Update on the Helmet!

We went into the doctor for Jennilyn's helmet the first of October.He started doing the measurements of her head, and then he said "I gotta do this a few more times and make sure I'm right before I say something out loud." He then told us that at our first visit the difference was 10 millimeters and now after just 8 weeks it's down to 2. He said that according to the numbers we are done with the helmet! But she is only 9 months old, and is below average in her head size and weight, and her head is still so soft, so there is a slight chance that it could go back. But it was our choice. He said if she were 10 months old he would say we were done, no questions. But it was our decision. We decided to keep it on for another month just to be safe! But I am so excited. I just haven't been a huge fan of the helmet, so it's nice to see it's paid off so quickly. My goal was to have the helmet off by Christmas and we will. Just another 2 weeks and we are done. She is so good with it though. She is just a sweetheart and she does make the helmet look good, doesn't she?? It's been interesting for the past 2 weeks seeing how I'm not so strict with the helmet. When I take it off to give her a bath it just doesn't go on for a few hours or sometimes a day. I'm enjoying seeing my cute little girls hair. I just don't want to cover it up! She's been a real trooper and I'm so happy that we were able to get her head looking better!We're almost finished! YAY!

The Grotto

Chris' parents came into town for Mindy's graduation in August, so we had a little birthday party for Jayden while they were here! It was fun! He wasn't sick this time, so he had fun blowing out his candles!

Let's hope it was only AIR that came out of his mouth!

Afterward we hiked the Grotto with my family. It's a little waterfall up Payson canyon. Jayden just loved to run up the trail. He had a blast! He didn't want to sit still and he loved the water! He kept throwing in his sticks so that he would have to walk in to get them. haha! They are so brilliant even at such a young age! Jennilyn loved it as well. Thanks Jenn for the carrier! It was wonderful! She loved being about to feel like she was a big girl walking up there too!
Jennilyn & me

Jayden throwing his stick in the water!

Aubrey, Spencer, Camilla, Alesha, Lyndzee & Garisen hiked around to the top of the waterfall!

Big CheeseFamily Photo in the cave

One of the sweet (or SOUR) moments of my GLAMOROUS life being mom!

The other day I told Chris something about how the kids wouldn't sleep, and they were just being cranky, and then I said "It's just part of my glamorous life being mom" Since then I have had a few of those glamorous moments that you just really would rather not have!

So my cousin Glen got married a few weeks ago in the Rexburg Temple. Since my sister Jennifer lives up there we went up on Wednesday night to stay with her. Jayden wouldn't take a nap during the day, so when we left at 5 he was majorly ready for a nap. So of course he slept until we were about to Ogden. We stopped and got some food and headed on. Jennilyn was being very fussy, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I made her a bottle and she drank most of it and then 4 or 5 times she spit up, so I thought. It wasn't a ton, like throw up, but she hasn't spit up since she was like 6 months old or something. So I was confused. We got in at 10:30, visited and headed to bed about midnight. I had to feed Jennilyn, and Jayden wasn't at all tired, so Chris laid down with Jayden, and after Jayden put Chris to sleep, he came over to entertain me. I tried to get him to lay in his sleeping bag, but he was just too awake. He kept rolling around. I finally got Jennilyn to sleep at 12:30 and laid down. I rubbed Jayden's back, and tried all those things to try to get your kid to sleep. (Did I mention that my cousin Glen had been staying with Jennifer, so he was just in the other bedroom, so I was trying to keep my kids quiet. I didn't want to be the reason the groom was exhausted on his wedding day) I think I fell asleep, and then Jayden came to lay by me. Oh, he had laid his water down on my side of the bed, and so it was wet when I went to bed, so I put a blanket underneath me so I wouldn't get wet, which was brilliant on my part. So he was laying on my arm, and at 1:30 we all woke up to him throwing up all over.. UGH... Luckily I had put a blanket down, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been! So of course it woke up Jennilyn, and Chris. I took Jayden and ran into the bathroom to clean him off. We took a bath and got him all cleaned up. And Chris cleaned up the mess on the bed. We woke up Jennifer so she came to help out. We turned on a movie and that calmed him, and kept a bucket and towels close by. But Jennilyn was now wired and wasn't about to be going to sleep anytime soon. ha. He threw up every 15 minutes for about an hour then it slowed. He would fall asleep in between and then it would scare him when he woke up. Finally at about 3 I got Jennilyn to sleep, but only if we held her so I took Jayden and Chris took Jennilyn and we all went to sleep. I laid Jayden on towels and laid next to him. Jennilyn woke up about 4 so I traded Chris and got her back to sleep and then Jayden woke up about 4:30 and 5:30 and both times, I was upstairs on the couch and I had to go down and wake Chris up to help Jayden. haha! I was asleep too. (Although I guess moms don't sleep very deep when their children are sick) So finally Jennifer's kids got up about 6:30 or 7. It was the longest night ever, and so not fun. So we obviously couldn't have Nicole, Chris' sister, watch our sick kids, so I went to the wedding and Chris stayed home with the kids. Thanks honey!

The wedding was beautiful, and it was sunny and beautiful, chilly, but a gorgeous day! Then we decided to stop by the reception and then head home. Jayden was wanting to eat and drink all day, and it was so hard not letting him. He was asking everyone for a drink. haha. Finally he asked grandpa, who didn't know he was sick, and he gave him a drink. Not even 5 minutes later it was all over the carpet. Sorry Jen. My sister did have some Pedialite, so we gave him a little of that and it stayed down, so we tried some more and that came back. So as we were leaving, he wanted an apple so bad, but we waited until after we left the reception. We gave it to him in the car before we left and then about an hour out he threw up. GROSS!! We pulled off on an exit to clean him up. It was so cold outside and so stinky in our car. It was NASTY!! So we got him all cleaned up and changed and found an unopened car air freshener and we opened that all the way. It was strong, but so much better. We got home about 12:30 that night. Put Jennilyn in her bed, and she slept all night and then we laid Jayden on the floor. He woke up twice. The first time he got his cup of milk out of the fridge and didn't know I was on the couch and I found him crying at the top of the stairs in the dark. He wanted more milk! I finally gave him a little, and got him to go back to sleep. Then he woke up about an hour later and wanted his water. So I gave him a drink and got him to go back to sleep. But he didn't throw up again! YAY!! So I just gave him a little throughout the day. He wasn't eating a whole lot, but he wasn't throwing up. So he NEEDED to get out of the house, so we went to my little sister Alesha's soccer game and he was feeling great. We stopped by my moms after and he ate dinner. It was just great. He was asleep when we got home so we put him in bed and he didn't wake up til 5. But he had thrown up. So I wake up Chris and he helps me, Luckily this time Jennilyn didn't wake up. I gave Jayden a bath and Chris cleaned up the crib. Then I laid on the floor with Jayden for a few more hours while we replayed the Little Einstein video over and over. He did throw up 3 or 4 times, but finally fell asleep! So we were afraid to feed him on Saturday. But he was so starving. And every time we would open the fridge or pantry or even mention anything that related to food in any way he would start whining that he was hungry. So so sad and hard. We let him eat a little and he wasn't throwing up so we decided we were good. Then at dinner he wouldn't finish his food and us SMART parents told him if he wanted any dessert he had to finish his dinner. I guess we were not thinking straight due to lack of sleep, we'll say! And he gagged and threw up. Yuck. I was like, "Oh that was dumb of us wasn't it". haha! So he is doing very well now. We are all doing better. Still working on gettting the kids to sleep all night in their own beds and taking naps. It's an ongoing process here! Jayden thinks he's done with naps, and this has happened a few times. But after a few days of NO NAP he's exhauted and will just crash anywhere. So that is our daily struggle. But every mom needs a break from her cute little monsters! That's why they take naps!

I am so grateful to a husband who doesn't mind getting dirty. There are certain parts of motherhood that I am so not a fan of and cleaning up their little messes is one of them. He was so good to just be right there cleaning up every time. Thanks babe, I love you!

Las Vegas!

Chris and I won a free trip to Vegas for listening to a travel company! So we went in the middle of August. My mom kept the kids, which was the hardest thing I have had to do. I was so afraid our plane would crash! Crazy! Anyway, so we had no plan so we just walked around. I would not recommend going to Vegas with NO plan. It is a very dirty city and when there is no plan you see it all! But it was a nice break from the kids! It's the first time we've left Jennilyn, and I have only been away from Jayden overnight when I have been in the hospital!

This guy creeped me out, but I wanted a picture. He held onto my thumb and when I went to leave he wouldn't let go!There is a Gondola behind us in the water if you look closelyWhoppieWe stayed at the Circus Circus Hotel. It was nice, and I think more kid friendly, so that was nice for us, but it is at the far end of the Strip, so we did a TON of walking. My feet hurt so bad. My ankles were black by the end of the day! But we spent a day at the theme park at Circus Circus and it was fun. Most of the rides were closed, so we rode the same ones quite a few times, but it was fun!The Belligio Fountains are my most favorite!! That is probably the only thing I would EVER go back for! We probably watched like 10 shows. It is just amazing and Beautiful! I know these pictures don't do it justice, but I'm putting some up anyway!M & M World! I had no Idea they could fill a 3 story store with M & M stuff!Of course we had to go to the New York hotel, which is almost the total OPPOSITE end of the Strip! The Brooklyn Bridge! I know it's not quite the same size, but we are standing pretty close to the same spot where Chris proposed, just the wrong side of the country! (No, we are not in this picture, we are just taking it)It was a great little break, but I was SO Happy to come home to my little kiddos!!