Life is good

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

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

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.

College

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.