Our Flammily

4 Months

2012-02-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that my babies are 4 months old already! It has gone by so fast yet so slow at the same time! I think that the best way to describe it all is that it is just like the movie Ground Hog Day... seriously... everything just happens over and over again. But thank goodness some days are better than others. It seems like the 4 month mark has been a definite improvement over months 2 and 3. The girls have found their thumbs or fists (I got over the pacifier runs so fast.) and they can sooth themselves to sleep, which makes life much easier. We are still working on naps but at least most nights are decent. My favorite thing of all... the smiles... they make my day!
At 4 months they weight 11 lbs and are still pretty tiny for their age... but they are right on target with everything else.
Miss Alyssa! She is my social baby, she loves faces, and wants to steal the show... but that also makes her my meanie greenie ... she gets very jealous whenever I tend to Lydia and it makes getting anything done a process to say the least.
Lil Lydia, is my curious, and on the move baby, and she is my drama queen anything bad that happens will happen to her and you will hear about it for a very long time. She is constantly studying everything around her and reaching for it. She can turn herself in a full circle on her back. She just loves company especially Alyssa's company... she is always reaching for Alyssa's hand.
Their favorite thing to do it play on their play mat together. Usually Lydia does all the playing while Alyssa just sucks her thumb and watches Lydia's skills.
Here they are after a good nap... Lydia turned herself all the way upside down without moving to either side... she does this all the time. I'm sure it won't be too long before we need to set up the other crib and separate these cuties.
And I can't leave Aaron out... every time I take pics of the twins he asks to have his picture taken too. Gotta love his messy face... he is definitely my lil stinker!

Survival Mode and PreSchool!

2012-01-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

Image two babies crying in your home for the majority of the day... everyday... and that, my friends is the reality of 2-3 month old twins. The first month was easy because they were born early and they slept all the time... but the second and third months were super tough just because these cuties refused to sleep during the days. And their protests made everyday mighty long... that is for sure!

Yep.... this is an unfortunate reality of twinfants!

Lot's of soothing... and plugs... because the crying was driving us insane!

At least they calm down pretty easy as long as they are being held. I always thought it was weird that when you ask twin moms how they got first few months they all say that they can't remember, they just did what they had to to survive, I am happy to hear that these awful memories sort of faded from their minds... because that means they were temporary. And thank goodness some days are better than others.

On the flip side... Kaylie started Pre-School Yesterday and she is in Heaven... this poor girl is so ready for school. She would stay all day everyday if they would let her. I can't believe my baby girl is almost 5!

Can't forget Aaron... and his McMissile car... he had to get in on the action!

6 Year Anniversary

2012-01-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

~Yes, I know... we really need to get an updated picture, and we will.....eventually.

~This was our wedding announcement picture... and it is hard to believe that it is already our 6th Anniversary! We've been through a lot together... school, work, more school, Cone Dystrophy diagnosis (Jacob's eye condition), job loss, 6 moves, 4 kids (all under 4), building businesses and the list goes on and on! Even though we've been through a lot... I'm glad that I've had my Best Friend right there with me every step of the way... and the best part is we have the rest of Eternity together... who could ask for a better thing to celebrate!

~Love you tons Jacob, and thanks for everything! ;)

Christmas and Colds

2012-01-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

One of our Christmas traditions is to open new pajamas on Christmas Eve... so we went to JoJo's (my mom) house and opened them up with the whole family! Aaron was so excited to finally get the "okay" to actually open up a present, the little stinker kept sneaking off with gifts and trying to open them... but fortunately he never succeeded.

And he got Toy Story Pj's! He was so excited about that... he loves Woody!

Kaylie got Minnie Mouse Pj's.

Kaylie is finally to the age where she understands Christmas and Santa and she was getting to excited about it, and she was working Aaron over too so both kids were super wired on Christmas Eve and by the time they got home they literally ran to bed... and crashed... I mean they ALL fell asleep instantly, I can't express to you what a miracle that was... they were so excited for Santa to come.
Christmas Morning... I had to wake all the kids up... just before 8... so that we could get everything opened and ready in time for church. Aaron sat on Santa's lap just days before Christmas and asked Santa for a toy train set... and Santa brought it and set it up right in front of the tree for him... Aaron was so excited!
"Pop-Tarts... for Christmas?" No... inside was a dress for Kaylie... so there is a story behind this. When Jacob and I where first married I thought it was so weird that the Flamm's wrapped almost all their gifts in cereal, and food boxes. But as the years fly by I see the ingeniousness of it all... it is cheap and much more fun for the kids... (they even got some things in humidifier boxes... the confusion on their faces was priceless.) Best of all they don't know if they are getting clothes because nothing is in a shirt box... and it is the only way I can get Aaron to open his clothes up at all. ;)

Lydia and Alyssa on their first Christmas... and they had no idea what was going on. But they enjoyed all the comotion of the kids unwrapping their presents. What did they get??? Clothes and more clothes... that is all they need... other than diapers.

Kaylie's big gift was going to pre-school. This girl has been begging me forever to go to school. She is extremely social. I've been intentionally putting it off, because it is expensive and with the twins... not very practical to load all four kids in the car to take her and pick her up (remember Jacob barely drives any more.) But thanks to a good friend and hopefully a good schedule (crossed fingers) I will make it work. She didn't know about it at all until she got this letter... she's so excited to start in a couple weeks! I can't believe she's old enough... and in the fall she will be in kindergarten... where does time go?
Kaylie asked Santa for a Rapunzel Doll... and he brought it... funny thing is she looks just like her doll.

Alyssa and Lydia... just kicking around and watching the fun some more.

And with Christmas came the colds... in this picture Lydia and Alyssa are both sick, but Lydia got it much worse. You'd never know Alyssa was sick though... she just kept on smiling right through it even through a bad cough.
So just two days before Christmas Lydia got a fever of 101 and it made me super nervous so I took both girls in to Urgent Care... and the doctor made me mad. He told me they just had colds and NOT to give them any acetaminophen, even though they had fevers. Okay... he explained some new guideline on letting fevers burn off infections....okay... so I asked him what I should do if the fever got worse..."just take them to the E.R."... are you serious? The Urgent Care Dr told me to let my twins suffer through high fevers... not give them any medicine and if they got bad to go to the E.R? I DON'T THINK SO!!! No offense to these doctors and their dumb, constantly changing guidelines... but I really don't think a single one of them has ever actually had to live with a super sick infant, with a high fever, let a lone two of them. So I took them home and gave them Tylenol any way... sorry, as fun as a trip to the E.R. sounds... I don't think so.
Aaron with the cold and fever that started it all... exactly one week before Christmas. the poor kids got a fever of 102... and I felt so bad for him.
Kaylie and her first cold... yes, I said first... she has since gotten another cold from family and I'm sure her cold will cycle through the Flammily too. Oh how fun! ;)

Tis The Crazy Season!

2011-12-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Okay I hate posting pictures of myself... but after all the craziness and complete exhaustion lately... I need to be somewhat proud of myself considering I have somehow managed to survive the first three months of 4 kids under 4. Ever since the twins were born I have been literally running non stop all over the place (when I go to the store people look at me like I am nuts... but they have no idea what life is like for me) Running all the time non stop is how I have lost almost all 50 lbs so far, but I still have a few to go... 12 weeks isn't bad to lose pretty much all of it though, so I need to take 30 seconds and be proud of myself.

~The last couple weeks haven't been any exception to the craziness. Business has been good with well over 200 orders in the last 30 days, most of these orders being more than one pillow, problem is I have had to work at least 4 hours a day to help keep us on top of things and get all the Christmas orders out in time. The twins have been quite the handful though... they are horrible day sleepers so if I get anything done in a day it is in 10 minute increments. To add to the mess Aaron came down with a fever on Saturday of 102 and a cough and cold... so much for a flu shot. Now Kaylie has it, and I am now fighting 4 kids throughout the night, and trying to keep myself bug free...ha ha ha right... tis the season I guess.

~Well the girls are screaming again... so I've got to go I will try to get back on and get some recent pics of them posted....whenever I find the time!

Newborn Pictures

2011-12-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

When I found out I was having twins I was bound and determined to get professional newborn pictures of them, I regret not having a wedding photographer (couldn't afford it) and I wish I would have done it for the other kids.... so I made it happen with the twins. Chantri Keele was the photographer and she did a fantastic job... so good that I will be going back for family pictures when the girls get a little older and when I lose all my baby weight.

Oh so precious!

Aaron the Stud!

Could you resist these brown eyes?

I've decided Kaylie could be a model... she is extremely photogenic... she definately didn't get that from me, I hate the camera and the camera hates me... but man it loves Kaylie!

Don't you love her dress? My friend Sarah D'evegnee made it for her.... she is so beyond talented! Thanks so much Sarah... it is Kaylie's favorite dress she wants to wear it ever week.

My four beautiful kids! I love them tons!

Two Months!

2011-12-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Okay.... I am two weeks late on this post but better late than never....right? (These pictures were taken when they were 8 weeks.

~So Alyssa (on the right) was the biggest baby at 5 lbs 5 oz and Lydia was 4 lbs 13 oz. But Lydia has always been the aggressive eater, she sets the eating time... when she is ready to eat ... they both eat. So Lydia started to gain weight pretty quickly while Alyssa slowly gained, naturally I expected Lydia to out weigh Alyssa by at least a few ounces.... as she has gotten so cute and chubby so fast... But much to our surprise they weighed in at the EXACT SAME!!! Both 8 lbs 13.5 oz! And they were both 21 in tall! Just too funny!
Sorry for the less-than-professional posses it is so hard to get a good shot of both of them... but this shot cracks me up with Alyssa playing with Lydia's ear... she is always tapping her as if she just can't get enough of her sister.

Left: Lydia Right: Alyssa They are getting so big so fast!

Double the Smiles!

2011-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Lydia and Alyssa

~Here are my cute lil girls at 7 weeks.... yeah 7 weeks already! They are almost two months old! As you can see they are getting cuter by the day and they are starting to sleep longer at night YAY!!! Like my good friend says... "small victories" and they are so important. But sleep isn't the only good news....

With sleep comes.... SMILES!!! I've been trying to get some good pictures of their adorable smiles for a while now... and this is as good as it gets for now... I can't blame them though, I'd rather smile at mom than some giant black thing in my face too. This smiling babe is Lydia!
And this is the best picture I could get of Alyssa's smile for now at least... oh so precious!
And check out Lydia's eyes! You can't tell in this photo very well but she has a very big and beautiful blue eyes with a sort of lavender tint. And she has long dark eye lashes to frame the beauties! And last but not least.... she's already starting to grow back her hair! Yay!
Here is Alyssa and her gorgeous eyes... I really can't tell what color they will be... it really just depends on the day. But more often than not, they look like they will be brown... but until we know it's a mystery I guess. She is such a doll!

Lydia Again!

And Alyssa... rocking her skinny jeans. Okay, they aren't real "skinny" on these girls... but they sure are cute... even though they are huge!

Twins Blessing Day

2011-11-20T19:50:00.001-08:00

Left: Alyssa, Right: Lydia

~So the girls were blessed two weeks ago today... yeah, I know, I'm a little behind, but I have a pretty good reason (or two). Jacob was really nervous, but he did a great job! A Great Big Thanks to all the family who showed up to support us, it means the world to us! So yeah... it's hard enough to get pictures on one baby let alone two very hungry babies...so we had to hurry!

~Here's Lydia... poor girl went through awful cradle cap all over her face and head, and lost most of her hair just before her blessing.... hence the giant flower headband. But she is one Beautiful Baby none the less!
~And here's Alyssa... and all her hair (which is still only about half the hair that Kaylie had). Such a cutie pie!

Left: Alyssa, Right: Lydia

~Gotta love my Beautiful Babies! They were both almost 6 weeks in these photos.... and my how those weeks flew by... but hey, time flies when you are having fun!

Random Post..... If you are struggling....

2011-11-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

Okay this is yet another random post.... but it is something that I have been feeling like I need to share for a while now.

Jacob and I have been living our life day to day... literally, and it has been a definite roller-coaster ride. A few months ago I was gripping about it to my brother and he sent me this wonderful link to a CES Fireside Talk by Elder Christofferson. In short, it is all about trusting the Lord... and if you are struggling in any way, especially financially, this is one of those talks that you just need to hear...and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take the time to listen to it!

"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

Here is the link: http://lds.org/media-library/video/ces-firesides?lang=eng&query=Our+Daily+Bread#2011-01-1000-give-us-this-day-our-daily-bread

I will be back in a few hours to post some pics of the twins... ;)

One Spooktacular Halloween

2011-11-04T14:08:00.001-07:00

This year Kaylie and Aaron were dinosaurs for Halloween. We would have done some family theme, Jacob and I were going to be Jurassic Park workers and the twins were going to be dinosaur hatch-lings, but we ran out of time. These costumes are awesome, my mom made them and I wore the pink one when I was Kaylie's age. The plus side is that they are big enough for coats underneath and they keep you nice and warm even in Idaho.

Kaylie striking a pose... like usual.

Aaron was impossible to get a good shot or two of, the darn kids won't hold still.

And we're off! The kids were sooo excited to go trick or treating... they've been talking about it for months.

Sugar high.... lasted for a few days until mom hid the candy and started to ration it out.

Pumpkin carving, basically last minute pumpkin carving that is... I kind of thought that Halloween was on Tuesday (the next day) until we visited family and they straightened me out... I don't know what the deal with my brain is.
Our spooky porch... I'm sorry my "Sorry we're DEAD" sign is the coolest. Plus you've gotta love the witch that our house landed on top of and Jacob had to throw his Gene Wilder head in to spook things up. All in all it was one super fun Halloween.

One Month Already!!!

2011-10-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Left Lydia, Right Alyssa

~My girls are one month old already! Where did that time go? It has gone by too fast! These girls have been really good babies, they are pretty good sleepers (knock on wood) and we have only had a few restless nights... thank goodness. As I have been super busy not only with these two but Aaron has decided he is ready to be potty trained (of course) and he is doing really well, but it sure makes for a lot of running around.

Can you tell the difference? They are almost completely different. The most obvious difference is that Lydia (the poor girl) has less hair and is losing it daily, which makes me want to cry. Alyssa however isn't losing hair at all so it looks like one bald twin and one twin with tons of hair.

They are getting so chubby! A little over a week ago Lydia was 6 lbs 1 oz while Alyssa was 6 lbs 5 oz. I think that Lydia is bigger than Alyssa now though, but we kind of expected that as she has longer feet.

Don't you love the outfits? my grandma and aunt got us a bunch of super cute outfits and that is what these girls have been living in for the last month. Can't thank everyone enough for the clothes, blankets and oh yes DIAPERS!!! I go through over 20 diapers everyday.
~This picture shows how bald my poor Lydia is getting, unfortunately she has a receding hair line and I like to laugh about it (as I have always wanted a bald baby, don't ask I just have), but when people comment about it I find myself getting very defensive... she is beautiful to me and I really don't compare her to Alyssa, and that is a hard part about twins I never expected... that is that people compare the two (understandable, as they are in fact twins) but I have found some people favoring Alyssa slightly (as she is more laid back, while Lydia is more dramatic), and that is a sure way to make mommy mad. Keep this in mind if you bump into twins, please watch what you say, twin moms are particularly sensitive.

~You've got to love Alyssa's face in this picture... she is my face puller, she is always making the funniest faces.

Kaylie holding Alyssa, which she doesn't get too do a whole lot of just because I am such a schedule Nazi, and you would be too if you had twins. If I keep them on the schedule they are on they are very easy to manage, but if I slip... that means an all nighter for mom and dad. So Kaylie will take every minute she can get with each baby, and she has been such a good helper, I dont' know how I could live without her.
Kaylie and Lydia. Lydia was a little cranky and wanted to eat, it wasn't quite time yet and Kaylie insisted on holding her. And some how my four year old got her to fall right to sleep in just a few minutes. Kaylie loves every minute of her two baby "st-is-sters".

Stop Praying for Patience!!!

2011-10-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

(Well Worth The Read)

~If you are anything like me, you have prayed for patience.... several times, only to discover that a prayer like that will only test your wits to no end, and before long you will find yourself pulling out your hair and screaming, "I didn't pray for things to get harder."

~A few months ago I was giving a lesson in Relief Society and the topic of patience came up and I mentioned how I have prayed for patience several times and the frustrating results to these prayers. Especially with Jacob, he is normally a very patient person, and it takes a lot for him to get frustrated. But with his eye condition he has become increasingly impatient and easily frustrated, as I can only imagine it must be extremely frustrating to ever so slowly lose your eye sight. Oddly, as I tell him to be patient, I grow more and more impatient with his impatience and then I pray for patience (for it only to get much worse) and thus the cycle goes. Then I found myself pregnant (with the twins), beyond exhausted, and super sick. As the pregnancy progressed everything got much, much harder and I found myself in the same boat as Jacob, getting very impatient and very frustrated with myself and him in turn getting impatient with me. I'd pray for patience and of course it just would get harder.

~After the lesson, a sweet sister came up to me and she told me to stop praying for patience and to start praying for charity, "because patience will always fail, while charity never fails". This sister would know as she has a son my age with down-syndrome and I can only imagine how her patience has been tried and tested.

~So I stopped praying for patience and started to pray for charity, and it has changed my life! It allows me to see things in a perspective that I could never see before while I was wasting all my efforts focusing on my impatience. Charity takes the focus off my failed attempt at patience, and centers it on the perspective of the person or situation that I am dealing with, and then ample compassion follows, which allows me to work through the situation with patience.

~It took that awful pregnancy for me to realize that the reason Jacob is so impatient is because he is becoming less and less dependent upon himself to see the world around him and more and more dependent on me and my vision, just as I became more and more dependent on him to help me throughout the pregnancy, and it is much easier for me to be of assistance, rather than escalate the problem by getting frustrated with him.

~Having charity is essential with twins! As any mother knows a newborn can be sooo frustrating especially at 2 am. Try having two! With charity I have more empathy and compassion with the twins and more resolve to help them solve their problems, and this brings a calmness which in turn calms the twins.... making life sooo much more do-able. Also charity reminds me that this too will pass, and exhaustion never killed anyone.

~I can't thank that sweet sister enough for her advice, and I just wanted to share it with others: if you are being challenged and your patience is being pushed to the absolute max... pray for charity, trust me somehow it just works!

Two Weeks of Crazy!!!

2011-10-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Left to Right: Lydia and Alyssa Two weeks old exactly!

~Okay so it has been a little more than two weeks... sorry I have a lot going on lately! Let me just start by saying I wish everyone could have twins! I'm serious, these sweeties are sooo much fun, and they have brought a lot of happiness to our home. I was really worried (along with Jacob) that I would really struggle with two babies, but I've definitely changed (thanks to all the trials we've had lately) and I've been completely calm rather than over the top anxious even when we are up all night. As I have learned the hard way that there are far worse things than a crying baby or two, and this will all be over very quickly, so I am just enjoying every single minute of these two!

Because I have been calm these two have been very good babies. They already have a semi-sort-of schedule going on which has been a huge blessing, fingers crossed that they stay this way!
My Brain is on vacation....seriously.... it is beginning to be a huge problem. This happened the other day... I was hurrying to get Aaron dressed and so I quickly pulled his pants up and left the room only to see him plop down to the floor in frustration, thought it was another two year old temper tantrum.... nope mom just somehow got both this guy's feet in one pant leg.

~The same day I stood in front of the fridge for 20 minutes looking for the lunch meat only to realize I was holding it. Then I mixed up dates and completely missed our kids photo shoot. But thank goodness the photographer was more than understanding. And the list goes on and on.

The craziness hasn't been the twins, but my two older kids. Both have been just awful. So needless to day there have been about 20 or more time outs a day. Here is Aaron mimicking Kaylie and all the hours she has spent with her nose in the corner.

And here's Kaylie spending time in her corner. She has started teasing Aaron to no end, and the screaming is horrible, not to mention she always has something to do with Aaron waking the babies. I know this is just their way of getting my attention, but good grief enough all ready.

Lydia Top, Alyssa bottom. Can you see the differences? I think that Lydia looks a lot like my brother and sister Steven and Chantell. She has lighter hair (the main difference) and Alyssa looks just like Kaylie when she was a baby. The guess is that they will both have blue eyes... but as far as whether or not they will look alike is yet to be seen.
Left Alyssa is screaming because she is getting eaten my Lydia.... too funny. These two will always make their way towards each other in the crib or on the floor and usually starting sucking on each other.
Left Lydia, and right Alyssa. I just can't get enough of these two! They have already gained about 1 lb a piece! They are getting so big so fast!

~Report on me: I am feeling great! As anyone would after getting just over 10 lbs of baby taken out of them. I am recovering very quickly and everything is looking perfect! I found out on Friday that I have lost 30 lbs! That is 30 lbs in 2 weeks, no exercise and eating like a horse! It is crazy!!! I gained 48 lbs with this pregnancy (I was determined to have healthy twins and so I made myself gain that much) so I still have 18 lbs to go, but after talking to other twin moms, I'm really not worried about it, seems like I will be back to myself in no time, because I am nursing and they consume at least 1,000 calories everyday.

The Twins are Here!!!

2011-10-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Before the C-Section, September 28th 5:00 am at 37 weeks and 4 days. This is officially as big as I got! I was so tired and so miserable, and nervous, didn't sleep the whole night, don't know who could the night before your scheduled C-Section.

We had to be at the Hospital at 5:30 am to be prepped for the C-Section. Which wasn't bad at all by the way. After the few complications, with them not gaining enough weight, and them both being breech. And after some of the awful contractions I realized that Lydia (Baby B) was getting the worst of it, as her poor head was up in my rib-cage and taking the brunt of the contractions, so after knowing for a week about the procedure I started to like the idea much more.

Surgery was so fast! I had a Spinal-Tap which was much better than the Epidural, as it took on much faster and wore off a lot faster too. The whole thing was over in about 30-45 minutes. Jacob watched the whole thing, and found it fascinating. It was just as (if not more due to two) awesome and spiritual as any delivery! And of course the surgery wasn't completed without the topic turning to cars... story of my life.
I mixed the pics up, and would fix it but I have two babies crying at me right now.... this is Baby B (born at 7:59 am) or Lydia Jo, she was 4 lb 13 oz. And she screamed (in a very high pitch might I add) from the minute they pulled her out and all while I was getting sewn up.
Here is the Baby A (first Baby) Alyssa Jo, (born at 7:57 am) she weighed 5 lbs 5 oz. She didn't cry she was just gurgling, because she swallowed some amniotic fluid. They held her up over curtain she had both fists under her cheeks and was just looking at me contently with her eyes wide open. Alyssa had to spend a few hours in the NICU with oxygen on and she had a few x-rays of her chest to make sure she was okay. Thankfully she was alright!
Kaylie and Lydia Jo. Kaylie was in Heaven! Her face says it all! So we gave them both the middle name Jo because they were born on my mom's Birthday. (My mom's name is Jodi). And "Jo" means sweetheart. So we found it fitting. We debated for a few days because we didn't want it to be weird that we gave them same middle names. Kaylie's middle name is Jane because she was born on Jacob's mom's Birthday and her middle name is Jane. (P.S. Aaron was born on my sister's Birthday too.)
From Left to Right: Alyssa, Aaron, Kaylie and Lydia, I just love how Aaron was so fascinated with how tiny the babies are.

2011-10-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Aaron and Lydia, I was surprised how happy he was to see his little sisters, he couldn't hold either one enough!
All FOUR of my kids.... so crazy, I'm not old enough to have four kids already!
Aaron couldn't help but kiss his sweet sisters, here he is kissing Alyssa.
When we first had these two we thought they looked completely different. But as the day went on they started to look more alike. We can tell very easily who is who, but several family members think they are, while Jacob is confident they are not and I am still unsure. Alyssa is on the left, Lydia on the right.
The first night was rough until the nurses finally let us put them in the same bed, and then they slept much better. Lydia is on top and Alyssa is on the bottom.... too sweet!

Grateful

2011-09-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Found this quote a few weeks ago while wasting my valuable time on Pinterest (aka the biggest waste of time, but aww... so fun.) But has been on my mind ever since, especially as life has gotten more crazy by the minute.

A few days ago a lady from my parent's ward stopped me while shopping to ask me what was going on in me and Jacob's life... when I had to go into detail about everything that we have been through over the last 3 years it was very humbling, as the hardest thing is to reflect on all the trials that have been dumped on us. I found myself being somewhat ashamed to explain everything from the blindness, to job loss, to unemployment, to struggling to building a business, and then expecting twins, and on and on. We've had to repeatedly reflect on this a lot lately as we have moved (for the 6th time in our 5 1/2 years of marriage) and the reflecting is seriously the hardest part. But then some people will ask "How do you feel about all this happening to you?" I hate answering that question, and a part of me wants to say...."how would you feel?" or "how should I feel?" But the honest answer is.... It's hard, harder than you can image at times. But we have learned to take it just one day at a time, and to search out all the blessings we still have, and give thanks for them every night. Like I have mentioned before, trials aren't given to us to break us, ironically they are given to us to make us stronger, so trials are blessings.

I just felt like I needed to share this quote before life gets even crazier. Because you never know who needs to hear it. I know Thanksgiving is a couple months away, but we should always be grateful. Even if you're life is one giant hot mess like mine, it could always be worse. And we need to just be grateful to have survived life's challenges.

Running Out of Womb....And Time!

2011-09-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but I am already 36 weeks pregnant. 36 weeks has always been the time that I start having a few minor issues with my pregnancies. And this one isn't any different. My appointment last week revealed that both twins are breech (with their heads together right between my rib cage and directly under my sternum.) So whenever I have a contraction... they somehow get pushed up into my rib cage and..... ouch is all I have to say. They are so tight in there that there is most likely no way that they could turn.

The main problem is that both girls aren't gaining weight like they need to be and they're dropping pretty quick in percentages. About 1 month ago they were both 40% now they are in the 15% and 10%, which is pretty concerning and my Doctors are now saying that they will only let me go another week (at most) because these girls are literally running out of "womb" to move and grow. And of course I am still gaining weight. If it isn't too much to ask... please keep us in your prayers.

Come Thursday we should have a rough idea of when these two are coming....so ready or not here they come!

Jacob insisted that we take a shot from the front and back (which I refuse to post) just to show how narrow I still am. I went to Wal-mart last night and everyone kept staring at me, just kind of shocked with how much my stomach stuck out. The best was going to get ice cream because the girl at the counter literally gasped when I turned around and blurted out "when are you due?" And I said "any day with twins." and she said... "you don't even look pregnant from behind so I was quite shocked to see you turn around." I know that I must be pretty big because I am getting a lot of reactions like that lately... something that I am not use to at all.

And yes I feel just as miserable as I look in these photos, I have had horrible allergies, and my pelvis hurts so bad I can barely walk. And my stomach is so stretched out that it is literally numb to the touch. So I am physically more than ready to be done, but I'm not sure I'd ever be completely ready for these twins.

Aaron's Two!!!

2011-08-15T15:03:00.001-07:00

So my little man turned two on Friday, and I can't believe it! I really don't know what happened to the last two years...(okay life happened). It's hard to believe that he wasn't even two months old when Jacob was laid off, and that's when life got tough... okay really tough. So to make a long, sob story short... I feel like I was robbed of the precious time to enjoy this little guy's infancy... and now all the sudden he is two... why do they grow so fast? And is it just me?... it just seems to get faster with the second child (which I'm sure it will with the others too.)

A little about my little bubby!

Aaron loves 5 things in life...

~First and foremost food... he is my little garbage disposal he will literally eat any and everything, and if he doesn't get enough he will resort to the garbage (gross I know, but hopefully we've got it under control.)

~Second... he is overly obsessed with cars, he is his daddy's little man. He has learned a few makes and models already. He loves car shows and going for rides in daddy and "Papa Flamm's" cars. And he loves Lightning McQueen beyond description. This kid carries cars everywhere and he literally sleeps in a parking lot (in his crib) he likes to position the cars like they are in a car show.

~Third... he LOVES football! This kid watched his first ENTIRE SUPERBOWL when he was only 5 months old, and he got mad when the commercials came on. He likes to run around the house with his football and yell "hut-hut" and he loves to pass and get tackled by daddy.

~Fourth... Aaron has a thing for cute blondes... no matter the age, blonde hair seems to fascinate him. He does everything he can to get their attention and he lays it on thick when it comes to flirting.

~Fifth (and my personal favorite) he is a momma's boy. A friend once told me that she loved having boys because they are like having a little boyfriend, and it is totally true. Only mom can make him feel better, he can never get enough kisses and hugs from mom, and it makes my heart melt every time.
His Car's Birthday Cake... I have to give credit to my mom and sister... I had no time to make a cake but they stepped in to save the day!
He was a little intimidated about everyone singing to him... even though he had been singing Happy Birthday to himself all week.
The day after his Birthday we got to go see Cars 2... which he loved. And everything he got from family with the exception of one present was Cars related. This little boy loved his Birthday so much that he keeps telling us that his Birthday is coming up... too funny!

31 Weeks and Feel'n It!

2011-08-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yes... I know, it's been a while since I've posted... but we've had a ton going on, from a wedding, to moving, to work, to family visiting, to my grandparents coming home from their 5th mission. And all of the sudden, in the middle of it all I woke up yesterday to realize I'm already 31 weeks pregnant... what happened to the last 7 months?

I have to admit that I am starting to get very nervous and extremely uncomfortable, I've out grown all my maternity tops and had to get more. I've been going through baby girl clothes only to realize that I don't have anywhere near enough clothes. I worry about sizes... do I go with preemie, or newborn? Do I match or not match? There is still so much to do and I have only 7 weeks at least! (Remember twins are full-term at 38 weeks.) I still have to set up their room, get a car seat and double stroller, get a bigger car finish moving in and not to mention all the other million things I need to do.

How I'm feeling.... this is pretty much the only question I get asked anymore. I'm feeling about 10-11 months pregnant... that is how I'm feeling. My stomach hurts a lot just because of the weight (I have to wear a brace). My feet swell super easy, I'm beyond exhausted because the twins are moving constantly at night. Sometimes my stomach looks like a magic jumping bean... seriously. I can't hardly eat anymore because my stomach is in my esophagus, so if I get a glass of milk I'm doing good. And the heartburn is horrendous.

How are the twins?.... Great! Last ultra sound about 2 1/2 weeks ago they were both thriving, both are in the 40% (2 lb 11 oz and 2 lb 9 oz) and for my babies that is huge! Both have their own personalities, and are very flexible (one had the side of one of her feet up to her ear.) I got to see Baby A suck on her entire fist in an ultra sound... so cute! And both already have hair... of course, that explains the heartburn. Baby A... knock on wood... is still head down, which is a bonus.

Overall I don't think the reality of twins has really kicked in, and I don't think it really will until I have them. I just haven't had the luxury of thinking and planning twins... life has been way, way too busy. But that is probably a good thing... as the more I think about their arrival the more nervous I get! All I know is that it is in Heavenly Father's hands and I'm willing to go with that!

Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine

2011-07-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yep... we were just featured in Pregnancy in Newborn Magazine's July Issue!

There is our rose pillow! This was supposed to be featured in their May issue but got pushed to the July Issue, which is fine because we have been able to prepare for it a little bit.

Funny story behind this is that we weren't sure that we would be in this issue even though the editors told us we would be... so when I went in for my appointment a few weeks ago there it was in the July Issue on the table in my Doctor's Office. So of course Jacob asked them if we could keep it...so that was how we actually got a copy.
And I am SOOOO glad this photo wasn't in a Magazine. This is my shot at 26 weeks, and this is officially bigger than I have EVER BEEN and I still have another 12 weeks to go. (I will be induced at 38 weeks, because that is full-term for twins and my Doctor won't let me go over that at all...thank goodness.)

Both girls are in the 40th Percentile range... which is way higher than my kids have ever been.

Weight gain is right on track... I still will be shocked if I gain 50 lbs... because I literally can only take a few bites before being super full. I have heart burn like crazy... so I'm sure according to the old wives tales that these girls will have a ton of hair just like their big sister.

And check out my oh-s0-swollen-feet! It's been hot... in the 90's and of course no A/C (at least until we get in our new place...I can't wait). And the swelling doesn't help with all the hand stitching I have to do everyday. Oh well there are worse things!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-11T15:36:00.001-07:00

~Yes, it's a little late, but life is so busy lately. So here are some pictures of our Fourth of July Weekend. We went up with Jacob's family to a Cabin in Ashton, it was just nice to not have to deal with pillows for once in months. We only stayed one night and I learned from sleeping in the same room with my kids that they both sleep talk... which was pretty entertaining. I can't remember what Kaylie was saying but Aaron kept shouting out for Lightning McQueen and pleading for Mac to come back... I've decided that watching Cars at least once a day isn't the best thing for this kid.

~On Saturday we took a drive up to Horse Shoe Lake.... this ride I wouldn't recommend for any one pregnant... let alone with twins as it is all on dirt and rock roads. Above is a pic of Kaylie practicing her strut for Miss America in her "American Swimsuit" as she calls it.

~She was cracking me up because she kept calling the mosquitoes "Doritos" and she would say: "Mom, there are Doritos everywhere and they just won't leave me alone!"

Here is Aaron and Jacob on the canoe, I love how Aaron never shows any emotion when it comes to things like this he just acts super bored.

When family told me that there we no mosquitoes out on the lake... I jumped in a canoe to just get a break from being eaten alive. It was actually quite nice. While I was out Kaylie and her cousin Tayson decided to take a ride of their own in this small boat.

This was the view right out the front window of the cabin... I just love the Tetons!

At the parade, it was super busy and we learned last year that Kaylie doesn't have a fighting chance when it comes to getting candy with all the other kids around so Matthew (my youngest brother was her little buddy.) We got a ton of candy.

Aaron just sat on dad's lap until about halfway through the parade and then he decided to venture out a little. He is such a laid back kid.

Why it pays to be courteous...

2011-07-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I apologize... I've been thinking yet again...

~So over the past few weeks of being EXTREMELY BUSY (like we're talking 15 hour days of working... 6 months pregnant with twins, in 90 degree weather with no A/C) which is a good thing, but exhausting to say the least. Due to demand, we've fallen a little behind on orders, most of our customers have been more that understanding while others flip out because they haven't gotten their order in two days. I have received some of the meanest emails ever...and it never ceases to amaze me when it comes to the nerve of some people.

So let me share a few stories with you:

~So one lady emailed us just a couple days after her order (we currently have a 2-4 week wait on orders, and all our buyers are sent an email notifying them of the wait). Long story short, she was very upset that she had not received her pillows and it had only been a week. She proceeded to chew us out about ripping her off and taking her money... blah, blah, blah. So we wrote her back to ensure her that her pillows would be shipped the next day and they would make it to her before her "deadline" to pay her credit card. So I stayed up half the night to get her pillows made and shipped the next day, we also put her order ahead of dozens of other very patient people.

~We shipped it out, and it was headed to California along with 3 other California orders. Well 2 days later the other 3 orders made it to California while her package some how ended up in Tennessee! Don't ask me how it happened... sometimes things like this just happen.

~Any way the day of her "deadline" she wrote us another nasty email only for her pillows to show up two days late. By no fault of our own it took her order almost two weeks to get to her and I am starting to believe that it was simply because she was so rude about the whole thing. Of course when it arrived she never apologized to us, or thanked us or even cared to tell us she received it. However, for the people that are very understanding and polite... the packages always end up to them much sooner than expected on both ends....call it Karma.

~I always think it is funny that people will chew us out with the hope that we will instantly bend over backwards to make them happy...it's like ticking your waitress off... it's not too smart to offend the person handling your food. Whatever... such is the life of business.

Then to my second story:

~For the Fourth of July we went down to Idaho Falls for the Melaleuca Firework Show...and it was packed... they said that it was supposed to be the biggest show in the nation this year. It has always been a pain to get out of Idaho Falls after the show just because there are so many people in one area. So we rushed to our car, hopped in and tried to beat the crowds only to find ourselves bumper to bumper with thousands of cars and literally not moving for about a half hour. I remember a pickup cutting me off to get ahead of me, and then a little while later I allowed a car full of college girls in front of me, she then allowed another car full of college guys in front of her.

~Well after sitting there for a half hour and not moving, the guy two cars ahead of me got out and started talking to the cops about the best way to get out. Because he was super polite the cops told him to wait for a few minutes and then flip around and he could get out of the exit that was about to open up. And sure enough... just a few minutes later the exit opened up and all three of our vehicles were able to flip around and get right onto the highway and get out of gridlock. We got home just 40 minutes later around midnight while both my family and Jacob's family got home after 1:00 am.

~Your thoughts: "Nice story Krista".... but remember the pickup that cut me off... he was just three cars ahead of me and he was stuck in place, because he couldn't turn around. And I only got out because I let the college girls in front of me and she let one more car in front of her. It was all because I was polite just that once that I was able to get out sooner. It makes me wonder how many times being polite has paid off for me, or how many times my lack of kindness has come back to bite me and I just never even noticed it.

~This is just one of many stories that I have as examples of why it pays to be courteous. I feel like we live in a world where it is all too easy to be rude, especially with emails and text messages, it is so easy to forget that you are not the center of the universe and that what you say and do might hurt others. Just like the package that ended up in Tennessee for no reason at all... I believe that what goes around comes around. And I say this to Kaylie all the time: "If you don't want it done to you... don't do it to someone else". "If it would hurt your feelings to have someone say that to you...don't say it to them."

~Just put yourself in other people's shoes and treat others how you would like to be treated in every single circumstance... and you will find the world to be a much better place.

Dance Recital

2011-06-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Kaylie's Dance Recital and believe it or not this was the most calm part of our day yesterday! Why is it that everything that can go wrong, always has to happen at the worst possible time?

~Long story short....I got to bed late the night before (working of course). Then Aaron kept me up until 3 am. And Kaylie woke me up around 4 am complaining about the glow in the dark stars on her ceiling...she wanted me to turn them off. Well turns out the power went out and her night light went off and she really wanted me to turn it back on. The next morning the power was still out, and I got to have the wonderful experience of being the first person to report the outage... I never knew it could be such a pain to convince the power company that my power was really out. To make matters worse... it took them about 6 hours to get it back on after I had finally convinced them it was out. So... no work got done, and it was a huge rush when it came back on to shower, get ready and get Kaylie ready for her recital... all because I didn't want to rush her.... she just doesn't do well when being pushed.

~But all turned out just in time for her recital...and she sure looked cute...not to mention she loves getting her hair done and the makeup! This is why I love having a girl... to doll her up! And yes.... it is all her natural hair....(I was only asked a dozen times last night). She gets the curse from me!

~Started out so cute... which makes me so happy after a whole year of dance lessons and her cooperating only about 50% of the time.

~This was her favorite dance..."Locomotion" (Train dance) and so she was pretty excited to show off her skills....she's a definite ham.

Cute train part.

~All until....her tap shoe came untied....and then she spent the rest of the dance trying to tie it and dance at the same time (this happened a few times in rehearsals...and I just told her to keep on dancing and pretend it was tied). Everyone was laughing so hard....I'm just glad she didn't burst into tears about it (she usually would) but she was a super good sport and at least she took my advice and finished the dance. The poor girl next to her in the sweatshirt cried the whole time...so it didn't make me feel so bad. But after the recital several people came up to me and told me how cute it was that she was trying to tie her shoe.

~Award time! She did her best for a balloon, cardboard crown and a laffy taffy. Hey whatever keeps them motivated!

~Cheesy Girl! I'm so proud of her...and I can't believe she is getting so big so fast!

To "C" or not to "C"

2011-06-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

Another Deep Perspective from a super pregnant woman... and worth the read again!

~One of the first and lingering possibilities of this pregnancy that I can't seem to get away from is the horrible, the awful, the unimaginable lingering possibility of (huh.....do I dare say it???) it's the "C" word, that horrible word that many pregnant women dread...a C-Section.

(Insert Scream Here). j/k ;)

~Yes, there is the 50% chance (if not, much higher % chance) that I could have a C-Section. Do I want a C-Section....I'd prefer to pass, but if Baby A (closest baby to the birth canal) isn't head down.... or if something goes wrong and one or both babies or even my own health is in danger, I may have no choice but to have a C-Section. This is something that immediately terrified me once I found out we were expecting twins...."please, no....not a C-Section!!!!" But it didn't take long for me to realize that like most things in my life I HAVE NO CONTROL over this pending situation, I just have to sit, wait and pray that I get these two girls here safe and sound...and if a C-Section is required to do so.... so be it....personally I am so grateful that there is even another option... just in case.

~I love all the well meaning friends, family and strangers that throw their input in on this "C" word matter. They all feel inclined to share their opinions. Unfortunately, most are extremely negative. I am so tired of the horror stories about C-Sections. As if scaring me enough will prevent me from having to have a C-Section.

~Then they have to stress to me on every level how and why I can't have a C-section. "Tell your Doctor, that you just WILL NOT have a C-section." "Find a Doctor, that whatever happens, will not let it result in a C-section." And the list continues. When I try to give them a little more perspective on what all the possibilities of a C-Section with twins are... like for instance that it is humanly impossible to deliver a baby back first, and that you may be able to flip a breech baby around before delivery (I was breech and was flipped) but you can't flip a baby when there are two... they look at me like I am about to jump off a cliff... and repeat to me again all the reasons I can't have a C-Section (as if I didn't hear them the first time). I usually let the conversation die at that point...just because it's not worth the fight. But I have wondered if these people will look at me as some sort of failure in the case that I do have a C-Section. Will they look down on me? Will they feel like I have given into the dark side? Will I be kicked out the Vaginal Delivery Club??? (Sorry...I had to throw that last one in there). ;)

As I have reflected on this pending situation... it comes right down to one thing...another "C" word...."Control".

~I am a self-diagnosed control freak...I love to plan EVERYTHING! I love to control EVERYTHING!!! And like everything else in my life...I would love to control whether or not I have a C-Section....but it is not for me to control. Heavenly Father has taught me this lesson very clearly over the past few years...I am not in control! If I was, my husband would not be going blind, he would not be out of a job, I would have all our student loans paid off, Oprah would buy my business and give me 10% royalties for the rest of my life, I would be living in my dream house. I would have had a personal trainer well before this pregnancy. I will have a flawless pregnancy, perfect delivery and two beautiful, healthy girls that sleep on command and spend the rest of their time laughing and being perfectly pleasant.

Reality Check....HOW BORING WOULD THAT BE???

~It would be so boring... life would be so pointless...to have nothing to do but live the life you expected. Imagine reading a book or watching a movie, where you knew everything that would happen next. Imagine there is no conflict, struggle or problems in this book/movie... my bet is that after the first 10 pages/minutes you would stop reading/watching it because there would be no plot. Hence the reason my second "C" word "Control", it is so over rated.

~Now to finish....I will introduce my third "C" word...(okay so it doesn't start with a "C" but stick with me here) It is "Seeing". Some people say "Seeing is believing." That may be true in many instances but I have found the opposite to be more true..."Believing is Seeing". What??? Another beautiful lesson that Heavenly Father has taught me is to Believe and then I will See things from His perspective. And this is hard....very hard. I was prompted to start my little shop, so I did, I just believed that it was what Heavenly Father wanted me to do....why? I didn't know at the time, but I am starting to see it now (a year a half later). I started my shop with $38, and I had no idea at the time that I had created an income and career for my husband and myself now. Even though it would have been nice to see that my investment (which was quite the sacrifice at the time) would result in an answer to our prayers, I'm grateful for all the stress, sweat, tears and prayers that it took in order for me to "See". I learned from this experience how important it is to Believe first and then you will See! I learned that Heavenly Father sees everything....and will only help us to see if we just trust him enough to give up our useless urge to "Control" and just Believe.

~My whole shop could die tomorrow, and we could go bankrupt. But I'm so glad I can't see that...because I Believe that Heavenly Father gave us these situations to teach us how to Believe and eventually how to See! And for the first time in my life I can really See what seeing is all about!

~So to see or not to see, to control or not to control, to have a C-Section or not to have a C-Section...they are all in one odd way the same. And I choose to Believe that whatever Heavenly Father gives me is the best for me. So despite any drama, or suspense I am Believing that the kind of a book or movie my life will end up being, is worth well worth Seeing!

Half Way There and we are Expecting???

2011-06-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

~Oh how I hate this picture...and any pictures of my pregger self...but this was me at 20 weeks exactly (I'm even bigger now...just a week later). And yes I am super tired, between working all day long...(12 hours or more a day) and these two...keeping me up all night....as soon as mom lays down it's a party in her tummy!

~I've been eating 5 meals a day and I was so happy to learn that I have gained 15 pounds! Yay! I was suppose to hit 20 by now...but hey for all the weight I lost in the first few VERY sick months...I'm pretty proud of myself! My goal is two healthy babies!

~Our Ultrasound showed there are still two very healthy...and active babies! Which is a huge relief for mom and dad....I always get nervous for prenatal check ups...but with twins...it is twice as bad...as there is so much that can go wrong...so it is such a blessing to be healthy this far!

~And now the moment we've all been waiting for....genders! Kaylie has insisted even before the pregnancy that I would have a baby boy and girl at the same time...and our 16 week Ultrasound showed that Baby A might be a boy but we couldn't tell with Baby B due to the cord being in the way... so I was sure that Kaylie was right.

Baby A is??? ........... A GIRL!!!!

This little stinker had her fist down between her legs, so for the first part of the appointment I still thought it was a boy... then she moved her hand to prove she fooled us the first time!

Baby B is??? ......... A GIRL!!!!

~Kaylie was wrong! But she was super excited to hear she gets TWO baby sisters... and I guess that is what happens when you've got a 3 yr old praying day and night for a baby sister....you get two...whether mom and dad are trying to have a baby or not! This one took forever to get a shot of her profile (she was moving all over the place)...and here she is pushing her face up to the lining between the two sacs...I guess she's trying to get a look at her sister.

~I was a little sad that it wasn't a boy and a girl...as I had my heart set on it, but we were excited to hear that there is a small possibility that these two could be identical... depending on if they were originally one egg and split super early in the developing process....so I guess we will see!

Bear World

2011-06-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Life has been super busy (especially this last week with the People Magazine promotion....it's been CRAZY!!!) But with family up for the weekend we decided to spend the afternoon at Bear World....it's literally a 10 minute drive from us, and we've never been there, but it was well worth the afternoon off, to spend time with family and our kids. Here we are in front of what I nicknamed the "Oprah Bear" no offense to Oprah...it just really looks her.

Kaylie striking a pose for the camera with a Bear Mask on! She's such a ham!

These are Triplet Baby Bears....(I'm fasinated with multiples right now).

Cute Story Here in this picture above:

This lil guy came up the the electric fence (as you see in the picture) and started to bite it...and it shocked him. You could hear the shock and see a spark, and this picture was right after he got shocked. He sat back on his bum, put his head down and literally sobbed! We sat and watched his shrugs and cries for a few minutes...I wanted to pick him up and give the poor lil guy a hug!

I think he felt my sympathy for him...I was about to cry for him. These triplets were so cute...I wanted to take one home even though they are a little bigger than Aaron.

This Picture only took about 20 tries...just to get Aaron to look through the hole.

Aaron, being true to his hunky self was taking time to hit on a cute lil girl about his age...

Taking his shades off to get a better look at this cutie... he is such a ladies man!

Cute lil fawn....we called him Bambi! He was so tiny!

Yes, they have rides....and this one being a car ride was a hit for Aaron.... he waited forever to ride it and of course we had to ride it at least 3 times. I can't tell you how much this lil boy loves cars, and this ride made his day!

Kaylie is such a dare devil, her cousin Brynnlee (to the left of Kaylie)was amazed at how gutsy she was.

We got to drive through the park twice, and the second time was much better. The first time was lame...as all the bears and animals were asleep. But the second time was great because the park was about to close all the bears were out waiting to be fed. This Black Bear was taking an afternoon swim and it was super fun to watch him play with and try to float on this log.

And there were tons of them....we counted at least 30 bears!

Here are a few wolves...such pretty animals!

And yes...for all those of you who have always wondered...Bear World does kind of have a "Jurassic Park" feel to it, with all the gates and electric fences. Well worth the stop especially if you miss any animals in Yellowstone!

My Pillow is in PEOPLE Magazine!!!!

2011-05-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

Uh-huh!!! Sorry... I'm entitled to Bragging Rights! Yeah...that's right! My Big Grey Bow Pillow was featured in People Magazine...and hit shelves today! It was recommended by Lauren Conrad!

Sorry it isn't the greatest picture...but hey it's kinda the focal point of the page! I still can't believe something I designed made it in such a huge publication!
See it for yourself in the June 6, 2011 Issue, or the "Kim's Engaged!" Issue!

~So there is a story behind this pillow....

Two weeks ago an editor from people magazine contacted us and asked if we would overnight one of these pillows to her, as a celebrity she just interviewed recommended my pillow...no problem, right! So first thing the next morning we expressed it and it was guaranteed to get to NY by noon the next day, Friday....and it didn't!!!! We were so mad! The next day was Saturday and so the Post Office tried to deliver it and no one was there to receive it. The editor was great about the whole thing...but the darn Post Office was in no rush to get it there despite our calls....it was the last thing they delivered on Monday....we were so ticked...but at least it made it, late of course. And sure enough there it is in people on page 90! And yes....you better believe we got our money back!

We are now anticipating our feature in Pregnancy and Newborn in July's Issue!

My Lil' Stinker

2011-05-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

~Aaron has had this phobia of our stairs for a little over a year now.... he's been able to go up and down stairs no problem for a while but not our stairs. Reason being that we used to use chairs to block the stairs. Several months ago, he was trying to get past the chairs and pushed one down the stairs....it made such a loud sound that it scared him to death...and he avoided our stairs forever, so we no longer need to use the chairs...it was quite nice...he wouldn't even get close to them.

~Well like all good things, that fear of our stairs died the minute I was headed to the store without him....he instantly overcame his fear and it's been horrible ever since. We tried chairs again...why? Because we move so much that a gate is just one more thing to move. Well the chairs didn't work...of course. And he's also learned how to open doors (Kaylie didn't learn until she was almost 3)...one day he let himself outside twice...which is scary considering he loves cars...both stationary and moving ones. And even though I'm only in my 2nd trimester... I'm twice as exhausted, and twice as out of breath going up and down the stairs alone, so going down and then carrying Aaron up two flights of stairs gets old real fast. So we invested in a gate (a cheap one of course....as Wal-mart doesn't really offer quality.)

Day One with the Gate....

Kaylie tried to take it off to help herself down the stairs....Aaron being her shadow, was right there to help.... and within 30 seconds....Aaron rode the gate down the stairs...he thought it was a blast (yeah...a not so safe blast).

Day Two with the Gate....

Aaron loves to go downstairs because that is where daddy works, and daddy has all kinds of goodies down there that are off-limits. So during a very short bathroom break, my genius of a 21 month old... did this (pictured above) to the cheap gate.

We just can't win....turns out he threw one of his toys over the gate so he had an excuse.... my kids think they are so smart.
~At least he came back up by himself... he would have been in a lot more trouble if I had to go down and get him.

~Also yesterday afternoon, I went in to get him out of his crib from his nap and just as I got into the doorway I watched him tumble head first to the floor from his crib... I tried to run and catch him... but was too slow. It about made my heart stop...but of course he shook it off after a good cry.

~Needless to say, I'm starting to get a little worried about keeping him in check with this pregnancy and then even worse with twins. Oh how fun!

Much Needed Make Over!

2011-05-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

Just taking a moment to brag about my wonderful new blog makeover! It's been long overdue!

Don't 'cha love it???

~I just got extremely tired of surfing the free blogger background sites for backgrounds that millions of other people have...and then having the try twenty-five times to get the codes in just right so it will actually show up, and then having to change my font colors and everything else every time too...too much work if you ask me, so I contacted my friend Kassie, who redid my BedBuggs Boutique Blog and my Etsy Shop... and she came up with something fabulous yet again!

~Check out her site for prices and tons of samples of all her beautiful work...she does so much more than blogs! Designs By Kassie

HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER!!!

Thanks Again Kassie! ;)

"I'm glad it's you...not me."

2011-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

THIS IS WORTH READING...DON'T LET THE LENGTH SCARE YOU!!!

Being pregnant is just one of those times that you expect people to comment, say congrats or even give advice. But there is definitely something different about being pregger with twins...people just feel the urge to say something....some are super excited well wishers, some have loads of questions, others express shock, and some are just brutally honest. It's only been a few weeks since we've started telling people we were expecting twins and already some of the 'honest' comments are starting to rub me the wrong way. Truth be told...sometimes honesty is not always the best policy. I understand that the truly honest may be pure in their intentions...but let's think about it for just a minute before we start speaking.

-I never expected to get pregnant (not for another year or so, at least) and I definitely never expected to be pregnant with twins.... but it happened. At first I was really anxious about it, and then as the idea settled in I started to get excited about the whole idea. And considering all that my little family has been through....it was nice to have a pleasant surprise for once. However, when the 'honest' comment: "I'm glad that it's you...not me." comes up a few dozen times...it gets a little old. Umm....what am I suppose to say to that??? Are you implying that you aren't excited or happy for me? Are you making the blunt suggestion that you like the idea that I have to suffer and not you? Are you saying that expecting twins is some sort of misfortune that you are happy to avoid? If that is the case...why didn't you say that to me when you found out about Jacob's eye diagnosis, or our job loss? ....I'm sure that many people thought that with all our misfortunes.

(Not trying to be rude here....just making a point so stick with me.)

-I will be the first to admit that unfortunately the thought "I'm glad it's not me" has crossed my mind when I think about people having twins, or those who are experiencing some sort of trial....but I would never in my right mind say it....just because of what it implies. Twins are not a burden....they are a blessing! Sure the morning sickness is twice as bad, the weight gain, back pain, swelling and risks are doubled. Trust me...I know that there will be plenty of super busy days, sleepless nights, stress and tears once they get here.... but such are all of life's blessings...and mine just happen to be doubled!

-Even though this comment gets under my skin, it has lead me to do a lot of reflection....again I understand that the people saying this are just being honest....but humor me while I be honest. -

-When we found out about Jacob's eyesight I never once said or thought...."I'm glad it's you...not me." As a matter of fact I wished it was me....WHY??? For starters it breaks my heart to watch someone I love so much go through this and there is nothing I can do for him...but on the flip side....if we switched places and I was the one going blind it would be just as heart breaking for him to watch me go through. Which is worse the worrying or the suffering? Truth be told.... both are bad, but the best part is that we have each other to help each other get through it, and we all know that that which does not kill us only makes us stronger. So Jacob and I will only be blessed through our trials....so why not look at it as a blessing to begin with? Trials are heart wrenching... and there are many that trials I honestly hope I will never have to endure.... but I hope I never catch myself saying or even thinking...."I'm glad it's you... not me." No one wishes trials on anyone...and if you do...you have some serious things to think about.

-Just like trials, babies are some of Heaven's greatest gifts...and sometimes they come in bulk.

... So to the next 'honest' person who says.... "I'm glad it's you... not me." I'm so glad it's me too.... it is such a huge compliment that Heavenly Father would entrust me with two blessings at the same time!"

TWINS!!!!

2011-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

So...yeah....nothing can prepare you to see this on an ultrasound...seriously! This ultrasound was taken over a month ago and we have been in shock ever since. I thought the Doctor was pulling some sort of April Fool's Joke...but nope....no joke, this is for real....TWINS!!!!

We were surprised by the pregnancy alone...but blessings come when you least expect them. Just a couple days after finding out I was expecting I started getting sick...really sick. I couldn't believe that I was just a few weeks along and throwing up all the time. I told Jacob that my pregnancies must get worse with each one. A few weeks later I was beyond tired, and could barely pull myself out of bed. Because it was a surprise pregnancy it took a couple months to get insurance figured out...and man am I glad we did!

At 12 weeks we finally got into the Doctor and he decided to do an ultrasound and low and behold two heads! Jacob and I were shocked and speechless...but Aaron looked up at the screen and let out a low "ROAR"...it was hilarious!

We are pretty sure they are fraternal twins, so that means they can be boy/boy, girl/girl or boy/ girl.
I like to keep my pregnancies a secret until about 20 weeks...but about 2 weeks ago my tummy popped out and there ain't no hiding it anymore! So we had to break the news. Even though I am 17 weeks in this picture...I feel more like I am about 6 months pregnant...I'm already having a hard time breathing and sleeping...I feel like this is going to be one long pregnancy!

Funny story: Kaylie has been asking me for a baby sister for about a year, and then a few months before I got pregnant she told me that I was going to have two babies at the same time a boy and a girl....so I guess we will see how accurate this little four year old is. As you can see in the photo....she is ecstatic about mommy having two babies! She keeps asking me every morning about the babies.

My grandma (dad's mom) had twins and so naturally she was one of the first people I contacted and she told me that on her side alone there are 13 sets of twins! There are also twins on my mom's side...so I guess we had it coming!

Even though I hate posting pictures of myself this is definitely one pregnancy that I will keep track of photo wise. I haven't gotten very big in the past...so I guess we will see just how big I get...I am suppose to gain 50lbs...and so I am eating around the clock.

Easter 2011!!!

2011-04-30T16:36:00.001-07:00

Aren't you proud of me...I actually posted in the same month as the event....hooray for me! J/K! Here is just a little taste of our Easter this year. We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to the annual city Easter Egg Hunt...last year we woke up to a foot of snow in our driveway and a huge blizzard....typical Idaho weather. This year, however, the sun was out...but it was freezing!
This is about the best picture I can get of my kids together....Kaylie is super posy, while Aaron couldn't care less about pictures. This was after the hunt, and they both did surprisingly well, considering how many kids showed up. (And it is usually the parents who pick up the eggs...not the kids which is so annoying...oh well.)
After the hunt, we went to the grocery store to meet the Easter Bunny....Aaron was less than impressed. He burst into tears the minute we handed him to the Easter Bunny...
So being the mean mom that I am....I couldn't help but take several pictures of my crying child...at least he is a man about it...he did his best to hide his tears from the creepy, extra large bunny holding him.

After the pictures, we stayed at the grocery store and did their hunt...which was a joke...again due to all the parents doing the work....and it felt more like a major fire code violation...and I was terrified of my kids or myself getting trampled....I'm pretty sure we won't be doing this one next year.

We did come home and dyed eggs...but the kids were so exhausted that my mom and I ended up doing all the work....so no need to take pictures. And being the super forgetful mom I am these days....I forgot to take pictures of the kids on Sunday in their Easter Sunday clothes...maybe in a future post....then again, maybe next year! ;)

On a Lighter Note...

2011-04-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've posted and a positive post has been long overdue for a while now. I've also decided that I need to post more often, even though I'm not sure anyone reads my blog anymore.

So as the weather FINALLY gets warmer, the classic cars tend to come out. Even though it always seems like the minute Jacob pulls his car out....it starts to rain, but hey it does it every year.

I'm not sure who loves the cars more....Jacob or the kids. They will all spend hours outside doing just this....sitting in the car in the driveway.

Forget waiting another 14 1/2 years to drive...Aaron's got this car under control.
The hardest part...is getting the kids back inside.

Aaron's Naughty Streak!!!

So Aaron is only 20 months old but he is hitting the terrible twos hard core. Funny thing is we really almost named him Calvin, but we didn't because of Calvin and Hobbs, we just didn't want to jinx ourselves. Turns out names just don't matter.

Here are Aaron's more recent Top 3 Naughties....(sure many more are to come...just hope they don't top these).

Naughty #3

Mom turns her back for 2 minutes and Aaron ate our SD Card

Yes....he ate it (no worries mom got all the pieces out of his mouth before he swallowed.)

Naughty #2

New Rule...Aaron isn't allowed in his room unattended because he got into the dirty diapers

and opened them and spread the evidence all over his furniture.

Naughty #1

Kaylie was up all night throwing up, and so mom was up too.

Kaylie woke up and left a bowl of vomit on her bed....forgetting to tell mom about it.

Aaron got into Kaylie's room, climbed on the bed, and put the vomit bowl (and all contents) on his head, and danced around in front of Kaylie's mirror....and he sure thought it was hilarious NOPE not so much...it was a HUGE Mess!

Gotta Love Toddlers!

Cone Dystrophy

2011-02-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

Okay...this post is long overdue...but it needs to be posted. It's gotten to the point where all friends and family need to know and understand a little bit about Cone Dystrophy.

Two and a half years ago, in the middle of finals at CCMS, Jacob went to see an eye doctor to up his prescription and the doctor noticed that something was going on with his vision. He had horrible vision for a 29 year old. So the Dr sent him to a specialist, who sent him through numerous tests and after weeks of getting wires put in his eyes, electric scanning and other nasty tests Jacob was diagnosed with Cone Dystrophy. The diagnosis was awful to say the least, as little is know about it, and there is basically no treatment. And the Dr told us to stop having kids and be sure to get Kaylie tested....well we had Aaron anyway....and life goes on.

So the reason we are coming out about this, is that it appears to be getting worse...and it is only a matter of time before Jacob will have to pass up his driving privileges, which is devastating to say the least....especially because he is such a huge car fanatic.

Here is a little run down of the disease:

Cone dystrophy is inherited....meaning our kids are at risk, Jacob's siblings and their kids are at risk too.

Symptoms of cone dystrophy are: vision loss, the onset can be anywhere from teens-sixties. Sensitivity to bright light, and poor color vision. Jacob sees the best at dusk, or on overcast days, and he has to wear special sunglasses for watching TV and working on the computer, and just being outside or in bright lights. Also he has to wear a second shade on his sunglasses so he can drive.

Vision usually deteriorates slowly but it can get as bad as 20/200 rapidly in some cases.

It is a type of macular degeneration, which is usually an age related disease (he has the eye sight of a 70 yr old.) It is located on the back/ inside of the eye....so no laser surgery or any surgery for that matter will help.

The only thing that looks promising is gene therapy (inject genes into the eye)....but cone dystrophy has yet to be explored . Right now, we are just trying to get him to his eye Dr regularly, and we stay on top of vitamins and herbs....and we are constantly looking into alternative treatments.

So...just so everyone knows....if you see Jacob and he seems to be ignoring you...he isn't, he just can't see you, and he is very self conscious about this. He would like you to just walk up to him and talk to him...and if he can look at you long enough he should be able to figure out who you are.

This picture is basically what he sees (I'm not sure his is this bad)....but of course it varies from day to day and in different lights he can see much better:

It's humbling to tell everyone about this...just because we don't want anyone to worry about us. I will be honest and say that this is a huge struggle for both of us, but what can we do?

This whole eye thing further complicates our whole unemployed situation...as we always thought we would just go to another mortuary or open our own after getting laid off, but as his vision deteriorates it's obvious that it is a field that we probably will have to abandon (as it requires a lot of driving.)

We're still trying to build a couple businesses, between mine ( www.bedbuggs.etsy.com ) and his website ( http://bad-a-body.com/ ), and he is helping my dad build his business. If all else fails, we may end up going back to school.

Un-employment is long gone....and we are literally living off of faith...day by day. A lot of people question me as to why I just haven't gone back to school and gotten a job, well....I know that I am supposed to raise my kids....that means being at home with them. And with my shop we've been able to barely pay bills and keep me home. So our prayers our answered in that aspect! I want to thank everyone who has kept us in their prayers...we can defiantly feel them...and if it is alright, I would like to ask that you keep praying for us over the next few months...while life plays out. We are still living in my grandparent's home while they are on a mission, but as time gets closer to them coming home (August)...the future becomes much more uncertain...and naturally, my anxiety gets a lot worse.

Other than that we are okay...yes we are struggling....but we are surviving. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways...and this one is certainly still a mystery, but the lessons that I have learned over the course of the last two years are priceless, and I wouldn't trade them for the world....nor would I wish the experience and process of learning them on anyone.

I will try to do better about keeping everyone posted on what is going on! Thanks Again for all your love and support...you have no idea how much it means to us!

Car Wreck!!!

2010-12-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

I know...it has been forever since I've posted...most of that can be attributed to being super busy with my Etsy Shop....which has been a significant blessing, but a lot of work. Up until today I've been working 12-16 hours a day! (only wish I was exaggerating)

Life is crazy as is....but just as I thought it was finally time to relax....but we had to have a car accident. I've never been in one before...but of course the one time in our life when it would be just horrible to have a car wreck....yeah it happened!

So Sunday we went up to visit Jacob's family (we hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving...so it was time). We tried to head back as early as possible as we knew that a storm was coming in. We left his parents house at about 7:30 pm and it took us about 30-40 minutes to make it to Rexburg (usually a 10-15 minute trip). We were going 45 mph on the highway due to slush and rain/snowy conditions. We pulled off on the North Rexburg exit and started our normal journey into town. We noticed the pickup infront of us was going really slow...and we understood we were going about 30 mph in a 50 mph zone. As we got closer to the pickup I realized that they were stopped but their brake lights weren't on. I yelled at Jacob to stop and he was already braking and then we slid (with 6 inches of slush on the road....it's hard not to)....it didn't take long to realize that we weren't going to stop in time. Jacob started to steer to the right of the pickup hoping that we would miss (I'm sooo glad he was driving because I would have steered to the left...as I was sooo worried about the canal ditch on the right side of the road.)

Well we barely tapped the pickup's back right bumper and felt the crunch of our fender and that was just enough to knock our sliding car right into the ditch. We rolled onto the passenger side of the car and it was quite the roll and drop as the canal was just as deep as our car is tall. I was super tense (Jacob says I was screaming at him....but I honestly don't remember, I just remember freaking out about the kids) I was pushing with my right arm against my door and pushing my right foot down as hard as I could (as if I was slamming on the brake) I really didn't want to roll into the ditch because I was afraid that there might be some water in it.

When the car finally stopped...Jacob turned off the engine (it was revving like mad) and he tried to open his door (as it was the top of the car now). It wouldn't open so he put the key back in and got the window down. Kaylie was in her booster behind the driver seat and she was just hanging there she had the upper strap on which she never does but ironically did this time. Aaron was on my side of the car and he had been asleep until we landed and he was just looking around like "why am I sideways?" Jacob helped me get out of my seat and he climbed in the back to get the kids. We passed both our kids out of the window to some guys that were helping us (it was a horrible, helpless feeling and I hope no one ever has to do this). I got out after the kids and picked Aaron up out of the snow that was up to the poor kid's knees....(he had no idea what was happening). Jacob got out of the car and then I could finally breathe. Then the paramedics pulled up and so did the fire department and police. They closed down the road and it was a mess. I can't explain the panic to you....but it was there. We are all fine...with the exception of myself, I couldn't feel it at the time but I had whip lash and had to go to the ER for x-rays and all that fun stuff. I'm a little sore...but just happy that it ended the way it did, as it could have been so much worse.

Our car shouldn't be totaled, oddly enough the only damage was the crashed drivers side fender and headlight and the car has no damage from landing on the side other than a broken mirror. The truck we hit only had a piece of their tail light broken and that was it! Moral of the story...always wear your seat belts! Don't panic.... Insurance is not a waste! And Never say Never.... unfortunately it can happen to anyone!

I hope to get some pictures up soon!

Halloween 2010!

2010-11-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

We were the Wizard of Oz for Halloween. Jacob was The Wizard of Oz (his costume happened literally about 5 minutes before trick or treating.) I was Glinda the Good Witch (even though every little girl that saw me thought I was a "beautiful princess". Aaron was the Cowardly Lion...I think the more appropriate word for him would be "Board to Tears Lion". He got sick of trick or treating and being dressed up pretty quick.

And Kaylie was Dorthy...and she loved every minute of this Halloween...she really thought we were the most awesome family on the block!

~Trick or Treating was Perfect....yes perfect in Rexburg!!! We didn't need coats...it's a first!
Aaron and his Aunt! ~In case you were wondering....no I did not make the costumes (Jacob made his). But other than that we got all the costumes on Ebay and Etsy for a steal! And I've been so busy I wouldn't have had the time to even think about making costumes!
The beginning of Kaylie's week long sugar high.....oh joy.....
Super Girl and Dorthy...aka....Brynnlee and Kaylie posing for the camera.
The Whole Clan on Halloween Night! What Fun!!!

SURPRISE!!!!! David's Home!!!!

2010-10-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

Yay!!!! David came home on Tuesday and we drove all the way to Utah to pick him up (and back in the same day....don't recommend it for two small kids...just in case you were wondering)

And so here's our funny story....we get to the airport about a half hour before his flight comes in and we have this whole skit planned out (Saturday Night Live Skit:"Surprise: I'm so Freakin' Excited Surprise Party). If you haven't seen it I've included the link for you to watch it.

~So anyhow...we follow my dad to the economy parking....in the middle of nowhere so we have to wait for the shuttle to get to the airport itself. And then the shuttle driver made several stops including to pick up a new driver which was fun.

So by the time we get in the airport to meet David is coming down the escalator already...problem because we had to put on ugly sweaters to preform our skit (it was 95 degrees outside) and the whole baggage claim area was covered with other families waiting for their missionaries. (aproximately 40-50 people there at least).

I hurry and throw my sweater on and then I realize that my family isn't going to get their's on in time and they aren't really doing anything....and poor David has this look on his face like "they're late (typical Fluckiger Style) So I ran like an idiot between a random family standing there with balloons and and posters and I yell....."SURPRISE.......I'm just so freakin' excited". And yes I made a HUGE scene and everyone was looking at me some laughing but most were concerned or confused.

David got it right away...and was laughing his head off. The reason we chose this skit is it was his favorite SNL skit before he left on his mission, and he wrote about it in several letters.

We're just so freakin excited to see each other.
Still making a huge scene....I was laughing so hard I was crying....it was pretty fun!

So here's the link....http://www.hulu.com/watch/16388/saturday-night-live-surprise-party Please go watch it....it's pretty funny!

So it's Been a While!

2010-10-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I need to update a little. My sister just emailed me and told me that my blog was pathetic so here we go.....

August 12th Aaron turned 1!!!! And these pictures were taken on his B'day! So he's even bigger now! Right now the little stud is learning how to walk he's so cute about it because he will take a few steps and then clap and say "I did it, I did it!"

Okay so I've been pretty busy these past few months and for his Birthday dad was gone and it was just me and the kids. So we threw together an owl cake (look familiar??) And this was Aaron before the cake and.....
This is Aaron after. Kaylie was having a fit because he made such a mess. It took three bath tubs full to clean the 1 inch thick layer of frosting out of this guy's hair!

Catchin' Up!

2010-07-17T10:25:00.001-07:00

Okay...It's been a month since I last posted....so know it's time to play Catch Up!

After a week of not having my computer (it crashed.....yes, I know Jacob and I have the worst luck in history...only $200 to fix) This Computer Crash was the icing on a Fantastic year!

Any hoo......I'll start from the latest and work backwards.

~Here we are at the 4th of July Parade....which was freezing! We had to show up in our coats and blankets, fireworks were the same too.
~This was the first 4th of July Parade that I can say I had Hot Chocolate. I usually have a Popsicle or smoothie, but it was so cold that when Great Harvest (who was just across the street) posted a "Hot Chocolate" Sign.....literally half the people on our side of the street ran across to get some.

Kaylie is wearing her Red, White and Blue Tutu....everyone kept calling her a 4th of July Princess (which she loved).
Here's a random picture of Aaron at Kaylie's Dance Recital in June. This poor lil guy has been teething like mad.

As of now, he has all 4 front teeth and is working on number 5....hence the face.

I'll try to post some video of her dances, as soon as I can figure out my basically "new computer".
Here's Kaylie just after her Dance Recital. She did so good....which was a sigh of relief for me, I've worked so hard over the last 6 months to help her learn her dances....and no matter how hard I worked she never seemed to get it. But once she got on stage in front of all the people, she lit up and let it out. She did so good on her first dance that it made me cry. The second dance...well she did okay, she was just really focused on the Balloon that she wanted.

I'm so proud of her, she's such a good girl, and she's been my sanity through all these awful trials.
And say Hello to my "living nightmare"....yet Jacob's "Dream Come True'. For the last several months Jacob has been working like crazy on building his Dad's GTO, which has been in pieces since before we got married.

They wanted it finished by his Dad's Birthday in May, but that didn't happen so they got it almost finished (just not running) by Father's Day. We tried to surprise his Dad with it.....but I don't think his Dad can ever be surprised....oh well. It's running now of course.

And I'll admit it is very nice....but I still hate it
(I call this car 'the other woman', as Jacob disappears for days at a time to work on it).

Oh well, I'm glad it's done and running. And Jacob and his Dad have been like kids in a Candy Store ever since.

Oh So Blessed!

2010-06-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Even though the past couple days haven't been the best.....

Sunday: I was as sick as a dog....thank you allergies.
Monday: Kaylie bit another girl in her dance class on the eye....nice.
Tuesday: It rained, like it has been for the last several days.
Wednesday: Kaylie spent 3/4ths of the day in Time Out.
Thursday: I was puked on by Aaron, very randomly.
Friday: I held a sick, crying kid all day long.
Saturday: Aaron's still sick, and I'm a week behind on laundry, dishes, cleaning and just about everything else in my life.

Even though all these and more happened this week, I just feel blessed!

I guess it was cause I got to meet up with a few of my High School girl friends.....and they always brighten up my week. Thanks gals...love ya!

Sure we still have no idea where exactly life will take us in the next year, and there's a million other problems in life, I'm content...I feel like I'm where I belong.

So thanks to all of you out there who are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers...we still have a LONG way to go, but we know that sooner or later we will get there.

Hope life is being kind to all of you!

Celebrating Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of our annual Memorial Day Visit, in honor of those who have passed on. Gotta love Kaylie's smile! Can't blame her because although it looks nice, it was freezing!

Kaylie loved placing flowers on each grave.

One Crazy Week!

2010-05-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last week was a Super fun week because Kaylie and Aaron's cousins came up from Colorado, for Steven's Graduation! (Can't believe he's that old already).
~They had one loaded week of fun and playing!
~On Friday we went to the Zoo! Even though it was raining like crazy the clouds parted and the sun came out just in time for our visit. It was perfect! All the animals were out and about!
~Here's Kaylie by the flamingos....she decided that they were definitely her favorites! (Of course that's a given because she loves pink....like Barbie).
Here's Kaylie, Aaron and Katelyn sitting on the Tiger....it was funny because coming around the corner my dad jumped because he thought it was real!

Kaylie finally got brave enough to take a drink out of the lion's mouth....it only took 3 Zoo Trips!

Kaylie and "Woo-see" (Lucy) riding the Lion!

I was so excited to get this picture! These two kept starting up lil fights with each other, and I waited by their cage forever to get this picture!

They were obviously getting hungry!

This Lion was HUGE!!!! Pictures just never do lions justice....they are so majestic!

Cute Baby Zebra and mom!

Tiger, out enjoying the sunshine for the first time in.....what seems like forever (what is the deal with all this rain???)

Congrats Steven! Here he is walking! Pictures are so impossible at graduations....aren't they?

Ohhh, look at the new Grad....he couldn't care less (although I'm sure he's glad it's over!)

Do you want a Free Hooter the Owl Pillow?

2010-05-18T20:52:00.001-07:00

So BedBuggs Boutique (my online shop) is doing a giveaway! I'm trying to promote my shop and my blog as much as possible these days!
~Would you like a FREE Hooter the Owl Pillow?
~I'd like to see one of my friends or family get it!
To learn more or enter to win visit this blog: http://www.theschulerfamily.net/
You can pick between four different colors for wings. Original (Tan wings) Pink, Blue and Yellow!

I could really use all of your help! I need lots of followers on my blog....I have a new and much improved business blog and grab button! Visit my blog and follow me! http://www.bedbuggs.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!

No Going Back!!!!

2010-05-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Kaylie's hair has been getting super long and I've cut it several times before. But I could tell that the curl was getting cut off so I've been delaying the major chop until today. When she was in the tub this morning she was sitting on her hair, and then I decided that the time has come...

So here's a before. Which really doesn't do it justice because it was already curling on the ends...her hair is(was) down to her bum.

And After....5 inches gone.....and I want to cry!!!! Jacob's gone and I'm afraid that he's going to kill me when he gets home.

Here's her hair that I want to glue back on!

All dry and done....did I make a mistake? All day I've wanted to go back and only cut off an inch, but it was time. I couldn't get a comb through it...and it will grow back.

My lil' Stinker

2010-05-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that this lil stinker is 9 months old? He's such a lady killer!
Let me tell you a little about Aaron:
Aaron likes football, stacking cups, balls and blond girls (he really loves blonds.)
He is learning how to crawl, right now he only really crawls backward and rolls all over the place. He's into everything all the time!

Aaron LOVES food. Especially Graham Crackers, Cheerios and as of Mother's Day....bottles (formula...finally!!!)

He loves to stay up all night, make huge messes, scream, pull Kaylie's hair, and spit up all over her. And he loves it when she gets in trouble....it makes him laugh.

He's a true lil brother I guess....gotta love him!

What happened to Common Courtesy???

2010-05-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I'm noticing a HUGE lack of customer service/courteous people...is it just me??? Maybe I'm sensitive to it because I worked in Customer Service for 6 years!

~Let me share a few examples.....(this is long, and again you don't have to read it)

1. Every time I go to "a local store" to get fabric I have had to wait for about 20 minutes (at very least) to get any attention or help. Okay, that's fine....once....maybe. But this has happen repeatedly.
~One time there was an employee that was standing in the isle visiting with her friends and I kept motioning to her to come over and help me, she was staring at me forever and even smiled at me....but totally ignored me...so annoying. I always end up going over the electronics desk and asking for help and this was the response I got last time....."Ummm, all the fabric people are clocked out." (He gets a look from me saying "soooooo?".) Then he rolls his eyes at me and snaps at the other guy at the desk to help me. Note: neither one of them was doing anything. I just thought this was so rude!

2. We recently got forced to get our "TV service" hooked up again, even though we can't afford it and don't want it (I don't really watch TV). Odd as it is, the customer service was awesome in Utah, and they let us suspend and told us we could suspend as long as we need to. But all the sudden in Idaho the customer service is non-existent!
~They call me up and demand $400 or that we get our service hooked up asap. Not only that, they've taken away half our channels and they are forcing us into a higher/more expensive package per month (ignoring our original contract).
~And the guy that came over to hook it up unplugged all our other electronics and we had to have another guy come the next day so we could get our DVD player and everything else to work with our TV. No one there is even slightly interested in helping us at all....and all I have to say is......I'm NEVER using this provider again....(wanna know who...just ask...I'd love to tell you...hehehehehe).

3. I ordered something through the Internet and I was charged $2 extra on my shipping through PayPal, I wasn't given any other options to change the shipping, and on the listing I bought the shipping price clearly wasn't the price I was charged.
~So I called PayPal (who has Great Customer Service BTW) and they told me it was the way the seller had set it up. I contact the seller several days ago....very politely might I add. I explained my situation and that I didn't want to give them negative feedback, but I would like to see this "glitch" solved. No response until yesterday, they refunded the $2 and proceeded to blame the whole situation on me, and what I picked for shipping .....they go on to say.... "but in the name of customer service we've refunded your money, even though it was the shipping you picked" (there was no other option, hence the reason I contacted PayPal and this business).
~Well, turns out that after reading through their feedback, this isn't the first time it has happened, everyone else had to just eat it, so I'm a lucky one I guess. Just made me mad!

4. I had a customer a few weeks back that was very picky, they made me set up a whole different order for them and totally slash the shipping for them (in retrospect: shouldn't have done it, red flags all over that situation). ~Well when she gets her item she gave me bad feedback saying that it was a different fabric than what she expected (even though she typed the title to me which included the fabric) and then she goes on to say she would have never paid that much for the item if she had paid attention to the fabric. And that's my fault how? It hurt my feelings because this "item" she didn't like took me well over an hour to make.
~So because I'm one of the few people left on the face of this planet with a customer service mentality, I contacted her and offered her a free gift of her choice, she replied "ok I guess I want this....." I sent it, and no thanks, no nothing in response....of course.
~The feedback was changed (had to be) but I feel like she left bad feedback knowing the whole system and that I would try to make it up to her. It's one of those situations that I totally feel taken advantage of, and I'm still perturbed over....oh well, I did everything I could to make it right, even though it clearly wasn't in my control.

5. Here's a positive example! A few weeks ago I had to take Aaron to the Doctor for an ear infection and then go to the pharmacy to pick up an antibiotic.
~Needless to say...Aaron was a crabby mess, he was crying and super cranky. I'm outside the pharmacy and trying to traffic Kaylie into the store (who was all over the place singing about whatever). I was up all night for a week with Aaron and I looked it, so I'm sure I looked like a train wreck to everyone around. Anyway, as I was walking to the store and I was about 30 ft away and this guy (very scary biker guy, with a long beard and wife-beater shirt on) stopped in front of the automatic door and waited for me to walk in.....WHAT A GENTLEMEN!!!! I thought, even though he was scary looking, what a good guy. He said "Hello" to me and "hi cutie" to Kaylie. I was floored....so there are nice people left in this world, and they are never who you'd expect.
~Through all this I've learned a valuable lesson......'Do unto others as you would have done to you'.....and mean people are a dime a dozen. Even though nice people, the people who go out of their way to be polite may be few in number, but they stand out.
~I will forget these people who were less than friendly but I will never for get the "Scary looking nice guy at the pharmacy." And I'm definitely learning not to judge a book by its cover!
~Also I'm trying double hard to teach Kaylie to be polite, and to think of others first....because if we all did that just imagine how much better life would be!

NEXT BUYER GETS FREE GIFT!!!

2010-05-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

BedBuggs has 49 Sales and the 50th Buyer will receive a FREE GIFT from BedBuggs!

~Hurry you have to be the 50th Buyer!~

Visit BedBuggs Boutique http://www.bedbuggs.etsy.com/

Want a FREE Gift from BedBuggs Boutique???

2010-05-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

In Celebration of my 50th Sale.....I'm going to give my 50th Buyer a FREE GIFT!!! (Gift depends on purchase of course).

~HURRY though...because I'm already at 48 sales and Counting!!!

~P.S. THANKS FOR HELPING ME SPREAD THE WORD!!!YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!

~Visit my shop: http://www.bedbuggs.etsy.com/
~Follow my BedBuggs Boutique Blog: http://bedbuggs.blogspot.com/
~Become a FaceBook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1279831103&ref=profile#!/pages/BedBuggs-Boutique/386360376517?ref=ts (Long...I know, I've had issues with FB)

Follow Up on My Wisdom Teeth Experience!

2010-05-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

So It's been Two Weeks to the day since I got my teeth out....and I'm still sore, obviously not as bad as I was, and I have lost 10 lbs and I still have no appetite....(startin' to feel like a drama queen, now I see why they take them out younger)....gees.
~I had to go back into the Dentist yesterday, because on Saturday I realized that a piece of one of my teeth was still in! And it was super sharp....it was cutting my cheek every time I talked or ate. (So sick of the taste of blood).
~So they had me come in, they say its pretty common to have left over bone fragments afterwards and they said since it was buggin' me they'd pull it out. (I tried having Jacob pull it out on Saturday, with no success....and it hurt so bad I'm still surprised I didn't punch him in the face...every time he pulled it would shoot pain up into my head, yes I cried like a baby.)
~Long story short...it wasn't part of my tooth, it was part of my jaw....so every time they pulled no wonder it hurt. They chipped off the tip, so it's not sharp and it's already starting to heal....finally I can see life returning back to normal.
~Moral of the story......DON'T PUT OFF GETTING YOUR WISDOM TEETH OUT!!!
BTW- Thanks for all your stories, it helps to know I'm not alone!

Wisdom Teeth....Your Experience?

2010-04-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure that a lot of you know that I just got my wisdom teeth out a week ago, and it really wasn't that bad when I got them out.....

-But now a week later, I'm still having a lot of trouble eating. My jaw hurts really bad, and it feels like the dentist might have put a stitch in my cheek, so I have a hard time talking still.

-I went to my little sis's track meet yesterday and there was this lady sitting next to us eating some fast food and she was like flaunting it (ok maybe not flaunting it, but to me it felt that way) I wanted to grab her food and throw it in her face, just because I wanted it soooo bad. (I would NEVER do that, just so you know).

-I can eat solids, but it literally took me 45 minutes to eat 1 pancake last night, and it drives me crazy because I like to eat fast, I don't enjoy eating for long periods of time....I guess I get bored. I've lost over 5 lbs and I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to be able to eat again.

-So what was your experience, how long was it for you before they stopped hurting and you could REALLY eat normal foods again? I just want to know. Thanks!

"If you can't stand your problems try kneeling."

2010-04-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

The other day in Relief Society someone mentioned this quote, and I thought it was pretty good. I guess that it kind of wraps up the last few years of my life.

~Warning this is another long, and ridiculously boring post, you are under no obligation to read it, better yet just scroll over it.~

~So its no real secret that we've had our share of struggles here at the Flamm house for the last few years. It all started with Jacob's eyes, then a cancer scare, a rough pregnancy, several dishonest people, colicky baby, getting laid off, having to move for the 5th time in 4 years (all over the place), not having a job or answers just fall into our laps...and the list goes on and on. Over the past year or so I guess I've spent a lot of time on my knees, basically because I just can't stand it any more.

~I used to pray for it all to stop, for it all to be a bad dream. But now I give thanks for all that I have learned, because the lessons I've learned (as awful an experience it's been) are priceless. I guess I'm grateful for these trials.....(can't believe I'm saying it.) I've learned a lot from all this, and I won't bore you with the details. But I wouldn't trade what I've learned for anything.

~I used to focus on everything negative even when there was literally nothing negative to focus on (I have really bad anxiety so true to form I'd always find something). I was always looking from the top down, just waiting to fall. But after falling repeatedly, falling isn't so scary anymore. I guess I'm saying I've gotten braver, and stronger all because I stopped just standing my problems and started kneeling.

~So to all those of you out there who can't stand your problems, try kneeling. And like my "new favorite song of the week" (Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice) says "never let your prayin' knees get lazy" and somehow you will always find the strength to go on, even when you have no idea of whats ahead.

~Custom Tutus~ Friends and Family Discount!~

2010-04-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

So Tutus have been my latest thing!
~And To All My Friends and Family I'm offering a huge discount on your custom Tutu. You pick the color, size, pattern and length! All Tutus come with a free matching Hair Clip.~
~Just contact me, leave a comment or visit my shop if you are interested
http://www.bedbuggs.etsy.com/

~I'll give it to you super cheap...so cheap I don't want to advertise it!~

This one is my favorite....Neapolitan Fairy Tutu, it's pink, brown and cream with a Brown Satin Ribbon Bow and matching Hair Clip (you pick bow or flower.) This one is about 12" long and super fluffy all my tutus have over 100 yards of tulle, because the fluffier the better!

Lavender Fairy Tutu, solid colors available (in just about every color).

Watermelon Pixie Tutu, Bright Pink and lime Green with a Bright Pink Satin Ribbon Bow. And matching Hair Clip too!

~Tutus are great for photography, I had way too much fun taking these photos!

~Great for Birthdays, Dance Class, Parties or just hours of twirling!

~Again all my Friends and Family get a huge discount....just contact me or visit my shop! Thanks for all your support! =)

http://www.bedbuggs.etsy.com/

Our Easter!

2010-04-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

This was our Easter this last Weekend...Aaron finally got a crinkle book (been looking for one forever) he loves it!

Kaylie inspecting the Easter Basket for the goods.

Coloring eggs with Katelyn. I didn't get any pictures but thanks to Jo-Jo they were mostly Halloween characters....what can I say?

Kaylie has a knack for faces...

This was our annual Community Easter Egg Hunt....

It was in the High School weight room....why?

Because we had a literal Blizzard! Kid you not, a blizzard on April 3rd. This was the Easter Egg Hunt Parking Lot....from the safety of the car of course.

And this was the 6" that Jacob got to shovel that morning.....gotta love Spring in Idaho!

Did You Know? Wednesday

2010-04-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

I Swear This Commitment of mine is the only thing keeping me blogging!

~A Shrimp's heart is in it's head!

~Kissing is actually healthier for you than shaking hands!

~If you are right handed, you tend to chew food on the right side of your mouth and vise-versa. (Totally true, for me at least....)

~THIS ONE'S GROSS...JUST WARNING YOU...
What day is the busiest day for plumbers?....the day after Thanksgiving.....(CAN'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU).

~Babies spend more time dreaming than adults do!

Finally Get'n a Sewing Machine!

2010-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted a Sewing Machine, of my very own, and Jacob finally ordered me one yesterday. I've earned it with my BedBuggs Shop, and I'm soooooo excited. (This is what happens when you get older, you get excited over really odd things.)

~It comes in on Monday, and I can't wait. When I get it I'm going to start making BedBugg Throw Pillow, they are so cute (if I can say so myself.)
A SUPER BIG THANKS to all those of you who have helped spread the word about my shop...every little bit helps, and I just can't thank you enough!

~If you would like to help spread the word, you still can, just copy the Grab Button text, go to your "add a gadget" on your Blog and paste...that's it! This button automatically links to my shop! Thanks Again!

Did You Know Wednesday!

2010-03-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

~If you could weigh an average pyramid it would be around 5,400,000 tons! On average a single stone block weighs as much as 2 modern cars (2.5 tons).

~The Moon has "earthquakes" called "Moonquakes". It appears they are related to the tidal stresses associated with the varying distance between the Earth and Moon.

~Marie Antoinette wife of Louis XV was known to wear potato blossoms as a hair decoration.

~Almonds are a member of the peach family. (This one blew my mind.)

~Chicken is one of the few things that we eat before it's born and after it's dead.

My Crazy Kids!

2010-03-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Brainwashing starts early here at our house. Enough said!

Aaron's got a little thing for cute blonds. He sat and talked to the back of "Legally Blonde" Dvd case for about 20 minutes.

~He hates shopping with a passion, so the other day when we were at Wal-Mart he was grouchy as usual~UNTIL~ we got into the makeup isle. He perked right up, started babbling, laughing and blushing. Turns out he was flirting with all the model's pictures in the isle (kid you not, my sister is an eye witness.) As you guessed it, his favorite model was blonde. What can I say?

Kaylie's into dressing herself....NICE.

Lovely isn't it? I've gotta get pictures of her latest trend....modeling poses. She saw a little bit of "America's Next Top Model" and she now thinks that she's a model. Her poses are hilarious.

~Kids are just too much fun!

Did You Know?-Wednesday-

2010-03-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

~Ice isn't slippery. What makes people and things slip on ice is water. A thin layer of ice melts when pressure is applied to it and it is this wet layer on top of the ice that is slippery.

~There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.

~ Sound at the right vibration can bore holes through a solid object.

~At times, a horseshoe may be found above doorways. When positioned like a regular 'U' it supposedly collects luck. However, when it is positioned like an upside-down 'U' the luck supposedly drains.

~A pound of potato chips costs 200 times more than a pound of potatoes.

~Just want to know if you find these facts interesting too!~

Lucky First Tooth!

2010-03-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

After weeks of being super crabby, Aaron got his first tooth today FINALLY! It must be a lucky tooth because it broke through on St. Patrick's Day!

Tried to get a picture of it, but his tongue's always in the way, oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

~It's been a week of Firsts for this little guy. On Sunday Night he slept THE WHOLE NIGHT (7:00pm-7:00am). It only took 7 months! But due to this tooth, the last two nights weren't quite as good.

~He's come a long way sleep wise. His first month, he slept all day and stayed up all night. His second month he was up every 1 1/2 hours to eat. Months 3-5 he was up every 3-4 hours and finally at 7 months he'll sleep at least 6 hrs straight and 12 hrs on a good night! And he actually takes naps now...2 naps a day 1 1/2- 3 hours per nap.....I'm in Heaven!!! (Keepin' my fingers crossed and pulling out all my good luck charms so that this keeps up!)

~Did You Know?-Wednesday!~

2010-03-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that I need to be a little more consistent with my blogging. To get myself motivated, I will be starting a Did You Know?-Wednesday. Just because I love learning new facts. So every Wednesday, I will list 5 interesting facts that I've learned over the course of the week, cause I like to keep my wheels turning.

~Did You Know:

~The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. It was the fashion in Renaissance Florence to shave them off.

~When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second!

~The earthquake that struck Chile (Feb. 27, 2010) was so powerful it shifted the planet's axis enough to make it spin slightly faster, meaning our days will be shorter by 1.26 millionths of a second (according to preliminary calculations by scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.)

~A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood.

~Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second.

*Hope these facts got your wheels turning...tune in next Wednesday for 5 more!*

A Question to All You Runners Out There!

2010-03-12T14:22:00.001-08:00

So I have a question: And for everyone who knows me, you know that I LOVE to ask questions.

~For the past few months, I've been training for a Marathon. I've always wanted to run in one, but have never had the chance. I wanted to run in the Teton Dam Marathon this Summer. But because I'm not one of those amazing people that can manage to run and be super pregnant I took about a year break from running, and decided that maybe I'll play it safe and start with a half.

~Long story short, a couple of months ago while on a 4 mile run, I noticed a slight pain in my right hip. I ignored it and finished the run, because that is just what runners do. Over the course a few weeks I noticed the pain getting sharper and it was coming earlier and earlier in my runs. As of today I can only run a little over a mile and then the pain gets almost unbearable.

~It feels like my hip is slightly out of joint, but it only really hurts when I run (and it can get so bad that I can't stand any more). I can go on walks and do the usual cardio, aerobics, kick boxing and not feel a thing...so why running? I love running, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to put my Marathon Dream on hold yet again.
My assumption is that because I am still nursing and Aaron is only 7 months old, my joints must still be soft, weird because I could run just fine after Kaylie.

~So Dear Runner Buddies, have any of you ever had this kind of pain? Do you have any treatment ideas? I'd love to hear from you!

~Thanks~

Gettin' So Big!!!

2010-02-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

Aaron's 6 months old...and I just can't believe it, I don't know what is happening to time lately. He seems to be growing even faster than Kaylie did.
-As you can see in the picture above, he's trying really hard to crawl, this little man wants to be on the move. Also his first tooth is just days away. Yesterday was his 6 month Well Check Up and he's already 15 lbs (almost 3 times his birth weight 5 lbs 14 oz) and he's 26 1/2 inches long!

He just gets cuter by the minute. He's a little talker, he loves flirting...football (kid you not this kid watched the entire Super Bowl, and LOVED IT.) and he loves playing with his big sis...they usually just growl and laugh at each other.

The only thing that Kaylie can't stand about Aaron, that he gets messy when he eats. So today at lunch when she got her self messy we just had to take pictures.

Kaylie can't stand being messy, but I just had to get this picture. Gotta love kids!

25 Years of "I can't waits"

2010-02-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's my infamous 25th Birthday and I guess it has caused me to do a lot of thinking about my first quarter of a century. I am sad to admit that I have wasted the majority of those 25 years with multiple "I can't waits."

-You know...it all starts with the "I can't wait until I grow up. I can't wait until I graduate, until I get married.....". But the reality is that in the end I always look back on all the times I said "I can't wait" and I just wish I could have them back...okay maybe not all of them...but I do wish I would have lived more in the moment.

-It's not just my personal life, but in my parent and married life too. "I can't wait until he picks up his socks....I can't wait until I'm pregnant, can't wait to have this baby, can't wait 'til this kid sleeps through the night." The fact is, I did this with Kaylie, and I don't know what happened to my baby...why did I waste all those precious moments (time I can never have back) saying "I just can't wait?" I've recently caught myself doing this with Aaron too, and I've decided that I seriously need to stop.

-The reality is that one day (before I know it) they'll be off to kindergarten, college, mission, married...gone! Every day is a gift, take it or leave it, and I need to quit leaving it, and take it for everything it's worth.

-Everyday, even the real tough ones, are worth it, a memory good or bad, they are all a chapter in the story of life (don't worry I'm not getting sappy on ya.)

-Yesterday, I woke up saying "I can't wait until things go right for us, until we get our debt paid off, until we have a good job, until I don't have to worry anymore..." The truth is there will always be worries and troubles, but there won't always be tomorrows. So tomorrow (and for the next 25 years) I'm going to wake up and say "Yesterday was awesome, but today will be better, and forget tomorrow because I'll get to it later."

-So my 25th Birthday goal is to live the next 25 years without the "I can't waits" Because frankly...I can wait, and I'll love every minute of it!!!

BedBuggs Boutique Blog

2010-02-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

-Introducing my BedBuggs Boutique Blog. Just another way for you to check out what's new in my shop.
-I'm also asking all of my friends and Family to help me get the word out about my Boutique. Could you PLEASE help me get the word out by adding my blog on your blog lists and/or by adding a link to my Etsy shop?
-The Blog address is : www.bedbuggs.blogspot.com
-The Etsy shop address is: www.bedbuggs.etsy.com
-Hopefully I will have a button link for you to add soon. I'll also be opening up a Facebook account soon.
-Thank you so much for your help, you guys are all wonderful....seriously!

Happy Birthday Kaylie!!!

2010-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my lil baby girl is already 3 years old! They grow way too fast. She was lucky this year because we basically celebrated her Birthday over a 3 day period (because there are so many family Birthdays this month, and because we've all been sick.) I love her face in this picture because it says it all. She wanted a Barbie cake, and she got a Barbie Cake (I think she just wanted the Barbie more than anything.)

Blowin' out her three candles, and it took a while. Hopefully she'll get quicker with a little more experience.

She got tons of Dress-up for her Birthday, and she loves nothing more than Dress-up.

We went Bowling again for Kaylie and her Grandma Flamm's B'day. (Yes Kaylie was born on her Grandma's B'day.) Kaylie out scored me again. She's getting better (she got another strike) while mom's getting worse...oh well.

Grandma and Grandpa Flamm got her a Princess Tent, and as you can see by her cheesy face, she loved it.

Sport'n an Apron she got from her Aunt Keriana...Kaylie's such a ham. Happy Birthday Kaylie!!!

Happy 30th Birthday Jacob!!!

2010-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Today Jacob turned 30!!! Can you believe it? People still mistake him to be just a teenager, and this boy is 30 years old. My how time flies. Thanks for being such an awesome husband and father!

Yesterday was Aunt Chalese's (Jacob's youngest sister) 9th B'day. To celebrate we all went bowling. It was a blast... here's Kaylie bustin' a move, after her STRIKE!!!

Okay....I guess she had a little help...shhhhh!

This one's just for braggin' rights. Look at my two little cuties! Kaylie will be 3 next week, and Aaron will be 6 months in a couple weeks....They are growing way too fast, don't you wish you could just stop the clock sometimes?

Welcome Home Elder Flamm!!!

2010-01-26T09:25:00.001-08:00

This Last Friday Derek (Jacob's little brother) got home from his Mission (Geneva, Switzerland). And we were super excited to see him. Here's all his nieces and nephews awaiting his arrival.

Here he is, measuring up to Nathan who probably grew at least a foot while he was gone.

Kaylie couldn't wait to see Derek. Last time she saw him she was just 7 months old. For a whole week before he got back she was running up to random men in stores and stuff saying..."there's Derek". And once she finally met the "real" Derek she kept saying "I love Derek". She's such a goof.

Not the greatest picture. But here's Aaron with his Uncle Derek for the first time.

Derek, Brynnlee, Ethan, and Kaylie....my how time flies. But we are so proud of Derek and happy to have him back! Welcome Home!!!

More On BedBuggs

2010-01-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

-So as you can see off to the side, I started my own shop to sell these BedBuggs and hopefully some other things. I've actually dropped my prices a bit in hopes to sell some more, but for my friends I'll give you a much better deal if you want some at a discount just email me at mybedbuggs@gmail.com and I'll work with you. (I can use all the advertising I can get.)
-This is still a work in progress, figuring the whole Shop out and all. If you guys think the price is too high or you have any other suggestions I am more than open to them. (Seriously, I need all the help I can get here.)
-I am thinking about maybe adding scents to them, but that will raise the price quite a bit and the scents have a tendency to fade fairly quick so I'm not sure it'll be worth it, but again let me know what you think.
-Oh yeah, these are 10'' in diameter, and the BedBuggs themselves are removable (like a pillow sham) so they don't get icky in the microwave (because I'll be the first to admit that my microwave isn't always spotless.)
-I'm starting to make completely different things that will come shortly, but if you have any ideas of items to sell let me know.
-Thanks for all your input...you guys are awesome!!!

We've got BedBuggs!!!

2010-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

After a lot of back pain during pregnancy, random stomach pains, and just moving back to freezing Idaho, one of my favorite things has been my rice pack. I use it for everything including to help warm up Aaron's bed before I lay him down at night....cause who likes cold sheets? After fighting over this one rice pack with my family I decided not only to make more, but to make them much cuter. So I created BedBuggs, but these ones only bite pain and the cold.

The BedBuggs themselves are just decorative covers for the rice packs. But they are made out of flannel so they actually help the rice pack stay warmer longer. I just remove the rice pack to put it in the microwave (or freezer) so that the BedBugg doesn't get dirty because I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the cleanest microwave on the planet.

Scarab the Beetle. (I didn't intent for him to look Egyptian, he just does.)

Swat the Fly. He was actually my first creation...simple but fun.

Lady. Obviously a ladybug.

Bitsy the Spider. My personal favorite, even though I hate spiders.

And Bizzee the Bee. I accidentally put his stripes on backwards but it works.

-These will be Birthday Presents, or Valentines, just because it is the gift that keeps on giving.

-So what do you think? I'm currently in the process of trying to sell these cuties online. (Hopefully I'll have a link soon.)

-What do you think is a reasonable price?

-I want you to be honest, and if you have any suggestions let me know!

Thanks for the Advice!

2010-01-15T12:15:00.001-08:00

I just want to thank everyone for their advice, it has really helped me get things off my chest. I'm glad to have such a good network of friends... Thanks again!

Our Lil' Christmas

2009-12-29T20:29:00.001-08:00

Before.....

And after...gotta love it.

My two most favorite boys!

Kaylie's big present from Santa...it was a huge hit (once she woke up enough to realize what it was.)

Gotta love the stick horse and the fact that dad had to show her how to use it. She clopped around all day in her princess dress (not in the shot, obviously), crown and lovely heels (which broke two days later...nice.)

-All in all, it was a very good Christmas considering the circumstances. We just feel very blessed, and are grateful for each other. We're hoping that the new year will bring lots of good news too!

'Nother Funny Story

2009-12-27T20:13:00.001-08:00

-Kaylie is at such a funny stage...you gotta love what kids say. The weekend before Christmas while we were in the middle of our move, my mom came home and told me that Santa was at the grocery store. I decided to drop everything because we needed a little Christmas cheer. So I went to pick up Kaylie at her friend's house. Then my sister and I took Kaylie and her friend (Cheyenne) to see Santa. While we were driving there Cheyenne kept calling Kaylie, Lucy (which is Kaylie's cousin's name). It was pretty funny because they had been playing together all day. We got to Santa and Kaylie was too scared to sit on his lap so the more experienced Cheyenne went first. I whipped out my camera and took a picture and then my batteries died...(typical), so no picture of Kaylie on Santa's lap...oh well. On the way home Cheyenne said to Kaylie and I quote: "Hey Lucy, I bet you can't guess your name, I'll give you a hint it starts with a K." (My sister and I are cracking up) then Kaylie replies: "You're crazy Chantell". (Chantell is Lucy's mom.)
-I'm driving through Salt Lake and in a hurry. This lady is driving in front of me and she is super slow. Plus she won't let me pass her. So when she finally makes a right hand turn I say "move it grandma". As we drive past Kaylie looks at the lady and says..."that's not grandma".
-Kaylie's newest thing..."no-kay". I ask her all the time if she needs to go potty just to be sure and she always says "no, I not, I'm okay." So the past few days she's decided that "no-kay" is the short way to answer her annoying mom.
-Coming soon, Christmas pictures. Once I find my camera under all the mess.

On The Move...Again!

2009-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

No Decking the halls at the Flamm's this year, these are moving boxes.... It's becoming a fact of life for us, every year or so we decide to move and now we're on the move again. This will be move number 5 for us and we haven't even been married 4 years! We're moving back up to Idaho, so this picture was just perfect for the occasion. Why Idaho you ask? Well we need to cut back on expenses and my Grandparents were in need of house sitters (they're on mission number 5!), and the timing was just right. Now we can try to start our business and then figure life out from there.

Just because it's been a while...

2009-12-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

I decided to post some new pictures just because it's been a while since I have. Here's Aaron and Kaylie hanging out with dad while he works on the computer. Notice Kaylie's dress, it's the second day in a row that she's worn it. She's really excited about Christmas and Santa Claus, she's at such a fun age.

Aaron's starting to sit up...it's just crazy how fast he's growing, he'll be four months next week! He's quite the talker too, he woke up at midnight last night and talked for a half hour to himself, it's cute during the day but not so much at night.

Kaylie is such a ham. She just can't be left out of a photo.

Here she literally jumped in again....lovely. Sorry Aaron, I just don't think that we're going to have as many single photos of you as you'd like.

Just checking out dad's work, he's definitely a daddy's boy.

One Really Rough Day

2009-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday Kaylie had one of her worst days ever. We were walking to church, and sort of in a hurry I might add, when she tripped and took a nose dive into the sidewalk. I looked up to see her face flat on the ground and her feet in the air. When we got her up her face was all scraped up and there was a ton of blood in her mouth. Being the paranoid mom that I am, I started to panic. Luckily Jacob was there too take over. He took her back in and got her all cleaned up. But these photos were taken after church.

And to top off her nose dive, she tripped in nursery and skinned her knee so bad that she limped for the next two days.

I love how miserable she looks. Poor kid has had one super rough week, she's been sick with just about everything. Sometimes life just isn't so fun.

Aaron on the other hand has been happy as can be, since we've discovered that he has acid-reflux and we've put him on meds. He's at such a fun stage, where he loves to bat at things and show off his skills. I still can't believe how fast they grow.

Halloween

2009-11-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween we got to go to Jo-Jo's (my mom) house to celebrate. I don't know anyone who is more obsessed with Halloween than her. Here is Stockton in one of his Halloween Costumes. I say one because I guess he has at least three.

Here's Jo-Jo's porch on Halloween night. They spent at least two hours preparing. It's a little much, but that's what makes it so much fun.

Eben though Aaron was a pumpkin for Halloween, we had to put him in his coat because it was so cold. His coat is a Pooh Bear suit, he's such a cutie and growing way too fast.

Cousins posing for Halloween, this was one of the better ones. It was impossible to get all of them to look at the camera at the same time.

So cute!

I know their not looking at the camera, but I thought this was a super cute shot, I love my kids.

Aaron as a pumpkin, thanks for the costume Amber it was perfect.

And life goes on...

2009-10-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're still alive and kickin...
I just realized the other day that my blog has been a little gloomy for the past few weeks and I'm just now getting around to posting something a little more positive. I would like to thank everyone of you who have been praying for us, it's definitely helping. No, we haven't found a job yet (we've called just about every Mortuary in the West) and we haven't won the lottery yet either...(kidding, we're not blowing money we don't have on lottery tickets). But we do have a few ideas. And we'll head back to school eventually, not cool, but such is life.

Here's the kids in dad's shades. They love doing stuff together, and it's kind of cute to see how much they like each other. Aaron loves watching Kaylie, he's fascinated by her. But they have their moments, they like to keep each other up all night, Kaylie bit Aaron's eye today and slapped his face a few days ago, so I guess you can say that they act like brother and sister already too.

We made chocolate chip cookies this afternoon while Aaron napped. I have to keep Kaylie quiet some how, so cookie dough worked wonders today.

Aaron is a huge stinker when it comes to sleep period. He especially hates naps. He just wants to be a part of everything. So being a little on the desperate side (like all parents) we've tried everything to get him to sleep. The pain is that something will work for a little while, but not forever. These past few weeks we've discovered that he likes Portuguese music while he's in his swing, it knocks him out cold...so nice to get him to sleep, but I'm at whits end with Portuguese music. My kids get their weirdness from their dad.

Awful News

2009-10-06T16:32:00.001-07:00

I hate to announce it and I really don't know how, but we need all the help we can get right now. Jacob was laid off yesterday, completely out of the blue. And no, we're not being let into the family business (there's no room). I'm sure we'll be fine, but if you could include us in your prayers that would be appreciated. Thanks!

Aaron's Baby Blessing

2009-09-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

One super cute outfit.

There's a smile!

The whole Flamm Clan...minus Derek (on his mission & almost done might I add) and William (who was taking a nap.)

Yeah, kids never cooperate..oh well.

Jacob and his little man.

Gotta love the random Kaylie in the background...nice. No shoes because Aaron had a blow out and ready or not we had to do pictures right then.

And the icing on the cake...."The Blessing Day Curse"....the blowout. Of course this was after he puked all over it too. At least it was all after the blessing. And for those of you who are worried about the outfit...it came out pretty easy, thank goodness.

One Fun Day

2009-09-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we got to go with the Flamms and do the Step Out Diabetes walk. After the walk we got to go to the Zoo. Kaylie had a blast.

Grandpa got all the grand kids hats, but Kaylie didn't want a hat she wanted yet another stuffed animal. So she picked out this cute little giraffe. And she had to have mom take a picture of her with it. I swear it's stuffed animal number 35 for her.

Here's Aaron in his hat, it's a little big but he's growing so fast it'll fit him soon enough. Thanks Grandpa!

There was a super cute baby elephant there, he's only a few weeks old. He was Kaylie's Favorite.

It was hard to get a good picture because so many people were there.

Believe it or not Kaylie took this picture. She thought this "monkey" was really weird looking. She's still talking about him.

Measuring up.

Had to have mom do it too.

Striking a pose for the camera.

How do some people sleep at night?

2009-09-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS ME VENTING, YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO SUFFER THROUGH IT.)

Lately, Jacob and I have had numerous experiences with people where we just have asked ourselves : "How do they sleep at night?" It's amazing how few people there are in this world that seem to care about other's feelings. I know that no one is perfect (me being on the top of that list.) But gees, would it really kill us to stop and think about someone else for a change? Below are some instances that have led us to question just how these people sleep at night:

1. What's the fun in taking advantage of others? Seriously, nothing in life is for free. If someone does something nice for you, return the favor, or at least say thank you.

2. If you can't say something nice, just don't say it. The occasional sincere compliment never killed anyone.

3. Sometimes we just have to say things we don't want to say, in those cases...use a little tact. Seriously, chewing people out isn't going to put you on anyone's best friend list.

4. I hate nothing more than empty promises, you don't promise someone something and then never deliver.

5. What happened to good old fashioned listening? I hate repeating myself over and over to people. I understand sometimes people need to be reminded once or twice, but on the tenth time I start to feel like you just don't care.

6. Where are the "please's" and "thank you's"? I swear they've disappeared from most people's vocabulary.

7. Treat people equally, seriously don't play favorites, you're not fooling anyone.

8. It doesn't hurt to do at least one random act of kindness per day for someone you don't know. So instead of being "the jerk who cut them off," you could be "the polite stranger that finally let me pull out onto the street." (This certainly helps me sleep at night.)

9. I don't understand the mentality of "if I can't see it, it's not there." So many people push problems under the rug and never talk about them or try to solve them. Get it out in the open, it'll be messy for a minute but then you'll feel much better and you'll be able to sleep much easier at night.

10. And finally, if you realize that you might have hurt someone else, just apologize, it never hurts to apologize even if it is years overdue.

I enjoy my sleep at night (even though it's not happening now) so if I've ever been less than nice to you...put it on the table, let me know, I want nothing more than to make things right. I don't want anyone to be victims of these instances (or any others for that matter) on my behalf.

One Serious Penny Pincher

2009-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that these days are flat out tough financial wise for pretty much everybody. In our household things have been no cake walk either, but I'm one super determined stay-at-home mom and I want to keep it that way. For the last few years I've been open to any way to save a buck or two, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please share the wealth (pun intended)... Cause here's some of my penny pinching strategies.

1. Newest Discovery: Diapers.com

Lets face it, diapers are just flat out expensive. I did a little math on how much money we blew on Kaylie's diapers over the course of her first two years and ....I don't recommend it cause it'll just depress you. Most people recommend cloth diapers, but in my case time is money. So I heard about this website diapers.com. They guarantee to have the cheapest diapers around, and I sat down and did the math (wasted way too much time) but they are right. On average they are at least 5 cents cheaper per diaper than what you can get in stores. That can really add up fast, I figure I'm saving about $25 a month. Best of all, it comes the next day (if you order before 6 pm) and I got a big enough box to last Aaron an entire month! On your first order you can get $10 off. So if you're interested try it out, it's great...and don't forget my referral code: FLAM3859.

2. If you're not using it, unplug it!

I heard about some lady on Opera who unplugged everything in her house that she wasn't using and she saved hundreds of dollars a month (note, she had a lot of electronics)...and I thought I'll try it. I did and I noticed on average that I save at very least $20-$30 a month on my electric bill, Just by unplugging the computer while it's off, the microwave, toaster, TV, DVD player, and especially cell phone chargers (those suckers suck you dry.) Only problem with this one, my husband calls me the "electricity Nazi" cause it drives him crazy to have to plug and unplug everything all the time, but after a while you just get use to it.

3. Make a Meal Plan

I hate the grocery store more than anything in the world, I just don't like going. I feel like I'm always wasting all my money on food. But I've found a way to make it much more bearable, a meal plan. All you do is come up with 14 meals, one per night for the next two weeks. You figure out all the ingredients you'll need to purchase and write it all down (don't forget to add lunch and breakfast items too, and always add extra milk and snack foods, so you don't have to make extra trips.) Then you only have to go to the grocery store twice a month, plus you don't have to fret about what to make for dinner every night, just pick something off your list. With just the meal plan alone we save about $100-$150 a month on groceries. Also another money drainer with food, your hubby's daily lunch (my sis brought this to my attention), if he's eating out everyday that can cost you an extra $200 a month (at least). So make him a lunch the night before, or pack leftovers. And another big saver, resist the urge to eat out, it's not healthy anyway, it can save you a big chunk of change too.

4. Window shop online before you shop in the store.

Who doesn't love shopping? I love shopping, especially window shopping but with two kids it's just not practical. So I've found that I can save time, money and my nerves if I just window shop online. Plus I can compare prices, which...duh! Do this before you go to the mall, that way you know what you want and where to get it. When shopping online (or offline for that matter) always search for coupons and coupon codes before you purchase, you'd be shocked how much you can save with a little effort. And don't be afraid of coupons, coupons are a girls best friend, literally!

5. Pay bills online.

Did you know that every time you send a check to pay a bill, you get charged a hidden fee, plus you've paid for the stamp as well and that can really add up.

Well, this may not be helpful to everyone but hopefully this helps someone out. Again any other ideas are welcome here!

One Crazy Month

2009-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how fast this little guy's first month has gone. "He's one month already", is all I keep telling myself. It's been an absolute blur (especially with no sleep). And it hasn't been a picnic by any means either. It's a dang good thing that their cute though.

He started smiling at only 3 weeks, but we haven't been able to catch it with the camera yet, he's just coming out of one here.

Aaron loves bath time, he really hates it when it's over.

Kept mom and dad up all night and can't seem to figure out why dad's not talkin' to him the next morning.

Here's a peek at his moody side...super content and cooing.

To super angry in seconds.

Aaron loves the pacifier. The only problem...keeping it in. We're trying to introduce the thumb but he's not real interested. Jacob staged this one, I thought it was pretty funny. But I now see why the pacifier packages come with warnings to not tie something around the baby's head to keep it in...it is so tempting.

Kaylie's been super good with the whole baby thing, but some days I feel like nothing but a broken record...I'm always telling her "Kaylie get out of there you are just too big." Here she is "Busted" in the swing, but I repeat it with the car seat, the bouncer, the baby tub and so on. Oh well, it could be worse.

She's also had to be creative with all her free time. Here is her potty stool, it's now a boat and she calls out "all aboard!" To get all her stuffed animals in. Also, yesterday at lunch, she had talking chips, a mom chip, dad chip and baby chip...funny but at the same time I can't wait until things are a little more settled so she can have more mom and Kaylie time.

Two Weeks Already!

2009-08-29T15:57:00.001-07:00

Isn't it just crazy how fast life happens. Even though we can't wait until this little guy is sleeping through the night...I wish that he wouldn't grow so fast...I can't believe that he's two weeks old already...what happened? At eight days he lost his umbilical cord (which makes them not-as-new-newborns), I'm just mad that I didn't get to keep it (it just disappeared), I kept Kaylie's and gave it to Jacob as a Valentine's Day present...(it was Valentines Day when she lost hers.) Jacob just thought that it was gross...where's the love?

On Wednesday, we took Aaron to his two week check up and he weighed in at 6 lbs 12 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long (Jacob had to bring him home and measure him and we got 21 inches every time, must just be the nurse.) But I'm so happy that he's gaining as much weight as he is, especially because he was losing weight at the end of the pregnancy, it's such a relief. And check out the cheeks he's getting.

Last Saturday, to celebrate Aaron's 10th day of life, we went to a Car Show. (Jacob wanted to break him in early). It was over 100 degrees, so needless to say we didn't stay terribly long. Here's Kaylie chuggin down her water in the shade.

Here's the little guy in front of a GTO, like I said...Jacob likes to break them in young. Funny thing, Aaron's only two and a half weeks old and he's already been to two shows.

Night Owl

2009-08-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

So Aaron's a great baby except for one major thing, he's a serious night owl. Last night for example was Jacob's call night and of course he got a call and was gone most the night and Aaron was up the whole time he was gone. And man it's tough when they're up all night, I don't know how single parents can do it. Jacob came to the rescue at about 6 am and took him, even though he was up all night too. I love my hubby.

I just thought that this little onesee was appropriate due to the all-nighter last night. Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom when it comes to night owls? Kaylie's always been super good at night, so this is all new to me.

Kaylie sport'n the baby carrier with her baby, it's funny what a copy cat she is these days.

Mom's Little Helper

2009-08-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Finally after a week Kaylie's warming up to the idea of having a little brother around, and she's been quite the helper (seriously) she loves helping me however she can and it's actually quite nice. She loves showering Aaron with lots of kisses...so cute.

I keep commenting about what a mess our place is, so she keeps trying to help me out by cleaning for me, it's so cute.

Helping Aaron get the soothie in when he's fussy, she can be a little rough which always makes me nervous.

Reading an old diary of mine to Aaron (nothing written in it, but she reads it for hours on end.) I love my kids, they're a blast.

Aaron Silas

2009-08-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here he is, our little boy, Aaron Silas. Isn't he the cutest thing ever (I'm a little bias I know). He was born Wednesday, August 12th after a 13 1/2 hr labor, so boy were we glad to see this little guy. Here he is looking at his daddy. (Sorry things are a little out of order, I've been luckiy to get anything posted.)

He likes to keep just one eye on things.

Kaylie would have nothing to do with Aaron in the hospital, this was the best shot that we got of her with him, she wasn't the least bit interested in him. It was funny when she first saw him because she gave me a look of "oh my gosh, they weren't kidding". She is slowly warming up to him though.

A proud dad with his first son.

Mom, Dad and Aaron right after delivery...what a relief it was to be done and have him here.

He's just a little guy, he tipped the scales at 5 lbs 14 oz, and was a whopping 21 inches long. But we're grateful to have the happy and healthy little boy that we've prayed for especially after all the problems we had with this pregnancy.

I hate pictures of myself, especially while pregnant but I had Jacob take this photo of me just before we headed to the hospital Wednesday morning.

Jacob's Finally Finished Project

2009-08-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I found this Cradle online for only $20. (They usually sell for about $120.) And we needing something for the baby to sleep in decided to go ahead and buy it. It had a few scratches on it and a broken piece, but Jacob decided that it would be a fun little project to strip the varnish and stain off and re-stain it.

Well, that 'little project' turned into a nightmare. After cutting out a new piece (of course it's underneath so you can't see it here in the picture), hours of stripping, re-staining and glossing, it took about three months and cost about $120 once all said and done. Regardless, I'm proud of him for sticking to this headache and actually finishing it before our little guy gets here. So I'm taking the opportunity to brag about what a wonderful husband I have, I'm seriously one lucky girl.

Weirdo

2009-08-06T18:53:00.001-07:00

She's been on one today...that's all I have to say. Here she is posing in a laundry bag, she walked around in it for almost an hour.

Kaylie has always been notorious for taking an unfinished snack and hiding it in various places. I guess she's afraid that I might not feed her later. So I guess you could call her a little squirrel or something. Anyhow, today at lunch she pulled out some old Twislers and was dipping them in her ketchup.

All I have to say is...yuck! At least she liked it.

Updates

2009-07-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

As it gets closer to baby-time I've been trying really hard to focus on doing stuff with just Kaylie. For the 24th of July we took her to her first movie..."Up" and I have to say that was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time (I highly recommend it). Kaylie loved it so much she's been asking me everyday ever since to watch it again. Then on Saturday even though it was like a thousand degrees outside, I finally got the energy to take her outside for some simple pleasures....sprinklers. She's always been too timid to run through them but she loved it on this super hot day.

It wasn't too long before she was chasing me with the sprinklers, and then she figured out how to take the sprinkler head off. I love this picture with the hose in her armpit, she's so odd (she gets it from Jacob).

It's funny how it's always the small, simple things in life are the things you enjoy the most.

-Update on Baby #2: He's gaining weight...yay!!! (That's a good sign). However, we still expect him to be on the small side. The calcification of the placenta has slowed way down, and he's still moving a ton (Another good sign). I was really worried that I was going to have to have C-Section this week because of all the problems, but thanks to blessings, and prayers we've seen a significant turn around. But like my doctor said, we won't be completely happy until we get this little boy delivered. Which is only a few weeks away.

-Update on Chinese Water-Torture: The same day I posted the pictures of the lovely hole in our yard was the day we "really" experienced problems. That night when I was getting Kaylie to bed I noticed that the toilet was running and when I had Jacob come to look at it, he told me that we had no water pressure and to run and check on the pipes that the plumbers had been working on all day. So I went out to find the plastic pressure valve they had put on the pipes earlier had popped off, and we had basically a fire hose of water shooting out the pipes and we had a pool, because the hole had filled up and was overflowing. (I would have pictures, but this was at night and was way too dark). I freaked out because that meant our basement apartment was going to seriously flood at any second.

To make a really long story, short: it took us about 45 minutes to figure out how to turn off the water and stop "old faithful". We had to get into the man-hole in our front yard because it was the main water valve. Then we waited for the plumber to come pump out our pool, but after an hour of waiting, we had done it ourselves..."uggg". Fortunately, because of this mess we found out that it was something else that was leaking into our fireplace, and our apartment never flooded. Bad news, I still had to battle with mold for a week to kill it all (tough stuff to kill, but it is possible.) Soooooo, hopefully (knock on wood) all these "water problems" are over with. And they should be because we officially have a whole new plumbing system.

All I have to say is, you've gotta just love life!

Stuck

2009-07-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Kaylie is in this little 'terrible two' phase where, she never listens to me. I've told her repeatedly that she can't slide out under the arms of the rocking chair, and she obviously doesn't listen. So here she is stuck in the rocking chair, and I just had to laugh at her. I let her stay there a while because she needs to learn mom means mom says.

After I had my little laugh I had to try and get her out, and she was really quite stuck. Oh well, we'll see how soon it is before she tries this stunt again.

Update on the Chinese Water Torture

2009-07-13T11:55:00.001-07:00

So here's an update on our little "Chinese Water Torture" (which is what I'm calling it.) That leak from under our fireplace was (I guess) caused from a broken pipe in the sprinkler system.

Lovely, huh? And to top it off, yesterday after I took these pictures, it rained and my living room flooded again...I love life. (At least at this point I can laugh at it.) I'm just happy that they located the problem, and are fixing it. (Keeping my fingers crossed though.)

Kaylie wanted to get her picture by the whole. (She's holding her stuffed puppy, "Stockton", and yes, he's in a dress....that's another story for another day.)

"Feeling a little picked on"

2009-07-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

So I went Visiting Teaching the other day and my companion brought up how she's "feeling a picked on" these days, just because everything seems to be going wrong. All I can say is Diddo! we're "feeling a little picked on" ourselves lately, "when it rains, it pours" they say, and again nothing could be more true in our case.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to complain (we really are blessed) but man, all this "rain" is driving me insane, and I don't know how much more we can take. Here's our little list of problems these days:

1. We're stuck here in Utah, but we really want to be in Idaho, but there's no room in the family business. So we're here in Utah, Jacob's working twice as much as he would in Idaho, for literally about half the pay. But due to the current economy (no thanks to Obama) we dare not ask for a raise.

2. We are starting to have to pay back our student loans, which (due to the above circumstances) is next to impossible, we are not making enough to live and pay them all. And I'm too sick to work.

3. Last week I went to my regular well check visit on the baby and was told that the baby is too skinny and the Dr was worried that my placenta is dieing. This week a little better news, he's still gaining weight...but he's still way too skinny, and my placenta is starting to calcify, so I could have this baby at any time...and I still have a month to go. I'm basically suppose to be on bed rest (try that with a two year old....right). So a little scary....yeah!

4. Kaylie's got her molars growing in, and she's so grouchy and hard to deal with, plus she doesn't sleep very well at night so that means....no sleep for me...yay!

5. We've had every problem with water that you can imagine in our apartment. We love this apartment, and the rent is really cheap, but we've had about all that we can handle. Almost every pipe has had problems, but this week has been the icing on the cake because:

Under the fireplace has started to leak, due to sprinklers and too much rain. As soon as I get it dried out and the carpet all cleaned up it will leak again. And the smell of mold and mildew is just awful, it's making me and everyone else for that matter really sick.

While our landlord was here dealing with the fireplace issues I was in the bathroom doing my hair, when the ceiling above the shower started to drip really bad. (Not the greatest picture, but it is dripping). I'm just glad that he was here to see it because it's done it before but he never really believed me. Apparently the lady upstairs, had her shower on and it was leaking through into our bathroom....lucky me.

Then the linen closet flooded...yay...more stink! And that's about the point I started to scream, because I'm in the nesting phase (where I've been cleaning everything before the baby....and I get to do it all again.) So yes, I'm "feeling a little picked on" these days....how about you?

Forth of July

2009-07-11T10:54:00.001-07:00

Jacob took this picture (he's always experimenting). But Kaylie was so cute, they handed out little flags and you can't tell from the picture, but she was shaking her hips and tapping her feet to the beat as the band went by. That little flag literally made her week, she's been carrying it ever since.

Dancing with Katelyn.

This is what happens when you give your husband the camera for the parade, you get nothing but pictures of old cars. This one was cute because there was an old couple driving, and they were dressed up in twenties style clothing. I can't wait to get old.

Not the greatest picture, but these guys were driving around "magic carpets", which were just lawn motors with a frame and carpets on top. They looked like they were having a blast, I've been telling Jacob that I want him to build me one to drive around.

Kaylie again at the parade. It was perfect weather, which was really nice for me being preggo and all. (Sorry to the random lady in the background, no idea who she is...oh well).

Another car, seriously that's all Jacob got pictures of really. He's just a little obsessed, but I love him any way.

Okay, this was a different parade, it was a week before the Forth (but still a Forth of July Parade...don't ask, your guess is as good as mine.) But this is an ambulance hurse...another Flamm thing I guess, I thought it was cool.

Kaylie and her bag of candy, she didn't trust me to hold it, so she dragged it with her everywhere.

Checking out the spoils after the parade, she got quite a bit of candy and other goodies. She now asks me everyday if we can go to a parade and get candy.

Random (not to mention late) Post

2009-07-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

So these were taken way back in June, I was so busy that I never posted them. We were up at the Flamm's house and their neighbor's had a little Barbie Mustang that they were driving around. Kaylie loved riding in i, she didn't want to get out. (I forgot the little neighbor girl's name, pregnancy thing).

I always wanted one of these when I was little, like I would wish on shooting stars for them all the time (seriously, I was a little weird.) But after seeing how fast they can go, I'm not sure that I'll ever get Kaylie one. Fortunately this little neighbor girl was a really good driver, even when Kaylie was shifting the gears (which was hilarious, all the sudden they'd go backwards, forwards, slow, and super fast.) The little driver got sick of Kaylie pretty quick. I was hoping to get a shot of Brynnlee (Kaylie's cousin) but Brynnlee didn't want anything to do with the car, she was content on her bike (such a funny little girl.)

Our friends the Simpson's from Cincinnati, met up with us in Rexburg for just a little bit. We were so excited to see them. These are their girls with Kaylie...they are such cuties. Kaylie was way excited to see them. We miss the Simpson's a ton, wish we could have visited a little longer.

One Week of Fun!

2009-06-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Stevens flew all the way from Cincinnati to see us this week. We had one super fun week with them, and we did a lot, so the next few posts are dedicated to our week with them.
In this photo, we took them to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open-house. It was really pretty , but I wouldn't recommend taking a two-year old through because it's hard to really enjoy it. Kaylie really embarrassed me because she yelled out in the sealing room "Mom, I need to poop!" That was lovely. Overall, I'm glad we went.
It's crazy, but this is the 13th Temple in Utah!

2009-06-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Salt Lake Temple is by far my favorite Temple. Jacob and I were sealed there 3 1/2 years ago. I love going because it reminds me that we can be a family forever.

Cute picture of Kaylie dancing with Jacob in front of the Temple.

We took the Stevens to Temple Square to tour everything and I took a bunch of random pictures of the Temple, just for fun.

Cool shot, but I'm in dire need of a better camera (someday will have the money...I wonder how long I'll be saying that).

Vacation with the Stevens

2009-06-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

Mesa Falls.

We had a blast this week because our good friends Justin and Deanna Stevens flew in from Cincinnati to see us for the week. So we took them up to Idaho to see their car and decided to go site seeing. First stop, Mesa Falls. (As you can see Deanna was my pregger buddy on this trip, she's due about the dame time I am, with a boy too.)

This is Tower Falls in Yellowstone, they'd never been to Yellowstone before.

A must-see for new comers, Old Faithful.

We saw a lot of Bison that day they were everywhere. Here are some cute little babies. Shortly after this they started to fight and mom came to break it up, it was cute. These Bison were so close to us that while we were taking pictures the adults were grunting at us for being too close to their babies....needless to say we didn't stay long.

This guy was as big as the car, and all by himself in the middle of nowhere. I also saw another Bison charge a group of girls, luckily they got out of the way but that was a little scary (I've been there a lot and never seen one actually charge.)

Cool picture that Justin took. They forgot their camera, good thing we had ours. In Yellowstone a camera is a must have.

This is our favorite Waterfall in Yellowstone, isn't it pretty? It was our last stop in the park. It is huge...and the pictures just don't do it justice.

If I look a little sick in this picture, it's because I was. I wouldn't recommend going to Yellowstone while eight months pregnant.

Deanna and Justin had a blast at Yellowstone, it was really fun to go with them.