Second blog of the year and it's only November, I am on a roll now!

This year has been a little bit all over the place. It's always nice to look back at this time of year and see how much we really have to be thankful for. Jed and I have had a few major issues and I'm embarrassed to admit that Ary has been the one to play peace maker. I am so grateful that I have this little one-woman show living with us to remind us to get it together!

We got to go to Disneyland for Ary's 4th birthday in May. It really is the happiest place on earth when you are 4 or the mom of someone who is!

We went with my parents and baby sister and I seriously don't know who had a better time, the birthday girl or 5 adults who went with her. I am lucky that my parents and sisters have turned into my best friends. We laugh and cry and solve all the world's problems with each other and I appreciate the relationship we have now that I have my own little family so much more.

Jed will finish his last semester of nursing school at UVU and graduate again in December. I am proud of the persistence he has had to have to be able to do it and how smart he is. I have been "lucky" enough to do some of his homework and help with papers when there is not enough hours in the day to get it done in time, and I'll be the first to admit I am not as smart as him and his classmates! I get a stomach ache just thinking about all of the stuff they have to be able to do. The next step will be to find and get a nursing job with critical care experience for a couple of years.

I have found it a real adjustment to be home more full time this year. I jumped back into work full time when Ary was 8 weeks old. It was a good excuse that we didn't know where finances would be and how we'd do it but truthfully I was afraid to be alone with a tiny baby that I didn't know how to take care of. It was a good thing to take it in steps to be the one fully in charge of another little human! I am thankful for the time I had to kind of ease into doing all of the day to day mom things because I might have drowned if I jumped in 4 years ago! Ary won't remember when she was teeny and I wasn't here with her and now is a good time for me to get brave. We already have lots to do with preschool, dance, and "nastics" plus all of the shenanegans that go along with it all that I don't know how I'd do it without the help that I used to have anyway.

Katy Perry's "Roar" video Ary style

We got a cousin on my side of the family for the first time this year. Milo is Kenzi's baby boy who was born  at 31 weeks and had to come home with a feeding tube. He lived in the NICU till his due date in September and Ary asked every day when we could be able to meet him. This was her first visit and she was so in love. 

I asked if we could have a baby at our house and her reply was, "Maybe when I am a grown up. We can just have Milo for now." 

Good thing I didn't push my luck, she has no interest in being a big sister and is just fine being the main event at our house. I've struggled with some health issues this year besides and another baby right now wasn't in the cards for us anyway so she still gets to be queen bee! 

First (and hopefully not last) post of 2013


Ary: Had a Barbie Christmas and loves hair and make up for them and herself. Still loves 'nanstics and preschool and is still a social butterfly. I try to be careful what conversations I dare have in front of her because she will out all of the skeletons in my closet! Loves playing with cousins and thinks Payzlie is the coolest thing on earth besides her grandmas. Doesn't stay in her own bed at night and pees more nights than not. Will turn 4(!) May 24th. Has been asking for months and finally got her ears pierced today!

She was so brave and didn't shed one tear! I wish I would have gotten a pic of her face when they did it though, she couldn't decide if she was hurt or scared or just shocked:)

Jed: Has entered the bachelor's program in nursing. They say you have to go on and not stop with an associates anymore to get anywhere in the field. The scary NCLEX has come and gone and he passed, whew!! His grandma Linda was a nurse in her working days and was able to to the "pinning" at their ceremony. It looks to me like these last two semesters are going to be easier on all of us even though school is still full time; he is able to work on clinical hours and balance it in with Century Link. I am so grateful that things have worked out so well for him at work and school and pray things continue to go smoothly!

When he's not at work or doing homework Jed is in his usual spot in front of the Play Station or coking with his mom and siblings.

Calee: Same story as always for me. Motherhood kicks my butt every day; they say it isn't for the weak at heart and I totally believe it! It's good to get out and do my few days at the office still to keep some adult logic going on:) I love being home though and know that's where my time is best spent right now. I keep thinking we should have more kids soon if I want to be able to go back to work full time before I'm 50 but I am such a multi-tasker that I want to wait till Ary goes to school all day to be able to pay attention to another baby. I might have a man brain instead of a mom brain; they only seem to do one thing at a time too;) I  like being able to soak in the individual time plus I don't love living the single parent  life with Jed doing full time school and work right now. 

I don't stay in my own bed at night either but don't pee nightly either. I can be found at all hours of the night eating or web surfing. Thank goodness for ambien. Speaking of, I really am thankful to live where we do and when we do; I am just getting over the nastiest flu I've had in a long time and it makes me thankful for modern medicine and easy access to health care. Too bad the nightly munching didn't stay gone for long!