11/30/2009

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11/23/2009

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11/21/2009

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11/7/2009

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Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says..."Oh crap!...She's awake!"

11/9/2009

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11/16/2009

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Autumn Play

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Our precious new addition

Emma Lynn was born on August 19, 2009 at 1:18 p.m. She was 6 lbs 1 0z and 19 inches long. It was an easy labor once my water broke and delivery went pretty smoothly. It was actually pretty funny during labor when they were checking to see if I was dilated, Emma was positioned face up and had her hand on top of her head so everytime the nurse went to check, Emma would grab her finger. It was pretty hilarious seeing the horrified looks on the nurse's (our labor nurse had to get the other nurse to check it out cause it was so weird!) faces when she would grab their finger. My mom was a great support and I'm so glad that she was there during the whole event. She was a great labor coach! Thanks Mom! I love you!

My sister, Raelynn, came to stay with me and the girls for the week to help me at home and take care of the kids. She was such an amazing help and even though our kids got sick of each other being together so long, it really was great having them here. I just don't know how to handle her being gone now and feel so lonely with my girls. But don't worry, we are doing great!

I was able to come home from the hospital on Friday, Emma on the otherhand was diagnosed with jaundice and was given the option of staying at the hospital one more night or going home but she would have to be put in a bilibed for 24 hours except to feed and change her diaper. I was ready to go home with my little one, so I opted for the bilibed. It was a hard night but we survived and the next day we were told she didn't have to be in the bed anymore because the jaundice was gone. I had to get a picture of her in her mask that she had to wear for the bed, since it is like a little tanning bed, the baby has to wear a protective covering over there eyes and she looked like a little superhero.

Sunday, my parents and I left for a little while so that we could attend the Oquirrh Hills Temple Dedication. It was broadcast at our stake center and I was so happy to be able to go and enjoyed the speakers and prayer. It was a very special experience that I have been waiting a long time to be able to participate in and I'm glad that I am finally able to.

To add to the hecticness of having a newborn baby, school started on Monday and I am taking 3 classes. They are online and I can do them anytime. I am so close to being finished with my associates degree that I just can't put it off any longer. I need to get my bachelors in elementary education done as soon as possible so that I can support myself and my girls. It has been so important to me and I am not giving up on this goal. I am so appreciative of my family and friends support of allowing me to work towards this goal, I couldn't do it without you!
Abigail and Hailee have been excited to be big sisters. Well, Abigail is a bit jealous and doesn't like the little pink thing always attached to me and she has a hard time with having to share mommy but when Emma is lying down on the bed or being held she will give her kisses and say, "I love you, Emma" and watch over her. It was so weird the first time holding Abigail after coming home from the hospital, not only did we cut her hair so that she had bangs which made her look a little older but now she weighs so much! She isn't my little baby anymore and is officially a toddler. But I love her and the happiness and joy that she brings to our family. She can be a handful but she is worth every minute of it
Hailee is an amazing big sister and was at first complaining about how she would have to take care of Abigail and Annie and now all she asks is when she can hold Emma and if I could just take care of Abigal and Annie and she will take care of Emma. She has been so helpful with the kids and so caring of her new little sister, though when she is holding her, the minute Emma starts crying, she's done holding her. "You need to fix her mom."

I am so greatful for my friends and family who have visited and been here for me. Stephanie was sweet enough to throw us a baby shower on the 15th and I am so greatful for the things that we received and the love and support that was shown to me and my girls. Sometimes, I wonder if I truly deserve it but I know that Heavenly Father is watching out for me and helping me through my friends and family. Thank you Stephanie, Katie, Hannah, Jamie, Trina (she drove all the way from Salt Lake for me :), Jenn, Amy, my mom, Felisha and Grandma Chase for being at the shower...it was a ton of fun! I also wanted to thank everybody that has visited us at the hospital and at home it was so great seeing Christie and her husband Matt from Salt Lake, the awesome women from my ward that came to visit and it was especially fun walking two doors down at the hospital to say Hi to Amy who had her baby girl the same day as me (it was a race! Just kidding!).

Wow! This is a long post but I just want to express my joy and happiness and gratitude that I feel right now. I am so happy and so thankful for everything that I have especially my three little girls and will never forget that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with these three special spirits and I need to be the best mom for them. "For of him unto whom much is given much is required;..." Doctrine and Covenants 82:3

Country Dazed!

This weekend was amazingly fun with the girls and soooooo busy! Friday the girls and I went to Vernal where Hailee and I got our hair cut. I was so tired of being or at least feeling extremely frumpy and Hailee's hair was just in need of being cut. Her beautiful red hair is so thick and the longer it gets the more terrible combing becomes after bathtime. We then went to lunch and shopping at Payless and Wal-Mart (yes...out here, you look forward to going shopping at Wal-Mart, ugh!). That evening after showing off our new haircuts and delivering some baby shower invitations, we made dinner and then headed to the drive-in to see Ice Age 3 and Harry Potter 6. I have to say that for sequels, Ice Age is holding its own very well and I loved it. Maybe there was an afinity with the character's with the whole having a baby thing. The girls were asleep withinthe first 10 minutes of Harry Potter and I sat and enjoyed that movie and I can't wait for the last one. I also realized that I need to reread number 6 and then read number 7...even have a Harry Potter Movie Marathon when Emma is born and I have time to sit around and do nothing but watch movies (wait...will that really happen?! Probably Not!)

Saturday was the main event for the weekend, or so you could say. We were up at 8:30 a.m. and ready to leave the house by 10:30 a.m. to drive to Duchesne to participate in the Duchesne County Fair activites. There were kids activities (they weren't really that exciting though), vendor booths to browse and FREE SWIMMING!!!!! That of coarse was the girls favorite. They are such water babies! Abigail loves the water and has no fear sometimes with it which scares the living daylight out of me and Hailee is getting more accustomed (FINALLY) to the water being on her face and was doing cannonballs off the wall in the shallow part. It was great!

After swimming, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Tucker's to eat lunch and take naps then there was the parade. I would like to make an official decree right here that parades cannot be deemed as parades unless they have at least ONE float....there was not one single float in this parade! Lots of cars, emergency vehicles (good thing this county has enough of those!) and companies advertising but it was just wierd not to see one float. But the girls got plenty of candy and hey! That's all that matters, right?

After the parade we went back to grandma and grandpa's house to wait for mom and dad to show up so we could go to the rodeo. I was sooooo excited to go, I don't remember the last time I have been to the rodeo and we loved every minute of it, well, except the port-a-potties. Hailee was a bit concerned about the calves being tied in the calf roping contest and was very worried they were hurt but she got over that. Abigail loved seeing the cows and calves and horses. I also tried my first funnelcake and loved it! Who knew fried batter could be so good?! Hailee loved the barrel racing and we all loved the bull riding. It was great and I can't wait to go to another one. I would also like to mention that the weather did something very wierd today, for swimming it was great but after that the temperature just dropped and during the rodeo it literally felt like October weather and not August, it was very strange and a bit cold!

Once the rodeo was over, we headed back to the grandparents to watch the fireworks and then head home to bed, ahhhhhh!!!

I was very happy to accomplish everything on our list for the weekend, we missed the Demolition Derby on Thursday night but that's okay, it probably would have been too much for us. I have been staying busy around the house and with the girls, I'm hoping Emma will come soon, not too soon, but soon. I am so very much ready to move to the next chapter of my life with the girls. I am so very excited! I had my weekly doctor's appointment today and I am dialated to a 3 and my doctor was a bit shocked so hopefully, that is a good sign. Now, I really need to start getting ready for her!

I have had so many moments that past couple weeks where I have sat and watched Abigail and Hailee playing and kept help but smile and almost cry for joy at the love and joy I feel for them. They make me so happy and I am so greatful for them. The past week, Hailee has been earning tickets for helping out around the house and she has been doing great. My favorite thing she has done, and she wasn't even expecting tickets for it was her and Abigail wanted to go outside and I said all right. She immediately came back in and asked where the shovel was. I asked her why she needed it and she told me that she didn't want me to bend over and hurt Emma and pick up Annie's dog poop and that she was going to pick it all up. I was extrememly touched by this and was amazed at her intuition and kindness. Children never cease to amaze you!

Also, an update on my garden, its gone. I really tried and I feel terrible that it didn't turn out. I am happy that I have gotten a few tomatoes out of it, some heads of brocolli and a large zuchinni before the grasshoppers took over. I also couldn't afford to water enough and the soil wasn't great enough either. It's been great reaping the benefits from what we have gotten. My mom and I canned plenty of apricot jam and nectar and then today I made 4 loaves of zuchinnin bread to eat, share and freeze. At least I think I have figured out what to do the next time I have a garden and I will be more experienced.

Its August already?!

This summer is flying by so fast! I was torn between wanting the summer to hurry by for Emma to be born but then I didn't want it to fly by because I wanted to enjoy every minute that I have with Hailee. I have enjoyed all the time with her and Abigail. They get along so well together, well, better than most siblings do, I think at least. Abigail adores Hailee and is lost when she is gone wandering around asking, "where's Hailee?" and "Hailee with her daddy?".

I am excited to share that I finally finished up my Spring semester classes. My professors were kind enough to extend my time to finish due to the problems and issues that I had dealt with during the Spring. It was so wonderful because if they wouldn't have I would have lost my financial aid and not been able to continue on with school. But I have finished and will be ready to get my associates degree over with by the end of this fall. I am so happy!

At my last prenatal checkup, I asked my doctor if it will be possible to be induced at 39 weeks in order to have help scheduled from my family and friends and he said that as long as I am dilated he would be able to do it since Emma is healthy and doing very well. So the plan is for Emma to be born on August 24th.(my tummy at 35 1/2 weeks)

I also wanted to add a video of Abigail and her singing...she is such a jabber jaw and always singing and jabbering away. Whenever I hear her and Hailee sing, I am so glad that the girls have found music and singing as fun as I have. It's also fun to hear them mimic the songs that I sing to them. I am so proud of them and so greatful that I have them in my life. They are my life and my joy and I couldn't picture my life without them.

Strawberry Bay

Sorry it's been awhile since I've been on...I've had some downtime and all this past month.

Anyways...this weekend, we all went camping at Strawberry Bay and it was so great!

I loved it and did not want to come home. Hailee's dad had his two week vacation with her from July 3rd until Friday when he was kind enough to bring her up to our camp to be with us. It was so great having her back and I missed her so much! The girls loved camping and going on the canoe and fishing.

We also had fun playing games, going on walks (well, walking the best I could for a few minutes...lol!) and taking Annie to play in the lake. Annie LOVED the water! That silly dog is going to need a bath and I don't know how I'm going to give her one right now but oh, well. I'm sure I'll try eventually.

Mom, Dad, Abigail and I drove to Strawberry Thursday evening and found the spot where we wanted to camp and stayed. Felisha, Raelynn, Lincoln, Max, and Hailee joined us on Friday and it was great being all together. I just want all of you to know that it was so great being together. I loved evey minute of it and thank you so much for all your help you guys gave me with the girls. I am so appreciative! I also would like to say that yes, sleeping in a 33 ft camping trailer with 2 pull outs is very nice and convienent and it's great for when your pregnant and have 6 weeks left but any other time I would definitly be out roughing it and in a tent. That's my kind of camping, lol!

My dad is the best dutch oven chef....I love his food...I just wish I had more room to eat more!

Felisha with me and my girls at the lakeRaelynn and her hubby Lincoln and below is Max...Capri Suns are the best camping drink for kids ever!
It's going to be hard to get back on the ball and get things done this week but I will get it done. This is my last week of school for the summer, I have about a million apricots in the backyard that need to be picked, mashed, bottled and canned and then the neverending chore of cleaning up the house. Thanks to my friend Sally...I will be coming up with a reward system to get the girls to help me with the house the next 6 weeks because bending over and picking up stuff isn't what it used to be (wink, wink).

Temple Open House

This morning the girls, Raelynn, Max, Felisha, Grandma Chase and I went to the Oquirrh Hills Temple Open House in South Jordan. It was great and was so comforted going through the beautiful rooms. There were so many amazing paintings of Christ and I wish I could have them all to decorate my house. There is new paintings that I have never seen before and my Grandma and I are going to find out the name of the artist, I'm terrible at describing art but the paintings seemed almost watercolor and dreamlike, simple but vibrantly detailed. They really were amazing! While I was sitting in the sealing room at the end of the tour, I was so comforted that I would be able to go through the temple someday and I am so happy that I have began that road in order to go. So, anyways, it was great and for those of you who are thinking about going, do! Its wonderful and hey! You get cookies and bottled water at the end...that's new!

Hailee's Last Day of School

Yesterday was a humbling experience for me as a parent. It was Hailee's last day of Kindergarten and I had a hard time with it, a little over emotional at times during the day but greatful. Looking back at the past year of her being in her new school, we have had to go through a lot of challenges and there are some things that i regret and other things that I am so proud of us that we have accomplished. Hailee has come so far since she started school last August...she can read, write, draw pictures, interpret things, she can explain herself better and she has learned a lot of important skills in dealing with feelings and friends. It's been so amazing to see her progress throughout the year and I just wanted to thank her teachers, Katie and Liinda, they have been absolutely wonderful and a godsend for me living far away. I also want to thank Hailee's father, Don and his father, Lyle, for giving Hailee the opportunity to participate in this wonderful school. I have to say that I have been a little bitter about Hailee attending a private school all year long and when I was out yesterday buying Hailee's corsage box, the women at Flower Patch lectured me about being greatful that Hailee could attend such a great school and that it is going to do wonders for her in the future. So, once again, my eyes had to be opened up by a stranger and my gratitude is great right now.

I love my daughter so much! Hailee, you are an amazing little girl! You have overcome so much and I now that you can face whatever challenges lie ahead. You have been my strength, my inspiration, my comfort and my joy. Thank you so much!

This Weekend...

The girls and I had a great time this weekend! Saturday we stayed home all day and planted the garden, took naps and did yardwork. It sounds boring but it was really fun...Hailee was a great help. Abigail had a great time playiing in the van while we worked.

We have planted zuchinni, tomatoes, corn, beans, spinach, cantelope, beets, pumpkins, broccoli and then we have another area where we planted strawberries. The yard already has apricot trees and raspberry bushes so I'm way excited and hope everything grows all right.

Now we just need to fence in the gardens so that the kids and Annie stop tramping through them, I'm getting tired of yelling NOOOOO!!! Everytime we are outside.
On Sunday, after church, Felisha came and picked us up and we went to Big Sandwash Resevoir. We had fun taking pics, playing in the water and watching as poor Abigail lost control and dived into the water on the boat ramp.


Felisha did grab her fast out of the water and took her to the truck to get her clothes off, change her diaper and dry her off and warm her up. The whole time she was saying, "cold! cold!". Even now as I write this blog, she is watching me put these pictures in and she is saying, "cold, mom!" Precious!



Dont worry, she survived and she wasn't traumatized by the whole event, actually, we all think that this child can't be traumatized. It's a little worrisome.

My pregnant belly...24 1/2 weeks...not much to it but I definitly feel the difference.

Other Pics of the girls having fun....