Butterfly Release

Everyone in Sydnee's class got caterpillars a few weeks ago. They got to watch them make chrysalises and come out as butterflies. Today they got to release the butterflies. We all went up to the school to watch, Justin was even done with work in time to join us. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun chasing the butterflies as they flew away. When the butterflies were all gone, the kids enjoyed a popsicle.




Sydnee and I were watching America's Funniest Home Videos the other day and a clip came on with two little girls Easter egg hunting. One little girl was stealing eggs out of the other girl's basket when she wasn't looking. Sydnee got very upset and said, "That is a very mean little girl! That is not even funny! Why was that on the funny show?" Sydnee is such a sweet little girl.

Weekend is Over

It is so nice to have Justin home. We went to Dinner Fri. night after he got back and we had big plans for Sat. The weather didn't cooperate with us though. We wanted to get some pots and plants and flowers and stuff for our patio, but it snowed and was supposed to get really cold Sat. night. So we had to hold off on those plans...oh well. Instead Justin helped me with my handouts for my YW lesson. The lesson was on the blessings of the house of Israel. It talked about how the members of the church are heirs of Israel and therefore entitled to the blessings promised to Abraham: the gospel, the priesthood, and eternal life. I went with the "heir" theme and found some cute crowns and put a quote I found online on them and some jewels (I wanted 3 jewels to represent these 3 blessings, but the crown had 4 prongs so that didn't work out perfect.) Then I made crown rice krispies treats. Syd and Char had fun helping me put the jewels on. I think it went well.

We had a really good sacrament meeting (even if I spent most of it in the fourier chasing Justee.) The speakers spoke on General Conference talks. Of course the woman speaker talked about Elder Ballard's remarks on mothers and all that they do. She said some things that hit me...She quoted that "the joys of motherhood come in moments." She then talked about how she has looked back through her journal and found little parts here and there that talk about the great times her family had and the cute things her kids did; and that was great, but she knew there were hard times and she hadn't written about them. She wished she had said more about the hard times and how she got through them because then her kids could read it and know that they weren't alone. I started this blog as a way of keeping a journal and I just felt like I had to put some things down here...I love my children and I love being a mom, but the joys come in moments. I have times where I feel like I have lost myself and I feel like I did not amount to the person I thought I would. I have a degree, but so what? What does that matter when I stay home? I haven't accomplished many things that I thought I would have. I chose to be a mother above those things (I'm not even thinking of anything specifically.) I know I made the right choice, but I don't feel like it is an easy choice. I don't think it is easy to stay home everyday and raise children. I hear other people talk about how wonderful it is and how happy they are and sometimes I wonder if something is wrong with me that I don't always feel that way. Then my girls do something that I think is absolutely adorable; something that no one else would give a second thought to, but because I am their mother I am filled with pride and amazement at how wonderful my kids are at that moment. The joys of motherhood come in moments...and they make the rest of the times worth it.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Mark and Justee

Today is a good day! Justin is coming home after being gone for a whole week and my little brother Mark turns 19! Sheesh, he is getting old. I remember when Mark was born, I thought he was such a cute little baby...man did that change when he got a personality. I was the baby of the family for 7 years and all of a sudden I had a little brother that was tattling on me and crying all the time. I guess you could say I was jealous and I wasn't the nicest big sister in the world. ;) I'm glad that was just a small part of our lives and that we get along great now (for the most part.) I know that I can still beat him up if I need to put him in his place. hehehe...okay maybe not, but I'd put up a good fight. Mark is such a great kid and I know he has made all of his family proud. He will be leaving to serve a mission in Sendai Japan (I hope I spelled that right) this summer and I am excited for him. I know he will be a great missionary. Here comes the mushy part...Happy Birthday, love ya Marko De La Joya De Le Ese De La Fuentes! For more fun pics and stuff of Mark go to my sister Vicki's Blog.

In Mourning

What a sad night tonight has been. Justin gave me a hard time when I bought my "big plate" but I loved it. We joked when we moved from Alabama about how I would cry if it got broken...We warned the missionaries not to drop it when they helped us move this last time. It really is a pretty heavy duty plate and I thought it would be pretty hard to break. Justee accomplished it though. She pulled it off the coffee table and onto the floor. It must have hit just right because it didn't fall that hard. Needless to say I am very saddened by this loss. I don't know what I am going to put on my coffee table now. We will miss you Big Plate.

Charlee's 1st Swimming Lesson

Tonight was Charlee's first swimming lesson and she LOVED it. She was a little timid at first and wasn't sure what to do. She acted shy and just giggled when the teacher told her what to do, but she caught on quick and had such a great time. After Sydnee was done with Gymnastics she came in and watched Charlee. It was so cute to hear her cheering her sister on. Justee was a pain because she wanted to get down and go in the water soooo bad. I knew that I couldn't put her down or she would big an even bigger problem, so I forced her to stay on my lap. As soon as Sydnee came in, Justee wanted her because she thought Sydnee would then let her down. She wasn't happy when Sydnee just gave her back to me.



















After swimming lessons were over, we came home and I was going to give Sydnee and Charlee a bath. (Justee just had one.) As soon as Justee heard the water running in the tub she came running up the stairs and began taking her shirt off. How could I not let her get in the bath after seeing this come running into the bathroom? Look how happy it made her.

This picture is the view from our house. The sunset was so pretty as I was driving home, but by the time I got home and could take the picture, the color was gone from the sky. I think it is still a pretty picture, but just imagine the clouds bright pink...gotta love the mountains.

Charlee said some funny things tonight: I noticed her coming out of the bathroom after going #2 and not wiping (she'll love this story someday.) I told her she had to wipe if she didn't want a stinky butt (I don't know why I gave that for a reason, I just did.) She said, "I want a stinky butt." I asked her, "Why? You don't want people thinking you have a stinky butt do you?" (again, I don't know why I put it that way. I was chuckling the whole time.) Charlee: "Yes, I want people to smell my stinky butt." I think she just likes to disagree with whatever I say lately. I got a wet-wipe and cleaned her up and when I was done she folded her arms, glared at me and pouted, "Now I have a cold butt!"

The Best Big Sister

Yesterday Cherelle and I signed Charlee and Jayden up for swimming lessons. Charlee is very excited about them. She keeps asking if she get to go to "wimmin leddon" today. When I tell her yes, she says "Awtom." (awesome) She has been saying "awtome" a lot lately. Her other favorite thing to say is "Oh man!" She says that about 10 times a day, whenever she asks for something and the answer is no, when she trips or does something clumsy, when she is told it is bedtime, or when she is asked to clean up a mess she made.
Justee is officially off the bottle, yay! I decided that she is now big enough to move on to a sippy cup. I don't let my kids have binkies, bottles or things like that after they are 15 months old. Justee isn't there yet, but it gets harder the older they get so...she had her last bottle on Fri. morning. She did not like the idea of the cup at first and I was a little worried that she might not drink out of it, but I am a strong believer in the cold-turkey method. I think when you are making changes like this, you just have to do it. You just have to take the thing away and not give it back no matter what. She is doing just fine with the cup now.
I got after Justee the other day and she started crying. The first thing she did was run to her big sister Sydnee and give her a hug. Sydnee is great about comforting her little sisters. When Charlee is upset, the first person she runs to is Sydnee as well. She runs to her begging, "Ug Ninny ug!" I remember when Sydnee was little (I guess I shouldn't say when, she still does this but it started a long time ago) and she got in trouble, the first thing she wanted was a hug. I might sound mean here, but I wouldn't give her one until she stopped crying because I didn't want to encourage crying. As soon as she would calm down I would give her a hug and we would talk about what she did and why she got in trouble. Now the younger two run to Sydnee first to get hugs when they are in trouble with me. Then they usually go to Daddy if he is home and then they come back to me. If they are hurt they usually come to me first and if they are in trouble with Daddy then they go to Sydnee and then me.
I'm glad that Sydnee is such a great big sister. Charlee and Justee really love her and love getting to play with her. Sydnee has been giving them piggy-back rides lately and they love it. It is so cute to see Justee on Sydnee's back just smiling from ear-to-ear. I need to get a picture of it.

Kite Flying

I think it is obvious that I am bored with Justin gone. I have been finding myself at the computer a lot. Apparently not many other people are doing the same because as I run through my blog links I rarely find a new post. sigh

Today we went to church and were pretty much on time (got there during the opening song.) I taught my lesson in the Laurel class. The lesson was called "We have a Wonderful Legacy" or something to that effect. It was about how blessed we are to have the restored gospel on the earth, and how the pioneers left us with a great legacy. Since Justin wasn't there to wrangle Justee, she got to come be a distraction in my class. Luckily the YW presidency stepped in for me when I had to leave and change her. (I can't wait until she can go to nursery.) Sister Pollyea and Sister Keddington told about some pioneer experiences and I am grateful that they helped me out on such a stressful day.

After church we took a walk on this beautiful day. It felt windy enough to fly our kite, but the wind was blowing down more than up, and the kite wouldn't get very high. A couple other families had the same idea as we did, and they were attempting to fly kites too. The kites were lifting up easily, but then they hit a barrier and couldn't get above it. Oh well, it was nice to get outside.

Justee is pushing the stroller and Dozer is chasing it because he likes to lay in its shade.

Curled and Polished

We had a nice relaxing Saturday. The girls and I did a little shopping and then we just relaxed at home. The girls took a bath and then we watched Ratatouille while I put their hair in curlers and painted their fingernails and toenails. Now they are all ready for church in the morning.

Bureau Battle

Sydnee and Charlee needed new dressers. They have very cheap tiny ones that are falling apart and don't close without some major adjusting. Yesterday we went to American Furniture Warehouse to look for some new dressers. After looking at all these really cute bedroom sets with nice "real" dressers, we decided to wait...We are going to finish our basement when Justin returns from Afghanistan and put Sydnee's room downstairs. So, we thought it would be best to wait until then and we can pick out a whole bedroom set for her then...As for now, we still need new dressers for them. We just got two upgraded cheap dressers. They are much nicer than the ones we have now, but are still the kind you have to put together yourself.
The race begins...
Justin and I decided that since there were 2 dressers and 2 of us, that we would each put one together and see who could finish first. It was an intense, close race with Justin in a very slight lead (just finishing the nob on the drawer right before me). We were about halfway done when I realized I was fighting a losing battle. We have two drills, one cordless and one corded. Who do you think got the cordless? Yep, I did. Justin was no gentleman and took the more powerful tool without a battery that would die. Dang it! I know I could have tasted victory. As a true competitor I powered on, pretty much screwing by hand. Needless to say Justin finished first and then used his drill to finish mine (the last 8 screws is all I had left.) I refuse to admit defeat, it was not a fair battle. I'm just glad that we got them done so I don't have to hear Sydnee and Charlee yelling that they can't shut their drawers.

The war zone and the finished product:

A Little of Everything

Yesterday was another great weather day (not so lucky today,) so we got to play outside and Justin took Charlee and Justee to the park while I went to gymnastics with Syd. I got Justee dressed up in Justin's favorite outfit from Charlee's little days and fixed her hair. I had fun taking pictures of her playing outside.



Sydnee has a friend that we share a fence with. They are always standing at the fence and talking. This girl has a pet mouse that she brings outside and lets Sydnee hold. I think gross, but Syd loves it.
Charlee found a new way to watch cartoons...upside-down.
Here is Charlee outside blowing spit-bubbles. Beautiful huh?

Justee loves Dozer and Blaise.
Justin took these pictures at the park and I thought they were cute.


Ok, I have to talk about American Idol real quick...I can't stand Paula. She drives me crazy! It takes her 3 mins to say absolutely nothing. I'm so sick of hearing her stutter (spit it out Paula)and I would love it if she wasn't on the show. Justin hates dread-boy (Jason). He can't stand the faces he makes. They are pretty annoying, and I would like to see him in the bottom 3 tonight along with Syesha (I don't know if I'm spelling it right) and I think that Brooke will be in the bottom tonight. Last, I want to say that I love David, and he has gotten better about the lip-licking thing, but here is a picture of him doing it last night....yes I am a loser and paused my TV to take these pictures:

Nice Weather

We had wonderful weather yesterday, and it was great to get outside and do a little yard work and play. Justin mowed the lawn that is starting to look green, and I picked up the garbage that isn't ours, but blows into our yard. After the work was done, we played a little baseball. Sydnee gets pitches thrown to her and Charlee hit off the tee. Sydnee smashed a ball and it went clear over the fence into a neighbor's yard. We are working with her on catching a ball with her mitt the right way...Poor girl, between Justin and I, she gets all the coaching she can handle. Justin and I have different styles of doing things; I want to make sure she has proper form and does things the right way even if it means she misses. Justin lets more of the form go and would rather see her hit or catch the ball. I'm not sure which way is better for a 5 year old, but I think it is great that Justin spends time teaching his little girls things that some parents save for their boys. I've never been a fan of the saying "She's all girl" or "He's all boy." I'm proud that I have daughters that really are "all" girl (no intersex here) and enjoy doing things that are labeled as boy things.

*BTW* The massive hole in our tramp is from our meat head dog Dozer. He jumps up and bites at the girls' feet. Last summer he got a small hole started and this is what the hole looks like now. He won't leave it alone. What a stupid dog!

Sydnee just finished up another round of gymnastics and has been moved into the advanced beginner class! This is great because kids are supposed to be 7 to be in this class but with her teacher's level recommendation, she gets to be in it at 5 years old.

I went upstairs to get some laundry and when I came back down, this is what I found...

Justee on the counter eating the scrap pieces of Charlee's birthday cake. Charlee had moved a chair over so she could watch me cut up some grapefruit earlier and I never moved it back to the table. It is amazing what kids can get into in such a short amount of time. I refuse to believe that stuff like this makes me a bad parent (giving myself a little pep talk.) Maybe that is because she didn't fall or get hurt or anything. If she would have fallen, would that change anything? Would that make me a worse parent for not keeping a closer eye on her?

Happy to be Healthy

Saturday was one of the worst days I have had in a long time. I was VERY sick! I can't remember the last time I felt that sick. I was glad that it was on a Sat. because Justin was home and took care of the kids while I tried to rest. I had a lot of things planned for Sat, so I was sad that we couldn't do any of them. Being that sick does make me feel grateful for all the days of my life that I feel healthy and great. I can't imagine being sick for extended periods of time or going through chronic illnesses that so many people deal with every day. Health is such a wonderful blessing that I take for granted. I am very happy that I feel better today and just in time to play volleyball at Gold's tonight.

Charlee just came up to me and told me she was hungry. I told her I would get her something as soon as I was done. Next thing I know she came up to me with a can of Spaghettios and demanded, "You make me this! It not hard!" I couldn't argue with that, so I warmed up some Spaghettios for her...after I made her say please. :)

After Charlee's birthday, the biggest hit was the box her table came in. The girls played in it for the longest time and had a lot of fun.

I must have been a little late with breakfast too. When I went into the kitchen to get the girls some cereal, I found Justee with a box of Kix in tow and a handful being shoved into her mouth. I guess she didn't want to wait for mom to get her some food, she was just going to help herself.

Dinner and Hearts

I just wrote a really long post, but I wanted to post about our last couple of days. My parents were supposed to come down for the Rockies/ Braves game yesterday. They were going to be here on Wed. night, but they got snowed in in Laramie. My mom had gone to her sister Keri's son's funeral with my sisters, (It would have been nice if I could have gone too, but I just couldn't make it. I'm glad that they all could go.) After my dad met up with my mom mid-trip, they couldn't beat the snow. The roads were finally opened on Thurs. morn. and they headed down. Too bad the game was postponed until June 16th. Dang it, but it would have been a cold game to sit through. So instead of the game, we went to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, it was really great; and then we played some Hearts. I unfortunately made several horrible mistakes that cost me the game, so I was the big loser. :( My parents left this morning before I was up, they are heading to Utah to get Mark and go to a Jazz game, so they didn't get to stay long. They don't get to visit that often, but I really like it when they do.

Too Much TV???

I don't think I have ever had a hard time admitting that I watch far too much TV. I remember clear back in like 1st grade when my best friend Nici asked a question and I knew the answer because "I saw it on TV." She then informed me that I "watch way too much television." Now-a-days nothing has changed. I think our TV is on a good 16 hours a day. Having a DVR only encourages the problem (I LOVE DVR!) We record all of our shows and then watch them commercial-free. It makes the viewing time shorter, but allows us to watch multiple shows instead of having to pick one. We watch mostly reality shows, I am a reality tv addict. OK...Now for the list of shows...ready?
Survivor, American Idol (I like Brooke White she reminds me of Dana Fowler, love David Archuletta except for the lip-licking thing he does, and I think David Cook is great), Big Brother (this is a great season!), Top Chef (I wish I could try the food they make but I probably wouldn't like it), America's Next Top Model (I watch this one alone most of the time), MTV's RW/RR The Gauntlet (it's over now), Hell's Kitchen (Loved Kitchen Nightmares when it was on too), Pussycat Dolls/Girlicious (this one I always watch alone because Justin won't watch it), My Name is Earl, ER, all of the CSI's (my favorite is Las Vegas), on occasion I watch House (Justin doesn't like it),...hmmm I feel like I am forgetting something...Biggest Loser (I'm ready for a woman to win this year), Deal or No Deal (I sent in a video trying to get my mom on the show. A hard-working lunch lady deserves to win some money don't you think?hehehe), Don't Forget the Lyrics, Duel (I'm excited that it is back on again..I could so win that show ;), Wheel of Furtune (I could win on it too), Judge Judy (I love that lady and I only disagree with her once in a great while), in the mornings I watch the Price is Right (I miss Bob Barker)and the Young and the Restless (it is the only soap I have ever watched and my sister got me hooked about 2 years ago), I have been known to watch some of VH1's reality shows but not religiously. Here are some shows that I watch when they are on...I am very much looking forward to them coming on again: Desperate Housewives (these people have horrible values, it's a guilty pleasure), Grey's Annatomy (again no morals, I love it!.. not the no-morals, love the show), 24, So You Think You Can Dance (love this show as much as American Idol), Project Runway (who wears stuff like that?), and I can't leave out all of my Food Network, TLC and HGTV shows, the thing that is great about them is that there is always something on those stations if I can't find something else on..."When is that?!" I know I probably left something out, but I should just stop watching it if I did. I said I watch too much TV, but we record them and watch most of them when the kids have gone to bed. The best thing to record are sports! The games go by much much faster when you don't have to watch every timeout and commercial break. I feel like because I'm a stay-at-home mom, I need some type of connection to the outside world; and television provides me with that.
Oops...I forgot Beauty and the Geek (where do they find these people?), The Bachelor, and The Amazing Race...and Big Bang Theory.

Charlee's 3rd Birthday

Charlee turned 3 years old yesterday! She had a great birthday and had a lot of fun. She told me last week that she wanted a Dora cake and then it switched to Boots, later she informed me that she wanted Backpack. I was happy with that because Backpack seemed a little easier. After looking at some coloring pages for the design of the cake we found one that would work great. Charlee was very happy that Map was included. I just blew up the coloring page and cut it out for the outline of the cake. It took a while to frost, but I think it turned out pretty good. The cake really was purple like Backpack is supposed to be, but the pictures make it look kind of blue. We blew up a bunch of balloons and Sydnee decorated with them. She put them in the window and the curtains held them there. It looked pretty cool. Charlee got a Diego ball from Justee, a Garden Girlz Meadow Mansion from Sydnee (you can plant real grass and flowers in it), an outdoor table and chairs from the fam, a baby Elmo from her dad and me, a Dora CD from Gma and Gpa Durtsche, a Love Dollar from Great Gma and Gpa Putnam, and Gma and Gpa Hyde have something for her too. She is very happy with her presents, but I think Elmo is her favorite. She is obsessed with bottles and anything that she can give a bottle to she loves. The Nicholls came over for cake and ice cream and her nursery leader stopped by with a card.

Weekend Update

We had a good time in Lovell over the weekend. I got to spend a lot of time with my sisters and a little with my brother. The girls had a lot of fun playing with cousins. I didn't see a lot of my parents because they are busy with work and building their house. It really looks great, but I wonder if they will ever get it done. ;) I had some great late nights at the Burton's playing Wii. Rob made a stupid little comment that had me and Ash laughing hysterically for a long time. I haven't laughed that hard for a while. I helped Ash and Ger put a wall up in the house they are building, and we all joined forces and cleaned up some rocks out of their basement so they can pour cement for the basement floor. It was nice to have a part in "building" their new home. It is coming along great and I think it will be a really nice house for them when it's done. Jake had to go to New York on Sunday, so Vicki and I drove up to Billings to take him to the airport. Then after conference we took the kids for a walk. It was a nice day and felt good to get the out for a walk. Cherelle Nicholls and her two youngest boys came with me and I'm glad they did, because it was nice to have someone to talk to on the long drive to and from Lovell. We left on Mon., which happened to be the 2 year anniversary (I don't know if anniversary is the right word. I think of an anniversary as something you celebrate.) of Jada's passing. I know we all really miss her and love her very much. I was glad I got to spend some time with Ashlee on that day and catch a glimpse of Jada on some home videos. She really was always happy and so much the life of the party.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Second Time was the Charm

Last night we decided to try watching Horton Hears a Who again. When I told Syd we were going she said, "I don't want to barf again." I told her I didn't want her to barf again either. When Charlee heard we were going, she told me the whole story about what happened last time...Like I could forget about that fiasco. I told her let's hope that doesn't happen again. It was much better this time around. This time it was a success! With the exception of Justee not wanting to sit still (she fell asleep with 2 mins left in the movie,) it was a welcomed, uneventful night at the movies.
Today after school, the girls and I are heading to Lovell. Justin has drill this weekend, so I decided to take the girls up for a visit. I am excited to see Vicki (and everyone else) since I haven't seen her since she has been back in the States, and the girls are excited to see Grandma and Grandpa and all their cousins. We will be home on Mon. because Tues. is Charlee's b-day, and we need to be back with Justin for that.

Justee Rose at 13 Months

Justee has been getting a lot of personality lately. I wanted to put down a few thing about her: She LOVES the cat. Blaise puts up with quite a bit too. She has never scratched Justee (and believe me she has had many reasons to scratch her,) she just runs away when she has had enough. *sidenote on Blaise...We got her about a week after we got married and have had her ever since (8 years in June.) These are a few pics of Justee chasing Blaise through the house. In one pic, she is trying to sit on her. Justee loves to lay her head on her and hug her.
Justee is really trying to talk. Yesterday when Justin got home she ran to him and said "Hi Dada," plain as day. She tries really hard to copy what her sisters say, but it doesn't always work out. I do this bumble bee, bumble bee, bzzzz thing and tickle her. If I stop, she says "ba b, ba b bbbbb," as her mom, I think it is pretty cute.
She loves to play with the phone and act like she is talking on it. I have had several calls in the past week from people saying "this number just called me." I have to explain that my 1 year old was playing with the phone...but why do I have to? Why do people do that? If I called and wanted to talk to you then I would have, why do you have to call back and see what I wanted when you don't know me, can't you just assume that is was a wrong number? Anyway...She loves hugs and is always walking up to her sisters and hugging them. The other pictures are of last night at bedtime. Right before prayers Sydnee and Charlee were cold and wanted to cuddle with me, Justee can't let that happen without her being in the middle of it. One of Sydnee and Charlee's favorite things about going to bed is getting a ride up from daddy. Justee saw the girls climbing up on Justin and she felt left out and started crying, so I had to load her on too. I'm glad Justin didn't trip while going up the stairs. ;)