Full Circle

So last night we carved pumpkins. One of the first posts that I posted to this blog was of us carving pumpkins. It has been a full year of blogging for me. I am grateful for the memories that are now written down. I had all of last years entries published into a book. It is so fun to look at them. Plus, I get to brag that I am a published author. I will do the same with this year's entries. Then I delete the previous years stuff to minimize the trauma my kids will experience when they realize that their friends can read about them on the internet! I have never been very good about journaling so this has blessed me in many ways. Thank you to everyone who reads and keeps up with our lives. I love reading your comments and knowing that you are interested. I read all the blogs that I have listed on my sidebar (if yours isn't there and you think I might like it or if you are related -- send me the link.) I love staying connected to everyone. It seems like our lives get so busy that it is hard to stay connected to everyone outside our immediate family. I feel that through blogs, I can get to know you and your kids a little bit better so that when we do meet up, we won't feel like complete strangers. I love it!

Anyway, back to carving pumpkins.The kids had a great time. They each designed their own and couldn't believe that we let them use sharp objects by themselves to create their Jack-o-Lanterns. They are getting so big! Notice how Miranda is sitting in the high chair and crying. She wants to have her own pumpkin to play in. We tried a little bit but everything ends up in her mouth. I even had to fish a small piece of pumpkin out of her mouth! Happy Halloween to everyone. Have a safe day and be careful tonight if you are out and about.

Halloween Preview

Last night we had our ward Halloween Party. It was a chilli cook-off. They served cornbread and dessert as well. It was surprisingly good with an enormous amount of chilli to sample. The kids had games to play after dinner which they loved. That was followed by a Trunk-or-Treat. The kids trick or treat from car to car in the parking lot. I went through two LARGE bags of candy in about 15 minutes. There were tons of kids and quite a few "trunks" to trick or treat. They had a good time and came home with their pumpkins full. They seemed to have a great time. Here are some pics of thier costumes this year. I don't know if I will remember to take pictures on the actual night so this may be all you get!

New Bedrooms!

So the window is FINALLY done! We have been planning to dig out the back bedroom basement window for SO long and it is finally done. It looks great! Kaydra is so excited to have her own room. I was a little sad for them last night as they went to their own rooms -- it's kinda fun to have someone to talk to when you are going to sleep, even if they get on your nerves occasionally and I think that they may miss it a little. Last night, though, they were SO excited! They both slept well and reported a good nights rest.

We decided to move the bed in Miranda's room down to Kaydra's room. This gave us more room in Miranda's room and also saved us from buying another bed. We used the same bedding and it seems to work for now. Kanyon was able to have more room now for all his toys including his train table. He is also very excited to now have TWO beds. Kaydra inherited a desk and bookshelf that Courtney and I shared as kids. It is pretty "used" and we want to refinish it but it will have to wait until the weather is warmer. Kaydra loves the extra space and loves having a place to do her homework -- I love it too! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Fuller for letting her use it.

Here are some pictures....

We decided to put in a window box instead of the bottom trim for the window. It's different, I know, but Kaydra likes it and I think it turned out really well. Len did a great job with all the carpentry work. I am always amazed at the things that he is able to do with little or no experience. He is not afraid to fail and manages to pull off some great stuff! We painted the window green mostly because I didn't have the cream color that the other trim is painted and I didn't want to paint all the other trim white (which would also include painting three sets of closet doors!) I think it really accents the room well. It kinda looks like an art piece instead of a window -- love it! What do you think? Is it over the top, or just right for a growing girl?

New Things

As a disclaimer, I must say sorry to anyone who may let their little girl read this blog who may say, "But Kaydra did it!" .... Read on!



Kaydra
Today was Kaydra's last soccer game. She had a really fun season. She got to play on a team with Kalli and Madison (her cousins) and was coached by Lisa - my cousin's wife (does that make her my cousin-in-law?). She did much better than last season and seems to be understanding the concept of the game a little better. She is not very aggressive which is a good thing in life but not really that great for soccer :) She had fun though and it is definitely good exercise. Thank you to Lisa for all your hard work. The girls really learned a lot.


For Kaydra's birthday we gave her some earrings. They were some for pierced ears that we got in DisneyWorld without telling her. She was so excited. She has been begging to get her ears pierced for about a year. We told her that she could get her ears pierced after soccer was over. We didn't want to go through the hassle of taking them out for the games. So today was the day!
We went to the salon where she got her hair cut and had them pierce her ears! She didn't cry but I could tell that she wanted too. She was quite tough and did very well. She really likes them and is excited to show everyone. She looks so old to me. Where did all the time go?

Kanyon


Kanyon has now learned how to ride a two-wheeled bike! This is a short video of him riding tonight. I laugh at the end because Leonard told him to turn around and he kept saying "I can't!" We hadn't really reviewed that part yet! The following picture shows Leonard teaching Kanyon how to turn around. It took him a little longer to pick it up than Kaydra once we started but he is a whole year younger than Kaydra was. He seems to really like the freedom that it brings and we have been going for bike rides nearly every night. It has been nice the past few nights but the weather is getting colder for sure. He too is growing up so fast! Time flies when you're raising children!
I am so proud of them both. They are such big helpers with Miranda and with getting things done around the house. They play so well together and I know that they will be great friends as adults. I am blessed to have them both in our home.

Eight months

Miranda is now eight months old. I can't believe how much she has grown. I worked in the NICU the other day and took care of three babies all born under 5 lbs. They were so small! Miranda was never quite that small but it was still a HUGE difference. When I look at her I still see all baby, yet in a few short months she will be considered a toddler. It is so sad how fast time flies sometimes. She is a great baby. I love it when they start to recognize you and smile when they realize you are still there. She loves her family already. You can really tell that she knows who we are. About three weeks ago we were laying in bed with Miranda sitting between us. It was first thing in the morning and Leonard had just gotten home from work and had brought Miranda in to our room with him. She was playing and smiling and laughing with us. There were no toys -- just us, and she couldn't have been happier. Leonard turned to me and said, "She is so CUTE! We're going to have another one aren't we?" I was SHOCKED! Our entire marriage Leonard has always said three was a good number for him. He came from a family of three and felt like it really worked. I never pushed the issue but always felt that when the time came I would be able to talk him into more if I felt it was right. So I was like, "What?!" He said, "It just seems kinda sad to think this could be the last time we have a baby this age -- they are so cute!" This is exactly what I have been thinking for Miranda's whole life! Even days after her birth (which wasn't a pleasant experience) I was thinking, "It would be so sad if this was the last time I _______-- fill in the blank. (i.e. was pregnant, had a baby, nursed a baby, introduced a new baby to my other kids, cuddled with a newborn for the entire time between feedings, ect.) I think that this means we may not have a complete family yet. It also means that (just in case) I feel like I need to just breathe in Miranda every day and enjoy the time that I am able to spend with her as a baby. I am truly enjoying being a mom right now.

Miranda is flying through her "developmental milestones". She is a very determined baby. She is crawling on all fours and is now very good at it. She follows me all over the house. When she gets tired she crawls out into the hall and cries for me to come get her. She pulls herself up on everything. Most of the time it is on my pant leg. She pulls herself up on me when I am cooking, doing the dishes, sitting at the computer, sitting at the table, ect. She is getting really good at it. She loves to put everything in her mouth and I am constantly pulling things out of her mouth. She has really worked out that "pincer" grasp.

She LOVES food! I have never had a baby react to food the way she does. She knows when we are eating and she wants to be a part of it. Every day she eats a bowl of rice cereal (my other kids hated that stuff) and at least one jar of baby food (the big ones) and some finger food throughout the day. Plus, she is still nursing as much as ever. She has tried nearly all of the bottled baby foods and she likes them all. She eats Cheerios and Rice Chex like they are going out of style. She also likes mac and cheese, bread, homemade applesauce, fresh bananas, yogurt, and anything else that I will let her try. It is so weird sometimes. I seriously wonder what is going on in that head of hers. She is so little, yet she eats like there's no tomorrow! Does she know something that we don't?

In an earlier blog I bragged about her excellent sleeping habits a little too soon as she now wakes up 1-2 times a night. Lately she wakes up about 3:00am to eat and then sleeps through the night until 7:30 or 8:00. Not too bad, but she just started that about a week ago so we'll see how long it lasts! She likes to sleep on her tummy or her side and she still LOVES her pacifier. When we were in Salt Lake we forgot her pacifier one time while we were out shopping. It was nap time and she wanted that pacifier. What normally would have taken about 5 minutes to fall asleep instead took two stops to nurse her and over an hour before she finally succumbed. She is definitely not ready to give that up -- at least I am not ready for her to give it up anyway!

She is a happy kid and she loves Kaydra and Kanyon. She is old enough now that we sit her down with the kids and let her play beside them with some toys. She loves it and feels like a big kid as long as I am not in the room. When she sees me it seems to be all about me holding her again. She loves to be held and it starting to show affection by laying her head on my shoulder or sucking on my neck. I think that she is "kissing" me when she does this because I often kiss her neck, but maybe she is just trying to find the food! I feel blessed to have her in our family. I know that she has a good spirit and that she loves us all very much. I am so thankful to have her in our home. We love you, Mandy!

Free Handbag

Hey! This website is giving away free handbags - one every hour for 24 hours on October 15. Check it out at http://www.handbagplanet.com/ and sign up to win! We can all use free stuff!

Be Aware!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is my reminder to all of you to get yourself checked and remember to do your monthly exams. Here is hoping for a cure soon. Many women have suffered -- some have survived and some have not but all of them have suffered so that hopefully, we can learn something from them and FIND A CURE! This is for my Grandma, my mom, and all my aunts that have shown such strength in times of trial. I love you!

Update

So I have been very busy the past two weeks and have not been very good about updating the blog...Sorry. I will try to update in one big entry so bear with me!

Women's Walk

For the past five years I have attended the St. Luke's Women's fitness Celebration that they hold in Boise every year with Michelle. It is touted as the largest Walk/Run for women. This year there were over 12,000 women signed up to walk or run. I took the kids to Boise to stay with Reid and Michelle for a few days. Reid was kind enough to offer to watch my kids while we attended the walk. We had planned on taking Miranda with us in the back pack but it was raining continuously so Reid graciously said we could leave her home too. We were really wet and I am so glad we didn't have her with us. She would have been miserable. We still managed to have a good time. We got t-shirts and at the end of the race you end up in a big park where they have food for all the participants. It is always a fun weekend because I get to catch up and visit with Michelle and we usually manage to get in a little shopping too. I had and great time. If you want to see us, go HERE and watch the video. This is of the finish line. We come into the center of the picture at 1:35 into the video. Michelle, her mom, and I are all wearing clear ponchos. It was fun. Thanks to Michelle and Reid for the hospitality.

Peaches

The peaches from my tree finally got ripe and we were able to can them. I took them to mom's house and Courtney and mom helped me can them all. We got 38 quarts of peaches just from my little tree! I can't believe it. We still had some left over too that were not quite ripe enough to can. It feels good to put food storage on the shelf! I love peaches!

Work

I have switched back to twelve hour shifts at work. This means that I only have to work once a week to meet my required hours. I LOVE IT! I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with my children. I love being there when they get home from school so they can tell me about their day. I love watching Miranda get better at the little things each day. I am so grateful for my husband who helps make this possible. With both Kaydra and Kanyon I returned to work full time after they were born and I am loving that I can spend more time with Miranda. I have noticed, however, that she is more clingy to me than the other kids were but at the same time, I feel a little more clingy to her too. When Kaydra was only eight months old, Len took her for five days to see his parents. I completely trust my husband to do this with Miranda too but at the same time - I don't think I could stand to be away from her that long. Of course, I wasn't nursing Kaydra at that age like I am Miranda -- so that could be the main difference! I just love that little girl. She is beautiful, funny, charming, and oh so adorable! As much as I enjoy work, I am glad that I can spend so much time with her and the other kids.

Conference Weekend

This past weekend for conference we got tickets to the Saturday session and had a girls trip with Leonard's family. Just girls, no kids except for Miranda. It was me, Kay (Len's mom), Jodi (Len's sister), and Michelle (sister-in-law).

It was so fun! We went shopping and just looked around without kids whining or pulling on our pants! We window shopped and tried on stuff just because we could! We went out to eat and had nearly uninterrupted conversations. We watched a chick flick and made cards with Michelle's cricket. We attended the first session of conference in the conference center and then watched the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning session at the hotel. All without kids crying or needing attention. It was GREAT! I felt so rejuvenated after the weekend on my drive home.

Miranda was super spoiled with attention from two aunts and a grandma all to herself! Attending Conference was fun. So peaceful. Just a feel good kinda thing to do. Thanks to dad for the tickets. I want to go again sometime. You just can't get enough of that feeling. Thanks to all the ladies for making it great. Hope you all traveled home well. I figure no news is good news!

Well, that's about it for now. Seems like most of this post is about me and not the kids. That doesn't usually happen. I guess that's why I haven't updated lately!