This is what our last week and a half has looked like:

First Nicolas started with the H1N1 flu on Saturday, his sweet daddy cuddled him and took good care of him for a couple of days while he stayed in bed sleeping lots, burning up with a fever, eating Otter Pops and watching tv.

Then Wednesday it hit Jorge, I warned him not to be cuddling Nicolas and getting so close to him. We went to the doctor with Nicolas on Tuesday and the doctor said he suspected the H1N1 flu. We went to the health department and got shots but it was too late for Jorge. I've been busy taking care of the sickies and disinfecting the house and praying hard that no one else gets sick, especially the baby. It seems that they are on the mend now so we'll cross our fingers that we're done with it for now!

Kadens 8th Birthday

Yesterday Kaden celebrated his 8th birthday. He was so excited to open his present before school and I think he was a little disappointed he got new scriptures instead of the air soft gun he wanted. Then he got a scout uniform from my parents so he was very excited for his party to actually get something fun. We took Kaden and 9 of his friends to Fat Cats to go bowling. Nicolas also got to go and thought he was one of the big boys. They had a lot of fun and I am so glad we had the party somewhere other then home because those were some crazy boys!

Nicolas got a little distracted with his nose while he was bowling!

Kaden and all of his buddies after bowling. They had such a good time. Kaden has made some great friends in my parents neighborhood, now he never wants to move!

Kaden got to go to scouts today for the first time. They went to the Bean Museum, he was so excited to go and had so much fun. I am so excited for him to experience all of these new things. Its hard to see him growing up so fast and going out into the crazy world. We feel so lucky to have Kaden in our family, he is a sweet, smart, and fun boy. He loves life and to be around people all the time. Life is never dull when Kaden is around. Kaden has been through a lot in his short life and with each change he works his hardest to make the best of it and to find as many friends as he can in the process. We are so proud of him and for his decision to be baptized in a couple of weeks!

2 Months

Yesterday Jackson finally turned 2 months old. He is getting big and I am so happy. I don't enjoy the newborn stage at all, I really don't enjoy my babies til they're about 6 months old. I've really struggled with some post partum depression and its been really hard. I guess thats a little personal for a blog, but it explains how I feel about life right now. He's gone from sleeping all the time to fighting sleep and not staying asleep during the day, which gets really frustrating. He's doing well at night, he does a 6 hour stretch without eating and wakes up a couple times because his tummy bugs him. I can't wait for his little digestive system to mature so he can sleep better and not grunt and push all the time, it drives him and me crazy! Now if I could sleep better life would be really good! We moved him out of our room so we could get some sleep and he is now sleeping in the storage room at my parents house. It will be nice to get our own house someday so he's not sleeping in the storage room! Evenings are starting to get easier with Jackson, he doesn't sleep in the evening, but he's not crying and having to be held all the time, which makes bedtime a little easier. We love our walks in the morning, every morning we go for a 1-2 hour walk with my sis in law. Jackson sleeps through it and gets a nice nap and I get some exersize and a nice visit with Jessica. Nicolas doesn't love it but he's usually pretty good on the days he has to come. I'm just sad the weather is changing and we won't be able to go anymore. So thats our life right now, pretty boring but we're surviving and Jackson is growing!

Family Night

For Family Night last week my parents took us up Hobble Creek Canyon to look at the leaves and to have a bbq. It was so pretty and the boys loved throwing whatever they could find in the water. We missed Jorge coming with us, Costa treated all of the GM's and their spouses to a 4 day trip to Lake Powell. No kids were allowed so I'll have to wait til next year to go. Jorge had a great time and we really missed him.

Me and baby Jackson, the fur ball!

Preschool

This cute little guy started preschool last month. I can't believe that he is 3 and old enough to go to school. He still seems so little to me, he is only 25 pounds! He was so excited to start school like Kaden. His school is just a few houses away and he goes twice a week and just loves it. He found out his teacher, Katee loves sunflowers so he stops and picks one for her almost every day.


After his first day, he was so excited to get his name on a bracelet, as he called it.

Family Reunion

Over Labor Day weekend we went up to the Heber Valley Camp where my Grandparents are serving a mission for a family reunion. Almost everyone on my Dad's side of the family was there and it was so fun to see everyone and catch up. The weather was beautiful and the camp was such a neat place to be, it was so peaceful and you could feel the spirit being there.

Jacob and Nicolas with Great Grandma Thatcher. My Grandma and Grandpa are camp hosts for the camp ground as a mission. They have worked so hard over the summer keeping the camp up for girls camps and families on the weekends. They loved having the family up there and it was so fun to see them.

Jackson and Cory hanging out on my grandparents sofa watching the BYU game.

My Dad (in the middle) and his brothers and sisters

There is a huge sandbox next to the lake and all of the little cousins spent hours playing and rolling in the sand.

My family except for my little sister that didn't come.

I love this action shot. The kids rode their bikes and scooters around the pavilion and had a blast!

On the last day everyone got to go on the ropes course. Nicolas was so upset that they wouldn't let him go all the way to the top, they only lifted him and let him swing. He kept telling everyone he was 6 to try to convince them to let him do it. The missionary couples were so sweet and patient with all of the little kids, even the few that got to the top and started crying, wanting to get down.

We had so much fun and were so grateful for the opportunity to be with family and enjoy this beautiful place. My Grandparents are amazing, hard working people and we are so lucky to have them!

My Boys!

This little guy is really chunking up. We were having issues breastfeeding, he was so sleepy and jaundiced that he wasn't eating enough so I put him on formula. He loves to eat, even though he usually sleeps through most of it. When he wakes up to eat he screams his head off until you get that bottle in his mouth. After dealing with Nicolas' issues we just decided we wanted to enjoy this little guy, and having him on the bottle has been a life saver. He is reminding us more and more of Nicolas. He's really gassy and grunts and pushes all day and night long. Any suggestions on things that might help him? We are so exhausted taking care of him at night and listening to him try to pass gas or poop, I hope he grows out of it really fast because we need sleep!
I love spending my mornings with these two cute guys! Its a huge adjustment taking care of three kids, most days I feel like a bad mom because I can't give Kaden and Nicolas the attention they need. I am so grateful for my parents, they help so much with the kids. They get them up and going in the morning and get Kaden to school each morning. After Jackson has his morning feeding we head out for a long walk with my sis in law Jess and her baby, trying to lose these pregnancy pounds! I'm so lucky to have 3 handsome, healthy boys!