The Wents- Joe, Jana, Zoey, Olivia and Kellen

Guilty as Charged

2011-08-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I don’t like when cops hide their cars on a street behind bushes or in blind alleys awaiting unsuspecting speeders. I know they are just doing their jobs and trying to enforce the laws but I wish they would just park out in the open. They would still be able to pull over speeding cars and fill their ticket quotas for the month. But when they hide I immediately feel like a hard criminal. I slam on my breaks ready to throw my hands up in the air like a suspect in a well orchestrated stake out.

Airing of Driving Grievances

2011-06-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Not many things get me worked up but for some reason when it comes to driving....particularly other peoples driving abilities, I get all bent out of shape. If you are guilty of either of the following I advise you to change your ways!

1. Driving with your dog on your lap. I mean seriously! All this talk about not using cell phones while driving, well this to me is way worse. How can you possibly pay attention to what is going on around you with another living thing moving around and sharing the steering wheel and drivers seat with you.

2. Speed Bumps! I hate hate hate when people come to a complete stop before passing over a speed bump. Sure the point of them is to slow you down but it is not the same as a stop sign. And the worst part about it is I don't even think the people who do this are worried about being cautious to their surroundings, I think they are somehow protecting their cars. Please, I think your car is a little more durable then that.

Opposition in all things

2011-05-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

I have been sick for two weeks. It started as a cold and turned into a nasty sinus infection. I am really stubborn about going to the Dr. I hate going. I'd rather do just about anything else. But when I woke up last Monday with a pounding blinding headache, snot so thick and green it seriously looked like slime from the Ghostbusters movie and a neck ache so intense I was positive I had meningitis, I swallowed my pride and dragged myself to the quickcare to get some drugs. I've been miserable all week as I've taken it easy to let my body get better. The problem is I sort of hate doing that too. It makes me anxious. I like to accomplish, to be motivated. And I missed out on probably the best week of the entire spring of perfect running mornings. So this morning when I finally felt good enough to workout, it felt awesome. Though I'm still fighting through the end of my infection it was such a drastic difference from how I felt a few days earlier. I came home elated. Happy. Satisfied. The scriptures tell us more than once that there must be opposition in all things. And for some reason though I've had sickness before this experience made me appreciate this concept in a way I never had. I'm so grateful for the trials to more fully appreciate the joys.

Tender Mercies

2011-05-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly six months since my last post. I won't even attempt to recap all the details that have occured in our lives except to say that the majority of this time was spent house hunting, buying a house, packing and moving. Any creative archiving was devoted to internal debates about whether or not to hold onto my pre-baby clothes that I swore I would fit into by now, (but of course do not!).
I will say however that I love my new house! I am so happy in it. Many little events took place to make this move possilbe for us. Gerald Lund just wrote a book called, "Divine Signatures" and it is about how sometimes Heavenly Father gives us blessings that are so individual it feels like they are personally signed by him. This is how I feel about my house. It was a tender mercy from him because he knows me personally and knew how much I needed and wanted this. I feel like this house was tied with a big red bow at the top and signed by Heavenly Father at the bottom.
I'm sure any readers have long wrote me off as a blogger but I am officially back in business. I don't know that I will use it the same as before (so don't hold your breath for pictures or updates), but more as a sounding board for all the crazy thoughts that are constantly running through my head.

Rain Rain Go Away

2010-12-22T18:13:00.001-08:00

No we aren't enjoying a day at the river, this is actually what the street in front of my house looked like today. The rain has been crazy. At least we are all safe and no harm done.

Halloween Fun

2010-11-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

October just flew by...sorry about the sideways pics...don't feel like changing them. Hope everyone's October was good.

I heart power tools!

2010-09-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

After weeks of waiting around for Joe to find time to trim the bushes in our yard, yesterday I couldn't stand it anymore and I ventured into the males' sacred territory (the garage) to find the clippers. I had no luck finding them in his piles of tools but did stumble upon an electric hedger. I'm talking a hedger with blades longer than my arms. Hmmm...did I dare? I immediately had visions of the powerful engine being too strong for my X chromosomes and accidentally slicing off one of my limbs. But one glance back at the Texas Rangers creeping over into my neighbors yard had me reaching for an extension cord.
Needless to say, an hour later all my limbs were still attached, my bushes were groomed and my Christmas wish list this year may actually be coming from the pages of the Home Depot ads.

Farewell Summer

2010-09-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go?

I'm not sure, but to sum it up... HOT, BUSY and WONDERFUL! Here's a few highlights:

A week camping on the beach
Sea world
San Diego Zoo
Backpacking Griffiths peak
A week at Girls Camp
Camping trip at Jacobs Lake
4th of July in Kanab
Havasupai
Train ride through Grand Canyon
Birthday visit from Aubrie, seeing O
Rock Climbing at Mt. Charleston
Witnessing the incredible birth of Ridge Lincoln - I was able to be there to see my amazing sister-in-law have Ridge while my brother, who is deployed to Iraq and couldn't come home for the birth, watched via Skype. Awesome
Girls Dance Recitals
Tea parties
Lots of hot afternoons playing games of Mario Bro's on Wii

and finally, much to my dismay, back to school. Zoey started 2nd and Olivia is a big Kindergartener.

Wasatch Back

2010-06-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun running the Wasatch Back last weekend with awesome friends and family. It was the hardest physical thing I have ever done but I loved every minute of it. I ran 3 different legs over 32 hours totaling 15 of the 188 miles our team did.
After 2 red bulls, 3 powerbar chews, a cliff bar and some motrin, my favorite fun was my second leg of 6 miles that started at two in morning. The whole thing was so empowering. I saw alot of teams doing crazy stuff, laughed a ton, enjoyed the amazing scenery of the Utah mountains and worked my body to the bone, then flew home to my lovely family who had decorated the house for my return....couldn't ask for more than that.

This crazy beautiful life

2010-05-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Is May really half over? I keep thinking life will slow down and I'll be able to put more of myself into this blog, or all the ongoing home projects, or the thousands of other things that could and should be done. But so many details make up my life that they fill each day until it overflows and in the end something has to be let go. It is overwhelming and finding a balance that I am comfortable with is essential for me to exist. But I have decided that I wouldn't want it any other way. I have everything I have always wanted for myself: a great husband, beautiful children, a home, the gospel. I get to squeeze in a few minutes everyday to exercise and read good books and snuggle with my kids. I get to serve the young women in my ward and stretch myself in ways I didn't know I could.
I know Mother's Day was a few weeks ago but lately I find myself doing certain things my mom did when I was growing up, things that drove me crazy....like having a purse that is so messy and you can never find anything in it...or singing my kids the same annoying good morning song each day ...and even though I have been a mother for 7 years, I feel like I'm just starting to 'get it'- the whole essense of what it takes to be a mother. And it is crazy and hard and beautiful. I can't help marvel at my own mom and all the details of her life that overflowed each day and all the sacrifices she made. And I think of all the trials that so many are going through and I wanted to say THANK YOU to my mom and all the other women who inspire me through their faith and strength.

March

2010-03-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

Olivia turns 5! She is all registered for kindergarten and can't wait.
Zoey turns 7! It was her year for a birthday party and she chose to go to Olivia's Dollhouse tea room and have a tea party with her friends. So cute, and the girls loved it.

And finally Kellen learned to walk. He is nearly 15 months and has taken his sweet time with this. He is still unsteady and still crawls alot but we are so excited he is making progress. (sorry about the annoyingly high mommy voice in the background)
e

Red Rock

2010-03-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

I did the RedRock half-marathon last weekend, a feat I didn't think was possible. I have always wanted to be a runner but it hasn't come very easy. I have slowly been working on it the past few months and finally was able to accomplish this goal. In the process I have learned to LOVE running. I like how it makes me feel both physically and mentally. I think I do my best thinking while I run. Here are a few pics from the race.This is me about to cross the finish line. Good thing you can't see my face, it would't be a pretty sight. I was on the verge of tears and nausea at this point. You can't really tell from the picture but the finish line is actually on a hill. How mean is that? On the trail
My cousins and uncle that also ran the race.

Erin and Spencer

Up next: Bryce Canyon half-marathon. Any takers?

Darn you Mars Candy Company!

2010-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

My New Weakness:I have never been tempted by the candy lingering in the checkout aisle....until now. This little pop of chocolate coated coconut goodness is the perfect combination of flavors to bring my perfect self control to its knees. Now everytime I go to the store I see that little green M&M temptress with the hybicus behind her ear staring me down. Darn you Mars Candy Company!
At least it is for a limited time only.

Kellen turns one

2010-01-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

My baby turns one! I can't believe it. The past year has been full of trials and blessings but we are truly grateful for Kellen and the spirit he brings to our home. Kellen loves to get praised and even eating his birthday cake he has to take time out to get praised.

Too Sweet!

2009-12-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

From Olivia's dance recital

Truth about Pox

2009-12-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Olivia has chicken pox! She had the vaccine for them but apparently a small percentage of people vaccinated still get them. Leave it to Liv to be in that group. Fortunately, if vaccinated people who do get it, the case is very mild. Liv's spots only touched her face and neck and are already in the last stage.

I love December

2009-12-08T09:39:00.001-08:00

I love December (even though I hate the cold, serioulsy how did we live in Minneapolis for 3 years?). I love Christmas trees and goodies and songs and lights. And I love the anticipation of Christmas morning. But I especially love that Christ is in my thoughts more. And I love that even amidst promises of Santa coming to visit, my kids seem to be more in tune spiritually. Last night Zoey fell asleep reading her scriptures and Liv's prayers have suddenly become so thoughtful. This morning she prayed on and on about real, sincere things and ended with a plea for us to serve others today. She is 4 years old!!

complain-athon

2009-11-13T10:48:00.001-08:00

This morning was off to a good start when a cut on Zoeys heel started bleeding and she trailed blood across my newly mopped bathroom floor and down the carpet and through her room. Then Olivia kept telling me she didn't feel good, that her 'stomach hurt.' I thought she was just making up an excuse not to have to unload the dishes. (It brought back too many memories of a certain brother who used the same excuse everytime we had to do the dishes growing up). But sure enough 10 minutes later she was laying on my bed and the puking began. Of course I felt bad, I hate when my kids are sick. But I have to admit that a close second to the immediate concern for my daughter, was for my brand new white comforter that was soaking up the orange colored throwup. The ironic thing was the previous time I bought a brand new duvet cover, the next day she colored on it with black sharpie. I think there is an unspoken rule about parenthood...that you are not entitled to have anything nice. Lastly Kellen has a cold and will not let me put him down for even two seconds. He scoots after me crying and pulling on my legs. It is so hard for me to be patient when I have to hold him constantly. Of course in the big picture, when my kids are grown and gone, I will miss mornings like these, (or so my in-laws keep telling me).

So I put thoughts of my now peach colored comforter aside, I forget about the blood now drying in my carpet because I am in charge of carpool today and need to take kids to school. So I load everyone up and head out. When I return home, I am just getting out when Joe calls needing me to take him a document at work right away. So forgetting the mess at home, I load Liv and Kellen back up and make the hour trip, grateful I at least took time to put a bra on. And while driving I eat 4 chocolate chip cookies to compensate for not having breakfast which now make me feel like I am going to throw up.

It is nearly noon and I am still in pj's (which is rare, if not nonexsistent for me by this time of day), I haven't put in my contacts or brushed my teeth but instead of continuing my complaint-athon, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season I will write a few things I am thankful for today to try and boost my mood.

1. After dropping Zoey off at school, she comes running back to the car. I thought she must have left a school paper or something but instead she says, "I forgot" and reaches over and gives me a hug. It made my heart melt.

2. I am thankful for a washing machine and oxyclean that may have actually saved my comforter.

3. But the most important thing I am grateful for today is the plan of salvation. They installed my dads headstone at the cemetary yesterday. It has been hard for me because it is a very blatant reminder of him really being gone. But more importantly, it reminds me that life does not end at death. It goes on forever and I can be with my family forever. And that blessing and knowledge overrules every sad or discouraged feeling I have today.

Jackpot

2009-10-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Kellen hit the Jackpot!!

Bum Scooter

2009-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Just like Olivia, Kellen has decided that traditional crawling is not the way to go, so he has become a bum scooter! Here is a little clip for your enjoyment.

Labor Day

2009-09-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

We loved spending Labor Day weekend in Utah and especially being with my family. It didn't hurt that BYU had an awesome victory over Oklahoma, or that the kids got tons of candy at the Onion Days parade or that we ate lots of bacon (Thanks Jilyan!) We ate alot, and stayed up way too late every night playing Rock Band. Good Times.

The girls and some of their cousins were honorary cheerleaders for the big game. Here are a few shots of them practicing their stuff.My mom is getting her house ready to sale so we spent some time helping her sort through many years of stuff that had been building over the years. Good Job mom on letting us throw away so much. This is my brother wearing an old groovy sweater of my dad's. Looking good Shane!

Totally unrelated but here are the girls on their first day of school.

And here is Kellen enduring the girls dressing him up for bed.

Hawaii

2009-08-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

We just returned from the 7th Esplin Reunion in Hawaii. We loved every minute of it, especially being with family and friends and surrounded by such incredible beauty. We took over 300 pictures and here are some of the highlights. Kellen, the sand baby.
Zoey learning to boogie boardOur house on the beach

Temple Beach

Thanks to the Laie First Ward for the great Luau and teaching us to make coconut hats

Tide poolsOur daily trip to Haliewa for shave ice

Kellen was a really good baby even through all the hard things we made him do like getting splashed by waves.

Lanakai

Turtle Beach

Zoey loved snorkeling

Waimea Falls

Some of the great-grand kids

The Esplin Cousins (this was only half of us)

Bathtub Beach

The kids crashed at the end of a hard day at the beach

Helping with a Hukilau during Laie Days

We are look forward to 2014 (if we can stay away for that long.)

June

2009-07-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

So I know July is halfway over but I'm finally getting to all our pics from June. Here are some of the happenings.

Two trips to Kanab to see my brother Jason and his family on their 'farm.' We especially love their backyard and sitting around the fire. North Rim of Grand Canyon

This is our family pic from my dads funeral. Thanks again to everyone for their kind words, and thoughts.

My kids with my cousin Erin's kids...Parker and Ben. They came to Vegas and stayed with us for a night. We loved having them.
Climbing at Mt. Charleston

This climb is not easy to get to. You have to hike 1/2 mile up a trail, then you turn off the trail and hike straight up the mountain for another 1/4 mile. It's tough hauling kids with us but they love it and Zoey and Liv are getting to be great hikers and can do it all by themselves. Joe was so sweet, in addition to carrying all the climbing gear (which is not light) he hauled a chair for me to sit in so I can nurse Kellen more comfortably while we were up there.

This pic might look familar. We take one of the girls in this hollow tree every year at the same time.

Dad

2009-06-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

My dad passed away this last Sunday, June 21 - Fathers Day. It's been a bittersweet week, everything feeling very surreal and passing through periods of heartache and happiness. I feel so much gratitude for the plan of salvation, knowing the seperation from him is temporary and that we are an eternal family.

I gave the life sketch at his funeral and feel so blessed to be apart of the legacy he left behind and pay tribute to his life of service and unselfishness. I love you Dad.

Running

2009-06-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Before I got pregnant with Kellen I had just started running. I fell in love with it and completed my first 5 and 10k's with my eye on the big 26 miler. But all came to a stop when I got pregnant. Well I've begun running again post pregnancy and literally have had to start from scratch. I'm making some progress though, slow but sure. And the past week the running conditions in Vegas have been perfect. So since no one is reading my blog these days, I thought I'd just run amuck and describe my ideal running environment, which to my great satisfaction have been possible the last few days.

Going to bed and 11 and waking from my uninterrupted sleep ready to run by 7. I pop some peppermint gum into my mouth and step outside into the low 70's. There is a light cloud coverage, not overcast, but blocking the burning hot rays of the sun. A light almost tropcial breeze is blowing, just enough that the palm trees swaying can almost convince you that the ocean will appear over the next hill. My ipod is shuffling through my workout playlist and landing on only my very favorite songs. I'm not following any premeditated route but running as far and as long as my body will keep going. My breathing is even and my mind is clear. The sweat lightly rolls from my forehead, just enough to coat my lips with a salty cover like sea water. When I finally round the corner onto Amulet St. my running slows and I know I'll be able to handle anything the day brings.

By the way, this little device has completly changed my running. I highly recomend it.

Summer

2009-06-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

I keep waiting for some big event to blog about, but it seems (as made obvious by my last post)that my life is made up of a series of teeny tiny less eventful things. So as the summer is underway and I have my kids home all day here is a list of a few things I have discovered so far.

1. I will never be caught up on laundry.

2. Kellen is deathly afraid of my hair dryer.

3. That 3 miles under the hot Las Vegas Sun is too far for a 4 year old to walk.

4. I will never be caught up on Sleep.

5. To keep the girls swim suits in the car at all times.

6. It IS possible for Zoey's obsession with Miley Cyrus to get bigger.

7. The weeds don't pull themselves.

8. There are few things more satsifiying or tasty as eating my own homemade bread covered in homemade jam.

9. After going camping with kids in the rain, it is not possible to get rid of all the mud stained in our clothes.

10. That I'm so excited to go to Hawaii in July, I don't know if I'll be able to wait the 40 days, 10 hours and 30 minutes untill we go.

Pesky Bug

2009-06-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or have flies evolved and suddenly become smarter? I sware they hangout by the door and the second it opens, no matter how quick you are, 5 flies slip inside your house. And the next level of their evolution is they never land! They swarm past your head, circle over your food taunting you, but never land long enough to swat them. And if they do tire themselves out with the endless taunts they seem to always land just high enough on the wall that you can't reach them. But I will take it no longer, war has been declared against these little buggers!

Ode to Redrock

2009-05-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Oh Red Rock! How do I love thee, let me count the ways....hiking and repelling, horseback riding and climbing, beautiful blue skies and scorching hot sun, wildflowers and wild donkeys But why oh why do I have to drive your 13 mile oneway road, 10 miles per hour past ancient gamblers and European tourists to find all your treasures.

Star Trek

2009-05-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else exccited about the upcoming Star Trek prequel? Maybe its a bit nerdy. I just got a telescope and am improving in the astronomy department. Next anyone sees Zoey or Livvy you should ask them to tell you what the holes in the moon are called (craters).

Apparently, the Star Trek prequel has someone going back in time which affects the future. But wouldn't it be that when the time traveler stepped into the time machine to go back in time that he would have already known what he did because it had already happened?

Again, maybe its a bit nerdy but I like it.

JGW

Life in the Desert

2009-04-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

I love living in the Las Vegas. Yes it is known to the world as, "sin city" but out where we live, this doesn't affect us. We get to take advantage of great restaurants and entertainment if we want to, but most of the time we are very oblivious to what goes down on the strip.
Mainly, I love the desert. I love the bright sun and blue sky that are abundant most of the year. I love being surrounded on all sides by desert. I love being able to drive 15 minutes from our house and be completley alone, no cars, or houses, or streetlights and discover what is there when the roads end....the red dirt and rocks and cactus. I love the paradox of the desert. How at first glance it appears lifeless but there is actually so much life that exists. I love beautiful, obvious scenery; I'd take a sunset on the North Shore of Hawaii any day of the week, but there is something undescribable about having to explore and search and discover the beauty in the desert. It somehow ends up meaning more. Edward Abbey, writes some pretty crazy stuff, but I love his book, Desert Solitaire. He loved the desert too. I agree with him that too many people drive through the desert and think there is nothing there. But if you got out of the car, and to quote him, "walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail you'll see something"
This year we decided to plant a garden. It takes a little extra loving to grow vegetables in this soil but it's starting to pay off. Here are some of our results.

ZucchiniGreen Peppers
And I can't wait for these little guys to turn red. Yum!!

Rite of Passage

2009-04-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

The hot weather has arrived in Las Vegas. So yesterday I bought our first box of OtterPops for the year. For me this is truly a rite of passage into summer.

Utah

2009-04-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

I took the kids up to Utah for Spring Break. It was good for me to go home. I loved seeing family and friends I seldom see and remembering happy moments with them. I loved being in the shadow of Timp. I sware besides not seeing everybody more often, that is what I miss most about living there. I love the rise of the mountain that literally sits in the backyard.

Other than rainy weather, Kellen sleeping worse than usual, and a flat tire outside of Cedar City (my worst nightmare) the trip was so fun. Here are a few highlights. (I'm sad I didn't get many pictures of everybody. )

March

2009-03-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe March is over already. Here is a few of the happenings during the month.

Olivia turned 4. We had a Wizard party with her friends
Zoey turned 6. She and Liv got to go to Build a Bear Workshop and make a bear.

We are loving the Las Vegas Spring and try and go hiking as much as possible.

Kellen's first hike.
We blessed Kellen and had all my family come (except Jason's fam , we missed you).

Here are the boys.

No More Daytime TV

2009-03-15T21:14:00.001-07:00

Since I spend a good chunk of the day nursing Kellen I've found myself also watching a good chunk of daytime TV while I'm feeding him. And it pretty much stinks. But whats worse is a few weeks ago, thanks to a certain 3 year old, our tv audio got changed to SAP and we can't figure out how to change it back. As an exciting result many of the tv shows I used to watch are now in spanish. So I've had to find new things to watch like crazy infomercials found on obscure channels that I guess don't cater to hispanics. This has caused two problems:
First, its made me realize my kids are very behind in their life skills.
Has anyone seen "Your baby can read." It has 1 year olds reading words like, 'apple and gorilla'. Well Olivia is still trying to sing her ABC's and pronounce 'm' and 'n' as two seperate letters instead of one letter pronounced 'emen'. Then there's a crazy trend to forgo diapers from birth and begin potty training right away. These crazy women watch their newborns body language and rush them to a potty....newborns sitting on the toilet! One woman claimed her 7 month old was completley potty trained. Well Kellen is already behind on this life skill.
The Second bad thing day time TV has done is given me a crazy urge to spend money on things like 'Snuggies and Shammy's."
So tonight I've decided I'm going to try and not watch any TV when I'm feeding Kellen and instead read. I just requested a big pile of books from the library and hope the draw of 'the wonder hanger' doesn't pull me back.

Has anyone seen our Toaster?

2009-03-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

So our toaster broke this morning which sucks because we use it everyday. I went to Target to buy a new one. I had the baby carrier in the main part of the cart so I put the new toaster underneath the cart. I paid for my purchases and left. After loading the three kids into the car, which seems to take forever I forgot to put my purchase into the car. Literally two minutes after I left the parking lot to go home, I realized I'd left the toaster on the bottom of the cart. I did a u-turn and raced back to the store only to find that the toaster was no longer there. I went inside Target to see if someone turned it in, which of course no one had. I was so mad. The best they could offer me was to take my number down incase someone turns it in later, which of course they won't. So all the way home I was fuming thinking about that 30$ that basically just got flushed down the toilet and the fact that I still don't have a toaster. I was in the worst mood. When we got home I went to work on dinner. About 10 minutes later Zoey asked me to come see something outside. On the wall across the street that sometimes has signs for garage sales or lost dogs was a lost and found sign for our toaster, made by Zoey. My heart melted and of course was no longer mad.

6 Weeks down

2009-02-24T13:26:00.001-08:00

I went for my 6 week post partum check today. I can't believe it has been that long already. In some ways it's gone by so fast and in other ways, especially the nights, it has been very long. We haven't been doing very much to blog about other than trying to adjust to the new addition. I feel like it has been a very big adjustment...but we have made it, through the circumsion, everyone having colds, learning to grocery shop with 3, remembering all the crap you have to bring with you when you leave the house with a baby, resuming my calling, and night after night of no sleep, to name a few things.

Kellen is a sweet baby as long as he isn't hungry, tired, gassy, poopy, or having girls in his face harassing him. He continues to kill me at night though. Neither of my girls as babies woke up like he does. Last night I think it was 4 times. Twice to eat, once because he had gas pains and once with an enormous poopy diaper. I'm trying all the things I know to get him to sleep better. I've started a night time ritual with a bath and lotion massage. I use white noise by his bed, I swaddle him, I use the vibrating on his bassinett, I've put him in the swing.....but none of these make any big differences. Any suggestions??

Common things happening around our house

2009-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

Olivia is struggling the most with baby Kellen. She just wants to help but I find myself constantly telling her, "no" way too often. The most common phrases are, "Stop trying to put lipstick on the baby." And "Don't press on his head."
Zoey has adjusted very well and in fact now that she is an older sister to two kids I feel like she has already grown up a ton. Yesterday she sat at the computer and watched Taylor Swifts music video for Love Story, over and over. And at the library she wanted to check out a 'real' book instead of a picture book. So she sits and has this grown up book on her lap. She can read, but is definitley not advanced enough for this book. She flips the pages and keeps telling me how good the book is. Within a span of 5 mintues she was already on page 33. So cute.

Vampires and Babies

2009-01-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

So early this morning, roughly 3 AM as I got up for the 6th time to try and get Kellen to sleep I made a discovery. Most everyone I know likes Twilight.....so as I held Kellen in the rocking chair, exhausted and frustrated I caught a whiff of his sweet, delicious newborn smell. And when he finally fell back to sleep and a contended sigh escaped letting me smell his yummy newborn breath it completley drew me in and I was in love again. So I've decided that is how vampires must smell too. That sweet, intoxicating smell that makes you want to get closer despite the danger, or in my case, the exhaustion and frustration. (Certainly more sleep is needed when you start comparing fictional events to real life. )

Baby Kellen and Recovery

2009-01-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Today has been the first day I've felt normal enough to do anything "extra". Recovery this time around has been very difficult for me. I think with the other births I didn't have the same demands.....two other children that need to be places, a house, a busy calling and a husband that works 12 hour days. For some reason I've had alot of anxiety about doing it all this time and seriously didn't get any sleep for way too many days. Things are getting easier everyday. Nursing is always hard for me. I don't know if it's because of the c-section but it takes along time for me to figure it out and make it work. I just read on the news that a woman in California gave birth to 8 babies and is going to try and breast feed them. I feel like a wimp when I read that. We'll just keep working on it. I have had wonderful help from my parents, my in-laws and the ward for which I am so grateful. Here are a few pics....nothing spectacular I need my sister-in-law Nicole to come get some great ones for me. Warning....there may be blood involved in some of them Beware!

THis is me leaving the OR and going to a recovery room. I look terrible but that is pretty much how you feel after surgery. Luckily the 'shakes' and hot flashes hadn't started yet or that would have been a real treat of a picture

Kellen Van Went

The girls love him to death. They fight over who gets to hold him,kiss him, even yes, wipe his bum!
This is the DR holding him up over the screen for me to see for the first time.

This is him all the way out of my tummy.

And this is his head just being pulled out. Yes that flabby orange stuff is my stomach. And yes that is the big gapping hole they cut in it to pull him out.

THis is Joe prepping for surgery. He is very squirmish about blood and guts but he always is so great in the OR.

Except he almost missed the birth this time. I was scheduled to go at 12:30 but got pushed back because of an emergency c-section. They told us it would be at least another hour. So JOe left to get something to eat and seriously five minutes later they came and got me. I tried calling his cell but there was no coverage in the hospital. I was in the OR they were almost done prepping me and my DR finally found Joe.

Baby Kellen Van is here!

2009-01-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

My employer recently switched insurance carriers from Pacificare to UnitedHealth. No big deal right because UnitedHealth owns Pacificare. No worries, baby comes in January, not a problem, surely Centennial Hills Hospital 2 minutes from our house takes UnitedHealth. Well, turns out it doesn't. We find this out on Wednesday, a mere two days before the baby is scheduled to arrive via c-section. Next closest option is Summerlin Hospital, about 25 minutes away from our house. After a few days of begging for an in-network continuing treatment exception to allow us to go to Centennial Hills (much closer, more convenient, easier for folks to see us), we decided to make the switch when UnitedHealth was noncommittal. Naturally, not even 45 minutes after we make the switch UnitedHealth approves our request for an exception. Too late by then.

Luckily, we have the best doctor ever, Dr. Tammy Kelly. She is excellent! I even made it known that I used to do medical malpractice as an attorney while we were chatting the OR and it didn't faze her!!:)

Baby came out just fine, 8lbs, 6ozs, 20inches long, little bald-headed like his daddy with a bit of reddish blonde hair.
See pic below!

Miley Cyrus overload

2009-01-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

No baby yet. If I don't go into labor, I have a c-section scheduled for the 16th. So I'm trying to exist the next 10 days. The worst part is I'm not sleeping at all. Between getting up to pee and trying to turn myself over and an aching back I literally wake up every hour. I'm a walking zombie. But even worse than that is that when I wake up at night I always have Hannah Montanna songs running through my head. Zoey got a guitar hero hannah montanna game for christmas and after hearing her play the game it's the one thing that I can always seem to remember.

Ooops!

2008-12-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

So in this day and age of the internet, email, text messaging, and online bill pay I rarely have need to use traditional methods to communicate. (the post office) It makes me think about that Seinfeld episode when Kramer tries to stop the mail from being delivered to him because he realizes it's just a conspiracy for pottery barn to put their catalogue on your counter.
Anyway, I officially apologize to anyone who got a christmas card from us that required additional postage. I innocently bought two boxes of chrismtas cards, one being square, and one rectangle. Apparently the square ones, though no bigger than the other card costs more to send. I feel cheated by the card company because I think they should have written in big black letters across the label, "requires additional postage" because how am I supposed to know. So if anyone actually dug in their piggy banks and rescued the card from its holding cell at the post office consider it a christmas present to us.
But to everyone else we wish you a wonderful Christmas. We love you and hope for the best in 2009!

Global Warming??

2008-12-18T07:34:00.001-08:00

The snow has continued to hit Las Vegas. While I am loving it, it is such a rare occurance here in the desert that people don't really know what to do. This morning they canceled school for the whole district, which just makes me laugh. Having grown up in Utah, I remember one time during my whole educational experiences that they canceled school. And there was so much snow that we could sled down the middle of the roads; it was piled so deep by our house that my brothers and I could jump off the roof of our house onto the front lawn and land safely cushioned by the snow.
But these cold conditions brings me to another issue that I have problems with, Global Warming. While I consider myself environmentally aware and concerned, I don't really believe in it. I think it's just a political conspiracy. I think true climate changes happen over millenials and Las Vegas's 30 degree weather this week will really throw a damper on the records. If your going to be worried about anything it's global cooling. There was a 10,000 year ice age, I don't recall anything about warm ages over the course of our earths history.

Let is Snow!!!

2008-12-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

It is snowing! For only the second time in the 4 1/2 years we have lived here, it is snowing. We are loving it. Christmas can officially come now.

Finding Buddha

2008-11-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

It continues to be very warm in Las Vegas. Zoey still goes to school in shorts and a t-shirt and our air conditioner is running. In fact I'm ready for it to cool down because it doesn't feel like the holidays are here yet. But we spent the weekend at Red Rock loving the sun and blue sky. My brother-in-law insisted on taking a picture of me relaxing on the rocks and I look exactly like buddha with my big belly!! So enjoy. And yes that is Joe climbing with his shirt off. Welcome to Las Vegas at Thanksgiving.

Continuing Disarray in the Went Household

2008-11-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

So our house is torn apart again, stuff everywhere, no order or organization. But this time it's because we're getting new carpet!!! Yeah!! It has been high on my list of home improvement projects but just kept getting pushed aside. Then the right deal came through for us and we jumped on it. So our whole upstairs and staircase is getting done. It looks so much better! I love it and can't wait for it to get finished.
But when the carpet guy was ripping up the old stuff it started making me sick thinking about all the nastiness that was lurking there. Carpet in general is probablly just a nesting ground for who knows what. But I have to push those thoughts aside because it only makes me think of all the other nasty things that we use everyday.....like food. We trust so many different hands with our food before we actually get it home from the store to eat. I sware If I could, I would organically grow everything at home and make it from scratch. Then I would always know what has touched my food. But that of course wouldn't be possible in this day and age. Maybe I'd have made a good pioneer. These are the neurotic thoughts I've felt today....I need more sleep.

The Downside of Home Ownership

2008-10-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Since our last post we've had some house drama. We came home from Brian Head to a small flood in our living room. We had to replace some of our floor. The day after we finished this project we were surprised by our home builder with the news that they were re-plumbing our entire house. We knew since last year that they were going to do this, do to a lawsuit filed against the builder, but we didn't know the date. So without being able to recover from our flood we were kicked out of house for a week while they turned out home into a work site and literally replaced every pipe. At the end of the week I was so glad to have my house to myself, and they even hired a cleaner to come in and clean for us. So I decided to wash the rugs in my kitchen so they would match my nice new clean floors. I turned on the washer and went upstairs for a few minutes and returned to a foot of water downstairs. It seemed the workers didn't hook up my washer correctly and instead of it being filled up with water, my house and new floor received 30 gallons of water. So we spent the next week with the builders in our house again, knocking out the wall in my laundry room and replacing the floor again. While all this about sent me to the mental hospital, the girls had the best time because I was forced to be gone most of my days and we spent our time going to museums, pumpkins patches, the park and the movies. Not to mention lunches at mcdonalds. So here is a little sample of our activites. The Springs Preserve, a new museum and nature center.
A scarecrow garden

Rock Climbing at Springs Preserve

We just got a new park by our house, 'reptile park'.

Gilcrease Orchard

The girls in their Halloween Costumes. Zoey the bride and Olivia our butterfly.

It's Beginning to look alot like Christmas

2008-10-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

We had our 2nd annual October Conference weekend at Brian Head. We rented a condo and spent the weekend enjoying conference and lots of SNOW! It snowed the entire weeked, about 10 inches. It was so unbelieveable to us because we're still enduring 95 degree weather in Vegas (just three hours away). The girls loved it, even though they could only play in it for short intervals since we don't actually own many snow clothes for them anymore. But after playing outside we spent lots of time snuggling up by the fireplace and drinking lots of hot chocolate.

View from Cedar Breaks

The loft in our condo that the girls loved to play in but gave me a heart attack everytime they went up there.
It was so beautiful seeing the snow and the amazing gold aspens at the same time.
Zoey getting ready to throw a snow ball.
Snowball fight

A Toothless Grin, blood and pus

2008-10-01T16:01:00.001-07:00

Just in time for her school pictures, Zoey lost her first tooth. I'm such an emotional mom...I remember crying when she was 3 months old and it first came in and yesterday I got teary eyed when she came home from school with it loose. My little girl is growing up so fast!

But to kick off the Halloween season I thought I share one of my scary/gruesome interests.

I like blood and guts and pus!

To share a few examples....

I'm the mom who literally had to tie my hands together from popping my infants forhead when they got baby acne. I loved to pick my scabs as a child, me and my cousin Jenny used to ask other kids to let us pick their scabs too! I'm the one that pierced countless of my friends ears and noses.

So if this is gross to you, my only defense is that I had 5 brothers who were all athletes and they used to make me pop their zits on their backs when they couldn't reach them... I was bullied into it then sort of started liking it and it just grew from there.

So instead of allowing nature to let her tooth fall out when it was ready, I literally yanked it out of her mouth today and blood oozed everywhere. That sounds terrible. Don't worry, it didn't hurt her, but I will admit that I thought the whole thing was a little too fascinating considering my baby's mouth was full of blood.

Okay now I feel like I've shared way too much info .

Tribute to the 80's

2008-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

So for some weird reason I spent the afternoon listening to old 80's love songs.....Chicago, REO speedwagon, Journey etc.... Its been years since I've heard most of these songs and I find myself suddenly wanting so slow dance back in my high schools gym. Okay so not really, but it does bring back alot of memories. I think the 80's get a bad connotation from most people, including me. But as I listened to these awesome songs that have the cheesiest lyrics I started thinking about other awesome things that were products of the 80's. Here is what I came up with. Feel free to add your favorites.

1. Two of my favorite all time movies: Girls Just want to have Fun, and Goonies.

And what about TV shows: 21 Jump street (Johnny Depps origin), Growing Pains (I still love you Kirk Cameron), and Saved by the Bell

2. The fashion - In the 80's it was cool to wear workout clothes as your regular outfit...you were stylish not just having a lazy day. Side ponytails and teased bangs, okay I'm sort of teasing about this but I will admit that in 6th grade I proudly won the award for highest bangs. (this is someones real family pic!!)
3. The accesories - Plastic charm necklaces, jelly braclets, trapper keepers, Banana clips,

Big fat pregnant belly

2008-09-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

So this is mostly for my mom because it's not a pretty sight, however, I also realized that most of my family has never really seen me pregnant. It's like I just show up at big family events with a baby. So despite the fact that I didn't actually do my hair or put on makeup I am still publishing this picture to show my ever expanding big fat pregnant belly.

So since I'm on the pregnancy subject, I'm feeling GREAT! Aside from the continued nightly nausea, bleeding gums, bleeding nose, swollen hands and feet, constipation, bloating, clogged sinuses, back ache and never sleeping, I'm doing great.

Okay so maybe 'great' is stretching it a bit. Honestly pregnancy just doesn't agree with me. I don't understand those women who say how much they love being pregnant. It is literally like a parasite takes over and begins to suck the life out of you. I'm not complaining. I am so excited about this baby. I treasure each kick I feel and thank Heavenly Father every day for him but it doesn't change the fact that it is hard. But these are the things that make it worth it.

I was in the shower the other day when Zoey came running up to tel l me Olivia had fallen and hurt her head. She assured me there was no blood or anything of the serious nature, so I finished my shower and came down stairs a few minutes later to check on her. Zoey had made her a little bed on the couch and was holding an ice pack on her head. They didn't notice me at first and Zoey was talking softly to Liv, trying to comfort her and make her feel better. How adorable is that? So this is why it's worth it....why 9 months of misery is worth it.

School Pics and Utah trip

2008-09-03T16:39:00.001-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend in Utah. It was a quick trip, like most of ours are these days. But we still loved seeing many of our family and of course wished we could see more. We made our obligatory stop at Taco Amigo and the bean burritto and fries with fry sauce was as good as I imagined it would be this past year. We're thinking about starting a francise in Vegas, if only so I can eat there whenever I want.

We spent alot of our trip in Payson enjoying Onion days at Morgan's house. We always love the Onion days parade because they throw out the best stuff. The kids come away with a whole bag of goods. But unfortunatley this year it literally rained on the parade, which to us desert rats was a nice change, but I'm afraid ruined it for many who had to watch the festivities through the living room window.

This is Joe and I literally dripping wet from the rain. The girls favorite part was the princess floats. Zoey still doesn't quite understand if they are real princesses or not.
Enjoying just a patch of blue sky before the down pour.
Luke and I were about the last ones standing on the road as the rain fell and the parade went by. We got first dibs on all the muddy candy. I didn't think it was appropriate to show some of the more detailed pics of Luke because of questionable content, but if your interested ask Jilyan for a copy. And also question Luke about the contents of his Mountain Dew can, I think he had a little something something extra. All I can say is the town of Payson may not wish him to attend next years celebration!
Of course I needed to post some school pics. I know everyone has already seen and done that...so I guess it's for my mom who asked me if I would post some. Plus it's a year of firsts with Zoey starting kindergarten and Olivia starting preschool. It has been good so far, they both love their schools. But with both schools being so short, it leaves me barely enough time to get home do a load of laundry before turning around to retreive them again.
Joe with Zoey and Oliva before leaving on the first day
Zoey and her friend Elie and Livvy posing with the school mascot although they were too afraid to get any closer.Olivia before the first day of preschool

We are having.....

2008-08-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound today and found out we are having a boy!!! I'm so excited for Joe but it will take me awhile still to get used to the idea. This morning before my appointment I talked to the girls about having a boy or a girl. Zoey was almost in tears at the idea of having a boy. She said, "if we have a boy we're going to have to buy boy clothes, boy toys, and boy movies and I hate boy stuff." I broke the news to them by buying them each a toy car which they actually spent about an hour playing with and they have now softened to the idea. I will definitley need to start from scratch with baby stuff. I don't have a blanket or onsie or anything that is boy. So I guess I'll have to learn how to enjoy shopping for boy stuff. Yuck! Overall we are very excited and grateful that everything looks good and is progressing well.

Mount Charleston

2008-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

For those unfamilar with Las Vegas, within about 20 minutes of our house, we have mountains...real ones, with aspens and pines and yes, SNOW (in the winter). Alot of people don't know about this little treasure in the desert. It's so nice in the summer to escape the heat and go up to Mount Charleston. It has great hiking and world class rock climbing. Here are a few pics we took over the weekend. We have taken the girls pictures inside this tree for the last couple of years. The top one is last years. You can tell that Olivia still hasn't gotten over her dress obsession. She has to wear a dress everyday.

I love this picture. Zoey and Olivia are best friends.
Livi and Uncle Andy
Starting Zoey early on bouldering.
Joe rocking this wall.

School Shopping

2008-08-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

Zoey's first day of kintergarten is fastly approaching. She and I went school shopping to buy some school clothes and get a full page of supplies they recommend the kids have. To me, going school shopping is a right of passage for the school year to begin and since this is her first time going to school, I wanted to make it really special for her. So just she and I took off first thing in the morning, went shopping, out to lunch at Mimi's Cafe, (her favorite place) and went and got pedicures. She was so cute and acted so grown up the whole time. She was very particular about her clothes and spent alot of time thinking about each piece. At the nail salon they had to bring in a couple pillows so her feet would reach the water. She had a little smile on her face the whole time but sort of panicked everytime the cute little old Asian lady tried to talk to her because she couldn't understand anything she said. But she loved every second of it and as we were leaving asked if we could go do it again.

Zoey showing off her buys of the day.

Showing off our fabulous pedicures, although it sort of looks like one of my toe nails is black, but it's not, must be a shadow.

Zoey the Blogger

2008-07-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Zoey has gotten into blogging and keeps wanting me to take pictures, "so we can put it on our blog." So here is a few things we have been doing lately....
I had strep throat last week, (I know half the stuff I post is about all my sickness, but I sware I'm not a sickly person.) Anyways I literally couldn't move off the couch for like 3 days. The girls decided to set up their own little tea party. Zoey hauled in the table and chairs and set up a cute party for her and Olivia. Of course my birthday landed right in the midst of my multiple sickness. But we had a little celebration anyways because I am 29, again!!! (But don't think I'm letting you off the hook Joe, when I'm better we are going out for a big celebration!!) Don't pay attention to how nasty I look or my dirty house just look at the present Joe got me. A Kitchen Aid....Yeah!! I've been wanting one for such a long time but it's really unfortunate that I probablly won't be able to use for a while. However, I still love it.
The girls are obsessed with doing crafts and science projects. Zoey loves scissors and glue and ribbon and makes about 10 crafts everyday. They are so cute but I usually have to toss most of them the next day or I sware my house would be wallpapered with her creations. Joe is the scientist in the family and has spent alot of time doing experiments with the girls. He loves to teach them big words and their meanings and then quiz them later. So next time you see Zoey, ask her what 'Refraction' means. Here is their latest...the baking soda volcano.

My dishwasher broke so I decided it was time to teach the girls some homemaking skills. They loved it. It was so funny because they didn't see it as a chore but more like a fun game I was letting them do.

Calf Creek

2008-07-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Since its been weeks of sickness, both me and Joe's wierd anthrax breathing disease, (not really anthrax but he did get a strange breathing sickness), we decided we need a change of scenery. So we loaded up the car, literally stuffed to the top with gear and went camping in Utah with my brother Jason and his family. We went to Calf Creek, a great spot by the grand staircase national monument outside Ecalante. It is filled with childhood memories because we went there every year for many years until the adults in our family decided to ditch it for another camp ground with the luxury of flushing toilets. It was great to be in the outdoors even though I sware I didn't sleep any of the nights we were there and instead listened to the symphany of snoring all around me. Theres something healing in nature; having no restrictions with the kids, having no commitments or possessions to distract us. We just enjoyed the scenery and the conversation. We loved the river that runs through the camp and I think one night, Jason, Joe and Joe's brother Andy, even took advantage of it 'European style' if you know what I mean. I attempted the 6-mile hike to the amazing 126 foot waterfall, but due to Dr restrictions couldn't complete it. But the rest of the group, with kids hanging off the front and back, treked through the thick sand and heat to enjoy a swim in the falls. Jason and I marveled at how my parents hauled all 6 of us kids up the trail every year. It really is an amazing sight in the middle of the desert. Unfortunatley in the ton of gear we brought the camera didn't make it. That was a big bummer. We officially suck at preserving our memories, I guess until next year, as I'm deciding I'd like to make the Calf Creek trip an annual thing.

We got home late last night and instead of folding the 10 loads of laundry filling up my living room, the kids and I decided to make cup cakes instead. This memory I decided to preserve since I've committed to being better at taking pictures from this day forward. The girls have always loved baking with me. Since they were very little they have sat on the counter and been little chefs.

So Far So Good...

2008-07-10T23:51:00.001-07:00

So we are in our 11th - 12th week of pregnancy. Earlier this week, Jana began experiencing some discomfort and bleeding...not good times, especially with our history. We scheduled an ultrasound for the next day, and went down there in the morning. My thoughts were that I sort of wished that we could buy our own machine -- not one of those dopplers, but a full-on ultrasound machine so Jana could check in on the baby any time she wanted to. Last time we went in for an ultrasound, we were sent down to this crappy place that had foreign technicians, that didn't seem to know what they were doing. They tried to hide the screen from us, had trouble interpreting the views, acted as if something was wrong all the time, but wouldn't explain. It was terrible. I guess there was a mixup at our doctor's office about what ultrasound work our insurance would pay for, so they thought they had to send us to this low rent place that sucked. This time, probably because it was an emergency, they sent us to the doctor's own unit with her own technicians doing the ultrasound.

As an aside, this whole health insurance thing blows. Its not really health insurance, its more like catastrophe insurance. For regular things, insurance isn't really practical. You end up paying more than the insurance company does. I would be half-tempted to just self-insure, except for that dreaded car accident or something where you end up spending 5 days in ICU with a full day of surgery, and you can never come back financially. I have a friend in hospital administration, and he says insurance is the only thing that makes it work, that even with insurance paying they still give away hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in free care, and he was super offended when I told him my theory on health insurance. I told him health insurance is a scam, its the last vestiges of the slave system, LLoyds of London -- one of the biggest insurers in the world -- got their start insuring slave shipments from Africa, and that I always end up paying more than the insurance company, they never authorize squat, and my premiums are outrageous. What's the answer? More doctors?

So anway, we go the good ultrasound office, and get it done, and everything is fine, confirm the existence of the baby's heartbeat, see the baby move, all measurements are great. Zoey and Livvy are excited, they loved seeing the pictures.

So, despite the scare, so far so good. Will be cautious from here on out....JGW

Give me Candy...

2008-07-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

So when I'm pregnant I get a really gross taste in my mouth and I also produce extra saliva that also tastes terrible. The one thing that has worked to combat this is, candy. I can't chew gum because it makes more saliva and I can't stand the taste of mint. (I've even had to start using cinnamon toothpaste.) So I have been eating tons of candy, just to combat this bad taste. I have never been a candy eater, (chocolate yes but I wouldn't be caught dead buying or eating candy normally.) So this is the stash of candy I had today. There is usually hot tamalies in there too but I sware just minutes before I ate like the whole 8oz box of them. So I know its disgusting, I know my teeth are going to fall out, but I don't care. Anything is better than the grossness that lingers with out the presence of candy.

I'm sure my dad would be proud. Oh wait, he doesn't eat candy. Right dad? wink wink

2008-06-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

The water parks are in full operating mode and are the hip place to be these days during the Las Vegas heat.

In case you didnt' know....

2008-06-26T10:20:00.001-07:00

I am pregnant! It's been a long road the past year...not knowing if I wanted more kids, then wanting them and not having much success, to getting some fertility treatments. But I am excited for this pregnancy despite enduring days and weeks of violent nausea and anxiety about miscarriage again. My Dr has been carefully monitoring my blood levels every week and I have to take progesterone right now to hopefully help prevent miscarriage. The progesterone adds another level of sickness, (if that is possible in my pregnancys). In the evenings especially, I am so sick I can hardly move because of nausea and dizziness. Luckily when I wake up in the morning I feel slightly better and am able to accomplish a few minor things( and I mean minor, like a good day is getting me and the girls dressed, teeth brushed and maybe dashing through the grocery store before the gagging actually brings up the breakfast I managed to choke down a few minutes earlier.) Then the cycle starts up again at about 12:00 and I am imobilized by sickness. I feel blessed to have my inlaws close now and for the help they have given me with the girls and upkeeping my house. And Joe is awesome. He is so supportive and patient and encouraging.

Defeated by Peer Pressure

2008-06-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

After months of pressure to join the ranks of those who blog, we finally succumbed to the pressure and have created 'the went' blog. I know what your thinking, that after all the complaints of peoples blogs being a christmas newsletter for every day of the year and an outlet to feature new home decorating projects, that our blog would be far superior than the braggings of new callings and honor roll presentations. But I so greatly wanted to share with everyone that Zoey has been selected among thousands of 5 year olds for her high intellectual prospects to represent the good state of Nevada in a national IQ contest and will receive a million dollar scholarship. In addition, after months of deliberation between fabric swatches I wanted to post pictures of my new couch cushions and bathroom wallpaper.

Just Kidding!

But I will admit after actually spending a few mintues browsing over many of our family and friends blogs that it is a nice way to stay in touch and be apart of each other's lives amidst the distance that seperates most of us.