A Few February videos...

I figured this is the least I could do...because the grandmas may enjoy these.

I definitely need to explain the second and third videos...one afternoon I heard Isabelle just giggling as hard as she could. And I grabbed my camera, turned the corner, and discovered WHY. And Riley, in the first video realizes she has been caught and gets a little shy...Then I had her do it a few more times for the second video. I know I shouldn't have allowed her, but it was just water. Normally the girls go in time out for spitting. It has just been hard for me to capture some good laughs out of Isabelle. As for the first video, I just happened to catch Isabelle having a grand time on her little princess car. She was whizzing around going "Wheee" and I don't even know when or where she learned that, but it was cute!

Update:

My surgery will be Monday morning... and my doctor said recovery time is about two weeks. But to be back to 100% and be able to start working out/being really active more like 4 weeks I guess. Bummer. I am pretty nervous...but I know things will go fine. I am mostly nervous about the pain and not being able to pick up my girls for a few days :( I will have an incision below my belly button and one on my right side. He anticipates those will be sufficient to do what he needs but if not, I will get a third incision on my left side. Luckily, I have the best dad in the world who is picking up and flying in TONIGHT and he will be here with the girls on Monday and to help me Tuesday during the day. He will leave Tuesday evening and then I just need to find a friend or two to come hang out and help me with the girls on Wednesday and Thursday. I am hoping to at least make it to some of the lecture portion of my classes next week also, because the following week is finals and I need to be there for reviews. Ugh. I anticipate that this will be incredibly rough considering the horror I have heard from others about recovering after anesthesia and being in pain. We shall see!

I don't normally do this type of thing...

...and I should be studying, not blog surfing...but oh well! I found this photography site through my old roommate Bree's blog. You should check it out. I love looking at photos...and wishing I could take beautiful, interesting, fun pictures. Maybe someday!
http://creativejuicephotography.blogspot.com/

The waiting game...

I have been so bad at posting, I know but please forgive me, I am far too busy at the present time. So while you all are waiting for new, exciting posts and new pictures of the kids...please know I have been waiting for some stuff too.

#1 a call from my doctor's office, which I got...and I will see my dr. on Thursday...but should there be any type of bleeding...I should go to the ER before then. Ok, I am sure that won't happen....but still...not so comforting. Sounds like the dr. is concerned and may want to deal with this asap. ....aw crap. Of course, if there WERE any bleeding...I am fairly certain it would be internal and I wouldn't know about it. Oh good, even better. Again, I am sure there is no real cause for concern at this point.
#2 I am waiting to see if Isabelle's fever goes away. She has had one since Saturday. And I dont want to take her to the doctor...because if it isn't a regularly scheduled well-child check up...it will cost us. And with our high deductible and with all the extra crap going on with me...well....can you blame me for not wanting to spend more money?
and #3...I am waiting to hear back from the builder so we can pick colors for tile, carpet, and counter tops. Yes, we are buying a brand new home!!! And I am super excited! Haven't talked much about it yet because it is such a waiting game!!! But we are thrilled and are sure it is the right decision for us. We got a great deal because of the market/economy right now and we are locked in at an amazing 4.875% interest rate! Whoo hoo!! So really all this medical crap is just coming at an inconvenient time for us, money-wise. Oh well....that's life and there will always be SOMETHING going on that isn't exactly convenient... :P Aside from that, we are busy but well. I have a hands-on anatomy test this week and it's sort of a big deal. So on top of everything else, I have to spend some major hours studying. Some good news: getting an awesome tax refund...so the plan was to pay off some debt...but now it looks like it may be paying for the surgery. Boo.

The story of an IUD...

Not just any IUD....my Mirena IUD.

WARNING IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WORDS UTERUS and VAGINAL ULTRASOUND, YOU MAY JUST WANT TO SKIP READING THIS POST!!!

So...a lot has been going on lately. And some of those things made me think I needed to go see my gynecologist. I had never seen one here in Utah, so I looked for one, and made an appointment and went for my yearly exam, etc. You know ladies, all that fun stuff they do. I had some concerns about some abnormal stuff going on...and thought it may be IUD related.

I got a sitter for my girls...Thanks, Latissa!

So partly, the appointment was to make sure that IUD was in there, in place and secure...so there would be NO BABIES for us anytime in the next couple years. It has been in place since January of last year, so .... so far, so good. I was in place doing it's job, right??

Not so much...the doctor couldn't see it, feel it, anything. So he asked me to go make an appointment at the front desk to see the ultrasound technician. They scheduled me for....FRIDAY MARCH 6....Yes, 2 whole weeks away. Crap. The not knowing...

I got home and called the office and said, I need in sooner. Call me if there is a cancellation. But the kind receptionist told me I could come in the next morning (today, Friday, Feb 20th) and she would just sneak me in between two patients. NICE! I figured I could safely bring my kids along...it would just be a quick ultrasound....no big deal! WRONG!!! The tech couldn't find it...so she decided to do an internal, or vaginal ultrasound. Well, considering she isn't a doctor, I guess she can't insert the thing. So yes, I got to...with Riley standing "down there" trying to see what I was doing. Do you understand why that might be sort of a big deal/bad idea??? Still, after pictures and different angles, there was no IUD.
CRAP.
Need some birth control asap!!! Thankfully the office gave me one month free sample. The doctor who was in today...and NOT my gynecologist I saw yesterday wanted me to take a pregnancy test. Crap. Ok, I took it....it was negative. Relief. I had left the house this morning without my cell phone...so I call Travis at work, using the dr.s office phone. I asked him to come meet me at the hospital...because the doctor was sending me there for an x-ray to find the darn thing. And I can't take the girls into radiology with me.

The nice X-ray boy took the picture and plain as day, there was my IUD...bent unnaturally and sitting somewhere in the pelvic cavity...but NOT in my uterus. He was nice enough to show me and not make me wait. Yes, folks...my IUD perforated through and decided to live elsewhere. How does that sound?? I have been terrified at the thought of having this thing removed since the second it was inserted because of how painful it was. Now, the problem isn't just taking the darn thing out....it's having to have surgery to get it out.

Lovely.

Four years, three states, two kids, and STILL one happy couple :)

Yes, its true! Travis and I were sealed in the Spokane Washington temple for time and all eternity four years ago! Four years isn’t even a blink of an eye’s worth of time when thinking of eternity. But I am happy to report we still like each other. ha ha
In these past four years we have: lived in three states (Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah), lived in 9 apartments/houses, added two beautiful girls to our family, bought and sold our townhouse, and had a lot of great experiences, too numerous to list.

Travis is my very best friend. And there is never a dull moment. He has a great sense of humor. And he is an awesome dad. And he provides for his family. What more could a girl want in a husband?


I am always looking for ways to strengthen our relationship. Not because there is anything wrong with it, but just because. Men and women are different, we think different; and people are different in how they were raised, etc…so I am interested in finding ways to better understand, love, and grow together. So recently I bought the book The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman.

AND I LOVED IT. And there is so much in there that when you read it, it's common sense…but to be able to have someone put it into words….well, its so ENLIGHTENING.
And I could talk and talk and TALK about this book. Talk your ear off talk. It is that good. And I want to share some of it. First off, from the title…we know there are 5 different languages of love. And every person has one that is their main language. Some people may have two that are equally important, or a main and then a secondary love language. And each and every person has inside an emotional Love Tank. And the problem is, many people are walking around living life with their tanks on empty. So if we can let our partners know our love language, then they can know how to show us love, thus resulting in a full love tank, and that leads to happiness!!! Children have a love language as well and it stays with you for your entire life. So it is important to fill your children's tanks, so they don't seek love elsewhere...

Anyway, it's a great book...and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. I really don't even have time for extra reading right now...because of school but I couldn't put this book down. There are a few tricky things about love languages. Yes, there are only 5 different ones but there are different dialects within each one. So in some cases, you need to speak a certain dialect of that love language.

One thought I liked was in the chapter about quality time...which is Trav's main language and my secondary one. "A central aspect of quality time is togetherness. I do not mean proximity. ... Togetherness has to do with focused attention."

And there is a chapter called "Love is a Choice". Everyday we must make the choice to love our spouse, to show him or her we love them by speaking their love language. Chapman says if the actions that correlate with our partner's love language do not come easily or naturally for us, that makes it an even greater expression of love, because you are choosing to give your spouse what they need, to meet their emotional needs. The author said, "Meeting my wife's need for love is a choice I make each day. If I know her primary love language and choose to speak it, her deepest emotional need will be met and she will feel secure in my love." See...common sense, right?? Now if only every person in the world knew what their loved ones love languages are, think of the miraculous outcome, the potential! Seriously, buy this book...it is awesome. I got it at Wal-Mart. And I am sure you could find it in any book store as well.

Happy 4th Anniversary, babe. I love you so much! And even more than I did in those early, "in-love euphoria" days. Because what continues to develop is deeper and more meaningful. Recently a girl friend of mine asked me why I love my husband. So I listed some things...and then she asked, "Do you still get butterflies?" And I said it's not necessarily an everyday, all the time thing. But yes...there are moments and times when I do. Last night I asked Travis if he could go back four years would he still marry me? And he said yes, he would be even more sure about that decision now then he was 4 years ago :) Aw! How sweet is he?! So here's to another four times eternity years together! To more growing, loving, laughing, and feeling blessed to be able to call each other ours. And now, I will stop for those of you who are nauseous at the sight of all this mush. But I wanted the world to know that Travis is my everything and my opposite who completes me :)

Where did the time go??

Is January really over already? Whew. This month seems like a whirlwind. It started out in Vegas with Brad and Kim's wedding...and that was the last post I did with pictures. Crazy! And I know of a couple grandmas who are dying for current pictures of the kiddies...but all I have to say is....You ladies are at home with NO little ones to keep you busy...why aren't you posting more?? I will post when it is convenient. Remember how I am in school right now on top of all my other responibilities? I am literally exhausted. Some days I think I cannot get any more tired and then the next day...I am. I am poor with time management, I suppose.

Here is an update of what has been going on...
-Riley is finally potty trained. She hasn't had an accident since Wednesday. She even tells us when she has to go when we are out and about and will actually use big potties with mom's help. Still, the clean up of potty chairs sometimes actually makes me think that diapers were easier. But now we are saving money because she is out of them! Can I get an "amen!"?
-Isabelle has a growing vocabulary and it is so fun to teach her new words. Although we are probably the only people who understand her.
-Riley just keeps getting sassier, smarter, prettier, and more difficult. Those of you with daughters know how that goes!
-Travis was busy, busy, busy with work in January...and it has been hard. He would work up until the very minute I needed him home so I could leave for class...it sucks. I have to keep reminding myself that school is only for a year. Slightly less than 9 months to go now...
-At the beginning of the month we had stake conference and our Stake President asked us to read all the addresses from October's General Conference. Travis and I have begun to do so and man, it makes me think of how much I have to work on but also gives me a lot of hope!
-Mostly, I cannot believe how much this month just flew by. I hope the next few months do the same... And please excuse me if I don't post as much as what I used to. School will only get more challenging, I am sure....and it is kicking my butt right now anyway. MY ANATOMY CLASS IS HARD!!! It's pretty in-depth and a lot of memorizing crazy big words. Sounds fun, right??

And now, here is my attempt at playing picture catch-up.

First off: Love sac sleep pics

On this particular day I put Isabelle in her crib for nap time and she just cried and cried. This is not normal...so I took her out of her crib, set her on the love sac thinking she would want to play a little longer before her nap, and within a couple minutes, she was out!


Travis sleeps with his arms behind his head like this.
Sleeping beauty :) I take advantage of the photo opportunities when Riley naps...because she is napping rarely these days. She thinks she is too big for naps. She might take naps once or twice a week if I am lucky.
We recently bought a small table and chair set for the girls to sit at. The only problem is that Riley can move it all around the house and loves to drag the chairs around...but one day she decided that she wanted the table for something...and so I go in her room and find her like this:
Apparently the table seemed a perfectly good piece of furniture to lounge on while watching Care Bears. She pushed/dragged this from the dining room to her bedroom to get up close and personal with the tv...
(In this picture you can also sort of see her new bed...thank goodness for IKEA. The girls room is almost all IKEA (Riley's bed, the dresser, the white toy bench, and that table, too).

Where are all the toys?
Well Riley decided to give them to Isabelle who had just gotten up from her nap.

I guess she figured sitting in the crib with no toys was way too boring...
Another thing I caught Riley doing is hanging out in the toy bench once she has it emptied...


For my last bunch today...I want to show you the sweetest, cutest one year old in the world...enjoy her adorableness.

GO STEELERS!!!!