Been Busy

So we've been busy around these parts. I wish I could remember what it was that's been making us so busy, but I can't seem to remember. Last week I headed out to South Carolina to shoot my cousin's wedding. It was so much fun. I took Isa with me and we had a great time. She was nearly perfect on the plane both ways and a lot easier to handle than all 4! It was great to spend time with my Grandma and see all the fam out there. I got to watch a bunch of HGTV (we don't have cable) and just relax. We took a trip out to the beach just to walk around, walked around downtown and enjoyed the festives of the wedding. I've been working on a lot of pictures lately and although I enjoy it, I'm anxious for a break. I have another wedding coming up in 2 weeks, so I'll get a short break. Bri and I have a babysitter for tomorrow so we can get our Christmas shopping done. I know.... procrastinators! Oh well.

I've lost my wedding ring. I went through 2 weeks of garbage, even opening dirty diapers. And just incase you were wondering, their smell does not lessen after 2 weeks! I didn't come up empty handed though, I found one of Cooper's shirts and a knife in there. I'm going to guess Cooper put them in there. I'm also blaming him for my ring being lost. I don't know for sure though. I've looked in vents, all the drawers, random toys, bags, just about everything I can think of. Hopefully it turns up.

Isabelle turned 5 months. I have a few pics in honor of her 5 month bday. Here's amazing for you.... last night we put her to bed at 7:30 and she woke up around 4:00 and then went back to sleep until 7:30. Then, at 9:00 she went to sleep for 5 hours, then down again at 4:00 and is still sleeping. So in the last 24 hours, she's been awake a total of 3 1/2 hours. Not sure what's going on there. I keep checking on her to make sure she's breathing. Must be some major growing going on.

Cooper has figured out how to get out of his crib. I'm surprised it took him this long, but now bed times and nap times are a little of a challenge.

Caroline has been a major stinker! My Mom had all the kids for 2 days while I was gone and Bri was at work and I think 90% of the "issues" were Caroline. She's miss drama queen. 3 years old totally kicks 2 years old! I've lost my sweet Caroline for a little while. Hopefully she grows out of it quickly. She still does sweet things every now and then I guess, she's just a lot more.... teenagery! :)

Elizabeth has been a lot of fun lately. She loves playing games in the car like I Spy and 20 questions and name that tune. We played it for an hour on the way to WeeMama's house. She loves to stay up and try to get out of going to bed. She's also way into Star Wars and XBOX. I think the Star Wars marathon went on while I was gone.

Brian was great to help me out during my excursion. He seemed totally calm every time I called. Not sure why I get all the craziness! :) He just finished a vball league. The were so close but ended up taking 3rd. Still a major improvement from last go-round.

Well, Merry Christmas to all of ya.

O Christmas Tree!

So there's been a lot going on lately, but I'll skip to this real quick. We heard of this tree farm from my sister and since it was just up the street, we decided to Lampoon it this year and cut down our own tree. Here are a few shots from the event.

First almost stitches

Well Monday morning I got a call from Elizabeth's teacher. Somehow she slid on a LEGO and slit her leg open. I was sure she was going to be freaking out and bawling, but she never cried a tear. We got to the doctors office, yes, all 4 kids, and were in there for about 45 min before we walked out with some glue, bandages and a few suckers. I tried to find a neighbor to help with my kids, but I only really know 2 well enough to ask and one wasn't home and the other was leaving. How I miss my old neighborhood! :( So, we all went. I couldn't believe how brave Elizabeth was. She skipped out to the car on the way to the office and was coloring while waiting on the table. I'm so glad she didn't have to get stitches! After a few "moments", I caught Cooper making faces in the mirror. Didn't catch a great one, but thought it was funny he was doing that.

Anniversary Weekend

Well we made it to 7 years. Yipee! Brian and I decided to take turns planning our anniversary. We couldn't remember what we did last year, but I was sure I planned it. Come to find out, the anniversary we thought we did 2 years ago was last years. Boy that was a long year! So Brian ended up planning the last 2 and he did a fabulous job! We stayed down town at the Hilton for 3 nights, kidless. Special thanks to all my family for helping with all of them. I was really nervous to leave Isabelle, but it ended up being a great break. We did see her 2 times though, so that helped. Friday night we went to see the musical "Into the Woods". It was fun. They did a great job. That's one of Bri's favorites, I think mainly because he performed that one in HS, but none the less, it was a fun play. Oh, before that we went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner and had an hour before the show started, so we went to Cracker Barrel and walked though their store and then ended up outside on the rocking chairs to play a game of Checkers. Brian was convinced it was played like Chess, but I corrected him and ended up winning. :)

Saturday we woke up and got our Continental breakfast and then headed down to the gym to work out. I know right? Are we awesome or what? Well, we had to do it because of all the great food we were eating! After that we headed over to my sister Jill's real quick and then out to lunch at Cucina in Salt Lake. Yummy! After that, we were off to see the play Noises Off. It was a real funny play with a lot of craziness! After the play we went back to the hotel and just relaxed for a bit. We got some little snacks at the hotel and then Brian surprised me with a massage. Loved it!!! I haven't had one in over 2 years and it was just so wonderful! Then we went to the Executive Floor (doesn't that sound cool) for dessert and then fell asleep relaxed!

Sunday we woke up and walked over to Music and the Spoken Word. It was great. Every time I hear the MoTabs sing I really feel like Brian should be in it. Of course I'm sure I'll hate it because that's 2 more days I'm parent-help-less, but I know he would love it and I'd love to see him doing it. He has such a beautiful voice and loves to share it and is so great about sharing that talent. He'd also really like to sing under Mac because he had him at BYU and really enjoyed him there, so we'll see. I went ahead and made the plunge and told Bri I think he should do it. He thinks it'll be better in a few years, but is there really a good time to abandon your family? JK. So we'll see. Auditions are in July so we have a little time to think about it. After the music we just walked around Temple Square. I can't remember the last time I went in the Visitor Center. There was so much I hadn't seen. Also, we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie that came out a few years ago. Brian missed half of it because he had to take Caroline out, so we had the chance to watch it uninterrupted which was lovely. As I sat there I realized so many things I'm doing wrong and so many more that I need to be doing. What amazing sacrifices all the early members made and how little I feel I sacrifice for the Church now. I'm so far from where I need to be. Will I ever get there?!!! It was fun to be at the Salt Lake Temple since Sunday was our official anniversary and that's where we were 7years ago. Afterwards, we laid in bed and watched tv uninterrupted. No one asking us to get food, or drinks or this or that. How lovely. I even got to take a nap! That never happens. We got some lunch at Tony Caputo's. It's fabulous. They have a meat ball sandwhich that can keep you full for hours. We actually didn't even get dinner because we were still full. We took a little dip in the pool and relaxation time in the hot tub. I know.... we're so bad 'cause it was Sunday. I think we'll be forgiven though! I'm sure the Lord knows how important a little relaxation time without kids is and how rare it can be! Okay, I'm just trying to make myself feel good about it. Don't judge me! :) We ended up getting a little too much tv/relaxation time and neither one of us had a great sleep.

Monday we woke up, ate breakfast and headed over to Costco to grab a few things before we were off to see the new James Bond movie. (Hence the picture of the gas prices. I think it's even lower than when we were married! Well, not quite yet, but I was shocked at the price.) The move was good. Your typical violence and action happening so fast you have no idea who's who. But still entertaining. We had some good alone time and I'm grateful to Brian for planning such a wonderful weekend for our anniversary. I love that guy and he does so much to help make my life easier. I love being able to spend time with him and just talk about life, where we're going, what we need to do and just be with him. I think I'll stick around for another year! Love you Bri!

FYI

I just thought I'd throw out there that I printed off my blog into a book through blurb.com. It turned out great and it was so fun. I can't wait until next year to do it again. They have this way easy way to do it called slurp. I had a friend try it a week or so ago and she said that slurp wasn't working, so you might want to wait until it does because it's so easy. You can choose where you want your words, which pics on what page, how many on a page blah blah blah. Way fun, so don't waste all your memories you take the time to put on a blog. Print it off so you can remember them forever. It's so fun!

What a sweetie

Caroline fell off her chair at dinner the other night. She fell right on her head on the tile floor and was really hurt and upset. Elizabeth asked me to paint her face like a clown. I asked why and she said, "I want to make Caroline laugh and feel happy." I thought that was so cute.

Miss Isa

So we've hit 4 months old. Well, 2 days ago. Surprisingly considering the fact that she's "loved" all day by her older brother and sisters. She's doing good though. She's 25.5 inces (92%) and 14 lb 6 oz (70%), so she's thriving! :) She's into her hands and feet and is getting close to the roll over milestone. On the sad side, she cleared up her infection on her right ear, but snagged one in her left ear. Hopefully we'll be sickness clear for a little while.

Another one down.....

Elizabeth has lost another tooth. It was pretty loose, so Bri finished it off and pulled it. She was so brave. I thought for sure she was going to cry because it looked like it hurt, but she didn't. We got new callings in church on Sunday. Bri and I were called to team teach the 12 year old Sunday school class. They waste no time here. This was our 2nd week and already called to duty. It'll be fun though. We're excited. We also had the Primary program. Elizabeth had a short line and froze. All she had to say was, "Read the scriptures", but she got up there and put her fingers in her mouth and they kept saying her line again and again to her, but she just wasn't up for it I guess. She finally whispered it. We asked her about it later and she said, "there were just too many people". I wouldn't label her as shy, but the past few weeks she put on a little "shy act". Oh well. I'm sure she'll be out of it soon!

We made it....

Yup, we did. We're here in our new home. All seems to be just fine. The house is really nice and we've met some really nice neighbors, but I really really miss our old neighborhood. I try not to think about it too much. I didn't realize how much I really loved our ward and friends, and now... we have no one. Well, time will tell I guess. Plus, this is short term and then we start all over again. Yikes. So I'll post a picture. The outside isn't that great, but the inside is really pretty. It's got a loft that we throw all the kids toys in, so we love that.

Liz is doing well in school. Her teacher told us she's one of the very advanced kids. She is a great reader! She's doing well making new friends. The first few days she kept saying she wanted to play with someone, so we walked around the neighborhood and found some kids. Our backyard opens up to more backyards and the first day we were here there were like 10 kids running around back there. There are 4trampolines and 4 playsets, so it's like a giant playground. It's good we moved in when it was still a little warm, 'cause now everyone is hiding out. It's been good though because Caroline and Liz have been playing together more and I like that.

Brian and I finally joined a gym. How's the Hawaii deal going you ask? Well, we're pretty much at square one. No gain, no loss. But we're motivated now! Hopefully it lasts until we reach our goal. It's hard working out with kids. We take them to the daycare there and work out, but part of me feels guilty. I know this is good for me, and for them, so I gotta just do it. I worry about the germs going around during winter, but we'll stock 'em up on vitamins!

Other than that, all's going well. I have some Halloween pics to join the rest, then a few random ones. Halloween was good. We made it to the ward party the night before we moved. Ended up loading the truck after the party. Thanks to the fam and friends who helped us. They got it all done super fast. Thanks to Mom, Dad and Caroline for getting it started. Halloween day was Mom's bday, so we went over there and trick-or-treated and had a little party. Fun to all be together. I had to throw one in of the Porter house because I love it!

101st Post

So..... here we are. One hundred posts later. I have so much to say and so little time. You see.... we sold our home. That's right. Well, as of 4:00 tonight, it should be official. We're moving tomorrow closer to Brian's job. We're excited and sad at the same time. Sad to leave all the wonderful friends we've made. Sad to leave the great ward we have and all the great friends our kids have made. But we are hoping we find some great people where we are going too.

We've been busy packing and cleaning and it's amazing how much can accumulate and get messy in 2 years! Well, so I have this great story for you. It all begins on Saturday morning.....

It was a normal Saturday morning. Getting up with the kids, cereal all around, a little tv going on. The usual. All of the sudden, Caroline starts crying hysterically. She started complaining about her ear. I immediately called the doctor. How nice for us that our doctors were there on Saturday. Cooper had been sick too so I told Bri he should take Cooper just in case and get him checked. Well, I'm not sure what happened, but Cooper didn't go. Bri took Caroline and Elizabeth because we had ward members coming over to help us pack. Somehow I ended up with the harder 2, but it worked out okay. Turns out Caroline did have an ear infection. She was one unhappy camper! After the medicine and antibiotics, a little warm pad on her ear and the Chipmunks movie, she started feeling a little better. We got all the kitchen packed up with the help of our wonderful neighbors, then had a little lunch outside which was really nice. It was beautiful outside that day! So fast forward to Sunday night. All seemed fine. Cooper was a little fussy during the day, but nothing major. Isabelle woke up at about 11:00 at night, about the time I fell asleep of course, and decided she wasn't feeling too well. So seriously, I was up ALL night. I mean, I was sitting at my computer at 2:30 am working on pictures, then watched a little tv. Finally I decided to just give her some medicine and some ear drops. She didn't have a fever or anything, but I thought it couldn't hurt. Around 4:30 she fell asleep but woke up about every 20 min. Finally I got to sleep at 7:00 AM when Brian woke up. I slept for about 2 hours and then we started packing. We got a bunch done. Cooper got fussier later on and Isabelle was mostly fine if she was being held. About 4:00 in the afternoon, Cooper started pulling on his ear and then cried for the next 2 hours. I had set up a dr's appointment and took him and Isabelle. I figured we'd have Isa checked out just in case because we had no idea what was going on with her. I was at the drive through at the bank and Cooper was in hysterics. He ended up throwing up but luckily most of it ended up on his blanket. Then he fell asleep. I carried both of them into the doctors office where they both decided it was time for a break down. I sat in the room with both on my lap. Cooper finally crashed and fell asleep, but Isa was just getting started. The doctor came in as I was trying to juggle both of them and we couldn't even hear eachother, so he had his nurse hold Isa. Well, making this already long story a little shorter, Cooper has severe ear infections in both ears and Isabelle has one in her right ear. While the doctor checked Coopers throat, he threw up all over his shirt and then rubbed it on me. Nice! Well Bri met up with me so he could run in and get the meds and I took the 2 home to get them in the tub hoping it would help soothe them so they'd go to sleep. Well, Isa was already asleep, but Coop didn't want to get in, so I got in with him. Just as I did, of course, Isa woke up, so we brought her in. Just after that, Cooper fell asleep holding onto me. I figured Bri would be home soon, so I just sat in the tub holding both of them, waiting for him to help me and get one out. Well, about 15 minutes went by, and no Bri, so I finally got them both out. All in all, they both slept great and seem to be doing better today. So, in the midst of packing and moving, 3 out of 4 of our kids get ear infections, which we just about never get. Isn't it great?!! Well, Isabelle is crying and I suppose I should get grab her and finishing packing. We'll post pics of our new place in a few days.

I finally got a few of Cooper smiling,so I added those and a few others.

Scarecrow Festival

For our date night this week we took the kiddos to the Scarecrow Festival. They had a blast running through all the blow up slides and going on the train ride. It was fun to have fun with them. Too often I think we get frustrated and just forget to have fun, so it was a good time for all of us.

Fun Family Weekend

On Saturday, Brian helped my Dad put in a wood floor in the living room. It was my plan to help as well, but I'm just a girl, what do I know rigth?! Amazing how that happens even after you've given birth to 4 kids and raise them 90% of the day by yourself, taking care of illnesses, school projects, bills, cooking, cleaning and a billion other things, still, we know so little. Okay, they didn't really say anything, but it seemed like that was how it was. Anyway, after 3 hours and about 5 pices of wood down, we took a break and went up to Snowbird for the free tram ride. The kids loved it and the views were awesome. It's amazing that I've lived around mountains all my life and are just now really starting to see how amazing they are. So here are a few pics from the outting.