What happened?

Lets just say - don't leave a 2 year old alone with a marker!

Doing things her own way

I've decided that Jaedyn is going to be an independent thinker. She seems to want to do things her own way - which are completely different than the "normal" way of doing things. If you have seen her crawl you'll know what I mean. She doesn't crawl on all fours - she crawls sitting up, using her right leg to crawl while dragging her left leg behind her. She is getting pretty fast at it too! Well the other day she invented a new way of going down the stairs. She learned how to crawl up the stairs about a month ago, but had been nervous to go down the stairs until last Sunday when she finally figured out how she would go down them. She scares the heck out of her Mom and Dad doing this, but it doesn't stop her. First she will scoot up to the stair - then she sits down with her legs hanging over the edge. Then she will scoot her bum as close to the edge as possible and then wiggles until she falls down to the next stair. When she gets close enough to the bottom she can hang on to the railing. This is REALLY scary to watch cause babies and stairs don't do well together. Luckily Paul used his famous fall down the stair method to scare her about stairs so she is pretty cautious - but why can't she just go down the stairs on her tummy like I want her to?!?!?!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Happy Everything!

Easter this year was really nice. We started the week leading up to Easter learning about the last week of The Savior's life. I got a cute idea from Women's Group to fill an Easter Egg with something that represented each thing that happened during each day and some scriptures to go along with it. It was nice to be able to reflect about what Easter really is and to take time to learn more about The Savior. We also did some of the fun "Eastery" things - like dyeing eggs, having an egg hunt and the Easter bunny did visit with baskets full of goodies. Carson was so funny this year! He had so much fun painting his eggs, and then deciding it was just easier to dunk the whole egg into the color. And while he was gathering hidden eggs up from around the house - he wanted to open each egg and eat the candy inside before finding another egg - needless to say all he ate all day was candy! We had Easter dinner at my Aunt Sue's house with Turkey, Ham, Salads and Rolls. The weather was actually nice so we could be outside, and it was fun to see my Aunt and some Cousins that I haven't seen in awhile. The kids all got to hunt for eggs and some were even filled with money! After my Aunt Sue's we went over to Troy and Wendy's house to visit and Grandma Mary had a special egg for each of the kids - also with money in them. This was Jadybug's last "First" Holiday and I'm glad that it was such a nice day!

Parents

Today I was thinking how lucky I am to have such wonderful parents and such a wonderful Mother and Father-in-law.

My parents have always been so supportive of me. They helped me and loved me when I was a difficult teenager. They took me and Kelsi in and were such a big help to me when I was a single mom. My Dad has always had such good advice and always says his advice in his "it is what it is" way. My Mom has shown me how to be a good homemaker, money manager and sweet and quiet friend. I was always impressed by how my Dad would do little things for my mom - like bring her a bag of chocolate covered peanuts or flowers when he knew she needed a little pick-me-up. My Mom was always so tender and compassionate whenever I was sick or sad, even if I was being over-dramatic. My parents are so amazing and I feel so blessed to be able to have them in my life!

Paul's parents are also so wonderful, and I am truly lucky not to have that stigma of the bad/crazy/annoying/meddling in-laws that a lot of other people I know have. Mary is such a wonderful Grandmother to all her Grandkids and always remembers each Grandkid on all the special Holidays, birthdays, etc. She is a wonderful cook and is such an example of a great wife to Fred. She has always been so kind and loving towards me - even when I wasn't her Daughter-in-law and I am always so glad to spend time with her. Fred is such a hard worker and so smart. He always has great ideas about things and is the one person that can get Paul to think outside his box. He has such a gift of gab and can talk to anyone about anything. He is always joking the Grandkids and comes up with the funniest sayings.

I know I am not doing justice to just how much I love these people, but I hope that they know and can feel how much I do really love them, admire them and are grateful for them.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

I just wanted to wish my sweet niece Olivia a Happy 2nd Birthday! We had so much fun at your party on Saturday. It brought back a lot of memories of McDonald's birthday parties when we were little! The McDonalds birthday cake hasn't changed in the past umpteen years since I was a little kid! Thanks to Ashlie and Ryan for hosting the festivities - all the kids had a GREAT time!

Love you Livi!

Commander Mayor Craven

Kelsi will kill me if she finds out I posted this, but it's just too cute to not blog about (since I am using this blog as sort of a journal). Kelsi is such a responsible kid and always does her very best at everything she tries, so it is no wonder that her teachers love her! Over the past few years, Kelsi has had the opportunity to be in some leadership roles at school - including Student Council. This has lead her to earn the nick-name "Commander Mayor Craven" from her friends and the kids in her class. It all started last year when Kelsi was named 'Mayor' of BizTown - the make-believe city "BizTown" for Junior Achievement down at the Gateway. Then this year her class was able to go down the Christa McCaulif Space Center in Provo to run their mock space shuttle launch. She was once again recognized for her leadership skills and was named 'Commander' of their ship - thus the nickname "Commander Mayor Craven". Kelsi is such a great student, leader, friend and kid! Today she is going to her D.A.R.E. graduation and has won the essay contest - so she will be reading her D.A.R.E. essay in front of all the students and parents at the graduation. I think that Kelsi secretly likes all the attention and I want her to know how proud Paul and I are of her! She is such an AWESOME kid! Love you Kelsi!

Happy Birthday Tavin!

This past weekend my sweet sister threw a party for her son - my nephew - it was his 3rd birthday! We went over to Jumpin Jacks - it is a fun place with lots of those blow-up bouncy areas/slides. The kids had SO MUCH fun bouncing, running around, chasing each other, laughing and spending time with each other. Some of the adults also had a lot of fun jumping and bouncing too! Ashley ordered pizza, had some yummy salads and her, Mikee and my mom decorated the cutest cupcakes for the kids. I can't believe that Tavin is 3 and that means Carson isn't too far from being 3 himself! Time is going by way too fast! All the kids were so cute and had so much fun! Thanks Ashley - and HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY TAVIN!!

10 months old

Jaedyn is now 10 months old! I would like to share some of the things she is doing:

- She has learned how to shake her head "No, No" (why do kids learn No long before they learn Yes??)

- She is crawling in her own unique way - she has one leg tucked under her and uses her other leg to "crawl". Paul calls it her butt-scooting boogie. She does get where she wants to go and I am having to watch her so she doesn't go down the stairs!


- She is pulling herself up to things and thinks she is SO BIG when she is standing and holding on to something. She especially likes to stand on the stairs and hold onto the railing and she also likes to stand up in her crib. It is time to lower the mattress!


- She pushes her lips up to her nose and blows in and out - it's a pretty funny face as you can see!

- She is learning to play by herself a lot more. I can actually set her down for a few minutes and she will play. I am so excited that I can actually get something done for a few minutes!

- She says "mamamama" , "dadadada" , "tickletickletickle", "Hi" and her own version of "please".

- Her hair is getting longer and her big sister Kelsi loves to put it up into piggy tails that resemble antenna - she really is a Jadybug!

- She feels like she is gaining weight - We have an appointment on the 27th of March so we will know for sure then, but she feels heavier!

- She loves music and she loves to dance. Anytime there is music on or someone is singing she will bounce up and down and do her own dance!

- It is getting really hard to change her diaper - she is SOOOO wiggly! She will immediately try to go from laying down to sitting up whenever I am trying to change her.

Carson McQueen & his best friend Mater

Carson LOVES the movie Cars, so much in fact that he thinks that he is Lightning McQueen (the main character of the movie - for those of you that aren't forced to watch hours and hours of Disney movies). Whenever we see anything with the Disney Cars character Lightning McQueen he thinks it is a self-portrait. He also believes that Mater (the Hill-Billy tow truck) is his best friend. One day he was walking around the house and up-and-down the stairs backwards. I asked him why he was doing this and he said that Mater taught him how to go backwards (which is a scene from the movie). It's pretty cute how 2 1/2 year olds imaginations think of themselves!

3 years, 2 kids, 2 houses & 2 jobs later...

Today is Paul and I's 3rd Anniversary! I can't believe how fast the time flies. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful, smart and supportive man! I want Paul to know how much I love him and how much I love being married to him. Some days are great, some days are bad and some days are just days- but knowing that I am married to my best friend, the person I want to share all time and eternity with makes every day worth it. Paul and I are working on and looking forward to the day we can be sealed in the temple (hopefully in only 4 short years).

Our wedding took place in a small ceremony in the Lion House. We invited our parents, brothers and sisters and their spouses. We then had a small "reception" in May to invite all our friends and extended family to help us celebrate. Our wedding night was spent in the Hotel Monoco - which Paul suprised me with. We went on our Honeymoon to San Fransisco and had so much fun!


We are so grateful to our families who love and support us. We are also grateful to Michelle who introduced us. I hope that one day, Paul and I will be the little old Grandma and Grandpa sitting on the front porch in our rocking chairs surrounded by our children and grandchildren.



Happy Anniversary Paul - LUOSW!!

We must be doing something right

I took Jaedyn to the doctors on Friday and wanted to announce that she now weights 12 pounds 6 ounces!! That means she has gained 8 ounces in the past two weeks - and a full pound in the last month! The iron drops must be working! She has also grown 1" in length in the last month and her head is getting bigger too. We might be able to move her up to the size 3 diapers before her first birthday! She is getting much happier and more mobile too. She has learned how to go from laying on her tummy to sitting up, and she is also giving "kisses" - so so cute! We will continue to feed her as much as possible, and hope for the day that she will be drinking from a sippy cup. We are so excited about her growth and I am thankful to everyone that has been so concerned about her.

My new little job

This week I started a new job, in hopes of curing my stay-at-home mom blues. I am now working as a Crossing Guard for the City of West Jordan! I have been training this week with the girl whose position I will be taking. It has been pretty fun so far, even though it has been cold and snowy. I am hoping that having some reason to get up and get ready in the mornings and being able to go outside and get some fresh air will help my attitude. So, if you are on the corner of 2400 West and 7000 South between 7:50 am and 8:30 am or 3:10 pm and 3:40 pm - Wave, honk, or yell "hi" - just don't hit me with your car!!

The world through Orange colored glasses

Carson's most absolute favorite color is the color Orange. If there is a choice between anything - he always wants the orange one. Cups, spoons, bowls, clothes, cars & trucks, food. He just loves the color orange. I was thinking about this last night and was thinking how I never really liked the color orange. I don't ever recall anyone else picking orange as their favorite color either. I began to think about all the things that I like that are orange....sunsets, tigers, orange Gerber Daisies, Nemo, fruit (oranges, peaches, tangerines)...but there isn't a whole lot of orange things. I am beginning to think that orange is the most under-appreciated color. I am grateful for the opportunities to see things through a 2 year olds perspective and am gaining a new appreciation for the color orange. Thanks Carson!!

Carson and his orange shirt!

Confessions of a Stay-at-home mom

January has been rough, and I'm not sure how much of my troubles are because of the weather or because of my attitude. I have been feeling like the worst stay-at-home wife and mother ever! I started this "new job" back in May when Jaedyn was born, with stars in my eyes. I thought I was going to be the next Carol Brady or June Cleaver, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had! I am feeling so guilty about EVERYTHING - not having the house spotless, not decorating the house, not having my children reading the encyclopedia by the age of 2, not budgeting our finances to the penny, not fixing delicious and healthy meals (on the table by 5:30), not spending enough time with my husband, not ironing, not keeping on top of the laundry, not having a fully stocked fridge and pantry, not having our evenings and weekends planned, not exercising, not playing with my kids enough, watching too much t.v., not taking up a hobby, and the list goes on and on and on.... You also don't realize when you quit your out of the house job how isolated you become. I don't feel like I'm in touch with what is going on outside my front door. You feel like the world is revolving around you , but you are staying in one spot - cleaning up messy hands, faces, and bums. Your whole identity has become that of "MOM" - you start to lose who you are. I started this job with good intentions, I went the library and got a few books (but there are surprisingly few books on how to be a good stay at home mom). I talked to a few friends that are stay at home moms, I even wrote down a schedule. I feel like there is some piece that is missing and I can't seem to find it. Now, don't get me wrong - I am very grateful to my husband for providing the means for our family so that I can stay home. I can't imagine dropping my two little cuties off to the babysitter. I am glad to be home when Kelsi gets home from school. I am grateful that I am able to run errands, visit my visiting teaching sisters, take meals to the neighbors, go to Kelsi's school program on short notice, watch my kids' firsts, get lots of hugs and kisses from the kids, and be able to be free of the daily grind at a corporation. I just wonder what I am doing wrong. Why don't I feel like this is "the greatest job in the world" or "my life's calling"? Am I the only one that feels this way? Got any advice?

Catching up

Well, January is over and I've been meaning to blog some of our adventures, so better late than never.....
Carson has started potty training!! We are now two weeks into it and he is doing amazingly well! He is so excited every time he makes it to the potty and wants his two orange gumballs for a prize. We also went and got him some new underwear and the Thomas the Trains are his favorite. I think he was more ready to be potty trained than I was to potty train him, but I am sure glad I did - now if we could only get Jaedyn out of diapers!!

Kelsi earned STUDENT OF THE MONTH in January! She earned it for responsibility - she is the most responsible kid I know (well, except for getting up in the mornings, but she got that from her mom). I am so proud of her!

We took Jaedyn back into the doctor to find out the results of her blood work, and thankfully the only thing the doctor could see that was off was her iron level - she is anemic. He prescribed her some iron drops and encouraged us to continuing feeding her as much as she wants and sneaking formula into her food. After two weeks of the iron drops she had gained 7 ounces!! She is almost up to 12 pounds now!! Her face is starting to fill out a little and her clothes are starting to fit her better. The doctor wants to continue to monitor her weight, but thinks we are headed in the right direction. I want to take a minute to reflect and thank my Heavenly Father once again for answers to prayers. The test results could have turned up so many different things that she would have had to deal with her whole life, and we are so grateful that it was an easy fix solution. I know that the Lord gives us challenges and tests us and I am grateful for those experiences.
Jaedyn is also clapping and giving "kisses". She is getting ready to crawl and I think once she gets brave enough there will be no stopping her! She is getting to be such a big girl! I can't believe that it was almost 9 months ago that we had her!
A few other things that happened in January were Gracie's 3rd Birthday! Ashlie and Ryan did such a cute job with Gracie's party. There was a magician, balloons, food and a cute birthday cake that Grandma Honey decorated. Carson had so much fun at her party and kept saying he wanted to go to Gracie's birthday all week after. I can't believe how quick these kids are growing up! Gracie is such a cute little girl and is so so smart! We love you Gracie!

Paul and I took Carson to the train show at Thanksgiving Pointe. They had displays of all kinds of trains from Lego trains to really small train sets, to a really big train set that you could ride! Carson is so into planes, trains, cars and anything he can "tow". We had a good time and even got to bring home some souvenir train cars.

On January 29th we got to go to the Draper Temple Open House. Grandma Honey, Papa, Mike & Ashley, Mike's brother Steven, Paul & I and the kids went. The temple is absolutely beautiful and they have done a really nice job coordinating the open-house. I think we might have gone on the busiest night though because they were running a little behind on shuttling us up to the temple (there was a fire at one of the church meeting spots or something). I was so excited to go to the temple and to be able to take my kids to show them the inside of a temple. I think Kelsi really had a spiritual experience and kept saying how she was excited to turn 12 this June and to be able to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. She also was so impressed with the bride's dressing room and sealing room and said she wanted to get married in the temple. I told her to always remember that and to live her life so that when she does meet Mr. Right (hopefully a REAAAALLLLLY long time from now) that she will be worthy to go the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity. It was a moment that makes a mother proud. Carson and Jaedyn are still to young to realize what the temple means, but I was glad that we were able to take them with us. I think Carson's memories of the temple will consist of the bus ride up to the temple and the cookies in the church afterwards. I am so grateful to live in the Salt Lake valley where there are so many temples close by. Paul and I need to try to get to the temple more often, and seeing the Draper Temple just reminds me how blessed we are to be able to have them so readily available and that we have a responsibility to do our Heavenly Father's work in the temples.

January seems to drag on, the cold - dark - gray days, and I am grateful January is over and am looking forward to Spring!!

Failure to thrive

I took Jaedyn in last week for her well-child check only to discover that she has only gained close to 3 pounds since she was born. Her weight at birth was 8 lbs 10 oz and on Friday she only weighed 11 lbs 6 oz. We have always gotten comments on how small Jaedyn is, and have ourselves been concerned with how small she is, but nothing scares you more than when the pediatrician diagnoses your child with "Failure to thrive". It's not that Jaedyn doesn't eat - because she does - a lot. Our biggest problem is that she refuses to drink from a bottle or sippy cup. She is fine to eat baby food, and really prefers to eat "big people" food from the table, but will only get her liquids from nursing. So, yesterday we spent the day up at Primary Children's Hospital drawing blood, doing a sweat test and trying to get Jaedyn to "go" on demand for a urinalysis. The doctor is running a bunch of tests to see if there is something else going on. Otherwise, Jaedyn is VERY active, reaching her milestones (she started waving "bye-bye" 2 weeks ago - so very cute) and is an alert and happy baby. She is also VERY stubborn (I think she got this from her Dad). I have an appointment this Friday to follow up on the test results and in the meantime am trying to feed her as much as she will eat and trying to coax her to drink from a bottle or sippy cup. As a mother I am feeling very guilty that this is all my fault. I hope that there is a logical explanation for her "failure to thrive" and that it is not a life-long issue she will have to deal with. I love my little Jadybug and hope all turns out o.k. with her - my fingers are crossed and my faith is in my Heavenly Father.

Happy Birthday Grandma Honey!

Today is my mom's birthday! I just want the world to know what an amazing person I think my mom is. She is such a giving person and would do anything for her friends or family! She is such a hard worker and tries to please everyone. I admire her talents in gardening, crocheting & sewing, decorating, cooking, budgeting, mothering & grand mothering and so much more. I have learned so much from my mom and know that I am who I am today because of all she taught me and the love and support she has given me. I am certain that raising 4 kids was difficult at times, but she always did the best with what she had. I also know that going from 1 Grandchild to 10 Grandchildren in less than 4 years has been a rewarding challenge, but she always manages to make each child feel special, no wonder they call her Grandma Honey! I love you Mom - Happy Birthday - May all your wishes come true!

Yuma Arizona Trip 2008

We took our annual (ok it's only the second time, but will soon become annual) trip to Yuma Arizona over the Christmas break to visit Mary and Fred who are now retired and have become "SnowBirds". We had such a great time and can't wait to go again next year!

We left bright and early the day after Christmas - 4:00 am to be exact! Scott and Michelle and their kids took the trek with us and made for an extra fun time! The drive down took 12 hours with only a few potty breaks and one Highway patrol stop (Slow down Scott!) Once we were in Yuma we began our adventures by hitting the large indoor Swapmeet. We all found "treasures" to buy and spent a lot of money.

Over the next two days we went to Los Alagadones Mexico to barter for some more "treasures". I think I got ripped off a couple times, but I guess that's ok - I got a lot of fun stuff. In Mexico we also enjoyed Nachos and Margaritas at the beer garden and eating at Mary & Fred's favorite mexican restaurant. We enjoyed the first day in Mexico so much that we decided to go back another day, which turned out to be an adventure. After spending the day spending our money we got in the looooooong line to get out of Mexico - 2 1/2 hours waiting in line with a 2 year old and 7 month old is not recommended. Dallin had found a couple of knives that he bought and wanted to bring them home. Grandpa Fred volunteered to take them across the border "just in case they give us any trouble". Well if trouble is what we were looking for- we found it! The border patrol did not take too kindly to the knives and gave Fred a lecture on California law prohibiting such items from crossing the border. After detaining Fred they sent him back in to Mexico to dispose of the items and a pass to get to the front of the line. Needless to say, all the rest of us left waiting and wondering what was going on was a little scary. Luckily everything turned out ok and we were able to get Fred back!

After spending the day in Mexico the kids wanted to go swimming, so we spent some time out by the pool. It is sure nice to see some 70 degree weather in the middle of winter! Mary and Fred also took us to their favorite restaurant LUTES so the kids could play the video games. Angie and Michelle really got in to playing the bingo lottery and even won a couple of bucks. Paul and Angie took Scott & Michelle (and Bryce - but don't tell security) over to the CocoPah Casino one night, where we lost a couple of bucks, but still had a good time.

Scott and Michelle made the trip so much fun and were were sad when they left a few days before we did, but we were able to spend a few days with Mary and Fred visiting the old prison and the Quartermaster park in old Historic Downtown Yuma. We also went out to an old mining Ghost Town. We spent New Years Eve with Mary & Fred grilling some steaks, eating shrimp and blowing our horns. We went back to our hideous hotel room early and none of us saw midnight, oh well, I guess that's how you know you are getting old! The whole trip we had been driving around town seeing signs for a "Date Shake" - so Paul made me promise to get him one. As we were heading out of town we stopped and got a Date Shake - they were really yummy!

After leaving Arizona we drove a few hours to Boulder Nevada (Just outside of Las Vegas) to see my Grandma and Grandpa Lundeen (the kids' Great Grandparents). We drove over the dam for the first time and it was quite a sight - they are building an amazing bridge! We visited with my Grandparents and then they took us to dinner at the Railroad Pass Casino. I think they were as excited to see us as we were to see them. We then spent the night at the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite - this room was a lot nicer and quieter than the room in Yuma! But alas all good things must come to an end ... and so we are home again - catching up on laundry, taking down the Christmas decorations, fighting the cold, shoveling snow and back to work. Well, at least we have next year to look forward to!

Christmas 2008

Christmas came and went really fast this year! I don't feel like I got to do everything I wanted to do this Christmas, but we were able to enjoy the holiday season. Carson really started to understand what Christmas was this year. He was so excited any time he saw Santa Claus, he enjoyed saying "Merry Christmas....hohoho!" and he knew which presents were his under the Christmas tree. Carson was also able to recognize Baby Jesus and got so excited about the lights and everything to do with Christmas. This was Jaedyn's first Christmas and she didn't really care to much about everything going on, but did like eating the wrapping paper Christmas morning. Kelsi was so excited this Christmas and kept adding items to her list almost every day up until Christmas. Kelsi earned money this year and was so thoughtful about buying gifts for her friends and family. We also enjoyed some holiday fun by going to the Larry Miller Carol sing along - Angie wasn't too sure about this at first, but once we got there it was REALLY fun. Larry Miller's dream is to fill the Delta Center (it will always be the Delta Center to me) with carolers. He provided free soft drinks, Hot Dogs, passes for the Speedway, and a ticket for free popcorn at his movie theatre. Santa Claus and the Jazz Bear were there also. Next year I hope we can plan a little sooner and get some more members of my family there.

We also went up to This is the Place Heritage Park for their Candlelight Christmas. We always enjoy going up there, and even though it was so cold, we enjoyed all the crafts and displays they had. We got to see Kris Kringle and his reindeer and enjoy a train ride.

We didn't make it to see the Temple lights exactly. We did drive around downtown and see the lights - so I guess it sort of counts. We also drove around to some of the neighborhoods around town to see some lights.

We also went to a live Nativity in Alpine. All the Swanson family went together. It was such a bitter cold night that we had to bundle every one up. The nativity had a camel, donkey, street vendors, sheep, goats and of course Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. The Navtivity display is very neat to see and gets you into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas morning didn't get started too early at our house. Kelsi isn't a morning person (I think I have had to wake her up every Christmas morning since she was born) and the two little kids didn't really understand what morning it was, so we got to sleep in. I guess we better enjoy it while we can because I am sure in just a few years Carson and Jaedyn will be getting up bright and early Christmas morning! The kids opened their presents, we ate breakfast casserole and sweet rolls and then tried to tame the pile of wrapping paper. Grandma Honey and Papa came over with gifts for the kids. My Dad was so sweet and on his own got charm bracelets for all the girls. He is such a sweet Dad! We went over to my mom and dad's house for Christmas dinner. Everyone was there and the kids had so much fun playing with each other. We decided to do a gift exchange just for the kids and that turned out really well, since Christmas is all about the kids. I got spoiled this year for Christmas and got my new car (a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica) and Paul's present was to go to Yuma Arizona (well - that was really a present for us all). Next year I hope to be more on top of things and start some new family traditions as well as keep some of our old traditions alive- I am still trying to get a hang of all of this! Some of the traditions we were able to do was the baking of the Christmas cookies for Santa Claus, a book and Pajamas from Mom and Dad on Christmas eve. As our kids get older I hope that they will enjoy their Holidays as much as I enjoyed mine when I was growing up.