St George Utah Trip 5/22-6/2/2011

****Super Long (Sorry)****

May 22nd the girls and I flew out of Grand Junction to Las Vegas! It was Aspyn's 1st flight and she did very well. She slept the entire way. Going through security wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The only thing that held us up was, even Aspyn had to remove her little tiny baby sandals. Mom and Amber met us at the airport in Vegas and we were on our way to St George.

Monday 5/23 we had dinner at Ashley's house and she colored and cut my hair. We just mainly hung out as a family. I was finally able to meet my niece Rylin! She is such a doll! She looks so much like her dad, Tanner. I absolutely love her!! Rusti has gotten so big. I wish all these kiddos would stop growing up and changing!

Tuesday 5/24 Amberlee graduated from High school.  It was a good ceremony, kind of sad, but very exciting.  I couldn't believe that my baby sister finally graduated! It just doesn't seem right that she is 18 and now on her own! It was fun to watch her walk through the "D" just like the 3 of us did before her! I know she was definitely ready :-)



My beautiful sister on her Graduation Day

 Wednesday 5/25 We moved Amberlee up to Cedar City so she could start her new life as a college student there. Luckily she didn't have a lot of things, and that she had already taken quite a bit up. Mainly it was just getting her clothes moved up and a little bit of decor!

Later that evening me and the girls went down to Mesquite to visit the Survis Family. It was so great to see them again. We went out to dinner that evening with everyone! Jadon is getting so big. I don't know why I didn't have my camera out taking pics of Chad, Danie'l and Jadon, but they all look great!

Grandpa Don with his Girls

 I was finally able to get some pictures of Don and Sharon with the girls! It took a little coaxing, but I got them!!

Grandma Sharon with the Girls

Thursday 5/26 Jordyn stayed down in Mesquite with her Grandma & Grandpa and helped Sharon with Jadon! I heard they had a fun time. Jordyn was laughing the entire day! It's so much fun that she was able to spend some time with her cousin, Aunt, Uncle and Grandparents.

Aspyn and I took the afternoon and went over to my Grandma Virginia's house. She and I went and had lunch at Applebee's! Following lunch we went back to her house and spent the afternoon visiting. Most of the time when I am in St. George I'm not able to spend as much time as I would like with her. So it was great to be able to do that. My Grandma Virginia and I have always had a special relationship! I love & miss her so much!!

Great Grandma Virginia with Aspyn

 Friday 5/27 In the morning my mom and I watched Rusti & Rylin.  Jordyn and Rusti ran through the sprinklers and had a good time with each other! Later in the afternoon, everyone but myself went up to Cedar City for my cousins Lacey Wilkerson and Cody Hone's Highschool Graduation from Cedar High.

That night Taliah Erickson and I ran a Midnight 5k! It was so much fun. When you checked in they gave out glow sticks that you could either make into Mickey Mouse ears, or glasses. As well as some that you could make necklaces out of! We both are proud to say that we finished the race! I ran it in 32.34, and Taliah in 33.54. For me it was definitely an improvement from the 5k that I ran here.  With this 5k I ran the entire thing from start to finish. It was amazing! I was very proud of Taliah for running with me and finishing!! We are both wanting to try a 10k in October!

5/28 & 5/29 Was spent with all the family on the Taylor side. We went hiking Saturday afternoon, swimming later that afternoon (until someone pooped in the pool-gross!) and then had a family dinner that night.  Only Brieanna, Cody and my cousin's husband Kyle were missing.  Our family is so fun! I love it when we get together. Especially now that a lot of the cousins are married and a few have kids. When we get together it isn't a small intimate gathering, but I wouldn't change it at all. It's just a lot of excitement.  This is probably one of the last times we would see my cousin Shawn, his wife Michelle and daughter Kylie.  Shawn is in the marines and being transferred around Thanksgiving or Christmas. We'll miss them at the get-togethers, but it's only temporary!

Sunday we went to Orderville for Rylin's baby blessing at Tanner's aunt Dott's house. His dad Ricky blessed her. It was a great blessing and he did an awesome job. She looked beautiful in Amberlee's 18 year old blessing dress.

Following the blessing we met back in Cedar for another family dinner at Aunt Debbie's! Awesome food as always!

5/30 Monday It's been a family tradition that on Memorial Day we all meet out at the Cedar City cemetery and take flowers and pay our respects to those family and friends that we have lost throughout the years. I know most of us think about those we've lost throughout the year, but Memorial Day is just a day that the entire family is there together!

6/1/ Wednesday We got Aspyn's ears pierced! She looks so cute. After Jordyn got hers done she wouldn't take them out for about 2 years. We decided not to go through that again with Aspyn, so we got hers done early in life! She did great. Cried for a few minutes afterward but we haven't had any issues at all since!

I took Jordyn back down to Mesquite for another overnight visit with Grandma and Grandpa Survis. They hit the arcade at the Virgin River, ate McDonalds and laughed!



I got to hang out with Rylin & Rusti! Rusti played with Aspyn, gave her loves and was very very good with her. Rylin is a good baby. When she was awake she never cried. She smiled at me (love baby smiles)!!

I love these 2 girls. I wish I were closer to watch them grow up!

6/2 Thursday Early in the morning we stopped in Mesquite to pick up Jordyn, say good bye to Jadon and Sharon and hit the road for the airport in Vegas.  Jordyn wanted to stay for a couple of more weeks with my family so Cody and I agreed that it would be fine.  Aspyn and I checked into the airport, made our way to the gate, and sat.  We were finally able to board the plane about 45 min later than scheduled. Once we were on the plane, we sat for another 30 minutes before we heard from the Captain. During inspection they found a dent in one of the wings so it was going to be a little while before someone from Boeing could say whether or not we could fly on that airplane.  Luckily the Captain let us off the plane to sit in the air conditioned terminal instead of on the plane. We were only back in the terminal about 15 minutes before we were able to  re-board the plane. From there on out it was smooth sailing! We made it to Grand Junction in about 55 minutes and we were finally able to see Cody! It was great to see him after a week and a half!

This trip to St. George was not relaxing, but it was so worth it. I had a really good time seeing both families and a few friends! I know both families had a good time seeing the girls and spending time with us.  Aspyn's 1st tooth came in while we were there, so that was fun too.

In the next couple of weeks, my family is coming here for the Hone Family Reunion and then the 1st part of July the Survis family will be flying over for the 1st time. We are so excited to see everyone again!!

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!

Coal

 We have been watching the tv series Coal on Spike tv lately.  Cody had been looking forward to it since he saw the previews months before it actually aired. Since we've been watching it, I've actually been able to see kind of what he does on a nightly basis.  It's kind of scary.  Now, this mine is a lot smaller than the one he works at and there are a few differences, but the idea and the work are still the same. It's amazing the work these men (and a few women) do and the kind of danger that they deal with each and every shift.  It's scary to think that these people are so far underground, under miles of rock, coal, dirt etc. This show has definitely opened my eyes.  I knew going into this line of work it was going to be very dangerous, but it was something that had to be done! Not only do they deal with cave-ins, explosions, but also methane gas and carbon monoxide.  I know that they take their safety very serious, and there are strict safety codes and procedures that have to be followed.

 I've had people ask me if I worry while he's at work.  Well, yeah I do. I try not to think about it though. Things can go wrong in every job. I know Cody stays aware of his surroundings and tries to stay as safe as he can.  I also try and remember that coal mining is actually in his blood! Cody's Grandpa, Jack Moser was a coal miner for a very, very, very long time. He is actually still known and respected here in these small towns even though he has passed. Cody's Uncle Terry (Sharon's sister-Bonnie's husband) has also been a coal miner for a very long time. It's a great job, not for the weak (physically or mentally).  It's challenging and exhausting most nights.

Not everyone likes coal miners though. There is actually a restaurant here in town that will not serve coal miners.  It is owned and operated by people that are "one with nature" (not that there is anything wrong with that). All I can say about it is "You have power to operate your business don't you?" Anyway, I know there is a lot of controversy on coal mining, but right now that industry is providing for my family. The mines around here employ most of the people here. Coal miners are hard working, decent people. They aren't the poor, redneck people that the stereotype portrays.

My eyes have definitely been opened living among these awesome people, and getting to know them and their families.  I have a greater appreciation for what they do to make an honest living. If you have a chance, check out the show! It has been "enhanced" a little for dramatic effect, but you can definitely get the idea!

Oh and yes, they do come out as black as it shows on the tv show! Jordyn was pretty amazed (or disgusted) by that!!

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)!!

Rylin June Crofts Is Here!

This morning at 8:21 am, Ashley, Tanner and Rusti welcomed a new baby girl into their family! Her measurments are exactly what Aspyn's were when she was born. She weighs 6 lbs 3 oz and is 19" long! She looks beautiful and I can't wait to meet her!

Last night I couldn't sleep so I was lying in bed looking at some of my previous posts on my phone.  I came to the entry that I had written when Rusti was born and I just had this feeling that I would be gettting a phone call or a text very soon telling me that Ashley was going in to have the baby. It was about 30 minutes later at 1:09am that I received a text from Ashley.  All it said was "Baby Alert"!  I was so excited I could hardly text her back.  Finally I ended up just calling her!  She said that she had been at the hospital for about 2 hours. She was still at a 4, but contracting every 3-4 minutes.  She needed to have 4 hours of antibiotics before the baby was born, so they were going to get that going pretty quick.  I told her to keep me posted and told her that I loved her.  It was so hard not being there this time with her.  I was there to see Rusti being welcomed into the world and it was amazing! I didn't mind not seeing Rylin being born, but just not being able to be close this time really made me quite sad.

Somehow I fell asleep and woke up to a phone call from Ashley at 6:07am telling me that she was only at a 5 and that Dr Chamberlain was going to be there in a bit to break her water. She said she was feeling ok now that she had received her epidural!  It was a short conversation, but I'm glad she kept me in the loop.  My mom called me at 7:54 to  let me know that her and my dad were on their way to the hospital and that she was still at a 5.  At 8:30 she called me back and let me know that Rylin had arrived!!

Ashley had 4 Ultrasounds throughout her pregnancy and each time they weren't able to determine the sex of the baby, so Everyone was so anxious to know what she was having.  I just knew it was going to be a girl. I was so confident that it was a girl that I had boxed up the newborn & some of the 0-3 month clothes that Aspyn had already grown out of and taken up there for her in February! 

I am so excited that I now have another Niece to love! I'm so glad that she is here, she's healthy and she is going to bring so much love and joy into our family!  While it's girls=4, boys=0 my dad is so excited to have another little girl that he can spoil rotten!

Rylin June Crofts we can't wait to meet you and love you!  Welcome to our family!!

Soccer Saturdays and Sitting Pretty

Today was Jordyn's 1st soccer game! She did great! She was one of the 1st one's the coach put in. She wasn't at all nervous. Jordyn just went right in and started playing the game.  Since this was the 1st game, the coaches on both teams had to do a lot of coaching.  Most of the kids have never played before, so it was a new experience to all. There were a couple of goals made by the wrong team, but every kid seemed to have fun! Jordyn was really close to making a goal! Her team did end up winning. I'm not sure what the final score was. I don't think anybody was really keeping track that well! I didn't really care as long as she had fun! Jordyn's jersey number is 23! Jordan's # for Jordyn! Yeah we're pretty creative!



Jordyn's almost goal



Carmen & Jordyn going for the winning hug!



Yup, she's pretty excited to be there!



Stylin!

Aspyn loves her sunglasses! It's a good thing too. She wears these glasses every day when we go jogging. I thought they would bother her, but no! Cody hadn't been off work too long before we had to leave for the soccer game, so yeah he still looks a little "rough"! He won't miss any of Jordyn's activities. Even if he just got off work or has to go right after. He's always there. Such a great dad!

3/26/2011

Aspyn is now sitting up pretty well by herself. It's just been the past couple of days that she's really had the balance to do it. Before she was quite wobbly and wouldn't last too long, but now she'll sit and play with her toys for quite awhile before toppling over! She still can't get herself into sitting, but she is doing quite well.  Now we can't get her to lay down! She's just growing so fast. It's all just so fun!

Next Friday is Jordyn's final dance recital and another soccer game! So stay tuned for another update!