Ty's first day of preschool and potty training

Today was Ty's first day of preschool.

Let's back up to last week. We do a preschool here at home with 3 other little kids around Ty's age in the ward. When we moved in last January one of the mom's invited me to do it with them. I was so thankful. I knew it was an easy way to get to know other's in the ward quickly. Ty made friends with the kids and loves doing it. The mom's have all been so nice to include us. We took the summer off and had a meeting last week to plan this year. At the meeting Ty's friends had told him they were going to preschool two times a week and then our preschool one day a week. He wanted to do what they were doing. I told him he could as soon as he was potty trained. The next day he told me he wanted to be potty trained. So we tried. He only had three accidents in the first week. He is doing awesome. Fast forward to this week and we have a potty trained preschooler.

He just had to decide that is what he wanted to do. Here are some questions that I asked him and hopefully will ask him similar questions each year. He was also so excited that he had his shoes and back pack on an hour before it was time to go.

Questions answered by Ty.

Age: 3
Favorite color: Red
Best friend: Carson
Favorite thing to do: Wrestle
How do you feel about going to Preschool: Excited!
Favorite food: bananas
What he wants to do when he gets older: Run with horses, ride horses and catch Uncle Jordan's horses.
Favorite movie: Toy Story 3

He was seriously so cute going in to Preschool. He wasn't even scared. I am just a little sad that he is so independent but proud of how brave and grown up he is.

Ashlan Amy Christensen

Written in my journal originally Thursday March 28, 2013.

Ashlan Amy Christensen was born March 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 in long. She is so precious and I am so glad she is here.

Her original due date was April 4, 2013 so she came about 2 weeks early. I went into labor around 4 AM that morning and sent Kip to work. I had the same feelings two days before and had Kip stay home assuming I had gone into labor. Since I didn't I thought this was the same thing. I told him I would text him if the contractions got closer. At 7:30 I called Kip and my mom to come. We got to the hospital at 8:30 and I was a 6 1/2. The anesthesiologist was busy in an emergency surgery so I had to wait until he was done to get my epidural. By this time I was so worried I wouldn't be able to get one. I was able to get something to help with the pain but it made me dizzy. He finally came in and it was seriously the best epidural I have gotten. She was born a few minutes after I got my epidural and in less than one push. She was so easy except for being in labor with nothing to help with the pain until I was seriously a 9. I don't know how those woman do it who go all natural. They are brave!

We are loving her sweet spirit. She is very dramatic and definately let's us know she is in charge. She snorts when she cries if she is really upset. She has two little dimples. One is very prominent but the other shows itself occasionally. We have had so much help from family and our ward has been so nice to bring in meals.

It's always amazing to me that with every new baby our love can grow. Being a mom is a challenge but the biggest blessing. I am certain she is a little touch of heaven and we love that feeling in our home.

3 kids is proving to be a challenge. I can't do the things I could do before on my own or with little trouble. It feels like everything takes longer and is harder with 3 little ones. We wouldn't change it for anything though. Kip is an awesome daddy and a great husband. He is so busy with school and work and yet does so much for us at home. The boys have been loving wrestling with daddy time. Something I am sure we will always remember.

24th of July

We had a really nice 24th of July. Kip had to work and we missed him dearly. We attended the Ogden Pioneer day parade. I was able to park really close to our spots and met my mom at our spot. Angie and Dave saved us spots. They were right across the street from the Ogden temple. I just kept thinking about how nice it will be to have the temple completed. The parade was fun and I was glad my mom was there to help.

After the parade we went to visit Grandpa and Grandma Barker. They were so happy to see them and I was glad to be there. We hadn't seen them since the 4th. It was fun to visit. I feel so lucky to have both sets of my grandparents still. They are awesome and I can't imagine my life without them.

We met Kip at home in the afternoon and we all went out to Grandma Beus'. We spent the evening with Kip's parents eating dinner, having a water fight and visiting. It was a beautiful night! I am very lucky to have in laws like them.

Some things to remember from that day.

The boys were so excited to go to the parade and Grandma Nette's.
Ashlan screamed every time Grandma Barker tried to hold her.
Having a water fight with Grandma and Grandpa Nette. Daddy even joined in.
Showing McKay a tiny green grasshopper outside Grandma Beus' house.
My mom and Annette's help that day.

If there is one thing I have learned since Ashlan has come it's that I can't do it very easily alone. Kip's parents, my parents, our brothers and sisters and their kids, our grandparents and Kip are all so helpful. We are lucky to have them all. Any where we go with family they are all so quick to jump and help us. For that I am grateful!

FHE and a promise

Yesterday I had a feeling that I needed to be better at documenting our everyday life. So here it goes again.

This last weekend I made a game for part of my sharing time. It was called Punch it out. The kids in primary loved it and I was glad it worked out. Ty had been asking to play it ever since I made it. Last night I decided I would incorporate it into our FHE. I finally got screaming Ashlan fed and got the boys settled into a movie so that I could get it ready. I got everything done with the game and found my scripture and pictures I would use and we got started. Kip was at school during this time and wasn't able to help so it took a little more time on my own. It's times like this that I am grateful for his help.

We had McKay help me say the prayer, Ty helped with the song and we played the game. Then we read the scripture story and looked at the pictures. It turned out great and they seemed to love it. It amazes me how much their little minds know already. Even though it took some time to prepare it, I am glad we did it and they learned a little more about the creation. Ty even answered the questions right about who created the world and what things were created.

This might sound like we had a smooth night but I want to remember just how crazy it was last night. Kip left for school about 5:00. Our last babysitting kid left at 5:30. Even though it had only been 1 hour and a half since Ashlan ate by this time she was screaming to eat. So I sat down and turned on a movie for the boys. While they were watching I quickly fed Ashlan. During my feeding time with Ashlan Ty pulled McKay off of the couch and he bonked his head. I had to hurry and put Ashlan down, grab Ty and put him on a time out and pick up and console McKay. Then I had to discuss what happened with Ty. You could say this was 15 minutes or so of pure chaos. After that I was able to calm everyone down and finish feeding Ashlan. Then I had dinner to get on the table. Then we fed everyone and started FHE. Once FHE was done we had bath time with prayer and scripture. Then it was bed time. I was ready for bedtime and so were the boys. Ty was asleep in less than a minute. McKay played quietly in his bed for a half hour or so before he finally went down.

I got them down and it was time to feed Ashlan again. Then I was able to talk to her for a few minutes then clean up the kitchen and dinner mess. At this time Kip came home. He brought 2 balloons home for the boys from his class. Each of the balloons had something written on them. One said Joker and the other said Husband. I asked what it was about and he explained his assignment. He said they each had to write out 4 titles they hold in their daily life. They got to juggle them after. Then they were asked to choose the most important. He chose Husband and I was surprised. Then he ate dinner while telling me about his day and we finished with a movie and ice cream.

It was a good day. There were moments of craziness and moments of happiness but it was a good day.

Ty's first dentist appointment

Ty had his first dentist visit today. My mom watched McKay for me while I went because I wasn't sure how Ty would be. We have been talking about it for at least 3 weeks. I have heard horror stories of kids at their first appointment and didn't want that to happen with Ty. My family has terrible teeth and I also have terrible teeth. Since it is something that runs in our family I want to avoid it if at all possible. So I brush Ty's teeth and I floss his teeth and he also takes a fluoride pill. I haven't done the mouthwash thing yet but I will when he gets a bit older. I have been thinking about who to take Ty to now for quite sometime. Nowhere ever felt right until I saw an ad in the hometown values catalog. I knew I should give it a try for Ty. They were booked out for 3 weeks when I called but they were so great to work with.

We talked about what would happen, what tools the dentist would use and how well behaved he would need to be. Today came and I was a little worried. We got there and everything went so smoothly. The hygienist was awesome and she talked to him about everything. They had a movie to watch, a fish tank, prizes and just a lot of fun stuff. It ended up being a very great experience for him. They gave me a referral card and if you would like it let me know. It gives you and I $20 towards your account when used. I should have taken more pics but didn't think until we were in the car. This picture of him doesn't show how excited he was at the dentist.

Ty is getting so grown up and this is just one of those things that shows how big he is getting. I couldn't have asked for a more well behaved child at the dentist. This picture is of him holding his bag of goodies. They gave him a bag, instructions, an octopus, a football bouncy ball, a tooth brush, a flosser and some toothpaste. Oh and the best part of it all there were no cavities and we saw his big boy teeth in the xrays that look like they are coming in so nice.  He was really lucky!

Afterwards we went to McDonald's to celebrate his trip. We don't usually go to McDonald's or out to eat for that matter but he loved it. He got chicken nuggets, apples, fries, a toy and apple juice. He ate it all. It was nice to spend some time alone with just him today. He really enjoyed it to.

McKay's 9 month check up

McKay is now 9 1/2 months old. Last week he had his 9 month check up and we got to go back to our old pediatrician that I love. I was able to leave Ty with my mom since he was napping and enjoyed my time alone with McKay. He was really good at the office and I just had a couple concerns for McKay at this appointment. Eczema and a possible ear infection. Dr. Gabe checked the ear and confirmed that McKay had a full blown ear infection. He also talked to me about Eczema. Little McKay has had Eczema since birth and it has gotten bad a few times but I have kept up on it with Aquaphor and Cortizone 10. However he has a little spot under his chin that just doesn't want to go away. Dr. Gabe gave us some cream that has helped a ton and we hope it will be gone in no time. Some things about McKay at 9 months.

He crawls everywhere and gets into everything
He pulls himself up and stands and really doesn't mind if he tips over and bonks his head
He is very busy and wants to always be where the action is
He can kind of wave bye-bye
He says da da
He is has sensitive skin and burns very easily
He wants to eat and drink everything we are having and usually gets away with it when grandparents are around
He loves his brother Ty
He loves to wrestle with Ty, Cache, Noah and Daddy
Prefers nursing but will take a bottle if needed. I have tried getting him to take one a day just to make it easier for those that babysit him while we are the temple.
Loves all kinds of baby food but mostly loves fruits
Went swimming for the first time on Monday and was a little fish in the water. He loves it!
He wears 6-12 month clothes, 9-12 month clothes and they fit him in the length but are a little big in the waist.
Loves his blank (blanket) and usually tries to find the taggy and play with it or suck on it
He is starting to like his paci a lot more than he use to
Loves drinking out of a cup but doesn't understand the sippy cup or straw thing yet
He is a clapper and gets so into it
Over the past month he has learned to clap, sit up, crawl and pull him self up

His stats from the doctor:
Height: 28 inches-75%
Weight: 17 lbs 6 oz-10%
Head circumference: 75%


He is definately a tall skinny baby but doesn't really look that skinny. When people ask about his weight they can't believe he is so tiny. The doctor isn't worried about his weight and thinks he will go back up after a little while.

We love him and we are so glad he is in our family. He is growing up so fast and I am already seeing that he is going to be one busy little guy. 

It passes all my understanding...

I think this world that we live in is amazing. I think being a mommy is something so special and I feel so blessed to get to be one. I love being a wife and I am certain heavenly father knew what he was doing when he put us in families. I feel so lucky to be a stay at home mom and to have the gospel. I marvel at the beauty of the earth and I think spring really makes me remember this. Everything always seems so new, so clean, so fresh and almost like it has a clean start again. It amazes me!

Those are just things that have been on my mind lately. On a completely different note I had a thought the other day that I wanted to share. I am often worried about what others think. I don't know why but I care what others think of me. I want them to think of me as organized, prepared, happy, honest, kind, thoughtful...you get the idea. Sometimes I think of others. I have been blessed with an interesting perspective of others. I can often find the good in someone when others can't or I easily find the positive in anything. I love that I see something in people that others sometimes miss. I love that I can find the positive in almost everything. Sometimes however I find myself being critical of others and while I was having one of those moments I had a thought. The thought came to me that they are doing their best and they are just being themselves. Don't be so critical of them! Who are you to judge.

It really made me think and immediately I found myself seeing that person that I was thinking about differently. I am blessed that I had that thought and I have told myself that whenever I have had a negative thought run through my head since then.

This is a completely random post. So be prepared. Kip found out he isn't getting the job at SLCPD. They are revamping the hiring process and although he is currently 11th on the list they are throwing out the list. They are requiring everyone to reapply and since he had been in the current hiring process for 2 years we decided not to pursue it longer. So Kip got a second job. He works Friday night to Saturday late afternoon evening. He is a driver for Bountiful baskets. It has been a tough transition. I hate seeing him work so much and with his other job requiring him to work about 50-60 hours, it seems he is never here. He is such a hard worker and I am proud of how hard he works for our family however I miss him and hate seeing him so tired. Now days the only time we have together is evenings and Sunday. In the meantime we are trying to find him other work. If any of you know anywhere that is hiring let us know.

The boys. The boys are getting so big. Time seriously goes by way to fast. Ty is showing us he is a 2 year old. He loves to copy everything we do or his uncles do. He is a tantrum thrower and he is getting more and more interested in getting potty trained. Some of his new things as of lately are things like, I can't believe this mom!, What a day and he is loving any kind of animal or anything outside. McKay is growing up way to fast. He is rice and baby food twice a day, he loves every kind of baby food and loves to drink water out of a regular cup. He is sitting up pretty well and gets into the crawling position. He does know how to scoot backward on his tummy but doesn't know how to go forward. It's funny! He just started learning how to clap his hands. He can say dada and mama but says dada more. He loves anything outside and loves his brother. He has his two bottom teeth and his top two have been coming in the last 2 weeks, which has made for one cranky boy.

This summer I think we will be living outside at the park or the pool and visiting people. It should be a busy summer. We are all looking forward to our trip to California in June for Kip's family reunion. We can't wait to see all his family and get away from life as we know it for awhile and just spent time together.