Wochnick Clan

2011 Recap

2011-12-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!!!

We have had an amazing year at the Wochnick house. 2011 has been a great year, and I figured I could not finish the year without posting (for once in several months).
Brandon is doing wonderful. In July he decided that he needed a change of pace, so he left driving and took a position as a salesman with Coca-Cola. He loves it!!!!! It has been a good change for our family. The hours are better and Brandon gets to spend more time with the family. He also enjoys it because it is more suited to his personality. Other than the new job, Brandon is up to business as usual, continually working on some home improvement project. He did finish two rooms on the basement, so Kaitlyn and Ben could move to the basement.

I, Joanna, had a blast this year. On December 9, I finally graduated from Weber State University. After many years of work and stress, I can proudly say I have a Bachelors of Psychology. It is such a blessing to be finished with college and that I was able to get a degree. I am so thankful to have a wonderful husband who has encouraged me and pushed me to continue chugging along even when I ready to quit. I am also lucky that I am still able to stay home and take care of my kids.

Kaitlyn has had an eventful year. In August, she started Kindergarten. After a rough couple of weeks, she finally settled in and loves school. She has made some fun new friends. She is doing very well in school and impresses me daily with the new skills she is learning. She loves to spell things, she constantly asks me to spell things for her so she can write them down. too cute. Also. she has lost two baby teeth, with a few more that are loose. She continues to be a happy, optimistic, silly, and tons of fun. Kaitlyn is a great helper, she is my cute little side kick.

Ben is a handful. We sure love this crazy, energetic boy. In September, he started Joy School with three other rambunctious three year olds. He loves going to school like his big sister. I was surprised at how well he behaves during Joy School, especially when I am teaching. Ben is so cute singing the songs and telling me about the things he learned at school. He still has some speech problems, and continues to see a speech therapist weekly. We really like his speech therapist. Ben has been making great progress. Finally, Ben has been working on using the potty. He has earned many Cars toys and is almost ready to switch from pull-ups to underwear!!!!!

Paul is still as cute as ever. He is my little sunshine and brings such joy to my life. He is talking a lot more, but it still sounds like he is speaking Klingon most of the time. He loves to follow the other kids around and do whatever they are doing. Currently, he likes to yell "Watch this Mama" as he jumps from the arm of the couch onto the couch and then rolls onto the floor. (Thanks to Ben) When we moved Ben downstairs in August, Paul got his own room and his own twin bed. He transitioned to the big bed better than the other kids ever did, with only a few nights of him crawling into bed with us. I love watching my kids grow and develop. They each have such fun little personalities.

Finally, in September, Brandon and I became foster parents. We welcomed two amazing children into our home. Miss S. is ten and shares a room with Kaitlyn. They are pretty good together, with the occasional fight. Kaitlyn is glad to have a girl in the house who will play dolls with her. Mr. J. is seven and shares a room with Ben. He has a twin brother in another foster home, that he gets to see about once a week. He is an energetic and silly. He plays really well with the younger boys. We do not know how long we will have S. and J. in our care. Brandon and I love being foster parents, it can be hard some days, but we enjoy providing a safe and loving home for kids who really need it. This is just a brief recap of some of the happenings of 2011. Here's to another amazing year.

Kaitlyn

2011-05-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn's self portrait. She loves to steal my camera and take random pictures.Kailtyn turned 5 years old in April.

Of course since Ben had such a great time at Chuck E Cheese, so we had to go there again. This time we invited more family and some friends. She had a blast and loves getting her pictures sketched in the little photo booth. She got some really fun presents and loves them all. She tells me all the time that her toys are "very special" to her. Oh I love her cute face.
She enjoys playing outside, particularly jumping on the trampoline and riding her new Barbie scooter that she got for her birthday. She also enjoys helping me plant flowers and weed the garden, I know I am lucky. She still loves all things Princess, and is currently fascinated with Rapunzel. Tangled how we love thee and must watch you at least twice a week. (It would be everyday but mommy is not that nice).
She is a great helper and assists me all the time. Here she is pushing the stroller home after taking our friend Isaac to school. And yes, Ben is in the bottom of the stroller, he was to exhausted to walk home (we live right around the corner from the elementary school, I mean like a five minute walk, seriously Ben!! oh well). Kaitlyn loves to write her name and is so cute when she tells me she has to sit at the table and do her homework. She is not even in school yet. Her homework is mostly coloring and working on writing her letters. This was a huge birthday for her because now she is old enough to go to Kindergarten, and believe me she talks about it all the time. I love her excitement to start school and am getting pretty excited myself. I promise I will not cry on her first day of school , but the second day who knows?

Happy Birthday my tough girl!!! I love you to pieces!!!!!

Benjamin

2011-05-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

So I am way behind on posting...

Our cute family at the Ogden Temple before it was shut down for remodeling (minus me, I was of course taking the picture).

Our fun little Benjamin turned 3 years old in March.

It was a great day. We took the family to Chuck E Cheese. The kids had lots of fun playing games and riding the rides. He got so fun presents that he really enjoys playing with. He loved a Mater toy, that he got to pick out at the store on his birthday. He loves riding his cool new Cars scooter around the neighborhood. He is pretty good at it too. Also, he got several new puzzles, because Ben sure loves to do his puzzles.

We sure love having Ben in our family. He is one crazy kid. He can be so sweet and loving one second. Then the next second he is ramming people with his head and generally being mean. Ben makes the funniest faces. He is still a very independent kid; getting dressed on his own (most days), putting on his own shoes and coat, climbing to get whatever he wants out of the cupboard, and putting movies in the DVD player all by himself (Blue ray DVDs are so worth it). He is still not to excited about potty training, so I am not pushing it. Ben continues to have speech problems, so we still meet with a speech therapist once a week. He really likes his new speech therapist, John, and thank goodness for that. John is awesome and somehow has the energy to keep up with this kid. He is slowly starting to improve enough that people other than his family can understand what he is saying. Woohoo!!! We sure love Ben and I am so thankful that three years ago Heavenly Father trusted Brandon and me enough to give us this feisty little soul. I am sure He laughs a ton watching us try to figure out how to raise Ben.

Happy Birthday my crazy boy!!!

Paul

2011-05-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

My baby Paul turned one in February. He is such a blessing and a joy in our family. I have to admit, when I found out I was pregnant with Paul, I was very upset. It was an easy pregnancy, so I had nothing to complain about when it came to my health. I just was not prepared for another baby. I was enrolled for two semesters at full-time status. I was teaching Joy School once a month for Kaitlyn and three other three olds. We were still trying to figure out everything after Brandon's injury and adjusting to the new normal in our family. Right after I got pregnant, we lost a very special friend, Paul, the man who taught Brandon the gospel and helped so much when he was struggling. A few months later, we my maternal grnadfather, Heber "Rob" also passed away. My Grandpa Rob performed the sealing for Brandon and me. He was an great man who always gave me great advice when I was struggling. These are the two great men that we decided to name our little Paul Heber after. They left him a great legacy and I only hope I can raise him to be a great man someday.
I was induced to have Paul a week before his due date. My labor was relatively easy. A little after midnight on February 12, Paul made his entrance into the world. I hoped that after Paul was born I would stop feeling so sad. It didn't happen. I tried really hard to enjoy those first few weeks, but it was tough. Of my three children, I only experienced the baby blues after Paul was born. I think I was just feeling overwhelmed with everything that had happened during the last couple of years. Slowly, things started to get better. I know it was Paul that saved me. His sweet temperament and easy disposition made it so easy to be his mother. He slept really well, ate like a champ, and rarely cried (the occasional brother is using me as a chew toy scream), and was healthy. He was a little jaundice at first, but thankful he did not have to use the Billi lights like his older siblings. He has also be healthy most of his life, with only a few minor colds and one ear infection. Paul is still one of the easiest going kids around. He takes Ben and Kaitlyn's constant teasing in stride and just goes with the flow. He jabbers all the time, and happily Mama was his first word, followed by da (for dog) and then dada. Even at one, he still loves to cuddle me a tons and gives me the cutest grin when I go to get him out of his crib in the morning. He would scoot, crawl, and now runs to me or Brandon when ever one of us comes home. Paul is also a real ladies man, he loves to coo and smile at the ladies. If a guy starts talking to him, forget it, he wants to find a cute lady to snuggle. He even walked up to the receptionist at the doctors office and started to cuddle with her. I love that he adores Brandon. He follows him around, we often call him our little stalker because you turn around and he is likely right behind you. He also likes to just sit next to Brandon on the bed and play with Brandon's hair. It is the sweetest thing on the planet. When Brandon is carrying him, he will cuddle up really close and grab his arm. I could just eat his cuteness up.
Do you know my favorite thing about Paul? His eyes, I just want to melt every time I look into those big brown eyes. When Brandon and I were first talking about having kids, I wanted them to get Brandon's blue eyes. I always felt like my brown eyes were so boring and plain. Kaitlyn has my brown eyes and we are learning together how fun brown eyes can be. Ben varies between blue and hazel eyes, and I think they will end up being hazel, which is pretty cool. Paul on the other hand has the darkest brown eyes. Even right after he was born, he had dark blue eyes and at about two months they turned into dark brown. I could get lost in his eyes and when he flashes those beauties at me I want to give him anything he wants (luckily for me right now that is usually food). We are in big trouble with this cutie!So why do I tell the whole story about our Paul. If you would have asked me in July 2009 if I wanted another baby right then, I would have said no way. Now, I am thankful that the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing child and new better what Brandon and I really needed at the time. Paul has taught me more about how your heart can open up to more love than you ever thought possible. I am so proud to say that I am a mother to three wonderful children. I am striving to be a better mother and woman because I know that my kids deserve the best.
Happy Birthday My Precious Paul!!! I am really thankful that you came to our family.

Grandpa Joe

2011-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have several posts to catch up on. Lots of stuff has been happening lately. I am super busy with my three cute kids, plus I watch two more cute kids five days a week. To top it off, my psychology research methods class is tons of work. Hopefully, I will finally get my bachelors degree in the fall (three classes to go)!!! So lets get started with the updates. On January 19, my wonderful Grandpa Joe passed away, he was my paternal grandfather. It was extremely sad to lose such a great man, but at the same time it was a relief. He had been declining for a while and I hope he has found some peace in heaven. I loved my Grandpa Joe very much and was always thankful for the amazing example he was to me. The most important thing that he taught me was to love others unconditionally. No matter what I did in life, I always knew that he loved me and was very proud of me. He would make sure to tell me this every time he saw me. He encouraged me to try and was always telling me how important it was for me to finish my college education. He once told me that he really loved that I decided to stay home to raise my kids, because it is not always the easiest or most popular thing to do. It is nice to know that someone recognizes and appreciates the things I do. I will miss talking to him and hearing his funny life stories. I will miss the love and support he gave me. I know he is watching over my family, and I know that one day I will get to see him again. Love ya Grandpa Joe:)

Chris and Jasmine

2011-01-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it my baby sister Jasmine got married on December 30, 2010. She married a wonderful man named Chris. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple. I was thrilled to be able to sit at the temple and watch them be sealed together for time and all eternity. I am so excited for them. They are super cute together (and my kids absolutely adore Chris). I was honored to be able to take pictures for them on their special day. I think I got some cute shots. It was a great day and I am pleased to welcome Chris into our crazy family.

(If you want to see more photos from the wedding, the engagement, or the bridals, check out my facebook page.)

Elko

2010-11-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Coke has been sending Brandon to Elko, NV to help out a ton lately. It is nice, they pay for the fuel (give him a company car to drive out there), pay for the hotel, and give him money for food. The manager in Elko loves Brandon and requests that they send him when they need help. The kids and I occasionally tag along, depending on what we have going on when he has to go. We have had some fun times, and some not so fun times during our visit. It is hard for me to be in the hotel room with the kids for long periods of time, so we try to find ways to amuse ourselves. Here are pictures of the kids playing at the hotel. Elko is really a little town, and there was not a lot for the kids and I to do. We did discover the coolest playground. It is huge and has tons of fun things for Ben to climb on, cause we all know how much he loves to climb. The kids really enjoyed it and could have spent several hours there. The kids also had a wonderful time swimming in the hotel pool. We bought some arm floaters and let the kids go. Kaitlyn did really well swimming around the pool. Ben loved to jump in and swim to the stairs. Also, Ben loved sitting in the hot tub. Most of his time was spent in the hot tub, while Kaitlyn was swimming the perimeter of the pool. Paul was not sure what to think of the pool and instead crawled around the outside of the pool, far away from the water (He is going through a phase where he hates to get wet, lets just say that bath time is always eventful.) Sadly, the last time we went the pool was being repaired, so no swimming. Oh well, we still had a fun time.
We will be going to Elko again in a few weeks. Hopefully we can have a great adventure. :)

Basketball

2010-11-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Paul loves to play with balls. He has a new found interest in Ben's basketball hoop, which is nice because Ben has not played with this much. Paul has recently started pulling himself up to stand, I know we are in trouble now. Anyway, the other day I was trying to change his clothes, but he was more interested in crawling away. So, I let him go and he went over to the basketball hoop. Here is what happened:

Is he not the cutest basketball player ever? You are looking at 16 pounds of slam dunking squishy goodness. I adore this little guy. He talks like this all the time. I LOVE IT!!!!

PS. Yes, Ben still gets very jealous of Paul and needed to be in the video too. We love him and his big brother help.

Halloween

2010-11-04T12:54:00.001-07:00

We went to Inkleys and got free Halloween pictures taken. The kids had fun and look soooo cute. I absolutely love Ben's smile in his picture. We had a great Halloween. The kids enjoyed trick-or-treating. Ben had to stop and inspect every piece of candy he was given. It was a little rainy, but we managed. The kids liked jumping in the puddles and were soaked when we finished, oh well. They got a pretty good stash of candy. We put it in the cupboard and occasionally let them have some. I can't deal with sugar crazy kids all day long. just kidding:)

I can't even say how much I adore these kids and how grateful I am to spend everyday with them.

My cute boy

2010-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this little guy!!!!! He has the cutest smile. One day he woke up from a nap with these precious horns. Don't you just want to squish those cute cheeks, and I just melt every time I look into his beautiful dark brown eyes. Paul is a great addition to our family.

Catch-Up

2010-07-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy couple of months. We had a great Memorial Day. We got to camp at Brandon's moms trailer in Ogden Canyon. The kids had a great time, we sure love spending time at the trailer. On the way home, we visited several graves. It was nice to got to Logan and see the grave for our dear friend Paul Stockdale. We then stopped to visit Brandon's dads grave. We also went to several other family graves. I like to go to the graves so we can talk about and remember those that we love and miss. Brandon and I told the kids stories and had a really good time.

In June, we were lucky enough to go visit family again. We started our vacation in Minnesota, and spent lots of time with Brandon's extended family. Sarah, Brandon's cousin, got married and it was an amazing day. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to see all the family there. Kaitlyn and Ben had tons of fun dancing and playing. We also went to the Como Zoo in Minneapolis. The kids had fun going on rides. The cutest was when Ben freaked out on a Frog Drop Ride, it was a little to scary for him. We went to Mall of America again. It was to great to visit with the family and I am glad the kids loved the family. I know Paul misses Kim, Brandon's cousin, and all the attention she gave him.

On the way home from Minnesota, we went to Iowa to visit my sister Jayne. I LOVED seeing Jayne, Alexia, and Brian. Jayne and Alexia took us to Nauvoo, Illinois. That is such a beautiful and spiritual place. The temple is breathtaking. It was fun to explore Nauvoo and we got some really neat souvenirs. While in Iowa, we also went swimming. The kids were super cute at the pool, and of course, I got fried. I loved talking with Jayne and watching Ben play with Brian. I had such an awesome time. Nothing beats spending time with people you love. We also learned that Jayne and Brian are moving to Texas. I hope they can sell their house soon. Look out Texas, here comes Alexia!!!!!

For the 4th of July, we of course, were at the trailer. We did go to Huntsville to enjoy the fireworks. The funnest part of the fireworks were all the car alarms that kept going off. It was pretty amusing. We also found out that Paul absolutely loves fireworks. He gets all excited and starts kicking his legs like crazy. We did do some fireworks at the trailer. Ben had fun using the long stick to help Brandon light some of the smaller fireworks. He is also my little fire bug and loves to put wood on the fire. It freaks me out and I have to watch him like a hawk around the fire. I am so grateful for the country that we live in. While I worry about the current situation of our country, I am very PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!! I loved explaining to my kids what it means to me to celebrate the Independence of our nation.

I also celebrated my birthday in July. I went to the pool with some great friends. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. Than that evening, a wonderful friend watched the kids so Brandon could take me on a date. It was wonderful beyond description to get a night off. Brandon took me to see Eclipse. I liked it, and Brandon did too. I had to explain a couple things to him. We also went out to dinner and I ate it without having to share with anyone else, HEAVEN! Thanks Stephanie, you are a lifesaver.

Finally, some other exciting news, my baby sister Jasmine is engaged. YAH!! I am excited for her and happy to welcome Chris into our crazy family. It is a little weird thinking of my baby sister getting married. Just yesterday, she was an annoying little girl that pinched between my fingers. I love her tons and wish her the best.

Anyway, that is pretty much it for now. We are enjoying our summer, spending lots of time outside playing. We play in the pool, jump on the trampoline. the kids ride bikes, and I garden. We also love to go to story time at the library. Ahh, the life of a stay-at-home mom. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Life is good

2010-05-18T22:35:00.001-07:00

We have had a fun couple of months. My baby girl turned four years old on April 17th. I can't believe that Kaitlyn is getting so big. I love her more than I ever could have imagined. We had a fun birthday party for her with several friends. The best part was the princess pinata, which Kaitlyn still talks about. It was a great day.

Brandon had a fun birthday on May 1st. He got an iTouch, which we absolutely love. It is tons of fun and I am addicted to the Angry Birds game. The kids like to watch movies on it, play games, and love listening to the Chipmunks on Daddy's new toy. Brandon loves to play Flick Fishing, and I am trying to convince him that he probably shouldn't be playing during church. Oh well, it keeps Ben and him entertained. I sure love Brandon and was glad I could get him something really fun for his birthday.

My mothers day was fun. I got three rose bushes, a few weeks early, which I happily planted in my backyard. We had a fence installed around the backyard, and I needed to plant some flowers in a new flower bed. I will have to take pictures when the flowers start blooming more. Brandon knows me to well, I love getting flowers, but I want the kind I can plant outside and enjoy for years to come (not just for a couple days). At church, the primary president gave a talk were she told the mothers why the kids loved them. Kaitlyn had told her that she loves me because I love her. How could you not love her? She is the sweetest kid on the planet and says the funniest things. I was glad that this Mothers Day I had three great reasons to celebrate. It was also nice to spend the afternoon with my family. Jeanne and Jasmine made a super yummy dinner.

On a super, wonderful, and extremely happy note, I finished my crazy semester of college. I had four online classes. To make it even better, I got 2 A's, an A-, and a B. I know, I am awesome. Only one semester left until I finally finish my bachelors degree. WOOHOO!!!!!! This picture demonstrates how I felt after this long semester of school.

Benjamin has been a little slow with his speech, so in March we had him tested. They speech therapist confirmed my suspicions that he was behind. He talks at an 18 month old level, but understands at a 24 month old level. We have been meeting with a speech therapist for two months and we absolutely adore her. Ben isn't making as much progress as we would hope. Our pediatrician told me that he has lots of fluid behind his ears and the audiologist confirmed this diagnosis. After meeting with an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist, we have decided that the best course of action is to out tubes in Ben's ears. On Monday, May 24th, he gets to have surgery. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited. I know that is weird. I want my boy to be able to hear properly and I am excited to see if his speech improves. Paul is a great baby and is growing too fast. He smiles all the time and is such a happy baby. He gets so animated when Kaitlyn and Ben play with him. He also makes the cutest sad face when Brandon gives him raspberries on the neck (see pictures below). He has started to sleep for 7 to 8 hours a night, thank goodness. I am truly blessed to have such a mellow baby. I always thought Kaitlyn and Ben were content babies. Paul is the ultimate pass-around baby. Our only problem, he is a closet thumb sucker. Whenever I turn my back, his little thumb goes to his mouth. It is cute, but I am not sure I want to break a kid of that habit. Oh well, I will continue to enjoy ever moment I have with my children.

I know some of the pictures are random, but I only had my memory card. So this is what you get. Enjoy

Utah Deal Diva

2010-03-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

I recently started following Utah Deal Diva. I found the link on my sister Jessi's blog, and thought what the heck I would check it out. I absolutely love it. I have been trying to figure out ways to save money on groceries, and this site helps a ton. I also found some other links on this website. I was really interested by the link to Nicole Photography. She is holding a contest to give away a free family portrait session in the Ogden area. We really could use some cute family portraits.

The Birthday Boy

2010-03-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

Here is my cute boy the night before his birthday. He is telling me about the presents he wants for his birthday. He has the cutest expressions ever.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!!!! March 25, 2008

I can't believe it has already been two years. We have so much fun with Ben and love having him in our family. Ben is such an active little guy, I have a hard time keeping up with him. One thing is sure, he loves his sister and brother. He likes to hold Paul and kiss his head, and has to play with whatever Kaitlyn is playing with. We had a wonderful birthday, full of fun. He loved his presents and loved ripping the paper off of them. He got some more trains and tracks to go with his train table.

Kaitlyn picked out a little Cars puzzle for him.

If you know Ben, his new passion is Toy Story, especially Buzz Lightyear. So of course, we had to get him both Toy Story movies, that he absolutely loves.

But the ultimate present was the Buzz Lightyear doll. It is supposed to be like the doll in the movie. The wings pop out, he has over 65 phrases that he can say, and he comes with a space ship. I tried to get a cute picture of Ben flying Buzz around the house, but Ben was not very cooperative. Anyway, he adores his Buzz doll and it has slept with him for the last two nights.

This is a cute picture of Kaitlyn celebrating for Ben, and of course I had to add one of Paul enjoying the party.

So what does a birthday boy do the day after, he dresses up with big sister and dances around the kitchen. He loves Kaitlyn's Cinderella dress, but this is the first time he has put it on. I sure love these kids, toooooo cute!!!!!!

Finally, Paul wondering what is going on. I could photograph my kids all day long.

Is it Springtime Yet???

2010-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

my handsome baby Paul

exhausted Ben after a day of playing

helping to water our new fruit trees and plants

trampoline fun!!!!

riding bikes

Having fun at the Dinosaur Park with friends

5 Years and counting...

2010-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 19th, was our five year anniversary. So much has happened since we were first married. We have three wonderful children, Brandon got hurt at work, we have lost some very special people, and life in general has been crazy. As I look back on the last five years, it has sure been an adventure.

We have had our fair share of trials, but have been immensely blessed with many joys as well. I am so glad that I am married for eternity to Brandon. He is such a great man. He works hard so I can stay home and take care of our precious children, he is a wonderful handy man (our current project is refinishing our wood floors), the kids love him and he loves them, and I know that I am the center of his world. I enjoy watching Ben help him set up the trampoline or sand the floors. It is so cute when Kaitlyn and Brandon snuggle up to watch a princess movie (now that is a great dad)!! He also knows how to pat Paul's back just right to get rid of the bubbles and help him sleep. I feel like such a lucky woman.

As I remember our wedding day, I think of the great happiness and love that I felt. The day was absolutely beautiful. The weather was nice, but it did rain that night. I was really lucky to have my maternal grandfather Heber Robertson seal us in the Ogden Temple. My Grandpa Rob(as everyone called him) passed away in September 2009, I feel truly blessed that he was able to seal us and I miss him dearly.

It was a fun day, full of great food, wonderful family, good friends, and dancing. The funniest part of the reception was when Brandon shoved wedding cake in my mom's face and then she smashed cake in his face. I had a splendid time and am thankful to all the generous people who made my day very special.

For our anniversary, Brandon had to work all day. He had a very long week and was really tired, but still he treated me to a nice dinner. The entire family went to Olive Garden. The food was super delicious and Ben particularly loved the stuffed mushrooms, who knew Ben liked mushrooms-crazy. It was the most I have seen the kids eat in one sitting in a long time. I loved being able to spend the evening with my family. Then, on Saturday, Brandon took me to the store to get my present. He bought me a new Blue-Ray DVD player and New Moon on Blue-Ray. I got him Star Trek (Blue-Ray of course) and a case for the flag from his dad's coffin. We also picked up a couple new movies for the kids. We spent most of the afternoon Sunday watching our new movies and loving the Blue-Ray system. The picture is so amazing. I had a great weekend. I love Brandon more everyday and I really know that love is an action that you must show all the time. I look forward to many more wonderful years, and eternity together!!!

Announcing Paul Heber

2010-02-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Paul Heber Wochnick born Friday, February 12, 2010, at 12:06am. He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. He is healthy and absolutely perfect.

We are thrilled to have Paul as part of our family. Kaitlyn loves to examine his tiny hands and feet. Benjamin thinks it is his job to tell me anytime Paul is sad. Both kids want to hold him a lot and he gets plenty of hugs and kisses from his siblings. The kids seem to be adjusting fairly well to the new baby. Brandon and I are thrilled to have another child, and the last ten days have been wonderful. Paul is a great baby and seems to be more laid back like me, but he is still really little so we will see how long that lasts. We feel truly blessed that our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with another precious spirit, and we hope that we continue to be good parents that are kids need. Anyway, just thought I would do a quick little update on the family.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

2009-10-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy couple of months. Lots of exciting things have happened. We have had many joys and some sorrow. To start, we found out we are expecting out third child in February. Kaitlyn is super excited and prayed for a little sister for months and was thrilled when she got to see her little sister on the TV at the doctors office. I am grateful that her sweet little prayers were answered and am excited for another girl. Brandon wanted another boy, bit I really wanted another girl. Girls are tons of fun. The baby is doing very well and after a tough couple of months I am feeling great. In anticipation of the new addition, Brandon insisted we get a minivan. It is nice to have the extra space in the vehicle, my car was getting a little tight anyway.

In July, we were saddened by the loss of a great friend. After a difficult battle with cancer, our beloved friend Paul passed away. It was very hard for Brandon, Paul was like a second father to him and really helped him after the loss of his father. I will forever be indebted to Paul because he patiently worked with Brandon and was instrumental in teaching Brandon the gospel. Paul was also always there to help us or offer us advice. I will miss his great knowledge and wisdom. It is comforting to know we will be able to see him again someday.

In September, I lost my maternal grandfather Heber Robertson. He too passed away after a long battle with cancer. I will miss my Grandpa a ton. He was the pillar of my mothers family. He taught me about faith, unconditional love, and the importance of family. He was an amazing man that will always hold a tender place in my heart. My Grandpa Rob (as we all called him my entire life) was a sealer in the temple for many years. Brandon and I were lucky to have him come to the Ogden Temple to marry us and seal us together forever. On our wedding day, he gave us some wonderful advice and it was nice to have a loving face perform the ceremony. The thing that I will miss most is that my grandpa was always there to talk to me and guide me. By profession, he was a counselor and always knew how to help me with my problems. It is wonderful to know that I am sealed to this great man for eternity. I look forward to being in his loving embrace again someday.

In August, I started school again. I am going to school full-time this semester and don't know how I will do it all. I feel like most of my free time is spent studying and doing homework. Brandon has helped a lot by picking up some of the slack around the house and taking the kids off of my hands. I try to do most of my homework while Ben is napping. Kaitlyn is adorable. She loves to sit at the table with me and do her homework. Her homework consits of coloring in some new coloring books and work books, playing with play dough, and painting beautiful pictures. It has been quite the adjustment, but we are slowly getting into a new routine. I am excited because after this semester I will be almost done with my Bachelors degree. I will only have 5 more classes to complete. There is finally a light at the end of the long college tunnel.

Kaitlyn started preschool in September. It is called Joy School and is not the typical preschool. I am doing it with three other mothers in the neighborhood. The kids, 2 boys and 2 girls, meet at alternating houses on every Thursday. The mothers take turns teaching the class. So about every 4 weeks it is my turn to teach. The curriculum focuses on teaching children to enjoy learning. So far the children have learned about the joys of obedience and decisions, the joy of spontaneous delight (having fun and being silly), and now we have started the section on the joy of the earth. I have really enjoyed the school and Kaitlyn loves it. She has made two new friends, we already knew one of the kids. There are also tons of cute songs that go along with the lessons and Kaitlyn loves to sing them and dance around the house. It has been a great learning experience and we look forward to the rest of the year.

Air Show

2009-06-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Afternoon, we went to go to the air show at Hill Air Force Base. Kaitlyn was extremely excited. She still absolutely loves all kinds of airplanes. When we asked her if she wanted to go to the air show last week, she was thrilled. We haven't heard the end of it, "when is the air show?" "Can we go to the air show now?" Needless to say, the ride there was an adventure.

The kids loved the airplanes. They had several planes open for people to tour. Kaitlyn was thrilled to go inside the plane. Ben like climbing on the chairs and touching the ceiling (with Daddy's help of course). Both the kids liked to look out the windows. After looking at several of the aircraft, we went to find a place to sit and watch the show. Kaitlyn enjoyed watching the planes, but there was one minor problem. Some of the planes were very loud. She kept putting her hands over her ears and was getting mad at the noise. Luckily, there was a souvenir booth selling ear muffs. Once armed with her ear muffs, she was free to completely enjoy the show. I will have to agree with Kaitlyn that at times the planes were very loud, I too covered my ears several times.

The best part of the show were the wonderful Thunderbirds. They are amazing and did a spectacular job. In this first clip, four of the Thunderbirds were flying up to do a star move, well what the audience didn't know was that another Thunderbird was coming from behind to complete the star. It scared all the people who were busy watching the four Thunderbirds, including me and Brandon. The second clip is another cool stunt.

They did some great stunts and we really enjoyed it. It was so much fun, that while we were walking to our truck, Kaitlyn fell asleep in the wagon. Ben took a nap while the Thunderbirds were performing. I was amazed that slept through the noise. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon and we will definitely go again in the future.

Random updates

2009-06-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

It is a sad day when your baby is no longer a baby. Ben is the most active little boy. He loves to run and climb. Despite what mom does to stop him, he climbs everywhere. Recently, I found him sitting in our bathroom sink. He has also started to get out of his crib. On Wednesday, I laid Ben down for a nap and went downstairs with Kaitlyn. I came upstairs later and found Ben playing in his room. Somehow, he escaped the crib and got a bloody nose and a bruise on his head in the process. Luckily, he did not seriously hurt himself. Brandon and I were hoping to wait until he was at least eighteen months old to move him into a toddler bed. I guess Ben has other plans. So that night I changed his crib into a toddler bed. Now, we get the fun adventure of teaching him to stay in bed. The last two nights he has gone to bed okay, but wakes up around 3am. Naps are another story, he prefers to sleep on the floor instead of his bed. Oh well, he will eventually learn to sleep in the toddler bed. We just have to be patient.

We had a fun Memorial Day. On Sunday night, we went to visit the graves of family members. We put some flowers from our house on Brandon's dads grave. We want the kids to know who their Grandpa Arnold was. Kaitlyn asked a lot of questions and was very curious about all the flags around the cemetery. I enjoyed teaching her about the flag and what it means to me to live in the United States. I want my kids to know how blessed we are to live in the US. After visiting one cemetery, we went to the cemetery where Brandon's moms family members are buried. We took some pictures of the graves, and saw a sign that the Vietnam Memorial Wall was at the cemetery for the weekend. We took the opportunity to go see it. The kids loved the tanks and being able to climb inside them. There was a very humbling and peaceful feeling around the wall. It was amazing to see all the names on the wall. It really humbled me to be there.

On Monday, we were going to go boating, but Brandon could not get it fixed. One thing after another kept breaking. So instead, we spent the day having fun. We went to the mall and played in the park. It was a good weekend.

We have also gone to the Ogden Dinosaur Park several times in the last couple weeks. The kids love playing at the park there. We usually go with friends, so Kaitlyn has someone to play with. She is constantly asking me of we can call her friends and go back to the dinosaur park. It was tons of fun.

Here is a cute random picture. I love a princess that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I was vacuuming the kids bedroom and Kaitlyn insisted on helping me. She at least took off the princess shoes. I love this cute little girl. Ben even tried to help with the cleaning.

Mother's Day

2009-05-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful mothers day. On Saturday night, Brandon took me to see X-Men Origins- Wolverine. Brandon's mom Ann watched the kids for us. It has been a long time since we went out in a date or to a movie. It was nice to spend time with my husband without the kids. The movie was pretty good and I enjoyed it. (I think Hugh Jackman is gorgeous so any movie with him is alright in my book.)
On Sunday, before church, I relaxed while Brandon got Kaitlyn and Ben ready for church. At church, I got to teach in Young Women and then teach the Family History class. I think I gave two great lessons. In nursery, Kaitlyn made me a really cute card with flowers on the front. After church, I relaxed some more while Brandon made lunch. I was pretty exhausted from the long week we had just had ( I will explain in another post). I took a nap and snuggled Kaitlyn while we watched a movie. It was a nice relaxing day.

I love Mother's Day and the chance to think about the great blessings that we receive from our mothers. I will try to write some of my feelings about the amazing mothers in my life.

When I heard the word mother, the first person that comes to mind is my wonderful mother Jody. She embodies everything that a mother should be. She is selfless in her love and care for her family. She dropped everything to spend a night in the hospital with me after I had surgery. She got to the hospital to be there with me as my husband was taken to surgey and then helped to care for my children while I spent time at the hospital with him. I know that whenever I call her with a problem she will be there in hurry to help in any way possible. She is constantly taking family members to the doctors and looking after their medical needs. I know she adores all her grandcildren and her grandkids adore her. Kaitlyn pretends to talk to her on the phone all the time. My mother has taught me many lessons on how to be a great mother. I hope I can be as amazing as her.

The next great mother I think of is my wonderful mother-in-law Ann. She was blessed with all boys. She has truly welcomed me into her family and her heart. She treats me like I am her daughter. She also has been there for me during some very difficult times. She watched Kaitlyn for us while I was at the hospital for my surgery and while I was having Ben. She has been there to comfort me and offer me advice during some trials in my life. I love helping her and spending time with her. My kids love her a lot and enjoy hanging out with grandma.

Some of the other great mothers in my life are my sisters. Jessi has taught me how to relax and to not let the little things bother me. She also is an example of patience and understanding. Jayne is a good example of devotion and love. She is raising Alexia to be a kind and generous woman. Jacki, a soon to be mother and I am sure a pretty cool stepmom, is going to be a good mom. She is going to be that fun mom that all the kids want to hang out with. The future mothers, Jeanne and Jasmine are two exceptional women. Jeanne will teach her future children to be stong and faithful people. Jasmine will be great at nurturing and understanding the trials of her future children. I am really blessed to have amazing sisters who teach me how to be a better mother.

I am also blessed to have awesome grandmothers, Norma and Vivian. They are so wise and intelligent. They have taught me a lot over the years. I appreciate the support and kindness they have shown me. I also am thankful that they are always willing to help my family. I have many wonderful aunts and cousins who are examples to me of what a mother should be. I feel lucky to have so many great mothers in my life and now I don't have to space to mention them all.

The last mother I think of is me. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I am a mother to two beautiful children. I want to be the best mother I can be so I can spend eternity with my family. I want to teach Kaitlyn how to be a great mother and I know I can do that by being a great mother. I am a blessed woman.

Kaitlyn's Birthday

2009-05-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have a ton to catch up on. So I am going to break it up into a couple posts.
First, my adorable Kaitlyn turned three. She had a wonderful party with her friends and cousins. She played and loved all her presents. She loves telling people that she is a big girl now because she is three.

In honor of her birthday, I would like to list the three cutest thing about Kaitlyn.

1. The way she says "I love you this much," while she stretches her arms a wide as she can. Then, she gives me a big hug and a kiss. She is such an affectionate child.

2. How sweet she is to Ben and how she expresses her love her Ben. She is the sweetest big sister in the universe. She loves to tell me when Ben needs something.

3. Kaitlyn is a great friend. She prayers for her friends every night and is so thankful for them and being able to play with them. She is getting better at sharing her toys. She has the cutest personality.

I love this girl and know she is going to be a beautiful woman and a great mother someday.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday. When Kaitlyn and Ben woke up, we did a little Easter egg hunt with them. They had lots of fun. Kaitlyn did really good finding the eggs that were hidden, and Ben just loved to pick up the eggs and shake them. They both loved eating a little candy before breakfast.

We bought them new outfits for church. Kaitlyn picked her dress out at the store and calls it her princess dress. She also got new Disney princess church shoes. She asked all morning long to put on her new dress. She is the cutest little girl on earth. I love her so much, she has the greatest personality. She was really adorable in her dress. Brandon helped me pick out Ben's outfit. He was so handsome. I love seeing Ben in a nice church suit.

We had fun at church. I got to teach the Young Women lesson. I love being able to teach the girls about Jesus and the Resurrection. It was a great lesson. Brandon volunteered to teach my family history class for me, so I got a little break from that. He did a good job. I had to leave church a little early to finish getting the house ready for our Easter party. Brandon's family came over for lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The kids had a wonderful time. They loved looking for eggs and I think they all got some good stuff. It was another fun party.

Ben's Birthday

2009-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

On March 25, Ben turned one. I can't believe a year has already passed. He is getting so big and is as cute as ever. He runs and climbs on everything. We had a great birthday. Kaitlyn, Ben, Sierra, and I spent the day playing. After Brandon got home from work, we had cupcakes and opened presents. Ben loved his cupcake and made a huge mess, but it was well worth it. Then, Ben got to open his presents. He got some big Lego's, some more balls, and a cool sports center. The sports center has a little basketball hoop, a baseball, and a football. Ben loves to play basketball. I think Ben had a good day.

On the Saturday after his birthday, we had a little party with my family and Brandon's parents. It was nice to spend time with family. Ben was a little cranky from getting his shots the day before, but I think he had another fun day. He loved sitting in his highchair and eating ice cream. He also got some more neat toys to play with and some cute summer clothes. It was a fun party and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It is amazing that my baby is one already.

Disney on Ice

2009-03-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Kaitlyn and I got to go to Mickeys and Minnie's Magical Ice Adventure at the Energy Solutions Arena. We were supposed to go with Kaitlyn's friend Sierra and her mom, but sadly Sierra got sick. So, Kaitlyn and I got to have a mother/daughter date. We had a blast. Kaitlyn really likes Mickey right now and was so excited when she saw him come out. She had the cutest expressions on her face.

There were lots of fun Disney characters. They did songs from the Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid. Her all time favorite was Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. When he came out, she got so excited, she jumped out of her seat and started screaming with glee. The Little Mermaid is one of her favorite movies and she loves to sing along with the songs. It was cute to listen to her sing along to Kiss the Girl.

At intermission, we had to buy Kaitlyn a toy. It was a tough decision, but Kaitlyn picked out a fun little Minnie Mouse doll. The entire second half, Minnie sat comfortably on Kaitlyn's lap. Since Saturday, Minnie has also slept on Kaitlyn's bed with her for every nap and bedtime. She has never been this attached to a doll, it is adorable. It was an enjoyable day and nice for Kaitlyn and I to get to spend some quality time together.

After the show, we went out to dinner with my family for my brother Jordan's birthday. It was great to spend some time with my family. Overall, it was a wonderful day.

Red Wagon

2009-03-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Do you remember how much fun it was to play in a wagon as a kid? Well, Brandon and I have wanted to get a wagon for the kids for a while now. A couple weeks ago, when Brandon was delivering to Harbor Freight, he saw they had the kind we wanted on sale. Of course he had to buy one right away. He had me come pick it up and take it home. With some help from Kaitlyn and Ben, and a little assistance from Brandon, I put the wagon together. We took the kids for a walk in it that night. They LOVED it. Ben loves having the freedom to move around and Kaitlyn likes the space. We have had several wonderful walks with our new wagon. The only bad part of the wagon is that it goes way to fast down hills, but I am sure the kids will love that when they get older.

The kids loved the ride so much they crashed on the way home. This has happened on a couple of our walks.

My little champ

2009-02-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

We had tons of fun at the Utah Jazz game last night. It was Kaitlyn's and Ben's first live NBA basketball game. They were so cute when the game was starting and the music was going and the lights were all crazy. They both clapped along with the crowd and danced to the music. Ben really like watching the Jazz dancers. We took my sister Jasmine with us, so Kaitlyn could be there for all the action.

During the start of the second quarter, Brandon, Ben, and I had to meet the radio people and the other contestants just off the court. We got to go to the area where the Jazz dancers wait and got to see them, which Ben loved even more since he is a huge flirt. We also get to meet the Jazz Bear. At the start of halftime, they had all the babies and parents go out onto the floor. Brandon was holding Ben at the start line and I was waiting at the finish line. Todd, the radio announcer, said start and the babies are supposed to go. It took a second for Ben and two other babies to start crawling. The other seven babies just sat at the start line. As you can tell from the title, our little Ben won. He is the 2009 B98.7 Diaper Derby Champion. He cruised past the other two babies that were actually crawling.

We were told we were allowed to bring one item/toy to try to coax our baby to move. I decided not to bring one, because Ben is not really passionate about any toys yet. If Kaitlyn is playing with it, he wants it, but she could not go down to the race with us. So, I used the next best thing, Mommy. Ben is a huge Mamma's boy, and I knew his desire to cuddle Mommy would motivate him to come to me (especially since he was really tired). It work and our little guy did really well. After he won, Todd told us Ben moved to fast, they did not have enough time to get footage of all of the other babies. It was a neat experience, and one that our family really needed.

This is Brandon's footage of Ben, using our pitiful camera. I will post the video from the radio station when I get it.

So what did Ben win? He got a cute little trophy with a baby crawling on it, of course. He really likes to eat the babies head. He got a basket full of Utah Jazz goodies. Mom and Dad got tickets to go to another Jazz game. Ben got a $100 gift certificate to the Mommy in Mind website, and a $500 college savings certificate. Also, he won a really expensive stroller. All in all, he did really great.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a good Valentine's day, full of love and happiness. It was pretty mellow at our house. Kaitlyn has been sick, so we did not want to do much. After a couple morning errands, we ended up spending the rest of the day at home relaxing. Brandon left for a couple hours to help a friend fix his vehicle. Kaitlyn, Ben, and I cuddled and watched a movie. When Brandon got home, we played with the present I got Brandon for Valentine's day, a Nintendo Wii. We actually bought a week ago, as an early present. It is lots of fun. Kaitlyn likes playing Mario Kart with Daddy, and I beat Brandon at Kung Fu Panda. It is a fun game system and we enjoy spending some family time together playing games.

For anyone who is curious, Brandon bought me a new washer and dryer for Valentine's. We got a nice Kenmore front loading pair from Sears. I am really excited for them to be delivered on Saturday. My dryer has been working on and off since we got married. Brandon would fix it, and it would work for a couple months and then break again. It finally died completely right after Ben was born. So, I have been hang drying our clothes ever since. It was not that annoying during the summer, but during the winter the clothes take forever to dry. I can't wait to be able to dry my clothes in a nice new dryer.

Radio fun

2009-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Brandon was listening to the radio this morning at work and heard the announcers mention a baby contest. It is a diaper derby to find a fast little crawler. So he called, not knowing all the details, and got on the radio. He entered Ben into the diaper derby. Guess when it is? During halftime at the Jazz game on February 17. That's right, we get two tickets to the game plus a couple other cool prizes just for being contestants. So I hope everyone will watch the game Tuesday night and cheer on the Jazz (they are playing the Memphis Grizzlies) and our cute little Ben. Hopefully, he will do well and kick some baby bottom. If not, at least we get free tickets to a game and get the chance to show off our adorable baby. We are extremely excited!!!

And he's off...

2009-02-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

It is official. My baby is walking. Ben is almost eleven months old, which is way to young in my opinion for him to be walking. (He is supposed to be my cuddly baby, who needs mommy for almost everything.) Oh well, you can't stop your kids from learning and growing. I encourage him and help him however I can. He started taking six to seven steps last Saturday. The last two days he has been walking almost everywhere. He still falls A LOT, but he just crawls to something stable and pulls himself up. He discovered that it is also easier to carry toys around when he is walking, which is convenient when you are stealing big sisters dolls. It is the cutest thing in the world to see my little baby toddling around. I told Brandon his walking reminds me of Frankensteins monster. He bobbles back and forth and grunts and growls; he just needs to put his arms in front of him. My camera can record little videos, so I have tried to capture him walking, but to no avail. When he sees the camera, he gets really excited and falls over. Here is the best shot I have so far.

On a side note, congratulations to my sister Jacki and her husband Patrick. Baby expected to arrive in September. Yeah, I love having another niece or nephew.

College

2009-01-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

I started back at school this semester. I am taking one class, that meets one evening a week. It is a Behavior Modification and Management class. So far, it has been really fun and I have learned a ton. There is so much information to learn and memorize, but I am glad I am doing it. I love being a mother, but it is not always the most mentally stimulating thing. It is nice to feel like I have to really work and think hard again. My brain was in desperate need of exercise. I guess I could take up hobbies that require a little more brain power, but who has the time for that. Anyway, I am extremely excited to be back at school and hopefully I will do great this semester.

Happy New Year

2009-01-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful new year. We are looking forward to 2009. 2008 was filled with joy and many trials. We celebrated the birth of our beautiful baby Ben and rejoiced as Jeanne left for her mission. We were saddened by the illnesses of several family members, but are glad to know they are feeling better. Also, the greatest trial of our marriage so far, Brandon getting injured at work. He continues to improve and has been working full time for a while now and loves it. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and how hard he has been working to get better. There have been many struggles and challenges, but we just continue pushing forward. We are blessed to know that our Savior Jesus Christ is there to help us and that a loving Heavenly Father understands our pain. We know that this next year will be much better.
We are continually surrounded by many loving family and friends.

We had a great new years eve. We again went over to Darrick and Betty's house. Betty made another feast. The kids played and had fun. We watched a couple movies and went home at about 11. I don't think Kaitlyn and Ben could have handled much more. They both crashed on the way home. The next morning we all slept in, and they later that day we went for a drive. We were looking for elk in Woodruff, Utah. Brandon has an elk tag and is getting anxious to fill it.

We hope everyone had a joyous holiday season, and wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year. We love you.

Merry Christmas

2009-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful holiday season. We had a fun Christmas Eve party with Brandon's brother Darrick and his family. Betty sure knows how to make a feast. Kaitlyn also loved playing with Kim. She ate a ton of Hershey Kisses, too many, and woke up at 3 am on Christmas throwing up chocolate everywhere. It was very gross. After cleaning up, Kaitlyn got to cuddle with Mom and Dad. Ben woke up around 6 am for his first breakfast, then fell asleep in bed with Mom and Dad too. By about 8, Brandon and I were ready to wake up. Two kids taking up the entire bed is not fun. We had fun opening presents. Kaitlyn loved ripping the paper off any present she could find. Ben just wanted to eat the paper, so of course Kaitlyn and Dad had to help him open his presents. It was a great morning.

Later. we went to my Grandpa Joe and Grandma Norma's house. These are my dad's parents. We had a good visit and got to see more relatives. I love my grandparents so much and they are always so kind and generous.

Then, we went over to my parents house. I got to talk to my younger sister Jeanne, who is currently serving a mission in Texas. She is an amazing person and such an inspiration to me. We played games on the Wii, and I did pretty good bowling. We opened more presents and had more fun. We also had a great dinner. My mom and sister Jessi made a very delicious duck.

We decided to leave when it started snowing. It was an adventure getting home. The snow was coming down like crazy. The roads were icy and snow covered. My little car did not want to climb any hills, and you have to climb at least two to get to our house. After a long two hour ride, we made it home safely. It was a wonderful Christmas. I love being able to spend the day with family. It reminds me of the real reason for the season.

Santa

2008-12-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

On Monday night, we took the kids to the mall to see Santa. Kaitlyn was really excited to go. She ran all over the house saying "Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas," because that is what Santa says. When we got to the mall, Kaitlyn was a little apprehensive to sit on his lap and talk to him. Santa was very nice and they started talking about the princess stuff she wants for Christmas. Ben was cute, like always. He sat on Santa's lap without any problems. We got a cute picture of both of the kids with Santa. It was a fun family night.

December is the month of birthdays. Kaitlyn, Ben , and I took Grandma Jody out to lunch for her birthday and we had a blast. I love being able to spend time with my mom. We heard that Alexia had a wonderful Hannah Montana birthday party. We are glad she had a great day. We hope that Jacki and Jared had happy birthdays. We also wish Steven a very happy birthday.

We are still doing good. The kids keep me busy and I love watching them grow. They bring such joy into our home. I especially love this time of year. I love teaching Kaitlyn about the birth of Jesus. This time of year reminds me of how truly blessed we are and of how we need to share those blessing with others. We are trying to have the Christ Spirit in our hearts and home.

Fall

2008-11-20T13:42:00.001-08:00

I love the fall. It is so beautiful to see all the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground. Kaitlyn loves to run and squish the leaves. On one of our walks, she found some cute leaves that she just had to bring home. I finally convinced her that the leaves would be happier outside with all of the other leaves, instead of crumpled up on her bedroom floor. (Mommy is such a clean freak.) Now anytime a leaf is accidentally brought in the house on someones shoe or the stroller wheels, Kaitlyn has to take it outside to be with its friends.

I am trying to let Kaitlyn play outside as much as possible before the snow comes. Today, we went to the Ogden Airport and watched several planes take off. Kaitlyn still loves planes, but does not like the loud sounds they make. She is absolutely adorable waving to the planes and shouting bye. She tells me all kinds of stories about where the planes are going and what they will be doing. She has a great imagination. After the airport, we weren't ready to go home yet, so we went to a nearby park. Kaitlyn and Ben had fun swinging. Lately, Kaitlyn loves to swing the entire time we are at the park. I love it because it is easier to keep track of her. Ben enjoyed the swings and I took some cute pictures of the kids with my phone.

We are hoping the weather will stay nice for a couple more weeks, so we can go to the park more. I love being able to play with my kids and watch their excitement as we do something fun together. On a side note, I am getting really anxious to go see Twilight on Saturday morning. I am going with my sisters and can't wait. I love getting away from Brandon and the kids sometimes to just have fun and relax. It will be a great "Mommy Break."

First Haircut

2008-11-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, I gave Ben his first haircut. Brandon needed a haircut, so we got out the clippers and did it. When I was done with his hair, I suggested we trim Ben's hair. He had the cutest baby hair. The top was really long and it was impossible to get it to lay flat. Ben was such a little trooper. I had Brandon hold him , while I trimmed the hair with the clippers. He did not squirm or even get mad as I did it. I think he was more intrigued by the clippers and the cord. The only time Brandon really had to hold him still was as I trimmed around the ears with Brandon's little razor. I love his new hair cut, but was a little sad to see my baby change into a little boy. The new cut makes him look older. He is just as handsome as ever though. Here is a before shot:
Here is the finished product. My two handsome guys.

I also wanted to take the chance to mention a couple of the things I love about my little Ben. I love it when he wakes up and holds me tight around my neck. I love his cute growl and squeak. I am amazed with how smart and curious he is. It makes me so happy to see Ben light up when Kaitlyn talks to him and plays with him. I know he really loves his big sister and she really loves him. Most of all, I love this amazing spirit that Brandon and I have been entrusted with. I feel honored and blessed to have such wonderful children.

Below is a picture of Kaitlyn and Ben sitting on Kaitlyn's chair. She was reading books to him, but had to put them down for the picture. This is from Boo at the Zoo.

Happy Haloween

2008-11-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. We did the trunk or treating at our church and then visited with a some family and friends. Kaitlyn had a blast trick or treating. She kept saying "trick or treat, smell my feet." That was all of the little jingle she could remember. Kaitlyn was the cutest princess in the world. She loved to spin in circles and sing "I"m a princess" over and over again. Ben was an adorable teddy bear. He did not care to much for the costume, but he loved it when Kaitlyn and Daddy gave him a little sucker. He made a huge sticky mess and finished almost all the sucker before Mommy confiscated it.

We have been pretty busy the last few months. Brandon is doing very well. He had to do a vision and a hearing evaluation. He did very well on both of them, and the doctors only noticed small problems that should improve with time. He also did a driving evaluation and did very well on it. He is extremely excited that he gets to drive again. He doesn't feel like such a prisoner anymore; he can go out for a drive without having to ask me to drive him. We are also thrilled that he gets to go back to work on Monday. The doctor has agreed to let him start back on a part time basis. Brandon is relieved to finally go back to work, even of it is only part time really easy work.

Kaitlyn is still doing great. We have started doing a play group with some kids from church. Kaitlyn loves playing with the other kids and she does surprising well sharing and interacting with the other kids. We have some really great families in our neighborhood. We are still working with her on potty training and she is doing pretty good. Her new love is bedtime baths. She loves to play and soak for at least thirty minutes. By the time she is done, her hands and feet are so wrinkled it is adorable. She has also got some fun princess barbies and horses and loves to play with them.

Ben is my little monster. He is completely mobile now and gets into whatever he can reach. He does really well at crawl dragging himself to anywhere he wants. He really loves to find cords and pull on them or try to eat them. I have had a much harder time trying to baby proof my house with Ben than I ever did with Kaitlyn. He is such a busy baby and has to explore everything we are doing. He loves food and eats a ton. If I am eating, he thinks he needs to be eating with me. Last week, he developed a rash on his tummy and back. I took him to the pediatrician and was relieved to find out it was eczema. I was freaking out thinking he was having an allergic reaction to some food he had eaten. Anyway, she gave me some oil and moisturizing lotion to put on him. The rash cleared up in a couple days and Ben was back to his curious active little self.

I have been doing well. I keep busy with the two kids and husband home all day. I have spent a lot of time canning peaches, grapes, tomatoes, pears, and miscellaneous other stuff. I enjoy canning even though it is a lot of work. Brandon and I have also been doing a few projects around the house. It was nice to get some of my honey do list done. I am going to try to set aside a specific time each week to post, so that I wont take quite as long in between each post.

We are still here...

2008-09-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I've posted. It seems I am even busier having a husband home all day than I was with just two kids at home. By the end of the day, I am too tired to get on the computer.

Brandon is doing very well. He went back to work for a week and then the doctor took him back out of work. He was discharged from his therapies. We just have to do several other tests, then hopefully, Brandon will be able to return to work in early October. He is getting very anxious and really wants to work again. He has improved so much since he came home from the hospital. Most of the time you can't tell he was injured. He still has some minor memory and cognitive delays, but those are improving everyday. We are really blessed that he is doing so well.

The kids are doing wonderful. Kaitlyn gets cuter all the time. She talks nonstop and is a great little helper. Ben continues to grow a lot. He is adorable and a big mama's boy, he loves to touch my cheek and give me baby kisses. He has started solid foods and loves them. So far we had tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and carrots. His favorite so far has been the carrots. He also rolls all over the place and has been trying to crawl. He is growing up way to fast.

August was a fun month. We went to Brandon's moms trailer in Ogden Canyon several times. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place. Kaitlyn loves playing in the river. We went to Peach Days, which is a parade and carnival. Kaitlyn had a blast going on the rides with her friend Sierra. She loved the big slide. Most of the time, we just stay home or go to the park. I have been playing a little tennis with Brandon. Neither of us are all that great, but we enjoy doing it. Anyway, we are doing well and continue to work on getting even better.

I hope they call Jeanne on a mission...

2008-08-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am really excited. Yesterday, my younger sister Jeanne finally received her mission call. She will be going to the Texas Dallas Mission. I think she will have tons of fun in Texas. I know she will be a wonderful missionary. We are all very proud of her.

We are doing okay. Brandon continues to work with his therapists and is doing well. Kaitlyn is so cute and watches carefully over Daddy. She also told me that she has a headache like Daddy, so I need to let her go everywhere with Daddy. Ben is getting even longer. We had his four month check-up on Monday. The doctor said he looks great and is a healthy happy baby. Of course, he was being extremely cute talking to the doctor during the appointment. Ben did good while he got his shots, he only cried when they did the shots. As soon as Mommy picked him up he was good. It was Brandon's first time being there for the shots for either of the kids. He did not like watching the nurse do it. He absolutely hates needles. Oh well, that is what brave mommies are for.

New Computer

2008-07-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am really excited. Yesterday afternoon, we had a little birthday party for me with my family and Brandon's parents. My family gave me a new computer for my birthday. They are so wonderful and will never know how much I love it and appreciate it. Brandon helped me set it up last night and it works great. It is tons faster than my old computer and does not freeze, which was causing me loads of stress. I constantly lost info or had to stop doing something because the computer would just freeze. Anyway, I have already been using my new computer to work on some genealogy. I am really becoming passionate about doing genealogy. It is an amazing feeling to find a name or date I have been searching for. This is a picture of me uncovering my marvelous new computer.

Here are also a couple cute pictures from the party. Kaitlyn and Callie were having tons of fun playing together and pushing each other in the stroller. Kaitlyn looks really cool in Grandpa Jay's sunglasses. Craig had a blast holding Iron Man Ben with Grandma Jody.

As I promised, here are some cute pictures from when Brandon was released from the hospital. Kaitlyn was happy to see her daddy, and Dotty was relieved to finally be with her human again. She has hardly left Brandon's side since he got home. She sleeps right by his feet all the time. Brandon is doing exceptionally well. We know that our Savior Jesus Christ watches over us and continues to help our family. We feel deeply blessed to have Brandon home and doing as well as he is. He still gets tired really easily and rests a lot. He is anxious to return to work. I think he is bored. I am trying to find a new hobby for him, if anyone has any good suggestions we would appreciate it. He has become an expert at napping, and Ben and him are getting some good naps together. We will continue to enjoy our time together and work on getting Brandon's strength and endurance back.

Happy Birthday to me

2008-07-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be home for my birthday. Brandon was released from the hospital yesterday morning. We are just relaxing and enjoying the time together with our family. Kaitlyn loves having Daddy home. Ben has been rolling around all over the floor. So far it has been a good birthday. We went to church this morning and everyone was glad to see Brandon doing so well. After a nice nap, we visited Brandon's grandparents and parents. We plan on taking it easy for the next couple of days. Thanks for all the visitors and the messages from friends and families.

Zoo

2008-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

We had lots fun at the zoo today. Here are several cute pictures.

Going home

2008-07-18T21:18:00.001-07:00

The doctor has agreed to release Brandon tomorrow morning. We are extremely excited to be going home. Brandon is thrilled to get out of the hospital. He has been doing really well with his therapies. He still needs to relax and take it easy for a while. Kaitlyn is happy to get to see her daddy. It will be nice to go home and get back into some kind of routine. I have really appreciates my family and all of the help they have given me, especially my mom and my sisters. It was great to know Kaitlyn and Ben were having fun while I was at the hospital with Brandon. I think Kaitlyn will miss playing with Callie and Grandma. She has had a blast. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Rehab

2008-07-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, they moved Brandon to the Rehab floor. They will focus with him more on physical, occupational, and speech therapies. He continues to improve everyday. Hopefully, they will be able to release him on Saturday. Yesterday, we went for a walk outside and Brandon loved getting some fresh air. He is doing much better walking unassisted. He still has some balance problems and trouble with stairs. It is worse when he is tired, which happens very easily. Anyway, he continues to be in good spirits and is anxious to go home.

We are excited, because we are going to the zoo today. I am going to take Kaitlyn and Ben. We are going with my sisters Jeanne, Jasmine, and Jessi, my brother Jordan, my niece Callie, and my nephew Craig. We are sure to have a great time.

Walking and stairs

2008-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Brandon has been doing very well the last two days. He was moved out of ICU late Sunday night. He was glad to be out of there. The physical therapist has been working with him twice a day. He is getting better every time. He still has problems with balance and orientation, but we are hopeful those will improve with continued practice. Today they did stairs for the first time, and the therapist said he did okay. He just needs time to strengthen and use his muscles again.

He is still having some memory and cognition problems. They have a speech therapist working with him on those. Everyone is hopeful that he will continue to recover quickly and are impressed with the progress he has made.

We feel deeply blessed by the love and support we have been show by our family and friends. Brandon loves to hear all the comments and it helps cheer him up. Thanks

Update

2008-07-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Brandon had a good day. He was talking a lot more. He has started to remember more and understands where he is. The last day he remembers was July 8th, so he lost a couple days. He may never remember what happened. He was asking lots of questions and was really worried about work. He even asked the doctor to release him so he could finish his route, always a workaholic. He is in good spirits and appreciates all the messages from family and friends.

They are trying to keep his pain level down, but not over medicate him. The pain medication was making him to sleepy and that made it difficult to work with him. The doctors want him to get up and move more. He had the physical therapist and the occupational therapist working with him a little today. He sat up for ten minutes and took a couple steps around the room. He did some other small exercises and was usually cooperative. We hope he will be up for walking around more tomorrow.

Since he started to comprehend more what happened to him, he has been very sweet. He is really funny to talk to and makes some pretty amusing comments. We are truly thankful for all the progress he has made. Hopefully, he will continue to be cooperative.

Kaitlyn and Ben had fun going to the movie with Grandma Jody, Aunt Jeanne, Aunt Jessi, and cousins Callie and Craig. They saw "Horton Hears a Who." Kaitlyn feel asleep during the movie, but said she enjoyed the part she was awake for. She loves elephants. Later, they went swimming at my uncle Clint's house. Kaitlyn loved going down the water slide. They tell me Ben had a blast playing in the water.

GREAT News!!!

2008-07-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

This morning when I visited Brandon there was no real change. They said he had responded a little last night, but he was not wanting to respond when I got there. I left to get lunch and take care of the kids for a little bit, and when I got back I received the best news yet. The trauma doctors had decided that Brandon was alert enough to remove the intubation tube. His nurse was trying to get him to respond using his hands, but he did not want to. The said that when he asked Brandon if he wanted the tube out Brandon opened his eyes and nodded his head. So they removed the tube, and Brandon started trying to talk.

When I arrived at the hospital, Brandon was pretty alert. He would talk a little and answered some questions. He knew his name and he recognized me. The longer I was there the more alert he became. He started getting agitated because he wanted the arms and upper torso restraints removed. He keep yelling at me and the nurses to stop arguing with him. I have never been so excited to see him get this feisty. It was great to see him responding and expressing his thoughts. He has no memory of what happened yet, and we had to explain to him many times that he was at the hospital.

When he was calm and understood that he could not remove the IVs or the monitors, the nurse took the restraints off him. He was glad to move around a little and said his back was stiff. He seems to be in good spirits and is resting now. All the excitement of this afternoon wore him out. We are thrilled that he is responding well and talking to us. The doctors say this is a great sign and that his scans all look good.

The kids are doing well and having lots of fun with Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

Emergency

2008-07-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I got the phone call that no one ever wants to get. My mother-in-law Ann called at about 9:15 to tell me that Brandon had been injured at work. She did not know how bad, but was told he hurt his head. The police had called my in-laws because they could not find my number. She also said she and Earl (her husband) were on the way to pick me up and take me to the hospital. I immediately called Coca-Cola to find out if they knew anything. Their receptionist Cheryl got me in touch with the police in Evanston. The police dispatcher told me that Brandon had fallen off the back of his work truck and hit his head. She also said he had a seizure and wanted to know if he had a history of seizures. I told her no and gave her some more medical information. She said he was on his way to Evanston Regional Hospital.

After talking to her, I called a couple more people and arranged for Kaitlyn to spend the day with her friend Sierra. Ann and Earl arrived and Ben and I went with them. On the way, the hospital called and told me they were lifeflighting Brandon to Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. We rushed to the hospital and arrived a couple minutes before Brandon. We watched them unload him from the helicopter and rush him back into the emergency room. We waited for several more minutes while they got him ready for surgery. Then a social worker took us back to see him. He was heavily sedated and they had to put a breathing tube in. He was hooked to all kinds of machines and had IV's all over his arms. I talked to him and waited with him while they finished getting the operating room ready. The doctor said that he had an epidural hematoma on the left side of his brain, which means that blood was collecting between his brain and his skull. He needed immediate surgery to remove the blood and the pressure on his brain.

My parents arrived just as they were getting ready to take him to surgery. My dad Jay and Brandon's step dad Earl gave him a blessing and then the nurses took him away to surgery. We waited in the surgical waiting room. The surgery took about two hours. One of the doctors and a nurse came and told us that the surgery went well. They removed a piece of his skull and removed the blood. The doctor told us that his brain looked good and was not swelling too bad. They believe they removed the blood in time to prevent too much damage but we will not know the permanent effects for several days or weeks. They took Brandon to the ICU Trauma area and got him situated in his room.

Finally, I was taken back to see him as he was coming out of sedation. When I went in the room, he was just barely starting to move. He was really agitated and started trying to pull out the tubes. His hands were tied down. His vitals started to go crazy. The nurse tried to get him to respond and follow some simple commands. He was not responding and just kept thrashing around. They decided to sedate him some more and he calmed down. The rest of the day he pretty much rested. They were going to try to slowly bring him out of sedation over the evening and see if he responded better.

This is a brief explanation of the events, but I think it gives people most of the information needed. He had checked in with the restaurant and went out to unload their product. About five minutes later, one of the employees went out to empty the garbage and found Brandon on the ground unconscious and having a seizure. From what his co-workers have deduced, since no one witnessed the accident, he was moving product around in his truck and did not realized he was that close to the back of the truck. He slipped off the back and landed on his head. His left shoulder was also pretty bruised.

I will try to update the post regularly with information on his status and progress. I figure this will be one of the easiest ways to keep family and friends informed. People wanting more information or to send well wish can email us at bwoch@wildblue.net. I will try to respond as soon as possible. Family and friends are also welcome to call me on my cellphone at any time. The kids and I will be staying at my mom's house in Salt Lake for a while, since it is only a couples minutes from the hospital. Thanks for all the concern and prayers we have received so far. We really appreciate it.

Minnesota

2008-07-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful vacation. It was great to visit with Brandon's extended family. I really love them all and appreciate how they have welcomed me into the family. We kept pretty busy for most of the vacation. To start, Kaitlyn LOVED the plane ride. We took a red eye flight on the way there and I thought she would sleep most of the time. She was so excited that she did not fall asleep until I forced her to in the Las Vegas Airport. (We went from SLC to Las Vegas to Minneapolis.) While the plane was taking off, Kaitlyn was sitting in her car seat looking out the window saying cute stuff like "WOW," "WEE," and "FUN." The pressure change did not even bother her. Brandon thinks she will be a pilot someday.

Brandon and I went to a Minnesota Twins game on Wednesday night with several of his family. It was lots of fun. The Twins won by a lot. Some of our other fun activities while in Minnesota were going to the Mall of America, visiting Brandon's uncles dairy farm, having lots of family dinners, and going to Kim's wedding (Brandon's cousin).

The mall was a adventure. Kaitlyn got to take her picture with Dora, which made her whole day. Kaitlyn also got to build a cute bunny at Build a Bear. She named her Princess and absolutely loves her. We also went to the underwater adventure at the mall. We got to see all kinds of cool animals, like sharks, turtles, and fish. At the end, we even got to touch a stingray and a little shark. They felt really weird.

We really enjoyed going to Ken and Jeanette's house and getting a tour of the farm. The dairy is interesting and so high tech. Who knew getting milk from a cow was so complicated. Kaitlyn was thrilled to see all the animals. She got to pet a baby cow, a deer, a horse, a dog, and several adorable kittens.

The wedding was beautiful. Kaitlyn and Ben did pretty good sitting through the ceremony at the church. Ben slept most of the time. Kaitlyn got a little restless, so Brandon took her into the children's room towards the end. Kaitlyn loved blowing bubbles on Kim and Ryan as they left the church. The reception was really neat. Brandon's aunt Sue put bells all over Kaitlyn so she jingled everywhere she went. She was absolutely adorable. She was the friendliest kid and had tons of fun dancing with whoever would dance with her. I think she was the cutest kid at the reception.

Overall, the trip was very enjoyable and we look forward to visiting again. Brandon's family were all very friendly and loving. We really appreciate their kindness, especially Sharon for letting us stay at her house again. I think it is really important for us to spend time with Brandon's extended family as much as we can. I will try to post some pictures as soon as I can, my computer is still acting very weird.

Vacation

2008-06-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

We are really excited to be leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow. We all need a good vacation. Kaitlyn can not wait to ride on an airplane. She has been talking a lot about it the last couple of days. I will try to post pictures of Kaitlyn at the airport in a couple of days. It will be nice to visit Brandon's extended family. I am looking forward to going to his cousins wedding.

We have been doing great. I have been busy getting everything ready for our trip. Of course, Kaitlyn had to help me pack stuff. She got to pick out which clothes to take and put them in the bag. She also help me pick out some new toys and books for the airplane ride.

Ben is as cute as ever. He has started to smile all the time. On Saturday, Brandon even got him to laugh a little. It was the most adorable little cooing sound. He still has such a mellow disposition and is an easy baby.

Stupid insomnia, I better get to bed. Our plane leaves tomorrow night at 10pm.

Twilight

2008-06-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, while we were at my mom's house for Jeanne's big announcement, Jasmine convinced me to read the Twilight series. On a side note, I am really excited that Jeanne plans to go on a mission and I know she will be amazing. Anyway, it took me a week to read all three books. I loved Twilight, who doesn't enjoy a little vampire love drama. Edward and Bella are both very interesting and engaging characters. New Moon was good, it annoyed me a little in the middle, emotional teenage girls. Eclipse is so far my favorite in the series. I absolutely love the Alice character, she just seems so fun and mischievous. After reading the books, I am now extremely excited for the movie to come out in December. I do not now how I will wait that long. I want to read Host now, and hopefully I will enjoy it as much as Stephenie Meyer's other books.

The kids are doing great. We went to the doctors last week for Kaitlyn's 2 year check-up and Ben's 2 month check-up. Kaitlyn is starting to grow and catch-up to kids her age. Her weight and height are average. She was such a good little trooper when they gave her a shot. She cried for a couple minutes and then when I asked her to be brave for Ben, she stopped crying at once. Ben is a monster and is in the 90th percentile for his height. He weighs almost thirteen pounds now and is getting good at holding his head up. He has started to roll over (he has done it three times on his own), and my doctor said that it is a little early for that, but it is probably because he is so big. He is also starting to smile. Kaitlyn and I love to tickle his feet and see his face light up. Kaitlyn and I call him our handsome boy.

We have just been up to the usual things. We go to the park, play with friends, garden, take walks, read books, and go see airplanes whenever we can. On Saturday, we went to the Ogden Airport to see a B-17. They were letting people pay to ride in it. Kaitlyn loved watching it take off and land so close to us. She also git really excited when she got to touch it, she even had to give it hugs and kisses. It was hard trying to get her to leave, but we all had a great time.

Misc. thoughts

2008-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy week. Sunday was Ben's baby blessing. It was a great day. We had lots of fun visiting with family and friends. Here is a cute family picture. I am trying to convince Brandon to get our family picture done professionally so we can try to get one with all the family smiling, or at least Kaitlyn smiling.

We have gone to the park a couple times. Kaitlyn still loves the slide and has discovered how much fun the swings are. I had to push her for thirty minutes before we could go home for naps. Kaitlyn also got to go play with some of her friends. She had lots of fun playing with Sierra and was so excited that she is back from her vacation. Sierra has a cute little Barbie Volkswagen car. Kaitlyn loved driving it around her backyard. Later, she got to play with Jaxon and his new swing set. Brook (Jaxon's mom) said she had a blast and Brook really enjoyed playing with Ben. Brook watched the kids while I went to the doctor for my mommy check-up.

Brandon had a good birthday. We went out to dinner at Sizzler and Kaitlyn was so cute telling him Happy Birthday the entire meal. This week I finally broke down and let Brandon buy a grill. He has wanted one since we got married. We agreed that during the summer Brandon will cook dinner a least once a week on the grill, so I can have a break. I am excited and look forward to eating lots of yummy grilled foods.

Airplane Overload

2008-04-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not posted for a while. My laptop is broken and my other computer is going very slow. Anyway, yesterday we were going to ride on the new Frontrunner. The wait was three to four hours, so Brandon suggested we go to the airplane museum. Kaitlyn had a blast. She was so excited to see all the planes. She could hardly hold still and did not know which plane to look at first. She loved being able to touch the planes outside and told everyone we saw that she touched the plane. When we went inside, she had to sit in the stroller and could not touch the planes. She was so mad that she could not run around and play on the planes. Overall, we had a great time and I know where I can take Kaitlyn during the summer when we just need to get out of the house.

Kaitlyn had a great second birthday. Kaitlyn and I made sugar cookies and frosted them. She got blue frosting all over her and had fun with the sprinkles. When Brandon got home, we went to a cute little deli at the Ogden Airport. Kaitlyn loved watching the planes take off and land. She is so fascinated with all the planes. On Friday, Grandma Jody, Jeanne, Craig, and Callie came to visit. We had a fun visit and Kaitlyn loved getting more presents. Grandma gave her princess sheets and a princess quilt. I put them on her bed that day, and Kaitlyn was extremely excited to go to sleep that night.

Ben is doing wonderful and gets bigger all the time. He keeps getting longer and is going to be tall like his dad. He is more alert everyday and loves to look at faces. He is starting to sleep for about five hours a night, hooray for mommy. Kaitlyn is starting to help me even more. She has decided that it is her job to wash and rinse off Ben's body. I wash his face and hair so she doesn't pour water all over him. We are definitely having tons of fun with our two little angels.

Springtime...

2008-04-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun week. On Wednesday and Thursday, we got to spend some time with Grandpa Jay and Grandma Jody. Kaitlyn had tons of fun and loves her airplane toys. She also liked playing hide and seek under the coffee table. It was nice to visit with my parents. I am glad they got to spend some time with their grand kids.

On Saturday, the weather was so nice that we spent the day outside. We worked on the yard a little. Kaitlyn had fun helping Daddy split some wood with a little log splitter we borrowed from Grandpa Earl. She thought it was so neat to help push the button and watch the logs slowly break. She also got to jump on the trampoline while I weeded the yard. Kaitlyn loves jumping all the time, and especially loves the trampoline. She was having such a good time that I had to drag her off the trampoline when it was time to go inside. I can't wait for the weather to get nicer so we can spend more time outside. It will be nice to get out of the house more.

Ben is doing great, and he gets cuter all the time. He has the cutest little ringlets on the top of his head when his hair is wet. He also enjoys bath time and likes laying in the water. Kaitlyn loves helping me wash his body. Ben is starting to stay awake more during the day, and it is fun to watch Kaitlyn play with him. She is constantly trying to hold his hands and enjoys reading books to him. She is such a sweet big sister. Today, Kaitlyn even put her airplane toy in the bassinet with Ben so he could see it, which is a big deal because she absolutely loves her airplane toy.

My baby...

2008-04-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was feeding Ben, Kaitlyn decided she wanted to be the baby. When I finished feeding Ben, this is what I found...

Kaitlyn is laying in Ben's bassinet, which is at the foot of my bed. She looked so cute in it that I put Ben down in the crib, so Kaitlyn could stay in the bassinet. She also has his pacifier, she pulled it out of her mouth before I could get a picture. It is amusing because when she was a baby she would have nothing to do with a paci. Ben has been sucking on his hands a ton lately, so we tried a paci with him, and he loves it. Since Ben started using a paci, Kaitlyn thinks it is her job to take the paci from Ben and walk around the house with it in her mouth. Usually, if Ben starts crying, Kaitlyn will give the paci back to him. Anyway, I think Kaitlyn was just having a jealous morning and needed a little extra love. After I laid Ben down, I let Kaitlyn cuddle with me on the bed while we watched cartoons and ate cereal.

Later in the morning, we went to the doctor for Ben's 2 week check-up. He is growing well, and weighs 8lbs. 8ozs. now. The doctor said he looks very healthy and is doing wonderfully. She also said I can start trying to get him to sleep for longer at night. I informed her that he already sleeps for one four hour period at night. I am very lucky that he is such a mellow baby. I hope he stays that way for a long time.

We had a great visit with Jessi, Craig, and Callie on Friday. Kaitlyn loved spending time with them. It was nice to have some kids to play with. She also loved the princess outfit they brought her and had to put it on right away. It was fun to watch Kaitlyn play piano with Callie. Callie and Craig are such cute kids, I am glad Kaitlyn has such cool cousins to play with. I am also lucky to have such a kind big sister, Jessi is awesome. Thanks for everything. (Jessi has some great pictures of the kids on her website.)

Finally, we are excited to see Grandpa Jay and Grandma Jody this week. Kaitlyn wants Grandma to tell her all about her airplane ride.

Update

2008-04-03T15:44:00.001-07:00

This will be the last post for today. Sorry, it is hard to get on the computer to post everyday. On Sunday, my family came to visit and meet Ben. I love seeing family and spending time with them. It was fun to watch Kaitlyn jump on Uncle Jared, who is now really cool in her book. I am glad they got to come hold Ben. My mom has some pictures of the different family members with Ben, so I will post some as soon as I get copies.

On Monday night, we made homemade ice cream for our family night treat. Kaitlyn loves to help Daddy turn the ice cream and watch it go around. We have an old fashioned ice cream maker that makes you work to get the ice cream. She is also good at adding more salt when Daddy needs it. Ben and I even helped turn the wheel for a couple of minutes. When we were done, we had some delicious peach ice cream, with plenty of extra to last us for several weeks. It was a really good family night activity.

The rest of the week was spent just hanging out at home and watching whatever movie Kaitlyn picked out. Kaitlyn has been a little sick this week, I think all of the stress of the new baby has got to her. She started out throwing up and had a fever on Monday. On Tuesday, she just had a cough, runny nose, and a scratchy voice. She seems to be feeling a little better today. I had to watch her and Ben very carefully as we do not want Ben to get sick. Daddy did buy Kaitlyn the Chipmunk movie to help her feel better. She was really amused by the singing and dancing chipmunks and would dance along with them. That is pretty much everything for now. Ben is awake and wants to eat again.

Tons of fun

2008-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Brandon went pheasant hunting with some friends. The season ended March 31, and Brandon has not been hunting for over a year, so I decided to let him go. He had lots of fun and by the end of the hunt he was exhausted. He took Dotty with him, and based on what Brandon tells me, she had a great time. It was a really windy, and the dogs had a hard time finding the birds. Overall they did not get many birds, but Brandon said it was worth it to let the dogs get out and run. Anyway, on Sunday, I noticed that Dotty had some blood on her front leg. I pointed it out to Brandon, and he looked it over. Sometime during their hunt, Brandon suspects that Dotty ran in to some barbed wire. He said he did not notice anything during the hunt and Dotty did not act injured. We cleaned the wound and hoped that it would start to heal. Dotty can't seem to leave the wound alone, and she keeps making it bleed. Finally, we decided to take further steps to make sure the wound heals. Dotty absolutely hates the cone, but has not yet figured out how to remove it. Kaitlyn, our ever vigilant little helper, has tried several times to take it off, but always gets stopped by the evil Mommy. The wound is starting to heal and hopefully we can take off the cone in a couple of days. Until then, Dotty will just have to be the silliest dog on the block.

Jaundice

2008-04-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

We have had an eventful week. On Saturday, Kaitlyn and I took Ben to the doctor to get his Bilirubon levels checked to see if he was getting jaundice. They were higher than the doctor liked, so we decided to try the Bili Lights with Ben. We had to do the lights with Kaitlyn when she was a newborn, which made it a little easier to handle this time. It is the worst feeling in the world when your child is not completely healthy, and I know in my family that is not uncommon as someone is always sick. Kaitlyn hated having to leave Ben under the lights, which we called his tanning booth. She kept climbing up on the side of the crib and turning the lights off. She then would tell me to take the baby out. She is already such a protective big sister. On the positive side, Ben's Bilirubon levels came down after two days, and he does not have to use the lights anymore. Also, he looks soo cute laying in his little tanning bed.

Kaitlyn checking on Ben

Ben under the Bili Lights

Kaitlyn under the Bili Lights

They look so similar it is the cutest thing. I love how they both look so annoyed.

Our newest addition

2008-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to welcome a new little angel to our family.

Benjamin Adon Wochnick was born March 25, 2008, at 2:30am. He weighed 8 pounds and 2 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. He is such a cute little guy, and we are excited to finally have him here. Ben is doing great and is resting comfortably at home. He has the sweetest cry and makes the cutest noises. I love having a baby in the house again. He truly brings a good spirit into our home. Kaitlyn was anxious and jealous at first, but has really started to like Ben. She tries to kiss and hug him all the time, and we even caught her trying to pick him up. She watches him very closely and alerts me anytime Ben makes a sound. She gets very concerned when Ben cries and has become a good little helper. I am feeling pretty good, just a little sore and tired. We are looking forward to our new lives with Ben in our family and love him more everyday. Brandon and I feel truly blessed to be given two precious little spirits to watch over and protect. I love being a mother.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you have a wonderful day.

We have had a fun couple of days. Yesterday we went to the Dinosaur park to hunt for Easter eggs. Kaitlyn had a great time. She just loved to pick up the eggs, shake them, and then open them. Of course she had to eat all the candy. It was cute to listen to her try to make different dinosaur sounds.

After the fun at the Dinosaur park, we got to visit with Grandma Jody and Aunt Jeanne. Grandma brought Kaitlyn some fun presents. Kaitlyn loves princess stuff right now and loved the princess blanket and towel that Grandma gave her. She also likes the Ariel doll that she got and had to have her sleep by her last night. We had lots of fun playing with and talking to Grandma Jody and Aunt Jeanne.

This morning we woke up and let Kaitlyn find some more Easter eggs. She had a blast searching the living room for them. We had a great time at church. After church, we had lunch with Grandpa Earl and Grandma Ann. Kaitlyn just loves to play with the dogs, especially their Shitzu Lisa (who jumps all over Kaitlyn anytime she sees her). We have had a great Easter so far and hope that everyone else has a good day.

Bubbles

2008-03-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn absolutley loves to play with bubbles. We have had some nice weather on and off the past couples of days. So when it was almost 60 degrees outside and sunny, we decided to go outside and play. We have Kaitlyn's friend Sierra over today, which makes playing with bubbles even funner.

They had tons of fun chasing the bubbles all over the yard. I just love to watch them run and laugh. It is very cute. They were having so much fun that we even had to let Dotty out of her kennel to play with them. Dotty was not to fond of the bubbles or the bubble machine, but she did love the freedom and running around the yard with the girls. This is what they looked like after about 30 minutes of bubble mania.

Fun Day at Church

2008-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today we had lots of fun. I got to substitute in Kaitlyn's nursery class at church. It was exciting watching Kaitlyn interact with the other kids in her class. She is such a sweet and kind girl. I was surprised to see how quiet she was while playing. At home, Kaitlyn is a very energetic and loud girl. She loves to talk and tell me everything she is doing and everything her dolls are doing. Overall, it was really neat to spend time with her in the nursery.

Welcome to our blog

2008-03-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog.
We are excited to start blogging. We hope this helps our family and friends keep up to date with the happenings of our family.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second child, a little boy due March 31st. Hopefully, he comes soon.
Kaitlyn is so cute whenever you ask her about her baby. She is excited to be a BIG GIRL. She has been doing really well sleeping in a twin bed, and continues to improve everyday with her potty training. She likes to copy whatever you say and has the cutest personality.
Brandon is still working hard for Coca-Cola and looks forward to the vacation he thinks he is going to get when the baby comes. Little does he know that he will be very busy taking care of Kaitlyn while I sleep and take care of the baby. I also have a list of projects for him to complete while he is home.
I will try to post several times a week, but I cannont guarantee anything.
Have a wonderful weekend.
P.S. Happy Birthday Jordan!!! We love you.