. ( I know, STUPID!)

I couldn't get them all to stand together. Oh well, you get the picture that there was snow and everyone was ready to have fun.

They all had a really good time covering themselves in snow.

The sky was white. It was pretty wicked.

I thought this was pretty cute!

The ice that was falling out of the drain pipes by about the 4th day.

We got the snow late Sunday night/early Monday morning......by Thursday our yard looked like an ice skating rink. Everything kept melting just a little and then re-freezing.

Two weeks later it is sunny and about 55 degrees outside. Go figure.

DALLIN IS 5!!

2010-12-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

If there is a place where delinquent mothers go when they die, I'm going there. You know, where they play videos all day of all the times where you have forgotten to post about your child's birthday until 3 weeks after the fact, or forget to put water into your child's lunch or put homework in their folders or forget about a school performance until it is over (yeah, I did that). Or when you let your child's lip get so chapped that he looks like he has a kool-aid mustache(see below). Well anyway, Dallin turned 5 right before Thanksgiving and the poor kid is just now getting his birthday documentation.

Dallin got a couple toys, some money, a book, a treasure chest to paint and some trains.....but not all from us. Here he is opening the treasure chest that came with paints. He was super excited and painted it the next day.

I love my sweet dude. He is so dang funny but he hates when you laugh at his funniness. We can't help it though. Everyday when he gets in the car after school he says to me, "mom, ask me how my day was at school". I love it. I normally ask him anyway but lately he doesn't even give me time to ask before he says that.

How can I not love this kid when he asks if he can help with the laundry? Especially since it is rare that he wants to help with anything.....particularly the stuff I want him to clean.

I was laughing so hard at this moment.....he almost dropped them all and I had mercy on him and helped him up the stairs after I had a good laugh and took some pictures. He was a good sport about it.

A LITTLE STORY FOR YOU

2010-11-11T14:50:00.003-05:00

I have a story about this sweet little girl. She has been potty-training for a few weeks and I can say I think she is done. AWESOME!! Anyway, I was headed upstairs today to gather clothes to wash. As soon as I got to the top of the stairs I smelled something funky. I immediately checked both upstairs bathrooms. Nothing. So then I find Cami and check her. Clean as can be. I asked Cami if she pooped somewhere and she looked at me like "good luck finding it, mom". I noticed the smell was stronger in the hallway. I didn't immediately see anything so I assumed she had a really stinky fart so I went on my way.

I came back upstairs a few minutes later and noticed the smell was still there. I started checking rooms. Nothing. Started checking the toy drawer in the hall. Nothing. Then I notice the little people farm.....and the brown finger prints. You see them?

Everything inside looked fine until.........do you see it?

Here's a close-up for you. Yep. Cami must have done it earlier when she was running around without underwear on. What I am wondering now is.....what does she have against cows? She had any animal bed in the barn to choose from and she picked the cow's space. Or maybe she just has something against me. I love my Cami....*sigh*

BTW.....sorry to my in-laws who don't like potty talk and look at this blog.. All I have to say in my defense is that I told Ben I was saving it for him to clean up(as a joke) and he said why don't you take a picture of it and blog about it. See.....you guys raised a sick-o!

MY LIFE AS I KNEW IT IS NOW OVER.

2010-10-28T11:35:00.003-04:00

What do I mean by that title, you ask? What I mean is that now I can no longer lounge around at home with my children and go out if I want to and stay in if I want to(yes, please). We decided it was time for Mia and Dallin to start soccer......do you see where I am going with this? Mia has practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Dallin has practice on Wednesdays. They both have games on Saturday.....which wouldn't you know are never back to back (ok, once they were). Mia, sadly enough, got a totally crappy coach. Crappy with a capital "C". Dallin has a decent coach but you know, he's 4. Dallin, not the coach ;-) But, they have been enjoying themselves and have learned a lot. I have been enjoying watching them grow in their confidence and team play skills and I also like that they get tons of exercise and that they have learned to endure to the end of a 45 minute game. I don't like all the driving and dragging of kids and finding cleats and shin guards and socks and wrestling with my child's leg to get the shin guards and socks on and filling water bottles and looking for balls and that Ben has church on Wednesdays so I don't even have the option of getting his help those nights. But, he makes up for it the other nights. It only gets worse from here, right? Dang it! I think Ben is just stoked that his kids are playing soccer. I think I am going to try and convince him to coach in the spring. We'll see. Please enjoy the pictures of Mia and Dallin's skills on the field.

This poor little toot has to come along to every practice and game. Actually, she REALLY likes it. Her turn will come soon enough.

2010-10-28T11:32:00.002-04:00

Mia LOOOOVES being goalie. Who wouldn't? Less running, right?

MIA IS A LITTLE WISER

2010-10-17T15:27:00.002-04:00

DUDE! I am really starting to perfect this month-in-between-blog-posts thing, aren't I? We have had a few exciting things that have happened recently. MIA TURNED 7! Whoa, wasn't she just born like yesterday? She thinks it is just rad that she is now 7 because now she only has 1 more year until she can be baptized. Her birthday was, ahem, 2 weeks ago.....so now she only has to wait 11 1/2 months!

If you are wondering why all the pictures are pretty much the same, it is because we didn't really get any great pictures. Much to my chagrin. And, if you are wondering why Mia looks a little nerdy with her hair parted down the middle and plastered to the sides with barrettes.....keep reading below.....

this is why.....Mia got her head split open at school just 2 days before her birthday. A beam that separates the double doors at her school was not secured properly and fell right on top of her. Her nose bled like crazy and so did her head. She got stitches and a concussion and now has a nice wound to prove how tough she is. I was NOT happy about it at the time but we are so blessed that she wasn't hurt more badly. She was a trooper through it all.

ALKI BEACH

2010-09-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

okay, OKAY, PEOPLE! Yes, it's been over a month, so sue me. I promised more pictures from our trip this summer and here is the first installment. Then I will post more.....and then first day of school pics.....and then first soccer game pics. I should get that all done just in time to be behind on the holidays too.

ANYWAY, our first excursion in Seattle was to Alki Beach. We started with a picnic and then let the kids explore and have a great time.

Mia and Cami ready to dig into the food so they could go play.

Cami spent plenty of time just running up and down the park area.

Mia with all of her "treasures" A trip anywhere wouldn't be the same if Mia didn't collect something to bring home.

Cami's excitement for being outside could not be contained. She LOVES the outside. Well, this was the end of July/beginning of August and in GA it was about 110 degrees. So, we weren't spending a lot of time outside . We might have melted....or died. But Seattle was a WHOLE LOT cooler. It was on the edge of being too cold for us southerners. But Cami......oh, she LOVED it. She spent a lot of time outside the whole trip.

2010-09-13T10:33:00.002-04:00

Cami and Addy spent a lot of time digging around in the rocks. If you think Cami looks HUGE compared to Addy, I AGREE! Aren't they cute?

I LOVE this picture of Dallin running with a seagull. His inner boy could not be calmed.

Loved this picture too! Dallin had a great time exploring everything. I am sure he was saying, "hey, look at this!"

Not a great picture but it shows that we are all having a great time.

SWEET CAMI

2010-08-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

I will make a much larger post about our recent trip to Seattle and Spokane but as I was looking through the pictures, I just kept stopping on these. I think these are the sweetest pictures of Cami. The last one is my favorite!

Father & Son Campout

2010-07-25T20:33:00.004-04:00

I (Ben) have decided to catch up on a few events. And rightly so, since Diane wasn't at this event.

Dallin is taking a break from running around with some of the other boys.

We went out on a night stroll and took a look at the pond.

Dallin decided to eat his breakfast in the tent.

Who doesn't like to play in the sand, right?

Summer Fun

2010-07-18T18:47:00.005-04:00

WARNING: This is a post made by Ben.....the captions are a bit boring!
Mia and a little ice cream treat
Dallin had a batman treat
Cami playing in the pool
Diane, Mia and Grandma Engstrom out on the Tombigbee Waterway
Diane riding the wakeboard

Ben jumping across the wake
Cami enjoying her time on the boat
Captain Dallin driving the boat

SNIFF.....SNIFF.....THEY'RE GONE

2010-06-10T13:55:00.007-04:00

This is the second post I have done about my children's curly hair. The first post was not as positive as I would have liked. I LOVE my kids' curly hair and that all 3 have it. I especially love Dallin's hair. It is not too thick or too thin. It is a pretty shade of brown......and oh, how I love the curls. I think we can all agree that is is definitely curly! Take a look......

I took this picture one day because his curls were really defined.

This is a picture form our recent trip to Disneyworld. His hair gets even more curly when he is hot and it had been really humid that day too.

I LOVE the sweet little curl hanging down on his forehead in this one.

But then his hair always comes to the point that it gets too long and unruly. Ben had been hounding me for weeks to cut it. I didn't want to but I knew I needed to. I would ask Dallin about every other day if I could cut it and he would say, "no thank you". But, yesterday I asked him again and he agreed. This was right before the cut. Unruly....dontcha think?

This was the pile of curls....so sad.

This was him after a bath to wash all the hair off.....much better. Still as cute as ever even without the curls.

A good side view.

You can't see really well but right in the front on the sides his curls are already starting to peek through. If he would have let me take a picture this morning you can clearly see one already. There is hope.....we'll see them again very soon ;-)

CAMI Had A Birthday.....Shout Hooray!

2010-06-07T23:44:00.003-04:00

I can not believe that my little 4 pound preemie had a birthday yesterday (the 6th) and now she is a chubby, yet cute, 2 YEAR OLD!

She enjoyed her orange cake with cream cheese frosting.

She got a baby doll from her nearest Aunt, Uncle and cousins.....she loves it because now Mia can't take it away from her. She played with it a lot today.

Her big gift, that was a collective purchas from both grandmas and mommy and daddy, was a set of Toy Story toys. She loves the movie and she was delighted to get these.

Here she is playing with Hamm.....he's also a flashlight and he talks.

This was taken right before she got her jammies on and went to bed. She looks like she had a great birthday, don't ya think?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2010-05-09T21:18:00.002-04:00

I had a great Mother's Day. It started with Ben and the kids waking me up with breakfast in bed, flowers, a card and a movie. Then Ben's early morning church meetings were cancelled so I happily let Ben get the kids ready and we had a good time at church. Then I got in a nap and a great steak dinner made by Ben and the kids. Mia wiped and set the table, wrapped the potatoes in foil and grated parmesan cheese into the ceasar salad. Dallin made the corn. Cami napped......which is helpful too. I'm so blessed to have these beautiful, sweet children as my own!

I know that this picture is rediculously outdated but it is still one of my favorite pictures of all 3 of my sweet children.

2010-05-09T21:16:00.001-04:00

Cami's nursery leader made these little cards for all the mothers that have children in the nursery. I thought it was so cute and took a lot of forthought considering she had to get the pictures taken the week before. We loved ours.

I'M BAAAAACK!!

2010-05-09T19:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the huge lapse in posts. I have no excuse besides pure laziness. I thought I would start my re-blogging with a gem from our trip to the zoo this last week.

This is a classic adolescent mullet. I felt badly for him........he must have no clue.

UGGGGH......MIA'S HAIR!!

2010-03-15T14:15:00.004-04:00

Mia's curly hair is such a good thing and such a bad thing. I think it is super cute but she hates getting it brushed. She asks me almost everyday, "mommy, why did I have to get curly hair?" The pictures below will illustrate what it looks like every morning when she wakes up for school. I wonder what she does with that head in her sleep.

We have little time to get it all brushed and fixed and looking acceptable. She whines, she complains, and there is lot of, "Mia hold still and be quiet.....the bus is coming!" The first time I told her that her hair looked like a rat's nest, she was horrified that rats had gotten in her hair. A discussion about figures of speech ensued.

In the end we get this. She picked out the bows.

Happy girl now that it's over. No more untangling.

She is ejoying fixing her own hair now. With accessories to boot. I have to still help most days with the really messy parts.

GREAT NEWS!! All 3 of my kids have curly hair. Oh happy day!

SNNOOOOOOOOOOWW!!

2010-02-15T23:01:00.009-05:00

For all the people who have ever asked me the silly question, "does it ever snow in the south?", the answer is a resounding YES! I think it has snowed all 3 winters we have been here so far and as I grew up in the south it snowed many times. No, it doesn't snow every day for weeks. But who needs that anyway? Here's the proof.

Cami after we were done saying, "I need help getting my hat off PEOPLE!"

The finished pittiful snowman.....the kids loved it though

Sliding down the hill!

Everyone hard at work

SNOWANGELS!

This would have been a good picture if it weren't for the car

Cute Cami!

Dallin catching snow on his tongue....LOVE IT!

I JUST COULDN'T RESIST

2010-01-24T21:49:00.004-05:00

I caught Cami doing this the other night. I just had to take a few pictures. A close up for you!

CAMI LOVES HER SOME SUNGLASSES!

2010-01-20T11:54:00.005-05:00

The pictures speak for themselves.....she does love sunglasses.

No comments about how crazy frizzy her hair is in this picture please....I'm aware of it.

I love these next two......she looks like a nerdy baby from the 60's.....or is it the 70's?

A LITTLE CATCH-UP

2010-01-17T23:05:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in forever. It's no secret. The problem is, I have so many things to post it is just too overwhelming so I have done nothing. Until now. I am posting some pictures from a while ago.

Mia had a day at school where she could dress up like her favorite book character. Of course she chose Fancy Nancy. I made her a tu tu and tried to do her hair special. ENJOY!

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS.......

2009-12-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Well, you know the rest. Except Mia's teeth never gave her any time to want them for Christmas. Her new ones started growing in before the baby ones fell out. Mia was happy to finally lose a tooth but I, on the other hand, am sad. I mean, a child losing a tooth is like growing up 5 years overnight. It is such a growth milestone. I'm not ready to have a 6 year old much less one who is losing teeth. Starting that gaps-in-the-teeth awkward stage of life. I guess her teeth and her growth couldn't care less what I am ready for.

She actually brought the pliers to Grandpa Martin and had him pull the first one out. It was the day after Thanksgiving. Luckily the tooth fairy had a little cash in her bag.

This is a good view of the teeth growing in, in all kinds of wrong places. They have straightened considerably since the baby teeth came out.

OH THE HORROR OF GETTING THE SECOND TOOTH OUT. Mia did not willingly want this one out. It was hanging by nothing but she was afraid it was gonna hurt. Ben and I just wanted it out so the new tooth had a chance to grow in straight. After many tears it finally was pulled Monday night with dental floss.

DALLIN IS 4!!

2009-11-23T00:09:00.007-05:00

Dallin turned 4 today. I guess since it is after midnight he turned 4 yesterday (Nov 22). It was a great birthday for him. He is growing so fast and I wish he would just slow down. Dallin is a great kid. He makes me laugh hysterically everyday. He says some pretty funny stuff. He's really into pirates/pirate ships lately. As soon as I mentioned a pirate ship cake there was no turning back for him. I HAD to make one. I am NEVER making anything other than a plain old ordinary cake again. This cake was rediculous. Fallng apart as I frosted it, pieces cut too much, had to put cookies on to hold it together, etc... I think it looked horrible but Dallin LOVED it, and that's all that matters.

Dallin after church with his cake and goodie bag from the Bishop. He was so cute when they sang to him in Primary.

Opening his first present. Kind of an impromtu thing. We don't normally open presents on the bed but I thought this was a cute picture of all 3 kids. (Yes, I'm laying in bed. No, there was no way to crop me out of the picture and get the kids, I tried. I have a sinus infection, I was tired from staying up to make that blasted cake so give me break, okay)

Dallin's favorite gift, of course. He didn't even care about cake and ice cream after he opened this bad boy. I'm glad he likes it because it's really annoying when you think your kid is gonna love a gift and they hardly play with it.

This is how much he loved it. I guess he doesn't mind sharing his bed with the ship. I think it's great! Simply a Dallin thing to do.

HERE YOU GO

2009-11-03T20:06:00.002-05:00

RUTH, here you go. I have repented of my slackerness.

Dallin finally conceded to my pleadings and decided to wear his suit to church on Sunday. Actually, he didn't even give me much grief about it. He was a little confused as to why he had to wear a shirt though......when we first brought it home for him, we let him try it on without a shirt ;-)

After church.....he was so proud of his "I can be honest" crown.

Ben tonight before mutual looking nerdy.....uh, I mean nifty in his new scout shirt.

A NEW POST!!

2009-10-25T22:07:00.004-04:00

As much as I know we all want to keep looking at Mia's birthday post for the whole month of October, I am going to spare all of you. ENJOY!

Scariest lion you'll ever see.

The butterfly flies in to see Minnie Mouse, who is terrified of the lion ;-)

My, what big teeth you have Minnie!

Even lions need a little relaxation

Best cheerleaders EVER! They took a break on Saturday, hence, the lose.

MIA IS 6!! Holy Moly!

2009-10-03T20:58:00.004-04:00

My Mia is 6! She is so smart and helpful and sweet and social. I'm posting pictures of her through the years. I couldn't decide which picture I liked better of Mia's birth. So here are two cute ones.

When Mia turned one we were on a trip so she got this dumb store-made cake. She didn't care.

I couldn't find a picture of Mia's 2nd birthday so this is around her 2nd birthday.

Mia was so cute when she turned three.

Mia was very decisive about what she wanted for her 4th birthday cake! PURPLE!

We had a party when she turned 5 and I had a few pictures of the decorations but this was the only one we got of her......as you can tell, we are great parents when it comes to taking pictures. I figure we'll do a party about every 5 years. I'm not big on elaborate parties.

She was so excited to open presents today and she again requested purple frosting for her cake. WE LOVE MIA!!

Dallin Update

2009-09-21T21:58:00.006-04:00

Late last Tuesday night we took Dallin to the ER of one of the Children's Hospitals here in Atlanta. He was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. The same type that I have. I had noticed the night before that he used the bathroom more than normal and wanted water after he went potty. Then that night I noticed he kept drinking from my cup. So I decided to test his blood sugar level. It was over 600. I did it again and got the same result. I immediately knew he had diabetes. We called the doctor and then took him to the hospirtal. We did take our camera but when we got to the ER they valet parked our car and we forgot to grab it out. So, we missed out on some cute pics of him in the ER, his hand all wrapped with an I.V., Dallin in a hospital gown, etc. But we got some cute ones too.

Dallin was in need of a bath after the second day there so here he is in the tub.

Ben and I had to go to two days of education classes. It was informative on some level for Ben but it was just a review for me since I have been doing this for 23 years now. Dallin sat there so well and played at his little table.

This is Dallin in PT. We had to learn how exercise will affect him and his blood sugars. He looked pretty funny with the surgery cap on under the helmet. He loved playing there.

After we had walked around for a while, Ben needed a rest and Dallin was happy resting while watching a cartoon.

Dallin enjoyed alot of chicken fingers while at the hospital, among othern things.

We visited the Koi Pond when Dallin got restless. He loved the fish. All of the nurses loved him!

Taking time to play in the activity room.

Dallin suffering from low blood sugar. I felt badly for him as I know all too well how horrible you can feel when you are low. He was tired too.

Sleep finally won the battle.....on the way home from the hospital.

I guess I was more tired than I thought I was too. I couldn't even make it to the bed before falling asleep.

Since we have been home from the hospital Dallin has been gradually getting better about his shots and finger pokes. He has to have a minimum of 4 shots and 6 finger pokes daily. He has had some low and some high blood sugar levels. He struggles with not being able to snack whenever he wants to. I feel so blessed that I know so much already and know how he's feeling and I feel confident in my decisions about his care. Ben has been so great with him too. Like he always is with me. All in all Dallin is doing well. It will be a lifetime challenge though.

Why Cami Has Lost Weight

2009-09-11T08:32:00.004-04:00

Cami had her 15 month check-up on Tuesday. She has grown 1 inch in the 3 months since her 12 month check-up but, has lost about a 1/2 pound. The Dr. was slightly concerned but I wasn't. Heavens knows she was plenty fat at a year AND, she's been busy working all that flab off. Here's the proof. Just a sampling of the "exercise" Cami gets each day.

DANCING TO HER FAVORITE TUNE....who doesn't love Britney, right?

TRYING TO GET THE TOOTHBRUSHES.....she loves to chew on them

SWINGING LIKE A MONKEY.....trying to find treasures in the bathroom drawer

We LOVE our little monkey! Does anyone else think her hair looks like Bozo the clown's hair?

A Couple Cute Pics

2009-08-30T21:27:00.002-04:00

Cami being cute.....Look at those TEETH!

Cami and her daddy hangin' out

Mia's First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-08-18T14:26:00.005-04:00

Mia was so excited to start school. She attended all day Pre-K last year so she is acclimated to school but she was still really excited to start at a "real" school. Her school is brand spankin new and her first day was a success. She wanted to ride the bus to school but I forced her to let me take her so I could get a few pictures. She rode it home though. She rode it to and from school today. Her teacher is really great and has previously taught 1st grade for 6 years so she will know exactly what the students need to know to be prepared for next year. SCORE! I am stoked for Mia because I always loved school and so far she is handling it well. Sorry the pictures are in reverse order. Blogger is stupid! AND, I'm too lazy to fix it.

What We've Been Up To

2009-08-01T14:12:00.003-04:00

I know, I KNOW! it's been forever since I have popsted. We have been busy and when we are not going somehwere I am being lazy. So lately, Ben turned 30, we've been swimming alot, we went to the lake/cabin for the fourth, I turned 32 and the kids have loved their slip n' slide. Phew! The kids and I also spent a weeek in Memphis with Ben's parents and Tiffany while Ben was at home working, but I have not downloaded those pictures yet(big surprise). We are off again to the lake/cabin for a week with Ben's parents and when we get home I will make a proper post. Enjoy these few photos while you can.

Cami's Trying

2009-07-02T15:10:00.003-04:00

Don't judge me for the mess. This was before our nightly clean up. You got to get it when you can get it. Doesn't my cracker with cream cheese look good?

Zoo and Birthday Pictures

2009-06-09T17:48:00.001-04:00

CAMI TURNED ONE!!

2009-06-07T21:41:00.004-04:00

Cami turned 1 yesterday. We cannot believe it has been a whole year since that very fast and scary delivery when she was born. She has grown a ton since then and learned so much. Ben's parents came over from Memphis and we went to the zoo to celebrate. Maryann and David and Lisa and their kids joined us for cake and ice cream and presents. We had a good time. I know it has been forever since I have posted and I have a lot to post of the zoo and her birthday......and other stuff from the last month. But, I thought I would start you off with a teaser video of us singing to her. Watch it all cause the end is the best part. All I have to say is, she's fast!

7 YEARS

2009-05-04T22:46:00.001-04:00

Today is our anniversary. Seven short years of marriage. And still, even after all my nagging, Ben has not learned how to give a natural smile in a picture. I mean, it has gotten better. Slightly. But his natural smile when he is really amused is much better. I always look bad in pictures. Please don't stare at the UGLY moles on my face. STOP! I told you not to look. I will have them removed one day. I'm just waiting for them to get hairy. Needless to say, we STILL love each other.

EASTER MORNING

2009-04-12T23:27:00.002-04:00

I have to say that I think Mia is especially cute in her new dress.

Generally Mia will resist when I want her to wear her hair up. She realizes the pain that comes with combing and putting up curly hair. Anyway, she was very compliant once she saw that I had made her a bow for each one of her piggy buns. That was easy!
Dallin got a new tie. Too bad his shirt won't stay tucked in. Notice his blue ring pop the easter bunny brought him. I'm gonna have to tell the easter bunny to come after we leave for church next year.

Cami is not one to pose for pictures lately. But, as you can see, she looks cute in her dress too!

OUR DAY BEFORE EASTER EGG HUNT

2009-04-12T22:55:00.003-04:00

Mia collected the most eggs out of all the grandkids that were here.....52 eggs! As you can see, she did not have time to stop for a picture. Ben had a hard time chasing her down.

Dallin went at a slower pace, stopping to pose.
Mia's basket couldn't hold much more.

Like Dallin's goose egg on his head? We have no clue what he did.

While all the adults were pigging out, we must have neglected our little chubby one. She had to take matters into her own hands. She later crawled away with a roll in each hand.

OUR PLAYSET!!!

2009-04-12T22:34:00.003-04:00

We finally got our playset! The kids couldn't be more happy. They have already gotten hours of use out of it. And, it was on sale. What could be better.

Dallin is one happy kid
Mia and Dallin chatting and swinging. They love the glider swing too.

Thanks to the drought we have plenty of bad grass to put it on.

HARDEST I HAVE LAUGHED IN A LONG TIME!!

2009-04-05T19:26:00.003-04:00

Mia came upstairs with her mouth closed and waited until she had my attention and then gave me a big grin. I laughed so hard I had a coughing attack (I've been sick).

Isn't she cute!
Dallin wouldn't put them in right but you get the picture. Too funny!

St. Patrick's Day, Part 2

2009-03-17T11:58:00.000-04:00

Cami had to sport the green too. Her cheek is full of food, so of course she couldn't smile. She doesn't do that for the camera these days anyway. Please ignore the filthy, naked couch in the background!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

Mia and Dallin were quite happy to wear their shamrock headbands and pose.

Mia wanted to wear all green today but unfortunately she has no green pants. Her socks, shirt, undies and headband were though. She is so relieved that she is not gonna get pinched. She's hoping to be able to pinch her teacher. I told her that her teacher is probably smarter than that, but maybe you'll get lucky. Things are looking up in our house on the clothes front. Dallin actually brought me these clothes today to put on him. Should he be able to get himself dressed? YES. Does he? NO. But he sure does know how to strip his clothes off fast. He has a green shirt. Green pants too. But, the shamrock will have to do for him today because as long as he's picking out clothes, I'm not gonna rock the boat. Cami has a shamrock headband too. I'll have to take her picture when she wakes up.

Post After Post After Post......

2009-03-08T23:58:00.002-04:00

After being asked amillion times, "when are you gonna update your blog", I've decided. Oh, YOU'RE gettin a post now!(say it like George Costanza) Make sure you scroll down, and down, and down to see all the posts. This is what we have been up to. Ben's parents and little brother came for a visit in Feb. to take Alex through the temple in preparation for his mission.

Good bye Alex. See you in two years. When you get back, Mia will be almost 7 1/2, Dallin will be 5 and Cami will be 2 1/2. Holy Cow!!
I love this one of the kids. Crazier than ever.

We bought a new swimsuit for Mia at Costco. She just had to put it on right when we got home. Well, so did Dallin.

My sweet girls. Right before bed. We hadn't put Cami's jammies on yet. I love these girls. Don't worry. I love Dallin too!

Cami Update

2009-03-08T23:34:00.004-04:00

Poor baby! Cami fell asleep while eating carrots in her bumbo. I couldn't resist taking a picture. I love our fat little girl.

Cami has a love hate relationship with this exercise toy. She hated it at first but now she is learning to like it. This is also a good photo of her only teeth so far.
Cami can now hold her own bottle. Yesssss! She really doesn't like for us to hold it for her anymore. I love her eyes in this picture.
I can leave Cami for a long time to just sit and look at these little alphabet books. She loves it. But now that she is crawling I can't leave her upstairs alone. She is getting faster everyday. I will post a video of it once I have the patience to wait on my slow computer. Maybe tomorrow.
I made this flower foe Cami's headband. The picture makes it look bigger than it is. But, it's pretty large. I had so many people tell me how cute she was at church today. She likes to play with her tongue on her teeth a lot, like she is doing here. It's cute. What do you think? Is the flower way too big or way too cute? I'm undecided.

Dallin Update

2009-03-08T23:13:00.003-04:00

I love it when I find Dallin like this! He is really into books right now.

Dallin being silly like always. I have no idea where he got these 3-D glasses. Naked too.
Dallin really likes stickers. Eh, who needs paper when you have skin. Naked too.
Please ignore the mess we call a garage. It has seen better days. Please note Dallin, the outdoors man. He loves being outside. Whether it's playing in the messy garage or running around in the yard he just likes it. It is our top priority to get a playset soon for the outside so her doesn't have to climb on things that are not meant to be climbed on. Too bad money doesn't grow on trees!

Dallin is really into Spiderman right now. Especially his Spiderman undies. Notice in the last two pictures, Dallin is actually dressed. I think Dallin loathes clothes right now. He will let me get him dressed to go get Mia from school and if we need to run errands but other that that, he's naked. And the truth is, I don't really care. But it drives Ben crazy.

Mia Update

2009-03-08T22:35:00.001-04:00

This is Mia and her BFF Lily. They are joined at the hip. I love that Mia picked the little Japanese girl as her counterpart in crime. She has learned so much about her culture. Mia's teacher said that Mia and Lily are her go to girls when no one else knows the answers to her questions. I guess Mia needed someone on her level. JK!

Mia's class had a Valentine's party. The teacher asked the boys to go ask a girl to dance. This little boy, named Jaco(ya-coo), ran over to Mia and grabbed her. I asked Mia about it when she got home that day. She said he always wants to be her partner and that he has a crush on her. I found a heart from him in her backpack a few days later. She doesn't think much of him. Does it really start this early??
Not only does Mia learn alot in school, she must play hard too. I sent her to school with pristine buns and she came home looking like this. Still cute though.

This was Mia in her Sunday best for the Valentine's party.

Mia recently celebrated her 100th day of school. She had a blast!

A POST!!

2009-02-08T22:37:00.002-05:00

Since I haven't posted in FOREVER, I have a lot of pictures to post. I still need to post some pictures form Christmas but, I'll just keep it simple for now.

Dallin just doesn't feel complete without his sword and hook. Yes, he's naked! What's new?
Cami looking cute on Grandma and Grandpa Engstrom's new couch

Mia had to make a snowman for school. She did most of the work on this. Okay, I sparay-painted the hat. I wasn't gonna let Mia do that! Do you like her purse?

More Cami

2009-01-11T22:53:00.002-05:00

I wanted to get a good picture of Cami so I could send out late christmas cards. I think we got some cute ones. BTW, Cami just got her FIRST TOOTH!

a good sitting up one
trying to get that tooth

sweetie!

I love this one of her looking down

OUR LITTLE SITTER!

2009-01-04T22:06:00.002-05:00

Until I can shuffle through all our Christmas pictures and post a few (or a lot), these will have to do. Cami is now a sitter.

Cami in her cute church outfit.My naked crazies!

CAMI'S GLAMOUR SHOTS

2008-12-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

Just kidding, I would never pay money for glamour shots. But, Cami had her pictures done recently. I had Mia and Dallin done at 4 months so I did Cami too. Okay, it was more like 5 months. I'm a slacker. Any way, these are the ones I got copies of. Angel and Darin, Joseph and Lacey, and any Engstroms who want some.....tell me which one(s) you want and I'll send them on. There were alot of really cute ones but I coukldn't get them all. Pictures are pricey, people.

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

I think I'll put a slideshow of the rest up later.

Update on the Kiddies

2008-11-23T21:56:00.005-05:00

Mia and I went to the Biltmore house with 2 of my sisters and some of their friends. It was really great. I went when I was about 14 but since that was 17 years ago it was like I had never been. It was a sweet deal. Since I can't afford such luxuries, I drove them all and they paid for my ticket and Mia was free! Mia loved every minute of it.

Mia and me in front of the big lion outside the front doors of the house.....all decked out in Christmas!
We got the audio tour. At each room they had an informational blip about it. You had to punch in the number on your headset. Mia punched in the numbers by herself and even paid quite good attention to what was being said. AND, as a side note. Our primary program was today. There are 13 kids in Mia's class and she and 2 others were the only ones in their class that could recite their parts from memory. She spoke clearly and loudly, but not too loud. Ben and I were so proud of her.
Dallin had his 3rd birthday yesterday. It was pretty exciting. His favorite present was his pirate set. What little boy doesn't like swords and hooks? Ben had to pry them out of his hands so we could go into church today. Needless to say, he was not too fond of cooperating in nursery today. I need to start praying for the Sunbeam teacher now! On a side note again, during the program today, when the children would sing the songs, Dallin had to stand in the aisle next to our bench and sing along. We have been listening to them in the car for a while. Dallin loves music!
Dallin has been a little run down lately. His love affair with his blankets has grown even stronger.

His blanket collection has grown to include this very old, very ugly brown one that Ben had when he was little. It is soft though.

Cami our little sweet bug has been through lots too. She has been trying rice cereal. As far as we can tell, the only thing she likes about it is it's mess factor. She isn't real crazy about actually eating it.

Cami bug is also sick right now. She has had a cough for a little while but when I heard her start weezing I called the doctor. She has bronchiolitis. So, now she is on steroids and breathing treatments several times a day. We try to keep her occupied with toys but she sure hates the breathing treatments. I don't blame her.

She is so huge. She has gotten off her apnea monitor......just in time to get sick.

I had to throw in this blurry one because it was cute. She is such a good baby. Even though she is coughing so hard she can't breathe and then she pukes.

Mommy Comparison

2008-11-12T18:27:00.003-05:00

Now here is a picture of me (Diane) when I was a little kid in germany. I am obviously older than my kids in the below pictures because I can walk. But, you get the gist. I don't have any pictures of Ben around that age. And even if I did, we don't have a scanner. We scanned these from some slides my parents had at their house. I mean, my parents had the slides at their house and we scanned them at their house on their scanner. There you go.

Kid Comparison

2008-11-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

This is for Angel. She wanted to see Mia at Cami's age to compare them. I don't know if I got Mia and Dallin at exactly Cami's same age but they're pretty close.

Mia
Dallin

Cami

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-03T09:49:00.005-05:00

Seeing as I have not posted in forever, I now have about a bazillion pictures to post. BUT, seeing as I have not posted in forever, I thought I better not post them all at once. I thought I'd give a few at a time, so why not start with Halloween.

Mia lookin cute as Minnie Mouse
Dallin as Spiderman.....he didn't like the mask so he went without it.

Cami as a chili pepper

Dallin hard at work

Mia in action

Mia was as happy as can be. She was a real trooper that night. She just had to keep up with her 10 and 13 year old cousins who ran up every drive way. And most of them were up hill. She never lagged behind. I was amazed at her stamina.

Notice the wilted jack-o-lantern to the right (must be the humidity). So we decided Cami would make a good substitution!

This is how the night wound up for Dallin. I made Ben wake him up and brush his teeth. No need to encourage the cavities to form.

Coming to Terms

2008-10-30T21:16:00.002-04:00

So, I've come to terms with Obama winning the presidency. I have no doubts that he will win. I mean, isn't it so cool to jump on the bandwagon of having an inexperienced person, with purple lips, who keeps the company of convicted felons and terrorists as friends as our next president? The reason I am finding myself so easily coming to terms with this is that I have a firm belief that before the Savior can come again, we have to have some horrible leaders. Leaders worse than we can imagine. And hey, it might as well start with Obama.

I have learned through this whole campaign that money can buy alot of things. Alot of good things like chocolate, plane tickets to see family members and even adopted babies. Money can also buy alot of bad things. Like illegal drugs, child pornography, land from a convicted slum lord and wouldn't you know, even Obama as President.

In an article brought to my attention yesterday, the author said that in about 6 months to a year our country is going to have a tsunami size case of buyers remorse. Amen to that.

My friend made a post on her blog recently and I say amen to that too. Here it is:

Barrack Obama has said "The first thing I will do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act." Really? The First Thing? Our Country is in economic turmoil and in the middle of a war and the First Thing you will do is sign an act that eliminates state laws that limit abortion and invalidate any pro-life laws passed since Roe v. Wade? The first thing you will do is allow abortion-on-demand for all 9 months of pregnancy? Repeal the partial birth abortion ban! And even better, let's remove the ban allowing the Government to help pay for it. That is an awesome solution. Our country is in debt beyond any one's reasonable comprehension and The First thing you'll do is use government funds to kill a baby? And to make it quicker, smoother, and less trouble for everyone, no pre-abortion education or waiting period required! What other political issue results in the murder of 1.2 million American children each year? Oh. None.

Brilliant!

And Ben wanted me to add in a few of his thoughts. Like, how Obama wants to turn us into a socialist country. And how spreading the wealth is an asinine idea. And how giving people who don't pay federal taxes a big old refund so they can go out and buy a big flat screen T.V. or something else that is not a necessity. Yeah, cause that will help them out a ton.

a little update

2008-10-05T20:12:00.002-04:00

Mia turned 5 on Friday. She got Candyland, the BEE movie and some little pet shops. I have been reminded how much I like playing Candyland as we have played it a few times since she got it. We had a party for her since she has never had one. But, in great parent fashion, we forgot to take pictures because we were too busy dealing with the 8 five year old girls that were there. It was fun. Mia liked it. Through it all I learned that I don't want her to have a party every year.

When Ben's parents came last weekend we went to Calaway Gardens. Even though nothing was in bloom it was still really pretty and peaceful. I want to go back in the spring when all the azaleas are in bloom. This was the only picture I had with all of us in it. Ben was taking the picture. I think they were looking at a worm......gross!
We also went to the aquarium. Grandpa had never been. This is Mia up close and personal with a jellyfish and Dallin in the background.
Our CRAZY kids.......WE love them!
We blessed Cami last month. It was a great day and she did really well.

Yogurt Anyone?

2008-09-22T21:49:00.001-04:00

Dallin really, really, really likes yogurt.

CAMI BUG

2008-09-10T13:46:00.003-04:00

Hey everybody, I'm Cami. I'm a bug. I must be because I always hear my mom call me......cute bug, fussy bug, sweet bug, hungry bug, stinky bug, sleepy bug, chubby bug, grumpy bug and love bug.

I am 3 months old now and I greet my mommy every morning with a huge smile. It helps her deal with being so tired. I am awake alot of the day now and I eat a ton. I've gotta keep these chubby cheeks going.
I still have my apnea/heart monitor but I am hoping to ditch it in the next 6 weeks or so. I am a very happy baby and I am growing up so fast. Everybody loves me.

Our Latest Happenings

2008-08-24T19:54:00.004-04:00

This is Mia before school on Friday.......she survived her first week of school and LOVED it!

Ben worked from home on Friday and after I got Mia off to school I went back to bed and Cami was being fussy but didn't want to be fed so I decided to snuggle with her and we both went back to sleep. Notice the mascara on my wall compliments of Dallin. Don't be jealous of my pink grandma housecoat. Thanks for the picture Ben!
Mia needs a family picture for her "family wall" at school and this was our attempt. The lighting was horrible and our building is being remodeled so the wall looks trashy. We may have to try again.
This is for Angel anf Darin......Elder Carlson says "congratulations!"
Cami looked so cute for church today
Mia LOVES to hold her baby sister
A little smile

Dallin's favorite way to sleep these days......yes, cotton balls and crackers are on the floor
Dallin did not want the slice of watermelon I cut for him......he demanded the quarter of it still on the cutting board

We made french bread pizzas.....I love how Mia's has neat little piles of toppings

Daddy and Cami just chillin'
Dallin LOVES corn on the cob
I catch Cami holding her toe like this all the time
taking a cat nap

Tonight I made cupcakes after dinner. I was feeding Cami and was just finishing when Mia asked me to frost one for her. I told her to wait a minute while I burped the baby. So, she went in and did it herself. I was looking at the computer when Mia brought it to my attentioon that Cami had frosting on her forehead......from Mia's cupcake of course. So I liked it off. Uh.....that was barf from where Cami was rubbing her head on the burp cloth. THANKS MIA!! When am I gonna learn my lesson?

MIA'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

2008-08-18T21:45:00.003-04:00

MIA HAD HER FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TODAY. WE STARTED LAST NIGHT WITH A FATHER'S BLESSING. DALLIN WAS IN A CHAIR NEXT TO HER AND WOULD NOT LEAVE IT UNTIL HE GOT A BLESSING TOO.

MIA IS ALL READY
SAYING GOODBYE TO CAMI......CAMI'S DOUBLE CHIN IS OUT OF CONTROL......BUT, I LOVE IT!
POSING WITH DALLIN.......DALLIN'S IDEA
HER BACKPACK
I LET HER HAVE HER BLANKET IN THE CAR
IN THE LOBBY OF HER SCHOOL
DALLIN HAD TO HAVE HIS TURN TOO

HANGING UP HER BACKPACK
NOTICE THE NAME ON THE SEAT.......MIA FOUND HER CHAIR IN LIKE 2 SECONDS
CHECKING OUT THE PUZZLE
DALLIN IS MAKING HIMSELF AT HOME
SAYING GOODBYE TO DALLIN.......HOW SWEET

10 FOR TUESDAY RE-VISITED

2008-07-29T23:18:00.003-04:00

NOW THAT THINGS HAVE CALMED DOWN SINCE CAMI'S BIRTH, I DECIDED TO GIVE THIS ANOTHER WHIRL........PLUS, MY SISTER PRODDED ME.

CAMI OCCASIONALLY LIKES HER SWING
3. CAMI HAS NOW GROWN TO BE A LITTLE OVER 8 LBS.......WHICH IS BIG TO US BUT STILL SMALL SINCE SHE IS 7 1/2 WEEKS OLD
4. HER FOOT IS NOW SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN MY THUMB
5. MIA HAS 2 1/2 WEEKS UNTIL SHE STARTS PRE-K AND I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS. SHE WILL BE GOING ALL DAY BUT GA PROVIDES IT FREE FOR ALL 4 YEAR OLDS SO THAT IS THE WAY IT HAS TO BE. I THINK SHE WILL LOVE IT.......AND I HAVE MY SUSPICIONS THAT DALLIN WILL TOO.

RECENT

2 YEARS AGO......MY HOW SHE'S GROWN
6. MY YARD LOOKS LIKE CRAP......WE ARE IN A DROUGHT AND MY COUNTY DOES NOT LET US WATER ANYTHING SO WHY PLANT ANYTHING........THIS IS THE ONE PRETTY THING IN MY YARD.......A CRAPE MYRTLE TREE

7. DALLLIN ASKED ME TO TAKE THIS PICTURE OF HIM
8. YOU CAN SEE HIS CUT WITHOUT THE STITCHES IN THE ABOVE PICTURE

9. CAMI LIKES TO PRACTICE TUMMY TIME

10. WE HAD A GREAT VISIT WITH BEN'S DAD THIS WEEK.......AFTER A ROUGH START WHERE DALLIN TOOK ONE LOOK AT HIM AND EXCLAIMED"THAT'S NOT GRANDPA"(HE IS USED TO SEEING MY DAD ALOT) HE WARMED UP QUITE QUICKLY. IT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE BIG BAG OF SKITTLES GRANDPA BROUGHT WITH HIM.

Cute Cami

2008-07-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

I thought this picture of Cami was especially cute

Dallin Drama Part II

2008-07-17T12:03:00.000-04:00

So,Dallin got 4 stitches in his head from hitting it on the corner of the wall. Well, then he was being crazy again last night and busted open 2 of the 4 stitches. This is a picture of the wound before going back to the urgent care center. He got 3 stitches to replace the 2. He did really well with it. You would have thought he would have remembered being there the night before and freaked out but he didn't. He has been exclaiming all morning, "my band-aid mommy, myband-aid mommy". I have sounded like a broken record saying, "Dallin, NO running, you don't want to hurt your head". Poor Ben had to deal with it both times. It was too hard for me. I thought I was gonna throw-up when I saw the blood AGAIN last night.

Dallin Drama

2008-07-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

It's late so the story behind the big bandage on Dallin's forehead will have to come tomorrow. But, it involves a collision with the corner of the dining room wall AND......stitches. There, I've told you all the major details. Except, the one where Ben had our only car (because we sold the other one and haven't gotten a new one yet) at work. It's a fascinating story full of drama that will be told in detail later.

PHOTO FUN WITH CAMI

2008-07-10T12:30:00.006-04:00

Cami was awake a lot yesterday so we took lots of pictures.......oh yeah.....she will be 5 weeks old tomorrow and she weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz.......what a little fatty ;)

Cami and daddy
Cami and mommy......I love to hold her close
This was funny......we put her in Dallin's lap and all he wanted to do was rub his cheek and lips on her and then he gave her a bunch of kisses.....then he was done with her
Mia always loves to hold Cami
I loved her face in this one

okay......one sleepy one
she never knows what to do with her arms and legs when she's not bundled
stretch those legs......one big toe headed in the air......she loves that
Mia always wants to be in the pics too
I usually make her hair into a mohawk

MIA AND DALLIN

2008-07-10T12:07:00.004-04:00

Mia asks me almost every day, usually when I am feeding the baby, "mom, why do you love Cami more than me and Dallin?" UGH! I then explain that Cami can't do anything for herself right now so I have to do everything and you (Mia) can do a lot of things for yourself so mommy doesn't have to so it may seem like I love her more but I don't. She then smiles and says, "Oh, I understand......I'm so silly" So, I thought I would give them their own post with some recent pictures.

Dallin taking a hard earned break and watching Super Why. It is this great show that teaches kids their alphabet (I know, I know.......I do work on it with Dallin but he loves the show). Dallin knows more than half of his letters and it amazes me every time he comes up to me and points out a new letter on some piece of mail or something.
the kids being crazy together
Dallin looks like a little surfer in this one
Mia on the 4th
the bow I made for her that morning
Mia taking care of "her baby"

CAMI UPDATE

2008-07-08T16:31:00.002-04:00

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I POSTED PICTURES OF CAMI. SHE HAS ALREADY CHANGED SO MUCH. SHE GOES TO THE DOCTOR TO GET WEIGHED TOMORROW BUT I SUSPECT SHE WEIGHS BETWEEN 5 1/2 AND 6 POUNDS. SHE IS EATING REALLY WELL......BUT SADLY, SHE'S STILL NOT NURSING WELL. SHE'S A SWEET LITTLE ONE AND WE CAN'T LOVE HER MORE........ MIA ESPECIALLY. LUCKILY DALLIN THE BOISTEROUS BOY PRETTY MUCH LEAVES HER ALONE. SHE STILL HAS TO TAKE CAFFEINE AND WEARS HER MONITOR FOR HER HEART AND BREATHING. BUT, WE'RE GETTING USED TO HAVING IT ATTACHED TO HER......BUT WE WON'T MISS IT WHEN IT'S GONE. SHE IS AWAKE SO MUCH MORE NOW AND IS STARTING TO LOOK AROUND AT THINGS. SHE HAS REALLY STARTED TRYING TO STUDY MY FACE WHEN SHE EATS........EVEN THOUGH STUFF IS STILL SO FUZZY FOR HER. WHEN SHE IS HUNGRY SHE WILL LICK ANYTHING IN SITE......I LOVE TO PUT MY CHEEK TO HER SO SHE CAN LICK IT.

SHE LOVES TO HAVE HER HANDS BY HER FACE

MOMMY TIME.....SHE IS FUN TO JUST SIT WITH IN YOUR ARM
ENJOYING THE BOPPY
SHE LIKES HER PACIFIER BTU IT'S STILL SO BIG COMPARED TO HER

Still Fat......Just a Little Less Fat!!

2008-06-30T17:58:00.002-04:00

Me.......2 1/2 weeks before I had Cami

Me.......3 weeks after having Cami

Photo's from India

2008-06-24T23:09:00.002-04:00

Mia and Dallin,
I hope you like the photos of the animals.
Love Dad

CAMI UPDATE

2008-06-22T22:16:00.002-04:00

CAMI WENT TO THE DOCTOR ON FRIDAY AND IS GROWING WELL. SHE IS BACK UP TO HER BIRTHWEIGHT OF 4 LBS. 14 OZ. SHE LIKES TO SLEEP AND EAT. SHE IS CUTE AND IS SMILING NOW. MOSTLY IN HER SLEEP. HER MONITOR GOES OFF OFTEN......ALERTING US THAT SHE HAS NOT BREATHED IN A WHILE OR THAT HER HEART RATE IS LOW. NO BIGGEE. THE KIDS LOVE HER TO DEATH. FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO THINK THAT SHE LOOKS BIG IN ALL OF HER PICTURES......WELL, CONSIDER THAT DALLIN IS ONLY 2 1/2 AND SHE IS ONLY AS BIG AS HIS LEG FROM THE KNEE DOWN. PRETTY SMALL.

DADDY......WE MISS YOU A LOT!!

THE KIDS

2008-06-22T22:01:00.002-04:00

AS LONG AS CAMI IS BUNDLED AND WARM.......SHE SLEEPS PRETTY WELL
CAMI LOVES TO STRETCH OUT HER LEGS
MIA ALWAYS WANTS TO HELP......AND HOLD THE BABY
IT'S HARD ON DALLIN HAVING A NEW BABY SISTER
MIA IN HER NEW DRESS......THIS ONE'S FOR BEN

Cami Update

2008-06-14T23:39:00.003-04:00

Cami came home on Thursday. She is doing well. She sleeps well.....and a lot. She is eating well. She nurses just a little and then stuffs herself with a bottle. We are still working on the nursing thing. Her mouth is so small. She is as cute as can be. Ben left today for two weeks in India. I miss him already and have shed many tears. I could have insisted he not go but, it is a great career opportunity and I know he wanted to go, even though it was hard for him too. I think we'll survive because of all our great helpers.....namely Ruth and Grandma Martin. And maybe Grandma Engstrom if she is able to come. Mia and Dallin love their new baby sister. Well.....Ben and I do too. Words can't describe how blessed we feel that she is healthy. AND, I only gained 10 pounds during the pregnancy but have now lost 25. If you do the math it equals one happy mommy. I'm sure it won't last long. Cami while still in the NICU
Daddy and Cami checking each other out.
Mommy loves to cuddle with her.
YES.....there is a baby under those buckles
Mia and Dallin checking out their baby sister.

The Baby Story and Update

2008-06-09T14:05:00.006-04:00

So.....for all the friends and family that read our blog that haven't heard the rough story of how this baby came about, here it goes. About 8 months ago, Ben and I were feeling especially romantic..........just kidding! Anyway, on Thursday night, I was having some braxton hicks which was not uncommon for me or any pregnant woman. But, they were hurting me a little but not coming on a regular basis. I read in my pregnancy book that if it is not your first pregnancy you can experience some pain towards the end of your pregnancy with these but make sure you don't have more than four in an hour. I thought nothing more of it. I went to bed later and remember dreaming about having contractions and in my dream specifically I kept having the same four contractions over and over. Once my brain woke up a little I started to realize that I was having real pain and it wasn't a dream so I continued to toss and turn for a few minutes and realized I should start timing these pains. 3:13 a.m.......ouch, 3:19 a.m.......that hurts, 3:25 a.m.......uh, 6 minutes apart! These aren't braxton hicks anymore. I have never gone into labor before so I had no clue what to do at this point. I woke Ben up to tell him what was going on. We think we should go to the hospital but I'm like, what if it's not labor, what are we gonna do with the kids, I'm just 34 weeks pregnant.....CRAP!! I call my brother and wife that live a few miles away to see if someone could stay with our kids. They think it is just braxton hicks. I somewhat believe them so I call a nurse hot line that our insurance company has. I'm in total pain right now and she's asking me stuff like, what is your height, address, # of prenatal visits, hair color.....whatever lady, I gotta go to the hospital. Call my brother back and talk to his wife ....Diane, you sound like you're in pain but give it a little longer. Crap, they are 3 minutes apart by now. NO!! can Josh come sleep on the couch, I'm IN LABOR!! Run upstairs and get dressed. Ben picks up Josh and we head to the hospital which is about 20 minutes away. I get there. Have two contractions while walking in. The admissions lady is taking forever while I have 5 contractions. I'm starting to worry by now that she might come out in the chair because she was breech at her appointment just days earlier and I knew I would need a C-section. I get upstairs and the midwife and doctor come in. I am bleeding heavily at this point and getting very worried. I immediately tell them I need a C-section hoping they would hurry. But, they do a quick ultrasound to find the head and she was in the birth canal, head down and I was already at a 10! . WHAT!! I was very happy about that because ultimately I didn't want a C-section but was open to it because I thought I needed it and because I didn't want to go through labor after a hard pregnancy. I was in triage for that and then they moved me to a birthing room where they started my I.V. and got things ready. Then they tell me the midwife was busy. GREAT! As soon as she got there she broke my water and I push her out at 5:31 a.m. I think, I just woke up at 3:13. Man that was fast. No epidural.....I was happy about that because I didn't want one. No pain meds......because the stuff they offered makes me whacked. They look at the baby for about twenty minutes and decide she should go to the NICU. I got discharged Sunday and Ben and I come back twice a day for 3 to 4 hours at a time to feed her and be with her. As of today (Wednesday) she is ready to go home but will probably not go home until tomorrow. Cami had several things that she had to do before she was ready to come home. She had to keep her body temperature up on her own without heating lights. She did that. She had to be able to sleep in a regular crib instead of the special heated one. She did that. She had to be able to feed from the breast or a bottle for 24 hours straight and eat all the required amount and not from her feeding tube. She did that as of this morning. She had a sleep study performed because she would stop breathing several times a day and would need to be stimulated to start breathing again. So now, we have to get her a monitor to take home to alert us when she heeds to be rubbed to help her start to breathe again and she has to take caffeine orally once a day to help stimulate her to remember to breathe. I know, caffeine, weird, huh? At this point, Ben and I have to be taught infant CPR, she has to get her monitor and we have to just spend a little time with her practicing everything before we take her home. We don't want to rush anything so that is why it will be tomorrow before she comes home. I am hoping that it will be fairly early in the day so Ben will have lots of time with her before he leaves for India on Saturday. We'll post more pictures very soon......like later today.

Little Girl

2008-06-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

More Pictures

2008-06-07T23:05:00.001-04:00

Cami Pictures

2008-06-06T13:01:00.000-04:00

Suprise - Cami Ellen Engstrom has arrived

2008-06-06T06:56:00.002-04:00

Much to our surprise Cami arrived at 5:30 this morning 6 weeks early. She was 4lb 14oz and 16 ½ inches long. Mother is doing fine and baby looks good, although she is staying in NICU for precautionary measures. In our rush to leave we forgot the camera. We will post pictures soon; she is as cute as can be.

PREGNANCY UPDATE

2008-05-19T17:16:00.003-04:00

I am now 31 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Yessss.....a little less than six weeks to go. I have gained 9 pounds. Why so little you ask? Because it's hard to gain weight when you are still throwing up everyday. It is a daily occurrence that I think this......I wish this baby would come NOW...oh, but then she'd be sick, never mind...is there a way to have your baby really early and not have her be sick?? Then I get over it....slowly. My hips hurt so badly that there are times when I seriously can't walk. I rarely move anymore without pain. I feel really horrible that my poor little kids are getting neglected as I have to rest ALOT. I even fainted in my room while getting ready for church yesterday. No Ben because he was at meetings and my kids were downstairs. Obviously I survived but I was scared. I know it doesn't sound like it but, I really am happy and excited to be having this baby. On a happier note. My blood sugars are stupendous and my kidneys and eyes are fantastic with no problems. The baby is moving alot and she is growing right on target. Ben will be in India for two weeks and will be coming home from India the day I turn 37 weeks and I will be having my amniocentesis without him. If the test is good then she will come shortly thereafter. Talk about close timing. Anybody want to come help me for those two weeks?? PLEASE!! Here is a picture of my ankles (or should I say cankles) at the end of the day.

HAPPY 6th ANNIVERSARY TO US!

2008-05-05T16:23:00.004-04:00

Yesterday (the 4th) was our 6th anniversary. I don't have a scanner so I can't put up one of our wedding pictures so you can see how much we've changed. So since I don't have that, then why put up a current picture either. I'm tired peole! I have to admit with shame that I totally forgot about it. I swear it is pregnancy brain and not my lack of love for Ben. We hadn't even talked about it in anticipation and apparently I didn't think about it on my own either. So, on Friday we went to my parents' house to help them open their pool. When we got there Ben asked me where I wanted to go for dinner. I was like, what are you talking about......mom already made dinner. It's our anniversary on Sunday and I called your mom to see if she would mind watching the kids while we went to dinner. Since I am usually the one to remember and do something nice and Ben isn't, I felt dumb at that point. So, our options were to drive another 45 minutes to this really nice shopping center in Birmingham that has some nice restaurants or to stay closer to home. I was already in pain from the 1 1/2 drive over so I reluctantly said, lets go somewhere around here because I knew my options were slim. Where did we wind up going you ask? To the PELL CITY STEAK HOUSE!
My parents live in Pell City, AL and I lived there for 6 years before going to college. Every time I have come home to visit the town has changed a little and gotten a little bigger but the pell city steak house has always remained. As you can see from the picture it looks like it is lacking something to be desired. After my mom informed me that the food there is actually good we decided, what the heck, we'll give it a whirl. When we got there, the first thing I noticed was a sign on the wall that said, "Please don't touch the animals." As I looked around for some animals I finally realized what animals they were talking about. Stuffed deer heads and birds all over the walls. Then, as I looked around at the people I realized there were only old people and skanks there. But, we were there so we couldn't leave, right? We were seated and a lady came around and took our orders. And much to our surprise......THE FOOD WAS ACTUALLY GOOD!! My favorite part was when the lady came to fill up our water and I said thank you and she said back, "your sure welcome, baby". There's nothing like that southern hospitality. Ben got a steak and I got a hamburger because of course I didn't feel well. When we got up to pay they had an ancient cash register and these display stands of just as ancient looking wrigley's gum and certs mints. I spotted the bowl of complimentary mints. Andes mints.....score......until I saw the handwritten paper sign that said 10 cents on it. Dang it! The consensus is......we would definitely go back there for a burger someday.

UPDATE

2008-05-02T13:15:00.002-04:00

Since I haven't updated in a while I thought I would give you the scoop on the kids.

Mia is 4 1/2 and lives this age to it's fullest. She is quite smart and sometimes I feel that is a disadvantage to parents. You can't slip anything past her. She remembers everything and can recall it on command. She has to do eveything on her own including serving her plate at dinner.....and she does a pretty good job at it too. She is no stranger to making messes and waits until Dallin is napping and I need to lie down to make the dirtiest of all her messes. She is now becoming more compliant with cleaning up her messes too. We have now had to put a lock on the fridge and tun off the water in the door because water or something in the fridge is always involved in her messes. Dragging a chair around the haouse to get anything she wants is apparently no struggle for her. She is in the CTR 5 class and loves going to Primary and did a great job giving her first talk recently. She is usually nice to Dallin but when she's not she doesn't know when to stop and she has a bite mark right now to prove it. Mia can talk anybody's ear off if you let her. She can'twait to go to Grandma and Grandpa Martin's house alot this summer and swim in their pool. She is also really looking forward to preschool in the fall since she will miss the cut-off for Kindergarten. Mia loves playing outside and especially running to the mailbox to get the mail. Dallin is just shy of 2 1/2 now. He is half sweet boy and half stinker. Okay.......maybe more like 55% stinker and 45% sweet boy. He talks in long sentences now and wastes no time telling you what he wants. He knows just how to push Mia's buttons and they have at least one session of chase each other around the house per day......mostly initiated by Dallin. He is in his naked stage of 2 right now and to catch him in his true form I would have had to put a nude picture of him up. He is gearing up for potty training because he takes his diaper off when it gets wet or stinky.......much to my dismay. Dallin loves to be around his Grandpa Martin and when he sees grandma without grandpa he asks where he is. He needs no help from Mia to make horrible messes but that is usuallyhow it happens.....the two of them together. He is my muscle man and I caught him today carrying around a 5 lb. weight in each hand with no struggle. Maybe every two year old can do that for all I know but it seems like alot to me. He loves to play outside and ring the doorbell as he comes in. He also loves to help his daddy fix things......mostly to play with the tools.

GROSS, GROSS AND GROSS

2008-04-17T13:20:00.002-04:00

I'd have to say that my first two pregnancies were pretty hard on my body. But, this one by far has been the hardest. I'd like to tell a story that might illustrate what I mean. This morning I had to go to the doctor......big surprise. I got the kids ready and was getting myself ready when I started to feel a little sick. We got into the car and by that time I felt worse. We are on our way 3 miles down the road to my brother's house so my sister-in-law Lisa can watch the kids (I don't know what I would do without her). About a half mile away from our house I got that horrible feeling in my stomache and my mouth started to water. I thought, I'm gonna throw-up.......no problem, I can make it to Lisa's. Then, I started thinking franticly, do I have something in the car I can throw-up in? My eyes were searching for a place to pull over because much to my dismay I was not going to make it to Lisa's. Ah.....the Dollar General......thank you! I pull over far away from the few cars in the parking lot. I barely opened my door and leaned out when it started to come. Wretch after wretch I thought......could this possibly get any more embarrasing and misserable? YES!! I was hoping that no one would notice me with all my glory. You know, throw-up slobber hangiong from your lips as you wretch again and you don't even care. Just as I was finishing, a man walks toward me and asks if he can buy me a drink or something. It was very nice of him and I think I managed to get something out like....."I know this is so gross....sorry......I'm pregnant.......I have water in the car but thanks anyway". I was thinking......NO, don't come over here......you'll make me feel even more disgusting, and you'll see the nasty stuff. As I drove away, I thought......would I have ever offered help to a person throwing up? Probably not. I have problems! And one of them is that I still throw-up ALOT......at 7 months pregnant. This can't end soon enough.

TEN FOR TUESDAY 4.15,08

2008-04-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

1. I forgot to post last week so this will count for the past two weeks. Not only is Dallin really good at making messes, he is now really good at recognizing he has made a mess. I came down this morning to find this. I said to Dallin, "WHAT is that Dallin"; to which he replied, "it's a mess, mommy". I had to laugh at his candor but I did make him help me clean it up.

2. My brother Frank wanted to get rid of this bed so we gladly said we'd take it. It was in Dallin's room for what seemed like forever before he decided to give up his familiar crib and explore the scary big boy bed. He now exclusively sleeps in his car bed.
3. Dallin LOVES music. We frequently catch his dancing or clapping his hands to anything with a good beat. When I have my ipod music playing on the computer, he comes over and sits with the speaker right in his face. I couldn't catch the right image because he kept holding the speaker like this......but, you get the point.
4. Mia was invited to a "princess" birthday party and all the girls were supposed to dress up like princesses. She got the invitation on a Sunday and asked me everyday, "how many days is it until Saturday.......because that's when the princess patrty is". She enjoyed the party and even came home with a princess bag full of mostly......princess junk.
5. I have discovered many times as I go to take a picture and then stroll through the ones that have already been taken, that Mia has been getting the camera off the shelf that she should not be able to reach and has been practicing her photography skills. She mostly takes pictures of toys or a snack she is eating.......occasionally of the T.V. too. This picture of her little people farm horse is one of ger better ones.
6. Since 5 specialists apparently wasn't enough for me this pregnancy......I have decided to add another one to the bunch. I am now seeing a hematologist. He specializes in cancers and also diseases of the blood. I am very anemic and the iron pills that were prescribed for me produced a daily barf-fest. So, I will find out on Thursday how he will treat me after checking my blood. I think it will probably be iron administered by I.V.
7. My kidney specialist has also prescribed Procrit. A drug given to people who don't produce enough red blood cells.......which obviously I don't. I checked my insurances' website to see if it is covered. It is, but you have to have prior authorization. Wonder why?? Maybe it's because it costs about $1500 for a month supply.
8. Ben has been busy with home improvement projects lately. Including but not limited to, painting the walls in all our hallways, removing the gazebo thing over our back porch because it was rapidly deteriorating after all the bad storms we've been getting lately, and some yard work.
9. I had to be a substitute teacher in Relief Society on Sunday. It went fine and I got lots of comments on how good it was. I attribute that to people just trying to be nice and not that it was true. I had spent a good part of the evening before trying to make an awesome handout for everyone. UNTIL.......Ben talked me out of finishing it because it was 11:00 and I could barely walk after sitting in the chair so long. Don't worry thouigh. I have some great homemade card type things to use later. All was not lost.
10. Mia has been assigned the talk in Primary for this coming up Sunday. She is really excited. She has chosen me to come and help her with it. She's a smart girl.....I hope she won't need much help!

ANYBODY WANT TO RETURN TO THE 80'S??

2008-04-03T17:13:00.002-04:00

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK IS REUNITING. LOOK OUT FOR AN ALL NEW ALBUM WITH ALL NEW SONGS AND A WORLD TOUR. DON'T WORRY......THEY WILL STILL PERFORM THE OLD SONGS TOO. EVERYBODY......HANG TOUGH 'TIL THEN.

TEN FOR TUESDAY 4.1.08

2008-04-01T13:51:00.004-04:00

Ten for Tuesday is a fun little way to give everyone the highlights of our week. It is something that I saw on my friend Jessica's blog and I wanted to copy it so she encouraged me to do so.

1. Our church is being remodeled right now so we are meeting amongst all the trash and torn up walls. When we walked in on Sunday, Mia said very loudly, "our church looks horrible." Exclaiming something like that in the middle of sacrament is the wrong timing but it is absolutey true.

2. Mia has been invited to a little girl in our ward's birthday party. It is a princess party and everyone is supposed to come dressed up. It is on Saturday and every morning Mia asks me how many more days it is until Saturday. She is really excited. Now, if I only knew what to get the girl.

3. Yesterday, I was in my room and Dallin came in holding a spoon and wanted me to kiss an ouchie on his finger and he handed me the spoon. A few minutes later he came in saying, "mommy, bad no no, bad no no" so I wanted him to show me. He took me to our hallway where we have a carbon monoxide detector plugged in. The outlet and the back of the detctor and part of the wall were all black. Once I put two and two together and went back and looked at the spoon I realized that he had stuck the spoon on the tongs of the detctor plug-in and he probably got a little shock. He tripped the circuit to most of the outlets and lights upstairs in the meantime. I am glad he wasn't shocked worse and that he didn't start a fire.......little stinker.

4. THEN, about an hour later, he and Mia were playing in some stuff in his closet. I heard him screaming and wondered what Mia had done to him. I ran in there to find Mia running out and Dallin rubbing his eyes. Mia didn't do it. He had gotten a little bottle that Mia had knocked down from the high shelf and poured DVD cleaner(which is mostly just alcohol) in his eyes. I forced him to let me wipe them clean with a cold wet cloth. Now all of you know why he is all the boy I can handel.....right??

5. I went to see the parenatologist last week and of course Mia had to ask me if I was going to get the baby out. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of how long I have to be pregnant before the baby comes out. The appointment took me 4 hours and the good news is that in 3 weeks I have to start seeing this doctor once a week and I have been told by the receptionist that it will take that long every time. Lucky me!

6. We bought paint on Saturday to paint our walls. The paint that was painted on our whole house beforewe moved in is flat and is very thin. It is impossible to get crayon off that stuff. Needless to say, we bought semi-gloss. Thank you Mia and Dallin.

7. All our easter candy should be gone in the next day so now my kids won't have anythng to snack on while I'm not in the room.

8. I am not really enjoying this part of spring where we will have two really sunny, warm and beautiful days in the 70's and then the next two days are like cold, wet and in the 40's. I guess I do enjoy the warm days but I wish there was more consistency.....please!

9. Dallin is still napping but that is quickly coming to an end. There are days when he will willingly walk upstairs with me so he can get in bed. BUT, lately he does not want to and it has become way to hard for me to carry a heavy, wiggly kid up our 15 stairs to then heave him into bed. I think he is playing me. But, he is starting to sleep in his big boy bed so that is good.

10. I have been really happy that Mia and Dallin are now starting to eat ALL of the dinner we put on their plates. Mia is better than Dallin. But, it is a start and a great thing to see.

PREGNANCY UPDATE

2008-03-30T21:44:00.003-04:00

I am now 24 weeks pregnant. We found out that we are indeed having a girl so now we can move on to securing a name for the little wiggler. She is very active but mostly when I am trying to fall asleep. I have now started taking iron pills which is no suprise since I took them with the other two, however, they have made me start throwing up again so I am not a big fan. I seem to always be hungry these days. I can no longer go for 4 or 5 hours without eating or my stomache kills. My hips hurt alot and so do the bones that are in my crotch......sorry people, I'm just keeping it real. I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks before I start seeing the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests to make sure the baby stays alive in my womb that ages much faster than other women because of my diabetes. Baby is growing well and she is now almost 14 inches and weighs almost 2 lbs. The doctor said they have checked all her body parts and major organs and see no problems. If all goes as planned she will be here at 37 weeks......don't be jealous.

EASTER MORNING

2008-03-30T21:32:00.003-04:00

This picture is fuzzy but you can still see how cute Mia was in her Easter dress.
Dallin in what he wore on Easter.
Don't they look cute?
We had to let them play in all the plastic eggs.

Disclaimer: I have to put it out there that we are the type of parents that want Dallin to wear a white shirt to church and he apparently likes it too. In fact, at times I have given Dallin the choice between a colored or a white shirt and he adamantly chooses the white shirt. BUT, I wanted him to be a little springy without having to go buy him a vest or something. I somehow convinced him to wear it though.

BELATED BELATED EASTER POST

2008-03-30T21:19:00.003-04:00

The day before Easter I hosted a get together with my family for our yearly easter egg hunt and food. I did it last year too but my parents have done it in the past......but they were in Hawaii. We had plenty of food and the egg hunt was enjoyed by all the kids except for maybe some spoiled kids who thought all the eggs should be filled with candy. I don't have that kind of money but, I did send them all away with a treat bag. I'm not that mean!

Dallin keeping watch over his eggs.
Everybody had to get their video and/or pictures. Most parents were doing double duty.
You can see Mia at the very bottom of the yard collecting her loot.
The kids decorated easter sugar cookies and Dallin made sure we didn't have any frosting to clean up......well, except for what was on him,.
Crash and burn after all the excitement........and the sugar.

Easter Movie

2008-03-25T09:40:00.003-04:00

My sister was here on Easter and we were deciding on a movie to watch. Steel Magnolias was what we wanted to watch because itwas so fitting.......and it's a great movie. One of my all time favorites. And, it starts with an easter scene and ends with an easter scene so that makes it an easter movie, right? Anyway, Ben had made the rule a fewyears ago that I wasn't allowed to watch this movie anymore while I am pregnant. Understandably so too. But, I over-ruled him this time. His reasoning is because one of the characters is a diabetic woman.....and so am I. She goes through some struggles in the movie and it makes me cry. Much to her mothers dismay, she decides to have a baby. Her doctors strongly discourage it but Shelby(Julia Roberts) doesn't care because she wants a baby of her own. I am on my third baby now and have support from my doctors so it is a bit different for me. She has the baby and within a year or two she needs dialysis and a kidney transplant and eventually gets sick and falls into a coma and they have to turn off the machines and let her die. Okay, who wouldn't cry at that?? I especially cry though because it hits so close to home for me. A diabetic woman who takes care of herself can have a healthy baby and be healthy now but it is still very hard and a lot of hard work and there are tons of risks involved. But, in the movie it needed to be dramatic so they portrayed it as a deadly thing. Anyway, watching this movie makes me sob at the possibility that I too could die from having children. It is not as likely that it would happen so quickly but I do have a lot of strain already.......but nonetheless it is worth it to me. But, what makes me cry is a scene where Shelby has died and her mother goes to pick up her young child from an aunt's house. He comes running, very happy to see his grandma, oblivious to the fact that he will never see his mom again. I sit and wonder what Mia and Dallin and this new one would do if I died at such a young age for me and for them. Would they cry and mourn the loss of me......would they even understand or remember me? I'd like to think so but part of me thinks that it would be easier if they didn't. That is what makes that movie a tear jerker for me. I do not plan on dying young but it could happen. Diabetes is not a fun disease to have but it is manageable and I plan to keep it that way. I will continue to watch this movie and cry every time. And, if you have never seen it, I strongly encourage you to watch it and cry your tears too. Ben is so good too.....he always comforts me as I sob. I can tell he really likes the movie too, even though he won't admit it. Beyond the sad parts it is awesome.

1:00 Church

2008-03-03T15:36:00.002-05:00

Last year we had 8:30 a.m. church. I hated every minute of it. Dallin generally wakes up between 7 and 7:15 every morning......except when we had really early church. I always had to wake him and Mia up. They were always cranky and had to have their bath the night before so Mia's hair looked like crap and it was hard to get them dressed because they were still half asleep and they never had time or the desire to eat before we left. All around it was a nightmare for the kids and a nightmare for me because Ben went to church at 6 for meetings so he was never there to help me. Now the kids can have a fresh bath, they are always up way before it's even time to get ready, they can eat several times before we go to chuch if they want, and they are much more compliant with getting dressed. But even though I hated 8:30 church.......I don't like 1 p.m. church either. It is way too late. What ever happened to the days of 9 or 10 church?????

WE ARE HAVING A.........

2008-02-19T20:20:00.002-05:00

Well, the truth of the matter is.......the baby's legs were crossed. But.......the sonographer said, "I think it's a girl......yeah, it's a girl." So I asked the doctor to take a look and he said, "the legs are crossed but from what I see in the picture, you have a 90% chance that this is a girl." So, since I really want a girl and since they were mostly confident in their decision, and since we have really only talked about girl names.......I'm running with it. I have an ultrasound every month and so I'll have another one next month so if it changes......I'll let you know. I would have put a picture of the ultrasound on but it was a crappy picture and we don't have a scanner. So......cross your fingers that it really is a girl because Dallin is all the boy I can handle right now. Maybe tomorrow will be different. Plus, we've told everyone it's a girl so I don't want to call people again.

Pregnancy Update

2008-02-15T11:38:00.001-05:00

I am 18 weeks now which is almost halfway for me bacause I will deliver by 38 weeks. This was taken a couple of days ago. It is an ugly picture taken right before bed when I was really tired but it does the job of showing the belly. I am quite dizzy most of the day. I am not as tired but still get frequent nosebleeds. I'm sad because I can no longer comfortably sleep on my stomache. I have felt a few movements from the baby already. I have gained about 4 pounds. It is getting really hard for me to carry Dallin up and down the stairs which for some reason he now insists on. At times I have only had enough energy to make dinner but now I am able to do some "chores" around the house everyday. I am seeing 4 specialists (a nephrologist, an endocrinologist, a perinatologist and a retina specialist) and an OBGYN of course. They all say that everything is going very well. We will be finding out soon what the gender is. I feel pretty good. We will keep you posted.