The Geyers

5 minutes later...

2012-01-21T23:17:00.001-08:00

I think he likes it. Tonight will be our first night trying to sleep in a hammock. Wish us luck!

Look what we did!

2012-01-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

We did it! We finally hung Mitchell's hammock he got for Christmas.

Two and a half years of not sleeping. Let's see if this works!!!

I'm so excited I just snapped these photos with Jake's cell phone. So they're not that great, but you get the idea. :)

Reesa's six.

2011-12-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it. Six years ago I had my first little baby. We had a pony party at our house to celebrate and invited her kindergarten class to celebrate. Last year we did the same with preschool and had about 8 kids come. This year we had quite a few more. I was very anxious about how it would all work, but with the help of my GREAT friends it was awesome.

I planned 5 different booths for the kids to go to. They got a sticker at each activity to fill their card and at the end they could get a prize if they had all their stickers.

The stations included

Christmas Card making

Bean bag toss with Ariel (and a dragon)

Pony ride

-You could pet some horses while waiting your turn.HLrtTeGDQ/TvC9UThWymI/AAAAAAAACTs/mLcE88V0OWY/s1600/DSC_0223.JPG">

Pin the tail on the pony

Bouncing on the trampoline with 300 small balls

Then cake and presents.

The cupcakes were the best part!!! Seriously I didn't have to do a thing! I told every kid to pick the one they wanted. When they asked for seconds, I said sure and let them help themselves. Usually everyone is crying they want to be first, or you missed someone, blah blah blah. I will do cupcakes every year!!!

All photos are complements of Jennifer Kendall. She is such an awesome friend to take pictures, or else I probably wouldn't have ANY!!! Thank you, thank you.

Pictures with Santa

2011-12-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas. This is the BEST YEAR EVER! It is just so cute how everything is so magical. We went to breakfast with Santa and my kids loved it. Jansen now grabs our pancake mix and when we talk about Santa. Jake fixed Santa's tooth at work, and texted me and the kids a picture. When I told Reesa she said "oh, I've GOT to see Santa again!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Summer Fun

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Summer 2011 was packed! We enjoyed so much stuff... like splurging and getting ice-cream at the zoo (all dad's idea)

Reesa and Jake got to go horse back riding with the Kendall's around this beautiful lake! They had so much fun. Reesa rode all by herself and wasn't scared a bit. Jake was so proud. These are the pictures they texted me.

yep, still got it...

found out Mitchell is allergic to milk. Look at the size of that hive!

Jake and I went on a date up at Bass lake inspired by Twilight...

Aunt Chelsey came to visit and most our pictures got erased!!! boo-hoo.

Brinley came too

We stopped at this beautiful field of flowers in Gilroy and took photos and bought the best fruit EVER!!!!! (all picts erased but one, Jake needs his own camera for work)

We dropped Chelsey off at the San Francisco Airpot and took the kids to China town.

and bought lots

and lots of junk...

We had Jansen's hearing tested. He's fine.

Grandma and Grandpa Geyer came for Grandparent's day on short notice. It was so fun!

Exploring Coarsegold historical museum.

Jansen got in that old wheelchair and said, "look I'm Angelina!" (a girl he likes from school who's in a wheel chair) It took us a while to figure out what he meant, because you could hardly tell that was a wheelchair.

Bubble bath

2011-08-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Aunt Chelsey and cousin Brinley are here visiting!!! We are having so much fun with them. Luckily they are staying for almost 2 weeks so hopefully we'll get to do everything we want!

Jake put some bubbles in the bath for the kids, I think it maybe have been a little too much, but none of the kids seemed to mind...

Pioneer Day

2011-07-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a super fun Pioneer Day at the Veater's Ranch. A live petting zoo for the kids, lots and lots of food, fun games, and a bonfire with camp songs.

My kids had so much fun.

I think the highlight of the night (for everyone but us) was Jansen locking himself in the port-a-potty with 2 other 3 year olds. It took 10 minutes to get them out, and I don't think they had enough hand sanitizer to make anyone feel better!

Finally Jake had been begging me to go on a family campout all summer, but I just had too much anxiety about taking Mitchell. He's up every 2-3 hours in a house, I can't imagine in a tent. Well Jake suggested taking the 2 older kids, and they had a great time. They found a place 20 minutes from our house at Bass Lake. Maybe next year we'll all be able to go...

Alseep, alseep.

2011-07-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, so precious! I don't know why I think it's so funny when my kids fall asleep in their high chair. But it's finally Mitchell's turn to accomplish this task!

Mother of the year, again.

2011-07-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I insist on ruining my chances with mother of the year... I walk into the kitchen to find Jansen with THIS knife trying to help himself to a slice of watermelon. As you can see, I haven't shown him the proper way to cut a watermelon.

Seriously? Reesa never did (does) things like this. Jansen helps himself to whatever he wants. He sees you do something once, you better believe he learned how to do it.

Mitchell gets a trim

2011-07-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Are you wondering how I gave Mitchell his first hair cut? I laid him on his stomach and he was TRAPPED!

That's one thing made easy when you have a baby who can't move. :)

And yes I did cut his beautiful curls! I met another child who I'm guessing hasn't had a hair cut, and that's all the motivation I needed to finally give my boy a trim.

I cried. I never cried with my other 2 kids. I guess part of me doesn't want this baby to grow up after all.

Geyer Family Reunion

2011-07-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

We planned a vacation to visit Jake's family that started a little early when his Grandma Verda Westbrook passed away. I flew down to AZ with Mitchell while Jake and the other 2 kids made the 12 hour drive. Am I spoiled? No way, I think I had the harder job... Poor Mitchell, he hates leaving our home.

I had forgotten how healing funerals can be. It was so nice to be there, I am so grateful our entire family was able to make it. Even though I had only met Grandma Westbrook a handful of times, I knew that she loved and cared for me. I felt a special bond with her at that viewing that I will never forget.

I asked Jake to take some pictures, and these are the random ones we came home with.

Me and Hannah's baby Elsie

Cameron and baby Jane

Hannah and Lynsey

Katie, Jansen and Reesa

Being in AZ with so much family was a blast! One of the best parts was a community pool that we rented so that all of the family could be together and swim. (And let me tell you, there was a ton of family!) SO FUN! It was so hot there that at 7 pm it was finally the perfect time to go to the pool.

Reesa with 2nd cousins, McKenna, and Madison. She had so much fun with these girls. They took Reesa everywhere with them, and we enjoyed the break!!! Here's the ONLY picture we have.

We drove back to Temecula and spent the next 5 days with just Jake's immediately family. We did lots...swimming, Sea World, crafts, Angels/Dodgers game, family pictures, Oceanside beach, bonfire, family testimony meeting and made lots of memories.

Grandpa Geyer wanted the boys and grandsons to go to a baseball game together. I didn't think Jansen could handle being up that late so I asked Jake not to take him. Well, Jake is such a great dad, he wanted to be able to spend time with his family as well as with his kids, so he let Reesa come (the only girl). It was really special for her.

Well Here's Mitchell finally getting to play with some friends... the newborns! Elsie and Todd were great company as the three of them loved to lay under his mat together.

Jim finally got his family photo...

Here's a typical day of Reesa. She has so much fashion. She seriously spends 10 minutes meticulously choosing her accessories. Nothing is just thrown on, or slapped together. I tried, and tried to stop her. After lots of fighting we finally agreed, I choose her outfit for Sunday, and she picks the other days...

Sea World June 2011

2011-06-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

This summer we went to Sea World with Jake's brother and his family. It was AWESOME!!! My kids are at the perfect age where everything they do is so fun. They LOVE animals, and the shows were amazing.

Jansen could not stop hugging this walrus. I remember when Reesa did that to the Easter Bunny at age one!!!

Seriously after the first dolphin show we went to I felt we had gotten our money's worth. $125 for 2 adult tickets, we had coupons for the kids to get in free.

Jansen is in LOVE with these squishy toys, lovingly nick named "bugs." He carries them everywhere and will do anything for one. Well, he found a "penguin bug," the perfect souvenir.

This walrus put on a great show for the kids, spitting out his food and eating it over and over.

I wanted to include this picture, Jake carrying Mitchell almost the entire day, Reesa dancing everywhere we went, and Jansen sporting his 4th pair of shorts for the day (not potty trained yet!) Man we are busy parents.

We did get a great family photo. Can you see how hard we worked to finally get just one?! At least Jake and I have smiles.

What a fun trip!

Before I forget..

2011-06-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

Jake: Reesa you know the reason those cows are running from us is because they think you'll eat them.

Reesa worried, yelled to the cows: DON'T WORRY COWS, WE WON'T EAT YOU! WE ONLY EAT COWS THAT ARE IN HEAVEN, AND YOU'RE HERE ON EARTH!

Happy Birthday Jake!

2011-06-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jake's birthday was AWESOME this year! He hosted (invited) the Elder's Quorum activity at our house and the kids and I had to leave. I realized I couldn't celebrate his birthday ALL WEEK LONG, (he kept telling me we would celebrate the following night) so we surprised him by having a lunch party. We ate pizza at the only place in town, and I wrapped presents, made lemon bars, and we celebrated!

The best part was I got off scott free!!! I didn't feel pressured, b/c Jake planned his own party, and all those men spoiled him by bringing cakes, cheesecake, and all sorts of food. It was perfect.

Jake does a lot in our family. He goes to work everyday with a great attitude. I can't even remember a time he complained to me about it. He loves his job. He will do any odd job for me, as long as I make a list for him. This consists of take van in for brake repairs, change tires on jogging stroller, pay bills, call babysitter, hang shower curtain, etc. He is a hard worker, and always finishes what he starts. He has way too much energy... He has the most special bond with Mitchell. That little boy has Jake wrapped around his finger. Anything Mitchy does Jake thinks is the cutest thing ever! Jake can always get Mitchell to eat, and Mitchell cries the second he hears his voice (because he knows Jake will pick him up and love on him!) Jake takes the night shift with Mitchell and gets up with him EVERY night. We're going on 2 years with a newborn. He's a wonderful dad, and we know we're so lucky to have him. Happy 32 Jake!

Preschool Graduate!

2011-06-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Our little Reesa graduated preschool. She is so cute and precious. We are going to miss YLCP and all the great teachers there. Reesa got a hug everyday (and probably a kiss too knowing Reesa) from all four of her teachers. She loves crafts, art, and stories.

My favorite part of the program was when it was her turn to blow out her candle and after 3 attempts she covered her face to stop herself from crying. Instead of laughing that the candle didn't go out, she took it very serious. It was especially cute to see her compose herself and try again.

Reesa is an awesome big sister. She has so much patience with her brothers. Not long ago she told me was going to marry Jansen. When I asked her, "you want to marry Jansen even though he just took your food and then hit you?"

She replied, "Mom he's learning to be nice. We have to teach him!"

Such a sweet forgiving heart. Later I told her she couldn't marry Jansen and she said, "Oh, alright. I'll marry Mitchell!"

Mitchell turns 2!

2011-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Mitchell's birthday was a lot harder for me than I care to admit. I cried almost every time someone asked me about it. What an emotional day. It's so hard not look at all he's unable to do, and what he cannot become. I know I should be thankful that I still have him, and I am. But that doesn't really make his future easy to accept.

Mitchell is the SWEETEST baby. He coos, and LOVES to be held and snuggled. He smiles at times, can grab ahold of toys for 1-5 seconds. Favorite toys are lights, music (prefers baby Einstein) and he loves measuring spoons! He rolls over occasionally, and can sit with lots of support. Loves the swing outside and taking a bath in his bath chair. He eats puree baby foods, (still makes himself gag if you're not careful) and fruits are definitely his favorite. We go to therapy twice a week for PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy) and have in home therapy twice a week. I am one educated mom!

I have to admit Mitchell still struggles with being happy and probably cries 6 hours a day. He wakes up usually twice a night, and it takes 15-60 min. to get him back in bed. We've been wrapping him really tight again, and he's slept through the night twice in the last 2 weeks!

We had a little party at the park for Mitchy and my friends really pulled through for me. It's so hard not to feel like a bad mom, or really want to do things for someone who doesn't care. I made cupcakes, and Mitchell scored on the gifts. Pictures to come...

I really wanted Mitchell to get to eat something special for his b-day so we made PUDDING. I recorded this video, so you can see how absolutely sweet Mitchell is. He is so precious, and we are so lucky to have this sweet little boy in our home, I had to share part of him with you!

Pictures from Mitchy's party in the park.

2011-06-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mitchell's birthday party at the park.

Mitchell leading the music

Some of the friends who showed up

Cami and Reesa in their cute matching skirts. (Reesa sporting the 4 layer look! She ALWAYS wears a longsleve shirt, a skirt, and leggins. This is going to be one hOt summer.)

School Pictures

2011-05-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Aren't they so cute?

2011-05-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of reading about my cats yet? Well here's to some forgotten cell phone pictures...

Mitchell has a curl! So cute. (and he's lost 3 pounds since this picture in the hospital)

I finished my felt rose wreath just in time for Spring.

Reesa and Cami pose with their Easter bunny creations! Reesa LOVES crafts. She'll spend hours painting, coloring, glueing, taping. She's so much like me...

Reesa was a nervous wreck to get her kindergarten shots. She would cry every time she thought to ask about them. Well the time came and she didn't cry. She said to me afterwards, "mom your were right, I AM Brave!" She picked out a purple heart cookie, don't mind that it says #1 mom, she can't read yet...

There's always drama!

2011-05-21T07:34:00.001-07:00

So Jake left out of town yesterday, and Reesa found Fluffy, our mommy kitten dead in our swimming pool! She fell couldn't get out, and drown. I'm still in shock. So not only did I have to scoop her out of the pool, filled with water and weighing probably 25 pounds with all that water in her, carry her across the yard, dig a hole and bury her. My friend Caitlin luckily was here to help me do it all. We had to keep yelling at the kids to get back inside so we could do all this as quickly as possible.

Not only is it sad to lose our favorite cat, she left behind 7 nursing kitties! I called Jake who told me I needed to bottle feed them, or I would lose 2 or 3 of them for sure! PLUS their mom still licks them clean, so they don't really know how to use a litter box.

BUT despite all odds, we gave them some of Mitchell's milk, and I went to the store and bought kitten food, and I think they're hungry enough to eat... Just another day, right?

Chowchilla County Fair

2011-05-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Jansen and I got to have a special day together when his preschool took a field trip to the Chowchilla Fair, about an hour away. Every year they open the fair one morning for special needs kids only, FREE! Parents can come, but not siblings, so there are really ONLY special need kids there.

It was so fun because everyone was understanding. When Jansen wouldn't get off a ride, I started to apologize to the parents behind me, and they understood and wouldn't let me apologize. Everyone there was so nice and understanding, I actually starting to cry thinking about how nice and accommodating people were being.

Since everything was free, Jansen could go on any ride as many times as he wanted! Loved it!

Jansen loved the animals and I think that was his favorite part. He kept trying to hop the fences every time I turned my back.

Jansen trying to pick up a pig.

Jansen chasing a chicken.

Jansen making a goat look right at him

Jansen guiding the miniature horse, see he loved it!

This was seriously the funniest part. Some lady was cleaning the pens, Jansen saw her, ran over and held onto her shovel and walked with this stranger to clean up the poop. She was very nice and let him help clean it all up!

Easter in Utah

2011-04-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

So we drove to Utah this year for Easter and it took us 3 whole days before we made it to my parents' house. It was SO MISERABLE! Mitchell cried so hard, he would foam and the mouth, start turning blue and we would have to stop, almost every 30 minutes. By the time we made it to my parents we had to tell everyone sorry, we weren't leaving anywhere with Mitchell and everyone had to come there to see us.

Needless to say we bought a plane ticket home for Mitchell and me for $450 bucks!!! We probably could have gotten round trip for cheaper!!! But we had a direct flight and he cried the 1 hour and 20 minutes home... It was a sad sad realization to think we shouldn't travel much with Mitchy. It's just too hard on him.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Easter at my parents. My mom spoils me by letting my kids dye eggs, and do all the fun Easter stuff I can never seem to do with out her. I want to make that a yearly tradition.

Alex and Shauna are in Provo and Alex let Jansen wear a girly flower hat that he told Jansen belonged to Woody. Jansen wanted to wear this hat, but so girly that we thought it appropriate to give him a real cowboy hat for Easter.

The Easter Bunny left a note saying Jansen on his hat that he didn't want to take off.

These are the only photos I can find from our trip, I guess kids occupy too much of our time to snap photos of them. What did we even do there?

Catching up...

2011-04-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

April we went to the Fresno zoo with Jansen's school field trip. We asked Jennifer, Cami and Olivia to come along and they were a huge help for me! I brought my camera and after 3 shots my battery died, so these are some I got on my phone.

Jansen LOVED the dino dig, and I had the hardest time getting him to leave this area once we found it!

Jennifer waited in the long line to let the girls pet the sting rays. They loved it!

Classic picture of Jansen ALWAYS eating an apple! He loves animals so much and knows all their names. He'll correct you too, so you better know your stuff! Here's the rhino.

The petting zoo was SO FUNNY! Jansen went right up to each animal and looked it right in the face. He loved making them run, and would run right along with them. They kept telling him to stop chasing the animals, we left shortly after...

Reesa and Cami were very brave.

Yes Jansen is wearing a pajama shirt. He wanted to wear his "porcupine" shirt and actually started crying when I took it off I decided to let him wear it! (it was one hot day!) After all Reesa picks out her clothes, hair bows, & style now too!

Fluffy had EIGHT kittens! and other stuff.

2011-04-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

So our cute little cat Fluffy, finally had her kittens early this morning. They are just so cute, and yes I finally let her come inside, after she had them :).

Doesn't she look so happy. Reesa KEEPS asking if we can keep them all. I think 10 cats would be a little extreme.

I told her we could keep one, (and Jake told me "really? I thought we'd keep two?" I guess he's starting to love cats after all. Or maybe just the fact they kill snakes...)

As I was downloading my pictures, I realized I haven't blogged anything besides Mitchell in along time, so here's a bunch of picts with all the latest.

I dressed like Reesa for St. Patrick's Day, and we found gold rocks in Jansen's classroom at school left by a leprechaun. (Loved it!)

Mitchell came home from the hospital and Jansen knew what to do with everything it seemed.

Jansen would not stop kissing me, not even for a picture. This one made me laugh, you can see him grabbing my face to make me kiss him back!

The kids had so much fun playing with shaving cream for Jansen's therapy.

They were laughing the whole time, and it got a lot messier than this!

My friend Caitlin and I sporting the moby-wrap at church. Mitchell enjoying being close pre surgery.

Cousin's came to visit and we had lots of fun playing, mainly with sleeping bags on hardwood floors...?

Beckham and Reesa posing for me

Saige was such a good sport to let my kids play with her ALL THE TIME!

I went to Time Out for Women with some girls,

and we took a picture with a celebrity, ha ha. (John Bytheway, who taught my Book of Mormon Class at BYU, AND John Heder was in that B of M class!!! I know so many famous people!)

and we got a picture of ourselves, Vanessa, me and Caitlin.

Reesa at Cami's princess party

and I caught Jansen with a bowl of frosting...

So random I know, but I heard the BEST thought... "It's a rare privilege we have to know our kids as children." I want to enjoy all of these mundane moments as well as the exciting ones we have together. I'm learning to be more patient everyday, but I've a long way to go...:)

What do you do to increase your patience?

We're home

2011-04-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well we did it. Mitchell's surgery was successful, and after 3 days we're home and happy and healing.

Sorry about the bad pict. I took it myself right after surgery. It is so fun to hold a baby that is wanting to cuddle!

Getting lots of rest.

And if you look closely you can see his 4 incisions, his g-tube and his central line in his leg. This little boy has been through so much and is just as sweet as can be.

We saw little ones younger than Mitch walking around and tried not to notice what he's not doing yet, although it's really hard not to. We are so blessed. We have beautiful children, friends and family who care, love and support us, and a wonderful Heavenly Father who let us enjoy it all!

Thank you Jennifer for moving your entire family of 6 into my house so my 2 kids would feel a little control over their crazy schedules! Seriously can friends get any better than this?

P.S. Jake mentioned our blog is turning into a medical update, well I guess our life is too, right?

Fundoplication

2011-03-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mitchell's surgery is scheduled for this FRIDAY! This will stop his reflux and hopefully help keep us out of the hospital in the future. We're going back to the hospital for 3 -10 days. Wish us luck! (and lots of blessings).

Hospital Stay

2011-03-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

We're finally home after being in the hospital for almost 2 weeks!!! Does it look like I'm ready to go home?

Sweet baby Mitchell got pneumonia for the second time this year. Poor baby.

This is what everyone else was doing while we were in the hospital...

I must give a special thanks to my in-laws, Jim and Lenora, for dropping everything the second we called, and driving up to stay with our kids and to help us out at the hospital. It never would have gone so smoothly with out them there.

I had some wonderful amazing experiences with Mitchell. As I was sitting with him, doing nothing but caring for HIM, I thought how lucky I was to be able to have 10 days (this was on day 10) where all I do is think about, care for, and love Mitchell. Who gets that kind of opportunity with their two year old??? I never got that with my other kids...(AND I never got that with Mitchell as a newborn!) I had him all to myself, didn't have ANYTHING else to do, and I knew that my other kids were being loved and cared for by their grandparents.

Jake told me how Mitchell is our "direct ticket to the Celestial Kingdom," so why wouldn't we want him around us all the time to help us get back home? We need to hold tight to him, and appreciate every chance he gives us to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. I also realized that our life with Mitchell is going to be full of trips to the hospital where we continually wonder when he his going to head home with out us. He is such a sweet, special baby that I feel so lucky to call mine. It won't be easy, but nothing of value is, right?

We were so grateful this wasn't Mitchell's time to go, and that we have him around for a little bit longer. What a special miracle Mitchell is. We are so thankful to a Heavenly Father to has given us this precious little boy.

Finally, Jake texted me this quote from our speaker on Sunday.

"Sometimes we think that life is just not fair, or this is not what we thought our lives would be like. And that's OK. It is through those circumstances that we come to know our Savior."

I think that describes our feelings as parents exactly! Life isn't fair, it's not what we wanted or planned, but really that's the only way we will get to know and become like our Savior. We all have something in our lives we didn't plan, or want but our Heavenly Father knows what we need, and He is there helping us along.

Is it working?

2011-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Jansen left this for me to find... We're on day five without diapers. Wish me luck.

Poor Baby

2011-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

We've been back to watching this...Mitchell wasn't breathing well, so I finally took him in and thinking it was just a little congestion, but no... it's pneumonia, along with 2 ear infections (despite having ear tubes.)
Our poor little Mitchy can't buy a break. He can't seem to stay healthy. Well... 2010 he did NOT stay at the hospital over night ONCE.
Reesa was such a trooper. She missed her school field trip to go to the hospital with Mitchy and me. So today I finally broke down and got her a pillow pet from Mitchell to say thanks!!!

They gave Mitchell a bunch of steroids, antibiotics, breathing treatments and put him on Oxygen. He's doing so much better. They gave us lots of meds to come home with and Mitchell came home this afternoon on room air! We're so lucky really that this happened over the weekend when Jake wasn't working and that Jennifer, (bless her heart) drove all the way down to Fresno to pick up Reesa (and brought me a bag of goodies and books) and took Reesa and Jansen for the day. Thanks, we love you guys!

P.S. I don't even want to admit this, but I made Jake come down and stay the night with Mitchell and I went home to be with #1 & #2. I was SO irritated by everything every nurse, doctor, assistant, secretary said to me I couldn't stand it anymore! Today, Jake told me how he refused treatments when Mitchell was asleep, told them no to IV antibiotics, since we can NEVER get an IV on that kid. (I tried to say no, but my Dr. said they had to at least try 3 times. WHAT!?! see why I was irritated?) I was so grateful for an amazingly smart husband who knows way too much, about things he has no business knowing, and fights for our kids! Thanks Jake!

DISNEYLAND!

2011-02-01T13:10:00.001-08:00

We are so lucky to be able to visit Disneyland this year. Through Jansen's therapy we got tickets for $35 each. (Reg. $76). The best part... we forgot our tickets! We had to drive back and take a 5 hour detour. It was murder. BUT, instead of going to Jake's parents that night, we called Disney and got a hotel right across the street. So arrived @ 2 a.m. we slept in a little and didn't have to fight traffic in the morning. What a blessing, right!

The kids knew what Disney was this year, and Jansen started yelling "Oh Toodles" as soon as she saw the sign. (from Mickey Mouse Club House)

I loved bringing our kids there! It was so fun to see how excited they were to see every single thing! I had a million pictures of Jansen pointing to things.

And yes, we did get to wear our matching shirts again.

Dumbo, Jansen's favorite ride.

Jake's parent's were great sports and came along to help us out. There is NO WAY we could have done it with out them. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for coming.

The Tiki room

Reesa L_O_V_E_D the princesses. So magical. AND Jansen actually ran to each princess and hugged them.

Are you wondering what Mitchell did? ha ha, I wish he was this easy.

I took a zillion pictures of Reesa but this is almost the only one with a smile. Even Mitchell liked Small world.

The castle.

The fireworks were one of the best parts. Jansen yelled "wow" after every single one. And when there was a boom he yelled"ahh!" We were all laughing. The lady standing next to me told me Jansen made every penny we spent worth it. Then she added he made her's worth it too.

P.S. If you're going anytime soon, it was HOT. People were in shorts and tank tops. I had to borrow sunscreen from some random lady to protect Mitchell. It's only JANUARY!

Geyer Grandparents visit

2011-01-19T16:45:00.001-08:00

I know, I really do. There are more pictures than ANYONE would like to see of my kids. But they are just too cute to pass up.

Grandma and Grandpa Geyer came to visit for the weekend, and brought Stuart along too. Here's a brief summary the stuff we tried to cram in.

Playing with Mitchell.

Reesa learning to put on her own make-up (it's all over her nose)

Jake made his famous waffles for everyone

Are you wondering how Mitchell's eating in his new chair?

Like a CHAMP! He's loving it! and so are we. Doesn't he just look like a normal little boy?

We drove up to Yosemite and went sledding in the snow.

They had perfect little hills to sled on. Everybody gave it a try.

Jake packed some hot chocolate, which was a hit! Especially with Jansen.

Grandma even gave sledding a try.

Jake packed a tarp, several blankets, and Mitchell's favorite toy. Last time we played in the snow, Mitch was miserable. This time we came prepared and he LOVED it!

Snapped a shot of Mitchell's view from the ground. Isn't is gorgeous there?

Grandpa being a good sport using his new smile for the zillionth time.

snow ball fight

Can you believe we built this HUGE snowman?

We didn't, but Reesa didn't know the difference!!! They dressed frosty up, and thought Grandpa was king!

Here's the gang

Thanks for coming, (and for all the pictures grandpa!) I've found with 3 kids, I can't add a camera to the list of things to remember, and was so grateful grandpa brought his camera and took so many pictures for us!!!

Acorn wreath

2011-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

So I did it. Here's my version of a Valentine's Day acorn wreath. Got the idea here, thanks LR. So easy and fun to make.

Have your kids gather a zillion acorns in my yard, bake 'em for 15 min. @ 350 to kill any bugs, hot glue them to a straw wreath. Spray paint the color of your choice (pink for V-day). It looks much better than this picture taken with my phone. I totally could have bought this at Pottery Barn.

Jansen wears cowboy boots

2011-01-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

So Jansen and shoes have not been friends. Jansen will run through weeds, stickers, rocks, hot asphalt, you name it and not care that his shoes are missing. This summer he stepped on a cactus and had over 100 splinters he would NOT let us pull out. (We tried holding him down, waiting til he was asleep finally a salt bath to help sooth, but we never took them out.) SO being the good mother that I am, I got online and bought some cowboy boots, so he could learn to put shoes on all-by-his-self!

Well, he screamed and would NOT even let us try them on. Jake told me "what a waste of money!" Ouch. So I kept trying. And what do you know, ONE MONTH later (I tried almost daily) Jansen let me put his boots on. SO I put him on the bus and sent him off to school where he couldn't take them off. It was SO CUTE I had to take a picture mainly b/c I didn't know if I'd ever get them on again. Well they are now a favorite part of his wardrobe, a close second to his spiderman snow boots.

This was November 18, I'm behind on my blogging I know...

Reesa's FIVE

2011-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

Reesa had a birthday, and we celebrated at the Children's museum. It was AWESOME!!! We didn't have to clean up, or plan activities, it was perfect! Jake's parents were on their way to visit and made it that much more special for Reesa. She told EVERYONE her grandparents were coming for her birthday.

Jansen helped blow out the candles.

This was my favorite part. If you gave Reesa a present you got to open it.

Little kids are so funny! I couldn't stop laughing. Luckily she didn't mind the help!

I didn't get a group shot, boo-hoo, but wanted to include a picture of one of Reesa's favorite friends, Cami.

And just ask me if Jansen had fun...

PLUS Mitchell's good news...

we took Mitchell to the cardiologist that morning and heard that he now has a perfect heart! There was no aortic dilatation, and he will NOT be needing surgery! Too good to be true? I think so, we go back in one year just to make sure. But for now I guess we'll celebrate!

O Christmas Tree

2011-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

We got a new tree. Is this really okay?

I guess it won't be new for long!

Uncle Jordan and Aunt Claudia stopped by to see us on their way to a cruise! How fun, thanks guys we loved the visit!

And yes, these two really do love each other. At least in their sleep.

Now all the Christmas decor is gone. I hate taking it down. Reesa asked me why I was taking away her Christmas. It made me feel like the grinch.

Aunt Allison visits

2011-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

So my sister in law is just so sweet! Jake went out of town, way back in NOVEMBER, and Allison came to keep me company and brought 3 of her 4 kids. We had so much fun, and so did the kids.

The babies played with each other,

Mitchell and Jane

well most of the time. One of these babies can move!

Katie and Reesa insisted on calling each other best friend (Kate did not like it when Reesa tried to call her sister. Reesa pleaded she didn't have a sister, so I had to start telling her she had 3 cat sisters.)

There are too many kids in this tub! There are too many elbows to scrub, I washed a behind, that I'm sure wasn't mine, there are too many kids in this tub!

There are too many kids in this box! Plus a cat!

The kids had so much fun and played so well together. Thanks for coming Allison we had a great time!

Where are my kids?

2011-01-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Oh, they're in the garage, on top of the mini van, eating cold cereal with a spoon, AND all their toys. No I'm serious. Do I get any mother of the year award for this?

New Chair for Mitchy

2011-01-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

So if you thought $50 for a high chair was expensive, try $1,549.82. Yep, that's the price for Mitchell's new chair, (thank you insurance!) It came on Friday, and we couldn't be happier.

So here's Mitchell in his SPIO suit just chillin'. This is what he does most of the time. He doesn't like to sit (with support) on your lap, on a chair, anywhere.

Now I put him in his chair and look, not only does he tolerate it, but I think he even likes it! (Usually he screams and cries the MOMENT you make him sit.)

He'll enjoy himself for about 30 minutes, but hey, it's a new position and I'm sure it will help strengthen his core!

Well you can't forget Reesa jammin' out to some tunes. Her dancing is so funny! We love it.

Build a Bear

2010-11-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we took our kids to build a bear. It was so much fun. I didn't think Jansen should make a bear since he wouldn't care anyway, but Jake insisted. Jansen was SO MAD! He kept yelling no, and didn't want to do anything but have me hold him. Well, Jake picked a bear for him and Reesa stuffed it. We made Jansen put the satin heart inside, they sewed the bear up, and Jansen spent the rest of the time screaming while trying to stuff another heart in. He took about 30 hearts and tried and tried.

Reesa was so indecisive (just like her mother) and spent 20 minutes deciding what bear to make. Jake finally picked a few and told her she had to choose one the four. She picked pink (with lots of help). We tried really hard to let her dress her own bear, and she chose a pink dress for a pink bear, with red shoes, purple bows, and a hello kitty purse. I bit my tongue.

Jansen was still crying, Jake named his bear "Gno" since that's the only word Jansen would tell him. I picked an outfit, sat on the floor with Jansen on my lap and dressed the bear. I'm sure every person in that store was looking at me holding my screaming kid trying to have him help me dress a bear. As soon as I put the Jacket on the bear, I showed Jansen how he could put all his hearts into the jacket. And WA-LA suddenly Jansen loved his bear.

It was SO CUTE seeing Jansen carry his own bear box all the way to the car. In the past there was so way Jansen could carry something that far!!! He'd lose interest and drop it.

I wanted to get a photo of our bears today, of course Jansen yelled no. So I took a picture of Reesa, then Jansen sat where she was, grabbed the bears and told me cheese. So I took a picture of him too.

It's not a smile but he thinks it is.

And finally guess who's already at the mall???

Happy Halloween Finally

2010-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's always so random to see what pictures we get when Jake's in charge of the camera. Yes we did dress up for our ward halloween party. We ordered toothbrushes at the last minute to give away, I was sad they didn't have our business' logo on them (free advertising, right?) Next year we'll be sure to plan ahead. Don't worry we gave out candy too!

Jake was a hit! He had a great time making the kids dance to "Thriller" and do all sorts of silly things to get candy and a toothbrush. There were 15 kids at our car most of the time since they couldn't just keep on running to the next car.

Reesa next to someone else's pumpkin? She had the cutest little witch costume with a matching purple hat. Where is that hat?

Jansen had the perfect costume he couldn't take off! He LOVED all the candy, and didn't want to keep going. He just wanted to eat it right away. I guess he knew the parent tax was pretty steep this year! So we went back to our car and watched dad entertain everybody instead.

Mitchell of course was perfect. He slept in the stroller most of the night.

The rest of Utah va-kay

2010-11-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

We went to Uncle Nathan's house for dessert and a quick visit. Although I didn't get one picture of him... Here's Kassie, Jude, me, and Mitchy

Reesa and Gage

And little Jude totally snuggled up with Jake. It was so cute!

Mitchell wasn't this mad, but he sure looks unhappy here. These boys are 2 weeks apart.

So this is what happens when you use several camera's to take pictures. Here's the rest from our fun Halloween day at the U.

Jansen and his FAVORITE movie characters (really Buzz)

Me and Jansen

Benson and Papa Bill

Jansen, Beckhem, Remy all ready to go. What a fun day.

PS... the funniest part was seeing the pictures of our budding photographer. Reesa took Jake's cell phone and with out us knowing took over a hundred pictures of the drive home. Here's just a few.

Mitchy

2010-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Still in an infant carseat? it's just too easy for travel, sorry Mitchell.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

I went with Reesa's preschool on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. We learned about how pumpkins grow, went on a hay ride, then we each picked out a pumpkin.

As we were leaving we bought a bag of walnuts. I kind of thought it would be cool to show Reesa how to open them, and to find the nut inside. Well, we don't have a nut cracker, but we have walnut ALL OVER my car and house now. I find several new ones everyday! I'm just so smart!

Update on Mitchell

2010-11-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mitchell is 17 months old today. Where did the time go? The other day I saw a 16 month old boy running and playing and driving his mother crazy and I just squeezed my baby boy tighter. I'm not sure I could handle another active little Jansen right now and was just so thankful to have my 17 month newborn!

Mitchell is doing AWESOME!!! He has made some great progress (that I am so proud of) in the past few weeks. He is REACHING and HOLDING toys. I'm sorry to say, I really thought that would never happen. It has been so intense working those muscles for over a year now, with VERY LITTLE improvement, and now it seems like overnight he can do it, and does it all the time!!!

Mitchell had a great day this morning with physical therapy as he sat for a few seconds!!! I know isn't he cute? Barb is amazing and gets Mitchell to do all sorts of things. We LOVE her!

Oh, those arm and leg things Mitchell is wearing??? He got those yesterday, they are supposed to help stimulate his muscles and joints when he moves and get him to increase movement. He'll wear 'em one week on, then one week off. Jake said "one more thing to help the special kid look more special!"

Mitchell is such a sweet baby. He has no stranger anxiety and will let anybody hold him. I try not to let it hurt my feelings, BUT I do think he recognizes my voice. He loves to be patted and bounced, only while standing. He's about 22 pounds, and is SO HEAVY. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold him... He loves toys with lights and soft sounds. He lets us lay him flat on the floor and he'll kick and be happy about it. It's so cute. He's eating baby food 1-2 times a day, but it's very difficult to feed him. He gets very upset if there's too much noise, or just b/c some reason we don't know... so I never attempt with out another adult present. Jake is a pro at feeding and putting him to bed. AND Jake is the one who gets up with Mitchell during the night. (I'm helping Jansen and Reesa, gosh nobody sleeps around here!) BUT last night Mitchell slept through the entire night and didn't wake up once!!! I'm sure it won't last, but it's a start, right?

Kitchen Photos

2010-10-30T14:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm really surprised that everyone (Lindsay) is so annoyed I left out my kitchen. I guess I figured you would just remember a few from before... so I grabbed my camera took 2 photos (because if I had to clean the counters first I would find a hundred other things I should be doing besides taking a picture to put on my blog... ha ha)

So here's my clutter-ry kitchen. We love it!

It has a bar and an island, one day we'll get stools for it.

Here you can see the doors that go outside to the backyard. Can you picture it now?

Halloween In Utah

2010-10-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

For October break, the kids get a week off of school, so Jake took a few days off work and we went to Utah. We only stayed 3 days, but we packed in the fun.

The U of U had a fun Halloween trick or treat party for kids that we went to, and this is the only time we broke out the camera. As you can tell, we all went through Grandma Sue's costumes to find something to wear...

Jansen was so cute to pick out this peter pan hat! I would have never guessed!

They had some of the cutest things for the kids to do, each house had a theme and then an activity to go along with it. Like a story with Wendy and a pirate boat to climb through from Peter Pan. A house to color and tie a balloon to it, from the movie Up, and Andy's room with pictures to color of Woody and Buzz, along with 10 Mr. Potato Heads that Jansen didn't want to leave alone. It was so fun.

Remy, Reesa, and Cianna

From left to right, Jake, Jansen, Me, Reesa, Jordan, Zaylee (?) Saige, Cianna, Claudia, Remy, Zoey (?) Simone, Caprice (turned around) Beckhem, Benson, and my dad took the picture.

(Did I get the twins right?)

Happy Birthday Paw-paw!

2010-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Whitney, my dad and his twin, Aunt Jeanne all share a birthday TODAY! WOW, at what age do you want to start counting again? It seems like every year is another miracle. My grandpa is 97 today, here's an article my aunt sent, love you paw-paw.

Lately

2010-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love when Grandma and Papa come to visit? We sure had fun making cookies with Grandma Sue.

Reesa snuggling with Papa Bill and Fluffy.

and who wouldn't love a little boy that falls asleep right next to you like this?

and finally, Jake and I went to a Zack Brown Band Concert and we were both so tired we fell asleep durning it. I guess we are getting old after all!

Naked baby

2010-10-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know this blog feels like it's turning into what Jansen did today, but honestly I just can't believe it sometimes!!! This morning I'm on the phone thinking Jansen is with Reesa, when I find Reesa alone. So as I run outside to start the search, I hear him over at the neighbors, no clothes, no diaper!!! Stunned I as him, "where are your clothes?" His reply, "I don't know."

(I edited this photo so Jake won't be mad I'm posting it...)

Jansen

2010-10-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whether to laugh or be totally freaked out! Jansen found this new great hiding place that he RUNS to the second he's let outside.

Can you see him in there?

When he finally came out, he looked at me and signed "cat" and pointed into that pipe. Nice try buddy. Even though it's true you're still not out of trouble.

Any suggestions?

And of course Reesa loving her kitty.

Sharing?

2010-10-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Mitchell starts crying, so I go over to see what happened, wait I mean who happened. I guess those glasses fit Jansen too...

House photos

2010-10-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

So we moved in to our house at the end of June, and yes, I am finally posting some pictures.

I'm sorry I didn't pick up anything, so this is what you would see if you were here today visiting. I'll take you on a little walk...

You come into our house and you have one big huge kitchen, dining, and family room. We have beautiful hardwood floors so of course I'm ready to make some curtains to keep the noise down in that room. (My kids are extra loud!)

Oh, and you can't forget our tray ceiling we repainted purple.

Our house is all one level, something I NEVER thought I would want. BUT it has turned out to be awesome. Everything feels close and with little kids that makes it feel safer, but mainly we just keep thinking if/when Mitchell needs a wheelchair this house will be perfect for us!!! No stairs to worry about.

Straight out the back of the front room is our patio. We have a yard great for exploring. BUT being in a new territory, we have been so nervous about what might be out there. We have coyotes, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions... So even though a fence is considered rude and tacky out here in the country, I still want one!!!

We have an above ground pool with a slide, extra fun for when you come to visit us!!

Then our small patch of grass which Jake loves b/c it takes about 5 minutes to mow! (and can you see my little witch Jansen?)

Keep walking and you come to our volleyball court in the FRONT YARD!?!? Those posts are cemented in, so no changing that around. But it's also a great sandbox. (Jake was taking down the net when I took this)

Then follow Reesa on this little path back around to the front yard.

Back in our house we have a hallway off the left and right of the great room.

To the right we have our bedrooms, and to the left we have the laundry room, guest room, office, and garage.

guest bathroom

Jansen's bedroom, then I stopped taking pictures, b/c you can't see all of his room, and it just doesn't do any of them justice... so you have to come if you want to see the rest!

I had to include little Reesa all ready for Halloween. She's so excited! She woke up and put her costume on before she came in my bed to say good morning...

So besides the snakes, (which I have still NOT seen a live one thank goodness) did I do a good job of making you want to come visit us out here??? Is this what you thought it looked like?

I really have enjoyed living here and I feel so lucky. It just feels like the right place for our family. AND even though I thought I would hate being in a small town, I've really liked it here. Things move at a slower pace, and I feel like I make the time to enjoy my kids... kind of. ha ha

Jansen's three.

2010-10-08T11:54:00.001-07:00

Still catching up... but for "handsome Jansen's" 3rd birthday we had an awesome party. Since Jansen really doesn't follow the rules for a birthday party, we didn't want to have one for 3 year olds, so we just invited some of our friends with their families over for a pool party. It was GREAT. We did a few fun party things, but mainly just let the kids swim.

The night before we had our family party, mainly so Jansen would know what to do with candles in front of everyone. We sang 4 or 5 times letting him blow out the candles for practice. AND it paid off at the party Jansen didn't let us down. He sang just as loud as everyone, blew out his candles, and wanted to do it again. It was great!!! We were so proud of him, AND how quickly he caught on.

Jansen got 5 different Buzz lightyears for his b-day... can you guess what his first word was? BUZZ!!!

Jake drew Buzz and Woody for our corn hole game (bean bag game for all you western'ers) and Reesa colored them! Didn't she do a great job???

I also filled a kiddie pool with 10 packages of of spagetti noodles, but didn't get a picture. It was such a fun night.

Jansen is very active. He can and has run a mile. He can throw and kick a ball very well. His first word, at age three was BUZZ, now he probably has 30 words though. He's very affectionate, and we milk it! If you ask for a kiss and make a kissy sound when Jansen runs away, he HAS to turn around, and come back and kiss you. We LOVE IT!!! Apples are his favorite food and he eats about 8 a day (talk about diaper rash). SO we put a lock on the fridge and now he sneaks about 2 a day. He loves fruit, pizza and JUICE, and anything outside.

Such a sweet baby boy! We love you Jansen!!!

Disneyland 2010

2010-10-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? Our summer was so packed it's time to catch-up. So I'll start with Disneyland. We did Disney's "give a day get a day" and got free tickets for Jake and I. (I made covers for heating pads at the hospital with my squister.) We only had to pay for Reesa since Jansen wouldn't turn 3 for a few more weeks (yeah!) and Mitchell is of course a baby.

doesn't this look like fun?

I had matching shirts made and Reesa wore her's for about 5 minutes. She was screaming and crying and we were making her wear it when I just thought "all she's going to remember about Disneyland is that her parents made her wear a shirt and she cried the entire time." So we took one family photo, and off it went. Although all day long I kept asking her if she wanted to put it back on. It had Cinderella on it, which she wanted (but it was a boy T-shirt b/c I couldn't find a solid girl one and I don't think she liked the neckline).

we got to meet Donald and Goofy, which Jansen LOVED

We went with Jake's family and we had a total of 22. It was so much fun. We had a blast entertaining the kids the first half of the day, then that night all the kids fell asleep in their strollers, and the adults took turns staying with the kids and going on rides for the last 3 hours.

Reesa got to go on stage and sing along with Tiana.

So the two best things... #1 Jansen was diagnosed with Autism in June and Disneyland is SO COOL! They let us have a special pass to go to the front of the line with 6 people in our party so Jansen wouldn't have to wait in the lines. And even that was SO HARD. Jansen had to wait maybe 5-10 minutes for each ride and he was screaming and crying to get on the ride. He didn't want to wait at all! Seriously it made all the difference for our family. I don't think I would EVER go again if we didn't have that pass. While were there I started crying just thinking about how nice Disneyland is for thinking of families with kids that are special. It was so touching to me that we were able to have such a wonderful experience there. In fact it worked so well because with changing diapers and feeding kids we would just catch-up with Jake's family as though we had been in the long lines anyway. It was AWESOME!!!

fun at Tom Sawyer's Island

#2. Jake's sister wanted to let her daughter meet the princesses, so I went mainly to keep Allison company. I didn't even think Reesa would care. Well when we turned the corner and saw Ariel, Reesa seriously started jumping up and down and screaming. She was so excited and she couldn't believe it. She wanted her picture but was just a little too shy to do it alone, so I helped out.

Next we saw Tiana and she kept telling her cousins to hurry up because there's "princess and the frog!" She was totally loving on her. I'm serious she was practically malling these princesses, kissing and hugging them! and they were so nice to her.

Finally she saw Belle and the rest of the day wanted Belle's dress (which was $68, no thank you). It was so cute, Reesa was in heaven. It was the highlight of my trip seeing how magical that was for Reesa. And to think I wasn't even going to take her....

Reesa got a baby Aurora instead which she loves! and Jansen got a Buzz lightyear. We had such a great time and can't wait to go back!

Emma

2010-09-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we lost our little sweet niece Emma. Thanks to some amazing and wonderful friends who watched our kids, Jake and I were both able to fly with Mitchell out to the funeral in Alabama. To be honest with you I cannot believe how healing this funeral was. It was so wonderful. Lynsey made a comment about how the spirit is so strong at a funeral, sometimes even stronger than the temple. As I've thought about that I think maybe it's because everyone is so broken and humble everyone is looking for an answer. About a zillion prayers were said, and everyone is so loving. You could feel Emma there, and Hannah kept saying Emma was there keeping her strong.

Spencer and Hannah are amazing parents. They had the sweetest little girl Emma, who reflected their love for her. I am so sad for our loss. It feels so unfair to lose this 21 month old so suddenly. But Spencer and Hannah gave Emma the best life. Emma was so lucky to have them as her parents because they loved her as much as they could every day of her life. Emma was just too perfect for this world she had to move on before the rest of us. AND she has a whole little clan of friends there already (Audrey, Ethan, Bethany, Caleb, and many more I'm sure). We love and miss you Emma.

I have so many cute photos of Emma, but since I got a new computer I'm having a hard time finding them.

Can you guess who came to visit?

2010-09-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

I saw this on the kitchen counter and didn't even have to move ANYTHING to take this picture. I don't like soda, but I must admit I LOVE desserts!!!

Simone's kids were off track from school, so she talked my mom into driving out here with her kids to visit. Did you guess it right? Sue and Simone.

Beckhem, Remy, Reesa, Caprice, and Saige (kitten Belle)

I have a tray ceiling in our dining room that Simone was dying to paint. Well we chose a color similar so it wouldn't be too bold, and it wasn't. You can't even tell a difference unless you look. All that hard for just for us to have to do it again next time you visit...
Then I had to include this... I found Jansen behind the island in the kitchen eating a watermelon just like this... It was so funny, his face was covered in juice, he really needed a spoon!

Somebody got glasses!

2010-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Look at my baby boy Mitchell! Isn't he cute?

We think he loves his new shades. He looks right at you, and I think it's obvious he can see better. He has a few scratches on his nose, but I've never really seen him try to get them off.

Several people asked Jake on Sunday if Mitchell's glasses were real. We got a big kick out of that. Really, what parent uses glasses as an accessory for a baby??? (I guess they do look like of fake!)

Happy kids

2010-09-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Reesa really wanted to be in a photo with DAD AND MITCHELL. She was so mad I couldn't get it right, so after I finally got all the conditions perfect here's her best smile. Awww... aren't they sweet?

My little swimmers!

2010-09-05T09:00:00.002-07:00

We have had the best summer, and I have so much to blog about... BUT there are several reasons why I haven't been

SO... yesterday both Jansen AND Reesa swam across our pool UNDERWATER! Yep that's right. I've got 2 fish. The last few times we've been swimming I've been thinking Jansen was blowing bubbles. He doesn't cough when he comes up, but I didn't know if it was just luck. Well yesterday I just kept taking a step back and having him swim further. He loves it, and would swim back to the ladder just as quickly as he swam to me. It wasn't until I was far enough away that he had to take a breath and go back under before he got to me that I KNEW he was swimming. Well of course I yelled for Jake to come watch and we made such a big deal about it, Reesa wanted to show us she could swim too.

Reesa's been able to doggie paddle across the pool for quite a while, but she decided to put her face in the water and swim too. It was so AWESOME!!!

Other news, Jansen threw our computer on the floor and it broke so I haven't blogged, who wants to blog without pictures? He also threw our TV on the floor and now it's half black & white and half color. And yesterday he threw our toilet lid on the floor and it broke. No, not the toilet lid, the porcelain tank lid. This kid doesn't know his own strenght!

Visitors

2010-07-11T21:57:00.002-07:00

Okay, so let's see if any of this worked!!! Grandparents and Aunt Hannah (with Emma) came to visit, and watch our kids for the weekend and Grandpa Jim sent me bunches of photos... They are so cute, but I'm not sure how to view them the easiest, BUT since Jansen is just so darn cute, and I'm sure you're all dying to see Yosemite National Park, I'm TRYING to post just a few. After we get our computer set up I can post the pictures from my camera and you'll see so much more!

Too cool...

2010-06-21T15:37:00.004-07:00

My kids are too little to know better, like filling the pool in our front yard and giving them a bath there isn't really cool. Jake kept insisting we are now white trash, but they love it. So who cares, right? Okay, maybe the neighbors....

P.S. I am so sad b/c Friday we lost our kitty Daphne. I drove Reesa to swimming lessons and as we were leaving Tiffany was in front of our van surrounded by a crowd of kids. I have no idea how she got there but took her home and Daphne was gone. I waited an hour and she never showed up. I think they both were at the pool, but by the time we could go back she was no where to be found. Daphne is just the sweetest kitty, so I'm sure someone took her home, and won't want to give her back. I keep checking for her and we hung up a missing kitty sign. Yesterday I listed to Reesa explain to Tiffany that "we lost Daphne at the pool, but not to worry, we'll get another Daphne." I feel like such a good cat mom. Plus, I really miss Daphne.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T14:37:00.004-07:00

Interview with Reesa for Father's Day.

How old is your dad? I think he's 12

What does daddy do all day? Everyday he does the compooter.

What's dad's favorite color? Orange
food? Orange
treat? M&M's
TV show? football

What does daddy do for work? He gets money at work and he tells the truth.

Why does daddy love you? Because Gods wants us to love people.

Why do you like dad? Because he loves me.

If you could give him anything, what would it be? a toy, his own Buzz!

Well Jake, I hope you know how special you are! AND I might add a BIG happy dad day to Papa Bill, Jim, and all the fathers out there. We all love you! Happy Father's day,
love Reesa, Jansen, and Mitchell

Grubby Pup

2010-06-14T15:29:00.005-07:00

Jansen is the funnest little boy. Everyday he thinks up new tricks to out smart his parents. He's fast and most of the time I can't keep up with him. Lately we've been calling him our "grubby pup." ANYTIME the door is opened Jansen somehow gets out. It's like he waiting for you to open it, and no matter how fast you are, or how hard you try, Jansen escapes! I've been scared more times than I care to share about his life as he runs for the busy road in front of our house. (C'mon, doesn't he sound like a little puppy?)

BUT lately it's not the road he's running for. It the cars. He can run out the door, and climb on top of either car in about 3 seconds.
It's really gotten embarrassing in the parking lots when he climbs up other people's cars. He's so fast even if you're with him, he's on the roof before you can pull him down.

Reesa's learned to do it too, but she's so slow, I can usually stop her...

I think she just doesn't want to be left out of any fun.

But with a killer smile that cute, can you really be mad??? Oh, I'm not so good at this parenting stuff... I just want to kiss that face! Our own little "grubby pup!"

p.s Hannah, don't be too scared to come and watch our kids. We have child locks on all the doors...

Enjoying the wildlife

2010-06-11T17:10:00.004-07:00

Look what we found in our backyard! Two deer that were so so so close it was almost scary. (I think Jake was more excited than our kids.)

They walked around for quite a while letting us get a real good look at them.

Reesa still loving her kitties (and the deer). They have really been lots of fun for her, she plays with them for a few hours everyday!

Notice how nice I am... I don't let Reesa go outside with the kiddies while Jansen is awake, otherwise he sits at the door and cries to go outside, or runs away as fast as he can if I let him go outside. So Reesa plays with her kitties through the door, or during Jansen's nap.

Skip this if you don't like cheesy...

2010-06-10T08:57:00.005-07:00

I have so much I want to post but I had to write this quickly before I forgot about it. Last night I wake up to hear Jansen (my only child who doesn't wake up multiple times during the night) crying in bed for maybe 20 minutes. I feel so bad b/c we couldn't find his blanket and this was the 2nd night he was sleeping without it. Jake had already scoured our home for Jansen's blanket, then I searched everywhere for it too. (our house is NOT that big), and we were hoping it would just turn up, it didn't. So I decide to go in there and lay next to him.

Well one HOUR later, Jansen is still taking my hand requesting me to rub his back or arm and I'm so tired. Every time I sit up, to try and sneak out, Jansen takes his tiny arms and quickly wraps them around my neck and pulls me back down next to him. It's so cute, just melts your heart. I realize he is not going to go back to sleep anytime soon. SO... I decided I needed that blanket so Jansen (and I) could sleep. I said a little prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me find that blanket. Jansen gets up and turns on his bedroom light, I open the door, and Jansen leads me to the kitchen of course wanting to eat and I see the bookshelf it was behind last time we lost it and think duh! Well it's not there and I just sit down and there it is on top up a bunch of books under the bakers rack.

I showed it to Jansen who got the biggest smile, hugged it and ran straight to bed where I tucked him in and left him snuggled up for the night. I'm sure miracles like this happen all the time, but I really needed it last night. I know Heavenly Father hears my prayers.

Miracle baby turns ONE!

2010-06-05T11:02:00.007-07:00

Wednesday we celebrated the birth of our little miracle baby!
here's a picture june 2009

and now! Mitchell with Grandpa Geyer

I can't believe we've had Mitchell for a whole year. He is still acting like a newborn, requiring to be held and snuggled, he's still not lifting his head, or grasping objects, but if you get him in just the right mood, with a lot of effort on your part, you might get a smile. He's doesn't like lots of noise, but will let anyone hold him. He's thinking about solids and we probably average one serving of rice mixed with prunes or pears every other day. He's sleeping anywhere from 1 to 4 hours at night, but has a constant ear infection... so we give him a break. (We've been to the doctor 3 times since we've been in Cali, and all 3 times Mitch had infections in both ears. I think it might be time to look into other options.)

He has such a sweet spirit and has touched all our lives. Even Jansen will touch Mitchell's head now when you ask him "where's the baby?"

Jansen graduated from his 2 year old preschool class.

Reesa helped me make a pink heart cake with cupcakes for Mitchell (that's what he wanted!)

and when I turned around to get Mitchell this is what the party animal was doing...
It's exhausting turning one!

We put Mitchell in his Bumbo which he'll sit in for about 3 minutes.
and sang happy birthday
the kids gave Mitchell Buzz and they have NOT let it out of their sight yet! They love, love, love, Toy Story.

I think Mitchell had one million prayers given in his behalf. One year ago we were told he wasn't going to live and we spent our time drawing closer to our Heavenly Father trying to figure out Mitchell's purpose for this life. The Lord has let us keep him a little longer and though it is hard work, we are thrilled to have him in our home! I am so thankful for all the people who prayed not only for Mitchell but also for me. I have felt your love and support and I know we have been blessed. It's hard to stay positive all the time with so many unknowns, but I am grateful for the blessings Mitchell has brought into my life and our home. Happy Birthday little man!

A day at the pond

2010-06-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Wendy, a girl from Jake's office, invited us up to her property to play. I was a little worried with a pond and 3 little kids, but with everyone's help they did great. Jennifer took some great photos, so I took a few to post on my blog...

We went on a ride in their paddle boat

Reesa and Cami

Our new friends Kama and Justin with their girls Kaylee and Allison

Wendy and her family

Me and Jennifer

Gloria, actually caught a fish!!!

Jennifer, Cami, Travis, and Olivia

Jake and Jansen takin' a break.

Easter in Utah

2010-05-29T12:42:00.009-07:00

We had so much fun in Utah. I was worried I wouldn't want to go home (or move to my new home that is.) My mom helped me with everything and it was so nice to have company. My mom pointed out we had been together everyday for almost a month. (AND I didn't even get sick of her company)

It was so easy to die eggs at my mom's house because there were 3 adults to my 3 kids.

Jansen, Reesa and cousin Gage

Saige was the BEST helper in playing with my kids, they loved her!

Little Mitchell was always getting much needed attention!
My mom and dad.

Jordan spent time with me showing me how to work my camera in modes besides automatic...
Here I'm learning to capture movement in a picture, it made for lots of blurry shots, but so cool.

Reesa was a little punk would of course would never smile

Look at all these cousins!!!
(Beckham, Gage, Jansen, Caprice, Mitchell, Saige, Zoey, Remy, Reesa, Jude, Zaylee, Cianna)

Saige was so good to play with Jansen, she thought the trouble he got in was hilarious and was always laughing and telling us a good story about what he was doing next!

Reesa would not leave Remy alone and had to be by her ALL THE TIME!and yes we did have snow for the Easter Egg hunt!Jake was invited to eat at the kid's table, and did well with supervision...After looking through almost 200 photos, I realized I didn't get family photos of my siblings. But they did all come to see us... Here's the closest one with Nathan, Kassie and baby Jude

It was so nice to have Jake FINALLY get to Utah! It had been almost 2 years since his last visit!

P.S. We did some really fun other things too that I didn't get photos of!!! (It's just too hard to have kids AND bring a camera!) like dinner in Provo with Alex, Shauna, and Lucy. They even let us give Jansen a much needed hair cut, thank you! and a fun visit to see prego Annie and family. Wish I could have seen all my Utah friends, but it was just SO HARD without a husband, and 2 hours of sleep each night. I knew I was lucky just to make it...

Goodbye Virginia

2010-05-24T08:55:00.008-07:00

Well we did it! We packed our house and Jake drove this truck across the U.S. We had an awesome system where we labeled boxes with a 1 or 2. Jake unpacked all the "1" boxes before I got to Cali so I could just arrive with the 3 kids.My mom flew out to help us pack and clean, and then flew with me and the 2 boys back to Utah, while Reesa drove with her dad, Grandma Geyer and cousin Stuart. What a trek!

I must admit, I will not be sad to say goodbye to this kitchen wallpaper!

Me and Chelsey

Cousins Rylee and Brinley above, and Tyler below.

Everyone loves Mitchy!

Chelsey and Aaron

Rylee and Mitchell

Jansen and Whitney

Brin and Reesa

Stuart with Uncle Jake. .

Stuart and Grandma Geyer gave up their spring break to help us move.

They did some really fun things along the way. They got to visit Aunt Hannah, and see all the animals on her farm, (which I need to steal some photos off Hannah's blog to show you how cute!) They dropped Reesa off in Utah and continued on to Cali.

What a fun picture of Brinley and Reesa. I feel so lucky to have gotten to live by my sister and her family for almost 2 years. I loved being able to see her family daily/weekly and be an active part of their lives. I wish I could live by everyone I love forever. It sure makes moving hard!
So I can never really thank all the people who helped us move and all along the way. I need to thank Laura Brinton for all the confidance she gave me all along the way and helping me get organize and realize that it was possible, watching my kids, and feeding us dinner. Shirley for coming over and packing, cleaning, and keeping me company. Megan for bringing me dinners, even when I didn't ask. Jennie, Brittany, Crystle, and Whitney for helping watch my kids. Betsy for organizing every effort we ever needed. The Midlothian ward Relief Society for all their help, support and prayers. The Elders of our ward for helping load our truck. Our next door neighbor Larry, who did some of everything for us. Lenora and Stuart for driving all our stuff. All the phone calls and offers for help we didn't wind up needing. My sister for loving me and my family and never making us feel guilty about leaving. My mom and dad for letting us stay in their house, cooking, cleaning, and shopping for us and never getting mad about everything Jansen destroyed. Jake's siblings for opening their homes along the way, and the Kendall for welcoming us and being our family out here.

Actually I feel so lucky and blessed to have so many wonderful friends, and family that support us, care for us, and love us! Life is so hard and you make it all worth it! It really is fun to have friends all over.

p.s. since it's been 2 months since we left VA I'm sure I left out half of the help I received. I'm sorry, BUT I still am thankful for what you did. I know we never, ever could have done this alone!!!

March in Virginia

2010-05-20T16:32:00.008-07:00

I'm not really sure where to start, or how far back I should go... lots of stuff has of course lost it's appeal. BUT we did lots of fun things as we left Virginia, so I'm going to need a few posts to get caught up to our life now.

Reesa got to have her cousins Rylee and Brinley spend the night. We painted... made a chocolate pie,

As you can see, it was enjoyed by all
and read stories in bed

We had the BEST Saint Patrick's Day!!!! I couldn't think of a better way to be green than seeing WICKED!!!... Jake and I both won the lottery for Wicked tickets! The Landmark theater does this really fun thing, where the night of each show, you can enter your name for tickets, jump through a lot of hoops, and if you win, get a great deal. Well we got THIRD row seats for 25 bucks a piece!

Since my mom was in town, we had a babysitter and were able to go. It was amazing. (Yes Jake still used his binoculars, informing me all the dental work the cast had had done. We saw Wicked 2 years ago, from the very last row on the very top balcony, and Jake spent the whole show trying to determine if it was a green costume, or green paint all over Elphaba. I love him!)

and Mitchell being Mitchell spent the whole night giving my mom a hard time. The only way he was happy, was upright sleeping in her arms. What a workout! Thanks mom!
The night before I fly away, Jake splits his eye open playing ward ball and needs 14 stitches! He was in the ER, while I stayed home and went to bed!!!

Update

2010-05-14T10:53:00.003-07:00

I feel so lonely missing all of my blogging friends and their comments. I really feel apart from my world! We still haven't set up computer which makes blogging impossible. But don't worry I have two months of great photos I plan on blogging when we get our computer set up...

Meanwhile, we are set up here in Coarsegold, CA and just loving it. I think the slower pace is really what our family is needing. It gives me more time to focus on my kids and hopefully offer them a little more help. Jansen has been undergoing some testing to help us learn how to better meet his needs and we found out he communicates at a 10 month old level. What a challenge!!! At least that makes me want to be more patient with his frustrations. We've found a GREAT therapist who just loves him to death, and we couldn't be happier with her. It seems like we have more options for help everyday with Janse.

Mitchell on the other hand we've had a harder time finding where to start. We've been gone from Virgina for almost 2 months and still don't have anything set up for him. We've been to his pediatrician, and have an evaluation at the hospital set up for him in two weeks. Jansen's therapist have given me some new ideas for Mitchy, but it's obvious he needs more.

Reesa has been in HEAVEN playing with her preschool friends and especially Cami Kendall. She asks daily to go see her. We got two kittens for her to play with and she spends lots of her time with Daphne and Tiffany.

I joined our ward quilting group and LOVE IT! and Jennifer has been a great friend keeping my mind occupied with lots of fun dreams of card making and scrapbooking. We got together this week and made 40 FREEZER MEALS! Yes, even I'm amazed. But now we will be eating good for the next month to come!!!

Jake is in love with his job. Yes he's found his second love. He enjoys being at work and thinks the staff and patients are great. He's begging me to let him work more... (right now he's working 1 full day and 2 half days). We're looking for a more permanent place to live since we're just renting and hopefully we'll get something soon. AND everyone is welcome to come visit us anytime!!!!!

So that's the latest. loving and missing you,
kellie

Jansen's newest trick!

2010-03-14T12:54:00.002-07:00

It's really easy to get what you want... One, open oven door.

Two, reeeeaach

Three EAT! Never mind the sharp knife mom leaves just lying about...

I must say I was in the other room nursing Mitchell and I could hear Jansen climbing around. He has learned to push a chair over to the freezer and pull everything out of the freezer and throw it on the floor. AND he can open the oven for a quicker step stool and stir ANY pan. This kid is just too smart!

Family Photos

2010-03-07T13:48:00.011-08:00

I wasn't going to post these family photos, but as ordered, here they are. A girl named Alicia took our photos and I think she did an awesome job! Click on her link if you want to see US on her blog! If you're in the Richmond area, I highly suggest you call her! (Thanks for the recommendation Merilee!)

The picture of Jansen is my personal favorite! No one can capture his smile... little stinker. But look at those lips!!!
Love the creamy colors here, and Reesa looks happy despite the fact that she did NOT want to smile either...
Mitchell, you can just tell how sweet and special he is.
Modern, fun background... what I was looking for.

Me and Jake. We haven't had our pictures taken together since we were engaged! How did we do it? We buckled our kids in their car seats, turned on a movie, gave them suckers and popcorn and quickly snapped some shots of just us right before we left.

What's your fav?

We're moving to California!

2010-03-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Well it's official, we're moving to Coarsegold, California! Jake didn't want me to say anything until the papers were signed just to make sure we didn't jinx anything. Jake got the papers last night, FINALLY, and we feel good about it. It's about the furthest move we could be making.

It's the craziest way things work out... So here's the 411 behind the whole story. Jake has always wanted to open his own dental practice, but straight out of dental school we felt a little experience and some time to decide where we wanted to live would be better. So we made a short move to Richmond Virginia to live by my sister while Jake worked as an associate for what we thought would be a year.

After Mitchell came along, there has been so many unknowns about his health and future we knew we needed to stay a little longer. THEN, Jake lost his job, that was NOT working out for our family situation. He was rarely around, and super stressed by the demands from work and home. When Jake lost his job, in a way, it was a big relief to all of us. With Jake's personality he would have NEVER quit, and the money was hard to pass up. So Jake found a job working 2 1/2 days a week and spent the rest of his time helping me with our special needs child (children).

SERIOUSLY 2 weeks later, Travis Kendall, our good friend from dental school, called Jake and asked him about possibly moving to Cali and joining his practice. Travis wasn't ready for a full-time partner, but still needed someone to help out. The opportunity seemed perfect for us, since Jake can't work full time just yet.

We weighed the options and thought and prayed about this move. Coarsegold is 5 1/2 hours from Jake's family and 12 hours from mine. We really wanted to be closer than that to our families. But we just kept going through the motions, and things have just worked out!

Jake will have a partner that we already know and love. A partner means Jake can actually take vacations in the future without putting his practice at risk, a BIG plus for our family. We'll have friends to help us ease into the transition of moving. (Who doesn't love Jennifer?) AND Fresno has a big Children's hospital that has all the of specialties we'll be needing for Mitchell (we hope).

I'll be flying to Utah with my 2 boys, (in just 3 short weeks!) while Reesa and Jake will drive across the country with my mother-in-law Lenora and our nephew Stuart. We're not naive enough to think that everything will go perfectly from here on out, but I think we're off to a great start!!!

AND... Mitchell turned 9 months! He is such a sweet baby. Still causing lots of trouble... We had to take Mitchy to Kid Med on Saturday (it's like an ER for children) because he would not stop throwing up. The gave him an IV for fluids and Zofran to stop the nausea. He's doing better, kind of. (side note, since Jake and I are both control freaks we BOTH wanted to go with Mitchell to the doctor. So Jake packed a DVD player for our kids, apples, oranges, granola bars, string cheese, diapers, and pajamas. We looked like we were moving in!!!)

He weighed 14.4 pounds with his diaper and clothes on...
He has 3 1/2 teeth on top and 1 1/2 on bottom, can I say OUCH!!!
Our physical therapist said she thinks at the rate he's progressing he should be able to sit around 15 months! Slow and steady, that's his motto! We sure love you Mitchell!

Pack Rat

2010-02-23T10:57:00.003-08:00

I must admit I have the worst habit of being a pack rat. When I graduated High School, my dad made fun of the fact that I had saved every Valentine I'd gotten since 2nd grade. I just figured if it was organized it was fair game. So now that you know part of my history, I married Jake. He keeps nothing. I have to ask if I want something saved. SO... to lighten our load for our upcoming move we cleaned out our clothes yesterday. Jake was throwing out EVERYTHING! Pants he had barely worn, shirts and ties I had given him, not even a year old! He's not planning on wearing a shirt and tie to his next job (scrubs instead) so to make me happy he said he'd keep 10 shirts. So in the middle of all this to keep me from crying (because my feeling were already hurt) I decided to call my mom and tell her Jake had the gall to throw out a polo shirt my dad gave him 6 years ago that said Coastal Bend College, (my hygiene school 10 years ago!). I knew it was pathetic but I needed something.

Well, the funniest moment happened when Reesa said to me, "Do you want to keep that because your mom gave that to you?" I must have used that reasoning in most of my desperate pleas. I realized my daughter was starting to emulate me and my own bad habits when close to tears she started yelling at Jake holding some random tie, "can't we just keep this one? I don't want to donate it!"

Jake asked Reesa if she wanted to give away some of her own clothes to other people who needed them, and would wear them. So off she dashed and later I found her 2 boxes packed (clothes folded) and in the hall next to ours. She told me, "someone better take these boxes too!"
Don't worry I went in her room and checked, she did leave a few clothes for herself!
Yes I did give away my 3 remaining hygiene school shirts, and my t-shirt from the only marathon I think I'll ever run (can't you see my dilemma!!!).

What can't you give up? ...but you know you should?

Dental Health Month

2010-02-18T17:55:00.004-08:00

Since February is Dental Health Month, our preschool asked Jake to come in and do a little presentation in each of the kids classes. It was so fun to see our kids at school. They got to learn about keeping their teeth clean, brush "Danny the Dino's" teeth and learn a fun little song with hand actions. (I would have never guessed all those songs I learned in community class in hygiene school would come in handy! ha ha)

Reesa was cheering when she saw us, SO FUNNY!

Here's Reesa with "Kevin the Kangaroo"

Later that day... Jansen has learned how to open the refrigerator. Although he RARELY does anything with out some help, Reesa and I found him at the table chowing down on strawberries. He LOVES them. He thought he was so clever and very happy.
So I gave him two more and put the rest in the fridge, and later came back into the kitchen to find this... He had lined up 21 strawberry stems, either to mark his territory, or maybe just a little OCD.

Aunt Laura visits

2010-02-16T05:30:00.006-08:00

Oh we are so lucky!!! Aunt Laura came to visit us, and we had her ALL TO OURSELVES! It was crazy since she came in the middle of a snow storm and had to stay inside with us most days. (AND her trip was extended by TWO days!) We made lots of yummy food like nachos,
and homemade french fires...
we did a 500 piece Quizzle puzzle, with the help of two of my kids.
When I asked Jake what I did the whole time with Laura, he said "are you kidding? you made cards every 10 minutes!" He're's two of the cards we made with Chelsey.
and the other reason for Laura's visit, some free dental work. SO... If you have any work that needs to be done, come stay for a visit and Jake will do it for free, (okay Jake?) and we will LOVE having a guest! I found this picture on my camera, who took it? Jansen?

Thanks for coming Laura, it was SO FUN! Sorry we couldn't show you more of Richmond, but I LOVED having you!!!

Snowed in

2010-02-15T16:06:00.005-08:00

I'm sure you've heard how we've been up to our ears in snow... church was canceled for 2 weeks in a row! We have a total of 27 inches of snow this year, which is very unlike Richmond. So Jake built another fort, this time in the front yard, so if the neighbors came over they could play. (Last time it was in the back yard, not so inviting.)

You can see how deep the snow is on Jansen. Notice he sticks out his tongue to concentrate, just like dad.

He finally made it up the stairs to try and get me to come out.

As I was looking through the pictures I took, I probably had 70 of just Jansen. I think Jake and I feel a little guilty about him being the middle child, ya think?

Adam and Stacie came over to help get rid of some cabin fever. And yes, that is me in the snow fort with Reesa!

We even let Mitchell come out for a little tiny bit. I think he loved it!

Reesa

2010-02-02T13:26:00.003-08:00

I just had to share... we've been working with Jansen to try get him to make ANY sound. ie. "ba, ba, ba, BALL" before we throw him a ball, get it? So Reesa thinks she should help, and says things like, "Jansen do you want to watch ta, ta, ta, T.V?"

Jansen's main sound he'll make is duh. The D says duh, and Reesa will sing all the time "Jansen says duh."

Well today I heard her say "duh, duh, duh, heart Jansen, good job." I think she's getting a little confused!

Mitchell is 8 months today!

2010-02-02T10:50:00.005-08:00

Mitchell still loves to act like a newborn. Here's a rare photo where he's kind of holding his own head up, so I'm posting it, drool and all!!! Below is what he normally looks like.
We started M on baby food 2 weeks ago. We've been waiting til he had more head control, but he still has been having so many problems with reflux, the docs thought it would be good to have the heavier food along with gravity keep things down. I think he's loving food, but you can't really tell, since he can't use his arms to push it away, he can't really turn his head away, and he's practically laying down when I feed him, but he's not screaming, so I'll take that as a "this is the best treat of my life!"

We still can't get his bowels under control, so he's only eating pears and prunes, along with 4 other medications. We've had to change his meds about once a week because we can't seem to get the right combo, and the poor kid is just miserable!

Mitchell weighed in at 13 lbs. 4 oz and is under the 3% for weight now. I'm thinking solids will change that. We also increased his feeding to every 3 hours to bulk him up.

Major accomplishments,
Mitchell reached for Jake's face on Sunday. Twice. He still holds his arms in as tight as he can, so we've been playing "Rocky theme song" and helping M stretch those arms 5 x a day. Reesa started asking if he's going to be an "exer boxer." We call it his boxing exercises.

If he's in a good mood, with a lot of work, you can get a smile. It's still not the same light up the room smile most babies have, but it's definitely a happy look.

He's rolled over from his front to his back 5 times.

He got his first THREE teeth in last week. ALL on top! It kind of scared me that he has an irregular eruption pattern (the bottom should have come in first), but Jake says it can still be variable for another 3 months or so, and he can't think of any disease associated with this pattern. So who knows???

He makes good eye contact, and will turn his head up to see me if he's sitting on my lap. He also likes to mimic sounds, and is getting pretty good at it.

The nights are not his strong point. He will go 4 hours, once in a while it's 6. He was out growing his wedge, so doc told us to prop his mattress so his head is 6 inches above his feet. I can't really seem to get him to sleep in this new bedding, but Jake's a pro! It seems like once you get comfortable in a routine, everything changes. Sound familiar? I think that happens to all of us especially with babies.

Well we love little Mitchell, we're so happy he's home, and he's growing. Our developmental doctor told us he thinks Mitchell will be able to walk one day, he's just going to be delayed a little. He no longer thinks he has cerebral palsy. He is still wondering why M is not making a lot of the connections he should be, and is just a little worried about his "internal wiring." He wants another MRI in 6 months or so... until then love him!

Who wants a dog?

2010-01-31T13:26:00.005-08:00

Not me, but Jansen sure does. Here's Jansen having free reign over our neighbor's dog. SO FUNNY! Jansen would try and get as far away from us to prevent anyone from taking away the leash.
Jansen sat on this dog, pulled his tail, and hugged it to pieces. Thanks Brandon for letting him love your dog!

And Reesa is getting so good at riding a bike. She's learned how to use the brakes, and can even go uphill.

man my kids LOVE to be outside!

AND I about had a heart attack when I came in the room and saw Mitchell like this...I thought he had bruises all over his face and I was sick! I left the room only to answer the door, but with Jansen around... I started thinking the worst. It only took a minute to realize Whitney had come over and left her mark with lip gloss. We couldn't stop laughing.

Night time bed routines

The best mom award goes to...

2010-01-31T09:19:00.003-08:00

The best mom award goes to...Me!!! See even Jansen agrees with his Thumb's up!

What do you have to do to get this award? Take 4 screaming kids, drive them for over an hour in the car when you get home give them PINK heart shaped Krispy Kream donuts and they LOVE you!!!
I never want to forget... that I rarely get a moment by myself. When I sit on the computer, it's considered a break to have Jake hold Mitchell, and I ONLY have to have Jansen on my lap, and Reesa trying to find her way there. Here is Jansen trying to make me "color" on his paper. Just another day, I'm sure glad these kids love me!

Jansen at Preschool

2010-01-24T18:04:00.004-08:00

Jansen LOVES preschool 100%. He takes off running to his class the moment we get in the school doors. He prefers to play alone and doesn't really like to play with other kids. In fact if someone comes to do his activity, he'll move to another one. He's SUPER good at puzzles, and has mastered our 24 piece jigsaw puzzle. It's SO CUTE! He's now making lots of vocalizations, but no real words still. He takes your hand and leads you to whatever he wants, ie food, toys, or TV. He LOVES wind-up toys, having his back rubbed, and his blanket (which he NEVER leaves without a fuss). He likes things to be in order and will line objects tallest to smallest. He is so kissable, and has the chubbiest cheeks. His teacher just emailed me this photo, and it's the first one where Jansen is actually doing something normal, so I thought I would blog it.

Oh I just love this cute boy!!!
p.s. Although Jansen is holding this brush in his right hand, we think he is LEFT HANDED. He eats lefty, and will usually trade things to put in his left hand if you place it in his right... my dad and sister are both leftys...

My babysitters

2010-01-21T15:39:00.008-08:00

I came into the kitchen the otherday to find this...
Reesa loves Mitchell so much, she can't stand to be away from him.
and of course when she saw me she knew I would ask her to MOVE, so she tried to hide.

Jansen turning his head AWAY since I asked for a picture. What a STINKER!
Don't worry, 20 pictures later, I got one.

oh, scary teeth!

And here is Jake's idea of babysitting.

Reesa loved it

Mitchell fits too

Come on, he is so DANG cute!

I had to include this picture of Jansen, being Jansen!

2010-01-20T14:30:00.004-08:00

The time is getting closer to our family making our decision about where to live FOREVER! Yuck, doesn't that just sound hard, scary, and daunting? I find myself crying when I think about moving across the country and leaving behind good friends, and all the rich history found in the east. So I find myself wanting to cherish every moment of where I'm at now. I want my nieces, and nephew to remember how fun it was to have us like less than a mile away. I want everyday to count. I want Reesa and Jansen to have wonderful memories. How can I do all that???

Chelsey had her birthday and since we couldn't celebrate with her family, we had a little birthday lunch with my kids and Brinley. Chelsey is a wonderful sister and friend, who will drop anything she is doing when you really need her. I hope you know how much we love you Chelsey!

Merry Christmas

2010-01-10T11:28:00.003-08:00

Merry Christmas! Christmas was SO FUN this year! I didn't put any presents under our tree until the night of the 23rd, so I wouldn't have to try and protect them from Jansen. (Reesa went to her cousin's house and came home and asked me why we didn't have ANY presents under our tree, I felt a little guilty) I also decided not to use any bows, since I had so much wrapping to do. I was a little sad about that, because I love a beautiful present, but this year it seems has been about survival, so why change now, right?
The only pictures I got are from Christmas eve, and you can see our pathetic Christmas Tree. My dad kept saying we needed to throw out our Christmas tree because it looked like it "needed to be fixed by the grinch." Jansen knocked over our tree a total of six times this year, and by the end I hardly bothered to put back up the ornaments. Really it looked so sad..., but I had to stop caring! Our tree has lasted 5 years, and I think we paid less than $20 bucks for it. Maybe next year well get something Jansen proof.

My parents came out to visit and it was awesome! They stayed the night at Chelsey's house Christmas Eve, then came over to our house Christmas Day around noon. We just let our kids play with their stockings and waited for my parents to open our presents. WOW, was that a great idea. Our kids had so much fun with the smallest things, and it really felt like they had time to appreciate things. We also we able to enjoy breakfast and not feel rushed. I loved it!!! I hope we can do Christmas at noon ever year.
Mitchell never quite looks like he knows what's going on, but isn't he cute?
The Gregory's came over to our house for Christmas dinner, and since my mom pretty much did everything, it was very low stress, for me at least... thanks mom. Again I'm so sad I never got a group shot. Here's the closest to one. (Dad, me, Reesa, Tyler, Mitchell, and Rylee)
And even though this picture makes my dad look like an aging man, doesn't Mitchell look so happy all snuggled up with his pop first thing in the morning?
Fun things we did; Went to the theater and saw Sherlock Holmes,
played our new board games Dominion, (thanks Aaron and Laura)
and Ticket to Ride Europe, (thanks Chelsey and Aaron)
went to the YMCA almost everyday
ate WAY too much candy.
Got lots of mail!!!

Thanks everyone for all your Christmas cards and gifts. We had a great year, and hope you did too. It's always so fun to be around family. I'm so glad my parents spent probably their first Christmas away from home to be with their girls! We loved having you here.

Snow Day

2010-01-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

Something so magical happens when you get snowed in. It's like the world stands still and nothing else matters. You put your life on pause and play in the snow for TWO days straight!
Dad made a snow fort for Reesa to play in
Jansen didn't really like being out in the snow because he was too cold! So the second day we got smart and duck-taped his gloves on so he couldn't pull them off. I wish I had a good picture, but it was so funny, and Jansen LOVED being warm, and was so much happier.
We borrowed Larry's sled and pulled the kids out on the road.
We ended all the fun making a gingerbread house.
The best part was Jansen eating the candy pieces faster than we could put them on. His entire side of the house was swept clean. I think this house took us less than 10 minutes to make (thanks to a box kit) and it found it's way into the trash the next day. I LOVE making these, but I don't really think I wanted any help! Jake had to keep reminding me it was for the kids...
What do you like best about snow days? Any fun activities you did?

Reesa's party

2010-01-03T10:23:00.005-08:00

It all happened so fast! Reesa turned 4 and we threw her a party. SO FUN! We had 13 little kiddies come (mainly from her primary class) to help celebrate. Nothing fancy, but these kids loved everything. We played hot potato waiting for all the guests to arrive, ate pizza and carrots for lunch, played corn hole (modified bean bag toss), decorated snowflake ornaments, ate cake, opened presents, went home.

I took pictures of everything but NO FACES appeared. I should have just had everyone pose for a group photo on the fireplace like my dad did at EVERY birthday party I ever had.

Reesa was so fun to sport all her cute gifts! She loved 'em.

I love this picture of Reesa and Olivia. It makes me think of Reesa as a little girl who has friends. ha ha, she's just my baby!

So here's pictures of everyone eating
eating,
and more eating.

My favorite; Reesa singing happy birthday to herself. Who wants to just sit there and listen? And Brinley the classic cousin, helped Reesa understand everything about a birthday.
The cake Dianna Cardon told me to make as the easiest birthday cake. I couldn't believe what a hit it was, and it really did only take 10 minutes! (As you can tell.)
Thanks everyone for coming, and all the sweet birthday wishes. Reesa really felt special and we all had so much fun.