What a gal

So Lisette has taught me a few things, lately. She's amazingly good at taking things easily; go figure for an almost-one year old. However I must add that its not always true. She's still such a girl and can take her dramatics over the top sometimes. She’s a little bit of a daredevil and I love it. She likes slides, swings, being thrown around and she’s trying to stand up on her own (can definitely pull herself up but now she’s trying to let go of things) and I think she’s wanting to walk already. I’m ready for that. But what I’m talking about is the other day I was in my room and heard Lisette getting mad; not crying, just grunting. I come into the living room to see Franklin laying on top of her. Too funny. He thinks he’s doing the same thing we do, hovering over her to give her raspberries and tickling. I wonder what’s next; Body slamming?

Franklin is helpful sometimes, but I have to remember he’s also a 2 year old. He’s still a charmer, and wins people over. Everyone enjoys his language and I’m glad they do; doesn’t mean I have to. I’m working on my patience as I’m trying to get him to say things that I understand. I know he understands everything I tell him, so at least I have that in my favor. I’ve been wondering if the reason he still speaks his language is because everyone encourages him to. He also can finally pick what show he wants to watch, and we've got enough of a variety. He loves "Toys" (Toy Story 1 and 2, he likes 2 because there is red on the disc) and calls Woody "boody". Too funny, but hey, at least thats one we can all understand.

Stephen and I are coming with plans for our place. I’ve been talking about finding somewhere else to live but honestly we’re both tired of moving, and we’re free to do things to this place. Our sprouts are getting bigger, and so are the sunflower sprouts. We’re going to grow a garden and I’m really looking forward to that. I never once thought I’d grow anything, especially a garden.

We have a kiddie pool (thank you Grandma Reed) and a sand box (thank you Grandma Quinn) for the kids and they are both having fun. We’ve put the end of a slide into the pool, and Lisette loves it, so does Franklin. We’d do more out there if the wind would just go away. For all of you with kiddos, bring their swimmies and sandals to let the kids go out back and have fun. Jessica Tilton came over on Saturday with her boys. Though Dallin slept the whole time, and Corey and Bryson didn’t really want to play outside, they did want to help Stephen shovel out all the mulch that Grandpa Reed brought over for our garden. Thanks boys, I didn’t have to do it and Stephen had tons of help!

Stephen has been very busy with work. When we moved down here they said that it was the slow season, and yet he still worked a full 8 hour day. Now he’s making, at the very least, 2 ½ hour overtime daily. Yep, I’m finally able to sacrifice Stephen for work; they are definitely making it worth it for me, or for him, which ever. We’re not even into the hottest part of the year yet, just a few months away still. The residential calls are starting to build up, and now he is back into his realm.

As for me, Stephen has been encouraging me to build up my inventory. I go through spurts of struggling with loss of patience/interest? The ties have been my vice. We’ll see, once I finish the first 24 I’ve been trying to get done for 2 weeks now, maybe longer. I will conquer! We’ve been trying to get some ready for sale in a local shop, the one I mentioned weeks ago, but we discovered that we don’t have enough snaps and clips to supply both the local store and my shop. We hope to have the resolved very soon, and never to get too close to being out ever again!

Baby Got Back

We're back in Arizona, and it feels just like home. Not that Utah wasn't but we are happy to be so much closer to family, and able to visit/see family members far more often than we have in the last 2 1/2 years. The kids are liking it just fine, and probably more since there's so many more willing/wanting hands to hold Lisette, and Franklin has double the amount of playmates, just with cousins around. Jaycee, and Ashley seem to favor him very much. He has that affect on little girls; they want to play with him, tote him around, and get him to do things with them (which he is more than happy to do, and this started back in Utah at McD's play places). Just the other day at the park he somehow got a little girl to do everything with him/for him. What a little stud!

Lisette is 9 months, and weighs 24 1/2 pounds. I thought she was less, just because of her age, but her bulk doesn't lie. That baby does "got back". She has major rolley thighs, and a very round bum. Yep, at 9 months old, that girl has ghetto booty. There I said it. I'm not sure if it makes her more irresistible or not. She has been amazing! Sorry Greta that wasn't as easy, and content before we moved away, for you. I'm not sure why the sudden change, but I LOVE handing her off to adoring arms.

I love my daughter, but my kids have turned me into mommy-playground, and even though I probably deserve it for what I did to my mom at their age, I'm not willing to always allow it. In Sacrament meeting she was perfectly fine while Stephen held her, but once Franklin was getting to silly being with me, we traded and then she took over Franklins' duties. She had to be grabbing and pulling something, and if I didn't let her torture me she'd turn to pull Franklin's hair, shirt, colored pencil, etc. Finally I handed her off to the Knights behind us, and she calmed right back down; thank goodness.

The cats are loving it here. They have many more windows, and different views from all around the place to look out. Birds are of plenty here, and they are constantly on a frenzied attack (all play) with each other. Franklin loves to birds too. You can sometimes hear the train faintly, and he enjoys that. 3 Firetrucks drove by yesterday morning, and Franklin was very excited about that. (don't ask what they were up to, I never found out but did see a very small black cloud an hour later that only hovered, and no source)

We love having a yard, and Sheila has let us borrow some playground equipment. Franklin love that too. We spent all afternoon out there with the kids. They played while we cleaned. For some odd reason the last tenants had a HUGE spread out pile of chilies, all dried up, and some had been burned in a small fire. I could tell you lots of thing we're discovering about the last tenants. Lets say that this house is very happy, and lucky to have us. I do, however, hate the wind here, and that was the only thing I've never liked about the desert. There has been some rain, and I've been thrilled about it. That is until we need to go somewhere, and there's way too much mud out there.

Stephen is so far liking his job. I'm loving it, and I have yet to meet anyone he works with. This job has definitely been an answer to our prayers, and been very good to Stephen (so far, I have to add that). He's been happy to work, and I'm please that thus far everyone there has been very welcoming, treating him like he's an important part of the team, and boosting his self esteem. They sound like they treat everyone like they are important, and that is truly how a business should work. (Unless there is an employee that is bringing everyone else down, than that guy isn't as important)

I'm happy here, and Stephen says that's the most important part of the whole change. He's right. If mom isn't happy than the whole house tends to fall apart since she's the one keeping a clean home, raising the kids, and feeding daddy. Stephen will tell you, it might be his home, but I rule it. In truth we do it together, but don't cross me. Since we've moved back I've been feeling, and seeing my old self return. Its been a while since the real me has been around, and I got to say it feels dang good, and ABOUT time!! Sheesh, its been too long.

We've moved back to a place where we both know a lot of people; Stephen from growing up here, and me from attending college. There are quite a few old college friends that have also returned to the valley. Everyone is hugely welcoming, and friendly. Yep, we definitely feel like we are home at last.

Don't worry, pictures will come soon.

Stress, Snow, and Kidney Stone

I'm sure the word has leaked out now that we are moving. Stephen hasn't had work for 3 weeks; a serious lack of snow has put all technicians on hold. Stephen did take one of those weeks for vacation so we could go down to Arizona. He had been planning on installing some heat pumps at my parents home. However, we took a detour to Thatcher, and began a house search.

Stephen had been offered a job with Altech Heating and Cooling of Thatcher, Arizona the same time he was offered a job up in Utah to work for One Hour Air. Arizona requires 2 years of training before you can be paid to do what Stephen has been doing for the past 2 1/2 years. Utah doesn't have that same requirement, so we obviously took the smarter option at the time. Now that Stephen has had his training, and years of work behind him, that job in Thatcher made him a new offer. This offer was stated more than a month ago, but we weren't sure if that was the direction we wanted to take. We love Utah, but Stephen has hardly been working at all, and then all the snow melted with none to take its place.

We took an earlier-than-planned vacation when we got our tax refund, and decided to search out all our options. This job in Thatcher was an amazing offer, but we still were undecided. When we made the choice to go to Arizona things fell into place too beautifully. We decided to house hunt, and after 2 1/2 days we made our decision. We feel extremely good about our move. If you know Thatcher, our place will be off of Reay Lane, before you get to the river.

We will be packing for the next 4 days, and on the 5th (Thursday) we load up the rental truck, drive away from Lehi, and arrive at our home in Thatcher on the 6th day (Friday). With 2 kids, and 2 cats we will definitely be making a half-way stop and split the trip in 2 days.

Our trip has been long, and insane. High levels of stress were our constant companions. The kids got colds while we were still there, and my cold has appeared now that we're home. We're going to keep our fingers crossed tightly that Stephen doesn't get it too. On our return trip home we hoped to make the trip in one day. It could have worked, but driving through the canyon between Panguitch and Beaver, we hit a huge snow storm.

My dad researched the weather report on the internet for us, but by the time we could see Beaver (and we almost couldn't see it due to extreme fog on top of the snow storm) we decided to stay the night. The kids needed it more than we did. Not long after we got our room Stephen heard a trucker who had been coming down from the north said that just before the exit we took there were already 6 accidents.

So we woke up to a winter wonder land. At least 4 inches fell during then night, and was still falling in the morning, but more gently. You'd assume with all that snow we drove through that we would return home to the same scenery. Nope, still no snow!!

Lisette didn't have a good night, and neither did we. Tonight is already following the same pattern; poor girl is so sick. We are happy to be home, even if its for a few days, and filled with cleaning and packing. Our cats were happy to see us, and our wonderful neighbor, Arnie, has been taking such very good care of them.

So about the kidney stone part, yes, I had another stone, just over 6 years since my last. If you knew me during that time, I was in pain for 2 weeks, then it went dormant for 4 1/2 months, then it hurt for 3 days till it passed. I don't know when I got this one because VERY fortunately it didn't hurt during the first stage. However I did get a gosh awful bladder infection, only find out (my own diagnosis, but since I didn't see a doctor about it I didn't tell anyone, except Stephen, I had it) I had a kidney stone, and it makes perfect sense that my infection was so horrible.

I didn't hurt me all the time, but riding in the car, between stops, it would remind me it was there. Our first stop on our return trip the nasty little booger came out and I then knew I was right all along. It made our return trip more pleasant than our trip going down, for me at least. So that's the past few weeks in a nut shell.

The Claw

Alright, alright. I've been telling some of you that I've got a killer of a story. I'll get to it in a bit, but in this post.

Lisette has managed to get even chubbier. That girl is round and rolley polley. Last week we ran out of purified water, and decided, since she's also eating baby food regularly now, to test her tolerance for tap. NOT a good idea. I was going aboslutely INSANE. That girl has got lungs, and highly emotional. Sunday night we couldn't take it anymore. She had been going to bed around, even after, midnight. We went and got more gas meds and purified water. I'm happy to report that she has been better behaved. I suppose its not a bad thing if she has to have purified water all her life. There could be worse things.

She sure loves Franklin, and her daddy. She wants to grab on to Franklin, to play with him. They sometimes have random laughing fits between them. Not sure who starts laughing first, but it goes on for a little bit, taking turns on laughing. We love it. Sometimes we join in on the laughter.

Franklin is turning into a momma's boy, and I'm thilled!! He gives hugs often, and loves his sister. He doesn't like her grabbing him; hair, shirt, arm, hand, face, pants. He'll grab her hand and push her away, not rough, but he tells her to "Top" (stop). Earlier today he randomly went up to her, grabbed her hand, opened her palm, and gave her a high five. Yep, that's my boy!! He sure is a bean pole though. We're still trying to get him to eat more than cereal, bread, and crackers.

So, I have rules that I have set up for certain things. Rules meant for me. That rule is; when bathing the cats always wash Osgood first. They have been getting more and more stinky, and it helps my allergies a little after they are clean. During the process of bathing them, my allergies are the worst, but the reward is great enough for me to deal. My other rule is have extra hands around. Stephen was gone working, and I was sick and tired of putting it off. Franklin was bugging me to get in the shower. (I never had to have a rule about kids because I always had extra hands around)

So Franklin and I get in. And who do I grab to be first? Rizzo. Broken rule #1. Rizzo had always been pretty good though, so I figured nothing tragic would occur. Boy I was wrong. He gets wet, and freaks out big time. I'm trying to pin him down. Unfortunately his back claws streak down Franklin back. Rizzo is pinned, and Franklin is heartbroken and terrified. How could his favorite kitty hurt him like that? So instead of just letting Rizzo go, I got Franklin to calm down a little, and then take a rag, and rub it on Rizzo. I need him to be ok with Rizzo now, not later. He starts laughing, and smiling. Good. Should have ended it there, but no.

I decide to actually wash him now. I get his front half, the non-lethal half, rubbed, and rinsed of cat shampoo. So he starts to struggle. I'm nervous he's going to get Franklin again, so I try to position myself differently. That moment was all that Rizzo needed. I never even noticed that he got my leg pretty good. I was too scared for Franklin. He already had 3 long gashes down his back. Franklin is backed up to the opposite side, and I didn't notice that either since I was pre-occupied by a thick claw stuck in my arm, and pretty deep. Yep, he got me, and dang good. His front half of his body was held by one hand on his neck. His back half was attached to my arm. I had to drop his front half to grab his back foot, and pull it out of my arm.

Maybe more than 5 seconds his claw was stuck. I'm not sure, but the blood sure gushed out for 10; lots. Then it just stopped, just as fast as it started. The vein collapsed, that was all I could think happened. It's happened before, in that same part of my arm with a failed IV insertion. Franklin hadn't been making any noise. I was so afraid he had been hurt, that I started freaking out that he wasn't crying, or yelling. Obviously Rizzo was long gone out of the shower. I called Stephen from in the shower, and then started to have a short panic attack. As I was frantically checking out Franklin, he was hugging me, and gave me a kiss. He was perfectly fine, aside from the original scratches Rizzo gave him.

I hear too often how people get rid of a pet because they hurt someone, especially a child. Most of the time its the owners fault. Owners know their own pet (at least they should) and should know how they react to different, and highly stressful, situations. Rizzo is an amazing cat, and always been a great friend, and companion to all of us, including Franklin. I know he doesn't handle stress all that well, and is also easily spooked. I'm fortunate that my vein collapsed so the gushing of blood only lasted a few seconds. Rizzo is still a good cat. He was cautious around me for a day, knowing he was sorry for what he did. I, too, am sorry that I broke my own rules, and put him and Franklin in that situation. Franklin still beats, and plays with him, and he continues to take it like a pro.

We're all doing well. We're praying for snow, and cold weather. I suppose for most of you we already have too much snow, and its too cold. Not for us, and not for Stephen's job. Utah needs way more snow/rain. We also have new callings in our ward. We hope Franklin doesn't care that we are no longer in Nursery, and Lisette will get better attention; not that she isnt' getting enough already.

We do have more videos. I will let you know when we have more posted!

Just a few little things while I'm thinking about them. Sheesh, I never thought I'd struggle to have to remember, and make the time (not like I'm busy all the time anyway) to do blogging.

Lisette is a sleep talker. It was cute at first, and maybe even a little endearing, but now its not so. She'll have her outburst, wake us up, and then after she gets one of us out of bed she's quiet again. I have to confess, its usually Stephen who gets up. Most of the time she doesn't bring me out of consciousness enough to get me up before he's on the move. Poor Stephen!

Franklin doesn't like Wal-mart. Once he sees where the car is pulling up to he begins to get mad, and sometimes throws a fit. What can I say, he's such a drama king! Its odd though because he's happy to be there when we're inside. I guess he just hates how it looks from the outside. Maybe I should tell Wal-mart so in the future they can make them more appealing and inviting for when you arrive. But if its only Franklin who cares, then I suppose there's no rush.

He loves to sing and does it more often everyday. Whether its the TV, the radio, or one of us, he just might randomly sing along. After he sings he always wants a high five. Usually its not just one; so its more like a high 50. He also plays it up when there are others around. He gets really silly, and constantly laughing at himself. What a funny kid!

Of course the sillier (is that a word) he gets the more memorized Lisette is. She wants to do more with him. She's finally got the rolling over thing down, not perfectly, but she does it more often. Now that she's accomplished that she wants to get moving. Having an older sibling sure rushes things along, sometimes. No, she's not crawling but last night, after rolling over, she kept pushing her self up, and wiggling her head as if she was trying to figure it out. She determined to play with Franklin. At least that seems to be her goal; to get to play more with Franklin.

She does love to be thrown around. We're not overly doing it, or anywhere like we do with Franklin; she's only 6 1/2 months old for crying out loud! When she's laid on a bed, or the couch she wants to be bounced, and tossed (lightly) onto pillows. She seems to have developed that fearless trait that must have skipped over Franklin. Don't worry, he's getting more brave, and I'm sure when Lisette starts showing him up, he'll do more.

Oh, and another thing about Franklin. So I believe I already shared, and if not here it is, that he says "Wha deer dur?" which stands for "What are you doing?". Now he calls the cats "cow" or "kitty cow" sometimes. He still calls them kitties, or says kitty kitty, but sometimes he throws in cow. I think its because of Fatty. Just kidding. He still recognizes a cow, but somehow he says it to the cats. Oh, and "Bobby" is cake. How weird is that? I guess he's making it easier for me to learn Franklinese, but won't give in to learning english 100% just yet. You should hear us sometimes.
F(ranklin): Bobby!
M(ommy): cake
F: yeah! bobby
M: no, cake
F: yeah, yeah, bobby
M: C-a-ke
F: Bobby!!!
M: Ugh! CAKE
F: yeah, yeah!!
...and so on.

Yep, that's how it is with the Cat/Cow thing too. All birds are "guck" (ducks) except for the seagulls, they are "burr". I'm wondering if I can get him to do the whole "Look, pájaro", "no, da bird" with me, just for a laugh. I know most of you are wondering the significance of that. Well, I grew up in Panama from 9 months to 4 years old. We had a maid, who was also like a nanny to me, and she tried to get me to learn spanish. So now you should see how the conversation fell into place and why I still don't know Spanish. Of course I just had an epiphany as to why Franklin won't speak more english.

So now I wrote an entry far longer than I anticipated, but that's ok. This was fast and easy to do. Lisette is still asleep and I have to try for a second time to get Franklin in bed. Have a great one everybody!!

This could be the start of Something Big

Not really, but getting there. However, I was referring to a song Buena Show Band played back in my high school days. It was one of our starter songs for most of our gigs. One of my fellow tenor players and I would have a conversation that was strictly song titles (a lot like "Who's Line is it Anyway"). It was a fun game. In show band we could cheat because all of our songs were in plastic holders in a 3 ring binder. It was either rediculous, mushy, or even mean; but always funny.

PaciFashions are actually starting to pick up. Getting requests for my ties, and lots of compliments. From Stephen's work place there are a few ladies who purchase them for friends, and ward members who are having babies. The store is also growing with Sheila's culotte's added to the line. Visit QLuvItDesigns.Etsy.com to see the culotte's, and if you're just curious as to what they are. I remember I had something like it when I was a little girl.

We all got a cold in our home, except for Stephen, but we believe he brought it to us. He has a stronger immune system than the rest of us; poor kids got that from me. No one has really been horribly sick, but on Sunday we got substitutes for Nursery anyway. Don't want to risk the kids picking up something else, apart from them giving it to another kid. Sunday was interesting because we actually spoke in church; first time in over 2 years. We were looking forward to it, and I was determined to make myself known in this ward since we never got that chance in Springville. So we spoke, and then went home. The front was empty, since we sat in the front row of the congregation. Our names also weren't on the program, so it was almost as if the odds were against us. Good thing we went home afterward; both kids crashed hard when we got back after sacrament meeting.

Lisette and Franklin just adore each other, and it is so adorable! Franklin is the greatest big brother, and Lisette couldn't be luckier. That goes for us too. We couldn't be luckier to have these two kids. Lisette is just a doll, seriously, she looks like one. Her spikey hair is funny, and, like my sister Inga once called a little persian kitten once upon a time, I call her Spikah sometimes. Long story short, Inga named the kitten Spike, turned out it was a female, so it turned into Spikah. However, I call her babydoll most often. She has the prettiest, deep blue eyes. Like the deep ocean, its captivating. She's a looker! How could she not be with her daddy's good looks. Sure, she has a few of my traits, but she looks more like her daddy, and I couldn't be happier. Afterall, Franklin looks more like me, so now we're even.

Franklin has a deep interest in English; FINALLY!! He shoves his puzzle pieces, and books in my face till I tell him, again, and again, the english word. When I say in my face, I mean he sometimes hits me in the face with it if I'm not paying attention. He still speaks fluent Franklinese, but some english is getting in there more and more. We couldn't be more relieved. Body language can only get you so far, before someone can get frustrated, and I still don't speak Franklinese. He also rides his bike all the time, just not with the pedals so much. He loves to play with Lisette's toys, afterall they were all his once. He's also officially out of the high chair, and into the booster, so we can use the hair chair for Lisette. I asked him yesterday if he remembered being that small, and eating cereal, and he said "(very enthusiastically) Yeah!".

I LOVE Skype. I'm addicted, and people aren't on it enough to satisfy me. We purchased a webcam recently. We discovered, kind of by accident, that we have a rewards program with our bank. So we turned them in for cash and purchased a Logitech C3000 HD. Sweet!! Franklin has been able to chat with Grandma and Grandpa Reed, and Heidi and her family. Reyn is adorable, and is so sophistocated when he talks, I'm so impressed! Tanyth is adorable of course, she and Lisette are only 6 weeks apart in age. I've chatted with Inga, and her 2 kids. I can't believe how handsome little Shemp is. Last time I saw him, his hair was so long he reminded me of Elvis in his later years. Franklin has yet to chat with them since his sleeping schedule has been a little off from being sick. As for the rest of you, get a Skype account, and give us a call!!

I will need to start making more PaciFashions soon. I need to make more ties, and Holiday ones. Tanyth is going to be featured in some (thank you Heidi) to show off another baby, and another type of pacifier; the soothie, and how PaciFashions work with it. I've started a PaciFashions blog, simply addressed PaciFashions.Blogspot.com and soon I hope to have an instruction video to show people that they can work with any pacifier out there. Heidi will be my beautiful hand model. If you've never seen her hands and seens how beautiful they are, just wait till we've got the video. She really does have beautiful hands!

Well, thanks for sticking around and reading all of my run-off. I've left the store window up below my blog posts. I promise I will have new videos and picturse soon!

October in Pictures

Enjoy!!! We have a lot of fun here!

Whoa, another week disappeared

I realized on Monday that a week has gone by, and Sunday came and went without me writing another blog. Last week went by so fast starting up my business. I've actually had a few orders, and updated my store with some new ones. The kids have been very patient and easy going while I've been working. Stephen's been working hard making the store look good (I created the banner though) and listing everything I make.

We've had some very warm, a little on the hot side for me, days last week. It was good weather, perfect for being out side, and playing, too bad I spent most of it inside working. Franklin still had lots of fun! He's been learning a lot about cause and effect. We've been working on the whole if you make a mess, clean it up. And we are both so impressed by how polite he is. Completely on his own (learning by example from us and not from us telling him to) he says please and thank you, a LOT!! Its more like "peas" and "dank you". At night when we say our prayers and tuck him in bed he says, "kiss" and then after the kiss goodnight he tells me "bye" and his own version of I love you. I absolutely love it!! He's such a sweetheart.

Last Friday he leaned in and gave Lisette a kiss on the cheek, all on his own. I didn't ask him, and it was just too cute. He hasn't repeated that act without me asking him, but still, its too cute. He loves to go outside, torture his kitties, give Lisette things, climb on the back of the couch, play with his musical toys, and scatter things around the house. He loves dancing, laughing (even if its just at himself) and tries to sing along to many songs.

Lisette makes the cutest random noises. She can stare and stare at you until you smile, and then give you a huge smile. She loves being tickled, and squeals. She's officially a blue-eyed beauty. We're still a little unsure what color her hair is. Still couldn't describe what color Franklin's hair is either, but her tends to have a hint of, well, a color that we don't want to say out loud to make anyone excited just in case it won't be that color. She has got the grabbiest hands. I've lost some hair to her grip, so has Stephen, if he holds her without a shirt, or if she gets some arm hair. She has been such a good model for us to show off some PaciFashions. She doesn't always cooperate, but still, we're having fun playing dress up. Stephen loves it.

Stephen is still busy, but last week, with the warmer weather, was better than the 2 previous weeks. He had been home before dinner every night, and able to spend time with the kids. That's another reason last week disappeared on me; we had more fun at home, and less frustration. Time flies when things are fun.

If you haven't checked out my store yet, I have a link posted on the side to my store, or my last post has another link.

A little late night excitement, but seriously. . .

Well, Sunday has been a very dramatic day in our home due to lack of sleep. Its not what you may think; Lisette was cooperative, and Franklin went to bed at a very good time. Franklin is absolutely wonderful when we put him to bed. No worries, no crying, no fuss, he stays quietly in his room till he's out. Lisette has been amazing lately with being able to sleep from about 11:00 p.m. till 5:30 or 6:00 am.m. We've also been called into one of the nurseries here, and Franklin is very happy about that.

No, Saturday night was a very different night for us, all of us. At about 10:00 p.m. last night we had a little rendezvous with our entire building. We all just sat out and talked on the lawn for a little while. Our little late night outing, at least out of our house, lasted from about 10 till 12:30 Saturday night.

Why? you ask. After I finished baking some cookies, doing some late night laundry as we begin a movie, we hear this really irritating beeping. Finally I look out the window and see our nextdoor neighbors out on the grass, the whole family and the dog. Stephen looks through our peep hole and sees dark smoke coming out of our neighbors apartment. Yes, there is a fire. Don't worry, everyone is fine. They were also doing some late night laundry, and their dryer quit, sparked, and the rest is yesterday's news. The fire was contained very quickly, we just had to wait till the CO levels were down in their apartment to make sure all the apartments were safe. Honestly, don't worry, nothing happened to our place, just a little smoke came in through the temporarily open door as we went in and out. Our cats had a party in our bathroom while we waited, and Franklin got his second wind, and was entertaining some of the neighbors. Lisette, like I said, was very cooperative. She got her way; we never put her down.

Now the rest of my blog is going to be more about me; Lisl. I'm going to be selfish for just a little bit, after all, its my blog, and aside from one entry from Stephen, I'm the only contributor.

One thing that is almost never talked about is the subject of depression. More commercials are trying to raise awareness. After all, the first step to getting better is recognizing it, then getting help is easier. I won't say that being open about it is easy. I've been there. I've been prone to depression for many years. Its come and gone. I've had times that I've been too proud to admit to myself that I was having a problem with depression and that's when it would get worse. Before I was pregnant with Franklin was one of the worst struggles with depression I had ever had, and I stupidly remained too proud to ask for help. I won't go into to details about that struggle, but I will say that it can be very dangerous to refuse help.

Luckily for me I have an easy in to get help; my dad. Years ago it was too difficult to talk to him, even my mom for that matter, about my problems. After all these years its been easier for me to talk to him and others about my experiences. My most recent has been, actually right now. Since Lisette was born I've been struggling with some issues that I was just blaiming on being just a little emotional with the change in hormones from having a baby. Wrong.

Before she was born I was determined to give breastfeeding a more forcefull try with her. Franklin failed pretty much from the start, so I never noticed any signs of issues with that. I kept coming up with excusses why I didn't want to nurse her once I got her home. Then I slowly started not wanting to hold her. That's a huge problem for her since she's pretty spoiled. I was also battling fatigue that was only getting worse. I had some medication from while I was pregnant that my dad prescribed to me, so just a few days after she was born I started taking it again, so I thought it was just a phase. However I started to realize that the subject of breastfeeding was very delicate, and I would get easily offended.

That was just rediculous to be offended over nothing; nursing is a personal choice, and my decision with Franklin when he was 3 months old was; If you're stressed too much as a mother, then find the things you can change. After all a stressed mom makes being a mother difficult, and stresses the child. A mom who feels good about herself, and is able to make time for herself makes being a mom easier, and the child is happier too.

As my medication was getting close to a refill I started to ponder if it was doing me any good. I'm sure it was to a degree, but with the fatigue, not wanting to hold my child as often, getting shorter on my patience, and not feeling like I was any good at being a good mom (that was the worst part) I knew that I needed something more. Some women have worse, or less, but its all the same thing; post-partum depression. I knew that I didn't want to go down that dangerous road. I knew I was a good mother because Franklin is a very good child, but I didn't feel that way. I knew that the sleep I was getting should be enough, but I was struggling to wake up in the mornings. I knew I didn't have to feel this way. I got in touch with my dad and let him know all that I was feeling and thinking.

On Monday, Aug. 24th, I received my new medication and I feel great as mother. I've been getting enough sleep, and able to play with Franklin. I do hold Lisette more, but obviously I can't all the time, at least not as much as she wants. Franklin has been happier (apart from Sunday with the lack of sleep from the fire next door) daily, and the overall mood at home has been a thousand times better. I'm wanting to cook again, and Stephen loves my cooking so he's thrilled. I'm making better attempts at keeping the house clean. Being myself again has made all the difference.

After seeing the drastic change in myself within a week made me determined to speak openly about it. Having been through the hurt makes me want to let others who are hurting know that you don't have to. Its not normal, its not a phase. You can conquer it, you will over come it. I used to be embarrassed about my depression, ashamed. You don't have to feel that way. I know that speaking to others who have been there helps. I have a family member that has suffered post-partum depression and talking with her about it helped me recognize it. Being able to admit to yourself that what you are feeling isn't normal is the first step to getting yourself back. So if anyone wants an open ear (or eyes) you can write me privately if you want to know more about my struggles, or triumph as I am getting myself back. Now I'm not saying my struggle is over, but I am overcoming it. Write me at lisl_music@hotmail.com

Thanks for allowing me to be selfish. 2 days ago I got the feeling that I needed to share my story, but I didn't know to whom, or how. On Saturday I realized an easy way for me to tell it was through my blog. After all, a few friends have been asking me on tips about how to keep a regular blog, and my answer is, pretend its your journal (that everyone can read). If you write as if its a journal then its easier to figure out what to write about. So this is my journal entry for today.

Adding up the math

I have been taking some pictures but as I'm sitting here typing I know this blog will not be written at this time if I have to spend more time trying to upload pictures. I'm sorry, but my patience is thin, and time has been shorter than I ever could have imagine.

So Lisette, poor thing, has been having the worst time. If some of you are wondering, allow me to set the record straight; Lisette is formula fed, and I will openly admit that nursing has emotionally taken its toll on me, and it is most likely due to post-partum. Never had it before, but I suddenly feel the need to be very open about how things are for us in all ways. Since we moved here Lisette has been getting worse. All babies tend to have gas/fussyness problems, at least as far as I knew, but this was unbarable for all in this home. We all were experiencing something that was making us all sluggish, and not feeling well; aside from lack of sleep. My brother's son, Ian, had many problems due to colic so Christian had lots of advice for me. I know I didn't need to plead to get his advice, but I did anyway. I suppose pleading is a form of letting others see your desperation.

We haven't tried everything he has suggested (just because you have to play the elimination game) and my sister-in-law, Jamie also recommended a different formula. I had recently been given a sample of a pre-made formula, so we decided to try that, along with one of my brother's suggestions; keeping her verticle for 30 minutes after feeding. Things aren't 100%, but compared to how they were, we are very happy with these results. The thing that I had been trying on my own, and I will keep giving it to her, is prune juice. Its not much, and I'm sure many of you are thinking she's too young, but unfortunately for Lisette, she has inherited her mothers digestive system, or so it seems. Poor thing is having way too much trouble, so 1 - 2 tsp. of Prune juice, daily is helping in just the smallest way so far. We can't miss a day or we have to start over.

We also bought a case of water, and since we all began drinking it, we have noticed a small change. Stephen's theory is that our water is abnormally hard. I think I'll have it tested at Sears (literally, that thought just occurred to me, and yes, its free, I used to do it for others when I worked there). We have an on-sink filter, but we don't think its working as well here as it did in Springville. We are thinking about getting those huge jugs that you take into walmart and fill it from one of those water stations.

Today we attended our own ward, and so far we love it. I had the craziest 3 hours of non-stop de ja vou. I honestly kept thinking I must of know someone from somewhere, then as Relief Society was ending I realized I had way too many people I thought I knew in one room, at the same time for it not to be de ja vou (I hope I'm spelling that right). Franklin has been having the craziest runny nose, without other cold symptoms, so apart from getting allergy medicine this morning, he spent church with Stephen. Obviously Lisette was with me. Afterward both kids were ready to crash, and I'm wishing so much that we did too. I don't believe a person can ever "catch up"on sleep but it sure never hurts to get more when you haven't had enough. That's how Stephen and I have been. Little sleep = loss of patience + loss of time.

I know this heat is taking its toll. Its been dancing around 100 degrees all week. We are roasting, and very grateful to have a/c in our new place. With my own hot flashes even the fans need to be running. For those of you who doubt that anything north of the desert can be just as hot as the desert, come visit us, right now! We actually saw a commercial about our local aquarium, and how its known as the aquarium in the desert. Though I fail to see the desert, I certainly feel its heat. Things are of course picking up for Stephen because of this heat. This next week he will be on-call, so I believe we won't see much of him thoughout.

Because I feared that walking away to take care of some parental duties would prevent me from finishing this blog, I am finding myself at its end so that I can get Franklin in a nice cool shower. I may put on my swimmie and join him. He finds that more fun anyway. This week I will upload the pictures and hopefully next weekend I will post them. Please have patience with me, and if you can, share some of it with me; I could use a little. I do promise you though, things are getting better.

Rearranging the Moon

Our move is over, and the house is almost in order. I am 2 weeks behind on blogging, and I had thought to add pictures, but, as usual, they will have to come on a later post.

Things went smoothly, enough, for our move. Some women from our Springville ward assisted us by holding Lisette while we packed. Our home teacher helped us pack and load. At night, after all the cleaning was done, my brother-in-law, Adam, and two of his brothers whose families were visiting helped us unload. One of our neighbors assisted us until re-enforcements came. Jodi, one of the brothers, told me I needed to take a picture of when we are done putting things away, just to show that all our stuff fit. I'm almost done getting things where they need to be and its amazing how well if all fit, and how much room we still have.

We have met a few neighbors, and on Sunday we ended up attending the wrong ward. The complex is split, by buildings, into the 4different wards for this neighborhood. We did meet with someone from our wards' bishopric before we walked home to request our records. Of the few people we met that we know are in our ward we really like already. We are very happy here so far!

On July 4th we moved a little into the apartment, and brought the cats with us. They irritated us with their whining, and meowing for 3 days, but they are obsessed with being able to see out the windows at the world. Franklin has enjoyed living here very much. The complex playground is right outside our door, and Franklin is thrilled with that! We have been stunned every morning with how much light comes in, as our place faces east.

Lisette is having problems with constipation, and is also near impossible to burp after feedings. Franklin had these problems too when he was an infant, but no where near as bad. These problems have robbed us of sleep and sanity. That's where the title of my blog comes in. I've been so sleepy all the time that aparently I'm talking in my sleep. Sunday morning I told Stephen that I had been up all night rearranging the moon.

All the anti-gas meds only make it worse, we've tried them all! We are trying something else, and will let you know if its working. Lisette is also a very demanding, spoiled little girl. She wants to be held; ALL the time!! Last night, and the night before have been a little better, but I don't want to say more so I don't speak ahead of myself.

We love our new location, and it has been easier on Stephen with work, and traveling. I do miss Springville, a little, but the benefits of being here far out weigh the things I miss. There are tons of children Franklins age here, and many babies as well. Our stake is full of younger families, so we know we will finally make some friends.

We are still on for Lisette's blessing on August 2nd. We are looking forward to seeing all who will be able to make it, and excited for you to meet our daughter.

A Family of Four

So we are still grasping the reality that we are parents of 2 kids; two wonderful children. I will say that Franklin has been putting on the dramatics very heavily lately (terrible two's), and Lisette has proven to be a very easy, wonderful baby (just as Franklin was). Franklin’s episodes have everything to do with him not getting everything his way. He sure was spoiled with Grandma Reed here!

We loved having my mom here, especially Franklin. He wanted to do everything she did, be where she was, sleep next to her, eat what she ate; I think you’re getting the idea. He has been adding more words to his vocabulary, and has been utterly fascinated with his sister. He’s been very good with her, and wants to help, even if it’s not needed. We’re very happy that there haven’t been any accidents, and so far no one has been hurt (I should say no one has been hurt with the new addition, I’ll explain my injury later).

Lisette was kept in the Special Care Nursery for 48 hours. Luckily my insurance allowed me to stay that long as well so I could stay in the hospital with her. I was blown away by how great the whole experience was. When we arrived at the hospital, at 1:30 a.m. May 27th, we were nervous we were going to be sent back home. Luckily the staff was very busy that time, so by the time they were going to discharge me, they did one more check, and discovered I had dilated more. When the anesthesiologist came in I jokingly asked if he was going to be my best friend, and he was. After my experience with this epidural I realize that my epidural with Franklin was nothing, a joke! It might as well have been natural child birth.

Back to my story . . . A few hours later they gave me pitosin to speed it up a little (had the same thing with Franklin). Then at 11:20 I could start pushing, and she was here at 11:23 a.m. With Franklin I had to push for 2 hours. I couldn’t believe how easy it was with Lisette! It was amazing! The nurses were great, and my doctor was wonderful; that surprised me as well.

My mom arrived the night we got to take Lisette home. We had intended for her to be able to sleep in Franklin’s room. There were a few nights, and mornings, that Franklin would get out of his bed and crawl into bed with my mom. With her help we were able to sleep more at night, and I was able to take naps during the day; huge help!! Last Sunday I woke up feeling very weak, and feverish. We took me over to the ER and I was diagnosed with a Uterine Infection. Not cool, and I still don’t understand how I keep getting infections!

All last week we had Art City Days; or you could say Springville’s founders’ days/week. We didn’t participate in everything we had originally planned, but we did watch the Hot Air Balloon fest, and went to the carnival Saturday afternoon. Franklin’s first ride was cut very short; he started bawling when it began, only because he was on the ride by himself. Then he got on the carousel with Stephen, but was still too nervous from his previous experience to fully enjoy himself. Stephen and I used the rest of the tickets (didn’t get too many because the rain was threatening to fall) to ride The Zipper. It was fun until we were getting off, and I hit my elbow on the latch. Looked down after we had walked away and noticed I split my skin open in a nice, deep gash. Yeah, still hurts, can’t bend my elbow all the way, and very happy for the invention of liquid bandaides.

Now my mom is back in Arizona, and we are sad she has gone, but very grateful for her help, and the time she spent with us. Don’t forget to look at the new slide show in my previous post for what we’ve been up to over the last 17 days. Yes, Lisette is 17 days old today, June 14th, and has already gained a pound since she was born, and an inch. She’s the size of the average new born, and my original due date is still a week and a half away. And just as a side note, this Thursday Stephen and I will have been married for 5 years!

Lisette Alicia Quinn

Born May 27th, 2009 at 11:23 a.m. Weight is 6 lbs. 13 oz. and she is 19 inches long. She was born 27 days early and is doing well. They have kept her in Special Care Nursery over night, just to make sure she's not contracting an infection or having any breathing problems. Soon we will know if she can come home today, or if they want to keep her one more night. If that's the case then I'll be allowed to stay tonight with her too. Franklin has been staying with Aunt Greta and her family and doing lots of fun things since school is coming to a close, and summer is upon us. Greta and Adam have loved having him, and enjoying his chatter, dancing and laughter. Stephen and I have been missing him like crazy and can't wait till the whole family is together at home.


We didn't take pictures right away because we were stuck in surreal mode since delivery was very fast, and since pregnancy wasn't easy we couldn't believe she was here. I only pushed 3 1/2 times till my doctor told me to stop.











She's already won over many hearts; nurses, family, and even some strangers. We were told last night that another couple was visiting their infant who slept next to Lisette. As they were holding their little girl they were asking the nurse about Lisette, how she was doing, if there was anything wrong, and that she looks so sweet and wonderful. Obviously she couldn't disclose any information to them about her. I hope you enjoy these pictures, and we'll get more soon!

Fun things do happen here

On Tuesday I saw my doctor. It was the first time the pains happened during a check up, and he definitely saw the pain in my body language. What a change! This whole time I haven't been happy with my doctor, but this one visit he was compassionate, and listened to us. He also said that if I go into labor at any point now, they won't stop me (even though I'm not yet 36 week). Overall the pains have been letting up, but because I'm in the clear, so to speak, I'm not staying on strict bed rest anymore, and therefore aggravating the pains. I no longer feel the need to remain helpless, and have done some cleaning, cooking and I actually went to my sisters and visited for a little bit. Also, Stephen and I took some adventures this week. Now for the fun stuff.

We've been contemplating on getting a more family friendly vehicle for a very long time. We've discussed our options over and over for months. Every time we found something that excited us, we got the feeling to hold off and wait. We thought of ways that maybe we could get out of our truck loan to take away the hesitation. But we love our truck. Its just the back seat isn't comfortable and two car seats don't really work. Now with baby #2 almost here, we've been trying to make up our minds. So these last 2 weeks Stephen has really stepped up the car search. I started to humor him by looking online. There was something I liked, and he agreed to go look at it for me. When he went to that dealership, that exact car was on a truck to be hauled to another location, so he went to the dealership across the street and instantly found something he loved.

He agreed to look at other places too, but we weren't happy with our search results. I agreed with Stephen to travel up to Sandy to look at this car he loved so much (taking the chance to really get out of the house). The dealer had this car at a tent sale, hoping for one last effort to sell it before they resorted to auction. Stephen said I would love it, and I did. We made them a deal for well under its value. We drove home in two separate vehicles that night, getting home at 11:00 p.m. Poor Franklin, but Stephen said that he was singing most of the way home.

He loved getting in and out of other cars, and was a great sport the whole time. He really enjoys our new-to-us car. Its a 2006 Mercury Mariner Premium 4WD V6. It has low miles, and whole lot of luxury features. Franklin enjoys climbing in (with a tiny bit of help) and gets in his car seat all by himself; HUGE help for mommy!! And we still have our truck!! We'll post some pictures soon.

We've also been doing a lot of research on car seats. We got rid of Franklin's old one because we ended up hating it. It was very frustrating to use, and he out grew it fast. We've been trying to be very choosy, and thought we found something we liked. I didn't even bother reading reviews till we were about to purchase. There are so many problems other people had that we decided we needed to look up what had the highest praise. We also want to make sure it wasn't gender biased (we don't want to have to get a new car seat for every infant). It made it even better when I found a code online to take to the store and get 15% off. Stephen's very enthusiastic about this seat too, and now our little girl can come any time now. We are definitely ready for her. With the excitement in the air I couldn't resist asking Stephen to let me get a "Welcome Home" dress.

And to top it off, all 4 of Franklin's canines are definitely cut through! He has gone back to sleeping in his own room all the time, and sleeping through the night, and taking naps that are long enough. He's also showing signs of tanning, more than me, and has one freckle on his right arm. And I have to add that the weather is great, and Franklin can't get enough. I think he's really catching on that something big is about to happen. Oh, and he's completely obsessed with the Muppet's. We finally ordered 2 other movies because I'm so sick of watching Muppet's from Space all the time, but he is so fun to watch when he gets into it. I think its all the soul music they play on it that he likes so much.

Just so that a date is out there, we are hoping that on August 2nd we can have our little girl blessed, as well as have a little birthday party for Franklin. He'll be 2 this August, my how time flies! We are inviting friends and family to join in the fun. Let us know if you'd like to be counted in!!

The update, finally

Taking the bed rest seriously has been helping. However I will admit that its not been easy to sit aside and not do anything. Everytime that I try to do something I definitely pay for it later. I've been spending a lot of time reading books, and being entertained by Franklin and the cats. Stephen continues to be amazing and incredibly patient.

Franklin has been cutting his canines for several weeks now, and finally some of them are actually visable. He continues his own chatter, and has a lot to say all the time. He climbs all over everything, and the only time he gets in trouble is when he crawls on me. He is definitely his mothers' son. He tries to roll, sit on, and jump on Rizzo, and his mommy. He also loves to poke at my belly. He'll move my clothes so he can see my tummy, and very softly rubs, pats, or pokes my belly. I try not to react when he rubs over my scar (I have no feeling over it, so it is a weird sensation, and sometimes gives me the willies).

Stephen has been working long days with the weather getting better. Last week we actually had some snow. Thankfully it didn't stick due to all the rain we were getting. Now the sun is heating things up nicely here. It won't be long till it's as hot as Sierra Vista, AZ here. Yes, it gets very hot here; our elevation is the same as where my parents live in Arizona, so close to Mexico. Stephen is very much looking forward to the heat; it means better pay, so why wouldn't he be excited!

We recently decided that we can't move till after the baby is born. We haven't been too thrilled about that decision, but have no choice because I can't help pack, or clean the place when we are moved out. I'm not about to make Stephen do all that work himself, its just not fair. However, some good news came our way yesterday. Our landlady told us that her roommates (the very noisey tenants that live above us) have moved out, and this week they will officially be gone. Stephen thought it was the best birthday news ever! We can also tell that our landlady is very relieved, and happy about that news herself. Things have been far more stressful for everyone under this roof. And yes, Stephen's birthday is tomorrow, the 4th. Its amazing how fast the time goes! This is his 5th birthday the two of us have spent together!! Happy Birthday to the most amazing man I know!!

From Stephen's perspective

So its time to let you all in on how things are going with us on a more serious note. Lisl has been having Braxton Hicks (false labor/contractions) for the last two months. When they began it didn't happen often, and was never an actual problem. On the drive back from Arizona is when things started to get worse. Even more recently, on Friday, she began to have pains that have made simple things impossible. She has been on bed rest, and we hope these contractions and pains will ease up, so she can make it at least as long as she did with Franklin, 38 weeks. Lisl is only 30 weeks pregnant (10 weeks to go till full term).

Now, as a result of Lisl having to take it easy, I the fantastic and absolutely wonderful husband that I am have taken over the household responsabilities. In the past few weeks I have taken over cooking, cleaning, laundry, and anything that involves lifting. I haven't minded it of course but I have to say to all of you wives including my own; You are amazing! This has given me quite the insight into what it takes to keep up a household and I applaud your ability to keep up with everything. I will have to let Lisl keep you informed as to whether I am doing a comparable job or not.

Outside of that though we had a good easter weekend. Franklin enjoyed hunting for eggs. He decided that daddy had to hold the basket though. Which worked out well because I was able to keep removing eggs from his basket and re-depositing them for him to find. This helped increase the time it took for him to find them all. In the evening we enjoyed an Easter dinner with two of our friends (Mitch and Megan). They ended up being fully entertained by our quirky cat Rizzo. He was lunging off tables and just generally being a nut, so it made the evening pretty eventful.

Lisl had asked me if I wanted to give blogging a try, so thanks for tuning in, and reading what I had to say. We'll have some photos and videos of our Easter in an upcoming blog. Hope you all had a good Easter!

(Lisl's shout out to Stephen: He is amazing, and has been the best father and husband. I'm very greatful to be married to such a wonderful, and caring man!)

Springtime for Franklin

So lots has been going on, and yet sometimes it feels like nothing new happens to us. For over a week now Franklin has been sleeping in a toddler bed, and loving it. We're not sure who's happier, Franklin or us. Since he started sleeping in his bed (no longer the converted crib, an actual toddler bed and we didn't ease him into either, we just took away the crib all at once) he's been sleeping a full 12 hours through the night, and 3 hours for his nap. Its been a real miracle for us since we haven't had those numbers since the disturbance moved in upstairs. That's since October. For any of you with toddlers still in cribs don't listen to statistics; Franklin LOVES his toddler bed and was more than ready to just switch.

We canceled our house phone, and even though it hardly rang, the silence has been great. 90% of all incoming calls have been telemarketers. There's been one company that I loath!! They would call sometimes 3 times a day, and I finally lost it with them. 2 calls in a row was the same operator, and when I asked for a manager, he first told me there are none, then later that he was the manager. By the end of our conversation he was laughing at me. Stephen wasn't home, so I called him up and said that this particular operator was in some serious trouble with me, and if I hear his voice again, I'm going to let him have it. Our resolve was just get rid of an expence we don't need, and then there won't be a way for that awful company to contact me anymore. Franklin's been happy to play with the disconnected phones.

The weather seriously can't make up its mind on what it wants to do. Right now its perfect, no sweater needed, nice and warm, but we're supposed to get a thunder storm tomorrow. We've also had a few days its snowed, and been super windy (have I ever mentioned there is no weather I hate more than wind?). We've been trying to figure out things that we can do indoors, and near by. We wanted to go to Gardener Village one weekend, but it was windy, and had just snowed. So instead we stopped at the mall in Draper. They had a play ground meant exactly for Franklin's age group, and we couldn't be happier.

Stephen's also been home a lot because even though its been cold the majority of people will just simply wait till next winter to get furnace work done, and no one has needed their a/c running. So on April Fool's day we went to Gardener Village anyway, with snow; but no more wind. I'm super happy, we found the exact baby quilt we've been looking for the upcoming nursery. When I have more of it together so you can get idea of what I'm trying to create, then I'll let you in on it, for now I'll say its yellow, black and white.

So when we got back from Arizona Stephen and I agreed that I needed to just take it easy and rest as much as possible. The drive home was harder on me than I will discuss and we thought just a few days would help. I've been in to see my doctor, and had some good and not so nice news. This whole pregnancy I've been right on track for the amount of weight I'm supposed to gain, not a pound more. I was super worried because my stomach rounded out very quickly even though the scale didn't budge a whole lot. However I'm still on bed rest and this time ordered by the professional, and not myself.

Its helped big time to have Stephen home a little more often, and he's been doing more housework. He's a great sport, and support. Franklin has loved having his daddy home as well. Make sure you check out the new video below to see just how much fun its been for Franklin. Stephen and I do feel better when there is work for Stephen, especially since things have been so slow. It also helps that Franklin is very helpful and obedient. He helps pick up his toys, and sometimes helps me in the kitchen. He isn't very helpful when its time to do laundry, unless I want it all over the floor, which I never do. He has a lot more personality, and has been a lot of fun.

Another Picture Post

These are the pictures I promised of Franklin's adventures; Fortress in the living room, and finger painting. (not pictures of the mattress bouncing just videos at the bottom of the blog) Some additional pictures are of Franklin chasing a cat through the cat tunnel, and getting stuck. Franklin recently got a hair cut, but we made a mohawk out of his hair one night. We also made cookies one night and Stephen introduced Franklin to the wonderful taste of cookie dough. We also took family pictures near Utah Lake.

















Make sure you check out the videos at the bottom of our site. Franklin's been so much fun, we can't keep him to ourselves. (If this was emailed to you, make sure you click on the link to our blog site to see the videos at the bottom)

Spiders for a midnight snack

I'll post this weekend all the pictures and videos we've taken this week. For now I'll just fill you in on whats been going on. Last week was refreshing and relaxing. There was a dramatic decline of noises due to an out-of-town trip that lasted 6 days, and 5 nights. I was able to regain my sanity, composure and reduce stress. Unfortunately Franklin and myself caught colds.

Stephen was great in being able to watch Franklin, who didn't seem to need the extra sleep from being sick, while I got in a nap or two. With Stephens help, especially over the weekend, I was able to more quickly get over this cold. There is still a little left over with Franklin, and some irritations of the throat with me, but overall, we are back to healthy. Friday I took Franklin in for his 18 month appointment, as well as had the doctor check on his cold. Franklin is 26 1/2 lbs. (54% for his age) and 34 inches (91% for his age). He did lose a little weight due to running around and not as interested in eating solids (due to teething and his cold) but I'm so excited to know he's definitely going to be taller than us!! He'll be able to keep up with Greta's and Heidi's kids!!

Franklin hasn't seemed to affected by his illness except for when naptime approaches he must be in bed. He has had high energy, and Stephen and I have been trying to come up with activities for him when it wasn't good for 2 sick people to be outside. Over the weekend Stephen was itching for a project since I made him stay home. So he got some scrap wood together and made a temporary eisle for Franklin. We taped some card stock to it, and let him go to town with his markers. He'd get so excited, he wanted to move on. Our only rule is that the markers stay with the eisle. He doesn't like that rule.

One evening we set up a fortress in the living room. The cats had a lot of fun with that too. Franklin was a little more sick that night, so when he got really worked up, he started coughing a lot. We had to call it quits before he wanted to. But he definitely had fun while it lasted.

The next night we did finger painting. He wasn't too sure about it, and in a way, still isn't. He wanted daddy to do more painting, and just copy him, rather than do it himself. Stephen painted his whole hand to do a hand print, and that upset him for a short while. I guess it was too much at the moment. We'll try finger painting again when we get some water colors. We did it with acrylic, and of course he had to taste it. Obviously he didn't like the taste, and sure made a funny face.

Stephen blew up an air mattress but not all the way full. We were able to bounce, and toss Franklin on it. He had the most fun with this activity. We even tried to bounce Rizzo, but he was just too light. However he did stay on it while we bounced Franklin. I tell you, that cat is most definitely one of a kind! He had to be in on every activity we do, and every room we are in. Since the air mattress was such a success, but Stephen didn't want to get it out again, I convinced him to bring in the twim mattress from the nursery. Franklin expected it to have the same effect, but even though he didn't bounce as high, he still had fun. And Rizzo was right there too.

Yes, I was going to get to the title of my blog. We have relished in the fact that we don't have many insects up here; no scorpions, and you never see a cockroach, and the mosquitos, though the locals complain how many there are, its nothing like the population in AZ. The one thing we have plenty of is spiders. There is one kind that we have down here all the time. In the first few months the cats liked to chase, capture, and kill, till they both were bit back. Now they pounce, and play, but not always eat them.

Monday morning I woke up with a slightly puffy lip, and 2 unusual red spots; one next to my nose, and the other next to my mouth. Originally thought it was acne, except for what was on my lip, till the next day. My lip was more puffy that you could actually notice it, and it started to sting. The red spot next to my mouth was bigger, and also started to hurt. Just blamed it on messing with it at first. Then the 3rd day I noticed that each red spot had two little marks and began researching the web about insect bites. I realized I had been bitten in 3 different spots; the trail leading to my mouth. In my sleep I must have sought my revenge because the last bite is on the inside of my lip. Yes, gross!! Now I seek revenge on every spider I see before it has the chance to get fresh with me. (no, my revenge doesn't involve eating them, it was just the one, and I was asleep)

Picture Post

Don't forget to check at the bottom of the blog for 2 new videos. The Description of them is just to the side.

We went to cold stone, and yes it was cold outside too. Franklin wanted to eat it at his own pace, and not ours.


We set up his crib with a bed rail so that it was more like a toddler bed. My back can't handle picking him up and over, so I needed to make the switch. He LOVES it, his bed is his new favorite place in the house. Rizzo likes it too!


Stephen got off work early one day, and decided he needed to clean out and organize his truck. His regular vehicle was having problems, so they made him switch and had to move his stuff in a hurry. Franklin was more than happy to help, there is a tool in his hand, and wouldn't let go of it at all. It was total dispare when we took it from him.


He was on edge for the next little bit, so I gave in, and let him have a cupcake. He didn't waste time shoving it in his mouth, frosting first.


Stephen was installing a whole-house humidifier (Life Saver, I have to say, Franklin and I have both been sleeping so much better since it was put in). Rizzo was having fun in the box, he always does, but this box happened to be big enough for Franklin to enjoy too. One of the videos below is of this box adventure. He had so much fun!!