Aleeya Nine Month Statistics!

Aleeya swaddled herself! So cute!

Picture taken 08/03/09

Aleeya crawled on a carpet tack and got a cut on her knee, when she started favoring that leg I decided to take her to the doctor. She also needed her nine month immunizations and well-child check so that worked nicely. They did have her take an antibiotic for seven days to help with infection on the cut and it looks fine now.

On July 31, 2009 she weighed 15.9 lbs,which is the 5th percentile and was 27 inches long, 30th percentile. She is right on track or ahead in the developmental areas.

Currently she is a stair climbing maniac. She goes up super fast and has figured out how to go down, but more slowly. She continues to be a great sleeper, eater and all around pleasant and fun baby!

Roy Pool

We had a fun day at Roy Pool with our friends. All of the kids love the water. We went to go on the water slide and I went with Serena on my lap and Carter was supposed to follow so I could catch him at the bottom. He didn't want to go, so stayed up at the top with the life guard. I left Serena with friends and went to go back for him. When I got to the gate for the slide it was locked, they were preparing for the hourly evacuation of the pool (a safety thing they do). I had to have the life guard unlock it so I could go up and get Carter, I guess the life guard on top was going to go down with him. After I went with him once, he was able to go on his own.

July 24th-Pioneer Day Celebration

We went to North Logan to celebrate Pioneer Day. Taylor had to work so it was just me and the children. North Logan has a parade that goes right by my childhood home and we have watched this parade for as long as I can remember.

The kids got TONS of candy! At the start of the parade Serena wasn't so sure she liked it, she first said she wanted to go home, then said she was hungry, then said she was tired and wanted to nap! She was saying anything she could think of to get inside the house! After Aunt Kimmie held her for a few minutes she got used to it and started picking up candy with Carter.

After the parade we went to the park for the "carnival." The kids got tattoos, courtesy of Aunt Kim, which lead them to get many more throughout the day from her. There was a basketball shooting game that Carter loved. It was free, so he played several times with me, then with Kimmie and then with Kaden Merrill.

Fun in the water !

In the afternoon we took a new trail that they have created to Elk Ridge Park. The girls slept in the stroller and Carter played on the playground. A mom is always a mom and will always worry, so after we had been gone about an hour Mom sent Kim to drive over and check on us, because it was hot and I had three kids in a stroller. So funny, I think she forgot that I used to not have a car and I walked WAY farther with the stroller in hot and cold weather.

For the fireworks display we went to the backyard of the Kartchner's and enjoyed their great view. Serena, again, didn't love the noise, but just wanted to be held.

We stayed overnight in Logan and then on Saturday afternoon I went with Carrie, Rhondda, Marisa and Tara to Coppermill for a late lunch. Then I headed home so that Taylor and I could go to a game night with friends from the neighborhood.

Thanks pioneers for your sacrifice and for a holiday to commemorate with lots of fun.

Fun in the Sun!

Aleeya loves the water, she has no fear and will put her face right in!

Yum, wet M&M's!

Emily and Serena "swimming"

Who needs a towel-just jump until you are dry!

Pretend I am your hero!

Grandma Hoppie and Aunt Kimmie gave the kids some new dress-up's. Here they are having a great time with their friends Jackie and Emily.

Carter jumped into the room and said,"Pretend I am your hero!"

You may think this is a Wonder Woman cape, but Carter informed us that there are Wonder Boys and Wonder Kids also!

Taylor is going to love this one!

Serena prefers the swimsuit and shoes look.

Mischief comes so naturally...

Serena snuck a bowl of nacho cheese down to the t.v. room. Probably because "eat at the table" translates too; just don't let mom see us eating other places. Anyway, occasionally Serena falls asleep in the afternoon and Aleeya found the cheese and rubbed it in her hair. Serena didn't even wake up!

I found my camera!

So my camera has been missing since 07/06. I have been trying not to worry because I figured that the kids had taken it or I had put it in some random place, in both cases I thought I would find it while cleaning the house.

Well, have cleaned the house several times and no luck. So then I started cleaning closets and dresser drawers and other places that I could think of it might be. No luck. I was starting to get worried and stressed because I missed having it available for pictures and I know that it is not in the budget to get a new one.

Today I decided that after again looking in every closet and bag and car and cupboard and basket I could think of that, I would pray. I had put off this option because honestly there are so many more things I need to pray for that I felt this should be something I could do on my own.

I can't believe I waited this long to ask for help. I found my camera several hours after praying. I was changing Aleeya's diaper and then went to get a new outfit for Serena, since she needed changed also. When I was in Serena's closet I thought maybe I will look in her purse for my camera. Looked there, empty. Then I thought I wonder if it is in Carter's "purse," his backpack. So I went to his closet and looked inside-there it was!

I am thankful the Lord cares about the small details of my life. I am glad I was finally humble enough to pray and I am glad for this reminder that prayer is powerful!

Carter Five Years Old Pictures

Carter is full of wisdom and he is not shy about telling you! Carter will always negotiate things to be his way and can talk his way out of anything!

Carter loves baseball and is VERY excited that his mom will be his soccer coach this coming season. Cater is really good at riding bikes, scooting, and any sport.

Carter plays well with his sisters and his friends-as long as he is in charge. Potty training is still an issue-apparently Carter does not know how to poop in the potty and it will be a long time before he learns-or so he says.

Carter loves to sing and has some crazy dance moves. He loves to be the center of attention and performing.

I can't believe that it has been five years!

Serena Three Years Old Pictures

Serena is my little helper, even when I don't need the help! I am amazed at the things she imitates. She is getting much better at talking and can express whatever she wants.

Some of her favorite things are: her blankie, SpongeBob, bubbles and her little sister. Lately, when we do something she likes; movies, swimming, etc. she says, "Fun, do again!" She really likes the Dinosaur park and wants to go there everyday.

Water is one of Serena's favorite toys and she is always filling her tea pot and dishes. She likes to play in the kiddie pool and with a life jacket on she is getting pretty brave in big pools.

Walking is not a skill that Serena has, she runs everywhere! When I yell to her that only encourages her to go faster! She is pretty good at riding her birthday bike and she is good on Carter's scooter.

One of her best friends is Emily Larsen and she likes anything that Emily has played with or worn. We had a sippy cup forever that she called her Emmee cup because Emily had left it at our house. Sadly, it was left at the movie theater, so now we have a tinkerbell sippy.

Serena plays well with Carter and if he is gone somewhere she is always asking where he is. She also keeps good track of Aleeya and notices when she is taking her nap and not there playing.

Aleeya Nine Month Pictures

Aleeya Nine Months

Serena Nine Months

Carter Nine Months

Aleeya had hit the nine month mark! She crawls super fast and climbs stairs at lightening speed. She is still working on learning to go down stairs. She pulls herself up on everything and walks along furniture, but no true first step yet.

Aleeya continues to eat and sleep well and be as pleasant as ever. Sometimes she has a day when she wants to be held a lot and I keep watching for a tooth to pop through, but so far nothing.

She is getting a lot louder. I am sure she has learned volume in speaking from her siblings! She loves to babble and her tongue is always sticking out! She gives the best hugs and most slobbery kisses!

Week in Review July 13-19

Monday: We are getting the holes in our bedroom wall and kitchen ceiling fixed. The guy came today and did the estimate and will start tomorrow! Yeah, it has been over a year since we had the leak from the master bath shower, so I guess it is time! For a Family Home Evening treat we went over to a friend's house for homemade ice cream. It was great to chat with some families in the neighborhood. Taylor had to work late so I was very thankful to have somewhere to go and have adult interaction.

Tuesday: My visiting teachers came and then Jeffrey stayed with us most of the day. Serena loves to feed him animal crackers, thankfully, he seems to enjoy them. The kids also like to sing and dance for him and he is a very appreciative audience and claps for them.

Wednesday:Playgroup at the park. Harold Seeley, a member of our ward, died on Monday from complications related to cancer. His viewing was this evening so I took some display items to the funeral home. I had Monica Phair watch the kids until she had to go to YW while I typed a story they wanted displayed. Then I ran it up to the viewing and bribed the kids to be good. Wed. night we set up the tables and got things ready for the luncheon.

Thursday: Steph and girls spent the day at our house while I was at the funeral. I took Aleeya with me for the funeral and then left her home during the luncheon. I am so thankful for the North Park Ward, so many people helped prepare food and we had lots of help. In the evening, I was driving around and returning dishes and I caught the last part of garden group. I even got the door prize for being the last one to come! The kids played while we sat on the lawn and chatted. I love our neighborhood and the amazing people that I get to interact with.

Friday: I watched Jackie and Emily today, trade off for yesterday and the kids played in the water outside. My wonderful visiting teacher brought us dinner tonight. She made awesome pizza and the kids got to put on the toppings. Taylor worked late every night this week, so it was nice to have the weekend coming!

Saturday: Carter went to Tyson Capps birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. He has been excited all week. We did house cleaning, car maintenance, and errands all day. Then we went to WVC for a Dearden Summer Birthday party. Anela made all of the food, so we just went and relaxed. The kids played in Alana's kiddie pool.

Sunday: We had the most amazing musical number in Relief Society, one of my favorite primary songs, "Love is Spoken Here," played by Amy Alvord, piano, and Missy Schwartz and Suzi White on violins). It was so inspiring I could have listened to them play all day. Carrie and Rhondda came over for a BBQ and it was nice to chat and relax with them.

Week in Review July 6-12

Respect Reward Marble Jars!

Life is always fun and busy...here is what we did this week.

Monday: Aleeya had her nine month pictures taken, we played in the backyard with water toys with Jackie and Emily and for Family Home Evening we talked about respect and started jars that can be filled with marbles for doing respectful things (listening to mom, sharing, helping out siblings, using quiet voices etc.). When the jar is full they get to go on a date with mom or dad to a restaurant of their choice.

Tuesday: Summer movie was "Horton Hears a Who," cute movie. At the end Serena and her friend Mariah went down front and were dancing, I figured since the whole theater was kids, it was okay. In the afternoon we went to the library for the summer activity, Harmony Music school. They sang and played instruments.

Wednesday: Playgroup at the park was enhanced today. Angela Orton, a friend from Summerfield Ward that moved to Mountain Green, came with her two darling girls. We all brought potluck and enjoyed lunch together. Then Angela and I ended up hanging out at Tauna's house for several hours catching up.

Thursday:We went to the Ogden Dinosaur Park in the morning. Then in the afternoon our friend Jeffery came over.

Friday:Friday night we went to the Drive-In. We had planned to see "Ice Age 3", but I wanted to see "The Proposal," so we saw "Up" again since that was the double feature. The fun thing was that our friend's the McBride's were there. They were on the end of a row and there was almost room for a car next to them, so I let my rebel side come out and went and moved the orange cone over a bit so that we could fit next to them. It was great fun and the kids fell asleep right as the second movie started so we could watch the movie in peace.

Saturday: We went to a neighborhood block party over in the Summerfield Ward. The Parkinson's were hosting and it was a great set up. Taylor played ball with Carter most of the time and I chatted with friends.

Sunday: After church we went up to Logan to celebrate the July Birthday's. The kids played in the kiddie pool and we ate and opened presents. I got lots of cute shirts, clothes are always a bonus, and money and face cleaning cloths (I requested these, as I am sure I should do better at washing my face at night.)

Sometimes eating is messy business!

Aleeya is at the fun stage when she wants to feed herself, so she grabs the spoon as you feed her. If you are fast enough to get the food in without her getting the spoon, then she just puts her hand in her mouth and takes the food out so she can play with it!

By the time she is done eating, her bib, clothing and whole body need to be washed, so the best plan is to get right into the kitchen sink!

Vacation in St. George

Getting ready to swim in the hotel pool!

Future stars at the Tuachan!
St. George Temple steps

Fountain Park

Taylor had a 3 1/2 day vacation so we decided to visit St. George for the Fourth of July and my birthday. We left on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday.

We swam in the hotel pool the minute we got there on Thursday and every day we were there. Carter and Serena both have life jackets and can swim around. Aleeya had an inner tube that she sits inside and enjoyed floating around.

We saw "Footloose" at the Tuachan. It was awesome! Carter and Aleeya sat through the whole thing with me. Serena had to be taken out by Taylor during the first half, she didn't want to sit.

We saw the show on the 4th so afterwards they played "Proud to be an American" and did a great fireworks display. Aleeya didn't even cry with the loud noises. Serena got her blanket and laid on the ground, she was not a fan.

We visited the St. George temple grounds and visitors center and then played at a park that had fountains to run through. We also got a pay-per-view movie at the hotel and watched "Monsters vs. Aliens."

It was a fun and relaxing vacation and I enjoyed the time to talk with Taylor during the drive to and from. The kids napped or watched DVD's for most of the drive. We stopped in Lehi on the way home and ended up going over to Uncle John and Aunt Dorothy's house. It was nice to see family and give the kids a chance to stretch!