It Happened so fast....

How could this have happened I wondered as it felt life was moving in slow motion. I was planning on taking a dance class tonight (quite the humbling experience I might add, when I did I get so old and not cool?) so I was starting to load the kids in the car to go get my dance shoes from the studio. The garage is not working so I have been parking out front and leaving out the front door. So I got Nash in the car and asked Luke and Harlee to climb in. The doors were locked so I put my purse on the front seat (and my keys) pressed what I thought was the unlock button (who puts the unlock button on the top?) and went to open the back for Luke. In the meantime my car door closed shut. I had accidently locked the doors instead of unlock and Nash was stuck in the car. I could not believe it. I tried all of the doors, hoping that maybe one would open. I had locked the house so I ran across the street to borrow the neighbor's phone. I called Jenna and she gave me the number to Lehi police dept. I called them and asked for some help. They took 30 min to arrive and in the meantime I was quite the wreck. Three of our neighbors were over bringing popsicles, water, and most importantly moral support. Nash was so good for about the first 20 minutes although he looked so sweaty and red. Then he had enough and started to cry which made it worse. I called the police three times to beg them to hurry. I cannot believe that in this situation they did not see it as more of an emergency. The police lady finally arrived and my neighbor said, "That is some sad response time for Lehi police!" I could not agree more. She was so little and could not get the door jimmy to work. She looked at me and said "You are tall, do you want to try?" I tried but was so shaken up I asked my neighbor to do it. With some coaching from another neighbor he was quick to open the door. I could not WAIT to snuggle that little guy and just let him know that everything was ok. I have never felt so helpless. I could see him begging for me to get him out and there was nothing that I could do. As I was thinking about this I was reminded of our Heavenly Father. He sees us struggling and wants to do anything to help us. Sometimes though He knows we need to go through these trials to grow and become more like Him. I glimpsed a bit of how He feels today. I hope that I never have to go through that again. I was truly grateful for neighbors that stayed with me and comforted me during this awful time. And I am even more grateful that he is ok. Love you Nash and I am so sorry for what you had to go through!

9 Month Checkup

Nash had his 9 month check-up yesterday with Dr. Dan. He was sounding junky again so I was thankful that we were going so he could get his lungs listened to. The doctor said his lungs sound great which is such a relief. As we are coming into RSV season again soon, I am a bit nervous. Well he is doing great. Here are the stats:

Weight: 22 lbs 7 ounces (75%)

Height:30 in (95%)

The doctor was shocked with the lack of growth since he has never skimped in that area! He said "Nash, you only gained 2 1/2 lbs in 3 months. You use to do that in a day!" That is so true and so funny. He said that he is right on track developmentally and should be standing and maybe walking by his next appointment. I was concerned that he will not eat baby food but I got the green light to let him eat what we eat. Just to try to mash whatever I can. He also suggested a new car seat since he is hanging out of the baby one. He got his flu shot but did not need any other immunizations this time. Love those appointments. We are so glad that he is doing so well especially since he had such a rough start. We look forward to another great report in 3 months!

A Dancer's Dream

I have been dancing for almost 30 years and I love it. I always dreamed of having a daughter that would feel the same way that I do. I am not sure if we are there yet, and I will be fine if Harlee does not end up loving it, but she started her first dance class today! In the words of Joey "Jamie I think you are more excited than she is!". That could possibly be true. We went last night and picked up her dance shoes. This morning we chose the outfit she would be wearing, a black leotard with a black tutu. The outfit was completed by a pink ballet shoe hair clip. She looked darling! We packed her cute little dance bag and we were off. She is taking at the Dance Depot where I teach. Becky, the owner of the studio, and her daughter-in-law Callie are her teachers. I decided not to stay because they do not want moms to stay except the first class of the month. I knew if I stayed then she would want that each week. So I helped her get her tap shoes on and snuck out the door. When I came back they were doing a peanut butter and jelly dance. She was doing really good. I had wondered if she was too young to understand but she was following just great. I talked to Becky as I was leaving and she said that she did really well. I am so proud! She was so excited and refused to take her ballet shoes off after class. Maybe my little girl will love dance. We can hope!

P.S She is supposed to be potty trained but is not, so all week I have been talking about not messing her diaper while at dance. Then this morning I was telling her how fun it was going to be and even if I left she did not need to cry. So then I asked her, "What don't we do at dance?" I was looking for the "Cry" answer when she proudly said "Poop!" So funny and I am so sure that Becky was thankful for that answer!

Family Vacation- Thursday

It was our last day of our much anticipated vacation and the kids were excited to go home. I think they were just ready for their own beds and toys! So we woke up, ate free breakfast (I love whoever came up with that idea!) and drove back to see Nannie. We got to the area pretty early and decided to tour all of the old houses I lived in and my schools. I think that I was the most excited to see all of the old hood!! It is so weird how different everything seems. I don't know if I would feel safe living there now like I did when we were growing up. Anyway, after the trip down memory lane we went to Wendy's to meet Nannie. We all enjoyed lunch and then went back to her house to visit for a little while. I just loved spending time with her and she said that it was like she was in a dream. We left her house and went to the airport. We thought we were early but they changed our flight from 4pm to 3:25pm. Would have been nice to know that! We struggled to get through security with a water bottle and sunscreen in my purse but made the flight. We were just about the last ones to board the plane which I feel was the cause of the seating mishap! Somehow I ended up sitting with Nash on my lap next to Harlee and Joey was on the other side with Luke. How did that happen? I see Joey during the flight just coloring and enjoying life as I am trying to entertain two cranky kids. Did not quite seem fair but we made it through. I think that Joey got his turn when he went to pick up the car in overnight parking. Harlee was so tired and wanted to be held as he was trying to carry a car seat and backpack. Needless to say, an hour later we were so excited to be on our way home. We stopped for Cafe Rio which was the perfect ending to a great trip.

How blessed I feel to be able to go on a family vacation. I am truly grateful for Joey and the way that he provides for our family. We had the best time and I know the kids will always remember this trip.

Family Vacation- Wednesday

After a good night's sleep we woke up and were on our way to San Diego. We drove by our hotel and then since it was too early to check-in, decided to go to Coronado Island. We went and had lunch at La Salsa. Eating out together is always the adventure. The kids were being pretty good and on our way out we were stopped by two little old ladys who were eating. They were telling us that they remember what it was like to have little ones and that our children were so well behaved. Right as those words came out of their mouths, Luke let out a huge burp! So much for the well behaved. I was so embarrassed and Luke got an ear full on manners. Hard to lecture while Joey is laughing and high fiving! Thanks for the support Joe! After lunch we changed into our swimsuits and walked to the beach. It was such a beautiful day and the weather was perfect. I walked Luke and Harlee to the water but I am kind of wimpy and would not let Luke go out too far. Luckily Joey rescued him and took him out to jump the waves. He was in heaven. I really think he enjoyed that more than Disneyland! Harlee loved trying not too get wet and Nash loved to eat the sand. Everyone was happy and like Luke says "Had Fun in the Sun!" We then went to check into the hotel. It was an ok place, not as great as they promote online but it was fine. We decided to take the kids to the pool. They had a blast. Luke would jump into the water and that cracked Nash up. Their is no better sound than a child's laugh! After cleaning up we went and got dinner at Burger King. We came back and the kids were wiped out from a day in the sun. We laid in bed watching So You Think You Can Dance and then all fell asleep.

Family Vacation- Tuesday

Tuesday was the big day at Disneyland and the kids woke up bright and early with excitement. Luckily there was a continental breakfast at the hotel to occupy the time until we were to go. Joey went to pick up the tickets we bought on ebay, thank goodness we were not part of a scam, and then came back to get us. We had forgotten our stroller so we walked to the park and renting strollers was the first item of business. We got one for Nash and one for Harlee, the best decision we could have made. It was such a great day to go because it was not busy. We basically walked onto most of the rides. Luke had chosen Pirates of the Caribbean as our first ride and he was a little scared. Aside from Nash crying a little the kids loved it. We then went to Buzz Lightyear. From there, Joey took Luke on Star Tours and I took Harlee and Nash on the rockets. Joey and Luke came off their ride right as we were getting ready to get on ours. Joey took Nash and Luke was able to ride the rockets with us. We then went on Matterhorn which was one of Luke's favorites. Harlee waited in line but at the last minute was too nervous and waited with Joey. Joey then took the kids on the teacups and it was time for lunch. After lunch we went to Thunder Mountain which is my favorite ride. Unfortunantely Harlee was not quite tall enough and had to sit out a lot of the rides. Joey then took Luke on Splash Mountain which he says is his FAVORITE ride ever! We decided that after Luke had too much fun, it was Harlee's turn to choose what we were going to do. She decided to go on Pinochio which she called "The Princess Ride", not sure why! Then she was super excited to go on the Merry-go-Round. Nash even got his own horse! He was a little scared but then ended up enjoying it. We then decided to go to California Adventure. The first ride that we went on was Monsters Inc. which is definitely Harlee's FAVORITE ride. After that Luke begged me to take him on the Tower of Terror. He went on that twice when he was 3 and was super excited to go on it again. That excitement changed to fear as we were about to get on the ride. He hated it! When we got off he said he never ever wants to go on that again. We did a few more rides in California Adventure, got some icecream and had perfect seats for the parade. We made our way back to Disneyland to go on the submarine Nemo ride and Thunder Mountain. At that point the kids were done. The park was still open for another hour but they were ready to go back to the hotel. Since we had to return the strollers, the walk back to the hotel was an adventure. Good thing Joey is so strong because at one point he had Luke on his shoulders and was holding Harlee. After we got home, Joey went to pick up some dinner. By the time he got back, Harlee and Nash were already out. We all had a great day and cannot wait until we can go again.

Family Vacation- Monday

On Monday, September 14th, we left on our trip to California. The days prior to leaving were filled with excitement as we got ready to go. Like my dad always says, getting ready for the trip is one of the funnest parts! So we woke up early Monday morning and made our way to the airport. We flight was to leave at 10:16am. The kids were so excited to get on the plane. The excitement quickly wore off when they realized that they needed to sit still for and hour and a half! On the way down I held Nash and sat by Luke and Joey was across the aisle by Harlee. Harlee was a little scared taking off but they all were so good for the rest of the flight. We got off the plane and got our luggage and rental car. Then we were off. We stopped at Carls Jr. for lunch before we went to visit Nannie. I was truly excited to see her since I had not seen her for about 2 years. We stopped at the "Floreria" to buy her some flowers to go with her birthday present and we went to her house. She looked great, the same as I always remember her. Luke and Harlee greeted her with a hug. She was so excited to see all of us and she went to "her chair" to sit for our visit. As she sat down, Luke went over to her and grabbed her hand. He just stood there starring at her and taking in every word she had to say. Nannie loved it! We stayed for about 3 hours visiting and catching up. She kept telling me how cute and well behaved the kids were. So nice to hear. Nannie was ready for a rest and so were the kids, so we left and went to our hotel. It was really nice and we all decided to have a nap. After sleeping for a couple of hours, we got up and went to Mainplace Mall. I really wanted Baja Fresh which they have in the food court and the kids chose McDonalds. We ate, stopped to by some drinks for Disneyland and then went back to the hotel to rest for the big Disneyland day to come!

*I just want to quickly mention how grateful I am for Nannie. She is such a "tell it like it is" lady and I love that about her. She has always been there for me and has always made me feel like I was her favorite! I love that I can talk to her often and I am grateful for the relationship that we have. I love that my children get to know their great grandma- that does not happen too often. She means so much to me and I truly love her.

Another First!

When I went to pick up Luke from the bus today, he came running towards me so excited to show me what had happened at school. He opened his mouth and pointed to his missing tooth on the bottom! He had been wiggling it about a week ago but had not talked about it since. So then I asked him where it was. He said it was in the garbage at school, acting as if it would have been crazy to not throw it away. Who wants to save a tooth? I reminded him that he needed that tooth to put under his pillow for the tooth fairy. I could see the sadness on his face and told him that we would write the tooth fairy a letter explaining what happened. I told him that instead of the tooth we could put the letter under his pillow and I am sure that she would understand. So this is the letter Luke wrote:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I'm so so sorry that I throw my tooth in the garbage. Can you still please give me a surprise under my pillow? Thanks.

Love, Luke

What a sweet boy. I cannot get over how fast he is growing up. Already losing teeth? I remember like it was yesterday when those teeth were coming in. What a cute big boy with a super cute toothless grin!

A Bit of a Broken Heart

It is so hard to be a mom sometimes. Mostly because you have to let your children go and deal with their own life situations. This morning while I was doing Luke's hair he said, "Mom, Cade does not let me sit on the bus by him anymore." Cade has been his best friend over the last almost three years. They have the best time together and I really appreciate the fact that he has such a good friend. It broke my heart to hear him say this because I could tell that he was sad. I promise that nothing hurts more than watching those you love suffer. I just want to fix it. I want to call Cade's mom and have her make Cade sit by Luke everyday. This is what I want to do but I know that I can't. Luke is starting to grow up and he is going to need to face so many different situations that will be hard but will make him stronger. I just hope he knows that although he will have to work through these situations by himself, I will always be here with a big hug to hopefully make things a little better.

Another Milestone

On Monday, September 7th, one of the most important words came out of Nash's mouth. He said "Ma ma". I was so excited to hear him say that and he would say it again whenever we asked him to. What a smart little guy! He is just getting so big. He scoots all over the place and is starting to reach high in hopes of pulling himself up. What a joy it is to be Nash's mom and to hear him call me by name.

Kickin it!

Soccer season has officially begun! We signed Luke up for a fall/spring league and he is loving it! He is on the Raptors team with all of his good friends. Keith Hester, Brock's dad, and Brandon Johnson, Chad's dad, are both the coaches. Luke is doing really well this time around. Last soccer season he was almost 4 years old and it was quite a different story. Rather than kicking the ball, he and his friend Cade would chase each other and be airplanes in the field. I love watching him go after the ball and understand the concept of the game. I took a bunch of pictures at his game on Saturday. I cannot believe how fast he is growing. I just love being his mom! Here are a couple pictures of what Harlee was doing while Luke was playing- she cracks up!