Fall Update...

We haven't been doing a whole lot lately but I thought I'd post some random picks of what little we have been doing.

I've been working a little more, and of course still going to school. This semester has been a little better (less time consuming) and I feel more like a "real" nurse now that I am able to do IV stuff. For clinicals I was in the GI lab the other day and was able to start a handful of IV's. I was so nervous at first but the more I did the better I felt about it. This semester we also get to do a lot more specialty rotations like the ER, ICU, Pediatrics (which we did last year also), and we get to go around with the wound team for a day (that should be interesting). Things are really starting to come together for me as far as a whole nursing prospective, I think it will just take a little experience to get me really feeling ready.

Peyton has been playing soccer still and we are all having a lot of fun with that. He has made at least one goal each game. Sometimes the goal is sort of a fluke but it's a goal none the less, so he's stoked about that! He spends a lot of time on the ground during the game, as do all the kids. It's pretty funny how they all trip over each other, I'm so glad he is playing AYSO so there are only 3 kids per team on the field at a time, otherwise he would probably be on the ground a whole lot more!

We have been trying to get P excited about riding his bike without training wheels for a while now but he just wasn't into it. The biggest problem was that he was too big for his bike! Luckily Lindsey's little guy Wyatt had an old bike he was no longer using that they generously donated to P. After a little fixing up it's good as new. I put P's old training wheels on it (which were of course way too small), there was about 2 inches under each training wheel! We started on Friday and by Monday (yesterday) he was a pro!! He's just a little wobbly and unsure but that'll just take time. I'm so proud that he stuck too it because he really didn't want to do it.

The other day there was a big thunderstorm. Peyton and Bailey were having so much fun. They would stand at the sliding glass door until the lightning flashed then run away screaming as loud as they could. Bailey was so silly about the lighting, she was so cute we just had to get a little clip of her explaining it...

Last night we went to a fund raiser put on by a friend of mine who owns the Punkinaze corn maze in West Haven. They had lots of yummy food, huge slides for the kids to play on and a 7 acre corn maze. Peyton LOVED the slides (Bailey, not so much) we should have let P go down the slides all night instead of getting lost for 2 hours + in the freaking corn maze! I really didn't think it would be too bad when we went in, but about 45 minutes into it Peyton started getting concerned. His first little melt down consisted of him ranting (while bawling) about how he was never going to be able to ride his bike again, never going to see his friends and we were going to be in there FOREVER! Over the next hour and a half he had at least 2 more freak outs where he ranted about how he HATES corn fields AND CORN and we were never going to see our home again! At one point he asked if I had my cell phone and if I could call and have a plane or a helicopter come get us outta there, or at least a bulldozer to knock over all the corn! Dan and I were busting up, I almost took out the camera and recorded him going off but then I thought I should be a little more sensitive to his extreme concern. Toward the end Dan and I were actually getting kinda worried that we might not get outta there! Needless to say...we wont be doing that again anytime soon!

Peyton's First Soccer Game...

Last Saturday was Peyton's first soccer game. He has wanted to play organized sports pretty much since he started talking. When he was about 2 years old and we would drive pass a baseball field he would say "hey, there's my game. Hurry, I'm gonna miss my game". At first Dan would say "no son, you don't have a game" and P would start bawling. We got to the point that we would just say "yep son, there's your game" and that was good enough for him.

Anyway, he was stoked to say the least that he was going to finally be able to play on a real team. We were so nervous about the whole thing because he tends to cry when we play games and he doesn't win, or if he doesn't get his way. We told him the #1 rule was NO CRYING. He did awesome, he didn't cry at all, not even when another play stepped on his had with a cleated shoe! He was so silly at first, acting really floppy and giddy, I think he was just so excited to be playing. It took him a few quarters to figure out the game but once he did, he got a lot better. In the third quarter he kicked the ball of from midfield past 3 players (it's AYSO- they play 3 on 3 at his age) ran past them, dribbled the ball a few times and booted it into the goal! He was SOOOOO excited. He was running around pumping his arms above his head then ran over to Dan and I for a hug. I was so mad because by then I had put the camera away and was just watching :( Anyway, we were so proud of him because he listened to his coach, he didn't cry, and he played pretty well for his first time.

Of course it always takes a little time for the kids to realize that they aren't supposed to touch the ball with their hands. When P and I were just watching this video he informed me that his plan was to pick up the ball and throw it into the net.

My AWESOME husband...

Dan never ceases to amaze me with his talents. When we were dating he informed me that he was quite the self trained gymnast when he was young and that he could still do a round-off back handspring. Those of you who have seen Dan in person know he is not a little thing, in fact he is quite the opposite, not fat by any means but just a big big guy! After that conversation and me calling him out, he proceeded to do a round-off back handspring in my parents front yard, which I might mention was SLANTED. He also showed me some other tricks one of which was walking on his hands for a very long distance. The other tricks are between him and myself (just kidding, I just had to put that in here because I know some of you smarties out there want to put a comment like "what were the other tricks? wink wink")

Anyway, the other day Peyton called me into the living room to show me his new trick that he learned from watching Alex on Madagascar 2. This is how it went...

Then Dan pulled this out of his Hat-O-Tricks...

Wowsers, what a man!!

Fourth of July, painting the house, and then some...

I keep letting all the pictures and need for blog posts build up so yet again, here is another long post...

Of course we are still having a lot of fun this Summer. We have been swimming with friends and in the yard a lot. Even Daddy got in the pool with the kids.

We went to the Roy pool and the kids LOVED it!

For the 4th of July we did the same thing we do every year... we went to the Riverdale Glory Days Parade, it was sorta lame this year but the kids got a lot of candy so that was nice for them. After the parade we went to the carnival for a minute. The kids love the big blow up slides, at least Peyton loved it this year, Bailey... not so much- see the pictures below. That night we had a BBQ and did fireworks with Dan's family, Peyton really enjoyed choosing out which firework would be lit next and watching them.

Ever since we bought our house a year and a half ago we have wanted to paint the interior walls. Well, we finally decided we were going to do it. It really went pretty quickly, it only took us a week and a half, and that wasn't painting EVERY day, but I spent all of most of the days cleaning, taping, painting baseboards and edges and then Dan would come home from work and roll the paint. He is a master roller so I let him handle most of that part. I am so excited and we love it. The new paint has made a huge difference. We even got new window treatments for the sliding glass door and some new decorations. We aren't completely done decorating yet but I wanted to get these pictures posted since we have been finished with the painting for a few weeks now.

"I ain't gonna kiss no monkey!"

This last Monday I had a meeting at work (in Salt Lake), Jenny (Dan's sister) watched the kids for me, afterward we met at Hogle Zoo. The kids had a great time. Bailey kept calling all the small animals doggies and Peyton was totally grossed out by the snakes and the spiders. It was a nice day, pretty much all of the animals made an appearance so I was really glad the kids got to see them all. Here are some pictures of the day trip.

Peyton was so funny... in the picture on the bottom left I was telling all the kids to kiss the gorilla statue so I could take their picture and Peyton refused! When I was trying to convince him he said "I ain't gonna kiss no monkey!" I almost had him convinced when I started offering money!

The next day my sister-in-law Ivette and I attempted to take the kids to the Disney thing at Union Station. We got there around 11 am and it was PACKED. We decided to take the kids to McDonald's instead. I think they had a pretty good time. Afterwards we came home and let the kids swim and play on the slip-n-slide. It stayed sunny the whole time!! They had a great time.

I guess I didn't take as many pictures of the kids swimming as I thought I did. None of Peyton! oops :)

Summer Fun... (warning~lots of pictures)

We have been having a lot of fun already this Summer. I have been working a lot and I really should be doing more studying but what they hey, Summer only lasts so long so I figure we should be having fun.
First we had a BBQ and a fire in the back yard with Kim and Nate~ we roasted marshmallows and had smores, the kids loved it.

Then we went to Dinosaur Park for a play date with some of my high school friends and their kiddos.

Then we had a BBQ with my uncle Michael and his family and Kim & Nate's family. The kids ran through the sprinklers and played on the playground. It was great to catch up with Uncle Michael and my cousins whom I haven't seen much since Nursing school started.

We went to the drive in to see Night at the Museum and Wolverine.

Then after working a grave shift (one of many worked so far this Summer) in an effort to wear the kids out so they would take long naps, I had them swim in the yard, they loved that! We need a bigger pool.

And finally, today we had another play date with friends from high school again at Layton Park. It's always fun hanging out with them, and great to visit with adults!