Easter 2012

Once again, this year we decided not to travel to St. George to the BIG Easter festivities that have always been at my mom's house.  With Brieanna coming home the end of May, we just decided that the best thing to do was to wait until then to go home! Even though we weren't able to go, we still had a pretty good time here.



The town of Paonia has an Easter egg hunt every year in the park on Saturday.  It's sectioned off by age groups, so you don't have little kids competing with big kids.  Jordyn had a strategy this year.  She took off to the very back of her section and made quite a killing!!

I stayed with Aspyn in her age group. They had eggs and a few baskets that had little stuffed animals & other candies scattered everywhere.  She was more interesting in picking up the pinwheels than she was the eggs.  I think we ended up with 5 pinwheels, a few eggs, and a basket with a teddy bear! 

Both girls had a blast.  The event starts at 10:00am and is over by 10:05!  It's so much fun though!

Jordyn had a soccer game at 11:00, so we dropped off our loot at the house and buzzed out to the soccer field.  Her team won, of course!  She scored a goal and played very well.

Once we got home, we lounged around the backyard in the sunshine.  It was a fabulous day!

Abby, Ryder, Jordyn, Emily

The Reedy family invited us over to their house later that night for a nighttime Easter egg hunt.  The kids each had their head lamps, and buckets.  The eggs were put out on the lawn, some in the playhouse, and the hillside.  The kids thought that was so much fun.  Once in awhile, a couple of the kids would find an egg at the same time, so there was a little competition on who was able to snag it for themselves.  They all got along very well though.

Even Aspyn had her own little section to "search" for eggs!  With a little help from Abby and the rest of the kids, she found all her eggs, an Easter book and some $$$! Anytime she would see an egg she would just "ooo" and "ahhh" and get excited about putting it in her basket.  It was a great time. I'm so thankful for the Reedy's. This is the 2nd holiday that they've included us in.  It's really helped not being with our families during those fun times!

A few of Cody's co-workers came over once we got home.  Elizabeth, her brother Steven, and her boyfriend Robert all work, or have worked up at Oxbow! Liz has a daughter, Koraline, who is 2 mos older than Aspyn.  It was great to hang out with them and get to know them a little bit. 

It really was a pretty fun holiday.  Full of fun, friends and of course family!  We did still miss our families, but in just 7 short weeks we will see everyone. Can NOT wait!!

The next 7 weeks are going to be very busy and fun.  Taliah, Alan & Lyli are coming next weekend for a short visit.  The 12th of May is the Red Rock Relay, Jordyn will finish Kindergarten, and of course we'll finish up with soccer. 

Jordyn's 6th Birthday

This year on Jordyn's birthday, we stayed at home and had her favorite dinner & a cake that she had wanted me to make.  We opened presents & really had a fun time at the house.  Later in the month (after the school break) she finally had her friend party!

Keagan, Amelia, Jordyn, Jaylee, Emily, Nikki, Kaidence

She wanted to go bowling again with all of her friends. She had quite a turnout!  Everyone she invited came & all the kids really enjoyed themselves.  They bowled for about an hour, ate pizza & ate a very cute LaLaLoopsie cupcake-cake (my photographer aka Cody forgot to get a photo). They opened gifts, played a little bit longer & then a few of the kids came back to the house for awhile longer. It was great. Long enough that they had a great time, but short enough that nobody was bored, or was left out!!

It's crazy how fast time flies and how quick she has grown up.  She is an amazing girl!! Jordyn is such a good, fun, kind hearted little girl. She's such a big help with everything around the house, especially Aspyn! Her and Aspyn still get along very well. They are both so excited to see each other after a day at school.  Jordyn is doing really, really well in school. She is reading & writing above average!  Her teacher actually has her helping some of the other kids with their work after she gets hers done.  She makes and keeps friends very easily and gets along well with everyone. 

Some of her favorites are....food-tacos
                                             color-purple/pink
                                             animal-horse
                                             wii game-Just Dance
                                             book-any with horses
                                             friend-Emily Reedy
                                             TV show-Victorious
                                             sport-soccer, dance

Jordyn has such a fun personality! She has such a great sense of humor, and loves to laugh.  She's such a beautiful girl. Her brown hair is just about down to her waist, her hazel eyes sparkle all the time, her skin is flawless and tans with just a few hours out in the sun! Her smile can brighten any body's day!!

She does have a little stubbornness in her though.  If she has her mind set out to do something, don't try to change it, because it will be a battle!!

Sometimes I forget that she's only 6 years old. At times she just seems older.  She teaches us a lot about patience, how to have fun, and what it's like to be a carefree kid!!

Gorgeous Girl

We love this girl so much!!!!

Christmas 2011/New Years Eve

Christmas

Super Long...Sorry

Starting at about Thanksgiving, I was really dreading Christmas this year.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited because I knew Jordyn was excited and I was looking forward to seeing Aspyn's reaction to everything. I was dreading it because this year was going to be the 1st year since Cody and I first got married that we would be having Christmas alone and away from our families.  We've always had Christmas at my mom's house or like last year they came here.  Since my parents and Amberlee came here last year, it was time for them to spend it with Ashley's family.

We didn't want to stray too far from the traditions that we usually do Christmas Eve, so we had planned to still do the big dinner Christmas Eve with all the things we usually have and still just keep with the usual.  One day I had been talking to Audrey Reedy, who is Jordyn's soccer coach and friends' mom. She asked us if we were going to be going home for Christmas and if not what we were doing Christmas Eve.  When I told her we were staying here this year and that we weren't going to be doing much, she invited us over for dinner on the 24th.  She said every year their family gets together (about 12-15 of them) for dinner and then shortly after Santa comes with a gift for the girls. Audrey said it was pretty low key and that they would love to have us!

We decided Why Not! It actually turned out to be so much fun.  It really was low key and very comfortable.  For dinner we had Tri tip, twice baked potatoes, rolls, salads, green beans, desserts. It was so so good!  Mike's (Audrey's husband) grandparents have been here in Paonia for 55+ years. They are amazing & good hearted people.  Very down to earth and easy to get along with! 

About 1/2 hour after dinner there was a knock on the door and in walked Santa Claus! He did have a gift for all the girls. He visited for a little bit and told them that he would be back once they all were asleep.  Jordyn loved seeing him!

Abby, Aspyn, Jordyn, Emily

We returned home later that evening. Jordyn set out her Rice Krispie treats that she had made for Santa, sprinkled the reindeer food out on the snow and everyone went to bed!

Christmas morning we got up around 7am. Aspyn wasn't sure where to start. She ended up trying to bring everyone their gifts.  Jordyn got exactly what she wanted from Santa. Aspyn had a great time with everyone's gifts. Cody and I were spoiled by our families as well!

Some of the Christmas morning aftermath

The rest of the day we just hung around the house and played with the new toys. We did our "traditional" Christmas dinner that night. It turned out awesome! Monday my parents came for a visit for a few days.  Once they came it was like Christmas morning all over again!  Jordyn loved hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. It didn't take Aspyn too long to warm up to Grandpa this time! By the end of their trip they were the best of buds!

Cody and my dad went out to Crawford Reservoir a couple different days to do a little ice fishing.  They didn't catch anything, but still had a great time!  It was hard having my parents go home, as it always is.  We did make a "kind of" plan to have my mom and Amberlee come back in March!

Even though it wasn't our typical Christmas, it actually turned out to be great. We are now getting to be pretty good friends with the Reedy's and their girls. I'm sure we've started a few traditions of our own and I can now look forward to doing other things with just my little family!

New Years

Cody saw online that Aspen was having a big bonfire and fireworks for NYE.  We thought that it sounded like a lot of fun.  Something that we could do as a family, but not have to stay home.  We went up around 4 o'clock, walked around Aspen for a little bit, and got a bite to eat.  Then we checked into our room and hung out there for a few hours.  At around 10pm we went out to the bonfire that they had going in the center of the park. 

There was DJ who was playing some great music! It was so random, but so awesome.  The firefighters that were keeping the fire in control were really getting down. 

We enjoyed the fire for quite some time and then decided to do a little Celebrity Hunting around town.  We didn't find any and it was so cold just walking around, so we went back to the fire.  Jordyn didn't quite make it much past 11, but Aspyn was wide awake and making friends with EVERYONE!  She's quite the party animal.

 At midnight, we woke Jordyn up just in time to watch the fireworks.  Aspyn loved them, even though by then she was ready to drop too.  Once they were finished we loaded up and made it back to our motel and all of us crashed!

Even though it was so cold, we did have a great time.  I don't know if it's something we will do again with the girls, but it was a fun experience!

2011 was great! We had a good year getting to know so many people here in town.  We've all found new interests and are getting & staying active and healthy.  We've had a lot of Ups a few Downs, but it really was a great learning year!  I can't wait to see what 2012 brings.  There are already a few things we have planned or that we know are going to take place that are going to be amazing!

So goodbye 2011, hello 2012!! Can't wait!!

October Fun

October has been a fun and exciting month for all of us. My mom and Amberlee came to visit for Cody's birthday. We had a great time! We shopped, ate at Texas Roadhouse, just had a fun visit.



Amberlee & Aspyn



Amberlee and my mom helped the girls carve pumpkins!

Amber decided to take a "traditional" approach to her pumpkin!



Heather, Me, Taliah, Laura



On October 22nd we took a very quick trip to St. George so I could run in the Save A Sister 10k with my cousins, Heather, Clint, Laura (Clint's wife), Sarah (Kyle's wife) and Taliah! We had a blast! I finished in 1hour 3 minutes. It wasn't a very quick pace, but I ran the entire thing & I finished. I call that a success! Now that I know I can do it, I've been working on "picking up the pace"!  Sarah, who has ran a lot of races, said that the course was kind of a hard one. There were a ton of uphill parts. I felt better hearing her say that it was kind of challenging!  Now we all are training for the Red Rock Relay in Moab in May!!

Jordyn has finished the Fall Soccer Season. She can't wait until Spring to start all over again. Her team lost only 2 games and every kid on the team scored at least one goal for the Season. Jordyn scored the final goal in the final game!  It was great. It was such a great team.

All the kids really worked together as a team. They learned how to pass to each other and how to really function together.  There aren't many U6 teams that play as well together as they did!

The Saturday before Halloween, we went to one of the Corn Mazes. They had a little scavenger hunt where, as you walk through you find different numbered items. If you find them all you got a little prize at the end. It was great!

This year for Halloween, Jordyn wanted to be something other than a Disney princess. She wanted to be a "Girl Vampire".  After looking at a ton of costumes she saw this one and said it was perfect! She was such a cute Vampire! We both agreed though that whatever she decides to be next year we will be finding a wig instead of doing the spray painted hair! Aspyn was a cute Lil Lady Bug! It took her awhile before she would leave her wings alone though. Both girls had a great time Trick or Treating. Jordyn got a ton of candy, and loved passing out our candy after she was done with her Trick or Treating.  I am so glad that Halloween is over!!

November is already gearing up to be an interesting month! Fun things and another change is happening! Until next time......!!!

Off To Kindergarten

Yup, it's that time in every mother's life that they dread. Monday August 22nd was Jordyn's 1st day of Kindergarten. She has been very excited to go since her last day at Preschool. We were able to go into the school the week before and meet the two kindergarten teachers, look around the school and finish any registration. Once we were in the room she got a little quiet and a bit nervous.  On our way home she was a lot more talkative and still very excited.

Sunday night, she picked out what she was going to wear the next day and said that she hoped she could sleep!



Her new Kindergarten backpack

Monday morning she woke up on time, with no problems or complaints! When we got onto the school grounds she looked around and said "There really is a lot of kids here". I walked down to Mrs Mohr's class with her. Her teacher was so friendly. She gave her a little name tag to help her learn the kid's names, showed her where to put her backpack and showed her where all of her supplies were. From that point on she seemed quite nervous.  A boy from her Preschool, Kelly is also in her class and he was feeling a bit nervous as well.  Once me and his mom got them sitting together looking at books, they both were more at ease.  I said my goodbyes and left her for her 1st day of school!!

I will admit it was harder than I thought it was going to be.  I always thought that since she has been in Preschool from the age of 3, that it was going to be an easy transition. I was wrong.  I got a bit teary eyed walking out of her classroom. It just seemed really weird leaving her there all day long.  I know she's looked forward to going to Kindergarten for quite awhile, and that she was going to love it! By mid morning I was feeling better. 

Jordyn absolutely loved school! She even said that "hot lunch" aka school lunch wasn't that bad!  The girls in her class are going to be fun, even if the boys are a little mean (her words). She said her teacher was very nice, and Yes, she is going to love it!

I still can't believe that she is in Kindergarten, and that very soon she will be reading and writing! Watching her grow up is so much fun. I can not wait to see what this school year brings us!

Our Girls Are Growing Up

 Yesterday was Jordyn's Preschool Graduation! I will admit I did get a bit teary eyed.  Jordyn has absolutely loved preschool.  She loved going every day and made so many new friends there.  She loved her teachers and loved learning. 

The ceremony started with all the kids (am, and pm) walking in to Pomp and Circumstance graduation song. Then the kids one by one stood up and told us what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Jordyn said she wanted to be a Horse Rider when she grew up. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that her good friend Taneal said the same thing right before her!! After everyone told about their "dreams for the future", they performed some songs that they have learned througout the year. The teachers then put up a slide show of the kid's activities all year long.  It's so funny to see how much the kids in her class changed from the beginning of the year to yesterday. 

Last night after we had been home for about an hour, Jordyn started crying saying she wanted to go back to preschool.  It was kind of a sad moment for her finally realizing that come Monday she was no longer going back to school (well until September) and that she wouldn't be seeing her teachers very often.  She is very excited for the summer so she can do all the fun things she couldn't do last summer because of her broken arm.  Even though she is sad that preschool has ended, she's very very excited to start Kindergarten and to be able to go to school all day! I'm super proud of her and the progress she has made this year.  I can't wait to see her learn to read and write next year! I'm sure it too will be an adventure.  I can't wait


Jordyn receiving her Diploma from Ms Christy



Jordyn and Ms Branndie



Jordyn and Ms Jenn




Just a few things from Grad Night



Aspyn is now 6 mos old! She is so busy. Most days she is content to play with her toys or play in her Exersaucer for quite awhile.  She loves drinking from a water bottle and really likes water.  I've been making most of her baby food. So far she LOVES avacado, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, pears, applesauce (I haven't made this yet, but have just bought no sugar added applesauce-that works), bananas, apple-blueberry and squash. We have tried peas, but everytime she eats them she gets really cranky.  So we are thinking maybe those don't agree with her belly yet.  We are going to hold off on those for a little bit longer.  It really doesn't take as much time as I thought it would.  I think the 1 thing that has taken me the longest is the sweet potatoes because of the time it takes to get them soft enough to puree. I've saved quite a bit of money so far by making our own baby food and I know exactly what she's eating! Aspyn loves standing up, still with help of course and she loves being outside.  We spend a lot of time outside just sitting on the porch letting her see everything that is going on in our busy world. 

Aspyn loves Jordyn and Cody so much.  When Cody gets home from work in the morning she gets so excited just from hearing his voice.  Then when she sees him she gives him the biggest grin and starts  kicking her legs and swinging her arms.  It's so funny!  When she sees Jordyn she starts squealing and smiling so much.  Jordyn most always seems to be able to cheer her up and keep her happy! She is such a good babysitter.  Aspyn goes in for her 6 month checkup and shots next Friday.  I know she's growing and developing just fine, but I can't wait to see how much she weighs and her height!

It's so much fun watching these girls change and grow!

Cody is now finished and passed his Emergency Medical Responder class. He is also going to be starting another class for work.  This time it's his Electrical class, so he can be a carded Electrician down in the mine. This class will be 2 or 3 months, so he'll stay super busy.  In October he will be able to take the test.  Hopefully he'll pass.  There aren't very many people that pass their first time taking it. 

Aspyn and I ran our 1st 5k on May 7th.  It was fun!  I ran it in 35 minutes.  That's not great, but its not horrible.  I decided to try it out just to see if I could do it....and I DID!! I walked maybe a 1/4 mile at the beginning and maybe 30 sec at about 2.7 miles, but I ran it!  I felt great after finishing.  I now can't wait until the Midnight 5k in St George in about 2 weeks!

Can You Hear That? It's Way Too Quiet!

This week Jordyn has been out of school for Spring Break. My parents had invited her to come to St. George and spend the week there with them.  She misses them all so much, so we agreed to let her go. She is having a blast! Monday she was able to go over to Ashley's house and spend the day helping her with Rusti and Rylin. Tuesday her and my mom went shopping and hung out together. Wednesday & Thursday Jordyn went to a preschool that is in my parents neighborhood. It's ran by some really close friends of the family. She loved it! They were learning about Jungle animals and the letter X. When I talked to her Wednesday night she said "Can I please, please, pleeeeaaasse go back tomorrow?" She went back Thursday and had a Safari! She said that all the kids were very nice to her and she had fun. For show and tell they had to bring something that started with X or had X in the word. She took an "Extra large Penny"! She's just so funny! Friday, her and my dad hung out all day doing miscellaneous activities. Then the family went to the movie Soul Surfer. That was the 1st time she had been to a movie theater (other than the Drive-In), my mom said she did great and that she loved the movie. Saturday she went to lunch with Chad, Danie'l, Sharon & Don. I'm so glad that they came up to St. George to see her. I know they miss her and I know that she misses them. Jordyn said that lunch was "Very fun"!  So as you can see she has had a very busy week. I know she's had fun!

While Jordyn has been gone, our house has been so quiet. It's actually been too quiet. I haven't realized in a very long time how much joy Jordyn brings to our home.  She livens up the house and when she's not here it just isn't fun around here. Some days the silence was just too much. I am so glad that she is coming home tomorrow. We need some excitement around here!  Even Aspyn hated having her gone. The 1st 2-3 days Aspyn was so grumpy.  It was almost like she knew she wasn't here and was voicing her disapproval! It will be very interesting to see what she does when she sees Jordyn tomorrow!  I can't wait!

Cody and I didn't really do anything exciting this week. We did a little yard work, a little house cleaning. We went on a lot of walks around town.  Cody changed the starter & the brakes in the truck. We did go to dinner one night! Mainly we had a pretty boring Spring Break!

Thank you mom, dad & Amber for meeting us in Green River to make the exchange. Thank you for letting her come spend the week with you. Thank you Survis family for taking the time to go to lunch with her! I appreciate all of you!

Just Dance!!

 Today was Jordyn's final dance recital for Beginning Jazz!  She was so dang cute!  When we first got there and she saw the stage she was so so so nervous.  She kept saying that she was cold (it was so hot in there) and when I asked her to smile I got a very nervous smile.  I asked her if she was scared and she said "It really is a BIG stage!"  I told her she would do great and that I was very excited to see her do her dance!  After we found her other friends she seemed to relax a little bit.  I left her in the hands of her instructor and went to find Cody so that I could get ready to film it.

 The girls were all set up behind the curtain, so when it was opened up you see all these little girls in their cute costumes. The whole audience just "Ahhhed"!  Jordyn did really well!  The name of the song was "Just Dance". You could tell that she was nervous. She didn't smile her big flashy smile, but she seemed to remember the steps for the most part! Afterward, she said she had a good time, but she couldn't see what video camera was mine! She's so silly :-)

I was super proud of her for quickly getting over the nervousness that I know comes with performing for the first time on a big stage in front of a packed house.  I am so proud of her for taking a dance class and having a good time with it.  I'm just so proud that she feels good about herself and is willing to participate in activities that may follow her throughout school. I asked her if she wanted to do dance again in the fall when Ms Linda starts up again.  She was definitely excited about that and said that she can't wait!

Jordyn, you did a very, very good job with your performance!  We love you and are so proud of you. We can't wait until the next performance (including the one's just in the living room)!!

Happy 5th Birthday Jordyn

Yesterday was Jordyn's 5th Birthday. I can't believe she's 5! It seems like time is going so fast. Part of me enjoys watching her grow up and change, but part of me just wants her to stay that little girl forever. 5 years just seems like such a grown-up year. Somedays I look at her & just can't believe how much she's grown up.

This year Jordyn wanted a Rapunzel theme for her Bowling party! She was really excited when she saw this cake at the store and just had to have one for her party.  Jordyn talked non-stop about her party and how much fun it was going to be. She was right too!

Avalon, Teneal, Nikki,Carmen, Jordyn

Jordyn invited 5 of her friends from around town. She was thrilled that 4 of them were able to make it. She has quite a different bond with each one of these girls. She actually met Carmen before we moved out here. Nikki was the 1st little girl she met at church and was the only other girl in her class. Teneal and Jordyn just hit it off the 1st day of Preschool. Avalon and Jordyn also met at church. Avalon is her older friend, but they get along really really well.

Jordyn received quite a few gifts for her Birthday. Her expression was pretty much like this with every gift that she opened. There wasn't a gift that was given to her that she didn't love. Watching her open them was so much fun. She felt really happy that her friends cared about her!

Carmen & Jordyn

All the girls had a great time bowling, eating pizza, cake and ice cream. This was the 1st year that she really, really wanted a Birthday party. So I was relieved that it turned out as fun as it did.

I'm very excited to see how she grows and matures this year. Right now her favorite color is still purple. She is becoming more of a girly girl, but still would like to play softball this summer and maybe soccer. Jordyn is loving her dance class and can't wait until the concert so she can wear her sparkly costume! She is absolutely the best big sister and is so in love with Aspyn. She tries to do so much for her. Jordyn has such an easy going temperament. She loves people and will talk to pretty much anybody. She is so smart and learns very very quick. She is so beautiful (I know I'll hate that when she's older!).  I think some of her best days are when she can spend a day home with Cody. She loves being around him, and I know he feels the same about spending time with her.

Happy Birthday lil bug! While we can't believe you're 5, we are so excited to see where this year takes you! Love you baby!

Halloween & Brieanna's Farewell

Last Thursday I was finally able to get clearance from my Dr to travel to St. George! I was so excited to hear that news. I had the Jeep loaded up when I went to my appointment, so I was glad I didn't just have to turn around and go home!  Jordyn & I left town about 4:30, we stopped only for potty breaks (Jordyn & my pregnant self), a quick stop to pick up my Grandpa Taylor in Salina & then to deliver my Grandpa to my Aunt Debbie's house in Cedar. We finally got to St. George at about 11:30 that night. We were tired, but so glad to see my parents.

Friday morning we just hit the ground running! I went down to my mom's office with her where she had to see a post op patient who happened to be one of my patients when I was working at the Foot & Ankle Institute. It was so great to see her! I knew I missed my patients, but seeing one of them again I really started missing them. After visiting with her for a bit & my mom finishing up some things we were off to Costco, then lunch with my sisters, Rusti, mom & dad!  After lunch, Jordyn and I headed down to Mesquite to see our Family there.  We were able to visit with Don & Sharon for quite awhile until Chad & Danie'l got off work. When they arrived we were finally able to meet Jadon! He such a cutie! They got Aspyn a cute outfit, some lotion & body wash, & Danie'l made a very cute and soft blanket for her!  We all went out to dinner at a new Diner in Mesquite. It was fun, but we all forgot our cameras. After dinner Jordyn & I headed back to St. George. When we got back my Aunt Stephanie and her whole family had gotten there from SLC. So of course we visited for quite awhile!

Saturday morning we went up to Pine Valley to get some pictures of Aunt Steph's family. It was fun, chilly, but fun. There pictures turned out super cute! We then all met at Paula's Mexican Restaurant for some lunch to celebrate Shawn's birthday! After lunch I was finally able to get the last bit of shopping done for the baby & myself that I had been putting off. I feel so much more prepared now!

 At about 6:00 Saturday night all the kids set out trick or treating around my parents neighborhood. I think they all had a pretty good time. By the time we got back though, they were ready to be done! Jordyn was a very cute Cheerleader this year! Some people asked her to show them some moves, & of course she did. She loved it. I think she was more excited to be able to use the costume in her Dress-up box after Halloween though!

Sunday was a very difficult day. It was Brieanna's Farewell at church. The day started off ok, just everyone getting ready. I wanted to get a few pictures of her & I before church because I knew after it would be crazy at my parents house.

After getting a few pictures outside with Brieanna, I went back into the house and just started bawling. It finally just hit me that those pictures were going to be the last pictures I would get of her before she leaves on her mission. From that point on it was a water works kind of day. At church Ashley sang a song requested by Anna. I cried. Brieanna got up to speak, I cried. I know she'll be fine & time will pass quickly, but I am sure going to miss her!! The church was packed from the front all the way to the overflow in the back. There were even people in the foyer. It was amazing seeing how many people love Brieanna and our family! After church quite a few people came back to my parents house for a luncheon. Jordyn & I then made our journey back down to Mesquite to tell the Family good by one last time. It was great to see them & give Jadon one last little squeeze!

Monday we packed up and headed home after a tearful goodbye with Brieanna. We made it home about and hour before Cody had to leave for work. It was great to see him!

Tuesday I went in for my 37 week check up. When I had seen Dr Garrard on Thursday I was barely a fingertip dilated. Tuesday I was a good 2 cm dilated! I was super shocked that I had changed that much in such little time. Dr Garrard said all looked great! We are super excited that VERY soon we will be having this little girl. I finally feel ready!! Now we just wait!!

All In 1 Week

This past week has been very very busy! Jordyn started swimming lessons last Monday! She loves it!!

She's doing very well. Her instructor says she almost has her back float down! She wants to go into Level 2 so bad. It's a good thing it's an indoor pool! She'll be able to take lessons all winter, hopefully! She went every day last week and will continue everyday this week!  I think she's part fish!!

Over the weekend we packed up and headed up to Cedar Mountain for the Taylor Family Reunion 4 Wheeler Trip! It was a lot of fun. Just about everyone was there this year at one time or another!  We had a lot of rain, but it didn't keep us from doing what we do best, play!  We got there about 7 Thursday night and had to head home Sunday late morning. The entire weekend went way too fast. Ashley and Rusti came up Saturday morning. It was so great to see them. I've really missed my entire family so it was great they could all be there! Rusti was so excited to see Jordyn. It was fun!

Saturday evening, Alan, Taliah, & Lyli came up to visit! They stayed about 3 hrs, and it was great seeing them and catching up on everything that has been happening.


Sunday felt like it took forever to get home. We were all ready to get home and finally have a nice hot shower, but it was still hard to leave!


Today we had another Ultrasound! It was in Grand Junction at St. Mary's Hospital with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician. The Ultrasound equipment was a lot better than what Delta Hospital had.  We were finally able to get the measurements that we weren't able to get the past 2 Ultrasounds! She is perfect! It's a big relief knowing that physically everything is in place, and developing great! She weighs 1 lb 9 oz. We are still right on track! It was probably one of the best Ultrasound experiences we have had. The tech was a lot more informative than the other 2 and once the Ultrasound was done, the Dr came in right then and confirmed that everything was just fine!  He did recommend that we come back in 6 weeks for another Ultrasound since my amniotic fluid has been low. He wasn't concerned about it today, but wants to see how her growth is in 6 weeks, but he would leave that up to me & my OB Dr. 

We don't go back to the Dr until the end of August, but until then I can rest assured that she is growing! A week ago I was barely showing. This week I feel like I just popped! I'm still wearing my regular pants, but they are getting a bit snug in the belly. I've been wearing poofy shirts a lot more!

Jordyn is still excited and makes suggestions about what to get the baby or what she is going to do for the baby. When she talks about the baby, her face just lights up.  I am so glad that she'll get to experience being a big sister!

A Few Good Things!

Some pretty good things have happened since last post! My sister Brieanna, received her mission call! She is going to Everett Washington! She is so excited. She has wanted to go on a mission since she was young. She doesn't turn 21 until October, so she doesn't leave until Nov 10th. I'll really miss her for the year and a half that she'll be gone. Her and I really are a lot like twins! She won't be around when I have the baby, but it's ok I forgive her!

Jordyn got the pins out of her arm last Friday. I'm so glad that's over!! She was very upset and we had to hold her down while the Dr took them out. It was nothing a little ice cream didn't help though. Now that they are out we have finally been able to go swimming. Cody, Jordyn and I went to the Hotchkiss pool on Monday. We had a lot of fun. 2 hours in the sun though was enough for me though! Jordyn starts swimming lessons in Delta on Monday. It's everyday for 2 weeks. She is just glad that she can finally go (actually I am too)!

One of the best bits of new news is I was finally able to get Jordyn enrolled in the Preschool that they have through the School District. I have been calling for weeks to get ahold of someone that could point me in the right direction. On Tuesday I took a chance and stopped by the Elementary school (where it's located) to see if anybody was there. Luckily someone was walking out just as I got to the doors and told me that the Preschool administrator was at her desk! After talking to her I found out that usually every spot is full by the end of May, but that they had 2 kids leave this year! She will be in the afternoon session which is Mon-Thurs 12:00-3:00. Since it's in the Elementary school it will be an easier transition to Kindergarten next year. She'll be able to meet new kids and also get away from me for a few hours a day!! We are super excited she was able to get in!

I am now 23 weeks pregnant! Time is passing pretty quick. We went for our follow up Ultrasound yesterday. There were a few measurements that they couldn't get before. The tech was able to get a couple of them and confirm several times that SHE is still a SHE!! Yay! There is still 1 more thing that they haven't been able to see both times that they still want to see. This last time she was facing my back and wouldn't budge! Also, both times my amniotic fluid has been low. I talked to the nurse today. She said it's a "low normal" so nothing to be concerned about, and we get to have another Ultrasound at a different location that has a higher resolution machine on August 9th! All fun stuff! I still feel great and she is still moving around a lot! She weighs a little over a pound now and her growth is right on!! We still haven't decided on a name, but the list is growing! I'll see the Dr on Monday, but so far everything looks fantastic. Here we are at 23 1/2 weeks!

I'll definitaly post after our next ultrasound! So, until then...adios!!

Jordyn

Jordyn-Sassy, a fighter, very energetic, persistant, very good looking, smart, independent, & highly sensitive.


Here are just a few tidbits about our little bug:

Jordyn is 4 years 4 mos old! Her favorite color is purple (right now!). Her favorite food is corn dogs or macaroni & cheese. While she still likes watching Sponge Bob she is kind of venturing out into other shows on Nickelodeon like iCarly or the baby shows on TLC.

She loves her dog Suzy & spends as much time as possible outside with her. Her sense of humor is absolutely amazing! She tries to see the good side in all things. Her heart is made of gold and makes friends easily! She'll do anything for anybody. She is very sensitive. Movies with animals make her cry. When she leaves her Grandparents or Aunts, she feels so sad because she is so close to them. When she is around her Aunts she almost seems like she's 16! Sometimes it's really hard to remember that she is only 4 years old. She just doesn't act like it!

She loves spending time outdoors with anybody. It doesn't matter what they are doing as long as it's outside. She loves doing the garden or going up to the corrals with Grandpa Craig. While she can be quite girly most of the time, get her outside and she's not too afraid to get dirty or have a good time.

Her favorite thing to do right now is spending time outside at the park or going hiking or just a walk around the town.

She is so smart and loves learning. Books or her educational computer games really keep her mind growing. I have never met a 4 year old that has a memory like hers! Don't try to tell her that you'll do something at a later time, because she never forgets. Just when you think she has forgotten, she'll pull it out of her memory and amazes me everytime.

Jordyn loves music. Anything from country to oldies. She'll hear a song a few times and remember all the words! Watching her dance is such a great thing to watch. She'll dance and sing anywhere!

Jordyn is so excited to be a big sister. Everyday she comes up with something she wants to do with the new baby. I know she'll teach him or her everything she knows! She'll be an awesome big sister.

I can't believe that she is 4 years old and will be in Kindergarten next year! She's such a fun & great person to be around! Everyone that is around her loves her tenderness and spirit! Having her in our family has been such a blessing and we just can't imagine what our lives would be like with her.


Thank you Jordyn for teaching us love & patience! We love you so much!!