i can see clearly now

phewwww. The stress has lifted. I have done most of the things I needed to do. Almost all of my packing is done. Yeah. Tonight I will clean clean. So the house will be spotless when we leave. Then on Friday my sister in law Nicole (she has a new hair blog and it is delicious) is coming to Utah for a "hair weekend" she is a beautician (man I don't really know what they call hair cutter people these days) and she will be cutting my hair tomorrow. Man I am so excited. I am almost as excited as I am for the trip. I love getting my hair cut. But I haven't in forever. And...my hair is on strike. Do you ever have your hair refuse to do anything...because it has been to long since you've had it cut?? Anyways...I am so glad she is coming down before my trip...it is really convenient. She is also bringing with her my mother in law's camera. Roberta called after I posted about not having the camera and she said she would send hers down. It is like the nicest thing ever to do for us. Cortney is so happy. She originally said she would meet us half way to Rexburg with the camera. How nice is that??

Cortney is still sick. We are trying hard to get him better. He is laying in bed right now. The hardest part of him being sick right now...is he has a pretty physically demanding job. And he is about to be gone for 17 days. Last year they finished getting the course ready for winter like the day before thanksgiving. This year they knew Cortney would be leaving so they have been working like madmen....trying to get everything fertilized, aerated, fungisized (sp???) and all sorts of other things that I don't know about. So even when he is sick he has to go work outside in the freezing cold doing hard work. I can tell he will be better in the next couple of days though. (fingers crossed)

Cortney gets sick. I don't know if it is because his spleen doesn't work (it has a lot to do with the immune system...i guess). He got pneumonia when he was little and he gets it a lot now. If we don't get him better that is usually where it goes.

The first time Cortney and I kissed I was at his house watching a movie. All of the sudden he was shaking uncontrollably and so pale. He took me home and could barely walk. Then he didn't call me for over a week. You can imagine how this made me feel. I thought...."well I'll never see him again". Of course I would have never called him...I didn't do that then. So I just chalked it up as a one time hookup. Then about a week and a half later he stopped by my apartment, wondering if I would come to Craigo's with him to get some choco stix. He had an IV needle in his arm. He had been so sick with pneumonia that he had to go to the hospital. And he had to have an IV everyday. It was crazy. That is Cort. Every winter he gets super sick. Two years ago we took him to get a flu shot and a pneumonia shot. One of the two shots made his arm black and blue and he was SOOOO sick for a couple of weeks. He was so bad his friends from work had to come and give him a blessing. So because of that we haven't been brave enough to get another immunization. He is getting better though. I think we caught it soon enough. In the meantime...I have to try my hardest to be nice and cheesy and take care of him. Poor baby.

forts

Oli: "mom I don't know how to build good forts, I never do" (as he is trying to build a fort in the living room out of blankets and luggage)

Mom: "I will help you in a minute, as soon as I am done with this"

Oli: "i thought you said you don't help people build forts"

hahaa

I don't usually help build forts. Oops. He is right. Building forts drives me crazy. Because every 10 minutes it gets knocked down and I have to fix it while someone is crying. So...I am trying to teach him to do it himself...then he can fix it himself. Hahaa.

stress

It is always really stressful for me to get packed for a trip. We will be gone 17 days in Guatemala and Mexico. I am stressed packing for my kids to stay at Cali's. Rob needs 87 diapers. Man poor Cali...that is a lot of diapers to change. Also...we found out today that Cortney's camera will come in stock on Nov 20th. Three days after we leave. I can't believe he isn't going to have his camera. This is a once in a lifetime trip for us and we won't have our camera. SAD. Plus Cortney spent the last couple of months purchasing the lenses he would need. And those lenses alone are more than the camera. We aren't sure what to do.

Oh...also stressing me out...Cortney is sick today. Ahhh. When Cort gets sick he gets SICK.

information

Rob has a fake cell phone...and when you push a button it says "information may I help you"...to which he responds "no".

It is cute.

Today I also heard him saying "hip hip hooray" I don't know where he got that one.

mantha

My sister Sam was here this week. It was so fun to see her. It is also amazing to watch her with two kids. So the other night as I was falling asleep...I was disoriented for a moment and I thought that Cortney was Sam. I shared a bed with her for so long (longer than I have with Cort). I could feel her over on the other side. It was weird.

tagged

so i was tagged by nena forever ago. I don't really have 6 interesting things about me. Especially since I talk so much...everyone knows everything about me...so how interesting is that...6 things you already know and heard about me.

1. I have had the same friends my WHOLE life. And it doesn't matter how little I see them or talk to them...I still feel the same every time I do. It is never weird or awkward. At the same time...I feel like it is really hard for me to make friends. Laura said it is because we have filled our quota of soul mates....hahahaa....I think she is right.

2. I never spend money. Which is weird because when I was in college my monthly allowance would be spent every month by the 5th. I would decide that I would rather have 5 new pairs of jeans than eat. When I was a little kid, I could find what I wanted for Christmas at a gas station. Somehow...being an adult has made me more like my dad, I can't help it. (I do like to go on trips and am willing to pay to travel...also like my dad) I just can't buy things just because. It is really annoying sometimes.

3. I hate...hate...hate high waters. As in pants. Being a tall awkward girl from the time I was in the 5th grade did that to me. I remember being selfconcious of the 6 inches of hairy ankles (preshaving) showing out of my cord pants in the 5th grade. In my growing up days they didn't have pants with 36 in inseam, or Longs. They had 1 size. So today...I never wear pants that aren't all the way to the ground. I even have a hard time with capri's because that is what my pants used to look like on me. When my children's pants even border on being to short they are put into the "clothes that don't fit pile".

4. In my 27 (gulp) years of being alive I think for 1 or 2 of those years I have had my own room. Personally I don't like it. Sam and I shared rooms for FOREVER. Even when we got our own rooms (I was 15 or so) I would sneak into her room or get her to come in mine almost every night. Then after that I had my own room for a while...but I would get either sam...or Laura...or my high school boyfriend to talk to me before I went to sleep. Then on to college where Amber and I pushed our beds together. And then at 19 when I was married I had Cortney to talk to. I don't know how people do it. I have to talk to someone to fall asleep. Even now when Cort is gone I have a hard time falling asleep.

5. I love to wear tall shoes. One of the happiest things about me getting better from my RA was the fact that I could wear high heels.

6. I freak out when people get hurt. I plug my ears close my eyes and run to another room. I am not scared of blood or gore...just people being hurt. Luckily for me Cali stays real calm when someones eye or mouth are bleeding...or when someone has three marbles down their throat. When I was in college I was a health science major...I was thinking of being a nurse. Then Cortney and I were the first people on the scene of a really bad car accident and I freaked. I knew then that I was in the wrong major. No matter how much I liked reading and learning about helping people when they were hurt...or sick...I couldn't do it in real life.

2 years

My baby is 2. (well he wasn't actually born until 1:45 pm on 11/11) Rob is still so sick. I feel so bad for him. Before he was so sick that he couldn't do anything but sit and be so nice and kind. Now he is getting a little better so he can fully express how bad he feels. We tried to have a fun birthday for him today but he was just sooo grouchy. I was pretty tired from having family here for so long (man I have been on the go since justin and angelique got married in july). So I didn't really want to plan a party. I made a cake and we went over to Cali's (kaelynn and jason's kids were there already and Justin and Angelique came too). He opened some presents, but he was just a sick boy so he wasn't too animated about anything.

So sorry more cellphone pictures (our camera should be coming any day now.) Anyways this was Rob today at Toys R Us. We didn't have a present for him and they hook you up on your birthday. He was thrilled about the balloon.
His cake. Cortney thought it would be sweet to put tons of candles in the shape of a 2...then we also had sparklers.
It took forever for all of the candles to be lit. Rob kept blowing them out. Then when I started the sparklers he wouldn't blow at all. He was pretty freaked out. Oh and yes....he is wearing Christmas pj's.

From Rob's Baby book about his delivery.

I was scheduled to be induced. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. They immediately got me changed and started on pitocin and hooked to an IV. At eight Dr. Baxter came in and broke my water. I was still in no pain. About a half hour later I had my epidural. It was great. Then I just rested and waited. Cali came @ 11:30 I was dilated to a 4. I thought I would have lots of time before I had the baby so, Justin was coming for a visit and so were Bob and Roberta (with Oli). Cortney went outside to find his parents and bring them in. In the meantime...the nurse came in and checked me...then Dr. Baxter came in and checked me and he said the baby would be out in 1 push. I immediately was nervous because Cortney wasn't there. The doctor was kind enough to take a seat on my room's couch and wait for him to come in. I was pretty frantic...I tried to call Cort but he didn't answer. He came though. Just in time. Bob and Oli and Justin waited in the hall. While Cali and Cort and Roberta came in for the birth. It was pretty awesome. I had absolutely no pain and had some good friends to talk to. It couldn't have been better. Rob was 7lbs 5 oz. Everyone commented on how dark his eyelashes and hair were. Oli smiled so big when he met Rob. He kept saying "hi", he really wanted Rob to be Jonas.I know kinda gross picture...he just barely "came out", so he wasn't cleaned off yet. I love how alert he was when he was born. (both of my babies have been wide awake when they were born...eyes wide open)
Here he is getting cleaned off. I love his little face. He still looks the same to me.



It was a good day. I am grateful for Rob. He is a HANDFUL. But he is like me...so...he is going to be awesome. He looks and moves sooo much like Cortney. It makes me so happy to have him....I can't wait to have more.

Oh...Man...someone just got pulled over in front of our house. The were pointing either a tazer or gun at him and yelling for him to get out of the car and lay down on the ground. This is awesome. Cortney and I just snuck outside to see if we could hear what was going on. No such luck but there are three other cop cars here now and they have been here for like 15 minutes.

another game

So tonight we were lucky enough to get to go to another BYU game. My mom watched Cali, Sam, and my kids tonight...all seven of them (Tyson came to the game too). It was such a great game. So fun. A little stressful at the end when we were only up by 5 and they had great field position. But no, we won. It was awesome. We sat in the second row. It was crazy close. It was hard to see so close but when they were playing in front of us I could see and hear everything they did and said.
We took this picture with Cortney's cell phone. It was beautiful weather once again. I thought we would freeze. But it was perfect. We sat next to Linh and Isaac...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINH. The poor girl had flip flops on. She used my coat as feet and leg warmers though.
I had to have Cortney take this picture because I wanted to show how close up our seats were. CRAZY huh?? We were right in front of TCU's Horned Frog Cheerleaders. Seriously they were no good. It was driving me crazy. Cosmo got out in the end zone and did like 20 back hand springs in a row. He put the super frog to shame. I seriously could have put that frog costume on and have done a better job. That is sad. What a great night. It is late now. So goodnight.

poor robbie

My little R.O.B. has been soo sick for the last couple of days. When he was a new born he had RSV...but besides that he has been pretty healthy. I hate seeing him this way. Poor thing can barely breath. The funny part is he is so well behaved when he is sick. No yelling, no hitting, and no biting. A couple of my nieces and nephews are sick as well. Sam is here...I really hope her twins don't get sick.

I also wanted to say...I voted. My dad kept saying he raised kids that vote. So I did. I knew which way I wanted to vote...I just didn't want to have to drive over to my voting place. But I did. I got a sticker.

BYU

Yesterday morning Cortney got a call from one of his friends (Rory) saying if we wanted them he had some BYU tickets we could use. I love, love going to the games and yesterday's game against Colorado State was only broadcast on the MTN which means I would have had to listen to the game on the radio. So it was very exciting to get the tickets. I called Cali to see if she would watch the kids...of course she said yes. It was soooo fun. Even on the long walk to the stadium (Cort and I were all decked out in BYU apparel) I was so excited. It is SOOO fun to be without our kids. I know that sounds horrible. But the whole time I was remembering how fun I can be...and crazy, and hyper. I forget about those things sometimes. As we got to the stadium the game was barely starting. Cortney and I were buying lunch (another fave...is there anything better than stadium food?) I got a pretzel with cheese (I can't help but want this...I think of Chief Mo cafeteria every time) and Cortney got a yummy pulled pork sandwich. The stadium was so loud and standing underneath everyone was so exciting...they were all stomping their feet. I love seeing everyone in cougar stuff...I felt pretty proud of our fans...and the stadium was sold out so that was nice too. I always get mad when I see empty seats at games. We then made our way to our seats , and they were wayyyyyy up there. Almost to the top...but they were on the 50 yard line and our seats were #1 and 2 . So we weren't trapped in by a whole bunch of people. They were actually great seats and I could see everything perfectly. The weather was the best...the perfect fall day. It was so fun. And we killed Colorado so the game wasn't even stressful at all. I cheered and cheered until my voice was nearly gone. Austin Collie after he scored a touch down...he is one of my favorites...I loved him before he went out on his mission and now that he is back...the love continues. He is just so dang fast.
Here Austin Collie and Manase Tonga are celebrating the touchdown. I love this picture. I can't imagine being able to jump that high in the air.
I couldn't help but notice the cheerleaders. They kept doing this sweet move I guess that is called a helicopter. They would hold on like this and spin around in the air. It was awesome.

Obviously we didn't take these pictures I got them from the SL tribune. That is all. It was such a great time. It was so fun. I can't say it enough. Thanks to Rory for the tickets and Cali for the babysitting.

some more halloween pics...just because

Carolina Jones was dressed as Cinderella this year. She looked so cute. The dress had a little hoop skirt underneath. She was so excited.

Cali and I did her hair and makeup...Cali said "doesn't she look like a gymnast??" (meaning...she looked like a little girl with a lot of makeup on ready to do a routine)
Anyways the whole night she kept saying "I look like a gymnast". She is one smart girl. And so cute with her shiny blue eyeshadow.


In this picture Cali told her to show her lips. (please notice Tyson's bYu pumpkin in the backround)


Oh her little high heels were the best part. Everything was on super clearance on disney.com so Cali got the whole costume. These shoes made the cutest sound as she walked around.


Goo girl Grace went as piglet. She just laid in the stroller the whole night. She is one laid back baby. And she looked just like piglet too.


Rob in his bee costume. I couldn't resist more pictures.


Here is a close up of his legs in tights. They went right over his shoes. (so adorable)


Jack and Oli using the force on each other.


The whole group.


Another picture of us enjoying the dinner. Please notice Jason...he spent the whole time frying those scones up. Now, that is a good brother.

t-rex

last night as I crawled in next to my already sleeping husband...he said loudly "you are a tyrannosaurus rex, Austie (austin...one of his good friends)". He then started laughing hysterically and I couldn't help but join in. He put his arm over me...and we both kept laughing...he was dead asleep. And I on the other hand had a hard time falling asleep...I wanted to make sure I remembered what he said so I kept repeating it over and over. I LOVE when he talks in his sleep. I love it even more that he dreams of dinosaurs.