Picking pumpkins...

Every year we go to a neighborhood party hosted by J&J Nursery.  It's always a lot of fun, complete with hamburgers and hot dogs, a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and some pumpkin picking.  This year Jason was at home laying grass in our backyard so somehow I tackled 3 kids and 6 pumpkins (one for each person in the family including the unborn).  Thanks to my friend Jill and her husband, I was able to get the pumpkins back to the wagon!

Camden and Kyson on the hay ride.

Kaysia and my friend Missy on the hay ride.

Camden and his pumpkin.  He's the only one that stayed close enough to me so I could take a picture.  The other two ran crazy through the patch!



Soccer Season...

This year we were crazy busy with soccer.  Kaysia and Kyson both played and we did 3 games per week.  Although Kaysia's talent is playing the piano, she really enjoys playing soccer.  Here is a picture of her team warming up..

This year the field was DOUBLE the size as last year.  Kaysia isn't used to a lot of physical activity (she's enjoys rather lazy activities, part of the reason we insist on soccer) so the bigger field was a big adjustment.  Here is a picture of her after playing 2 quarters...

Towards the end of the season the bigger field wasn't as big of an issue and she really enjoyed herself. 

Now Kyson is a different story when it comes to soccer.  He LOVES it and is actually REALLY good at it too.  He scored at least one goal every game (most the time multiple goals, but who keeps count right?).  The look on his face is PRICELESS after he scores a goal.  He is so proud of himself and it is one of those mommy moments that melts my heart!

Ahead of the kids on his way to a score a goal.



He's so proud and I just love being his mommy! (I'm pretty proud too.)

I can't wait to put Camden in soccer.  We actually had to go buy some soccer nets to take with us to the games because Camden was SO mad that he couldn't kick a ball into a net too.  He quickly learned that you don't play soccer outside the white lines and he wanted to be in the game too.  Poor kid still has a couple years!  I know he will be super good at it too.  He is a born athlete!

Kaysia's CrAzY Hair day....

This year Kaysia had a crazy hair day for spirit week.  Since her hair is SO long and SO thick, I knew we wouldn't be able to get it to stand up straight (as she requested).  I left 40 minutes available in our morning routine to "improvise" on her mop of hair.  This is what we came up with...

I thought we did a pretty good job considering I had NO IDEA what I was going to do when we started.  But the next day....THAT was a crazy hair day!

I guess now we know for next year!

The (almost) Finished Backyard...

Remember WAYYY back when??  Our yard looked like this....

After A LOT of dirt (3 full dump truck loads) and a lot of moving around of dirt, we went from a swamp to this...

Then after a LONG few months, LOTS of hard work and an UNMENTIONABLE amount of money, we finally have THIS....

We haven't totally finished they yard but what is left is a few weekend projects we are going to tackle next spring.  We ran out of good weather and thankfully for us, this year the good weather lasted quite a long time!  I am VERY glad to have it done and am pretty impressed with the final product.  The kids will have a fun place to play this coming summer while mommy and new baby kick back!

Pictures of my Grandpa Whetman...

I took these pictures just as candid shots of my grandpa and grandma at my sister's wedding last August. I thought I would edit them and clean them up a bit. My grandpa was such a happy man, I love him so much and will never forget him!

Breathing...

   Breathing in and out is something that comes natural, something that is easy, for most of us that is.  Someone very special to me has been struggling to breathe for the past few years. 
   Six months ago my grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and years earlier emphysema.  Regardless of his struggle to catch his breath he continued to do everything that he wanted to do.  He continued to live, not only live, but live well.  He continued to live like Christ.  He blessed others with his optimism, wisdom and his giving, loving heart.  He gardened, traveled, rode his ATV's, went cruising in his yellow baby and continued to show his love for others.  I am so glad I got to spend time with him.  Each time I saw him his struggle to breathe became more and more obvious.  The last time I saw my grandpa was 5 days ago.  He was sitting in his chair wearing sweats, slippers and had a blanket on him.  His struggle to breathe left him cold and weak.  We talked about so many things in the short time I got to spend with him, but even talking left him short of breath.  The tears would fall down his face as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose to get oxygen into his frail body. 
    Today was the last day that my grandpa had to struggle to breathe.  He took his last breath surrounded by my grandma and his kids.  I'm so happy that he isn't struggling anymore and that his strong spirit is living on continuing to do some of the things that he loves so much and learning new things about himself and the new life he has begun. 
     While driving home from his house today a song I have never heard before came on and the chorus touched me so deeply and is such a perfect song to remember my wonderful grandfather and the lessons he taught me not only through the years of my life but through his struggle 'til the end.

Life's not the breath you take.

The breathing in and out that gets you through the day, isn't what it's all about.

You just might miss the point trying to win the race.

Life's not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.

Just like it took my breath away when he took his last that morn.

Life's not the breaths you take.  The breathing in and out that gets you through the day, isn't what it's all about.

You just might miss the point if you don't slow down the pace.

Life's not about the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.

    Thank you grandpa for all you did for me!  I love you so much and I am so happy that you get to be with your dad and mom again.  I am especially happy that you don't have to worry about breathing anymore.  I know that my life will continue to take my breath away and I also know that your spirit will be there in those special moments breathing with me! 

Pregnancy...

  My pregnancy is officially HALF over.  I am so excited about that, but doing this 3 other times before I know that the second half feels a lot longer than the first!  I have so many mixed emotions about having another baby.  Of course there is the excitement of a new little life, the snuggling and just cuteness, but with the good comes the bad.  The unknown pain of a c-section scares the crap out of me since I will be having my first and only one this time around and the post partum depression is not a walk in the park either.  When having another baby, sometimes the bad out weighs the good for the first few weeks.  It will all be worth it. 
     We get to find out the gender on Thursday which is always exciting, but to be honest I am a little nervous.  I REALLY want Kaysia to have a sister.  I have been blessed with 2 and want her to know what it is like.  I'm afraid of telling her she has to have ANOTHER brother.  I catch myself almost referring to the baby as a 'she' ALL the time!  I love my boys SO MUCH and to have another wouldn't really be so bad for me, but like I said, I really want Kaysia to have a sister and she REALLY wants one so I am keeping my fingers crossed. 
     This baby will be our last, I am so happy yet nervous to make that a permanent thing.  I can't wait to start our lives as a complete family.  Sometimes being pregnant or having a new baby can really put a wrinkle in things like family vacations.  I know that I can't provide the kind of life that I want my kids to have for anymore than 4 and sometimes I think even that is pushing it.  I want to be able to put them each in a music lesson and an activity like dance or sports.  I have two now doing those things I am spread so THIN, I am not sure how I am going to do it with four.  Of course I will find a way, mommies always do.  One day I also want to be able to help them through college, go on missions and just be able to help them financially become the person they want to be when they grow up. 
     For now I am enjoying all the little kicks inside my belly and day dreaming (night dreaming too for that matter) about the day that we can welcome a new life in our family.  I am savoring this pregnancy (even though being pregnant isn't one of my most favorite things in the world) and trying to create a permanent memory of exactly what it feels like when the baby moves and how it feels to have a bulging belly.