December 4, 2009-Happy 2nd Birthday, Reinster!

On December 4th you turned 2 years old. I can't believe it's been 2 years since you came into our lives. It seems like I was just 8 months pregnant, complaining about back pain, leg pain, and every other kind of pain there is! You have grown into such a beautiful young girl! I'm so glad that you finally have HAIR!!! You were our little baldy for the longest time.

This year has been one of the greatest years of my life. I'm so glad you shared in it with me. You've become my little buddy and I hate when I don't get to spend every minute with you.

Here's some highlights of your accomplishments this year: ~you became a walking and running machine!
~you learned, much to mommy's dismay, how to repeat every word you hear
~you became the youngest mascot of Leadore High School volleyball and the first toddler to have a vertical jump higher than most elementary kids!
~you managed to wrap your daddy even tighter around that adorable little finger of yours ~you learned how to float on your back in the tub
~you helped mommy raise 3 bum lambs this year (as well as learned how to kick some little lamb behind)
~you carved your first pumpkin ~you found out what "monsters" are
~you used the potty for the first time! (we'll continue to work on that!)
~you road a big yellow bus for the first time, and now have some strange love of this mode of transportation
~you learned how to roll your eyes!

Beside all you've learned and all you've accomplished, you have brightened every single day of my life. I love you, Reiny Marie...I always have and I always will. If I've learned anything during this 2 year journey we've taken together, it's that time goes too fast and I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for you to leave my side. Thank you for being patient with me as I learned what it means to be a mother. I hope some day you get to experience this same thing. Continue being my sweet little girl, and know that no matter where you go or what you do, Daddy and I will always be here for you!

Cute Video

Growing up so fast...does that mean it's time for the next one? Eeek!!!

Halloween 2009

Jordan and I had a very difficult time agreeing on a costume for Reiny this year. I wanted her to be a hula dancer and Jordan wanted her to wear her skunk costume again from last year. He claimed that she would fit in the hula costume next year, but not the skunk costume...true...and also, did I really want my daughter to learn to show off her "boobies" at such a young age? All crap, but I guess it worked cus she went as a skunk again...

We went to the trunk or treat at the church. Reiny loved it! She was a little scared at first, but quickly learned that all she had to do was walk to the next car and shout "trick or treat" and she'd get candy. I'm sure she was thinking "wow! I wish everyday was Halloween!" Here she is with her friend Jared (raggedy andy) and Lexi (pumpkin princess) and her cousins RJ (transformer) and Wyatt (Nemo).

Fairmont Hot Springs

A few weeks ago, our poor little community got really sick! I mean, REALLY SICK!! They ended up cancelling school because so many kids had cold and flu-like symptoms. A couple people were even diagnosed with H1N1. In any case, our bishop decided to cancel all of church except Sacrament meeting that Sunday. Jordan and I decided that it wasn't worth running the risk of getting ourselves or Reiny sick, so we played hooky that week (I didn't have to twist Jordan's arm too hard!). Instead, we drove over to Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana and spent the night there. They have 2 huge pools fed from hot springs and a gigantic slide in the outdoor pool. Since this is a resort, we were able to book a room and stay the night. We got there about 7 pm on Saturday and of course Reiny was too excited to sleep, so we went swimming instead until about 9:30pm. This sweet lady came up to us in the pool and said "You two are just amazing parents." I thought, wow, that was nice of her...but then I looked around and almost all of the other parents there were drinking beers, tatooed from head to foot, and in all cases, doing there best to ignore their children. So, compared to those parents, sure...I guess we're above average. Well, we went to bed that night and woke up on Sunday later than normal...how nice that is from time to time! We got some breakfast, and went swimming again! Reiny LOVES the water! She can't swim yet, obviously, but she didn't want us to hold on to her. She would jump to us from the side and then try to kick her legs and swing her arms like she was swimming...it was so much fun! We desperately need a pool here in our community. Maybe I'll write to Oprah or Ellen and ask for a "community miracle." I can dream...

Goodbye Puppies!

Well, the time has come to say so long to Bella's puppies. They were a lot of fun for us all, especially Reiny, but 5 dogs can truly eat a person out of house and home! We gave Chase and Megan the largest male puppy as a wedding gift. They named him Rosco and he is actually a sweet little dog. I think they really enjoy him. The nice thing is, Reiny gets to see him frequently, so it doesn't really feel like he's gone to her. The other male puppy we gave to our friends Cory and Jess. They have 3 little girls that keep him busy and happy. Sadie, their oldest named him Fudge...for obvious reasons...he was the only brown one in the litter. When we went over to play the other day, it suddenly dawned on Reiny that Fudge was once her puppy. She kept saying "NO! My puppy!" when we had to leave and I wouldn't let her bring him back home. Kinda cute...but yet, caused a few tears. The bigger female went to a friend of Jess and Cory who lives in Idaho Falls. I'm not sure what they named her, but since they don't have kids, this puppy is being well loved! That makes me happy!

Finally, puppy number four still resides on the ranch with us! We have a potential home for her, but now Jordan thinks he wants to keep the puppy and give Bella away (she's recently taken to chasing the bulls through the yard fence!) In the meantime, Reiny has started calling the last puppy "Lucy," which actually sounds more like "woosie" coming from her. Jordan says it stands for "Lucifer" (since "Bella" is now short for "Bealzabub"). I hope Jordan can make up his mind soon on what he wants to do with this last puppy, cus it's gonna be a fight getting her from Reiny!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

This year we took Reiny to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Well, to be honest, we took her last year too, but she was still too little to enjoy much of the fair. This year she LOVED it!!! We went to the petting zoo, ate our body weight in every imaginable high-calorie food item, and went to the Rodney Atkins concert that night. We had stadium seats and I thought that Reiny would fall asleep for sure...WRONG! She was dancing like an idiot, clapping her hands, and screaming for joy! We went down on to the track to see if she would fall asleep in her stroller, but no dice! She just wanted to boogie! She finally fell asleep when Rodney came out to do his second encore song. By this time, it was about 11 pm. The two helpings of ice cream and chocolate-dipped cheesecake probably didn't help either! I'm just so glad Reiny could have fun like that without becoming a sleepy grouch! I hope she can remember that experience. Here's some of the pictures.

As you can tell from the video...she wasn't crazy about the ride!

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day weekend, we took our camper up Big 8 Mile Canyon to camp with Marijill, Boyd and the boys. We all had our motorbikes up there and went to some of the lakes. RJ actually does really well riding on his own bike without the training wheels. It's fun watching him grow up and take on a the "big brother" role for Reiny. We had an awesome time roasting hotdogs and smores, as well as just visiting with family. Unfortunately, it was also the weekend of Chase's reception here in Leadore. We had to drive out of the canyon Friday night to set up the gym for the reception and then again on Saturday for the reception. In any case, it was still a lot of fun and definitely something we want to do again next year.

Chase's Wedding Pictures

I know I suck at updating my blog...here's the other cute pictures I wanted to add from Chase's wedding.

Chase's Wedding, ETC...

Well folks, I'm afraid this might be another somber posting (despite the connotations in the title). I just got done working for the day...you know, the kind of working that seems like it will be exciting and fun and ends up being one of those times you wished your alarm clock didn't go off after all. We preg tested 500 cows today, vaccinated all of them, tagged all 500 of their babies with the new electronic tags the cattle buyers are requiring, vaccinated all of those kiddos, and tattooed the heifer calves' ears for the BANGS vaccine. Jordan and Dad started sorting at 6:30am and then we started pregging at about 8:30 am. We ate lunch at 12:30 pm and then started in on the calves. By the time we got them all done, sorted to where they needed to go and driven back to the field, it was 8 pm. Yay, time to go home, put the baby in bed (late, again...), shower, and go to bed! WRONG! Of course, Jordan gets a call saying he is desperately needed to go and fix a pivot in Pashimeroi, 2 hours away, so instead of a restful night, I get to sit up waiting for him to arrive home in safety. What better way to fill the time then to blog about your discouraging day.

I don't think I'd be so upset if this day hadn't come directly following the day I helped install mainline for our powerplant. I got my butt kicked yesturday trying to help with the mainline job. I first laid out bundles of pipe with the loader then I got to hook it all on to the boom truck to be set into the trench. I got clobbered by a 22' stick of 18" 80 PSI pipe and now have a big bruise on my elbow! I tell you what, this powerplant better generate some serious cha-ching to make yesturday worth it for me!

In any case, I should take some time to post about Chase's wedding in St. George, Utah. All I can say is...WHO IN THE HELL GETS MARRIED IN ST. GEORGE IN AUGUST?!?!?! It was so dang hot!!! We all looked like the albinos from Idaho, melting in the heat! You would think that area would be equipped with air conditioning, but nope, wrong!!! Everywhere we went we were dying of heat! The 8 hour trip with the toddler went exactly as one would expect, miserable. All I can say is, I'm glad that's over, and yes...I believe in flying!!!

Boy, I do sound rather negative. The wedding itself was beautiful. Megan looked just as any bride should, gorgeous. Chase looked like any Mormon groom should...ummm, excited? Yeah, that's probably the most appropriate word. I'm sorry though, I had a really difficult time with this wedding. I guess I miss being the bride. I miss the anticipation of the wedding night. I miss the romance and intimacy you feel for the very first time. I'm jealous. There's no other way of putting it. When the wedding was all done, I got to drive home with a screaming toddler and they flew off to Mexico, all expense paid, for a romantic honeymoon. I came home to cows and mainline work and they were laying on the beach. I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'M JEALOUS!!! I tried to talk to Jordan about this, but he just says that he's more excited about where we are now in our lives. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy too, but I just miss the carefree days before children. I love Reiny. I love her so much, and everyday she does something else more adorable than the day before. Now when she cries she says "Reiny sad." It's so cute. But, now I have more responsibility and it doesn't seem to ever have an end in sight. Chase and Megan and concerned with each other, and Jordan and I are debating the right time to start trying to have more kids. I guess, I'm just sad that I'm not there anymore in my life. I have a lot to look forward to, but sometimes I wish I could turn back time and be "young" again in my responsibilities. Oh well, focus on the good, right? I have a great home and family.

Here are some pictures from the wedding. Jordan's cousin Pam took some amazing pictures with her awesome camera and as soon as we get a cd of that, I'll post those too!





Reiny with one of Megan's nephews...making a mess of the flower bed...she loves rocks! What a strange girl she's becoming!

Just some things I've been thinkin' about...

1. How come, for my 1st anniversay "I" got a 17HMR rifle instead of the trip to Yellowstone I'd planned, and now for my 7th anniversary, I got a Honda 230CFR Motor Bike instead of the hot tub I thought "we" wanted?

2. Why is it, that Jordan can build and fix quarter-mile+ irrigation systems and have them working so specifically that you can program them to apply an even amount of water across 160 acres, but he can't fix the sink in the bathroom in a way that will keep it from leaking for more than a month?

3. Why do bishopric members assume that a mother of a toddler would just "love" to be the new nursery leader?

4. How come, no one likes to post comments on my blog? Am I just that boring...? Probably...

5. Why do mommies not get "sick days" but daddies expect to be cared for like a toddler when their "tummies hurt real bad!"?

6. Does anyone else wake up in the morning one day and feel like everything is in order, and then the next day wake up thinking "I have nothing to look forward to today..." when in actuality there are lots of things to look forward to...?

7. Does any other woman out there sacrifice her secret "wants" for her family's (ie. husband's) "wants"?

8. Why am I not a trust-fund baby?

9. Why does Obama think it's ok to take my hard-earned money, the money for which I've literally skinned my nuckles bloody, and give it to the stupid porch monkey living on welfare? (That was probably off color, but I just got notified of a new tax that Obama wants to impose on cattle owners...the Methane Tax, because cows FART and add to the greenhouse gases!)

10. Is it wrong to blog about the things you stick in the back of your mind and constantly try to push aside to "maintain the peace"? Won't they eventually reach the surface somehow?

Sorry if this post seems somber, but I've really been wondering about these things lately...it's hard to push aside all the negativity around you every day...I'll keep trying though...I'm sure I'll like riding behind Jordan on his new dirt bike, and maybe I'll even learn how to ride it some day. I know Reiny loves going for rides with her daddy...at least that's something.

Puppies...Puppies...oh, crap...we have PUPPIES!!!

Well, Bella, my sweet, kind-hearted, yet slutty, Corgi has had her puppies! After weeks of waiting and wondering, they are finally here. Not without some difficulty, though...she's been a little "late" in having this litter, and I was getting worried. I called the vet Monday and made an appointment to bring her in Wed. Well, on Wed morning, she still was not acting as if labor and delivery was on the menu for her so I rescheduled for today, Thursday. She woke up this morning whining and clawing at the carpet. When she started panting uncontrollably I figured she was in labor. I called the vet and asked if I should bring her in anyway and she said it wouldn't hurt to check her out. We get to the vet and she says that yes, indeed, she is in labor and suggested I leave her for observation. Since we live an hour away I thought that would be best so if there was a problem, she was there. Well, problems did in fact arise! She started pushing and pushed and pushed without stopping for almost 2 hours. After no puppies made their grand entry the vet did an exam and decided she should have a c-section. We now have 4 very healthy, chubby, and EXPENSIVE puppies. Since Bella is a Corgi and the father is a blue heeler, I've decided to name the breed "Blue Corgers."

Trying to kill 2 birds with one stone, I called and asked if the vet had spayed Bella while she was at it...YIPPIE, she had to spay her. Apparently all the pushing had ruptured poor Bella's uteran horn and a full hysterectomy was the only way to save her from hemoraging. I'm glad the vet decided to do the c-section, cus Bella would have bled to death if she hadn't and now...no more unexpected puppies.

However, for the time being, we now have 2 boy puppies and 2 girl puppies to watch and care for...not to mention listen to all night as they cry!

Here's our new "grandchildren" and Reiny's "nieces and nephews!!!"

Last Ones...I Promise!

 

 

 

 

Ok...last ones...these are just too cute not to share!