Dillon.Bree.Elijah.Genesee

The Springs

2011-09-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

We took a much needed family vacation on the 4th of July weekend. We have been wanting to check out Colorado Springs(The Springs, COS) so that's where we headed. We checked into the KOA just south of COS. We stayed in one of their little cabins. So much easier than packing the car to the brim and camping it with two little ones. We went swimming which was a huge hit especially with Genesee. She is a fish! Played in the sweet playground where there was a wooden train that Lij absolutely loved. Genesee loved the sand and Dillon took the opportunity to bury her waist deep. She loved it! We all slept like rocks that night even though we were all in the same room.

Playing on the porch of the cabin

Swimming with dad

A pretty good shot of the 3 of us

Lij loving the Choo choo

Aren't they cute!

Enjoying the sand

My little ham

A group shot

The next day we went off to Peterson Air Force Base. We thought for sure Lij would love this since he LOVES planes and helicopters. It was a little hard to get in but they finally got the list with our names on it and let us right through. There is a museum where you can check out all the of the planes close up. We even got to go inside one. Pretty cool and then the tour guide took us in the hanger and showed us a ton more. Which was a welcome break from the heat. We got there early but it got hot fast! We learned that not too far from us is the power to destroy countries. And when I say destroy I mean completely wipe out. So much power it is actually terrifying.

Instead of separate captions, I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Okay side note...this is the one we went inside...

An "A" bomb

The rest of the day we drove around and saw the sites. We are too cheap to pay to drive up Pikes Peak and the kids fell asleep right when we were headed to a splash park. So we drove around...and then we checked into a hotel since I wanted to stay longer and the KOA was all booked up. We went to Goodwill and picked up church clothes so we could go to church down there.(The next morning I realized I had to sub in nursery so we drove back nice and early anyway.) All we did that night was enjoy the pouring rain and went swimming some more. Watched TV and went to sleep.

Lij was obsessed with the "real" phone in the room...we had to disconnect it because he would not leave it alone.

All in all we had a great trip...a much needed break from our daily lives around here.

First Dentist attempt

2011-08-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

So quite a while ago we took Lij for his first dentist appointment. It went okay but not "ideal" as they put it. The dentist was able to look at all his teeth and give us a clean bill of health...NO cavities! They hooked Lij up and gave him tokens and a monkey and then a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins. So being the good mom I am I completely forgot until the night of. So I ran out late and picked it up so he could have it in the morning. And boy was it worth it! He LOVED it!!

Showing his messy little ice cream face

The best "cheese" I could get when he is watching Little Einstiens

9 Months a couple weeks late...

2011-06-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

So really she is 9.5 months now!

Stats:

17lbs---28 1/2in

Crawling...mostly army crawl but she will get on her knees...if she wants

Pulling up on everything

Already attempting stairs...SCARY!

Now is strictly bottle fed...4.5 months longer than last time

Still eating everything, but loves table food more than anything

Grunts when she wants your attention

Reaches for mom or dad

Still has stranger danger pretty bad

Was left with a teenage babysitter for the first time(goes for Lij too)...cried for some time then wouldn't let the babysitter sit her down

Bugs her brother incessantly whenever she possibly can...sharing a room has become quite interesting

Getting cuter every day...if that is even possible

Now for pictures...enjoy

What the crap! Not this again!!

Admiring her brothers skills

9 months and so happy

Chubby finger on my camera lens

And the full chubby hand

Love me some Minnie

Brother-sister...two cute little faces

Found something curious

Cheese...the stage of no normal smiles

Roaring like a dinosaur

I told him to show me his teeth thinking I might get a normal smile...boy was I wrong!

Rockies Game!

2011-06-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to a game! I LOVE baseball!! Plus Lij loves it more so it was a great time for us all.

We were in the rockpile seats...but even though they are out there and the cheap seats, you can still see everything really well.

Handsome little baseball fanatic

Genesee grabbing for the camera...of course!

My man and little girl

It was a good time..Rockies LOST but what is new! Oh well...we had a great time together doing something we all love! What more could I ask for?

Mother's Day

2011-06-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

I am not one to love days that are all about me, but let me tell ya...Mothers Day is really growing on me! I love that we celebrate motherhood and fatherhood. I feel it is what I do best because quite literally it is all I really do. I love to do many things but because of time constraints and laziness and sometimes sheer exhaustion those things never get the attention I would LOVE to give them. Lucky for me my kids always override those 3 excuses and will always need my attention. So they are what I focus on and how I spend all of my time. Some days when we are just having a rough time and all I feel like I do is yell, discipline, change DIRTY diapers and clean up messes, I think to myself "Is this really worth it!? Do I really like this?" And then I check in on the little ones sleeping and I realize..."I LOVE being a mom. This is what I have wanted to do since I was just little. I love kids and I LOVE my family."

I seem to find myself not living in the moment a lot. I want try to live each moment much more enthusiastically because I LOVE everything about being a mom and doing the things I do. I feel each day I am getting better at it too. Don't get me wrong, we are not perfect and we have some pretty bad days where all I do is cry myself to sleep after asking over and over again for forgiveness for the bad things I did all day. I also feel the strength from my Heavenly Father when I am humbled down to ask him.

Being a mom is the HARDEST job EVER!! But it is my most favorite job I have ever had and will ever have. Love my sweet boy that is as smart as a whip(whatever that means) and teaches me patience constantly. Love my spunky little girl that is getting feistier everyday but will cuddle with me when going to sleep. Love my husband for joining me in this crazy journey of raising children of God.

LOVE being a MOM!!

So our day consisted of...FAMILY time ALL day long!! We went to church and I got a bag of CANDY! One of my favorite things in life. Went home and let Genesee nap. We went for a bike ride after nap time and we rode a long way, but it was a blast. We stopped just before turning around and had a snack. Fresh fruit and water!!! YUM!! Watermelon, that my family bought me for mothers day, was the perfect treat. And Lij loved it the most I think. We had a great day. Just a lot of time together and a warm Sunday afternoon. It was the best and Dillon spoiled me with lots of presents...Rockies tickets(!!!YAHOO!!!), a wok because I LOVE Chinese food, a gardening book so I can start learning that art, and the watermelon. Lij picked out a card with a spaceship on it. He was super excited about it because of the spaceship. LOVE my family!!!!

Lij enjoying the watermelon

He could hear the train not too far away...on the ride home we stopped by the tracks as the train passed by. Dillon did the whole arm thing to see if he would pull the horn. The conductor did and it made my little boy's day! Now anytime we see a train he starts with his arm and I LOVE it!

My baby girl!

My boys!

The girls of the Kotter home

Look at this cute face! He really loved the watermelon. My dad would be so proud!

LOVE him!!

Watching a bug chow down on the rind

Lij had eaten down to the green and then Dillon took it and acted like he was going to eat. Lij was upset!!

Family shot

Just the two of us!

Our yummy dinner! We actually made it on Monday because we got home so late on Sunday and were starving. So instead we had some yummy french bread pizza. Monday we had a quiet dinner as a couple and enjoyed stir-fry together. It was DELISH!!

Then a couple days later it snowed like mad and about took down my lilacs!! The snow was so WET that it laid my lilacs to the ground. So I went out and and knocked all of the snow off just to make sure they weren't completely destroyed.

Lij all bundled to play in the snow...we could barely get out the back door

See what I'm talking about...to the ground!

This is COOL!

2011-06-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Click http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/-57962-1.html and scroll down to Colorado. I thought it was pretty cool to see that the Accounting world actually makes notice of everyone in every state. Good Job to Dillon again!!

Look Below

2011-06-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

I HAVE 3 NEW POSTS!!!

More Idaho trip

2011-06-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

After Sandy we headed up to the actual Idaho part. My family typically gets together for Easter and this year most of my brothers and sisters were going to be there. So when I found out we could actually be there this year I was ecstatic. We made it to Malad on Friday afternoon and everyone was already there! So exciting!! Not too much happened Friday. Although we did get to eat at the Drive-In and then we all went and watched Ashley run in the Malad Invitational. I am amazed at how much I miss Malad and even track! Saturday is the day we do everything. First it was the Samaria Easter Egg Hunt. We got up there a little late so Lij didn't score too many. Which is a good thing since he is only 2 1/2 and we do a huge family Hunt later in the day. In the afternoon we dyed eggs(no pictures because I showed up at the end) but Lij had a good time. Then once all the eggs are dyed and dry we head up the mountain to the "S". It is a tradition to hike the hill and then chuck the eggs down the hill. Someone usually gets nailed pretty good by an incoming egg and this year it was McKenzie. She got nailed in the face and it looked like it HURT. Best part about the hike is that we made it with both kids(thanks to Heidi and Sandor for the backpack...I'm sure we will put it to good use before you need it back), and also my 80 year old Grandma made it up and down! GO my amazing Grandma!!

Dad with BOTH the kids...he finally gave in and let me take Genesee

Enjoying it so far(not quite half way)

(L-R) Me and Genesee, Aunt Laurie and My Grandma!

Some of the group that made it up

So once we came back down the hill we had a potluck lunch. Then the kids headed to the park to wait for the Easter bunny to show! That night a fire and smores and lots of visiting and relaxing. I love carrying on traditions even though most of the family is older and having their own families. It was great to see some of my cousins that I haven't seen in such a long time. They all have beautiful children that I haven't even met! Sunday and Monday we had a good time with Janson and Brooke. Love getting to know everyone better and also talking with Brooke who is getting so excited to hold her little Cooper! We stayed until Tuesday and then had to head back to Denver. All in all it was a good trip except for my crazy emotions going all over the place. I'm sure my family thinks I'm psychotic!! It is just hard to keep sleep schedules when there is not one quiet place in the house. We had a great time though and were sad to leave once again but were also very anxious to get home.

Lij cooking with Gma :)

My mom will get a laugh out of this...back story-my dad had a blood clot back in January and he still had Edema problems. So this is a picture of his swollen leg. Not the greatest but when my sister had my camera my dad stopped her and told her to take a picture of his leg. He was teasing but she did it anyway! LOVE my silly Dad!!

Finding a treasure...

SEE!!

Home at 8 months

2011-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

We made it home! And then Genesee turned 8 months old! so here are a few pictures of her. Okay a lot of pictures of her.

At 8 months:

super close to crawling

can go from sitting to her stomach

still nursing but starting to get distracted easily

eats everything(including things she shouldn't)

says Dada(has been for a while now)

growls at you when you growl(has been doing this for a while now too)

has a deafening scream that she uses whenever she wants

hates her bows with a fiery passion

loves her momma but will take to dad just as easy

still laughs at her brother all the time

hates when her brother wrestles her though

plays mostly with trains or trucks but...

LOVES stuffed animals

LOVES her blankets

does not like to be left alone even for a second

becoming a pretty good sleeper but still wakes at least once a night

takes two naps a day

wears mostly 12 month clothes but some are still too big

starting to look more and more like Lij did at this age...but so girly

We love this little cutie face and all personality. She is so fun and getting so much more feisty as she gets older. I love to see the differences between her and Lij. He came programmed as a boy and her as a girl. They both love everything but lean more toward the gender specific toys everyday. Lij loves her as much as anyone else and he protects her a little too much sometimes! None the less though she still adores him and I really hope she continues to do so.

I LOVE this picture so much! She does take after me...hates picture time!

Sees someone walking in...dad...and she gave him the biggest smile

And for good measure...Lij playing in the water...Love this face!

Idaho Trip...really late :)

2011-06-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

We headed to Utah on Wednesday night after work. It was a quick drive. Since we left so late both of the kids slept most of the way. Dillon is a trooper and pushed through and we made it into Sandy at 2. We stayed with Cheree and her family. So grateful for them allowing us to come into their home so late and crash on them for a couple of days. Thursday afternoon we headed over to Jungle Jim's. It is a little indoor amusement park. Dillon and I had both wanted to make a fun day for Lij since he had the hardest time through tax season. What can I say...the kid LOVES his dad and missed him lots! I really think Lij had a BLAST. Plus both of his cousins, Samantha and Jackson, were there so he had some friends to play with.

Lij on the airplanes! LOVED IT!!

Wouldn't get off the planes...and this was the type of smile I got from him the whole time

This is the one that spins you around in circles really fast...and you end up squishing the person on the out side. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it.

Spinning bowls. He just sat and smiled at Samantha the whole time.

Samantha=cute smile...Lij=solemn face smile

SWINGS!!

Jeeps

He wanted another go of it.

Dad and sis enjoying some time together

Checking on Lij...this gym was hard to get around in

Two cute cousins...Samantha and Jackson

Choo choo!!

Lij saying CHOO CHOO!

We had a good time with the Dawson family. We were sad to leave!! We just cannot wait until July so we can see them again along with the other Kotter siblings!!

The day after

2011-05-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great day Saturday the 16th!! That is April the 16th. I know, technically taxes weren't due til Monday but we celebrated the day that should have been the day after. Dillon of course had to work that morning but at 11 he met us to go to Lij's first movie in the theater(no pics sorry!). We went and saw "Rio". It was so cute...It took Lij some time to warm up to his surroundings but by the end he was loving the whole experience. Nothing like theater popcorn, a drink and treat!! After, we grabbed some lunch and then headed home to hopefully let Genesee get a little nap in. After nap time we headed to the park to fly a kite and play. Lij loved the kite so much he forgot about the playground. There was a baseball diamond right next to us so of course we went and "admired" the area and played catch a little. We also played Lij's rendition of baseball...Dillon and I are the players, Lij holds a glove while he wathces the two of us play. It was a lot of fun though.

Learning the ropes of kite flying

Holding it all by himself

Daddy son time

Sissy in the stroller watching the kite

My cute family

A rare shot of us together

Excited about the kite being pulled in

Mommy and Sis

After the park we went out to Outback Steakhouse. It was BUSY seeing as how it was Douglas HS Prom that night. So we took a buzzer and walked over to PetSmart to look at the animals. Well an hour later we finally sat down. That is when it got interesting...Lij was starving and tired(skipped his nap) and Genesee was starving and tired. We hurried as quick as we could but altogether dinner took at least 1 1/2 hours. We got home as quick as possible and put the kiddos to bed. The rest of the night we just relaxed and did NOTHING! It was great to having family time with no interruptions or feeling guilty about work.

This is old but I'm leaving it!

2011-05-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Life is good...and about to get even better! Tax season over in T minus 3 day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know too many exclamations but this is seriously how excited we all are here...anyway lets do some pictures with updates...

Marker fingers

Close-up

Cheese... he was helping me do the meal plan

Listening for the train

I'm not sure...but isn't he handsome?!

Loves MILK!

Oh no!

Such a silly guy

Sharing a sippy of juice

Laughing because Genesee was looking at him...he thinks she is silly too!

Loves her Minnie

Cute laughing face

She is smiling at Lij

and again

My little dolly

7 Months old!!

I sunburnt my baby!

Another sun burn shot...she was quite serious!

Love these two little characters!! Although we have some rough times, I would never trade a moment with them. They are my light and my life.

Nothing like doing nothing...

2011-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

To make you feel like NOTHING. -James T. Hill

This quote(by my dad :) ) is the the story of my life these days. Lately I have had no energy or motivation to do anything AT ALL! I just sit around and, like normal, I feel sorry for myself and the kids that...its cold outside, someone is sick, someone is teething, I put my back out again by picking up a bin of clothes, Dillon can NEVER be home(soon to change), I didn't get enough sleep, there is just TOO much to do...and so on!

And then yesterday I got up after sleeping like crap and I decided today will be different...So off I went. I got out of bed happily, mind you, and went downstairs to start a better day than the day before. I worked my butt off and once I got started I couldn't stop. I started with the living room because that is just clutter and the easiest to deal with. But then, me not being able to focus when I'm cleaning, I slowly made my way to the kitchen that was DISGUSTING! I have always hated cleaning kitchens...I don't know why because it is really not that bad but I just have HATED it! So I did the dishes which led to wiping down all the counters and stove. In the meantime my washing machine is being noisy trying to wash all the clothes that I have been putting off for way too long. Then I went upstairs and started on the kids room, but since I needed my laudry basket for laundry, first I had to put clothes away in my room. Back to the kids room to put more clothes away, because that is the worst part about laundry for me. Went back downstairs to get Lij some lunch to find him sitting nicely and playing with some kitchen utensils. Got him food and then tried for naps...Well Miss Genesee decided it was time for some serious play and she was relentless. I almost had Lij asleep(I typically sing Primary songs til he zonks) when she peeked over the bumper in her crib and started squealing at us. We all started laughing so hard!! What a cute little stink pot she is. I gave up on my efforts and decided to let them fend for themselves. About 45 minutes later she started screaming which always means she is minutes away from a peaceful sleep and sure enough about 2 minutes later she was out cold! But that left my poor little man wide awake and ready to go. I made him stay in his room for 1 1/2 hours for quiet time and then he was a free bird. Plus that was my time to sit down for a few and do what I WANTED to do(instead I played on the iPhone). Once Lij got up we came back downstairs and put the dishes away out of the dishwasher and started on dinner...which took me forever to get done but it was yummy! Nothing like hot potato soup on a cold drizzly day! After dinner was done and somewhat cleaned up...I CUT Lij's hair. He was in need and I can't wait for when Dillon could be home to help keep him busy. So away I buzzed and got it done. I'm still learning so it doesn't look awesome but better than the little rag muffin we had before. Baths for both kids and then an early bed time because of no nap for Lij. So we read stories, read scriptures, said prayers and sang songs. I fed Genesee as I always do at night and I think she is officially trying to wean herself! SO SAD!! But I will what I have to to have a healthy happy baby. They were finally down(Lij asleep and of course little miss independent was awake and screaming) but an hour later she went to sleep. So now it is a little after 8 and I still have a few hours before Dillon comes home. I fold laundry, officially clean up dinner, finish de-cluttering the living room and then sit down to go through my mountain of papers that have been gradually accumulating on the kitchen table. Well at this point I am exhausted and really losing my drive...so I get the laundry folded but the papers will wait til tomorrow so I zone out to "Another Cinderella Story" on disney channel until I realize I still haven't bought the tickets for Time Out!! So I jump on the computer at 11:30 purchase the tickets and then realize they are being sent to my last apartment in Rexburg...PANIC!! What was I thinking doing this so late in the first place? So I finally lay down to bed at 12 am and can't fall asleep because I'm so worried about the tickets...Just so you know the crisis was averted and the nice lady over ticketing fixed it for me!

What a day huh!?!? Okay so maybe this is normal for you but for me this was AMAZING!! I felt so awesome(minus the being exhausted) and productive. Then today I got up and did it all over again. This time I didn't have as much to do but going through the stack of papers is chore enough!

So my new goal, yes another one, is to do this everyday and just plug away so that the nights are open and then my weekends are open. Then when Dillon is actually home we don't have to worry about all the silly things that I should have done throughout the week and we can just go enjoy our family!

No more doing nothing to end up feeling like nothing!!

Just more...

2011-03-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

PICTURES!!

Having fun with daddy...yes sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag

All tuckered out at the end of a long and fun Sunday...he fell asleep at 6 and didn't wake up until 8...It was GLORIOUS!!

She ADORES him

A cute shot of Lij

A cute shot of Genesee...and Lij is trying to not smile

Going for a walk this past Sunday...Love CO for the warm weather...Lij may look cold but he just insists on wearing his hood everywhere we go

Love her...this was the first official day she started sitting by herself(Mar 23)

Looking for her brother that is coming down the stairs...because like I said she ADORES him

And this is how my pictures usually turn out...Genesee looking at Lij and Lij crying or pulling a grumpy face

This is what I find all the time now when going to get her up from nap...She peeks over the bumper to her brothers bed

I know blurry hand but isn't she stinkin cute??

The best I could get of Lij

Little cutie face

Teething off and on is no fun...but this shoe works wonders!

A yawn shot because they are my favorite!

And yes I have more pictures but either my computer is slow or my Internet is too slow...which it is probably a combination of both. I will post a wordy blog later when the kids are sleeping, but until then enjoy some pictures...

And yes mom I am getting my payback...Lij HATES his picture taken! And Genesee has recently become too INDEPENDENT to want to be cuddled...sad day!! But that is what I get for doing it to you...LOVE YOU!

That is why...

2011-03-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

...I never go out to public places with Elijah!(unless it is a grocery store where I can lock him in a cart)
Ready for a long story...well don't read it if you don't want to but here we go...

So today I met up with some friends at McDonalds to have some lunch and let the kids play at the playplace. Everything was going great. Lij of course was being aggressive here and there but that is pretty typical for him. (Explanation: Lij has always been a big kid, literally from day one he was BIG. I think that he has always felt his size compared to those around him and he uses this to his "advantage". There for a while he was easing up and not being so rough but more and more lately he has been getting more aggressive. Even in nursery he can get a little out of control. Usually he starts acting like this because there is someone else that instigates or that tags along once he starts.) Well that is what happened today. There was a little boy there that he got into it with. First it started that they mixed up their cars and were fighting over just one of them. Luckily they were the exact same so that situation was easily diffused. But that started it all...Lij then took it upon himself to bully the kid. Where ever this little boy was Lij seemed to find himself and it never ended pretty. At one point I guess Lij was hitting the little boy so the other boy bit him! Then the dad took it upon himself to discipline Lij. THIS IS NEVER OKAY WITH ME FOR A COMPLETE STRANGER TO DISCIPLINE MY CHILD. If I know you its one thing but this man decided he would just scold him for me. This is when I got steamed...I walked over, picked Lij up and told the man to never discipline my child. That made him mad! And yes looking at it now I could have handled it A LOT better, but in the heat of the moment I always lose my cool. The man told me I need to be watching my child, which I was the best I could considering at times he was inside the climbing gym.

Things cooled down for a bit and then we had another instance. Once again inside the climbing gym...this time, I think what happend is the little boy took his socks off(because Lij wouldn't have taken the socks off the little boy) and was sliding down the slide with them when they hit Lij who was in front of him. Lij, Being himself, grabbed the socks and threw them on the floor. The little boy was upset and came down crying. Enter the dad walking in and turning to me telling me to watch my kid! What the crap!! How could I have stopped that situation? I said some not so nice things, probably embarrasing my friends horribly, and tried to leave it at that. Nothing else major happened.

Now for my justifying part...Lij usually doesn't do anything unless he is pushed, prodded, bugged etc. So I really think this little boy was also doing things to Lij just not as obvious or big. This situation just reinforces the feeling I have that no one wants to be around Lij because he is SO aggressive. Everyone probably thinks he is a huge brat and mean little kid when in all reality he is NOT!! He is a good little boy he is just a BOY full force. So now I feel like I need to not take Lij anywhere like this again. Which I probably won't for a really long time. I'm good with outside parks because typically he is really good at them. But indoor areas where I have less control are a no go for some time.
Then on the flip side I feel like a HORRIBLE parent. Like I am failing miserably and that anything I try just ends in defeat. Not going to lie...I burst into tears once I was by myself and having been crying here and there since. What should I do? Does anyone have any advice. I'm struggling with this so if you have something that is useful and NOT CRITICAL then please call, email or leave a message. I NEED help with this!!

A day late..but here!!

2011-03-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

5 months

Happy little girl

While visiting Gma and Gpa Hill...just lounging on the bed

My two cute kids

Eating snow off his boot...he loves it that much!

Crazy hair after playing in the snow

Wheelie!!

Cheese!

Lij's version of a snowman

The final product...CHEESE!

Group shot and the best I could get after too many attempts

Her first flower from daddy...Valentine's day

Playing on a warm Sunday

Choo choo

Lovin the choo choo

6 months old!

Can't believe how big she is getting

Cute little stink!

We love our kids!!

I Win!!

2011-03-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

That's right you heard it here...I won the battle of not ever making it to the temple. First full session in a whole YEAR! But I beat the adversary and made it. And let me tell the best choice I have made in a long time. It is amazing how much I had forgotten and I almost got lost in the temple. So thankful for the ladies that guide you through the place. My goal is to make it once by myself and once with Dillon every month!

I love to see the Temple!

Seriously Searching

2011-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Warning...This post is going to be all words and not necessarily the thing you want to read. Up to you though. I'm just letting you all in on a little of what I have been thinking and feeling lately.

Dillon and I have been talking a lot lately. Mostly just trying to figure out our lives and why we feel so much choas and stress everyday. It all started, at least for me, a year ago. Everything was happening so fast but for the good. I was pregnant but finally starting to feel like myself again, it was the middle of tax season(kind of bad but always good to be getting though another one), and we were buying a home and moving out of the so called "hole" of an apartment(my personal feelings about Gordon's apartments in Denver is...they were old and mice infested and reeked of cigarette smoke, but the area and circumstances taught Dillon and I a lot about ourselves, it was cheap!!! the area was awesome...so many parks and then the ward...well lets just say I MISS IT more than most things!!). People thought we were crazy to go back to that place after the internship but it was a huge blessing in disguise and if I had it to do again I would not change one little thing!

So we moved and all was good. I was excited to be moving on and "growing up" doing all the things that classify you as an adult. :) I was so excited for a new area, new ward and new possibilities. Well slowly but surely I started to feel a "hole". Something missing. I would try everything from getting out more, being more involved in the community and ward, shopping(buying things that we needed and things we didn't)...but all in all I just kept SEARCHING. I of course never realized this at the time, but looking back I recognize it. Life was good just not complete. I was really hoping that when our sweet little Genesee arrived everything would be fixed, but it stayed the same. Genesee came and she fit so perfectly into our lives that nothing really changed once she was here. Don't get me wrong we had a 4 month transition time and that was rough, but her being here with us didn't fix the search. Although she did help because now I have another bright little shiny spirit to lift my dark days.

I have been so self absorbed lately. All I ever worry about is if things are going to work out for me or my kids. I don't worry about people around me and the chaos in the world. Which is a good thing to an extent. No gossiping or being in people's business all the time is always a good thing. But lets be honest I NEED some adult social interaction. It is DANG hard finding a true friend anymore and then when I do I am too lazy to hang on to them. Then I sit and complain and cry to Dillon that no one likes me and I'm a social outcast when in all reality it is my fault.

I'm having a struggle with my ward here(and sorry if anyone from my ward reads this...which I don't think anyone does)because it is just such an established ward that everyone is already friends with eachother. Or else everyone is from here or the area so they have long time friends or family. It's hard to break through connections like that. And even harder just to feel a sincere connection with people.

I remember talks with my mom all the time about how sad life would be without the Gosple in our lives. Seeing people without it and watching them SEARCHING without them even knowing what they are searching for breaks my heart. And then the other day a light came on and the spirit said to me..."Isn't that what you are doing?" It hit like a ton of bricks...literally I felt so heavy, not from a dark presence but because of my guilt! That is exactly what I'm doing...I am searching for something more when all along I have it right in front of my face. The GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. The answer to all and any SEARCHING!!

Dillon and I took a drive last Sunday to go pick up our good friend Alvin McGee. We met him when we moved back after the internship. The missionaries asked us to take an investigator to church. We agreed to and then we took him every Sunday until we moved to Castle Rock. Alvin decided to be baptized and then he got the priesthood. Now he is preparing to go through the temple for the first time. I felt on fire and so estatic! When he mentioned this it gave me that feeling back that I had when we lived in Denver. I want to describe it as the passion for the gospel. What a AWESOME choice on his part and what an example to me. I felt like we were back in the mission field and that we really had a good influence on him. I know that Castle Rock is still technically the mission field but not nearly as much as Denver is. I really MISS it up there
and the feeling of being needed so much!

and then...Dillon came to me one morning right before he left for work and said, "I think I know what is one of our problems. We take life too SERIOUS." I sat and thought about that all day. In reality I had thought that a lot before he brought it up, but it hit home much more once he said it. I am way too SERIOUS in almost every aspect of life. If I would relax I could have a much better relationship with my kids, my husband and my Heavenly Father. I depend on myself to do everything because everything is just to serious or important to let someone else have any control.

So this is what I'm deciding to do about my SERIOUS SEARCHING. I am going to make friends outside of church which will be huge for me. I am seriously a shut in, but I'm going to do it. I'm going to do better about the friends that I do have and try to re-connect with them. I am going to find service because I know service is one way to get that happiness that I'm searching for. I am going to study my scriptures everyday even if it is just a verse or two because that is better than nothing. I am going to have more sincere prayer. I am going to teach my children the gospel through my actions, words and just simply my example. Biggest thing of all, I'm going to give control to the Lord! All in all I am going to live the Gospel the fullest that I know how even if it makes me look like a "weirdo" to everyone around me and that much harder to make friends.

I have been studying the New Testament and Christ was an outcast and I love him for that. I want to be like him. Live my life so fully in the Gospel that I am so happy and I don't care what other people think because I know what is right and true. I also want to do this without being self-righteous. I want to "be IN the world but not OF the world". I want to be different because I feel like I never really have been. Things are going to change around here and for the better. My blog is going to change and will let everyone know that comes across it what we believe and that we live by what we believe.

This may be a silly post to you but to me it finally gets out all of the things that I have been feeling and thinking for over a year now! I probably need to break out my journal and write in there instead but now I have someone to hold me to what I have said I am going to do. Dillon and I tease that we live our lives by guilt...so even if you don't care what I do, I will think you do and I will constantly try to do better.

Now if you have made it this far then I am proud of you. You read my whole rant and didn't fall asleep or give up. I just want you to know that if you stay tuned I will have a whole bunch of pictures up tonight(if the computer lets me). Seeing as how I am a tax widow I have all the nights wide open. So hopefully, although I have said this before, I will be able to post more often.

Love you all!!

Christmas!!

2011-01-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Our Little Tree...but it was real!!

First coming down to see the "loot"

Genesee's new play mat

The biggest hit of the morning...Buzz lightyear

Buzz had to eat with us...I made Quiche...it was yummy!!

Flashlight with a fierce face

Watching "choo choo"...Polar Express

Family shot with the kids watching the movie

I love these three!!

Tis the Season!

2010-12-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know...you all thought we had suddenly disappeared because here my blog is untouched for weeks again. Well I'm happy to say we are all here and doing better and better each day. A lot has been happening around here but unfortunately not things to really blog about. Life is just busy as is normal from what I keep hearing.

Day by day we are settling into our new life with little Genesee. Things have been rough but then what can I expect from a 3 month old and now having TWO kids. It's still so crazy to me that we are parents to not one but to two cute little people. Genesee is a GOOD baby. I just completely forgot how demanding newborns can be. And then Lij has been really thrown off with not having all of my attention focused on him. He is doing better and better each day too. I can start to say now that he really loves Genesee and cares for her as much as Dillon and I do. He talks to her, plays with her and entertains her all the time. I'm starting to realize he likes to have a new little audience that watches every move he makes. And that she does. Genesee adores her big brother. Coos and talks to him way more than she ever does with me. She will notice him in the room and she will watch him until he looks at her and then she just smiles at him. It is AMAZING to watch them bond together and get to know each other. I hope that as they get bigger they will stay close and become great friends. I'm not naive and I know there will be periods when they despise each other but I hope in the end they will be best friends.

So Lij is 2 now! Crazy!! He is more full of it than I know what to do with. As smart as a whip but won't speak a word to you. He knows what everything is he just prefers not to speak. My mom keeps warning me he will be like my dad...not speak a word til he is 3 and then never shut off. I hope he starts talking soon. Then hopefully it will relieve some of the frustration between the two of us when we can't communicate. Lij still loves sports but we have noticed he is starting to really like trains, PLANES and cars/trucks more and more. Just a week ago he was making a noise and running all over the house with his hands/arms flying all over. I asked him what he was doing and he pointed to the plane in his book and then started flying around. Smart little man...we have never shown him how do to that. Now Lij and Dillon fly around our house frequently. LOVE IT!! Lij is still a big boy...He was 33LBS, 36in at his 2 year check up. But he is starting to slow down in the growth area. Now just to get him to talk so people won't think he is a 4 year old not talking. He may be a hand full but he is a sweetheart and can be so gentle. Nothing is better than when he gives kisses or hugs. But I like it best when Dillon gets home he will say "Dad" and then run up to him and hug his leg. The sweetest!

Genesee is getting bigger and more interactive everyday! I am amazed to realize how much they change from day to day. She is quite the vocal little thing and will let you know when she has something on her mind. Although she really isn't a cry baby she just demands that things happen once she needs things. Which is great because with two kids things tend to slip my mind way faster than they should. We love this little person that Heavenly Father has entrusted us with. Genesee is trying to roll over. In fact I almost missed it when I had to run downstairs. She was on the floor trying to reach her binky. Luckily for me she rocked back to her back before she rolled to her stomach. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 12LBS and was 23in, I think. I was sick so daddy had to take her and Lij in. Just recently she started to suck and bite on everything! What a drooly little girl, but we love her none the less.

I am up to nothing. Which is kind of nice because I am busy with the two little ones. I having recently started watching Ghost Whisperer and I'm not going to lie...I'm a little addicted. I'm blonde again!! I know I swore I would never go blonde again but I needed a change and cutting it all off was just too risky. So my friend made me blonde. It was a shock at first but I am getting use to it and I'm loving it more and more. Now just to find time and somewhere to go so that I actually do my hair. I hope that next time I do an update I can say that I have done something amazing or I will even settle for just something. But then I guess being a mom is my full time job and what defines me right now and I LOVE that!

Dillon is a busy guy. Work, Scouts, CPA and then family and not neccessarily in that order. Work is work and they are nice and slow right now! Which I benefit from because that means my husband is home a little after 5 everyday. LOVE IT!! Dillon is loving scouts. This calling was made for him. He feels needed and fulfilled everytime he comes home. Plus the boys are enjoying having a leader that will actually do some fun activities. Then there is the CPA and I am happy to say Dillon found out this morning that he PASSED his final test. He didn't just pass it he killed it with a 97%!!! If anyone that works with Dillon is reading this, please don't say anything to anyone. He doesn't want to say anything unless someone asks. Now he will start his masters program in May or June. Two more years and we are done!!

Well that is it for now. We are loving everyday of our busy lives. Getting ready for Christmas and all of the holiday fun. Hopefully I can keep up with the posting if I do something like this everytime or just get it posted as soon as it happens, but I can't guarantee that now can I.

Scroll down a little farther and you can see some pictures of recent life. Not too many of course but a few to break the boredom of what you just read!

Just pictures...again!

2010-12-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

1 month 2 months 3 months

Kotter Grandkids...what a crowd and what a challenge to get a picture...this is the best i got out of like 30

Big CHEESE! and little miss serious

I love this one of her...all grins! I think he was yelling at me to stop

The Girls...Kelsey, Me and Whitney

The family

All bundled up!

This tree was AMAZING!

After Botanic Gardens with her hat still on...so cute!

The best picture I can get of him lately...this is him saying "no"

Ward Santa...suprised he even thought about sitting on his lap let alone staying for pictures

For Mom...

2010-11-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

I need to catch up and keep caught up but it is much HARDER with two kids. So this post is just to put some pictures up for my mom that is having Kotter kid withdrawls...So here they are...

2 months old today

"cheese"

yeah i know what it looks like

his second love...candy...of course nothing trumps sports

sneak peek at Lij's 2nd birthday

family pumpkin pic

my little ballerina

my big tough "foobawl" player

My 3 most favorite people

playing outside just before bed

I think so too...

2010-10-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

I just stole these pictures from a friend that posted them on her blog(thanks Whit). Her title is "To Cute" and yes I think so too...Can you believe Genesee is already 1 month old!! We just love her more and more and Lij is really becoming the best big brother. Day by day I can tell that he really loves her and is super protective. Being a mom is the best!

i love this collage because it really shows that these two are all BOY...but we wouldn't have it any other way. Playing in our backyard that will someday have more grass and landscaping rather than dirt and a piles of pulled out willows. I love these two little guys!

Well...

2010-09-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Genesee Alene Kotter

born September 02, 2010 at 9:08pm

7lbs 1.5oz 20 inches.

...THE STORY...

We(me and Dillon)decided to induce labor at 4pm. Lij woke up from his nap and I(Bree)packed up and headed north to where Dillon works and the Briggs family lives. Jace and Whitney offered their babysitting services and we took advantage. A few tears were shed as we left our little boy for the first overnighter. But from the sounds of it Lij and Jaxton had a great first sleepover. Thank You!!

Arrived at the hospital right at 4 and of course I am getting more and more nervous. You just never know how things will go. Got all checked in, IV in and monitors running. Nurse examined me and I was still at a 4 and same effaced. Dang it!!! Pretty much for the first hour we just chilled and did a whole lot of waiting. The nurse came back in and said we were going to start Pitocin. It was just after 5 and it finally felt like things were getting started. This is when I consider active labor started. I guess I was contracting when I arrived but I had no idea. So the Pit is in and now things are starting to ramp up. Once I got to a 4 on Pit my contractions were about 2 minutes apart. This got me dilating finally. I went from a 4 to a 7 in about 2 1/2 hours. Which I guess is pretty normal. When I was about to a 6 Genesee started to not like the Pit so I had to lay on my side. This seemed to do the trick for awhile.

So at 7:30 my doctor came in and broke my water. Up to that point the contractions weren't that bad. I could definitely feel them and had to work through them but nothing unbearable. Once my water broke though it took about 15 minutes and I was done. Bring on the epidural!! For some reason at this point I got really nervous and started crying. Granted sitting there I had to get through the contractions and labor shakes all by myself. Because of course Dillon was ordered to sit down so there was no chance of him passing out. Although he had no problem I guess a lot of people pass out and have severe problems from hitting the floor. Most actually miss the birth because they are being taken care of themselves. Didn't know that!! Back to the story...the anesthesiologist was really great! He was quick and knew what he was doing. Although he did have to stick me twice(the first was was in the wrong spot).

Epidural is in and I'm feeling good. Now I can actually enjoy the process. Of course Genesee really didn't like the new changes(like no water cushioning her)and so I had to switch sides a few times. We found out that laying on my left side worked the best(just like Lij). So of course the epidural started to leave my right side(just like Lij). The anesthesiologist was called back in and he shot me up with a ton of medicine. I was so numb I literally could not feel a thing from my waist down. Not even pressure on my legs. Just before he gave me all the medicine I did feel a ton of pressure all of a sudden on my bottom. I didn't think much of it. Also with all the side switching the nurse decided to try oxygen. I cried this time too. I HATE oxygen. I really don't know why but it made me sad to be on it with her. But she needed it and that's all that mattered to me in the end.

The nurse came back in about 5 minutes after the anesthesiologist left and I told her I felt pressure. She said, "Good! That's what we like to hear." She checked me and said, "Okay...I have a baby's head! Get the doctor, this baby is coming now." HOLY COW!! I wasn't expecting the process to go this quick. My doctor came in a little before 9. I started pushing at 9. I think I pushed 5 or 6 times and I heard her cry. I pushed one more time and Genesee was here!!

The nurses wiped her off quick and handed her to me. The BEST feeling EVER!! I never got to experience that with Lij so this was a new euphoria that I had never felt. First few thoughts...SHE IS BEAUTIFUL, I LOVE HER SO MUCH and SHE REALLY IS A GIRL!(Inside I had been worried that the ultrasound tech had been wrong and that we were really having a boy. good too but I was all ready for a girl). It was so nice to have her room in with me and Dillon. It felt like she was ours and it was so natural. This experience was AMAZING!

We left the hospital on Friday night. Just 24 hours after Genesee was born. I couldn't wait to be at home and get the transitioning started. So she is finally here and we are enjoying the changes that have come with Genesee in our family.

Here she comes...

2010-09-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well the day is finally here. Genesee decided to be stubborn and hold out through tons of false labor. Now we are going to be induced at 4. I have made some progress since last week. Tuesday I was about 80% effaced and 4cm dilated. My doctor thought I would go into labor that night. I thought I was, but all contractions and labor signs stopped at about 8:30pm. So here we are.

I am so excited the time has finally arrived, but I am getting a little nervous. I think that no matter what I would be nervous and have lots of anxiety so at least this is a little bit planned. Lij will be staying with Jace and Whitney(some good friends with a little boy,Jaxton, Lij's age) and that helps a ton to know he will be well taken care of. Now just to make sure he doesn't kill Jaxton during his stay. Its a love hate relationship between those two.

Wish us luck and your prayers are always welcomed and appreciated. I know nothing crazy will happen but it always helps to have that extra support for comfort and peace.

Also thanks for the camera offers...we gave in and bought one. We wanted to take time to find one but instead we got an opinion from my brother and got a pretty sweet camera. Just a step down from an SLR but a little more intense than a point and shoot. So far we really like it...now just to take some pictures of a cute little baby to see if we are sold!

Quick catch up before madness happens...

2010-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

So we are almost there with little miss Genesee and I couldn't be more anxious! I have a lot of posts that I want to do but I am going to just put it all into one. Mostly just pictures and a few stories here and there. So here we go...
To all those who hate long posts with lots of pictures...this post is not for you...

We took a shelving unit down and this is what he found to do with the holes in the wall

Getting ready for Genesee...Lij found his new place to sit...luckily this is just a spare that we have around

Camping trip over Memorial weekend

Dad's "big" helper...he loved to help with whatever Dillon was up to

Camping+Fire=SMORES...his new found love

Family shot...yes with the "Flannigans"(hill family tradition)

You know his hair is too long when he asks for me to put the clip in and it actually has something to hold on to

Lij found our Halloween box and pulled these beauts out

GRRR...

Watching Mickey with his friend...he set this up all himself...when he would look over to the teddy bear he would just giggle and then chatter away at it for a few minutes

such a goof ball...he honestly thinks this is a hat and every time its out he wants to put it on

A car show a while back...admiring all the hard work

I think this is a 69 charger...but this is the color that someday we hope to paint our poo brown charger that is still sitting in my parents yard...someday when our lives slow down and we have some extra moolah(thick sarcasm)

I told him to say cheese and this is what I got

We were able to make it to TWO of the Rockies vs Boston games back in June. Unfortunately our camera broke a couple days before...this is the best shot I got from the first game. We went Tuesday night with Bart(Dillon's brother) and then we went again Wednesday night with Heidi(my sister) and her family. It was a ton of fun even though Boston lost both. Dillon and I were a little torn on who to root for but deep inside I think we were both going for the Rockies...they are our team now...although we will always call Boston our team too.

We went swimming at the local pool but this is what you get when there is a playground full of kids next door.

Common face with attitude these days...got to love those 2 year old molars

Check out the curls...this was the official straw for us...so I braved the clippers and got to work...here is feeling the guide so he knows it won't hurt him

and again the curls and feeling the guard...he wasn't quite sure what to think at first

and although he looks really upset here he was actually kind of liking it...he sat really still and just let me get it down...I just took him down to an inch all over since I had no idea how he would react

after the bath and saying "eeze"

grr...quite the attitude

Lij's first bowling experience...

he didn't push it quite hard enough so the lady had to go get it so he could try again...

she brought us a ramp and that made it a ton easier and Lij loved pushing it down...

but he loved waiting for the balls to come back the very most...it is amazing he never actually got him or hurt

And the grand finale...Here I am at 37 weeks. Not the best shot but its what I got by myself...and now our camera is officially broken so we are probably going to have to by a disposable for Genesee's arrival...DANG IT!!Not ideal but you do what you have to do.

And if you are reading this far down...GOOD JOB! It wasn't too wordy but a lot of pictures.

Genesee is due in a week and a half!! Good news for me is that we are making some progress...I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Also we are probably going to schedule to be induced on Sept 2. That way I can have peace of mind that she won't be late and also so I can relax. We are still not positive this is what we will do but what we are leaning toward. I will keep you all updated as things happen and we officially decide what to do. Just pray that she will come on her own and we don't have to induce.

2010-08-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

How Can I Be?

Check this out...its pretty good! Kind of a fun little tune...Plus Lij loves it and sits and dances to it when it is playing

Did you say you were having twins?

2010-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yes this is the question posed to my on the start of my eighth month...needless to say I was horribly rocked to the core and couldn't stand to look at this person the rest of the night. So I spent my Saturday night upstairs alone while Dillon, Lij and a "friend" watched movies downstairs! I don't hate this person...anymore...just couldn't handle to be in the same room as him/her anymore.

Note to anyone reading this blog...NEVER and I mean NEVER ask someone if they are having twins when you know full well they are not. Its never funny!!

The meaning of this post is to celebrate making it to the 8th month without any huge hang ups!! YAHOO...two more to go!!

Here is the only picture I would let Dillon take so sorry for the poor quality and angle...I kind of pushed him away mid picture.

Lets Celebrate!

2010-06-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

The end of tax season is a means for celebration in our house. Yahoo I'm not a tax widow anymore!! So what do we do to celebrate? Well we wisk ourselves off to Idaho and Utah for a much needed family visit. I guess "wisk" really isn't the term. 10 hours of driving is not "wisking" its just driving for forever! And to my pleasure I got to do it by myself. Well we caravan-ed but Dillon was 4 hours behind me. The trip went well. Lij didn't sleep much at all but he only cried when he dropped his beloved Tiger on the ground. By dropped I mean threw.

This is how he took his nap...yes it was hot, but every time I tried to move it he would stir and put it back

We went to Samaria first. My dad just turned 70 and we had a "Hill"billy shindig for him. It was a ton of fun! All dressed up and even had the fixins to go along. Look how silly we all are! And yes we all voted that Braun won whatever prize or competition there might have been...best part is that he already had every piece of clothing in his closet. Gotta love the goof ball!

My little family...I honestly dont know what happened to the pictures of me...kind of sad

Ma & Pa

Braun & Jackie

My 70 year old "Hill"billy dad

While in Samaria we spent most if not all our days outside. Lij's preference but also a have to when he can open all the doors and escape down to the pond. He loved the canoe and go karts! Lij went under water TWICE! He stumbled and fell forward the first time. Scared him but recovered quickly...the second not so smooth. He fell backward...that is a terrifying sight! I won't paint a visual. He still recovered pretty quick but was a lot more hesitant on standing by himself. We took the canoe out once to St. John reservoir for some fishing and boating around. The biggest hit was throwing rocks in the water. Dillon jumped in and mad Lij cry balistically! Holy cow...loves his daddy!

Go kart #1...Boston and Lij

Go kart #2...no motor or anything just the bones but it doesn't matter as long as someone pushes him

Me and Lij in the canoe

Mom Hill and Dill just rowing away

on the pond in the willows

Next we moved our way on down to Utah. We went to Brigham and spent a day there. It was nice to be inside because of the rain...we got a chance to have a good visit. Lij experienced a trampoline for the first time and let me say he loved it!

Then we headed even more south to West Jordan and Sandy. We spent a few hours with Bart and then went to the Dawson's for dinner. This is where we stayed the majority of our time in Utah. We had a blast! We went to the Aquarium, Samantha's soccer practice which means the park, had some good food, played some games and lots of visiting. What more can you ask for? It was nice to stay with the Dawson family and catch up with them. We even had a chance to help out in Primary. Lij took a shot at nursery for his first time but it only lasted 15 minutes before he was in body shaking sobs.(more of the nursery stories to come)

sting rays our favorite...lij even touched them

penguins our second favorite...but we could have stayed there all day

swinging

dad and lij

loving the wagon...Samantha, Lij and Jackson

Sunday night we headed back up north to Grandma and Grandpa Kotter's. Good company, good food and games are all ways a given when we are at their home. Monday morning we headed home. Started our journey at 4 am just the way Dillon likes it. Makes it nice when you get home around 2 in the afternoon. All in all it was a great trip and a well needed break. Probably won't be back until Thanksgiving so it was even better that we had almost a week and a half to spend.

Once we were finally home, we were welcomed by these...

My tulips...I was so worried they would bloom the day after we left and be gone by time we got back

Its here...

2010-06-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well the post about our new home anyway...

We bought it back it March and yes I am now just posting about it...Really it is just going to be pictures. Hopefully I can collect myself so that I can do before and afters of all the changes we WILL be making.

This is it and yes we want to change the colors...but being a duplex we don't know what direction to go

Front steps...and yes this was taken a month or so before all the others

Living room...wall color to change SOON! And oddly not one piece of this funiture is still in there

Stairs going...upstairs...

And then on your left you have Elijah and Genesee's room...looks different too with twin bed and girl bedding on the crib

The Master...once a very bright blue...so if you take another picture this size and stick on the right that is just about the size...

then the main bathroom

Go back downstairs and this is the kitchen...has eat-in-space where I was standing to take the picture

Sunroom...the one reason I didn't even want to look at this place...but also almost my favorite room of the house...the kitchen still has it beat. Yes it is just off the kitchen and it leads to the backyard

Back view of the house...plus little Lij

The Backyard!!

This is our haven...well it will be once we replace the pussy willows with a huge garden and also put more grass in. We have 6 lilacs and a huge apple tree. Originally we were going to remove and give away 4 of the lilacs but now I think we are keeping all of them. Even though I am allergic to them. Come to find out they don't transplant that well and we can't bear to kill them. So lots of pruning and cutting back and they should look better and not scratch us everytime we walk by.

We have a basement but I have yet to take pictures. We also have a laundy room and a door off the laundry room that leads to the single car garage. So all in all I have only posted on part of the house, but if you want to see the rest I guess you will just have to come and visit. We have a spare bedroom and bed which is even better, so that was an invitation to all of you that are still reading my blog.

But really it is good to be in a town about the size of Pocatello, nice to have a place where we can actually stretch out and not touch the kitchen and bathroom at the same time, and great to have space of our own.

All I can say is that WE LOVE IT!!

I give up!!

2010-06-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

That's right, I give up! I'm feeling bogged down by all the back posts that are still not even started. So I have decided to only do a few to catch up. Today is not the day but I will post just a few pictures to appease those of you who have been waiting for something or really just anything.

sportin the new baseball hat

helping with the dishes

playing in the leaking faucet water after finger painting

row, row, row your boat

cheese! his newest smile

big potty little potty

thinking he is still the baby of the family(which he technically is for a few more months)

baby Genesee(thats right) and mom at 27weeks

blurry but a little better view of how big she is getting

mom and Lij just a quick shot with our newest toy in the back corner...a piano...niether of us play but it was free and an antique...what can you do

Hopefully soon I will have more on here...a couple fun trips and some long awaited pictures of our house! Also some everyday life of how things are around here these days.

I'm starting to feel more relieved every second...I forget how much I like to make posts...its just where to find the time!

A He or She? What are you thinking?

2010-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

So today was the big 20 week appointment which means full ultrasound...What do you think I'm growing in my belly...A boy or girl? Well I won't make you wait too long...but first here are a few shots of the little one.

cute little profile

little hand on the head

legs over the head...folded in half the whole time

should I take this picture off??? no really let me know

it's a GIRL!!!

That's right Baby #2 is officially a GIRL! To say we are excited is an understatement...We are estatic!! One of each. Don't get me wrong, we would have been estatic about a boy too but we were both internally hoping girl. She is measuring right on so September 4 it is. She is a mover and a shaker...very active and does not enjoy Lij sitting on my lap.
She was folded in half the whole time so the shots we got were because she gave in for a few minutes, luck that the ultrasound tech was as quick as her.
Now to arrange the kids room so it looks like a boy lives in there and a little girl is soon too also. Plus think of all the pink stuff to overload on...Thank you Heidi that we already have most of it if not all.

PS-hang in there and in a couple weeks there will be, hopefully, a post a day. That way I can catch all up and be back to posting when something fun happens or when we have something worthy of a post.

2+1=3, +1=

2010-02-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Pregnant!!

That's right! We are pregnant...and so excited. I am 11 weeks and
due September 4, 2010. Looking forward to having an August baby though
(wink, wink, hint, hint). I have been sick and worse this time than last but still really nothing to complain about. I never believed it when everyone
said every pregnancy is different but I believe it now. It all pays off in the end though!
Here is the first glimpses of Baby #2...

In case you need to know

2010-01-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

Just in case this happens to you and you are not computer savvy like me. If you push Ctrl-Alt-direction key of your picking, this changes the direction of your monitor image. It took me some time but I finally figured it out. In case you are wondering why I needed to know this...just know that Elijah is a clever little stink and amazes me everyday of his computer "knowledge". I'm learning more through him than I ever thought possible. Got to love it!

Discounted to almost free

2010-01-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

So I love a good deal...I always wanted a udder cover for when nursing Lij but never looked into them. Then we didn't nurse that long so we really didnt need it. Well I just got this promo code for $32 off which is the price of the cover. All you have to pay is shipping and handling. Of course they charge a ton for shipping but instead of paying a little over $40 you only pay $10. Not bad in my book...so for all those moms or future moms that would like a little privacy while nursing your child, I will share the love. Go to http://www.uddercovers.com/ pick your favorite cover(there are only 6) and when checking out enter thankyou in the promo code box. You can order anything off this website and it will just discount you $32. Let me know if it works...it may be a one time use thing but it didn't say that it was. Try it out and let me know. This isnt the one I ordered but thought about this one...i ordered the blue/ivory Jones.

Happy New Year and a quick update

2010-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well as you all know it is a new year and decade. A funny headline in the newspaper was..."Twins born in different decades" I thought that was clever. We have been so busy it just kind of snuck up on us. I haven't updated since just after Lij's first birthday. Since then alot has been going on.
We were able to make it back to Utah/Idaho for Thanksgiving. What a treat it was to see most all of our family and be able to actually spend a few days with each. The trip there was really snowy but Dillon is a trooper and made it through safe. The trip back was a breeze. Oh yeah except for the fact by doctor's orders we had to stay an extra day. Thats right, Elijah had croupe the night before we were to leave and he was bad enough we had to stay.
Once we were finally home we relaxed for a day and then met with a realtor!! Yeah we are finally on our way to being homeowners. Let me tell all of those who have not gone through the process...it is really not as fun as you first think it will be. We found the place we love right off the bat, but that being said I have spent a ton of time on the internet searching places that we would want to see. Now all we need to do is make an offer and get it accepted. Or lives have been consumed with house buying. All three of us can't wait until it is done and we all have a little more living space.
Dillon took his first of four CPA exams and passed it with a 90%. Wow he is so smart. Now he is on to the next test that he will take the end of February. Not to mention tax season is coming quickly upon us so he will be nice and busy for the next four months.
Elijah is 14 months and still growing so fast. He is quite the boy and all boy at that. Everything he does is 100%. He is trying out a few words here and there but mostly grunts. Still dancing all the time and now he can stomp his feet really fast. He usually does it when having a tantrum but he will do it for us if we laugh at him too. Lij is our little entertainer and will do things just to get a laugh or clap in his direction. He is so fun and interactive. We love to see him change day to day.
We stayed in Denver for Christmas this year. It was nice yet still a little lonely. A family in our ward invited us for Christmas breakfast and then we were able to join Clint and Rachel for Dinner. We had a great time! Lij loves their kids and they entertained each other for most of the night.
New Year's Eve we had some friends over, Stephen and Kelsie(sorry if I spelled your names wrong, I will learn) that moved down for an internship. He will actually be working the same place as Dillon just the Audit side. It was great to have friends over for the first time really. We ate some pizza, talked alot and the played Wacky Six then Killer Bunnies. It was great fun! So much fun in fact we almost missed the New Year. Well we kind of did anyway. Stephen just told us it was 12 and we all just made a little noise and kept playing. It was too intense of a game to break away. We split our ways and then Dillon and I crashed. It was great!
We have been trying to take it easy and finally relax through the holidays because now we are all back to the grind. For me it is doing everything that needs to be done to buy and move into this house and Dillon its work and study. Elijah its just the same old...keep mom on her toes, learn learn learn and in the meantime destroy anything that looks worth destroying. I will post pictures soon and keep the updates coming. I would like to post at least once a week but no promises until we have moved and are settled.
A late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We love you all and miss everyone just as much. We hope everything finds you well and things are constantly getting better. Because that is the way things are supposed to be!

How big is he?

2009-11-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Year old stats...

Weight: 30lbs...99%

Height: 33.5in...99%

Head: 19...92%

He is tall and weighs alot but he isn't fat. Luckily the height balances it all out. Our new doctor is really impressed with him. She said he is more at a 15 month level developmentally.That made me happy that he is ahead of the curve. Typical mom pride.

Lij is such a bright spot in our lives. He is learning so fast now. He can mimic some sounds and actions. We had him saying "uh oh" the other day. He will give kisses, roll his arms with patty cake, wave hi, puts his arms up for "ta da", folds arms when asked and still dances to music. He is still a great eater although the last few days he has been testing the waters to see what he can get away with. Lij is a teaser. He knows when he is pesting you or knows when he is not supposed to have something. Usually if he finds something that he is not supposed to have he will hide it behind his back and giggle as he walks away. He loves it when you chase him and sometimes he will get a little jog in his step before he crashes or we catch him. He has 8 front teeth(top and bottom) and now 4 molars just within the last week. Teething molars is a beast! I can't wait til he starts using actual words and can fully express himself. I think we will have some fun little conversations.

Lij is a handful some days and I think to myself, "I can't even handle him how will I ever sanely take care of 5 more?" Then I think, "Luckily they come one at a time(hopefully)." If the Duggar mom can do 18 and still want more than I can do 6, right?

When they are this stinkin cute I can do anything...

The Vampire Family

2009-11-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year we really wanted to make Elijah a zombie because of the way he walked. By time Halloween came around he had mastered the art of walking so we had to rethink our costume idea. Lij was a biter so we thought a little Dracula would fit him. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a costume so instead I made the cape and bow tie. Everything else we had.

Isn't he cute?

Big Dracula and mini Dracula

He was enjoying the trunk-or-treat with a sucker

Uh Oh!!

We had a great time at our ward's trunk-or-treat and dinner. This is the first year since we have been married that we have actually dressed up. It was fun to go and be part of the crowd. We got to taste some really good chilis for the chili contest and we even won "Best Trunk". When we got home I couldn't wait to get Elijah bathed and cleaned up. Note to self...never spray a baby's hair with black hairspray. Later that night we watched the final Star Wars with our friend Alvin. It was a great Halloween and we can't wait til next year to think of a new family themed costume idea.

You Only Turn 1 Once!

2009-11-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it. It has happened and the little guy is already one year old!

Time sure does fly when you are busy with a little one

We had a great time and I really think Elijah knew it was his special day. Both sets of our parents were able to make it out to celebrate with us. They all got in on Friday so we were able to spend

time talking and catching up.

Saturday the 24th was Elijah's big day. Dillon and I were both excited and could not believe our baby is now 1! Lij woke up so happy and energetic. We started out with pancakes and eggs which are some of his favorites. I made his cake and I let him lick the spatula. Boy did he enjoy that! Then we just played until Lij went down for a nap. Once he woke up we had some lunch and then opened his first present which happened to be the shoes. We needed them for the zoo so we opened them early.

Family shot with Lij waving "Hi"

this is delicious

lions-hyenas-polar bear-snow leopard

our favorites-the monkeys - little big ear foxes - the crazy seal

the seal just sat there like this for so long like he was posing or basking in the...wind

dad and Lij just walking together

he wanted to do it by himself, but wasn't quite comfortable with the shoes

looking at the camels - attacking an innocent bunny

The Zoo was awesome and I think he really enjoyed it. He loved the monkeys and giraffes. The Denver Zoo is alot bigger than we thought. We were all worn out by the end and plus the wind kicked in and was blowing so hard. We haven't had wind like that since good old Rexburg.

Once we were home we had him open presents which he was instantly a pro at. Something about tearing and destroying that just somes natural to this boy. He scored big! Overall he got a new truck, hammer and whack the ball toy, shoes, new outfit, baby song cd and key chain and a vtech helicopter. He is so fascinated by things that sings songs so the grandparents scored big with their gifts.

first shoes - just tearing away

new truck - hammer and balls

helicopter - dvd & key chain

Next came the tradition of the first birthday cake. As you can see in the first picture he was so excited! At first he was hesitant to dig in but Dillon gave him a little taste for encouragement and then he was all in. I never thought he would mind the sticky but it bugged him a little. He kept wiping it off as much as his sticky hands would let him.

so excited - blowing out the candle

thumbs up - yahoo

sharing with dad - sticky little man

before-during-after

murky bath water - happy one year old - sleeping after an exhausting day

Bath time and fresh pjs were next in line and he welcomed them. To finish off we had some chicken alfredo and garlic bread another favorite of Elijah. The day was a great day! He was so tired that night he slept through us all talking and then through the rest of the night. We are so lucky to be blessed with this little boy. He is the joy of our lives and we look forward to another year of growth and changes with him. We love you Elijah James!

Out with the OLD...

2009-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

In with the NEW...

Finally something much bigger and dependable.

No more awkward reaching to put Lij in or take him out.

YAHOO!!

Walking...

2009-10-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Elijah started to walk on Aug 26, but I don't have a very good video of that. All are blurry or require you to crank your head to the side. Like everyone else he went in stages...

He did the staggered few steps until he fell some direction...

Then he was walking like this...

After he was up and going he must have had a few good spills because he reverted to this method or mode of transportation....

I've heard many a time that big babies won't start walking until after a year old, but this started about two weeks ago, a good week before his bithday...

Like everyone kept telling me "You think he is busy now(crawling), just wait until he figures out how to walk". Boy were they right. The only complications we are having is its cold so I want socks on his feet. But we have hardwood floors. If anyone knows where I could get socks with traction that actually stay on his feet the suggestions would be really helpful.

What is going on?!

2009-10-27T12:02:00.001-07:00

I came on here to do some much need posting with pictures and videos but all my options are gone. I can't add a picture or video. I have checked my settings and I should be able to but here I am asking for tips and advice. Has anyone had this happen to them, and if so what have you done to fix it? So frusterating...I finally get a quiet moment to update the blog and now I can't make it complete the way I want it. Please help!!

11 months young

2009-10-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is almost a month late again, but I still want to post it once again.

Our little man is almost a year and neither of us can believe it. It was just a year ago all the girls that were due the same time as me were all having their babies early and I was wondering when I would be next. Little did I know what Heavenly Father had in store for our family.

Elijah is so much fun and everyday he has new likes and reaches new milestones. He is fully attempting to walk and is probably not far from just taking off. Our favorite thing that he does is walks on his knees. He is pretty fast and can get places easily. He is starting to understand that we have names. He of course says dada the most though. Its only mama when he is sad or needs something. Although most of the time he will just grunt at us. Lij's favorite foods are: string cheese, hot dogs, toast, yogurt, noodles and pizza. He still loves his bottle but is starting to prefer a sippy cup or big boy cup. We are weening him off formula and going to whole milk and so far he doesn't seem to mind it. Elijah does not like to be left alone even if I'm just stepping outside for a quick second. It freaks him out and he cries hysterically. I don't know why because we have never left him alone. He is a big "helper" and insists on helping with everything I am doing. We love him to death even though we call him our destroyer. It is simply amazing the messes that he can create. They are sometimes bigger than he is. He officially hate his car seat. I don't know how trips home will be now. Lij still loves the outdoors and going for walks. He cries whenever I bring the stroller in and shut the door. He knows that is the end of being outside for a little bit. Elijah is really good at making the fish face by sucking his lips together and sometimes we are lucky enough to get kisses like that. We are just fully in love with this little boy and he has us wrapped around his chubby little finger. We do everything he wants. He figures things out so quick and knows that he can get his way with a little perseverance. So now we are doing better.

So in a week or so I will post about his 1ST BIRTHDAY!! Can't believe it. Time to start planning for the next one. No I'm not pregnant just planning for when I will be again.

2009-10-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

My boys just watching a football game.

Notice where Lij is sitting...he moves the cushion off the

couch and then climbs up.

DISGUSTING!

2009-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Right now there is a little brown mouse running across my floor. Discouraging thing is there is a mouse trap set in the kitchen and he just runs right by it. Other discouraging/disgusting thing is that we have already killed 3 before him!! The downer of living in an old house.

One more time

2009-10-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dillon called me last week tuesday as I was trying to get things in place so I could go to enrichment that night. He said that Chris from work had two Rockies season tickets she needed to give away because they couldn't use them. We of course took her up on the offer and I vowed I would make the next enrichment activity. It had been raining on and off all day and was pretty chilly outside. So I packed up as many things as possible to keep us warm. Then Elijah and I just waited for Dillon to make it home from work. We also packed food because we learned our lesson form last time. We decided that we wanted some hot chocolate so we stopped by the nearest 7 Eleven but of course they were out. We made it to the next 7 Eleven and yes they were also out, but instead I fixed the machine and in return we got our hot chocolate and candy for FREE! It pays off being assertive. And we were finally off. Once we got there we realized that Chris was not kidding about how great the seats were. We were just 12 rows up from home plate. It was AWESOME! A little cold and drizzly but all in all so great. Somehow in the rushing to get everything we needed packed, I sat Elijah's hat down and left it behind. I was stressng over him getting sick so I took him up the gift shop and bought him a cute little hat. Expensive but not as expensive as a doctor would be. We had a great time but left before the game ended. And of course we missed the most exciting parts of the game. Thats what happens when you have a little one that needs to be at home in his bed.

We are lucky to have so many great oppurtunities offered to us.

Thank you Ken and Chris! You are the best!

Beautiful Rockies...Oh and Breckenridge

2009-09-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we took a drive. And when I say a drive it took us about 6 1/2 hours. But it was well worth it. We went up Hwy 285 and drove up to Como. Beverly, Dillon's co-worker, is always so good to give us ideas of places to go and things to see. We finally did one and are looking forward to all the other great places. This drive takes you through the mountains and you get to see all the trees changing and colorful. You first cross the Boreas Pass. There are thousands of trees up there and they were all gold with patches of the evergreens. So beautiful! Once we were through Como and on this little dirt road we were able to see amazing views and beautiful trees. This little dirt road took us through to Breckenridge. Breckenridge reminds me alot of Park City only a little bigger. There was a ton of traffic on the way home for some weird reason so we pulled off in Idaho Springs to give Elijah a break and stretching room. The river runs right by were we pulled off so we posed for some pictures. Elijah actually smiled. This is now my favorite picture! A great family picture that we took all on our own. Oh how I love those two guys!

3 Years and Going Strong

2009-09-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well we had our 3 year anniversay on August 19th. It is so weird that we have now been married longer than we have known each other. We have been through alot of changes and crazy things but we have made it and are just that much stronger.

For the big day Little man and I drove down and met Dillon at work. We picked up some pizza and took off to a cool park that I pass all the time. We really wanted to play some tennis but the courts are always full. So instead we just ate our pizza and watched a football pee-wee team practice. We definitely want Elijah to play as a pee-wee. They are so stinkin cute in all their gear. After that we went for a drive and found a tennis court that was open. We had bought the rackets and balls a while ago but can never find a court or the time. It is alot harder than it looks. But it was still a blast. Later we just came home and relaxed. It was a great relaxed day. I think that is what I love most about our marriage. We don't have to have the big events and big show to have a good time. Just give us our family, a park and maybe a little candy for me and it will always be a good time.

Denver has alot

2009-09-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

We are having a great time all around this city. There is so much to do. Someone from Dillon's work told him that we will never even make a dent in the list of things to do. I believe them now that we have started compiling the list. Here are the few things that we have done so far.

the first pictures are of us going for a bike ride with the Marcum Family. They found this trail in Arvada and sold us on how awesome it was. So we packed the little ones into the bike trailer and took off. They both fell asleep about half way through. This trail is the Ralston trail and it is 9 miles one way. The best thing about it is that it is paved and pretty flat. We rode up to the Apex Recreation Center. In Apex there is a pretty sweet toddler friendly swimming pool. I was a little nervous for Elijah b/c the last time we went swimming he had a bad reaction to the chlorine. We all had a great time. The parents all did the kid things(water slide, and rope pully thing) and wore ourselves out. The bike ride back Elijah pulled Hailey's hair and cried most of the way back. He was so worn out. But it was still a great day!
We loved the bike trailer and had been wanting one for so long. We finally scored on Labor Day weekend. We found the yellow instep on Craigs list for $65. It is in perfect shape and Elijah loves it. We also bought a bike rack for our car that same day. This day was eventful...up to Boulder for the trailer down to Highlands Ranch for the rack and then back home. A little bit later we left again and headed out to check out the Taste of Colorado. We rode down to Civic Park. The three of us walked around for about an hour but we tasted some alligator/crocodile(I cant remember which one) and just like everyone says...it tastes like chicken.
Me and Elijah hit up the Nature and Science Museum on free day. A little hectic but overall pretty cool. Lots of cool displays of all the animals.
We have been basically riding our bikes every free minute. The picture of the wading bird was taken by the Platte River. There is a pretty sweet trail that follows the creek up Speer Blvd all the way to the river. Dillon got a flat tire and we had to walk the bikes to REI which luckily was just a little bit away.
We hit up the Central library and finally got our cards. This library has 7 floors but I think the first three are for public use. The rest I'm not sure. I am excited for our library cards. I really think we will be using them alot.
Other than these we have been for lots of drives. We are trying to figure out where we would like to live when we can buy. Also we really like to explore the area and figure out the city setup.

There are lots more things we want to do. But now the weather has turned cooler and it will be challenging to find things we can do without freezing the little man. But we will find them.

10 months a month late

2009-09-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of the little guy and at least document his 10th month. He is competely standing on his own, clapping his hands, giving "five" but very stingy, is still a great eater and is letting us know full well when he doesn't get his way. Lets just say his personality is here and ready to stay. We love him more and more everyday. He has eight teeth and his molars are definitely moving. Sleeping is not that great and he has decided that he only needs one nap a day. Thats an adjustment! He is a big flirt and knows which people are girls. Loves bike rides and walks. Elijah loves the parks and playing in the grass, throwing his ball and teasing dad. This little guy took his first real steps on August 26. Its just moments now. He just might do it before a year old.

Rockies Win!

2009-09-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

So we have been pretty spoiled lately. Just meaning we have been able to go to two Rockies games. You know me, I love baseball. I don't follow it all that well but I still love it. The Rockies have been doing really well except for a losing streak they had a couple of weeks ago.

The first game was just a couple weeks after we got back to Denver. Dillon's work took us to the a party box. It was nice! Free food, free game and then best of all they won! Those Cubs didn't know what was coming. Pro games are awesome!

The next time we went with our good friends the Marcum Family. They played San Fransisco and once again...won! They had some awesome plays and home runs. This game was alot more fun for us because we were out in the crowd and could actually see a little better.

Two things we learned for next time is we need to get seats on the south side of the stadium to avoid the scorching sun and to pack our own food. Boy were the food stands expensive. I guess all of that just added to the experience though. I can't wait to go again!

So I was just looking at the schedule for next year and the Rockies are hosting the Red Sox next June! You bet that we will be there.

Major booboo

2009-08-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

sorry just a picture of me...elijah wasn't having the camera in his face

Oh man was this an experience. We were all just hanging out the Saturday we got back to Denver and everything was going great. Elijah was entertaining himself and we were able to unpack and get settled. Things were good. Well the little guy is infatuated with our tv stand with glass doors and he cannot just let it be. So he was playing with it like normal. He fell, which happens quite often at this point, and I didn't worry too much about it. And then the crying started. I ran over to him and picked him up to find a stream of blood running from his mouth. Those head wounds are crazy. I yelled for Dillon. It freaked Dillon out. By this piont I had the blood all over my shoulder like in the picture. We were stressed and gave him an otter pop which he happily sucked down. It just wouldn't stop bleeding. The night time was rough but we made it through and he slept pretty well. I stayed home from church the next day and he was doing better. But still hadn't stopped bleeding. It didn't stop bleeding until later that evening. Head wounds are gushers!

He is all healed up now and you wouldn't even know anything had happened. Since then we have upgraded to a flat screen that sits on top of our fireplace mantle

and have been really careful of the face hits.

Moving back

2009-08-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Rexburg for good this time. We are off on our newest adventure but going back to familiar territory. Dillon and I are both way excited to be heading to more permanent surroundings but also a little sad about closing this chapter of our lives. We have really enjoyed our time in Rexburg and I wouldn't be suprised if we end up back in this area.

One thing after another went wrong with this move. First my dad's truck didn't have the right wiring for the trailer so we drove all the way to Rexburg with no trailer lights. Then as soon as we pulled into our parking lot the clutch stopped working. Monday Dad Hill came up to see if we could fix it and it took all day of one disappointment after another to know we needed a whole new part. Dillon was able to pick the part up and it took a half an hour to fix it on Tuesday. After power packing by myself on Monday and then with Dillon's help on Tuesday we were able to load the trailer on Tuesday night. Thanks to all the help we had loading the trailer. It took us an hour when without help it probably would have taken us 3.

Wednesday we went took the trailer to Malad for Sandor and Heidi to pick up. And we worked on the 74 charger all day. We were able to visit with family and I also got to see Coley too. It was a great day and a welcome change from the last few days.

Thursday was graduation. We also had to start and finish cleaning and finish packing. That was a stressful day but like I said before it was a great day. We checked out of our apartment that night and luckily everything passed inspection and we got our full deposit back. Mom and Dad Kotter and Bart spent the night that night.

Friday morning we got up and packed the last few things, said our goodbyes

and we headed off for Malad.

Well like normal, when moving, our laps were loaded. Just to Malad this time though. The last time we moved to Denver all we took was our little Hyundai and we were cramped. This time we under estimated how much stuff we had not packed into the trailer so Mom Hill was willing to take a couple of shots of what happens when we under estimate. Oops. Luckily the little Nissan was waiting for us when we pulled into the Willows.

Of course we left Malad late and Sandor & Heidi were way ahead of us. We said our goodbyes to all the family that was there and shed a few tears then took off. We had some serious ground to make up. We thought for sure we would catch Sandor & Heidi but they were able to pull the grades with no sweat. So about 10 hours later, a few stops and just one big melt down from Elijah

(the last stretch to Denver Cheyenne to Denver) we pulled into the city. Sandor & Heidi beat us by an hour and a half and by time we got to the apartment they basically had everything unpacked. We bought pizza for dinner that night as a thank you to the Schiess family. We owe alot to them for making that huge trip to help us out. We were excited when they decided to crash on our floor.

a lodo view from city park

After a little help from Elijah we were able to get everything into it's place. Well I guess for the most part. Now all we need to do is paint the whole apartment and it will be perfect.

We are done...at least for now!

2009-08-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yah hoo!! We are done...well at least for now. Graduation was on July 23rd. It was a great experience although I wish I would have known that this is one BYU-I event Elijah could have gone to. Our friends were nice enough to watch him for us.

Thanks Nate and Heather!! We miss you guys!

The whole week had been one crazy mess which I will explain in another post. This day just ended up being super hectic just beacuse we had to check out of our apartment that night after graduation. We were cleaning and still packing like mad as family were showing up for a BBQ and then commencement. It was actually enjoyable amidst all the stress.

We had a BBQ outside on the front yard. Dillon made sloppy joes in his dutch oven and they were so good. We all had to run right after the BBQ to make it to commencement on time. Bishop Edgley was the speaker and he gave a great talk. Although I do have to say we all enjoyed the actaully "walking"(i can't remember the actual name) talks later that night. Pres. Clark and Bishop Edgley both spoke. It was just so laid back an personal. Dillon walked once although he technically received two degrees that night. It was exciting to see all of his hard work pay off.
Right after were pictures, pictures and more pictures. I still need to get the ones that Dix took so that we have the complete collection. I had to take off early to pick up the little man and make it to the apartment to finish up a few odds and ends. But Dillon was able to visit with

Grandparents Kotter and Dixie before they took off.

It was a nice intimate day and we were both very happy with the way everything turned out. Now its on to the CPA exam and then Grad school. Thankfully we have some time before either of those start.

This picture was taken by Mom Kotter at the apartment after everything was all said and done.

I just loved it. Elijah was happy to have everything quieted down and somewhat back to normal that night

Bearlake...Thursday night to Saturday morning

2009-08-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Bearlake is a great place to be if you want to catch some serious sun and warm water. We weren't too sure how it would go with a little guy that likes to put everything in his mouth. Dillon and I put bets in on how many handfuls of sand would be eaten before the day was over. We were prepared with a little floater for Elijah, water toys and sunblock.

The Blatter family reunion is what pulled us away from finals, preparing for graduation and packing, but we were more than happy to go. The family camped out at the KOA and so we followed suit. First camping experience with Elijah also. The first night we stayed in a little cabin that Mom Kotter had rented but didn't need. That was a great help. By time we got into camp it was late and dark and Elijah was already asleep. Imagine trying to set up a tent and the rest of camp all while you have a little one sleeping. Instead we were able to just go into the cabin and bed down. We all were out cold within minutes. Friday night we tented it but it really didn't go so bad. Bedtime was the hardest just because a tent doesn't hold out any sound. It took a while for him to settle in and pass out. But once he gave in, he slept through the night. Best nights sleep I have had in months!

Friday was the beach. We spent I think 6 hours there. Elijah loved it! The sand issue really wasn't that bad. He didn't really even like it on his hands so his mouth was not even an option. Elijah loved the floater but loved crawling along the shore more. He would just go back and forth and giggle the whole way. We also burried him up to his waist. He was happy and good with it until he really tried to move then he was ticked.

We had a good time. But off course you can't leave Bearlake without a souvenir. Somehow my souvenirs are always a good old sunburn. It was a good one this time.

mom and elijah

the floater

crawling along the beach

dad and elijah

burried to his waist

2009-08-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

4th of July

I know how lame that I'm just now blogging about the 4th of July. But at least it is getting documented right.

We decided to take some family time and just enjoy our surroundings before we were no longer able to.

We drove up to Palisades hoping we could hike up to one of the lakes, but to our dismay it was raining and lightning was right there to follow. So instead we drove around the resevoir and enjoyed the quiet mountains.

We then decided to drive to the Tetons and see what they are all about. Dillon has actually flown right next to them but I have never seen them so this was more for me. Once we got up there we realized they were all fogged over so instead we looked around the museum. It was actually pretty cool. When we were walking back to the car we noticed all the fog had cleared and you could see the mountains perfectly. They are majestic in their very own way. As we were leaving the museum there were a ton of people on the bridge and pointing. As we slowed down we saw what they were seeing. A huge moose. Wow...that really topped the day off. We drove home and watched the fireworks in the ritzy subdivison behind our apartments and just relaxed.It was a great day just driving around and being together. The best part is that Elijah was good the whole day. He is a mellow little guy. I would have to say that this 4th of July was probably my favorite 4th of July.

Dillon and Elijah

Elijah on top of the car

Me and Dillon

the tetons

gigantic moose

Oh Boy

2009-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

6-7-8-9 months...My baby is getting big!

It has been quick but such a fun ride

6 months and a half year old...

Elijah likes to sit all by himself, chew on everything still, make different noises using his hand against his mouth, push himself around on his belly, peek-a-boo and eating. The last is probably his favorite. He is a big boy. In the 98th percentile for weight and 99th for height.

cousin Marley and Elijah

7 months and big changes

Elijah has learned how to crawl!! It seriously took 2 days for him to figure it all out. He scooted forward once and the little man was off. I think he loves the independence all too much. Elijah is alot like me when I was his age. Very independent!

Also within that same week he got his first tooth. Within a 3 week span Elijah had 5 teeth and the 6th on the way. It happened all so fast. Teething wasn't too bad but we could tell when one was breaking the surface. Crankiness for a few hours and no naps...Man that was exhausting for everyone. He loves to be outside...walks and picnics are his favorite. Eating grass isn't that bad either...Luckily we catch most of it. Elijah has officially had his first small ear infection and obnoxious cough that lasted for about 4 weeks. But all is well and he is better now.

8 months and about the same...

Not much has changed for Elijah. Although he is pulling up on everything and has learned how to throw. Elijah has also taught himself how to dance. He is curious as ever and has me saying "no no Elijah" alot.

one of our nightly walks in Rexburg

dancin just a little

9 months and almost standing by himself

So here we are. Now actually closer to 10 months but thats what happens when you procrastinate. He is quite the boy. We both say everyday that we could just spend
the whole day watching him. Elijah has something new every day that makes us smile or just right out laugh. The best part is that he knows when he is doing something funny. He will just laugh right along with us. He likes to pretend to bite us and that makes him giggle the most. Elijah has hit the stage where he knows who mom is and I am the one that he wants usually. He is doing better lately though. Dillon is the one he loves to play with but I am the one that can comfort him, feed him and put him to bed. Elijah will shake his head at us if he knows he is doing something that is off limits. Standing/walking, clapping and high five are the newest things he is trying to figure out. He gets so tickled with himself when he does it right. The standing thing is when he is feeling brave but he acts so nonchalant once he gets brave enough. Then he will burst into a huge smile and grab onto whatever is close to him( he loses concentration ).

just wondering what mom is doing

his new sippy cup with a big boy straw

in city park (the coolest park so far in Denver) feeling brave

So that is what is happening with Elijah James. He is the joy in our lives these days and the best thing that either of us have ever been a part of.

Guess who is back online...

2009-08-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Okay so it is true...we have internet for good! Yah hoo. Now just to catch up...3 months is a long time. A really quick update is Elijah is 9 months old and adorable, we are officially adults now because Dillon graduated from college and we have a job that we will be in for at least the next five years and we are officially moved to Denver. This move actually feels like home.

Elijah loves the new apartment because all he does is crawl really fast back and forth. He is hard to keep up with now. So curious but it has made him so smart. It probably won't be long and he will be walking. He free stands for about 5 seconds here and there. It doesn't sound long but it is when he hasn't ever done it before. Plus he is not afraid of anything.

Graduation was great and stressful all at the same time. We were right in the middle of cleaning and moving. Dillon graduated on July 23 and we moved the 24th. But we got our full deposit back so it was all worth it. We came back to the same place that we did the internship. Dillon is really enjoying work and has just fit right back in. They are taking us to a Rockies game on Friday. We can't wait. I love baseball!

Denver is beautiful right now. So green! I guess all it has done this summer is rain...then again we can testify to that because it has rained at least every other day since we have been here. But it makes everything smell good and look beautiful. We really love the area and get this, I love the city. It is so different in Denver. So many trees and we are next to 3 huge parks. At night it gets pretty quiet especially for a city. We love our apartment but are looking forward to eventually buying a place of our own.

I will post everyday for a long time to catch up but look forward to lots of pictures and to some fun stories about the little man Elijah.

2009-05-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

So...Long story short...We don't have internet where we live now so this will be a bumpy ride til at least the end of the year. Alot has happened over the past month and a half but I will update quick and post pictures later so you all know what is going on with the Kotters.

To start off with Elijah and I headed back to Idaho on April 2. My sister Heidi and my mom were brave and kind enough to tough out the storms that weekend and drive all that way just to come and pick us up. We drove through a crazy snow storm and finally made it to Vernal by 3:30, which is only half way. We crashed at my other sister Holly's house and picked up Heidi's kids. We finished the rest of the trip on Saturday. It was a fun weekend all except for the stinky weather. Elijah and I stayed in Malad for two weeks without Dillon. Not something I reccommed or will ever do again. Dillon met us back in Rexburg on April 17. We are finally back together and it is nice to be back in good ole "Ice"burg.

Easter happened while we were in Malad and Elijah got his first visit from the Easter bunny. Okay not really but I did put a sucker in the ground and let him grab it. It was darn cute! It was good to see all the family again and to spend time with everyone.

The next week was moving week for me and the babe. My dad was conned into helping us out. We made a trip to Salt Lake to pick up a few things from Mom and Dad Kotter's place. It poured the whole way home and all that night. So needless to say things were wet. Once we finally made it to Rexburg things turned out okay. Signed a contract for our new gigantic apartment and then moved things in. I was wanting to get everything all settled before Dillon got there but I just don't move that quick because it just didn't happen. We love our new apartment. It's a nice change from the one in Denver(which I still need to tell about).

School is back in session and Dillon is enjoying his classes this semester. They are alot less time consuming and stressful which is nice for not only Dillon but me and Elijah too. We have already made a trip to Salt Lake to see all the family down that way. It was a really fun weekend for us. We got to see Chad and Fiona which usually only happens once a year at Thanksgiving. They just got home from Paris and stopped into Salt Lake to pick up their cute little kids. We were able to see everyone but Bart and Bre, but thats okay because life is busy and we will see them soon.

Elijah was 6 months old on April 24th!! Time flies by and we can't believe it. He is even bigger than you can imagine. The little guy is bigger than my friends 1 year old. He is so fun though and getting so expressive and trying to be mobile. Life just keeps getting better and we couldn't love him more.

Life is good our way. We really couldn't ask for anything more than what Heavenly Father is providing for us right now. We are all happy, healthy and growing in every way every single day.

2009-03-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Fun 5 Month Old Pictures...

Okay so this video makes Dillon and I crack up. This is what the results are if we don't hurry and get him a bottle as soon as possible. I look all torn apart because...I am. He pulls my hair down and just absolutely eats me alive. Wow, the things that amuse us huh...

2009-03-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Look What I Can Do...

He is already 5 months old. It feels like last week that I was doing this exact thing only saying he just turned 4 months. It is so crazy how time gets away from you. I just went to an appointment where they weighed and measured him. He is 19LBS and 3ozs and is 26 1/2 inches long. He is so big and we are loving it! He has made a few discoveries lately like his toes, that his voice goes alot deeper than he knew, usually scooting or turning gets him within reach of something he really wants, vegetables are so gross and dad is the coolest. Here are some other things he is doing or really likes...

He found his tongue about a week ago...

Elijah thinks he is a big boy and can drink out of mom's cup...

Full blown teething and usually enjoys a nice cold washcloth to chew on...

Elijah points his toes perfectly when rolling over...(I think this is cute)...

He loves bath time and his spoon. He eats and then takes his spoon with him to the bath...

It is getting more and more fun each day to see how he will

change and what new big discovery will take place...

2009-03-13T13:06:00.001-07:00

Tag...I'm it!!!

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Sending Dillon on his mish to Boston...
2. Moving to Provo...
3. Seeing the ocean for the first time...
4. Looking for a new job while living on my tax returns
5. Trying to fit in somewhere that I just didn't fit

5 things on my to-do list for today:

1. Catch up on all the blogging I've been putting off...
2. Look for apartments in good ole' Rexburg...
3. Find a good, free, legal website to download music for Dillon to drowned out the potty mouths at work...
4. Date night with Dillon and Elijah...
5. Figure out why Elijah is so cranky(i think the whole teething thing has really started)...

5 things I would do with a million dollars:

1. Get and stay out of debt...
2. Elijah's college and mission fund...
3. Pay off my parents house...
4. Buy a nice family vehicle where Elijah's car seat actually fits...
5. Buy a starter home for my little family...

5 places I have lived:

1. Malad, Idaho...
2. Pocatello, Idaho...
3. Provo, Utah...
4. Rexburg, Idaho
5. Denver, Colorado

5 jobs I've held:

1. Wal-Mart cashier...
2. Medical Assistant...
3. Plasma Center Receptionist...
4. Wife...
5. Mommy...

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:

1. Rasing 3 beautiful children and just pregnant with the 4th(if all goes as hoped for)...
2. Just finishing our promised 5 years at Richey & May...
3. Moving back to Utah but hopefully Idaho...
4. Buying our second home that fits a much bigger family...
5. Starting 1st grade with Elijah and preschool with our 2nd...Wow!!!...

5 people I tag:

1. Heidi...
2. Stephanie Jorgs...
3. Stephanie Pitcher...
4. Coley...
5. M.J...

2009-03-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Oh My Goodness...

Elijah rolled over for his first time yesterday...and

of course my back was turned. I was super bummed

out that I missed it, but he was a sport and rolled

over again a little bit later. In just 24 hours time, if

I turn my back he will roll over and then grunt like crazy

and there is no stopping him. It is insane how things

change in just one day...Check him out...

2009-03-07T14:50:00.001-08:00

Cereal is yummy!!

So we started some rice cereal and he loved it the first few times,

but the last couple he has found out a new trick.

It is something I would like to call...splatter mom with cereal

and then smile really big so I don't get in trouble.

It is great to see how messy he gets each time he eats.

2009-03-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

4 months young...

Elijah is getting so big! He is just over 4 months and is changing every day. Some of the things he is doing are: talking up a storm, blowing bubbles and spitting all over the place, lifting his legs up to chew on his toes and reaching for his favorite toys(especially cowboy). Elijah has figured out a new way to let us know he is awake...he lifts his legs as high as he can and then drops them so they make a big thud and then repeats it until we pick him up. The first time he did this I thought it was some one up to no good outside our apartment, but it was just the little man telling me he was hungry. Elijah loves when Dillon gets home and it is so cute to watch them play together. He likes to dance with me, and he loves to eat everything. His bottle is his new best friend. Elijah already has a big personality and it is still growing. We love our little man!

2009-02-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

I Love My Thumb!!!

He just realized how great his thumb tastes...so cute but such a hard habit to break!!!

2009-02-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

3 months old!!!

Elijah and Dad

Dad's Red Sox hat...starting him early

Kind of a fuzzy pic, but I think he is so cute in it

Can you believe it? Eli is already 3 months old. His cute personality is really
starting to shine through. He loves to stand on our laps, talk like crazy,
eat anything within reach, and believe me he reaches for everything.
It is so much fun to see him change and grow...he is the joy of our lives.

2009-02-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

So Dillon wanted a dutch oven for his birthday and so a dutch oven is what he got. Well we have decided to make Sundays dutch oven dinner day. Dillon was just boiling water to clean it out and had left our apartment for a few minutes. I could smell smoke but didn't think anything of it because our window was open. Dillon walks back in and could smell the smoke too. He went into the kitchen and low and behold his new wooden spoon was on fire. We have a gas stove...open flame + wooden spoon = bigger fire and smoke!! We love good stories...

2009-02-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

And we're off !!!!

We left at about 4:30 in the morning on January 17. We were thinking about actually leaving a little bit later, but Dillon couldn't sleep because of his cold and Elijah had just eaten. We decided just to get a long drive over with and go then. Dillon had packed the car that night before and we were all set. Here we come Denver!!!

Poor little Elijah barely even had enough room for his car seat. I could reach him just enough to take care of him. The little Hyundai was packed to the top and we still didn't have everything we were going to need once we got to our apartment. But we took what we could.

2009-02-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. Elijah made out like a bandit! Dillon and I didn't buy all of that. Most of the things you see came courtesy of aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas. But it is all great stuff and he loves it all! We spent alot of time between our families and were able to really relax and actually enjoy the holidays instead of the stress of running back to Rexburg for work, school or church responsibilities. Its amazing being homeless...no stress of big responsibilities!

2009-02-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

Blowout royale

You can kind of see the disgusting goo that covered him and his clothes

He freaked out majorly when he was laying there in only his birthday suit until dad could buy some wipes and a new outfit seeing as how I didn't pack either. Once he had a diaper on he felt much better about life.

And this is the final product of a very nasty diaper disaster. I think it took us almost 45 minutes to completely get everything taken care of and made right. So much fun

2009-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

So it has been forever since I even checked out my own blog let alone post on it. I'm going to blog a bunch all at once because I have so much to catch up on. I thought I would let everyone know that yes we are still alive. We just don't have internet. So here we go!!!!

WAAAAAZUPPPPPP!!!!

2008-12-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

2008-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Look who is smiling!! He has actually been smiling for a while, but now it is a guarantee that it is real and not just the gas speaking. It's always a little game between Elijah and Dillon to see if he will smile. Dad always wins. Elijah loves his daddy.

2008-11-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

So we have finally started our blog. Still definitely a work in progress but we are learning as we go. And what better way to start it all off with than a cute little pic of Elijah. We were bathing him and tried to part his hair like a missionary. You can't really tell but it is one of my favorite pictures so far. He loves his bath times!