Sammy's 6th Birthday Party!

Back row left to right: Gracie, Lexi, Courtney, McKinley, Kelsie

Front row left to right: Hannah, Ashley, Emma, Sammy, Sophia, Brooke
Sorry, a lot of the pictures were fuzzy. My camera is still acting funny so these were taken from a video camera. Thanks, Brigetta, for being the film director.
For Sammy's 6th birthday she had her very first party! She wanted a Hannah Montana Rock Star theme. It all started with a purple guitar cake she found on http://www.familyfun.com/ and fell in love with. The cake was much easier than I expected... however, I can't do a straight line to save my life so the strings look like there are a few broken or loose. I then made cardboard guitars for each of the girls. The bodies were shaped like stars and each had their name and then spray painted ocean blue. When the girls arrived they decorated them how they wanted using stickers, buttons, fuzzies, crayons, and whatever else was available. After they were done the girls "put on a show" to Hannah/Miley songs. It was quite the party and now the neighbors tease me that I taught the girls how to table dance. ;) So sorry I couldn't get them to download right here, but if you go to this link you can see one of my favorite "shows." I especially liked watching Hannah (far left, in yellow). She is the shyest kid you will ever meet, so it's so funny to see her rock out! As soon as her mom showed up she zipped her lips and wouldn't say a word to me. Funny girl! You can also see one of all the girls together here. It's pretty cute to see them all together. They really get into the chorus.

Sammy---6 years!

I wanted to post this yesterday on her real birthday... but I was feeling under the weather. Sorry, but today will have to do.

Six years ago I was feeling awfully big and uncomfortable. I went in for my last OB visit and was ready to discuss induction. Unfortunately, my doctor had to leave to deliver a baby and I was left with the NP. She stripped my membranes and sent me over to the hospital for a stress test. I was having regular contractions about 5-7 minutes apart. Andy and I went back to our schedules and by that evening we started timing the contractions. They were consistently 5 minutes apart. I packed my bag for the hospital and we headed out about midnight. Once we got to the hospital they monitored me for an hour and sent me home since I was not progressing. The nurse said, "Hopefully we'll see you in the morning." (This was Monday.) By Friday the contractions had not changed and I was getting very irritated. I had called my doctor's office numerous times and all the nurse told me was to try and go running. Running! I was so swollen I could only wear flip flops. I could have said some choice words, but I held my tongue. I felt helpless and called my mom in tears. She had 12 kids and I asked her what I could do. She gave me some tips and then said, "Or... you could just go to the hospital. Maybe they'll have pitty on you."

That night we went to visit my sister, Shiloam, who had her baby 10 days before and were waiting for my other sister, Brigetta, and her hubby, Brandon. They were coming down from Idaho to see the baby as well. After a few hours of chatting through contractions I said, "Andy, let's go to the hospital." He was not happy with me. He wanted to go home and get a good nights rest and then go in the morning. Ha! He would get some rest, while I toss and turn all night. I told him we were going no matter what.

We got to the hospital and the nurse called my doctor. She said, "You know... we're really not that busy... and you're up anyway." She is the only nurse I actually remember by name and maybe it's because I thought she was my saving grace. They started my IV and my epidural at the same time and Sammy was on her way. Very shortly after my water broke (on it's own) and then it was the waiting game. About 15 hours later I was fully dilated and the on call doctor came in. We pushed for about 45 minutes and the doctor said that she didn't think I was going to get the baby out on my own. (She was posterior, but the doctor didn't even try to turn her. She flat out told me she would rather be home with her dogs!) Since it was my first baby I really didn't know what to say or do. So we put trust in the doctor and she sent us in for a c-section. Samantha Hailey was born at 3:47 pm. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long. They rolled me out and we had quite the crowd. Brigetta and Brandon, Shiloam and John (+ their 2 boys), Andy's parents, and Nate Wyne all showed up! We missed our company Christmas party, but could care less. Everyone heard about our news and it was phone call after phone call congratulating us and asking when they could visit. Nate and Emily were among our first visitors. We always remember each other on December 20th since it's their anniversary as well.

Six years later, Sammy is happy and healthy and full of life! She loves school, her teachers, her friends, and I think most of all riding the bus! At times I don't know what to do with her and she and I butt heads most of the time, but we love her and are grateful she is in our lives. She is such a big help to her sisters and likes to be "in charge" when I take my daily shower. It amazes me how quickly time flies. I can't believe she is six years old! We love you Sammy and we're glad you were born!

Funny Card

Brigetta gave me one of the funniest cards for my birthday I just HAD to share! The front says, "I have just one question for you on your birthday... " And then it sings, "Do your boobs hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie 'em in a knot? Can you tie 'em in a bow? Can you throw 'em o'er your shoulder like a continental soldier? Do your boobs hang low?" The writing on the inside says, "That song's not so funny anymore, is it?" I laughed right out loud!!! Thanks, Brigetta for being my sister and making me laugh... especially when I really need it.

"Left Ear" will definitely stick!

Something funny happened around here last week... In order to make the connection you have to read this story of my sledding accident, if you don't already know about it. Anyway, Ashley and Katie were chasing each other around the living room while I was making dinner. All of a sudden Ashley started screaming and she ran in to see Andy. Daddy came to the rescue and calmed her down. Apparently, Ashley fell and hit the coffee table. When the girls came to the dinner table Ashley said, "Mommy, my ear is really red." Sure enough it was, so I checked it out a little closer. I called Andy in and told him to look on the backside of her left ear. She had a minor cut in the same place as mine. The cut itself was definitely NOT funny, but the fact that it was in the same place as mine made me chuckle. We sure have bad luck around here with left ears.

Thanksgiving 2009

It's a tradition with Andy's family that on Thanksgiving after we have stuffed ourselves till we hurt we sit around the table as adults and tell each other what we are thankful for in the past year. This year of course was no exception. So here is to my family and friends that couldn't sit at the table...

I have many things to be thankful for. This year has been one for our family to grow. We've learned a lot about our children, and taking care of their needs. Andy's job has been such a blessing and we are so glad that it allowed us to move to Nampa. We feel that we have settled in very well in our new home and neighborhood. We especially love our ward and all the good friends we have made. I am very grateful for the opportunity to run with Angela and find such an amazing friend in her. I enjoy all my time with her and don't know what I would do without her. Most of all this year I am thankful for my calling. We left our last ward kicking and screaming getting out of primary and swore it off! And after being in the 34th ward for six weeks I was called to be the second councilor in the primary presidency. I now know that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. He had a plan for me and I have learned to change my perspective. I have grown to love those children and appreciate them as individuals... even if I can't remember them all by name. It's still not the easiest calling, but at least I can say that I'm grateful for it this year.

Just for fun!

Not a whole lot is going on around here other than normal life. So just for fun I had to mention two things that I thought were knee slappers.

First, when our family was here for the race my mother-in-law had offered to help out with sharing time in primary. Shout for joy!!! Anyway, she was telling the senior primary about this touching story of a husband and wife that involved old fashioned ironing. It really was a very sweet story and some of the kids started asking questions. One little boy, whom I think is around 9 or 10, stood up and said with a very puzzled look, "What is ironing?" I don't think any of us could help but laugh!

Second, today I was watching Angela's boys for about an hour. During that time Preston said he needed to go to the bathroom. He didn't make it in time for some of it and ended up needing new underwear. Since I was only having them for a short time I didn't have extra stuff and so I sent Katie to get a pull-up. Our house is surrounded by girls... and we have pink, princess pull-ups. I'm sorry, Preston. Once Preston saw the pull-up he started crying, "I CAN'T wear pink!" I tried my best not to laugh and even told him that we can cover it up with his pants. That didn't seem to matter in his mind and had a melt down over a pink pull-up. Bryce will be so proud!

Another Race... I know!

I apologize for not having any pictures. Our computer crashed and we lost EVERYTHING! So I don't have anymore photos to post for probably at least a few weeks.

Anyway, this last weekend I ran the Zeitgeist half marathon. I know a lot of you are sick of me talking about running, but what can I say... I love it! A lot of Andy's side of the family came out to Nampa/Boise to run the race with Angela and I. We had already planned to run it and then Emily called and said she signed up along with Nate, Lisa, Amy, and Troy. Pressures on, baby! It was fun to run with all of them and I think a few of them are crazy! Emily had swine flu and ran the insane, hilly course while having a horrible cough and on meds. She coughed hard enough they did x-rays to see if she cracked any ribs! And Troy did Zeitgeist for his first half marathon! This course is so brutal my legs are still sore. The first 3 miles of it is uphill and then straight down for about a mile. From there it's mostly level for a couple miles and then it climbs again. At about mile 8 it was literally straight up! I never stop running for my races and this one I couldn't make it to the top without walking. We were told it was down hill from there and when I reached the top I wanted to cry. We were lied to... it was not all down hill. However, I finished and we had quite the cheering section. Not only did our family run, but a lot of the other family members came just to cheer us on. That part was fun, but I don't think I'll be running that course anytime soon. I need to let my feet heal from the huge blood blisters, first. If you would like to see pictures click HERE. Thanks for posting, Mindy. Thanks to all of you that came out to run. I look forward to running with all of you again! And thanks to all the other family members that came out to support us. It was nice to have you here.

Catch Up Part 2

Okay, so I played a little catch up on the previous post, but this is what we've been up to in the last 2 weeks.

We had our Wanda Witch Party on the 17th which was a success in many ways! The clues were great, the challenges were awesome, and the costumes were hilarious! Here is a group shot, minus Andy and I. I'm still waiting to get some of the pictures of the challenges from the team captains. But when I get them I will definitely post them. Funny! Thank you all for coming and making the hard work and effort pay off!(This is a picture of one of the challenges. The hallow egg is on the end of a spoon and they had to make it up the jungle gym and go down the big, twisty slide without dropping the egg.)
I did run the Barber to Boise 10k the morning before the party and was happy with our time. I finished in 57 minutes and Angela came in 35 seconds after me. Our Bishop, I mean our new Stake President, also ran the race. He finished a few minutes before us and he and his wife were kind enough to stick around and cheer us on!
This last Saturday I ran the Prison Break Half Marathon! This picture doesn't do justice for that BEAST of a hill! If you look across in the picture you can get an idea of what it looked like... and did I mention it was the last part of the race!?! I think it was about mile 12.
I was very proud of myself for running the whole thing. Lately my knee has been failing on me and shockingly I didn't hurt one bit after the race. It was definitely not my best time, but for my first half marathon since July I was pleased. Angela ran the half marathon as well and was an animal! She was way ahead of me for most of the race. The only reason I knew it was her was because of her bright jacket she was wearing. Nikki and Brook ran the 10k that morning and, again, they were kind enough to stick around and cheer us on. At our weak moment in the race they happened to pull up in Brook's car and she got out to take pictures and cheer us on. It was overall a great race!

This picture is coming up on the finish line and I only love it because both my feet are off the ground. Usually my pictures look like I'm walking... trust me, I run the whole time! If you would like to see the rest of my pictures click on this.

Catch up time!

I'm a slacker, this I know. Just a quick update on Ashley... she is doing just fine. Her mouth has healed completely and she doesn't complain about it hurting anymore.

We went to Spokane to visit Nate and Emily over Labor Day weekend and had a great time! Emily threw me back into running and I'm very thankful since I have two races coming up in the next couple months. We played games, went shopping, watched a movie, and made some wild cakes! We sort of celebrated Ashley and Lexi's birthdays on Sunday since they share one. The girls looked on http://www.familyfun.com/ and found some funky cakes. Lexi's cake was called Topsy-Turvy and Ashley of course picked out a princess castle. Making them was a bit of a challenge and I'm not sure if I'll attempt the disaster again, but at least it made Ashley's eyes light up. For her actual birthday we went to our favorite restaurant, Jalapenos, and had a combined birthday bash for Brandon and Brinton as well. Afterward we went back to our house for cake and ice cream. Opening the presents was a hoot! Ashley had been asking us for a couple weeks if she could get a bride barbie. We bought her a bride and groom set and a few other princess things. When she was opening one of the gifts she would squeal, "I know what it is! I know what it is! It's Diamond Castle!!!" It was totally worth it just to see the huge grin on her face. I love getting her presents because she is so grateful no matter what. What a sweet thing. Happy Birthday, Ashley! We love you and are so glad you were born!

This last Saturday was a busy day, but full of accomplishments. The best one was Sammy had her first race! She and I ran the Harvest Classic Fun Run to support her school. It was a one mile loop and she did pretty awesome! There were a few times where she had to stop and walk. At one point I carried her on my back and ran... she will tell you that was the hardest part of the race. Guess what? Mine too!!! And when we were at the last leg of the race she took off and ran the rest of the way. Andy said she finished in just under 15 minutes. I am so proud of her! And of course we had to wear matching tank tops that said, "Some girls chase boys. I pass 'em." It was fun and look forward to running more races with my girls!

1st ER Visit

We had our first emergency room visit with Ashley today. The girls from across the street were over playing when Ashley came running into the kitchen screaming! I tried to get her to calm down and within a few seconds her mouth was full of blood. I yelled for Sammy to grab a paper towel and then the doorbell rang. Thank goodness it was Gordon ready to pick up his girls. We took a closer look at Ashley and tried to get her to tell us what happened. Apparently she was trying to talk/blow into this... ... and fell with it in her mouth. It's a tent pole for her princess tent that goes over her bed. It's only plastic but it did quite a number in her mouth.
Gordon took Sammy to his house and I packed up Katie and Ashley and headed to the ER. I called Andy on my way and he met us there. The nurse and doctor saw us right away and told us there isn't much they can do. The doctor called an oral surgeon and discussed if they should give her a stitch. They didn't want to sedate her so opted not to do it. However, they thought we should take her in tomorrow to see the oral surgeon. They sent us home with instructions and prescriptions for pain medicine and antibiotics.

Katie was very sweet to her for a few minutes and hugged her very gently... even kissed her.

And this is what it looks like now... after the bleeding mostly stopped. (It's not the best picture, but she's been crying a lot since it happened and this was the most she would open her mouth.) The doctor said she was lucky it didn't hit her artery. It was close but it hit the bone just enough to stop it. She'll still be in quite a bit of pain, though.

1st Day of School!

Today was Sammy's first day of Kindergarten! She rode the bus there and back with a grin just like this one! She told me all about her teacher, friends, recess, and snack time. Apparently that was the best part because they got chocolate chip cookies... but not the girl next to her because she's allergic. What? (Poor girl doesn't get to enjoy the yumminess.) I thought I might get a little emotional because most mom's do when their first kid goes off to school. Nope! I sent her on her way and went shopping with only TWO girls. Yahoo! I'm glad she gets to ride the bus with a couple of her friends and it stops just across the street. (It'll be nice for those cold winter days when I can stay inside and watch from the window.) Okay, so I have to mention the outfit. Andy and I discussed whether or not to get her a new outfit for the first day of school. The child has more clothes than I do! (I love that we get all of Thueson's hand-me-downs!!!) Anyway, Andy convinced me since it was always a tradition in their family... and since he caved on the ear piercing I thought it was the least I could do. So I took Sammy to good ol' Target and had her try on different outfits. She chose this particular one all by herself and said, "Definitely this one! I love it!!!" It had the sparkles and the embroidery! Man, is she a girly-girl or what? The bad thing, those pants are a size 4! She is so skinny around that the next size up swallowed her whole and spit her out again! I even tried slims, but no luck. If any of you moms out there have that same problem when it comes to shopping for your petite girl do you have any suggestions? I'm afraid she's going to grow out of these jeans lengthwise and not have any other options. HELP!

And just a little side note... I think we, as parents, started off school badly. Sammy had an assignment due today. She was supposed to color a picture of a school bus and write her name on it. (It was sent in the mail among a few other things.) I lost the first copy and asked her teacher for a new one on Friday. Last night Andy and I searched the whole house to find her paper crumpled and torn in the garbage! I was not about to ask her teacher for a 3rd copy! I taped it back together, ironed it flat, photocopied it, used white out where you could tell the paper had been ripped or wrinkled, and photocopied it again. It actually looked brand new! Andy said, "I think this is a bad omen."

I almost can't believe it!

I checked Sammy's hair twice today and both times she was clear of pesky eggs. (I can't tell you how excited I am!!! Wahoo!!!) Andy and I discussed her reward for being so good and came upon an agreement. Sammy and I walked into the mall and she asked what we were doing. Guess! "Are we shopping for clothes? Are we getting new shoes? Give me a hint." As soon as we walked into Claire's she started jumping up and down, clapping her hands, and squealed, "I'm getting my ears pierced!"(Before picture. Still extremely excited!)
(Little nervous because she knows it's going to hurt for a second.)

She said, "Mom, I just have to close my eyes." Okay, you go right ahead.

There were two ladies doing it at the same time so she wouldn't change her mind after one. The right side didn't go through all the way and the lady wanted to pull it out and start over. Are you kidding me? I had her step aside and I pushed it through the tiny, tiny bit of skin. She was totally brave and barely whimpered but as you can see from above she loves them! She was so excited that she wanted to call everyone ranging from Hollie, Grandma, and Brigetta. And of course everyone she saw she had to show off her new bling!

Consumed...

I've been away from the blogging world and this is why... Any guesses?

Head lice! We have no idea when or where she got it, but it is so gross! She came down to breakfast and said, "Daddy, this is why my head itches. There are bugs in it." And she had a live louse on the tip of her finger! We immediately started looking through her hair and when we saw one move we were totally convinced she had lice. We sent Andy to Walmart and we started the Nix treatment right away. It took six hours to go through her hair and try and find those pesky eggs. The first couple days were the worst. I had to strip all the beds, do all the laundry (which I hate to do anyway), vacuum every inch in my house, all the beds, couches, and pillows that we didn't throw away! Sammy has been quarantined in her room since we started the treatment. Every morning and night we check her head for eggs/lice, wash bedding, and vacuum her room. I have made many phone calls to my SIL, Sarah, for questions. (Thanks SO much!) When Sammy is lucky enough to go out of her room this is the look she sports. I make her wear a shower cap underneath so that the lice are trapped and hopefully won't spread. Surprisingly no one else in the family has been infected with this disgusting, and highly contagious outbreak. Unfortunately, it's not gone yet. I still found two eggs this morning and we had such a battle to wash her hair that we almost shaved it all off. She starts school next week and if it's not gone by Thursday the hair is coming off! It's amazing how it has consumed our lives. It seems lately that is all we even think about. And when this is all done I'm going to try and convince Andy to let Sammy pierce her ears for a reward. She really has been very good through all the treatment, except this morning. She's been begging us for quite some time now and I think it would be really nice to let her do something big for all that she has gone through. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that all happened after a long week of fun! We first went camping with my two younger siblings, my mom, and my step dad. We only spent one night and I didn't even hardly get my camera out, but we did have fun. As soon as we got back we finished last minute things before we had company. My brother, Nate, came to spend a few nights. And my SIL, Cindy, and my sister, Shiloam, flew in for our annual girls' retreat. It was my year to plan and we stayed at the Meadowood Lodge in McCall. It was such a great place!!! The whole time we were there it was rainy but we didn't care. 4 out of our 5 meals were provided for us as part of the package deal and it was so yummy! If you ever get a chance to go it's totally worth it.

Brigetta's birthday was on that Saturday so we of course celebrated! (I thought this card was pretty funny!

Here she is showing off her Cinnabar necklace from the girls. It was one that she wanted but didn't order. Happy birthday, B! We love you tons and are so glad we live close to you!

These were taken at a little 50's diner in town called, My Father's Place. Yummy! And oh, so much food! I ordered a banana split and it could have fed all of us!

Above: Mom, me, Brigetta

Below: Shiloam, Cindy, Ashana

Thanks for coming, girls!

Love Story meets Viva La Vida

If you haven't noticed already, I have a lot of Jon Schmidt's music on my playlist. I could listen to him all day! My sister, Shiloam, posted this on her blog I thought I would share, too. If you love listening to piano music as much as I do you will love this. And even if you don't care for classical music this is still a clever little arrangement/performance by Jon and Stephen. And I do really love what Jon has to say at the end. What a great thing for a dad to do for his daughter. So take a quick second to pause the playlist below and enjoy!

Saggy Tummy

Okay, so this was a little funny. The other day I was with my mom and sister waiting in a Dermatologists office and my mom starts looking through some books. One of the books showed a new type of treatment to help get rid of aging spots and wrinkles. It was funny to listen to my mom snickering at the before and after photos of people, especially when she got to the stomach section. She said, "Look at this one. It looks like it's her bum." At that point I had to see what was so funny. She showed me the picture and I said, "Hey, that's what my tummy looks like!" She didn't believe me. So I stood up (there wasn't anyone else around) and I pulled my shirt up so she could see what I was talking about. Ha, it really does! Not so funny now, huh? I guess that's what happens after having three kids... and losing a lot of weight since Christmas. We had to laugh about it for the rest of the day.