Happy times in rough times...

The last couple weekends we have had the opportunity to have some really fun and relaxing times with our dear friends. Last weekend we went up to Cedar to our friends, Gary and Linda's, to let loose and so forth. We really had a good time and made some crazy memories. Grandma Wendy took the kids overnight on a short notice. We really appreciated it. When we woke up the next morning, it had snowed and it was a winter wonderland.

Then this last weekend we went to Las Vegas for my sister's 21st birthday. My mom and I took her to see the Chippendale's. I know some of you don't think its appropriate. But that is what she wanted to do and I had a great time. It was so much fun. We also had the Ivey family join us. All we did was swim and play cards and Rock Band. It was a really great time. Something we needed for a very long time. The picture is Travis drinking out of my special cup.I would have gotten a lot more pics of the kids but I was having to watch my son. He just jumped in the pool and didn't stop. He is a FISH! The pools were heated but the biggest pool was not really warm at all. He loved the cold water. He jumped in and swam the whole length of the pool without me. Then jumped in the warm water and back to the cold. It was hilarious. Gabby also enjoyed the water. Splashing and talking. It was way fun.

We want to say thanks to our friends for all that they do for us. Even it is just to listen to us vent. Friends are important in the rough times. So we love each and everyone of you.
Oh and little Miss Babby is crawling. YA HOO! She crawled on her 11 month bday. So Kandiss here is a little clip just for you.

Daughter like mother...

Okay, yesterday I had to take my daughter to the eye doctor because Dr. Cain referred us to them because of Gabby's left eye. So it was a long afternoon but we found out some really sad news, for me anyways. We found out that Gabby has inhereted my genes for bad eyes.


Let me start with me, I was about a year and half when the did 2 eye surgeries on my left and one surgery on my right to help with my lazy/extreme far sidednes. Afterwards I had to wear patches on my right to make my left eye work better. I also was cursed with "coke bottle" glasses most of my life. I still have to wear contacts to this day. This first picture shows me (in the clown costume by the lion) with a patch on my right eye. My grandma painted the eye on most of my patches. I have my glasses on but in the second picture you can see how thick they were.Well, like I said my daughter inherited the gene. We found out that her eyes (especially the left) are needing help. So the doctor said Gabby has to wear a patch for 4 hrs. a day and glasses are a must. We will be ordering them next week and I will post pictures of her in them but it will be a couple weeks before we get them. We don't know if she will have surgery yet. We will know in six months or so. I know that it is not as devastating news as malformations and heart stuff. But I know what it is like for my daughter because I went through it. I cried after I left the doctors. My daughter has overcome ton in her first year of life. She is fighter and a spitfire! We love her so very much. Patches now a days are much more cute!

Truck

This is our new addition to the family. This will be Ben and I's first vehicle together and we are so excited. It is as long as our driveway. We haven't tempted to try to put it the garage. I think I will name it Bells. :)
)

Couple busy weeks...

I know it has been a couple weeks but they have been busy ones. First, I have been working on the lovely word TAXES! We all love this word. Yes, some of us like the outcome of the work that is put into it. I am one of those people that has to do the leg work. I try to keep things organized year round to eliminate the hassle at the end. But no matter how organized you are, it still sucks doing your taxes. So Ben was excited that I did our taxes on my own and that we didn't have to pay anyone. We are excited that we did well.
We also had the joy of going to my parents for the Super Bowl. It was fun! We played Rock Band at half time. My mother made these hamburgers that were out of this world. They were Spanish or Italian. That same weekend we had my aunt Karen come to help out with my grandparents. It was a really fun time with her. She can be such a fun person without her kids.
We finally got our taxes and decided to fix our water pump in our car. So Ben and I on Saturday went to his shop to fix it. We took Cash and we let him play around and he found this squirrel and chased it and feed it. He was so funny. Ben and I decided that it was time for a new car because we didn't know how much my car would make it. It is 10 yrs. old with 180,000 miles on it. We haven't had a car payment in 6 yrs. so we haven't really done anything but look. Well, after we fixed our car Ben and I went to test drive this truck that had been sitting there on the lot for a month or so. Well, we ended up buying it (scary I know with money tight and all. But we needed a car that was reliable)! It is a white 2004 GMC Serria 2500 crew cab with 55,000 miles on it. We got a huge steal, thanks to Saturn. We are excited as can be. So THANK YOU to Saturn. That makes 8 vehicles that my family has bought from them in 10 yrs. (I will post truck pics later.)
We also went and got Squirt spayed and her Rabies shot and Charlotte her rabies. CharChar can't sit down because her bum is sore from the shot and Squirt is so not happy. It is funny to see them solemn. :)
Gabby is still not officially crawling but she moves. It is funny how she does it. She gets in crawling position and then sits. And she has moved. I might call and see what Early Intervention says. She has her 2 bottom teeth now. And Cash is still his crazy little self. He loves the new truck! He wants to always go for a drive.

Trip to S.L.C. with the kids...

Okay this weekend the kids and I had the opportunity to go up to S.L.C. with my parents. It was a squishy ride but we made it. It was a good ride up until we hit, about 15 miles out of Tooele (went the back way), the worst fog I had ever seen. We couldn't even see the lines. SCARY! We finally got there and it was late and the kids would NOT go to sleep. It was a long night.
We woke up and we got ready to go to Layton to see my Grandma Millgate. But when we got there she was not there. Retarded as it seemed to drive all the way up there we actually had a good time and we got a phone call on the way back that my cousin Mandy had her baby. He was month early and he needed heart surgery because of the aorta and holes in his heart (Sound familary to anyone?). So we went up to Primary Children's Hospital to see her. On our way in, my other cousin Mike jumped out of the cafeteria. Him and his wife were there because there baby that had received for foster care had RSV. He is only 3 weeks old. Cute as can be! I am so excited for them and it will be interesting to see how it goes with a baby that young. :) Long nights ahead! After having lunch with them and seeing the baby, we saw Mandy but not her baby because of the situation. He had surgery yesterday and he did okay except for a fever throughout the surgery and the doctors had a hard time stopping his bleeding. It took longer then they expected. But he is doing well now.
Then that night we went to my nieces performances. It was fun to see them in their costumes. I love them with all my heart. We had the opportunity to have the Strong's come. And DonnI (:)) and McKenna were so fun to watch dance. Cash got embarrassed. We had a good time. I love my family and the time we have to share. It is great to have the love and support of them all. And I want them all to know that if anyone needs anything, I am here to help in any way.
The video is of Gabby and her daddy dancing. Gabby's new thing is to clap and she loves music. And also Gabby finally cut a tooth!

NO MORE CURLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I know that everyone will not be happy about this but, think how I feel. On Saturday, my husband thought I was taking a nap and I wasn't and I came out and saw what my husband did. HE CUT Cash's beautiful curls off. I MEAN OFF! I was mad at him because I was going to get it trimmed this week. BUT NOOOOOOOOO, Ben and his stubborn Syphus side (Sorry, but true) had to go and copy his brother Alan (He too cut his sons curls off) and do this.
So no more curls. But I will be growing it out again and this time Ben will not be allowed to go near him and his hair EVER! NOT FUNNY!

Christmas and much more...

So Christmas has come and gone. Oh what fun it was. It was a really quiet one during Christmas week. To start off we went to Ben's parents house on Christmas Eve. Well, that day Wendy had left a pot of chicken to boil (for chicken noodle soup) and left to go shopping. She returned home and the house was full of smoke. We are very grateful that the house did not start on fire. So the house smelled of smoke as we celebrated the Eve. It still smells of smoke. We call it the smoke house now. We also found out that my mother had fallen down my sisters stairs and broke her back and spent a good portion of the day at the hospital.

Christmas morning was early for us. We had the joy of my little sister Whitney and her boyfriend join us. Cash was so excited for the presents he got. A digger, more train tracks and trains, DVD's and some clothes. Small Christmas but a very good one. As we got ready to go to Ben's parents again, I was in a hurry and went to reach for the Listerine bottle and instead grabbed the Mr. Clean bottle. Yes, I mouth washed with it. NOT smart I know! I was dry heaving for about a half hour and have had sores in my mouth ever since.
We had breakfast and hung out until we had to go to my grandma's for dinner. So it was very quiet Christmas for us.
My parents returned from S.L.C. on Sunday with my sister and her two kids. And I was so excited to see and be with them. Then that Monday was Benni's 31st birthday. We went to Red Robin for lunch and he was at the doctors. That night we had a birthday dinner for him at his families. It was a very fun evening. I want to say thanks to all that donated to his generator fund for his birthday.
That evening we found out that my mother fell again down my grandparents stairs and broke her tailbone and more of her back.

On New Year's Eve Ben and I went to a movie and then home. Not to exciting. On New Year's Day the Strong's and all their kids came down. We went to Jumpin' Jacks. The kids had a ball. And we played the Rock Band which my dad and Ben loved. My mother had to have back surgery on Friday. It was a small procedure to help heal her back correctly. Painful non the less. She is doing well though.
The holidays were good and enjoyable. We hope everyone had a good one also. I will put more pics from the holidays up later.