UPDATE

Well... after 7 months of not blogging, I feel just a little bit overwhelmed with how much I need to catch up on. After my last post, our computer was on the edge of death for 3 months. It would only last for 10 min until it would shut down. Then we bought a new computer, but we moved the following month (November) and we didn't get internet in our  new place until just a few weeks ago. So I'm forgiven now...right?!!!

I will catch up on the missing months someday, but this post will just be an update so I can feel like I can move forward with the blogging.

We outgrew our apartment and found a great deal on a cute little home/duplex in South Logan. So we moved in November. It was such a bitter-sweet feeling to leave our apartment. I was sad to leave so many memories, our amazing ward, and living so close to our friends. But we were so excited to get a brand new home. The home was just finished being built a week or two before we moved in, so it was a fun feeling to move into a place where no one has lived before. My favorite part of this place is that we dont have to share any walls with neighbors. Our garage is the only thing connected to our next door neighbors, so it is really like we have our own home. It is just another temporary home for us while Kory goes to school, but we feel very blessed to find a place that has felt comfortable, safe, and home-like while we finish our time here in Logan.

Kory will be getting his Masters degree (in Business Administration) at the end of July, so we will be moving out of the valley this summer sometime to get settled in a place where he can start his own Landscape Design business in the near future. I am excited and nervous for the college chapter in our life to be over. He is anxious to get out and be done, and I don't blame him. He is such a hard worker. He normally does Landscaping in the summer, but he obviously can't do that during the winter in Logan, so he usually just finds any job available to get through the snowy months. Jobs are very few and far between in Logan (especially in the winter), so he works for a construction job OUTSIDE all winter long. The job is in the canyon- the coldest place  in the world, in my opinion. There is wind and shade all day long. He has stuck with it through this entire winter just to support his family. I tell him he is crazy and that it isn't worth it, but I am truly grateful and impressed he would do whatever it takes to support his family. He only has a few more weeks there and then he can get started on the work he enjoys! He just bought a truck of his dreams.. He wants to fix it up and make it all fancy. Hailee and I tell him everyday that it is disgusting,  but he loves it and is so excited for a project. I guess when I married Kory, I married his wants and desires... so I have come to accept this "disgusting" truck in our lives and on our property.

I have really enjoyed being done with school and staying at home with my kiddies.

 I still do hair on the side and I just started a small  business at home with cutting vinyl. I took the plunge and bought a large vinyl machine. I have advertised through those "daily deals" websites to get my name out there and I have an Etsy store. I am just getting started, but it has been a fun hobby. I love that I can do it at home and do a little here and little there. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Sisterdoodles
I just got called as the Young Womens Camp Director in my ward. Some people think that sounds like an awful calling to have, but I seriously can't wait! I am thrilled about it. I worked as a camp counselor the summer before I got married and absolutely loved it. I am sure it will be tons of work, and I am completely worried about how I am going to be a friend to those young women and be there for them... especially for those girls that have hard trials. I feel way too immature for that, but here goes.
I also got a new car a few weeks ago! well.. new to us. It is an Acura MDX and I love my "mom" car!

Hailee is 3! And I am glad! haha. the 2 years old phase was definitely a huge challenge for us! Some people told me the 3rd year gets harder, and I always wanted to cry when I would hear that because I really didn't know how much more I could handle (especially with another child), but she has really grown and matured. She is still wild and crazy at times, but she has more sweet moments than stinky moments. I look back at her 2 year old days and just laugh at all we went through. She loves being a Sunbeam in Primary. (don't mind her cheesy face- This is how she smiles when we tell her to say "cheese")

 She loves her gymnastics class she is taking! She is such a monkey and climbs on everything, so this has been great for her.

 She only takes a nap once or twice a week.. and I am SO sad about that. I just can't bare that she is outgrowing them. She LOVES spending time with Natalie- sometimes too much. She wants to carry her everywhere and drag her to a corner where it can be just the two of them. Natalie isn't completely opposed to it, but she definitely doesn't love being dragged by her neck. But it is obvious they both love each other

Hailee is STILL obsessed with the binki. She was completely off binkis way before Natalie was born but she has been stealing Natalie's binki since she came home from the hospital. It is such a challenge for us. I don't know what to do because Natalie can't survive without a binki (ok, I can't survive without Natalie having a binki). Hailee will go as far as sneaking into Natalie's room while she is sleeping and flip it out of her mouth just to have it. So for now, we just keep finding ways to encourage (and punish) her to not take the binki. Hailee is such a good little mommy to all 5 of her baby dolls. She also loves to turn on my exercise videos and dance to the music. She begs "mom, I really want to exercise with you. PLEAAASE" haha. It is sad she has to beg me. Hailee loves to help me cook and be involved in every conversation. She has also learned the art of sassy-talk, which drives me nutty. But she makes up for it very easily when she pulls my face toward her and whispers "Mommy, you are so very very smart and beautiful." Ok Hailee, you are forgiven!!

Natalie is 9 1/2 months!! I can't believe how big and old she is already. She is such a sweet baby. She wakes up every morning and nap with smiles and giggles.

 I come into her room to pick her up, and she shakes and bounces every body part because she is so excited to get up.  She has the best cheeks!

Natalie still does not crawl! She chooses to roll around to get what she wants. This week she just figured out her own form of scooting, so the crawling will probably come soon. She still sleeps swaddled in a blanket. I can swaddle her, put a small furry tag blanket on her cheeks, lay her down in her crip, and she goes right to sleep. I know she is not a newborn anymore and shouldn't be swaddled but she loves it. It is just too easy. This girl LOVES to sleep. She is happy as can be to just sit up on the floor and play with one or two toys for a long time... UNLESSS if she sees me. If she makes any eye contact with me, she will scream and throw her arms around until I pick her up. She is definitely a momma's girl. She has 4 teeth now and she smiles so big with those teeth closed tight and her eyes shut tight. It is such a funny, cheesy smile. She is one of those babies that you can actually tell what she wants through her cries and her flinging arms. It is amazing. she has a specific cry when Hailee is torturing her- It sounds like she is tattling through her cry. I always know her tired cry, and her "pick me up" cry. I never believed someone could truly read their babies cries until Natalie. She is one of the happiest, calm, easy going babies out there... most of the time. But when she wants something or doesn't like something- she sure knows how to tell you.

  She has such a contagious giggle, and she dances (bounces) to music or when she sees us dancing around her. Her new thing is growling. I think she likes the feeling in her throat, but it is so funny to hear. We are enjoying this little squirt and watching her grow. It always amazes me how much babies change in the first year. Her personality keeps getting cuter and cuter everyday.

 

well, if you are still reading... that's our update!

Never a dull moment

There is never a dull moment with Hailee. Over the past 2 months, Hailee has really taken interest in what I do and how I do things. She has become the mommy of the house. She's quite a bossy little thing and likes to be in control of every situtaion and be the center of attention.

Lately when strangers walk by in and say Hi to her she'll say "mommy tell her Hi?" becuase I am always telling her "can you say hi back to them?" or when they tell her she is cute, she'll say "mommy, say thank you."

She also randomly tells me "mommy, thank you for being so nice!" and then i'll say "thank you" and she immediately says "oh, your welcome!" it the most sincere sweet voice.

When she see's a bruise, a hang nail, or any sort of sore on us she says "ohhhh HONEY" and acts so concerned. It always follows with a kiss to make it all better. She has become a very sweet little mommy to her baby sister. Anything we say to Natalie, I will hear Hailee say it to her the next day. It is so funny to watch her act like the parent and hear and see how we rub off on her. She is so good at helping me see what embarrasing things I do. Its not a very fun reality check for me!

Well.. here is our little mommy in training!....  (FYI, none of these pictures were set up. Anytime it gets quiet in the house I quickly grab my camera because I've learned that 9 times out of 10, I will find something quite shocking)

many times I find her trying to change Natalie's diaper

 
And always snuggles right up to her.

Making up stories and showing her pictures to her books.

Giving her babies baths.

Not only does she try to be a mommy, she's also trying to be a baby also....

Whenever she sees me swaddling Natalie, she insists on being swaddled as well. And the binki... She's obsessed with binkis!!

And last but not least... She always wants bottles but we never let her have them, so she was so excited to a bottle in the fridge. I found her hiding in the fridge drinking my breastmilk . I laughed so hard, and pulled it away. She screamed and said "but mommy, I LIKE IT!!!"

 

She's so curious and sneaky.

4th of july week

We had a full week of fun for the 4th of July

The first weekend we went down to Salt lake, went to an Oakcrest reunion, baby shower, baby blessing, movies, shopping, and spent an evening with my family at Taylorsville Days.

SCARY STORY: These pictures are at the Taylorsville fireworks. There were thousands of people sitting out on the field. they had a band playing and many other things to keep the crowd entertained.

Well... an airplane went by (as part of the show) and about 5 people jumped out and parachuted (word?) down. The crowd watched as each person let out their parachute. One person's parachute was twisted and was somersaulting over and over while trying to get it untwisted. (he was okay), but while we all had our eyes fixed on this person in the sky, Hailee decided to wander off all by herself. After a few minutes of watching and wondering what the guy in the sky was going to do- I remembered I have a wild 2 year old.. so I looked over to check on her and --- she was GONE!  It was just dark enough that we couldn't see very well, but not dark enough to see her glow necklaces, anklets, and bracelets on her body (we were TRYING to be prepared for something like this). My family split in different directions and searched all over for Hailee. a few moments passed by and my mom decided it was long enough to get the people involved and announce it to the entire crowd of people. Just seconds before they announced it, a lady was walking my direction holding Hailee's hand. I ran over to take her and thank the lady as she explained that she had found Hailee clear accross the field wandering. She assumed that she was lost since everyone was fixed on the people in the sky. What an INSPIRED woman! All she knew to do was walk Hailee back from the direction she was found her wandering from. We were so grateful! Everytime I lose Hailee (it happens more often than I wish to admit), I always have a million things run through my mind- including the thought "what if that was the last time I saw her" and many more thoughts I hope to never witness. It was quite a scare for us.... 

So...  for the rest of the night Hailee was strapped to the stroller or in our arms.

The fireworks were SO good and Hailee absolutely loved them and snuggled with Kory the entire time (after she had forgiven us for strapping her down for so long)

I love had to post this picture of Hailee and Kory making faces because I was trying to capture such a sweet moment of Kory and Hailee cuddling  and all they could give me was goofy faces for the picture! so here's payback! :)

For the 4th of july, Kory and I went on a date and dropped the kids off with his parents. We went to Spiderman and dinner at our favorite- Iggies. The next morning we went to a parade in Hooper and had a barbecue with his family and played a few outside games. That night we just rented a movie since we had already seen fireworks-- and we were too tired to chase Hailee all around a field, and we lost her one too many times that week. I forgot to take pictures of my cute girls in their red, white, and blue. I was so sad!

That weekend we went to Bear Lake for a small family reunion on my side. Kory had school friday night and saturday morning so we came up for the saturday and spent the night. It was so enjoyable. We DIDN'T lose Hailee once, she actually enjoyed the water (she normally hates any form of water other than baths), she went on the boat, and even went with me on the tube behind the boat! and she loved it!

 Both Natalie and Hailee slept awesome through the night (we were more worried about Hailee sleeping through the night than Natalie. haha). It made the entire camping trip SO pleasant! It was our first time camping this summer and Natalie's first time camping EVER. And I'm sad I didn't take any pictures of her- she literally slept through the entire trip.