The Loser Blogger

Oh my, oh my! It's been almost an entire month since I've blogged!!!

The kids are all doing well. Halle is in middle school and is now taking a guitar class there. She gave us a little recital tonight, and she is actually very good! I was so amazed. She's turning into a little grown-up with an awesome sense of humor. I love hanging out with her and often have to remind myself that we're not supposed to be buddies, but she is one of my favorite buddies! She's in soccer again this fall and I'm so proud of the way she plays. It's like she finally just clicked and figured out how to play. It's so amazing watching her. It's one of my favorite things to do.

Ethan is doing very well in 3rd grade. He told Chad and me today that he got a 'C' on his progress report. I told him he would be grounded if he did ('C's are not acceptable right now) and he got all bummed out and so he brought me his progress report and had straight 'A's! He had a 'C' on one of his assignments and thought that would get him grounded, but, in fact, it's the grade for the class, not the grade for an assignment that counts (unless it's an 'F', lots of rules, I know). So anyway... Great job, Ethan, for getting awesome grades!!!

Jayci is still at home with me. We can't find an affordable pre-school for her to go to, so we've been trying to do a little here and there, but it's hard from home. She spends a lot of time reading and coloring and playing with Kamryn. She's a very bright little girl and she loves her family very very much.

Kamryn is walking all over the place and loves every minute of that. She's a very independent girl, but still wants me to hold her when she doesn't feel like walking! She's in a stage now where she doesn't want to eat, but she loves her bottles of milk that she gets before bed and naps. Maybe we need to ween soon. Dreading that!

Chad and I are both doing well. Chad is still loving his job, and I am still loving being at home with my babies. My new business is going very well, and I'm pleased that the product is one that I can be proud of. I'm so excited to see where this is going to lead, and maybe I can stay at home with the kids permanently! That would be sooo nice!

So that's the last month in a nutshell! I'm sure there will be more posts soon. We've been so busy, but I love updating my blog!

Happy Birthday to Jayci!!!

This is the only baby picture I had of Jayci on the computer. Thanks, Mom!




















Well, it's time to wish a Happy Birthday to another kid! Jayci is 4 today! I can't believe how quickly she's gotten big. Last night when I kissed her goodnight, I realized that was the last time I would kiss my little 3-year-old Jayci-Bugg.





















Jayci has turned into the sweetest, funniest, most charismatic little girl. She always has a smile on her face, and always has something funny to say. I have started keeping a journal with the sole purpose of documenting the hilarious things that come out of her mouth. Here's an example from just yesterday: We were at a baseball game and it was the second or third inning. Jayci and I went to the restroom, and she said, "Hurry up, Mom. We need to get back before the game begins." I said, "The game already began." Then she looked at me very intently, and said, "It's beginned."


When Jayci was born, she came out so fast that the Midwife didn't even make it to the hospital in time to deliver her. She was really in a hurry to get out, and that's how the rest of her life has been: in a hurry. She's always going, going, going! I just hope for her that she slows down soon and enjoys her childhood because it is flying so quickly by.

Jayci and Kamryn's Birthday Party

We had Jayci's 4th and Kamryn's 1st birthday parties last night (July 31st) at our home. It was so great to have everybody at the house. We had such a wonderful turnout and great friends and family who are all so helpful.

We had hamburgers and hot dogs and ice cream and cake. The girls had a fabulous time and were spoiled beyond belief!

Here's a few pics from the evening's festivities:


The cakes. There were lots of other cupcakes, too. This one was just special for Kamryn.



The whole family with the baby. This is a tradition!

Jayci ready to blow out the candles.


Kamryn trying to figure out why everybody was looking at her and singing.

Halle, Ethan, and Aspyn singing to the birthday girls.

Ready to DIG IN!

WHAT A MESS!!

Kamryn opening presents. She lost interest, so I got to open all of the presents! YAY!

Jayci in her new dress-up dress. She is my girlie girl

Reading a birthday card.

And the best birthday present of all!!

It was really a wonderful evening. I can't believe how quickly all of the kids are growing up! Next will be Halle's 11th, and then Ethan's 9th!!

How Can 365 Days Go By So Quickly?

Well, I've been putting off posting this blog because I didn't want to admit that it finally happened: My sweet baby Kamryn had her first birthday today! I know that a kid's birthday is supposed to be all about them, but July 29, 2008 was a huge day in my life too. And not just because that's when Kamryn was born, but because of the huge ordeal it was having her. It's a long story. Anyway, I'm just thankful to be alive, I'm eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for keeping my baby alive also. When I tell people my story, I get a lot of, "Oh, that's how [my friend, my daughter, my sister] lost her baby." And I even heard of a woman who lost her own life.

Okay, I'm rambling. So Kamryn's birthday went well. We went to "Free Movie Wednesday" and watched "Tale of Despereaux." It was cute, but I could have done without watching it. It was stressful with all the kids this time.

Kamryn has suddenly started talking up a storm. Her best word is dog. And bottle, but she says "doddle." It's cute. Of course.

Her party (along with Jayci's) will be Friday evening.

Here is a picture of my sweet baby the day after she was born. She was so so little. She was my smallest baby at 5 pounds 8 ounces.

Here is a picture of Kamryn yesterday. She's still tiny. She's an inch shorter than Jayci was on her own first birthday. But she'll grow! I know it! If there's anything that I've learned from my almost 11 years of parenting, it's that kids grow whether you want them to or not.

So Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet girl! Mommy loves you!!!

Baby Steps

She's been working her way up to it for some time now, but Kamryn has finally taken the first steps toward walking!! She is so funny about it because her little legs will go so fast and sometimes she just closes her eyes and anticipates the fall. So funny. I can't believe how quickly she's growing up! She'll be one on the 29th. The outfit that she's wearing here is one that Halle used to wear when she was a baby. Exactly 10 years ago!

Sing it With Me: 3 Firefighters, 2 Paramedics, and One Baby Eating Toxic Substances

Well, as you can tell from the title, we had a bit of excitement at our house this evening. My dear, sweet little baby decided to taste the toilet bowl cleaner (more on that in a moment). I was getting her ready for her bath and all of the sudden she started coughing and gagging. I didn't feel I had the time to look up the number to Poison Control, so I called 9-1-1 right away. The dispatcher sent out the rescuers, and along came 3 firefighters, followed by 2 paramedics.

So there were five men in my house all hanging out. The firefighters (not in their gear, by the way) were watching the paramedics. One was checking Kamryn's vitals and the other was on the phone with Poison Control. Meanwhile, 2 of our neighbors came over to check on us (glad there wasn't a true emergency) and, all the while, THE HOUSE WAS SO SO HOT!!! I'm sick of my swamp cooler. I want central air conditioning.

So everything turned out okay. We just had to keep Kamryn awake for another hour or so, give her some milk, and make sure her breathing was normal. If she had any drooling or coughing up blood we were to take her to call 911 again so they could take her to the hospital. She ate her bottle just fine, danced around a little bit with Jayci and me, and went to bed.

As for the toilet bowl cleaner:

This is a new product. I'm sure you've seen it advertised on TV. There is gel inside of the applicator (the long stick thing in the front of the picture) and you squeeze the gel from the applicator under the rim of the toilet bowl. I really like it. It keeps the toilet fresh-smelling, helps keep it cleaner throughout the week between manual cleanings, and is easy to use. But it has its downsides. The applicator is the only thing you keep. The box goes in the trash and there is no label on the applicator to say what to do if it is ingested! Poison Control said they have had a lot of calls about this, so I see an applicator label coming soon.

Anyway, Kamryn stuck her little finger in the glob in the toilet and decided to taste it. I'm guessing it wasn't very good by the way she kept gagging and coughing. Although I'm very thankful that everything turned out just fine, it's terrifying when you realize how quickly something can go wrong. I was in the bathroom with both of the little girls getting their bath ready. I was RIGHT THERE!! I'm also very thankful for the public servants who help us all everyday, even if it is just to put a worried mother's mind at ease.Their response was so fast (the firefighters were there within 2 minutes of the 9-1-1 call, with the paramedics following about 1 minute later) they were all so friendly (of course, Chad knew 2 of them personally), and were non-judgemental and understanding.

So a big THANK YOU to everyone in positions like this. Whether you're a dispatcher, or a soldier, the job you do is so essential and important, and I truly appreciate each and every person who devotes their lives to serving other people.

Another Busy Summertime Week

According to the clock on my computer, I have 4 minutes to complete Fabulous Foto Friday and do a quick update. So... here goes!!



Saturday the 20th we drove to Albuquerque with the sole intention of watching the Isotopes play. We got 20 minutes out of Bloomfield, which is 5 minutes from Aztec, and we (Chad) realized that we (Chad) forgot the tickets to the game. So we turned around and changed our dinner plans with some friends, got the tickets and headed back out. The game was so much fun, but, and I'm not kidding about this, we spent $80 on food at the ball park!!! How ridiculous is that?? For example: 3 hot dogs, 1 order of nachos, 1 large soda and 2 small sodas = $26!! Crazy, right? Jayci and I and our friends Derek and Aaron ended up being shown on the local news station for about half a second that night. At about the 5th inning (8:45 pm) the girls started getting restless and it was getting dark. I knew we weren't going to make it through the entire game so I decided to throw in the towel before it got too dark and I was afraid to walk to the car by myself. The girls and I left and Derek and Aaron brought Chad and Ethan back to the hotel later that evening.


The "Albuquerque Grand Airport Hotel" where we stayed on our trip.

Watching the Isotopes warm up

This is "Orbit" the mascot for the Isotopes.

Chad, Jayci, and Ethan at the game. We were about 20 rows back from home plate. Great seats!

Me and Kamryn at the game. Of course we had blankey too!

The next day was Father's Day and our dinner plans from the night before had turned into lunch plans for Sunday. We went to a wonderful restaurant in Uptown Plaza on Louisiana called Bravo! for lunch. Our friend Kerri's husband Francisco is the Executive Chef there and he HOOKED US UP!! We enjoyed two delicious appetizers, our entrees, and some magnificent dessert samplers, all on Francisco! Wow! What a meal! I highly recommend Bravo! It was excellent!

After Bravo! we were off to Cottonwood Mall to pick up Halle from her stay with Randy and Traci. I saw her and thought, Oh, my goodness! She's a teenager! She looked so grown-up and tan. I just look at her and can't believe how much she changes in such a short amount of time. I have tried to make her slow down just a bit, but to no avail. She just keeps growing and growing. Sad.

We headed back to Aztec and went straight to Kendra's grandparents' house. Kendra is Halle's best friend since Kindergarten who moved away last year to South Dakota. Needless to say, after being away from home for over a week, Halle was more excited to see Kendra than she was to see any of her family. They've had quite the reunion, speding only one day apart since Halle's been home. It's so good to see them together again. It's like old times.




We then found out that Manny Ramirez, who plays for the LA Dodgers was going to be in Albuquerque playing for the Isotopes during his recovery. This is important because Jimmy and Sherry hosted Manny during his visit to Farmington for the Connie Mack World Series back in 1990. Sherry was able to score tickets for 2 different nights and she and Ethan jumped in the car and were back in Albuquerque for games Tuesday and Wednesday. Ethan was able to get his glove signed by Manny and Sherry was able to get a hug from her long lost Dominican son.

Thursday, we welcomed Grandma Jackie (Sherry's mother) to Aztec and Friday we welcomed Melissa, Sienna, and Chelsea back after a long day in the Denver Airport. I can't wait for the rest of the week to play out because I love the 4th of July and I'm so happy that we'll all be together as a family for such a wonderful holiday.


As for FFF, this is a picture of a waterfall near Silverton, CO. I chose this picture for this week because Silverton is where we go for the 4th. It is the most beautiful, quaint town with 360 degree views. No matter where you go, what trail you follow, you will see this beautiful scenery that God has blessed us with just like this near Silverton. I'm so excited to be there and to be there soon to celebrate our Independence! Happy 4th to everybody!


"Mountain Waterfall"

Raising a Son

I could probably have an entire blog about the adventures I've had raising my little son. The most recent adventure was yesterday...Here goes.

My niece Aspyn was here playing with Ethan and Jayci (if you have kids, you know the more there are the easier it is because they keep each other occupied). Aspyn came inside to tell me something and we heard Jayci crying. I went outside to see if she was okay, and she wasn't crying anymore, so I just stood there on my front porch looking out across the cul de sac where our trailer is parked in our neighbor's driveway. I think I was just watching to make sure that Jayci was truly okay, or if she had gotten a splinter from the trailer or something. All of the sudden, my dear, sweet, little Ethan grabbed Jayci's arm, and just started spanking her!!

I yelled, "Ethan William, you better get yourself in the house, RIGHT NOW!!!" At this point, he knew he was in a boatload of trouble, what with hitting his little sister and all... Long story not so long, it turned out that my sweet boy was having a competition with the neighbor kid to see who could hit Jayci the hardest. Ethan's defense? "We weren't HITTING her, Mom. We were just spanking her on the butt." And now he's grounded for 2 weeks.

Oh, the joys of raising a boy. God Bless those of you with more than one, because, I've had my fill.

Busy Busy Busy

It has been a busy week of doing a whole lot of nothing. The most eventful thing was a trip to the La Plata Mountains Sunday. It was beautiful! The clouds actually spit some snow on us! I finally got my vegetables and a couple fruits planted (a little late, hope they're still successful) and Halle is off to Albuquerque and Dallas to spend some time with Randy and Traci and their family. Chad is having his 10 year reunion this weekend and we are very excited to see all of his old friends.



On Thursday morning, I was taking my kids and my niece Aspyn to the Aztec Museum. I couldn't remember how much it cost last time we went and Halle said, "Mom, what are you going to do if it's like $50?" I said, "Then we'll go to Sam's (a friend) house to jump on the trampoline!" and all of the kids yelled, "Yeah, yeah, let's go to Sam's house!" So thanks to my friend Amber for the free entertainment yesterday, and lunch!



It is Friday and so, instead of a "Foto" for Fabulous Foto Friday, I'm uploading a video of a beautiful waterfall we saw on our mountain drive. I did take some photos of it, but they just don't do it any kind of justice. Have a great and safe weekend!

Quick Update and Fabulous Foto Friday

Well, there's not much to report. And isn't that nice. Uneventful is always good. The kids have been enjoying their summer. Halle and Ethan spent the first weekend in Albuquerque with Randy and Traci. They went to the circus and swimming at Traci's mother's house. They always have a good time there.

Jayci and Kamryn don't really care that it's summer vacation. Nothing has really changed for them. Just the same-ol-same, but now Halle and Ethan are here with them. We plan on camping more. The kids have been brushing up on their chores. They tend to slack on them during the school year, but they're very good at them by the end of the summer. And I guess that's all there is to report.

As for Fabulous Foto Friday, I am trying to decide whether or not to sell my collection of photography, so I watermarked my photographs. You can still she the photo very well, but just wanted to let you all know that's why it says "Magee Photography" on it. This one is of Kamryn. She was sitting outside in her walker while the kids were playing in the yard and Jayci found a ladybug and put it on her head. The only color I edited was the black and white part. That means, Yes, that is the real color of her eyes! This is one of my favorite pics!!

Fabulous Foto Friday

This is a spin off what my mom does. She does "Fun Foto Friday." You can check out her blog at OnWingsOfWords.blogspot.com. I think it's pretty great, but I might be biased.

I don't have many pictures that I would consider 'fun' but I do love to take landscape photographs. This is one of my favorites.

Every year for the 4th of July, we go up to this little old mining town in southwestern Colorado called Silverton. There is a train called the Durango and Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad that travels through the mountains from Durango to Silverton. This shot was taken from our campground in Silverton. My kids are even beautiful from behind!

School's Out For Summer!

The kids are finally out of school and I couldn't be happier. I love summer and spending time with the kids and doing fun, quality activities with them....

But before we can have all of that fun quality time with them, we have to get through the end of the school year, which can become soooooo busy! Here's a run-down of the activities we all did.

Halle:
Halle's end of the school-year activities started out with the Fun Run. This year, Halle didn't think she'd do very well because she's not playing any sports, so she thought she'd be out of shape. Her goal was just to run the entire time. Last year, her goal was to get a medal. The top five girls and top five boys each get medals. She didn't get a medal last year...and she was VERY upset about it. So this year, with her not-so-lofty goal in mind, she began the Fun Run at a good pace and kept up very well. And stayed up! She ended up finishing 5th place and got her running medal! Go Halle!

Getting ready for the Fun Run. Halle is in the pink shorts outfit looking at the camera next to the kid in the green.

On the run



Coming to the finish line! Go Halle!

Receiving her medal and certificate for her 5th grade, 5th place finish!


A couple of weeks later, the 5th graders went to the Rec Center in Durango, CO. This was fun because Sherry (Chad's mom) is Halle's teacher so she got to go to, which was a big help with the baby girls.



Halle's new love at the swimming pool is the high dive. She love love loved it! And she even let me go off one time without getting too embarrassed. Actually, when I asked her if she would get embarrassed if I went off, she looked at me like I was crazy thinking she would be embarrassed. She said, "You go off the high dive?" Oh yeah. I go off the high dive. I think she thought it was cool. But she would never say that! It was a really good time!









Also in Halle's end of the school-year activities was "Fun For All Fifth-Graders." It's a variety of events where each class competes together against the other classes. Mrs. Magee's class won!!!

Here's Halle doing the Egg Relay
Here's Halle with her friends



Here's Halle running the 4x100 meter relay. She was the first leg and the team won the event!


The day before the last day of school, Halle's class and two others also went to the Aztec Cemetery. They learned about epitaphs and collected data from the headstones. There is a man buried there who was born in the late 1700s and died in the early 1900s. That's three centuries!! Amazing! Here's Halle tracing a picture from one of the headstones.

I told her she didn't have to smile so cheesily. It was a cemetery, after all.

Ethan:

Ethan's end-of-the-school-year activities also started out with the Fun Run. He didn't do quite as well as he would have liked, but he did run the whole way and did a great job anyway!
Here's Ethan and his buddies, getting ready to run.


This pic is blurry, but it's the best I've got. Ethan's wearing the grey shirt with the dark collar.


Here's Ethan running in to the finish line. Very determined! Not sure why the pics are so blurry!


Ethan also had Play Day. These are also a variety of activities, but not for competition. Ethan was so helpful with Jayci and played with her the whole time.

Here's Ethan going down the slip n slide.


Here's Ethan helping Jayci run to the high jump.


Here's Ethan helping Jayci get over the high jump.

Here's Ethan throwing a wet sponge at one of his friends.

Here's Ethan in the sack race. What a jumper!!


So that's that. One more year down for the record books. I can't believe how quickly the time is passing me by. I really try to cherish each moment I have with my babies. I can't believe that in a short 10 years, Ethan will be graduating from High School. Halle got a shirt that said "Future Aztec Graduate Class of 2016" on it. That's in 7 years!! The time is flying!

Here's Halle and Ethan on the first and last day of 5th and 2nd grade. The middle picture is the first day, the outside picture is the last day. Beautiful!