here we go!!

well, all the talk is finally going in motion. we have taken off! as i write this we are in a hotel in farmington new mexico. my first venture out of utah, and we stop in farmington. go figure!! i always said i'd love to move to new mexico, but now that we're here, i think i'll change my mind. it's a lot different than i expected. i'm sure there are better parts, but i'll believe it when i see it.

so, we left our dear friends this morning to set off. we are planning on three days. we'll take our time seeing it is so long for the girls. plus, we won't feel rushed to get there by a certain time, and there is an extremely high chance someone will be sick. ainnsley was the one this morning. poor thing. we were on the side of the road just before price cleaning everything with bottled water and forcing gravol down her throat. lovely. let's hope for a better couple of days.

with all that has happened in fort hood these last couple of days, it will be very interesting to arrive during this trial. i hope i can protect my girls from the hate that i'm sure will be said, but know that i can't for long. it is a really scary world we live in, and i was foolish to think that we would be safe on base. it made me realize that nowhere is truely safe. what i can keep safe is my family values that i hope and pray that my girls will understand and cherish their whole lives. hey, one can hope. i am so thankful to be together with brad again, and it has made our family values stronger than ever.

i always say i will be better at posting, but we actually have something going on now, so there is more to say. i will miss utah and all the friends that i have made over the years. i'm so grateful for this day in age where it is so easy to stay in touch. it's wonderful.

so, here's to being an army strong family for real now!! hooah!!!

summer's end

as the summer is coming to a close, i'm thinking how fun my summer's have been as a mom. as a kid, they were always fun. we were lucky enough to live next door to our cousins so we always had someone to play with. as soon as we were done breakfast we were outside ready to play until bedtime. sometimes so excited one of us forgot to put shorts on!! i won't say who. but as i got older i had summer jobs, and then when i got married we worked all the time it seemed.

but as a mom i've been so fortunate to stay home and raise my girls. i have come home the last three summers and they have been wonderful! i hope my girls will remember the fun times we've had, and i hope to keep creating memories with them. with that said, what is a favorite summer memory of yours?

ooohhhh, we're halfway there...

can anyone name that tune?????

but it is true. we are halfway through bolc III. yeah!! it's been interesting. we have had a fun summer, colder than we are use to, but fun. granny had the backyard all ready for the girls with a swingset, playhouses, a sandbox and a little pool. they don't play out there as much as i would like, but when they are out there, they have a blast. we have been at the quarry in canmore a couple of times, reilly park a couple of times, cousins' houses. plus we had hannah's and ainnsley's birthdays in there. alot of fun times. i will say we are all a little anxious to have a routine again.

speaking of routines, hannah starts grade one on thursday. how exciting! we actually went out to the new mall to do school shopping today, and i think it became a little more real for her. she starting saying that she was a little nervous, but knows she'll do okay. such a big girl.

brad will finish bolc III oct 30. then will see eachother for maybe a week before he's most likey off again. we both agree that it is best for us to do as many schools as he can while i'm home and spend more time together in the end. i am busy with the girls and he's busy with school, so it's been a good thing.

the girls have been great. we have had fun, and we are so lucky to have mom and dad to help us, especially me. breonna is getting bigger by the minute! she is a smiley thing, and loves her sisters. she has slept through the night beautifuly, and made me a better mom. mommies need their sleep!!

so my battery is running low, and since my sis prettied up my blog, i'll update in a few.

crazy busy!!

well, on may 14th 2009 breonna claire herkimer entered our lives. we are so blessed to have her. i decided, with much fear, to have an epidural and wow!! much easier. i can see why people have so many children. my stance on the number of kids to have has changed!! my friend said with epidurals she enjoyed giving birth. i thought she was crazy........ before I had an epidural!!! breonna was the first baby i could really enjoy taking in. the other girls i was being stitched, and i don't have to say how unpleasant that is!!

we brought her home 2 days later and have enjoyed having her here. however, her birth was the begining of the craziness. we had to pack house, enjoy time together, adjust to the baby, bless her, and send brad off, and go to calgary all in 12 days. yikes!! that was a white knuckle experience for sure!! we made it, but i couldn't have done it without our wonderful friends, who we will miss dearly, and our family. my dad flew up for the blessing and to help with the girls, and my mom and brother made a quick drive up to be here and to help bring us up to calgary for the summer. we honestly could not have done it without everyone. thank you so much and we love you all.

now we are nestled up here in calgary, enjoying a break from the heat. the girls love my mom's big backyard and all the cousins. my mom has been really cute in making the backyard their little neighborhood with the playhouses. i had my first night alone with all the girls on saturday, and there is no way i could do this alone. i have to give all the single mothers a huge shout out for there constant hard work. i am so blessed to have a family that is willing to help out so much.xxx

brad is in ft. knox for four months. this will be the longest we will be apart, and so far it's only been a week. this will be hard but i know we can do it. we are able to skype, and email and call more than his other trainings so we should be okay. i at least have the girls to keep me busy.

my goal this summer is to update as often as i can to show you guys the fun we will have. i'm still so lame at this, so hang tough.

we love you all, and once again thank you for all your support.

top ten ways your life isn't like a reality show.

i saw this in one of my parenting magazines and thought it was cute. i hope you enjoy it!!

1. your morning weigh-ins are mercifully private.

2. no hope of trading up to a multimillionaire, housecleaning husband who lives to give foot rubs in wacky wife-swap episode.

3. you drive a ford, shop at target, and drink diet coke all the live-long day, but no one gives you a damn dime for product placement.

4. you endure hours of grueling photo shoots- but they're all at sears and come out in wallet size with a faux-nature background.

5. the only extreme home makeover you're getting is courtesy of a 5-year-old with markers.

6. you'd like to see top chef make three different dishes (one kid food, one vegan for your tween, and one that actually tastes good for you) every single night.

7. you really did marry you big fat obnoxious fiance. (and what's worse, no one paid you.)

8. you never get voted off- even if you beg.

9. you're surrounded by "real" housewives- but like you, they haven't shaved their legs in days.

10. you know what not to wear, but nothing else fits since you've had kids.

now how is it i can't remember dr's appointments???

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your children!

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, but it happened really fast.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes, for 2 years

3.WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? excitement, curiosity.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? no way!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 27....did i say that out loud??

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? missed periods and then puking then dr's.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? brad, of course. then my mom.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? no, i wanted to be different.

9. DUE DATE? july 15 2003

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? everyday, even on the delivery table.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? salads, snickers and dr pepper.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? i worked for jenny craig...... need i say more?

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? nope, totally okay with it.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? my mother in law had one for me in utah, and my auntie meg had one for me in calgary.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? my mother in law's was a surprise.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? no.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? timpanogous regional hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? i was induced at 5pm, needed to push at 9pm and she was born at 9:15pm. 4 and a half hrs.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? brad and my mom.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? my mom was there right until i had to push then she had to leave, so brad was there.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? no. my fear of needles is bigger than my pain tolerance.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 4oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? july 15 2003

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? hannah isabelle

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR SECOND PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, but took almost a year.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes, for six years.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? excitement, but i was distracted with a 2 year old.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? no way.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? same old. missed periods, puking...

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? brad

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? nope. i like the surprise.

9. DUE DATE? august 11 2006

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? of course, but it only lasted 16 weeks this time.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? homemade chocolate cake. i made one every other day.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? i worked part time and needed my mother in law to babysit. that never went smoothly.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? girl, but we were so convinced it was a boy. everything was opposite, everything!

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? not at all. i'm so blessed to be able to have children.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 60. remember the chocolate cake??

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? no. another girl in the same season.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? total shock!

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? she was posterior and the dr had to turn her. ouch!!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? cottonwood hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? my labor started at 6am, was at the hospital at 7:30am and she was born at 1o:55am. so about 5 hrs.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? brad

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? brad

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? vaginal

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? nope. fear of needles.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 7oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? august 11 2006

29. NAME? ainnsley mae.

30. WHAT IS YOUR CHILD'S AGE TODAY? 2

be...

Back in the day, I had a “frenemy” who, as it turned out, was pretty hell-bent on taking me down. This person really did what they could to hurt me. I was deeply upset, I was angry, I was all of those things you feel when you find out that someone you thought you liked was venomous and dangerous. I restrained myself from fighting back. I tried to take the high road. But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and…happiness. There went the high road. So, why does it feel so good to hear something bad about someone you don’t like? Or someone you DO like? Or someone you don’t KNOW? I once asked the editor of a newspaper why all of the stories had a negative bent. He said that when the headline was positive, the paper didn’t sell. Why is that? What’s wrong with us? I asked the sages to shed a little light.

Here’s to washing our mouths out with soap...

Love,

Bethany