Explanation

So in the last few months I have been having problems with pbulishing my posts. I can either post pictures or text but it won't let me do both in one post. Thus I have posts with pictures and the explanation is above it.
We had our family pictures taken by a dear friend in Twin Falls, Jillyn Moon. We went to Shoshone Falls for the outdoor family shots and then to her studio in Eden to finish. We are so happy about the results and wanted to share some of our favorites with you. At the time of taking these pictures Kendell was 1 month old. He has changed so much since then and is such a joy to have in our home. Piper loves to help with him and says multiple times each day that he likes her. Kendell loves to smile and talk to us. He also gets overwhelmed easily and enjoys being able to sit in the bouncer or high chair to have some alone time. In the last few weeks we have been able to put him in the swing and he slept for 2 hours in it yesterday.

Family Photo Shoot

 

50 free holiday card

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to share with you what a friend shared with me. If you go to here you could enter to win 50 free Holiday Cards from shutterfly. Seriously try it out. I have loved what I have seen from shutterfly and I am positive you will love it too.

Piper and Kendell

The story to go with the pictures.

I tried to type in around my pictures and for some reason it posted instead of letting me type. then I tried to edit the post and type around the pictures. I was able to do that but then it would not publish what I had changed so here we are trying again to get the story to go along with the pictures.
We blessed Kendell a couple of weeks ago and were blessed to have my parents and unmarried siblings join us for the day. We also had the pleasure of Wes' Aunt Bonnie and her family along with some of our dearest friends come to support us and Kendell.
Kendell was perfect angel on that day. He slept through the blessing, and most of the rest of sacrement meeting. Then when he woke up he was content to lay on my lap. At home with everyone there he as you can see in the pictures slept some and was calm and content. This was completely opposite from out expereince with Piper's blessing. We have a very enjoyable day spent with loved ones and missed those who were not able to join us.

The day after the blessing I was informed that I my application for additional time off work had been denied and that if I stayed out longer I would be doing so without pay. If we could afford to stay home without pay I would not be working. I would quit my job and stay home full time with my kids. Unfortunately we cannot afford to do that so I went back to work on Oct 12th. The other pictures are of Kendell's first day at school. 6 weeks old
I cried when I was told the application was denied, again when I called Wes to tell him the news, and again when Leslie stopped by. The sign of a true close friend is someone who cries with you when you are sad and offers to take your newborn for a while until he is a little older while you go back to work. That is what Leslie did, she cried with me, comforted me, and expressed concern about my infant going to daycare. Thank you Leslie for being you and for being my friend! We love and appreciate you and your family, as if you were part of our family.
I have been back to work for 8 work days. Of those 8 days the teacher in my classroom has been gone 2 days and the other classroom aide gone 3 days. Wes has been in Seattle for 2 1/2 days. Wes goes to work by 6:00 am, leaving me to pack lunch for Piper and me, pump milk for Kendell, get ready for work, get 2 kids dressed and ready for daycare and leave the house before 8:00 am to get to work on time. That truly is no easy task. So far I have been able to do that everyday except one. On that one day my alarm went off, I snoozed it, it went off again, I turned it off. Then fell back to sleep until 7:30 am. I woke up and rushed to get everything done. We left home at 8:05 am.

Blessings

Getting Older by the minute

So, we have had some fun in the last month. We all have gotten older and maybe a little wiser. Piper has been going to school a couple days a week. She loves going to school and playing with her friends. She has also figured out that Mom is not back to work yet so she likes to stay home with us too. From our last trip to Twin Falls we got a picture of Piper that looks alot like one of her Uncle Troy when he was around her age. She had not had a nap Saturday so when we sat her down for dinner she ate a few bites and the next time we looked at her there she was, asleep.

Kendell is one month old today! I layed him on my scales this morning and it said 9 pounds. I am not sure how exact that is but I figure it is pretty close. He has been a joy to have in our home and Piper just loves to help take care of him. Every time he needs a diaper change she will run into the bedroom and get him a diaper and a wipe. She also likes to help with the bum cream that gets slathered on him during every change, this is due to a nasty diaper rash/burn that we can't seem to clear up. I think I have finally decided to cut out alot of dairy from my diet to see how that does. The pattern I have noticed is that he a more fussy and the burn redder after I drink alot of milk. :( I have put him in the bouncer, the swing, and the high chair just for different heights and such depending on what I am doing. He seems to prefer the high chair. Weird I know but my high chair is a space saver one that reclines quite a bit. In the bouncer he will sit or sleep for about a half an hour. The swing maybe a few minutes before he starts fussing. The high chair he will sit in for a long time and frequently he will fall asleep in it. I thought the kids weren't supposed to fall asleep at the table until they were at least old enough to eat the food.

Wes is back in school and gone 2 nights a week. Our FHE Monday night consists of bath time, scriptures, prayers, and maybe Pipers favorite song. Latter Day Prophets. Wes' classes are Monday and Wednesday and if I am lucky both kids are in bed before he gets home. He is still loving his job and is excited about an upcoming business trip they are sending him on. He is going to Seatlle for some training over his birthday, leaving Oct 25th coming home Oct 27th. Since he will be gone for his birthday does that mean I don't have to do anything for him? Just kidding, we will probably do his birthday before he leaves.

I have enjoyed my break from work and am adjusting to being a mother of 2. When I am home alone with the kids I juggle them just fine and am able to take care of each one's needs I think. When Wes is home I am happy to let him help and only focus on one child at a time. I am still hoping to be able to take a full 12 weeks off from work to stay home with Kendell. That way he will be almost 3 months old and have some immunities built up before going to daycare. That is atleast what I am praying for. We are still waiting to her back from the school district if they will allow me that much time off. Okay, well Kendell just woke up and I still have to pack for the next 5 days. Until next time!

Similac Recall

SMIILAC RECALL: Attention all parents or grandparents if you or someone you know uses Similac Formula please make sure they are aware of the Recall. As of today there has been a recall of 5 million cans. Click this link for more details. Click this link to see if the cans you have at home have been recalled.

I just checked the can that I was given in the hospital when Kendell was born and it has been recalled. Please anyone who is using this product or if you know someone using it check the website and see if your formula has been recalled.

Labor Day!

I am sure our Labor Day weekend started out much like most people's did. We worked Friday and packed up the car planning for an eventful holiday with family. Some people take this holiday as their last camping trip for the year, others use it as a Family Reunion, or any excuse to have fun. We did much the same thing, the plan was to work at the Twin Falls Fair in my parents Shake Out booth Friday night, Saturday and Monday. My sister Cheary was having her baby Eliza blessed on Sunday in my parents ward. As we were packing we joked about the possibility of working at the fair and it putting me into labor. Well, as you either already know or have guessed out Labor day did not end the way most peoples 3 day weekend do. Ours consisted of a 2 day stay at Mountain View Hospital and bringing home a beautiful baby boy! The story is below or you can skip the story and go straight to the pictures.
I apologise now for the mini novel but hey, this is my blog and if I don't write it here it won't be documented that I went through child birth without any kinds of pain relief drugs.
Our normal 2.5 hour drive to my parents house has been extended to 3-3.5 hours depending on how many times we have to stop for a potty break for Piper. This weekend was no exception, we stopped at least 3 times and that is a good trip. Other trips it has been about every 15 minutes. When we got to Twin Falls we had to stop at Shake Out for supplies before going to the fair grounds. We arrived about 9 and I kind of just stood in the way for maybe an hour before taking Mom, Lark, Tarry, and Rockhard back to the house while Wes stayed to help finish the night. The next morning found us preparing for the all day fair experience. I was put to work slicing chicken for the fajitas while others went to the get more supplies and get things started. We headed to the fair around 1:00 and were kept busy the rest of the afternoon and evening. I made shakes washed dishes while Wes took orders and there were usually 3 people in the back cooking plus my Aunt Debi helping take the orders and my mother also making shakes. It was a hot day and I was constantly drinking water. Once in a while I was able to sit down and rest but that would only last a few minutes before going again. Finally around 7:00 I had to go out to the car for a few things and took Piper in the stroller. I had been feeling a few contractions for the past hour and the walking made them more noticeable. When we got back to the booth I stayed in the back washing dishes and was able to visit with some old friends I had not seen in years. I told them about our joke of the weekend putting me into labor and said maybe we had needed to be more specific and said that Monday could do it not Saturday. Customers started slowing down around 10:00 that evening and everyone was trying to send me home. I was fine with that but also told them I needed someone to go with me because I couldn't carry Piper that far. I took 3 of my siblings with me and when we got back to the house I didn't see them again except Rockhard and I sent him to bed. The rest of the family finally rolled in around 1:30 am and we got to bed after 2. I was still having contractions about 8-10 minutes apart but not incredibly strong. No one had noticed them but me. I tried going to bed and after maybe 20 minutes was up and in the recliner trying to rest. Then around 3:30 I was in the tub hoping to relax. I got very little sleep that night and the thought running through my mind was do we go home when people wake up or stay and make it through church. We went to church and the contractions slowed down to about 5 in an hour. I stayed for sacrament meeting and we decided to go back to the house and try to rest. Piper was not happy about being pulled out of nursery! She cried for probably 20 minutes and kept asking to go back to nursery. The big family dinner was at the house after all the meetings so we were trying to get things ready for that. We had some of Dan's family there as well as both sets of my grandparents and Aunt Debi. I got a talking to from Aunt Debi about not taking care of my self because I was 9 months pregnant and working. I just can't sit still while everyone around me is running. After people left I was back in the tub hoping for some reprieve and to rest. That didn't really happen but I spent over 2 hours in the water. Then put Piper to bed, everyone else went to bed and again laying down was more painful than sitting up so I was in the recliner. Things had picked up to being back at 4-10 minutes apart and I spent another 2 + hours in the tub. Monday morning came and I was exhausted and wanted to go home. We sent every to the fair and packed up for the drive back to Idaho Falls. Piper's car seat needed to be moved and Wes has never done that before so I was in the back seat moving and tightening her car seat in between contractions that have gotten stronger/more painful and closer together. We pick up my mother since she is coming home with us and are on the road. Piper only stopped us twice I think but I felt every bump of that 2.5 hour drive! I start remembering back to being in labor with Piper. The first time we went to the hospital they sent us home and the second time we stayed but I was only dilated to a 6 and wanted to rest so got the epidural and it stopped everything. I told Wes and close friends that I wanted to try and do this one with out the epidural. Now that the time had come I hoped to get to the hospital on time and was rethinking the whole no drugs thing. I let our friends Kevin and Ashley know what was going on because they had asked about our plans for the day. I told them it was to get to the hospital on time. Still thinking the contractions were not regular enough to do much good we went to the house for a few hours. By 1:30 I was in tears and told Wes I couldn't take it any more. I wanted drugs. He and my mother kept telling to wait it out as long as I could. I finally called Ashley before 2:00 and asked her to come sit with Piper since she had just fallen asleep. She was very concerned and trying to help when she saw her Mom was not feeling well. We got to the hospital around 2:00 pm and they asked me the typical questions, had me change into the lovely gown and hooked up the monitors. I tested positive for GBS and knew that they needed to know that and get the penicillin in before the baby was born. They immediately tried to get the IV in and do some blood work. I was very dehydrated and after 4 failed attempts they brought in someone else. He looked at me and said he was going to numb my arm and do the IV, I half jokingly said can you numb my legs and tummy too? He very seriously said yes he could and would be happy to. I thought he was just another nurse and it turned out they had brought in the anesthesiologist to get the IV done. Upon hearing I was dilated to a 9, Mom and Wes encouraged me to not get the epidural and I told them to wait on it. Maybe 20 minutes later I was saying I had another thought on that topic and again I was encouraged to try with out. They gave me 2 bags of penicillin and burned going in. I have a lovely bruise still about the size of a fist on my arm from it. After the second bag was done the doctor said okay lets have a baby. In 3 contractions with 4 different people saying 4 different things Baby Kendell Aiden Jones was born at 3:42 pm Monday Sept. 6th.
Our first family picture as a family of 4
The first out fit we bought for him

Piper dressed herself, the pant are backwards and the socks for Halloween, shoes mixed up.

She needed milk and juice before going to church.

Riding a bike

We were able to find a bike for just a few dollars at a yard sale earlier this year. Piper always wants to ride the neighbors bike when we are walking but she has always been to small. She likes her little three wheel trike but the pedals are so far in front that she can't reach them and thus had not learned how to use them. Frequently she will ask to ride her bike and will climb on the "big" bike but lose interest when Mom won't push her on it. In my current condition it gets difficult to bend for long periods of time:( Anyway, after a few minutes of sitting on the big bike she usually decides the small bike is better because she can move it herself. Well last week we were again outside riding bikes. She of course climbed on the big bike and I once again told her how to work the pedals and pushed her feet around a few times and she GOT it! she then spent about an hour riding her bike around. She had to ride over to the neighbors house and show them what she could do and then when we got back to our house she had to go knock on another neighbors door and tell him to come and see what she had learned. Later that day when Daddy got home from work she was so excited to show him that we again went outside and rode the bike while Daddy watched for a few minutes and then got distracted while talking on the phone. Here is the video of Piper riding her "big" bike. Enjoy!

Blessings

Wes has been looking for a different job for over a year. He has turned in countless applications/resumes with no response except a few post cards saying they appreciate the interest but have filled the position and will keep his information on file for 6 months. Every night he spent numerous hours on the computer looking at job openings and would ask me if he should apply for this or that job. My response was frequently the same, "Go for it, the worst thing they could do is not call you." So, since the most recent paycut he has had even more time to spend looking for a job. He has talked to people at Job Service as well as getting help with his resume at the LDS Employment center. He casually would talk to members of the credit union about their jobs, how they liked them... and if they had any openings. Last week he had a phone interview with a company he was referred to by a credit union member. He had a follow up interview on Wednesday and they told him to expect to hear back from them by the end of next week since the CEO was out of the office this week. On that same day he got a phone call for an interview with the local school district for the following day. He explained to them that he would love to come to an interview but his time constraint would be doing so during his lunch break and he works on the other side of town. They said no problem we can do it in that time. He was about 5 minutes late getting back to work from that interview and thankfully no one said anything about his tardiness. They have told him in the past that if he was ever late it could be reason for termination. This morning he got a phone call from the school district. They left a message to call them back a long with the office phone number and a cell phone number. Being optimistic we both felt this had to be good news due to the fact that I have gotten phone messages telling me they have chosen someone else. Wes came home for lunch to pick up some papers he forgot this morning. He called the district back while standing in the driveway and I was able to watch him literally jump for joy when they offered and he accepted a position to work in the district office. We have been praying for guidance for so long and are truly grateful that the interview were this week and he was able to leave the credit union during his lunch break. Normally he is not allowed to leave the building in case they get busy and need him to cut his break short.

A month of TRAINING

So school got out the 4th of June!!! I thought at the time that my summer was going to be very short. I was supposed to get a week break and then go back to summer school until the end of July. At the end of my week break I got a phone call from my supervisor saying the student I work with is not attending summer school so I was not needed. That was both great news and not so great. I had planned on the extra money to pay for the hospital bill that is coming and for something to keep me busy over the summer so it would go by faster. Oh, I also need to mention that in the week break my plan was to potty train Piper since my summer was to be spent at work. Anyway, now here it is July and I have spend the last month for the most part at home still trying to potty train Piper. She is doing pretty well! We told her at the beginning that when she was able to use the toilet and stay DRY for 3 days we would by her a bottle of nail polish. That is one of the many things so really likes right now. We painted a fingernail each time she used the potty without an accident. At the end of last week she she was wearing her pretty panties and keeping them dry during the day, as well as during naps! This carried on for about a week so last night we went to the store and she picked out her first bottle of polish! It is PURPLE! Piper also has recently gotten into watching movies. She loves being in our newly finished family room, playing with her toys and watching a movie. She loves Princess movies and Christmas movies. We have spent the last 3 days watching The Santa Clause movies. All 3 of them. EVERY DAY!

When Dad and Bonnie were here visiting I asked for assistance in moving my nice comfortable couches down stairs and the white wood ones up to the front room. They happily obliged with the assistance of Blake, Wes, and I it was done in about 1.5 hours one night after dinner. It is so nice to have enough seating for everyone and comfortable ones to watch a movie or sit and visit! the wood ones still have some work to do as far as finishing the cushion covers but that is supposed to motivate me to finish them. Since this time I usually have at least one day each week in re-arranging things in a room down stairs. The bonus is it stays cool during the hot summer days that have finally come. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and love them all!

Wes is still looking for another job, his current one gave him another reason for needing one a couple of weeks ago. They called him in and told him that due to the economic situation he was not longer on salary and that his hours would be no more than 30 per week. They also said if things are slow he might not even get that many hours. Due to this and the fact that I also got a pay cut as well as not working this summer we have decided to help my parents at the Shake Out every weekend possible. The good news, Wes has turned in numerous job applications visited both the LDS employment service and Job service. He got a call yesterday and had a phone interview and they said they would like to do an in person interview next week! We are very hopeful and optimistic of the possibility.

Our second bundle of joy is due in about 10 weeks! I have the crib ready and waiting for him, it just needed the side put back on since Piper got her new toddler bed for her birthday. We have made one purchase for him and you will all see that outfit later. It is the one he is to wear home from the hospital. Time seems to go by so SLOW waiting for him to come but every time I think 10 weeks makes it sound quite soon as well.We are almost into single digits.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! May you all have an enjoyable summer and stay cool!

Family Photo shoot

Last weekend we went to Utah for Wes' cousin Randi's wedding. We were able to stay with Uncle Garrin and Aunt Stefanie. On Sunday we went to their ward with them. Thanks so much for letting us stay with you guys!!! Saturday was the wedding in Manti. While the photographer was trying to take pictures with her large camera and hold the sun screen Wes noticed she was struggling a bit and volunteered to help her. He spent the next hour watching, learning, and helping. We followed from a distance and took our own pictures. Then as they finished up Wes asked his Dad to take a family picture for us. the photographer turned around and said she would take one for us. Here are the ones we took.

Baby # 2

I have been waiting for Wes to do this post, he is very excited about the new baby. At the ultra sound I told him it was his job to update the blog and let everyone know of our decision. Sorry no pics for now since the scanner is hooked up to his computer. Anyway, we found that our little guy is a very calm serene baby who is perfectly content to stay in one position that he is comfortable in no matter how much the tech pushed and talked to him. Hopefully that will be a good thing with his very loud and playful older sister. Even with him not moving we were able to see everything that was needed and found out that we are having a very healthy baby boy. He takes after his Dad in that he thus far has a big head and short legs. Wes got that from his grandfather Kerbs. Over all he is measuring right on track and average size. We are all very excited about our new addition to the family and are now preparing for the next step, exchanging baby girls blothes for boy! So far i have found some newborn 0-3 month out fits that will work and will have to find bigger clothes as he grows.

Stats

So we spent a couple of our spring break days at doctors appointments. Piper had hers and everything looks great! She is still on the small/short side but the doctor is not worried about that. Since she is healthy he just said she is taking a break from growing and will get another growth spurt eventually. It was the first time in a year that we have gone in and NOT had an ear infection!!!
Her current stats are:
weight - 22.1 ounces 3%
height - 31.25 inches 3%
head circumfrence - 18 inches 10 %
She was really good about getting her shots, just a few minutes of crying and no reactions! Then a finger poke to check iron levels and for lead paint. The blood test came back with slightly low level of iron but everything else looked good.
Then a few days later I had a doctors appointment to check out how peanut is doing. At 16 weeks peanuts heart rate was found almost right away and 155 beats per minute. My naeusia has pretty much gone but still throwing up most lunch and dinner meals. My doctor is not concerned about this since it is concidered normal and I had the same thing during the entire pregnancy with Piper. My ultra sound was scheduled and then re-scheduled since my doctor is taking vacation for 2 weeks and will not be in the office. I was given the option to push it back to when she is back or see another doctor in the office. I would really like to see her after her vacation but also want to see peanut and make sure things are good and healthy as soon as possible. With that being said I am scheduled for the ultra sound April 26th and then to see a different doctor the following day. :( We have talked about finding out if peanut is male or female at the ultra sound or waiting to be surprised in Sept. That discussion is still on going so check back to see the decision later.

Happy Birthday to my big girl!

I think Piper enjoyed the icing more than the cake, she certainly liked licking her fingers.

The adorable cabbage patch doll given to Piper from her Uncle Blake.

Piper loves bubbles and glasses, so got both! As we started opening the gifts there was a wide space for Piper to work, slowly with each gift the kids closed in on us and soon she was on top of me trying to get space from the other kids.

After she blew out the candles she took a swipe at the icing, for the second time that day :)

Piper is now 2 years old! It is hard to believe she is growing up so fast. We converted the crib into a toddler bed around the middle of February, then for her birthday Grandma Ellen bought her a toddler bed. She loves her new bed, it is low enough to the ground that she can get in and out by herself. She still falls out about once a week but is doing really well. Some nights she will climb into bed and go to sleep on her own, other nights she wants rocked and Daddy is good and rocks her to sleep!

We had a private party on Wed. with just us, a dinner at home, presents from Grandpa Joe, Grandma Bonnie, Mom, Dad, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Waters, then a soak in Grandma Ellen's hot tub. On Saturday we had the big party with some family and friend attending. After the everyone left we counted up how many people had come, the grand total was ... 35! We had a great turnout and I think fun was had by all. We served chicken enchilladas made by Branden Harrison, the addorable ladybug cake was made by my old roommate Heather Harrison.