Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Brittney

Two weeks ago, my niece, Brittney, came to stay with us for a few days. It was so much fun to have her here. I didn't realize how awesome she is with children. Cooper and Clayton had so much fun with her. It took Clayton a while to warm up to her. After a day, she couldn't believe his fun personality, cause he never shows it to anyone but us.

Brittney was so nice to Cooper and he had a great time spending time with her. One night, she took him to Wendy's and got him a frosty. Another night, we went to the Roy Pool with Brittney and the kids enjoyed swimming with her. Cooper was so sad when Brittney had to go home. Brittney was good to help Bryce and I one night with the kids while we went to a movie. Before we left, she did my eye make-up with her new make-up. It was great to spend a few days with her. Thanks Brittney, for being so loving and kind to my boys. That really meant alot to to me!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Down on the Farm

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin, Jamie asked everyone to come and help clean up grandpa's barn and the surrounding areas. Many of us met yesterday to start working on the project. It turned out being a big project thats not even half way finished, but we got alot accomplished.



We organized the junk into three different piles....wood, scrap metal, and trash. We took 2 loads of green waste to the dump. We took 2 loads of trash to the dump and the ended up getting a fire pit and burning all the remaining wood and green waste. At one point, Steph found a bucket full of old water and some manure in it. She was walking around with it asking everyone if they wanted some fresh manure. When she put it down on the ground, she kind of dropped it and the water and poop sloshed up and all over her! It was awesome and kind of shocked her a little!
As we walked from place to place, we would dig up old fences, old pitchforks, lots of wood, and bail twine. It didn't really feel like work, because we were having such a good time with each other laughing and telling stories. I just thought it was neat because we spent so much time at the barn when we were younger, and now 20 years later, a bunch of cousins are back together, cleaning up our old stomping grounds.
Bryce got the job of leveling out some old manure and hay piles. He got to drive a nice red tractor. Clayton spent lots of time with him in the tractor. He was in heaven. They also dumped some manure up in grandma's garden, so that she could get ready to plant her veggies. Later that evening, we continued to burn the wood. Cooper, Jamie and I roasted hot dogs over the fire and they turned out so yummy. Clayton even ate two all by himself. After dinner, we headed back home. It turned out to be a very fun day. I was exhausted when we got home, but it was nice to be able to help them get things cleaned up. Another day we might attempt to tackle the big shed that's down at the barn!

Fishin'

Uncle Paul took Cooper fishing yesterday with his cousins, Addey and Jaden. They had a great time. Paul would bait the hook, toss it in the trout farm pool, wait till the bobber moved up and down, give a little jerk, and then hand the pole to the kids and say, "start reeling it in." We brought the fish to gma Cooper and she fried it up and ate it for dinner. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of trout, but it wasn't too fishy. Leave it to gma to put loads of butter on it and fry it up!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

"Trying"

WARNING***This might be one of those post where I might be sharing "too much" information and feelings, but I sat in bed last night and had so many of these thoughts rushing to my head. I will try to put them together so they make sense. I just feel like they need to be written down, because it was really upsetting to me last night.

One of our challenges or trials, is that we have a hard time getting our children to our family. We "tried" for 3 years before we got Cooper. We "tried" for 2 years before we got Clayton. So, here we are again being met with the decision of when to "try" for another baby. We have tossed the idea around for the past 8 months, not really knowing when the right time would be.

Can I just say that I hate the words, "trying to get pregnant". For the average couple, "trying" means not preventing, having "relations" on a normal basis and then the next thing they know, they are pregnant. So, is that really "trying" to get pregnant? Then you have another couple that actually has to plan which nights they are going to have "relations", lay propped up for a few minutes after the before mentioned "relations" and then hope and pray that it worked night after night and month after month. Is that "trying" to get pregnant? And then I think of my friends who have to do in-vetro or adoption to have a baby....is that "trying"?

I have to admit that even though we have been blessed with two beautiful boys, it does not change the fact that it is still hard to "try" to get pregnant. It just brings back all the emotions of the struggle with infertility. Its like I never skipped a day of infertility and its all of a sudden fresh in my mind all these years later. I honestly thought it wouldn't be a big deal to "try to get pregnant" again, but boy was I wrong!

I have decided that I need to stay positive and take it one day at a time. The Lords plan for our family will never fail. I just need to be patient and have trust in Him.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Hoagle Zoo

Last Friday, Coopers Kindergarten class went to the Hoagle Zoo in Salt Lake City. The kids rode down on the bus and I took Clayton down with me. I was worried because it was rainy, overcast, and cold. I just didnt want to get stuck in a down pour.

Anyway, we got down there and the kids had a blast. We hung out with Braden Patterson and his dad for most of the day. Clayton thought he was such a big boy walking around following Cooper and Braden. He did not want to sit in his stoller. It was cute to watch him strut around with a little bounce in his step.
The zoo had lots of dinosaurs scattered here and there. Some of them would spray water out of their mouths and Cooper thought that was great. Cooper liked the dinosaurs and the giraffes the best. I enjoyed watching the tigers sleep on their backs and devour the pile of raw hamburger. We also enjoyed seeing the elephants and the rhinos. These are huge animals and it was fun to watch them. The kids had just as much fun climbing on the rocks as they did seeing the animals. The weather ended up being perfect. It did sprinkle off and on for part of the day, but the temps were great.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Promontory

Last week, we decided to go four wheeling. We lined up a baby sitter for Clayton and then took off up to Promontory Point in Northern Utah. We took Cooper with us and Jacqui took Reese with her. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there.
We were supposed to be on a trail that runs next to the old railroad. The ranger gave us bad directions and we ended up on some trail that seemed to be personal property, because it had "No Tresspassing" signs on it. Anyway, we only had one hour to ride, so we took off and had a good time. We had to dodge lots of cows and cow pies, but it was a nice little ride.
We rode up to the top of one of the hills and ate a quick lunch up there. It was pretty and Reese and Cooper had a good time exploring up there. All of a sudden, a strong wind came out of nowhere and we had to head back to the truck. It was a nice ride, just wish we had more time!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Brothers

Cooper and Clayton enjoy spending time together. As Clayton has gotten older, Cooper has realized that he can "get under his skin". For example, Clayton gets upset when Cooper touches his car seat. Clayton loves to bug Cooper as well, but then he will turn around and hug Cooper the next minute. He just adores his older brother!
The weather has been so rainy that we haven't been out much on our wheelers. Mine is parked in our back yard where Clayton is tempted by it everyday. Last week when he wasn't feeling well, I took him and Cooper around and around in our backyard. Any chance they can get, they want a ride from mom or dad!

Cooper loves stuffed animals and he has a monkey that he plays with every now and then. Well, the other day we decided to get Clayton his monkey off of his shelf. The boys played with their monkeys and had a good time! Cooper is careful with his stuffed animals...


Clayton loved to throw his monkey around.....
And then lay on it! These boys are completely opposite of each other in many things!
Every day, Cooper sits up to our bar to eat his lunch. The seats are kind of high, but recently Clayton has wanted to sit up there next to his brother. As they sat there and ate, Clayton kept stealing food off of Cooper's plate and then he would smile....he's so full of it!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Clayton 20 Months

Clayton loves to wear hats. Bryce has a hat stand in our room and Clayton loves to go and grab hats off of it. His favorite hat is my pink Aggie hat. He always wears it backwards. Clayton also loves to play inside Yoda's kennel when I am doing laundry. I think it is gross, but he loves getting in there and shutting the door.



We spend lots of time out in our front yard. I either pull a chair out or spread a blanket on the lawn. Clayton loves to ride his little red toy and his tractor. It's so cute to watch his little legs move so fast. He also enjoys playing in my car. I know its not the safest, but I open the windows and keep the back door open as well.
Clayton loves to have me read him books. His favorite books have trucks, tractors, and fire trucks on them. I always know when he sees a truck, tractor, train, or bus while we are driving down the road. He loves to say the word, "truck" right now.
Clayton also enjoys playing in the back yard. If I have not opened the door for him, he will just climb through the 'doggy door' when he wants to go out to play. Clayton has very expressive eyes. Alot of times, I can tell what he wants by his eyes. Clayton is very shy around people. It takes him quite a while to warm up to others.Clayton loves to play in the water. He sits on my kitchen counter and plays in the sink. He also loves to stand on the toilet in my bathroom and brush his teeth while I get ready for the day. Clayton likes to "do" his hair. He will get the water on his hand and then put it on his hair. Its so cute to watch him spike his hair!




Clayton is trying to say lots of words. He mimicks alot. He "says" : all done, tractor, bubble, trucks, papa, uh-oh, and many others. I love trying to get him to say new words. If I could keep that dang binki out of his mouth, he might start talking more.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Sick Clayton

On Tuesday night, Clayton came down with a low grade fever. Bryce put him to bed and gave him some Motrin to help the fever break. All day Wednesday and Thursday he continued to have this fever if he didn't have Tylenol or Motrin in him. On Thursday and Friday, he woke up with swollen eyes and they were blood shot. On Friday night, he started coughing alot and it was keeping him awake.


Saturday morning, he woke up with a fever and that's when I decided to take him to the Urgent care in Clinton. The doctor looked him over...checked his ears, throat, and chest. He told me that he thought it was just allergies. So, I went to Walgreens and got him some Zyrtek and Benedryl.
By Saturday night, Clayton was really sick. He fell asleep at 7 and woke up 30 minutes later having a hard time getting a breath. He was really heaving and straining to breath. That's when I decided I better take him back to a different urgent care. When I left our home at 8, I gave him some Motrin for his fever. When he got checked in and they took his temp at 9, he had a fever of 102. The doctor checked him out and we found out he had croup and an ear infection. I was irritated with the doctor that checked him out in the morning, but soon found out that these kids can come down with an ear infection or croup that quickly. Anyway, they gave him a shot of steroids and then I fought with him for 6 grueling minutes as I tried to get a mask on him as he received a breathing treatment. We were so exhausted by the time we got home that night. We got some anitbiotics started that night. He was so tired the next few days that he would just crash out right on the floor! Poor guy....Glad he is back to himself!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Treasureton

Mothers Day weekend was full of many fun and exciting activites. On Saturday, after Bryce and I went to the Logan Temple, we headed up to Treasureton Idaho to go four wheeling. Marilyn and Roger watched the boys for us, which was much appreciated. Plus, I am glad the boys got to spend some one-on-one time with grandma and papa.Jacqui and Jared came wheeling with us. It took about an hour to get up there. The reason we chose Treasureton, is because we were trying to pick a place where we wouldn't run into lots of snow. Anyway, after much preparation and loading of the machines, we finally arrived up there and started out on our journey.
It didn't take long before we ended up in snow. Almost every path we took eventually landed us in snow. We tried to push our way through, but mostly ended up getting stuck over and over again. But, that was exciting for Bryce, because it allowed him to use his new winch.There was lots of water and snow up there. At one point, Jacqui peeled out right in front of me (on purpose) and splattered mud all over me, my machine and my new helmet. There was a payback in store! About 45 minutes into the ride, we realized that Jared's machine was almost out of gas, so we took it back and they both shared Jacqui's machine. We were off on a trail going over little streams when I decided this was my chance to get Jacqui back. So, I took off fast and came up next to them through a big stream and covered them with water. It was pretty fun and not like myself to do such a thing! It was a little chilly after that because I managed to get my right leg and foot completely drenched!We were able to ride for a couple of hours before it was time to head back to Smithfield. For the most part, it was a lot of fun. Hopefully, we will be able to go on some longer rides as things start to warm and the snow melts!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cooper's Craziness

This month, Cooper has been able to do many fun activities. Last week, they had a talent show in Cooper's Kindergarten class. When he originally heard about it, he was upset because he felt like he didn't have any talents. Bryce and I talked to him and told him all the wonderful talents he had. We decided that he would "crack eggs" for his talent. He always helps me cook and he has been cracking eggs for me for a long time. The class thought it was cool (I am sure most of their moms have not let them crack eggs). After he cracked them with no shells in the bowl, we handed out cookies to all the kids. Good job, Cooper!
The weather has been cool enough that Cooper has really enjoyed playing outside between the rain storms that come and go every few hours! Anyway, he is learning how to ride his new bike and he is doing a great job. He has crashed into a mailbox, a dumpster, and the side of the road. But, he gets back up and tries again (mostly, because his mom makes him). He is also enjoying his new scooter. He loves to try new tricks on it. A few weeks ago, Cooper, Reese, and I were able to go watch Addey's tavaci performance. Tavaci is a nationwide performance where the girls and boys dance and sing to various songs. It was so cute and Addey was definitely the best one out there. She can dance and sing very well. I was glad we could go and support her. Afterwards, Cooper gave her a rose! Last week, the entire Kindergarten had a Hawaiian day at school. I was able to go and help with one of the stations. I had to help teach the kids how to do a dance with sticks. It was not so much fun, but the kids enjoyed it. They made skirts for the kids and then afterwards, Ms. Clark showed them how to do a Hula dance.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Down on Grandpa's Farm

I absolutely love my Grandpa Cooper's farm. As a child, I spent many days down at the barn. I have always enjoyed feeding the cows hay and when I was younger, I can still remember spending time with my grandpa on the tractor or out in his fields. I also remember grandpa taking the time to help me bottle feed a baby calf that we named peaches.


In fact, all these years later, I still love the smell of the barn! There is nothing like the smell of fresh manure blowing up from the barn. When I was younger, grandpa had dairy cows so we used to help him milk the cows and I can remember the big tank of milk!
Now, I enjoy taking Cooper and Clayton down to the barn. Cooper loves to feed the cows, but Clayton got scared when they started "mooing". It was really loud so they must have been hungry. I am surprised Cooper still likes to feed them, because last year one of the cows head butted him through the bars!

Cooper and Clayton love to play in Uncle Clair's bus. Cooper pretended to drive it and Clayton enjoyed running up and down the aisle. Kids love buses!
We also let Cooper and Clayton sit up on the tractors and pretend to drive them. Clayton was in heaven, especially since he loves tractors right now. He kept pointing to the big tires and walking around the tractors!
Bryce and Clayton also took the time to feed the horse. This was the first time Clayton had ever really been close to a horse and at first he was a little nervous, but he finally bent down, picked up some grass, and tried to feed it to the horse.
It was such a perfect day and fun to take the kids down and let them enjoy the things that I enjoyed back in the days! There is nothing like a barn full of animals and farm equipment!