Oh, Good Times!

Well, I guess it's time to update my blog. Here goes:
My nephew turned 3! He and Luke were having a great time with one of the new toys! Although I think Luke thought it was HIS?!

I was SO excited when December finally arrived. I have had these outfits for over a month.
Yea for new Christmas clothes!


We enjoyed seeing a few family members at the "Wilde Family Christmas Party"!!
Yes, I know. However, it was not (wild).

On Monday, Luke must have worn himself out being so excited to play in the snow. He fell asleep in the chair before he had a chance to actually go outside.

We made it out for a few very cold minutes today!
Luke was SO eager to get his snow pants and his boots on...he went out the back door, walked around for a making tracks, came around the house to the front door, and came inside...
10 minutes, tops!

So far, December's been good...aside from the cold, I can't complain.

Ok. I CAN, but I won't - yet!

In the Wilderness

I was lucky enough to spend a few days with my dad and a couple of his friends. We spent three days riding our mules through the canyons and flats on the north end of Canyonlands. We even went into part of the park one day - saw indian petroglyphs dated about 1 A.D. It was awesome! Thanks Dad for lending me a mule, warm socks and a blanket...I'll try to be a little better prepared next time (except for the mule). Thanks to both Grandmas for staying with my kids for a couple of days. It was so nice to know they were being well-cared for. And most of all...Thanks to my awesome husband who took two days off work to be a stay-at-home dad. He made sure the kids were dressed and fed and they were both happy - at the same time...good work - you deserve a nap!!

Here are a few pics to enjoy:

The Grand Gallery and another wall

I think these are notes from their party-planning committee...

Kyle & Gordy (Dad)

Me at the trailhead into Horseshoe Canyon

Sitting around camp

Chris - thanks for the good grub!!

Kyle, Chris, Harold, Me & Gordy (Dad)

p.s., If anyone knows how to get to "Cowboy Canyon", leave a comment for me.

one more thing

Ok, so I could NOT find my phone this morning. I called it and couldn't hear it. I looked in my purse, both diaper bags, and under all the papers on the table...No Phone.

After running to A.F. and back (without it), I decided to check one more place.

I FOUND IT!

In the back pocket of the jeans I'd been wearing yesterday...? What the...? Who does that?!

Oh well, I'm just glad I found it BEFORE I started laundry (which. I still haven't done)

lazy...

I've been sort of ignoring my blog lately. I have enjoyed reading the posts on Facebook. Becuase FB is like a blackhole...no way out, I've neglected many other things.

Well, I'm ready to recover and start over. I'll still farm (it's the closest I'll ever be to a "green thumb") and Luke loves the "check our fish" in Happy Aquarium, but other than that...it's time to be more productive.

Here are a few of our recent family pics:

I guess you could call these pics, " the 'Wilde' side of life" ha ha ha - I'm so funny!

OR NOT

I must be showing signs of social deprivation...with the cooler weather, I don't get my play time with friends outside. That's one of those things I've been neglecting - I've got to find a way to see my friends (who happen to have kids who are Luke's friends)...hmmm....PLAY DAY!!

Well, I haven't been TOTALLY useless. I did order my Christmas cards - and write the accompanying letter. I researched tire prices (ugh), and printed my FHE packets for R.S. Super Saturday Swap (yea). Now I just have to go GET the tires, and remember to make muffins, applesauce cake, and bread for next week - I know, who'd-a-thunk!

I have found that making bread is rather enjoyable...two loaves a week...a few hours in the morning...no more moldly or freezer-burned bread! GOOOOOO Kitchen-Aid stand mixer!!

I have a stack of laundry to do...just can't find the motivation to start- tomorrow?

Well....more updates soon - less FB...?

aha!

Thanks to Suzanne for reminding me about this experience:

I was at Wal-Mart waiting for the photo studio girl to come back from lunch so I could pick up my pics of Lucy. When I first arrived, she was gone (no posted time to return), so I wandered through the store, talked on my phone, and dawdled, a lot. I checked out and remembered I'd forgotten the second of two reasons I had gone there in the first place - Salad...so...found it, buy it, back to the photo studio.

Still "Out to lunch" - hm...I was annoyed, to say the least.

Anyway, while I was texting a friend, an older man stopped and said to me, "cheer up, today's your lucky day." He then handed me a $5 bill and continued on his way. I was speechless (I know, I know). All I could stammer was, "Thank you."

What I realized was, that man went out of his way to make a complete stranger have a better day. My day really was better - I was still bugged about the lunch thing, but I was in a better mood the rest of the day and I have a great incentive to pass my $5 on to someone else. It was an amazing moment of self-realization - my moods DO affect others.

time...

Wow - it's October already...where did September go?! Well, we've been somewhat busy:

Bottled at least 50 quarts of peaches, about 50 pints of applesauce or pie filling, 150 quarts of grape juice, 4 pints peach pie filling, and as soon as I get my apples sliced, I'll dry them for snacks. Phew! Honestly I have enjoyed becoming more domestic...there's great satisfaction in turning a simple food into so many items for future consumption!

We enjoyed family time and General Conference (Anna - still need that author's name) over the weekend. Headed to St. George for a cousin's wedding this weekend - yea warm weather!

It's been a great few weeks!

Monkeys with the Giraffe?

We had a great day at the zoo yesterday! My sister, Lacee, my Mom, and our kids headed to the zoo to see the baby "ehfunt".

We had two infants and two 2 1/2 year olds . That meant a double stroller AND a wagon (thank heaven for both!).

Luke is climbing like a monkey, Maddux had just been asked to get off the fence; meanwhile, the baby giraffe was just watching. I'm sure he was wondering how the monkeys got loose to come to the giraffe house.

Thanks for the treat, Mom. It was a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...

I had a super-duper birthday yesterday!! Thanks to all my friends who wished me a happy day. I spent my morning at the salon getting a massage and a pedicure - I felt like a princess (a very relaxed princess). I picked up my kids (thanks Haley and Mark) and headed to lunch with my mother-in-law. Yummy lunch at the Trellis Cafe! When I got home, Luke and Lucy both had naps, I farmed and Rich surprised me by coming home earlier than expected. He gave me two awesome gifts: a stapler (go Swingline!) - yea!; and, a (drum roll please)...DUTCH OVEN STAND!!! I have looked and looked for one for 5 years...he finally found one! I am going to put it to the test on Friday....
So, after naps, a little laundry (very little) and a little computer time, my mother-in-law came down to watch our kids while we enjoyed a delightful dinner with friends at Texas Roadhouse. I even got to sit on the saddle while everyone gave a birthday "Yee-Haw"!! We weren't ready to go home after dinner, so we wandered through Target for an hour...what an experience.

It was such a great day! Lucy even let me sleep for 6 hours last night - what a girl!

6 kids...a ball.

Last night I had to opportunity to have four little friends over while their parents went out and had fun! Beside my Luke and Lucy, I had two little girls and two little boys...we had an indoor picnic, complete with sandwiches, juice boxes, goldfish, and apple slices. After our picnic, we watched Aladdin and played with toys. I lol everytime we came to a commercial because one little girl was very consistent in reminding me to fast-forward (I asked them to remind me if I forgot). We had a BALL! I would do it again anytime. Luke only hit three times, and his friends were very understanding, but fair (they gave it right back to him (finally)). No one cried for their mom, although I got the question, "Where's my mom?" about every half hour from one of the little boys. Thanks Alissa and Haley, for letting me finally repay some favors and get to know your kids a little better - they are AWESOME!!

I took one pic on my phone, but it came out all blurry...next time.

Peaches Peaches Peaches

Ok, so we decided to bottle another batch of peaches this year. So, Rich got 5 boxes and we got started. Friday, we did about half the batch - the other half needed another day to ripen. My friend, Maria, came over to learn/help...YEA! She is the proud "mama" of her very own bottled peaches!!

On Saturday (after the BYU game and the Utah game) we got started on the last batch. However, given that it was about 5:30 pm and that about the time Lucy gets fussy, we were starting to get VERY discouraged. The solution came in the form of a frontpack carrier for Lucy. I put her in, strapped in on me, and got to work - Oh how I WISH we had taken a picture - I stood at the kitchen sink peeling and slicing (very carefully, of course) peaches for over two hours. I must say it was fun, even if I had a slight backache when we were done.

Now all our peaches are bottled and we can finally clean up the mess (tomorrow).
p.s. Luke was running in and out of the house the entire time - playing on the swingset, playing with toys in the house, just running in and out (literally), he stayed busy.

Pics

I promised a pic of my Grandma...here you go (it truly was a special day for me).

Blessings all around

This sunday we were able to bless Lucy. Our families came to share the day with us. It...was...great!! We enjoyed good food, good weather, and good conversation - what more could I ask for. Thanks to all who helped bring food and clean up, and those who lent shade and support. We ARE truly blessed.

What a sweet little angel.

Luke wanted so badly to be a part of the pictures.

Sorry Bones, I just couldn't resist. When his little angel pooped on his white shirt, Rich lent him a T...Bones is NOT a fan (but is a good sport).

Grandma's are great!

I had the awesome privilege to share music with my Grandma and her co-residents. She lives at an assisted living residence and doesn't get out much. We don't visit as often as we should, but did make it over today. Grandma loves the hymn, "In The Garden" and has requested it be played at her funeral (in the future). As the only grandchild who plays the piano, I have had the chance to find and learn the hymn. Today, I played the song, along with several others, for Grandma and the other residents. I KNOW I was more uplifted than anyone there. As I played, I began thinking about just how important music is. Not only, in my life, but to everyone. Music can touch those who otherwise may be out of touch. One gentleman in particular stood out today. He is known to be grumpy (often swearing and grumbling). But, as different songs began, he would sing the words he could or hum along. I was extremely touched...often tearing up, struggling to read the music. I truly had a wonderful experience today. I promised the residents I'd brush up on some of the songs and come play again...I hope I get that chance. Love you Grandma.
p.s. Thanks to my mom who literally wrangled my child so I could play uninterrupted...it made all the difference.
I'll post a pic as soon as I get it downloaded.

great...

So, I was enjoying the quiet of the morning while feeding Lucy when I realized JUST how quiet is was...Luke should have been making more noise. I went downstairs to find Tide powder covering my entire washer top. Luke was happily playing with a squirt bottle of Shout in the family room - fortunately, he only squirted the hard floor (easy to wipe up). I wanted to be angry, but he was so happy and hadn't REALLY hurt anything (other than wasting a little laundry detergent and trying to do what I do - put the powder in the washer). So I gave him a little chat and sent him on his way...

What a mess!

I'd like to say that we had an incredibly exciting weekend...Not that we didn't have a good time, it just wasn't anything like - Disneyland or winning the lottery. Rich marinated and BBQ'd chicken for fajitas (Mark, I know what you're going to say). He also made Baked Potato Soup for work early this morning. As a result, my kitchen looked like this:

After a morning of swimming at friends' and lunch, Luke and Lucy both went down for a nap.

After 45 minutes of dishes, my kitchen now looks like this:I'm taking a break while my dishwasher finishes it's load, then I'll load it again and finish...check back to see if I ever get done.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a couple loads of laundry. If I get REALLY ambitious, I might even mop a floor - ooh, ahh.

Here it is! I finally finished! I'm sure it won't last long, but at least it's clean for a little while.

The Queen is back in power!

For dinner tonight, we had Arby's: 5 beef n' cheddars, 5 22 oz. drinks, 3 curly fries, and a popcorn chicken in a pear tree. $16.71. That fed 3 adults, a first-grader, a kindergartener, a preschooler, 2 toddlers, and a baby...Right On!!

Coupon...King?

So last night, Rich went to Costa Vida for take out. Upon returning home, he promptly said, "I AM the Man!" Curiously, I asked why. He let me know he is in the running for coupon royalty. He got 2 meals, a quesadilla, 3 ice creams, and chips n salsa for $10. Plus free ice cream with each future purchase. Rich, of all people, signed up for the frequent diner club and got a screaming deal on dinner...As the reigning Queen of Coupons for our household, I now dub thee, Richard, King...you ARE the man!!

Update...

Just a quick update...On friday, my blood was still too thick...had my last shot today (HOOO-RAY!!). Upped my cumedin(?) a little, another blood check on Tuesday. I'm feeling good and loving being able to take a deep breath! Thanks to all who have helped us out this week (giving shots, watching kids, being there). So far, so good, more to come.

Lucy is doing great! She is sleeping 4-5 hours at night, and transitioning to formula well. Luke is becoming quite a good helper - he loves to put Lucy's binkie in her mouth. Rich is sleeping through the night (hahaha) and is a good helper, too...

My goals this week are to finish cleaning my house (didn't get done on Saturday), start reading the book I got out last week, and finish the pegboard and letters for lucy's room. We'll see just how much I get done!

Pain in the .... Lung?

So, since Friday evening, I have been having pains in my right shoulder. They started as gas-like pain, but subsided to bearability with Ibuprofen and rest. Last night I started having a grabbing pain in my mid-back. It was intense enough to head to the ER. Our awesome friend, Lara, came over just before 10PM to be with the kids. Finally after blood work, chest x-ray, and a CT scan, I found out I have a blood clot in the lower portion of my right lung. They gave me meds and instructions and sent me home. It didn't really hit me how BIG this was until I called my mom. Anyway, what I thought were symptoms of Pleurisy were signs of this clot. I have a follow-up Dr. visit this week and will keep you posted to changes. For now, I'll be fine (and I'm getting out of "non-essential" work). The shock is over now and I just have to either give myself a shot twice daily or beg my fabulous neighbors (RN's) to do it for me...I vote the latter!!

Yippeee!

It's been longer than I thought since I last posted anything and I don't have any new pics of Lucy (is that a sign of a bad mom??) Well, Lucy is now five weeks old and growing like crazy. Last night she slept from 10:30 P.M. until 6:30 A.M.....what is that? 8 hours? I was loving it! I'm sure it was a one-time fluke, but I'll take it!!

Earlier this month, my sister blessed her baby, Swayzee. What a cute family!

Rich and I decided to take advantage of the cool weather and take Luke to the zoo. He was so well-behaved. He loves to see the animals. He also loves to ride the carousel...here we are:

More to come...

New pics

Thanks to Grandma Madsen who is such a diligent photographer. She sent these pics of Lucy (yay, cuz ours are all dark and hard to see)... She's pretty content to just hang out and take in the view.
I'm not sure what she's thinking; I'm not sure I want to know, either.

Info

I guess I assumed our friends and family knew the story of Lucy...wrong. So here goes:

She was born on the 4th of July, happy and healthy. Later that night, the nurses noticed her breathing was extremely rapid and she was admitted into the NICU. Her breathing regulated after a couple of days, but by then she had jaundice. So, while she was working on maintaining her breathing, she was also working on getting rid of her jaundice. Needless to say, she was in the NICU for 8 days. The hardest part was going home without her. Although I have to admit the silver lining of that gray cloud was knowing she was well taken care of while I was spending time with Luke and recovering myself.

Lucy is now home and doing awesome. We all survived our first night with two children (Lucy slept 4 hours at a time!!) and we're relatively awake this morning! (Naps this afternoon for all of us).

Thanks to our great friends and family for their love and support and help during this...interesting transition into parents-of-two.

HOORAY!!!

She's here - and home! Lucy finally came home. She is happy and healthy and so are we!!!

Luke is so soft and tender with her...his little sister "Moosy"

Yeah for Lucy!!

Well, as promised, here are a few pics of our sweet baby girl. She isn't home yet, but well on her way.

Lucy sleeping after a good meal.

Happy to be here - ready to eat! No more IV!! Hurray!!!

Proud big brother! (tired mommy).

More news and pics as we get them!!

Happy 4th of July!

Ok. We had a great weekend. We BBQ'd with friends, attended a parade (overcast and not too hot), enjoyed lunch with Grandma Irene, BBQ'd with Rich's family and...

HAD A BABY!!

Can you believe it? my water broke as everyone was leaving the BBQ at our house. Grandma Madsen stayed with Luke, Rich and I headed to the hospital (9 p.m.), Lucy was born at 11:01 p.m.

I will post pics as soon as I can! keep watching for more...

At the Zoo

It's been a few days, but we recently went to the zoo. Grandma, Aunt Lacee, Maddux, Luke and I trekked north to see the aminals (he he). The boys loved it! Luke still talks about "animalszoo". Here are a few pics:

Riding the carousel

Watching the bears play

Looking at the giraffe - almost eye level.

Both boys were asleep shortly after we got out of the parking lot - a good day!!

Good Day

I had a very nice weekend. My wonderful hubby (he hates that term) watched Luke while I went to a baby shower for a cousin and a movie with my mom and sister. What a guy!! We saw "17 Again" - Zac Efron, what a cutie. It was a fun show - not too serious, but an actual storyline. What a great way to spend time with mom and sis. We BBQ burgers for dinner and had a nice evening with neighbors. On Sunday, Rich and Luke made yummy breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy!! and prepped dinner. After church, we had my mom and sis up for dinner - Rich did it ALL!! Again I say, what a guy!! It was great to spend time with family and not have to do all the work (although I'm willing and happy to do so when we get together).

Tonight we get to celebrate again with Rich's mom - Mother's Day and Birthday!! Should be a great time, once again.

Happy Mother's Day to all the women I know and love. Those who may not yet be a mother will have that privilege for their own (if not in this life, in the next)...it is our destiny.

Busy little bees...

Earlier this week we got to spend some time with Rich's oldest brother and his family. We rode horses & mules and BBQ'd at my parents' house. It was a great time! Tenna on Treasure and Dave on Wally

Trinity on Wally - what a pair!

Luke with Grandpa on Treasure

Wally snuggling with Rich's mom, Lois - come on, where's a kiss for Wally?!

We hosted Rich's brother and his family for the weekend. They helped us paint the baby's room and get the side yard ready for a shed. We had fun playing, too.

Here's a few progressive pics of the nursery:

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Thanks for the inspiration, Sharon!!

The shed will go here:

YEA!!!