Getting there

So here's to catching up(the shortest versions I can give). Thanksgiving was stressful but fun. My older sister and her family and my family all met at my paerent's home. My older sister and I were cooking dinner this time instead of mom. It turned out great. We had everything, stuffing, jello,of course turkey, candied sweet potatos and regular mashed potatoes and gravy,green bean casserol, dinner dolls, cranberry sauce,......I'm sure there were others but I can't remember all the list. It was a great feast and I was glad to spend time with my family. Haydan did have to work that night though. Ok so he didn't have to, but he chose to because he wanted to get in some Holiday pay so we could have a good Christmas. What a wonderful husband I have.
December 11th was my baby shower. Out of 70 something to 80 invites only 6 (not including both my sisters, my mother, and my friend who was the host of the party)showed up. Eventhough so few were there, I still had a blast. The games were fun, the decorations were cute, the food was good, and the cake looked devine (almost too cute to cut into and eat)

and I especially enjoyed the company of all who attended.
Christmas was jsut around the corner. Family members near and far wanted us to come over and do gift exchanges. I decided not to make any plans to go anywhere this year. I was too tired to have to pack up kids and gifts, shuffle around to everyone's homes, the pack everyone and everything back up and back home. Too much for an 8 months preggo. So mostly everyone came to our home and spent a few hours with Haydan, me, and the kids. Thank you so much to those family members and friends who made the trip out here. This kids didn't get a lot from their Christmas lists but I don't think they really noticed nor did they care. They still got a bunch of stuff that they seem to enjoy. I was so excited for Haydan to get his colf clubs that I had ordered for him. He was beaming when he opened that gift from me. My two most fave gifts from Haydan are a big jewlerey armwar and a pomegranite bath set. Of which I have decided to wait to use after Gracelyn arrives for that rare moment that I get to have time to myself and just relax.
Now that all the chaos of the major holidays are passed, I am 36 weeks along. I have one month till the due date of arrivaal of our much awaited baby girl. Olivia and Alex are anious as well as I. THey have been helping me get the baby's things organixed and out away this last week while Haydan has been at work. I am excited and yet apprehensive and I know I already have my hands full with two chikdrena ndn now I am soon going to be adding another one to the mix. One that will need more of my attention than the older two. I am hoping that Olivia and Alex will be as big of helpers ad They say they want to be. Olivia is very nurturing with babies and very protective. She also can be too. . .what's the word im looking for????? I don't know what the word is but she sometimes had a hard time just letting the baby be. Alex . . . now I really haven't seen him interact with a baby besides my nephew and he seems to be okay. So far he seems to already be very protective of Gracelyn. He talks to her and he he loves to feel her move around. You will hear him say a lot to her as she is moving around "stop moving so much you are hurting Mommy". Besides getting in the baby's face a lot so it can see what is in his hands. I think Alex does okay with just observing the baby and making sure the baby is out of harms way. I know, if Olivia and Alex are so great with babies then I am worrying about nothing right now.
Anyway, sicne Gracelyn is going to be our final child sterilization is our choice of birth control. Haydn's doctor said he can't get a vasectomy becaue of the blood thinners he is on. So looks like ti's me that's going under the knife. Not sure if it'll be done, but it'll get done. The only hting is I am not looking forward to the pain of giving birth AND having minor surgery to my abdomnial area. Oh well, guess it's time once again to take one for the team.
Wish us luck. the next time you will hear from me on here is probably a few weeks after all this excitement.

IT"S A GIRL!

ok so this blog entry is really late I know;Oh well. Most of you already know we found out on September 8th that we are having a girl. It took a little while to come up with a name that Haydan and I both could agree on. Well we have agreed on a first name but can't decide on a middle name. So far our daughter's name will be Gracelyn. I figured I'll decide what her middle name will be (hopefully with some inspiration) when I sign the birth certificate forms. I am as of today 29 weeks along and am feeling like it too. I am pretty much ready for Gracelyn's arrival I just need to get things organized. We are all excited and can't wait for our little angel to join our family and make us a family of 5. Her older siblings ar waiting so patiently and remind me everyday that they lover her and can't wait to teach her things (good things I hope).

New Beginnings

As many of you know Haydan has beeen out of the military since December of '09 and has been searching for a civilian job since. It's been hard on the both of us. But yesterday Haydan got a call saying he is being hired!! He wil be Working for a company that makes carbon fiber insulation for things like the Boeing air planes and other things. I am so proud of him. I knew he nailed that interview and composition test. So now we are on a search for a second car that can get Haydan from point A to point B so that I am not stuck at home all day without a car. This is for another point of some good news. We are once again pregnant. I will need to be able to get myself to my dr. appointments and Alex to his therapy.
I am as of tomorrow 11 weeks along. I am due february 2nd. 2011. I have had an ultrasound every two weeks since I found out, making sure that the baby had been implanted correctly and is growing and thriving as we had a miscarry last year. So far so good. There has been a heartbeat every time and everything looks good and normal. I personally was very upset when I first found out. I was feeling a lot of things actually. I was feeling angry because "geez,what timing." Haydan nor I had any income but Haydan's unemployment which wasn't going to last forever, we are only living in a 2 bedroom apartment so we will eventually have to move, and with Haydan still trying to get help for his PTSD, and the uncertanty of "is this one going to miscarry as well?" I was scared to lose yet again and yet happy at the same time because I knew there was one more in store for us to make our family complete. Finding out I was yet again pregnant was an emotional roller coaster ride for me for the first few weeks or so as I'm sure it was for Haydan. I was waiting to tell everyone becasue I wanted to make sure this one was going to make it, and I am confident that this baby is healthy, thriving and will become a very big part of our family.
Olivia says she doesn't want another brother because she says he will just grow up and be just as, if not more, annoying than Alex. You can't do anything but laugh at that one. Alex says he also wants a brother. At one point a couple of weeks ago Alex told my good firend and neighbor and then me that he had had a dream. And in that dream and angel came to him and told him that Mommy was going to have a baby boy. It was so cute and very humbling as Alex is stil very close to the viel. So if what Alex told me is correct I will in no way be suprised. I will find out what flavor the baby is about mid to late September.
So wish us all luck on our new adventures with this new job of Haydan's and our precious gift to add to our wonderful family.

Mother's Day

I want to express my grattitude and love for my husband and kids. That even though yesterday was rough for us all I still love you. Haydan, you are my hero for so many reasons. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have accomplished anything in the last 7 years. My love for you will never flicker nor dim. And if it weren't for my kids I wouldn't have had the faith and courage to finish the repentence process and stay on track of getting my life back in order. I know it was a long road for me (7 years) but I can now proudly tell you that I am worthy to again enter into our Father's home and do his work. Hopefully by the end of this year I will be ready to get endowed and do more work for our Father that can only be done by those who have the means and authority to. I hope that one day, Haydan, Olivia and Alex, you will see what I am doing and how imprtant temple work is to me and one day accept all of the gospel into your lives and follow me in the Lords footsteps. I know we will be an eternal family someday. We just have to be patient. Olivia and Alex I hope that you will want to be a great exaple of Christ.
Well anyway...(Haydan just informed me that I need to get the roast in the crock pot.) But I want all three of you to know that I thankful for you and all that you bring into my life.
~Always and Forever~

March 2010

Haydan has decided to skip on going to school and find a full time job. He wants to do a 12 week training thing to be an electrician. But till he gets off his duff and fills out the forms to start that he needs to find something else. He says he knows he needs to find a job but does practically nothing to find one. He wants to do something in the construction business. So if any of you know of any entry level construction jobs around please let us know.
Alex was diagnosed with SPD (sensory processing disorder). I have heard it is extremely closely related to Asburger's autism(sp?). SPD made sense for at first, but now some things aren't starting to fit with the diagnosis. So I am leaning more towards autism. I have also heard that because both of these disorders are so closely related that most professionals get the diagnoses wrong. Anyway ... Ales is supposed to be starting Occupational Therapy and Social Therapy whenever his health insurance company says we can. And because Alex is in medical through DSHS who knows how long anything will take in order to be able to start making appointments. All I know is that Haydan and I are frustrated to no end with Alex and we needed therapy to start like two weeks ago. I love my little boy to death and I just wish I knew how to help him at home in order to help keep Haydan and me sane.
Haydan and I had a parent/teacher conference last week with Olivia's kindergarten teacher. Olivia's teacher is so wonderful. Haydan and I found that Olivia is much smarter than she likes to lead on. We also found out that we are all on the same page as to what Olivia needs to improve on and what is expected of her school and homework wise. Olivia is on a 1st grade reading level and is getting better as each week passes. She has made many new friends and she made them very quick. Which I am very happy about because she has had to change schools 3 times in about 4 months because we were trying to get an apartment of our own (still I know but we have one now and have had one since the end of January thanks to my Friend and now next door neighbor, Jeni). The school Olivia goes to now is not the school that services the specific area that we live. She is and "overflow" student. Meaning that the school that services the area of which we live was all full in all their kindergarten classes so Olivia is bussed to the closest school in the district that has room. But next school year she will start first grade in the school she is supposed to be going to. Which yes, means that she will once again have to switch school and make new friends. But I feel that with her making so many friends and the fact that she made them so fast makes me feel more on the positive side that she will transition just fine.
Nothing much to say about me. I am trying a new way of making sure things get done around the house (well apartment). Everyone has chores and each week we rotate. This was everyone takes part and shares in the responsibility of taking care of the home and I don't get overwhelmed and over worked. So far it has worked. Everyone excluding me obviously, was surprised to see just how much it takes to keep our home running and clean. It was nice to have so much help this last week with the cleaning and picking up. Olivia got the most out of it besides me. She had started to do the dirty dishes all by herself. She needed a little guidance but not much. She did great. Alex got to gather all the dirty clothes each night and make sure they were all in the laundry room on laundry day. Olivia today expressed and interest in trading her dad dirty dishes for taking care of the cat. So we'll do a test run and see how that goes.

Usually not a follower.

I saw my friend Jeni's e-mail about updating her blog and thought I should follow suit in updating ours as it has almost been year sense I have written here. Like Jeni i will not be catching you all up on the last year but be updating from here on out. So with that here is the last few weeks.
January 30th, thanks to Jeni, we were able to get our own apartment after 14 months and are now able to be our own family and relax as so. Olivia loves her school and is doing very well in her curriculum. Alex was evaluated for autism and behavioral socialization and was found to have trouble with not autism but sensory processing. So soon he will be attending one-on-one sensory therapy and then group social therapy. Haydan still does not have a job and frankly i am frustrated with that as he is not putting in any effort to find even a part time job. But I am glad to report he will be starting full time school at Pierce College on March 29th. He will be using the most current GI bill to pay for 100% tuition and our housing costs. I am still a stay at home mom taking care of the family and our home. I have been thinking about maybe working from home. I don't know with what or who or any of those details but right now it's just thinking. I also could get a part time job somewhere within waling distance of our apartment, but I love to be a home organizing and making sure things are in their place and each place has their things. Anyway ... I really don't know where I was going with that. I guess thinking is best when ideas are written down.
If you want to follow us elsewhere you can find me on facebook or you can e-mail me at olivias_mommy11204@hotmail.com.