Broken Glasses

Last February I took Abby and William with me as I went to the eye doctor. I already knew they were nearsighted and so I wanted to see if they needed to be corrected. Turns out they did. Both of them. So we picked out their snazzy new glasses and my contacts and went home. I felt like I should check Alex, but surely he was only 3 and didn't need glasses yet.

Turns out he needed them worst of all and got his own pair of glasses in August. So three of my four babies now have glasses. Ages 7, 5, and 3. Well, we always knew our kids would have fat feet and bad eyes. Still, I feel bad for them that they are so young. And honestly I expected broken glasses given their ages.  I have been surprised and impressed that all of the kids have done so well taking care of and keeping track of their glasses. Alex struggles a bit, but he is 3.

So I wasn't surprised last night when William came down crying that his glasses were broke. Alex fell on him and the front corner of the frames snapped. He didn't take them to school today and a neighbor in his class asked where his glasses were, and can he see? William replied matter of a fact, "I can mostly see. It's just those mountains over there. They are soggy!" I laughed and asked if he meant blurry. Yes, that was what he meant. So cute. I love the words the kids come up with when they don't know the word they need.

In other news, Amy got her second tooth this weekend. The makes 2 teeth at 10 months. It doesn't seem to be slowing her down with her eating thankfully. We also tore out the grass in our backyard so we can put in pavers. The kids all had a great time helping. Alex was the big buff man trying to lift the same pieces I was, while Abby and William dug the grass out with James. Hopefully we can get the patio done before the snow flies and Abby's baptism!

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Life Now...

I never blog. I would love to think that I am wonderful with words and I like to blog, but mostly I'm just a talker, not a blogger. I do love watching all of the fun things my friends do and keeping up with them since most of us live so far away from each other. So thanks everyone who does blog.

So, it's been a year since I've said much. Most of our life, as far as pics go, are at our website, jamesandshauna.com. James is amazing at keeping that up to date with our pictures. But I would be sad if I didn't write a little something every once in awhile to remind myself of what is going on in my life now.

Now...Abby is so grown it makes me sad and proud at the same time. I love that I can talk to her, and reason with her, and some days, her idea of a good time is hanging out with me learning to sew or cook. This week we will pass yet another milestone as we send our oldest baby to kindergarten. I thought it was an eternity away. I thought that my long days with 3 kids home at once, all day, would never come to an end. And, it is ending. I was so excited until I realized that at this point, they will all go to school in the next few years and this part of my life will be over. I'll be the soccer mom, the chauffeur, the pta mom. But, just home all the time mom...well maybe, just without the kids. How lonely. I think I appreciate the home crazy a little more all of the sudden. Now it will be the running around crazy. Does that mean life will go even faster?...

Off track, Now... William suddenly made a huge 180 degree turn in his interests. It used to be cars and now it is ships. Except, with his speech it comes out like chip. His opening conversation line with the lady in the checkout store, the librarian, the lady at church, and the neighbors is: "My Nana gave me a pirate ship". But when you hear it, it sounds like: my nana nave me a pire chip". It's adorable. His speech has improved a lot. We will be going into a new class in a few weeks. He has problems with the letters that use the back of the mouth, g, c, k, and some others like sh, s. We just keep at it. He's incredibly smart, it's just translating all that he is trying to tell me. He likes to snuggle, be read to, run, jump, and even help me pick up. So grown...

Now...Alex is a really big boy. He has always been a really big boy. He reminds me of the really nice, HUGE, linebacker that everyone wants to be friends with just to make sure no one bothers them. He is really nice, and he really likes wrestling and tackling. I think that it is because so far he wins. Lets see, he's only 1 and he can take down his almost 6 year old sister...hmm. I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't accidentally become the neighborhood bully. He has the best belly laugh and is always cheerful. I love happy babies.

Now... James just went to Glacier Lake with my Dad on their BMW motorcycles. They had a great time, went 1760 miles in 4 days. And I think they would have gone again the next week if they could have. Mom and I went to the quilt stores. I found the materials for our family stockings. I can't wait to get them done. I think it's kinda lame on my part that we've been married 8 years and have 3 kids and are still functioning on hand me down, or old worn out stockings. Enough! I'm a mom with a family. My own family! Let's get with the program! I also found a skirt to make for Abby and actually got it done. I should post it. It's the cutest thing I ever saw. And the best part, she loves it too. It is so discouraging to put that kind of time into things and then the kid hates it. So, warm happy...I was a good mom at least once this week.

Now... We love our house, our neighborhood, we have new friends and still see the old ones. Family is good, fun, fulfilling. I got a part time job for some of the nights. I love getting a little bit of a break. I want to take a class again. I miss learning. I might try a religion class this semester. Just to do something new. James is an amazing dad. He has jumped into our new routine with me working and he is awesome. He's always cheerful when I come home. Dinner was made (hot dogs one night, eggs and bacon and toast one night, grilled cheese one night...at least it's not cold cereal), they are all in bed when I get home and he is usually cleaning the kitchen. Go James. Even I hate cleaning the kitchen after dinner because I have usually been in the kitchen for several hours and refuse to stay there any longer. He is so good to me. Life is good...

Bonzai!

The boys woke up before Abby this morning. Abby had a nightmare in the middle of the night, so she slept on the couch. I got up with the boys and told them to go downstairs for breakfast. They beat me down, and when I found them, William was yelling in Abby's face, saying good morning and telling her it was time to eat. Alex had climbed up on her back and was pretending she was a pony. The first thing that came to mind: Bonzai! This one is for you Tiff! What a good memory!

Life is Crazy

So, in April I thought, you know I'm so excited for summer. We don't have very many plans, we can chill at home, maybe go camping a few times, and just enjoy the warm weather. Well, all of that has happened plus a ton more. So here's a little catch-up. Alex has been learning how to crawl. He does a push-up (I can't do them like this kid does. I think only my Marine brother Jared and his wife can do them with expertise this kid shows), drops his knees and then rocks. When he gets frustrated that he isn't going anywhere, then he makes this little leap to get what he wants. He's growing so fast. It doesn't help that at 7 months old he is the size of a average sized 15 month old. He is the happiest kid though, and I'm really thankful for that.

 

William is so active. He runs everywhere, jumps on everything, and is constantly in my fridge. Typical boy. He loves his cars still and has developed a love for water. That includes the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink, the pool, the bathtub, and dumping his drinks out on the table. Bless his heart :D.

 

Abby has turned into such a good helper. It's so much easier when they can dress themselves and are out of diapers. And for better or worse, her vocabulary is huge. The other night James and I were laughing about something in the car and she told us to "settle down guys". She's awesome with the boys too. She plays with them and helps me help them. And at night when she is done and William is trying to turn on the lights she yells at us under the door to "turn off the breaker please!". How many 4 year olds know what a breaker is? She does because it disables William so he can't play all night long.

 

Well, enough blabbering, here are some pictures of some of our adventures.

Our cute family pic courtesy of Jes Myrick.

Daniel's high school graduation. The question is where are Abby and Tavner in this picture? Deriously no one knows. So much for a family pic at this event!

Charity and her kids came to visit in June! Yay! It had been almost two years and it was great to see them.

We went camping with Melissa, Brandon, and Maxwell.

Alex asleep in the car top carrier.

Maxwell and William playing in the tent.

Abby's family of inch worms.

Abby

Alex always has his tongue out.

William's birthday. Poor kid was sick but he got his bike!

Hiding in the box is fun too.

Putting stuff together is always fun.

James 10 year reunion

4th of July Parade in Kaysville.

Old car in the parade.

William thought that old car was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He was so excited since that is his favorite show right now.

James and his brother Daniel and their synchronized diving

 

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And last but not least, the house we have under contract that is also under construction. It looks more finished now. They are painting this week. Maybe one more month or so and we can move in. About the time that we are going to sign and move in, my brother should be going to CO on leave before he leaves for Afghanistan for 7 months. My friends are having a reunion at the same time. And, James is doing the photography for a wedding. We're just hoping the timing all works out perfectly on this one! To see the video tour of our very unfinished house clicke here:

http://www.jamesandshauna.com/photos/photo.php?photo=9858&album=186. That's about it for now. Thanks for being patient with my inability to post more regularly.

 

 

Alex Baby Blessing

It's been a busy month. My little sister got married, which made me feel old since she is the youngest and last to get married. It was fun though, and I don't think I've ever seen her more beautiful and confident. It was a fabulous day. And, since the whole family was in town, we did Alex's baby blessing. He is the fattest little thing. Yesterday he cried for an hour before I pulled off his pants and he stopped crying. They were too tight. At this point jammies and one piece outfits are tons easier. Even his new church cords are 6-9 mos pants, and I have to unbutton them. He just turned 3 months this week. He's a big kid, and a very happy one. Adjusting to 3 has actually been good since he is a happy baby. Additionally, William is learning to talk which makes life easier. And lastly, Abby is amazing. She has grown up so much and she is such a good helper. She's smart and funny and I think she is beautiful. I feel bad sometimes because I don't usually do her hair with curls or put it up much. But, she is finally getting enough hair to do it, so we need to start practicing. Anyway, here are some pics from the blessing.

James, Alex, and I

My mom holding Alex

Grandma and Grandpa Slaydon

James, Jared, and his wife Basia

Abby with her cousin Tavner (his mom was here, she was the one taking the pics, thank you Christy!)

Nana and Papa

My parents

Jessica and Dave (sorry Jessica, it was the only pic we had)

Caitlin and Will

Daniel

It was fun to have everyone together. Even Crystal and her now husband Zachary came. He left quickly though since he was late for his own Bachelor Party. Thanks everyone! We appreciate your support and love!

 

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Abby and deductive reasoning

So last week, Abby and I were talking about fingers and what the names of all the fingers were. Pinky and thumb were easy, but she was getting the other three mixed up. No worries though. The next day, I was getting ready and was cleaning my ears out with Q-tips. Abby came in and wanted to clean her ears too.

Mom - If you want to clean your ears, then I need to help you. We have to be careful with the Q-tips so that they don't go into your ear too far and break your ear drum.

Abby - Oh, we don't want to break my ear drum, cuz that would hurt huh mom.

Mom - Yup

Abby - That's ok mom, that's what this finger is for (holding up right pointer finger). This is my ear finger so that I don't break my ear drum.

It's amazing how much they really retain when you don't think they are really paying attention.

Alexander Zethan

It's been forever, but obviously the biggest event is that Alexander Zethan was born on Christmas Eve. I had been having timing contractions for a couple of nights previous. So when I went into labor at 2am I wasn't sure if it was for real. I called the hospital and woke James at 3am, and decided to leave for the hospital at 4am. The contractions were 10 minutes apart at 2am, and 5 minutes apart at 4am. We woke up our neighbors upstairs and gave them the baby monitor to listen for Abby and Will, scraped the ice off of the car and left. At 5am in the hospital, I was already at 7cm, and since I had tested positive for Strep B, the nurses were scrambling to get my IV in with the antibiotics. I started pushing a little after 6am. It took awhile for me to figure out how to push. I've always had an epidural before, and this time I didn't have that. The other issue was that my leg and feet muscles were cramping so badly I couldn't concentrate on pushing. I finally made up my mind that my misery wasn't going to end unless the baby came out, an epidural wasn't an option, which left it to me. It only took two more pushes and he was born at 6:58 am, weighing 8lbs 6oz, and 21 inches long.

I had been hoping I could do it without an epidural this time around. I'm so glad that I did. The other two recoveries were very difficult. This recovery was a lot easier, which was good since there are three of these little people now. The biggest blessing was that for William's birth I was so numb I couldn't push, so the doctor had to use foreceps. They broke my tailbone doing it, and it healed wrong so that it's been very painful to sit for the last 18 months. Alex rebroke it and it healed correctly so that I don't have that injury anymore. The other blessing was the fact that this time I went with a midwife and I was so pleased with that change. They were willing to let me have an epidural if I wanted it, and there was a doctor there in the hospital if something went wrong. It was awesome when she got to the hospital, she knew a lot of pressure points to relieve pain which is how I made it. All in all, it was a great experience for a change. And it was only 5 hours long which was awesome. Here's a pic of newborn Alex

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We actually let Alex pick his name. So, for all of those that participated in our name vote, we had the most votes for Logan Alexander, and that was my personal favorite. James liked Alexander and Zethan, and we agreed that we couldn't decide. So, three days before Alex was born James and I conducted a kick test. The baby was moving fairly regularly, and so we asked him if he liked Logan (pause, no kick). If he liked Alexander (pause, 1 kick). If he liked Zethan (pause 2 kicks). At this point we didn't know if he wanted Alexander Zethan or Zethan Alexander. So we asked him which one and he kicked for Alexander Zethan. It's probably totally bogus, and we were laughing really hard. Mostly because a kick test had worked at all, and then because we seriously considered the results and decided that name was it. So, I think that means that Karen, Kristina, and Jess won the vote. Mostly because the baby voted :D.

Here's me and James too.

One more funny

We're trying to teach WIlliam to sleep on the lower bunk bed since number 3 is almost here. It works out anyway since he can climb out of his crib anyway. But, he usually rolls out of bed between 3 and 4 am. Then I go rock him and put him in his crib to finish the night. I really have every intention of getting a bed-rail thing that keeps him from falling out. But, last night when I was rocking William, the pregnant belly starting punching William with a vengence. Apparantly number 3 didn't like being woken up and squished. I hadn't really noticed because he's the busiest little bundle of pregnant belly I've had yet and I'm used to it. But last night, William got tired of it and suddenly sat up and glared at my stomach. I totally had to laugh. Sibling rivalry or something like that starts young.

Sploring

We were running errands yesterday and we were near our old neighborhood, so I told the kids we were going to stop by and see a friend and see if she was home. It turned out she wasn't, so we went sploring as Abby said it. We looked at the new houses that were up, and looked around the neighborhood and then I was done, but she wanted to do more sploring. So we went up and down every little side street getting out of the neighborhood. Finally, from the back I hear, ok mommy, when I say 'let's get out of here, then we need to go to the store.' Ok. So another street or two and she was having so much fun until she pointed one way and said it was time to get to the store soon. I told her the store was the other way and she was convinced we were lost. So, then the magic words came, "Ok mommy, let's get out of here." OK. So, I started towards the store and she was still lost and told me I was going the wrong way. Who's driving anyway. I told her no, and started pointing out landmarks we see on a weekly basis, and then she felt better.

William has learned to unzip his pajama's. He doesn't know how to zip them up though. He unzips to his waist and then runs around like that. It reminds me of those men who have a button or two undone, and there's chest hair peeking out.Then to top it off, he likes to put toys in and out of the pajamas which always get stuck in his feet and he has to dig them out. The other night he dropped a globe from Abby's doll house in and searching for it. James laughing started singing, "He's got the whole world in his pants, he's got the whole wide world, in his pants..." Oh the funnies when trying to get ready for bed.

Oh the things children say...

I love how kids keep you hopping (most of the time). Sometimes I will take a shower while William is sleeping and Abby is watching cartoon or playing on the computer. Today she knocked and asked if she could shower too. Who is going to turn that down? I had an opportunity when I didn't have to fight her to take a bath. I said yes. So she hopped in, I finished shaving and got her cleaned up. While I'm turned around,

Abby pops up and says, "Mom, you have a big botttom!"

Thinking to myself, Thanks a lot!. Out loud, "I know honey, I hope it disappears when the baby is born."

Then I turn around and almost smack her with my pregnant belly.

"Mom, You have a big belly too!"

Thinking to myself, Ya think! Out loud "I know honey, that should disappear when the baby is born too."

I hop out of the tub to go get dressed while Abby finishes soaking in the shower. From my room I can hear...

In a sing-song voice "Big butt, big belly, big butt, big belly..."

In a child that would be a few years older, they would be teasing me. But she was just singing in the shower. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I hope she doesn't bring it up again. And on second thought, I think I'll make sure to shower on my own for awhile. It might be worth the fight to clean her up later. :D

Naked Bum Run

Abby has just turned 4, and it's amazing the difference in attitude between 3 and 4. Most of the temper tantrums have ceased and I can explain things to her and she helps me all the time. But, every once in awhile we have a day where I swear she's reverted back. The last two days have been major temper tantrum days. Due mostly to her little brother who turns on the light at night and keeps her up. She needs a lot more sleep at night than he does and she hasn't been getting it. It shows. Which reminded me of my favorite temper tantrum about 5 weeks ago. She was out playing with the neighbors and I warned her that she had about 15 minutes before we had to go change for dance. It's been cooler with the fall weather and the kids weren't used to the change yet. They all wanted to set up the slip-n-slide. I told her she could, but that she didn't have time to change into her swimsuit. I told her to just get her clothes wet and then we would change into dance clothes. Well, that didn't fly apparantly. She asked 2-3 more times to change and I kept saying no, not only because of the time restraint but because William was taking a nap in that room, and he had been out of control. Finally, while I'm talking to a the neighbor kids mommy, Abby disappeared. I noticed after a few minutes and yelled for her and she didn't appear. I yelled again, no show. So I went to investigate. To my surprise (I know, you all aren't surprised) she was butt-naked and hiding behind a playhouse so I couldn't see her. I asked her to put her clothes on and go inside. It was time to change anyway. But it was two major blows. She didn't want her clothes on and she didn't want to go inside. She lost it, big time. So, I started to put her clothes on for her. I managed to get her underwear most of the way up, but I couldn't bend all the way down to her, and she was hysterical. She suddenly jumped up and started running (there's no way I was even going to try to catch her at 6 months pregnant).  But the funniest part was that Abby never stopped to finish pulling up her underwear. She just made a mad naked dash around the house. I was laughing so hard I just let her run, I figured she would come back. And she did emerge on the other side of the house and had somehow magically managed to pull her underwear all the way up. So, I don't know how much of the neighborhood she flashed before she ended up on the swingset, still hysterical. But, it took me a few minutes to stop laughing so that I could finish disciplining. Hence the name, the naked bum run. Must have felt nice in that nice cool fall air!

**HELP** Name Poll

Ok, there is one more thing for the day. I mentioned that I only have 6-7 weeks left of pregnancy and we can't decide what to name this kid. There are names we like, but nothing that is like za-zing. So, we're taking a poll. Here are the names we like, please tell us which ones you like and what order we should use them. There are no guarantee that we will use any given suggestion, but it would be fun to have some feedback. The only name that I feel like I should preface is Zethan. We found it in the Old Testament, he's one of Benjamin's grandsons and we like that it is different and similar from Ethan, but we're not sure about it as a first name.

First name options:

1) Alexander

2) Logan

3) Adam

Middle Name Options:

1) Alexander

2) Zethan

3) Adam

4) Jason

Or, If you have any other recommendations, we're taking suggestions. Thanks Everyone!!!!!

X-Flies

So, I spent part of August, and all of September and October canning. That is where I disappeared to. I didn't clean house, I didn't cook, I just took care of kids (kinda) and did a ton of canning. We have Apricot Pie filling, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, pears, peaches, apple pie filling, a TON of jelly and jam, a Ton of Applesause, and salsa. I made it that whole time without fruit flies. It was amazing and I was counting myself lucky until the very last week of October. Every day since then there are 4-6 flies around my house and they are driving me crazy!!! Mostly because every single day I kill 4-6 and the very next day there are 4-6 more. So I came up with a hypothesis. I think they are X-Flies. Just like certain X-Men who have regenerating powers, I'm totally convinced that these little stinkers can survive any kind of death and come back to haunt me. I'm going to find their weakness, one of these days.

In other news, here are the rest of the pregnancy pics that a few have requested.

6 Months

Ok, starting to feel crappy. Can anyone tell? This is desperate mommy at the end of the day with no makeup. This is a good day because I got a shower and I got dressed. I think church is the only place I wear makeup at this point. I just don't care. I want to sleep. This is 7 months and I feel like a freight liner. Now I'm down to 6-7 weeks or so. I can't wait for this to end. I'd rather be sleep deprived with a newborn everytime. At least I can breathe and bend over. Although, I do have to admit it's cool to feel the baby move.

I usually make something for each kid. This little boy is getting my first attempt at a quilt. This is the top, though my mom picked up the finished product from the quilters last week and says it is amazing. So, when I get it back I'll post that pic, but for now, here is the topper.

Alright, I think I got most of my thoughts out. It's time to sleep.

Horsing Around

My cute family!

Shauna's version of July

So, in James blog, he already posted about his trip to Gillette, Wy. He and my dad both have BMW motorcycles and they went to a BMW motorcycle rally and had their boy fun. The kids and I went to Cheyenne and spent time with my grandparents and my mom and sister. My highlight was being able to go to Cheyenne Frontier Days...Finally. I always used to go as a child, but I haven't been in 10 years or more. So, i took my kids.

James, Mark (my dads friend), and my dad.They were in 4 states in 4 days. They would go on a different ride everyday. They drove into WY, then visited the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Custers Last Stand, and a few other places. I'm glad they had fun.

Their campsite in Gillette. My dad's bike is on the left, and James on the right.

The kids and I saw a lot of horses...and cowboys....and more horses

A lot of grandparents, Abby is just starting to figure out which grandmas are which.

And we did a lot of driving! But we made it and it was fun. The only pictures I don't have are from the Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts concert my sister and I went to. That was my fun!

And last but not least, a pregnant picture. This is 4 months.

An Update...Finally

Update from Shauna

So, I really just don't get around to keeping my blog updated. James is awesome at it. It's a kind of stress relief for him. My kind of stress relief is either talking to someone on the phone or scrapbooking or sewing or something. So, sorry to all those who even check to see if I've updated anything. It's not because I don't ever log in, it's because I find it so much more entertaining to chec k everyone elses blog, and by the time I'm done the house is in shambles and I have to go separate the kids before a serious injury occurs. So, here are a few pictures from the last couple of months.

In June we went to see Grandma and Grandpa Rucker in Colorado. That's where we cut William's hair and had his first birthday party (one of 3).

One of my favorite things to do at home is watch the sky, it's always amazing!

William learned how to get into the tub by himself. It was nice of him to make sure his clothes and shoes got washed.

Will got 250 of those Chuck-E-Cheese ball pen balls for his birthday. The kids both loved it.

Abby at the Denver Zoo.

So, there's our excitement in June. I'm just going to do brief updates for the next couple of months worth of stuff.