Turkey, Diet Coke, and SHOPPING!

There's never a better time than when the family is all together! Our Thanksgiving day was full of good food and family fun! The men made yummy fried turkey and Tri tip! 

Then..... when all the kiddos are tucked in bed and the men are back from the movies, the girls head back over to Richelle's to prepare for Black Friday!!! During our card game, Mom and Alissa decided to try the saltine cracker challenge! (eat 6 crackers in 1 minute with no drink!) Jackie tried to warn you both that it couldn't be done! She was right as we almost lost Alissa from choking on crackers! That will be one that we will laugh about years from now when we gather together for more games!

We started our shopping right at midnight! We hit the mall.... and maybe that will be a first and last for us.  It was more of a teenager hangout, but fun nonetheless!

Next on the list was Kohl's at 4:00 a.m.!  We were actually crazy enough to stand in the light rain for 30 minutes until doors opened! 

We made it to Target at 6:00, (thank goodness for Diet Coke which is what kept us all going!) then ended the fun shopping adventure at Kneaders for some much needed breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

Fun times for sure and can't wait to do it again! 

(P.S. I'm not sure why you can click on some of my text... I didn't even know I did that, which means I have no idea how to get rid of it!)

Life is awesome!

I finally got to see Grandma and Papa Gailey on Friday!  See how happy I was with the reunion!  Not that it's been that long, but it felt like forever!

Check this out.... Mom finally let me have those teething biscuits!  YUM is all I have to say about that! I demolished it with my 2 teeth!

Oh ya.... so satisfied!

My mom was trying to take a picture of me using my strong legs and arms to pivot myself around the room!  I see my cool train set and want to face it so bad.....

Well..... I did it!  Mom waited patiently for the perfect shot! TaDa!  I know.... you are all so impressed with my mad skills!

Everyday Thanksgiving

I was given this handout a long time ago and always loved reading it around the Thanksgiving time as a reminder!  I am thankful for ALL of you!

EVERYDAY THANKSGIVING

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning, thank you Lord, that I can hear. There are those who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as possible, thank you, Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off the effort of rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in the magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and moan my fate from day to day, and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.

Can we say "jealous?"

So I asked the girls, "What should we do today?"  Taylee, with no hesitation says, "get my hair cut!"  So we went on ahead to the local Cookie Cutters to start the hair cutting process! Her cute stylist cut what we thought would be a good length, but Taylee said, "Shorter!"  Well, she sure knew what she wanted!  Shorter she went and what a good choice! 

Now during this whole time April is saying, "I can't believe she wants to go so short!  I don't want to cut mine.  But if I change my mind, you can just cut it for me Mom."  Tyler and I knew what was going on.  Sister was a tad bit jealous!  We asked her a few times if she wanted a cut, but she kept saying no.  After she saw how cute Taylee looked, she quickly changed her mind!

Now we have two cute girls with short hair.  Tyler was dying (as he prefers long hair), but agrees that it looks adorable!  We kept Brynn's hair nice and long for Daddy! (for now!) 

Justin update!

Thursday Justin had his first cardiology appointment.  He won over the nurses with his charm right from the start! They did a typical exam on him and heard nothing to make them concerned. They were unable to do an ultrasound on his heart because he was talking too much and very wiggly!  Apparently the lungs cover the heart when they talk, cough, etc. which would give a terrible reading of his heart. They would rather rule out heart issues the right way, even though they don't suspect any defects. He will go in for an echocardiogram the middle of December.  Poor guy will have to be put out for the procedure.  From start to finish it will take about 6 hours! I'm a tad nervous, but I have faith in the Doctors.  

Friday was his 6 month well baby check-up.  There is actually a Down Syndrome growth chart!  He is no longer considered tiny and short!  Hooray Justin!  He is now in the 60th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height!  Just Perfect! He is doing all that he should be doing including the beginning stages of sitting up on his own! 

We continue to take him to weekly physical therapy sessions to work on his low muscle tone. His arms are getting stronger every day. HE is getting stronger every day! He's making great progress.  It's amazing how much stronger he's gotten in the 5 weeks he's been going to therapy!  5 weeks ago he could hardly hold his head up when on his tummy, couldn't bear weight on his legs when held in a standing position, and definitely wasn't even close to sitting up! His arms were very weak. Just this weekend he was able to reach his hands up to aunt Wendy's face and touch her! Something so simple like that was very hard for him to do, but he's doing it! 

I will continue to post Justin updates as they come!  We love this little guy!

Kiddo Updates!

April and Taylee.... what can I say! It still baffles me that these two didn't want to share a room anymore because they are the best of friends!  Every weekend they end up having a "sleep over" in Aprils room!  So funny! We just had Parent Teacher Conference yesterday and they both did awesome! We are very proud of them and their desire to make excellent grades!  They are both loving dance this year and are looking forward to their Christmas recital.  We are so excited that tomorrow is their last day on track.  We'll be off track for 4 weeks and can't wait!

Brynnie the Brynnster..... still in love with her dinosaurs!  They are multiplying around the house like crazy.  I'm constantly stepping on dinos! It is so cute to watch her play house with them.  She talks to them so sweetly and motherly like!  She's totally bored and wishes every day that she was in pre-school.  Doesn't chick-fil-a with cousins count as pre-school?

Justin the J-man!  He is doing awesome!  Yes... he is sitting up all by himself! (unlike the professional shot of him in the previous blog. Daddy is holding him up behind the curtain!) We have been working so hard with the physical therapist to make his arms stronger.  He is officially using his arms to hold himself up!  HUGE step!  He cut his first tooth on his 6 month birthday! He will go in for an echocardiogram next month to rule out any heart issues.  They are pretty confident that he will be fine.  Just procedure.  

We love our kiddos and are proud of each of them!

Our journey is just beginning....

Let us share with you Justin's story.  Justin was born a healthy and happy boy on May 1, 2008. We fell in love with him right from the start, just as we did with our other children.  It was only a few weeks later when I wondered to myself if he had Down Syndrome.  I didn't want to come across to people as negative or paranoid, so I let it go and never shared my feelings with anyone.  I figured it would have been caught by now.  They checked me while I was pregnant (negative), he checked out great at the hospital, and even so at his 2 week check-up.  A few people had brought it to my attention.  I felt a lot of pain as the months went on because I wasn't the only one who was noticing.  I brought it up to my Dr. at his 2 month check-up and he sweetly laughed it off.  There was no reason to suspect such a thing. He was meeting each and every milestone and had no major features of a DS child. As the days and months passed, strangers were looking at him different and asking me if he was DS.  I again brought it to the Dr.'s attention, but he still felt no need to check.  I was always welcome to do the blood work, but felt I should be comfortable with his opinion.  I chose to take Justin to physical therapy to work on his Torticollis and Hypotonia (low muscle tone).  It was then when Mary (his PT) asked if he had ever been tested.  I explained to her our history with him.  I decided then that it was time to get an answer.  Just this past Friday was a day that Tyler and I will never forget.  I received the phone call from the Dr. while I was all alone, that my son did test positive for Downs. I instantly felt alone, lost and confused.  I grabbed my little angel from his peaceful nap and wanted to protect him from this judgmental world.  I thought it would be easy to hear the answer since it had been on my mind since shortly after his birth.  That is something you just can't prepare yourself for.  Tyler left work immediately and we just hugged and cried.  We weren't angry or sad, but had a feeling of "where do we go from here?"  We had a wonderful amount of family support through out the remaining of the day, which we are forever grateful for.  We already knew there was something amazing and special about this child.  The love that we already had for him multiplied by thousands.  We just wanted to hold him close and let him know that we weren't going to let him down.  We realize that he is an amazing and choice spirit that was sent down from our Heavenly Father and he chose US to be his parents.  A little overwhelming.... sure.  But we know we wouldn't be given more than we could handle.   Saturday was one of the greatest days of my life!  I woke up feeling extremely blessed and thankful for our little child. How lucky are we to have him in OUR home?!  We were able to share with our girls that morning how lucky we were to have him.  We had the most wonderful day taking family pictures in the canyon and felt so close to each other that day.  I know it has only been a few days.  I'm sure we will have our ups and downs, happy times and sad times, smiles and tears.  But we are sure of one thing.  The blessing will outweigh the challenges.  We firmly believe that! We are beginning a beautiful journey as a family and hope you all are up to taking it with us! He has already been a blessing in our life and I know he will be able to touch each one of you and everyone he comes in contact with.  We are thankful for all the love and support we have received. It means so much to us! This doesn't change our life together.... it just makes it much brighter!  

We are believers!

We believe in our little angel! We love you Justin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_0K-gPlyb0

Pumpkin Patchin'

Every year it has been the "Quick" tradition to pick-a-pumpkin together. We started out our night by filling our bellies with Cafe Rio.  Yum.....  Then off we went to the good old pumpkin patch. The kids were so excited to get on all the tractors! We wondered if they really cared much about the pumpkins!

The pumpkin picking finally began!

They couldn't resist the corn maze!  After about 10 times, we finally had to make them stop!

Yes, back to the tractors for a good 20 minutes! Who knew!?

We decided to end our night with a yummy ice cream cone from chick-fil-a. (of course) I had to capture this picture of Brynn picking up the broom and actually using it!  Yes, she feels right at home at good old chick-fil-a!

my list of loves

I'm so not loving this freezing weather.... but instead of listing other things that I totally don't love, I thought I'd list a few things that I do love! (look, I'm trying to stay positive.... so stay with me!)

my hard working and handsome hubby

my beautiful and sweet kids

knowing that we are a forever family

DIET COKE

bubble baths

chick-fil-a

family

friends

warm blankets on a cold day

a clean house

no laundry in the baskets

no dishes in the sink

laughing 'til it hurts

the smell of my freshly bathed babies

thunderstorms

DIET COKE

how I feel AFTER my work-out

cafe rio

sweet letters from my girls

lipstick letters on the mirror from Tyler

being told, "I love you."

ice cream

blasting the radio in the car (alone of course)

flip flops

being married

US weekly magazine

being able to say, "it's my treat."

DIET COKE

Disneyland with the entire family

family walks

when homework hour is over

when Daddy comes home

sunny days

reminiscing

being a mommy

blooming flowers

pedicures

visiting Mom and Dad in California

when my kids are off track

DIET COKE

finding a bargain

date night with Tyler

cereal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner

compliments from my girls (look, that's important when you feel old!)

genuine people

snuggles from little Justin

when we are all happy at the same time

I'm sure there are a ton of things that I am missing, but my little Justin is crying and I'm going to chick-fil-a for lunch!  LOVE that!

Hubby Tag!

I was tagged by Richelle.... so here we go!

1. Where did you meet?  Blockbuster Video in Provo, where we were both working. (no, it wasn't in the drama/romance section like he always tells people!)

2. How long did you date before you were married? We "officially" met January 1, 1996, were engaged 2 weeks later, and married June 28, 1996. (he wanted a long engagement... lame)

3. How long have you been married? 12 great years!

4. What does he do that surprises you?  Honestly, he's not good with surprises.  Which is good because that means he can't lie!  He does try to surprise me, but I catch him every time!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? From day one I always loved his lips!  But I have to admit, since he's been working out I LOVE his bulging biceps!

6. What is your favorite quality of his? When he puts his mind to something, he completes it 100%!  He doesn't give up!  He's a super Dad and an wonderful Husband!

7. Does he have a Nickname for you?  Sexy mamma!

8. What is his favorite color? Black and red

9. What is his favorite food?  Italian for sure!  Luckily I know how to throw together a bowl of spaghetti, alfredo, or lasagna with no problem! (whew!)

10. What is his favorite sport?  I have a hard time believing it because I've never seen him play, but for sure Ice Hockey.  According to him and his family he was AMAZING!  Someday we'll pull out the gear (yes, we still have his stinky high school gear in storage) so he can show me his skills!

11. When and where was your first kiss?  Well, I have to be honest.  In my apartment bedroom on our first date! Hehe!

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?  We just enjoy being together no matter what it is.  He's so good to me that he'll sit in a clothing store while I try EVERYTHING on and never complain!

13. Do you have children?  Yes! April (9 1/2), Taylee (6 1/2), Brynn (3 1/2), and J-man (Justin - that's Daddy's nickname for him. 5 months)

14. Does he have a hidden talent? It's not hidden to me, because I see it.  He might not realize his talent.  When I'm having a rough day with the kids, he always has a way to calm them (and me for that matter) and makes it all better!  

15. How old is he?  Older than me and that's all that matters! 34

16. Who said I love you first?  Funny story.  He was looking into my eyes and was totally saying it with his eyes, but couldn't get it out! I could tell he wanted to SO bad.  So I say, "say it!"  He said, "say what?"  I say, "Just say it!".  So I said, "I love you!"  He said, "I love you too!" Then he never had a problem after that and continues to say it to me several times a day!  He's a good "I Love You" kind of guy!

17. What is his favorite type of music?  Well, he actually likes quite a variety of music.  Not country and is SO over the girls' High School Musical and Hannah Montana crap!

18. What do you admire most about him? How hard he works for our family.  I know my day is long and difficult sometimes while he's gone, but he's gone because he's doing the best he can to provide for us! I truly admire that!

19. Do you think he will read this? I'm sure he'll read it and then he'll get all mushy and gushy on me!  Maybe I don't want him reading this!  (Love ya!)

Little update...

Daddy is home!  Yippee!  He was nice enough to surprise us and get home extra early, which meant driving all thru the night.  Which also meant, tired Daddy!  We were all sacked out by 9:00 last night.  I'm thinking and hoping the little colds are leaving the kids systems! April is back to 100%, so all is well there!  Justin had his first physical therapy appointment today.  We received some great information on stretching the muscle so that he can work thru this.  We're all troopers around here and we'll get up and running here soon!  Thanks for all the caring thoughts and calls! 

Sick kids & no Daddy

Oh my, oh my, oh my.... what a day.  Tyler left for Seattle with his Dad and sister Thursday morning to go visit his brother and their family.  He didn't feel he should go considering we have 4 kiddos, but I insisted.  I didn't want him to pass up the chance to see his brother.  The kids have been angels because they promised Daddy they would be.  All that changed in a matter of a day.  April had been fighting a little cold all week.  No biggie, never missed school.  Brynn caught the cold, which turned into a cough, which has kept her in bed with me. (coughs always get 10 times worse at night... why is that anyway?!)  Justin woke up this morning very lethargic and with a stuffy nose.  He's an amazing baby even through all of this.  All he wants is to be held. (which is A-Ok with me!)  Taylee woke up crying at 4 a.m. because her throat hurt.  Now Taylee has the sniffles and continues to complain of a sore throat.  Well, that's not all folks.... April - out of the blue - decided she wanted to end the cold bug in the family and start the flu bug.  Yep, she's been throwing up!  I know... I'm a very lucky single Mom... and it's all my fault!  I love you Tyler and hope you are enjoying each and every second of this trip I was so kind to send you on!  When you get back tomorrow night.... I'm outta here!  XOXO

5 months already!

Our sweet little boy is already 5 months old today!  It has gone by faster than we'd like.  We have had the hardest time finding him hats, so I was thrilled when I found this hat on clearance at Children's Place for $1.00!  It doesn't fit him yet, but it will! We just made him an appointment with a Physical Therapist for Torticollis.  Brynn had to be seen for the same thing when she was a baby. Tightness of a specific muscle pulls the head sideways toward the shoulder. If you notice all the pictures I post of him, he's always twisted to that side.  I knew what to look for, so off to the Physical Therapist we go!  We just love this little guy!

My baby is moving up....

Well.... it was bound to happen sooner or later.  I was just hoping for later rather than sooner. April was ready to have her OWN room.  As much as she loves Taylee, she was ready for the separation even though it made Mom and Dad sad. We let her pick out her own colors. We think she did a great job! She was so excited she even helped Dad paint. (Thank goodness painting is not one of my jobs!) She has been on cloud 9! Does this mean she's getting older? :(

This is still Taylee's room.... but now she has a new roomie and all of the toys that came down with her!  We can only hope that Taylee will be as good to Brynn as April was to Taylee!  

Mondays...

So tomorrow is Monday.  No big deal... or is it?  Why is it that I look so forward to the weekends, as if it is any different than any other day of the week for me!  I guess in some ways I look at the weekend as my "time off" so to speak.  I still do my Mommy job, but Tyler is around a tad bit more to be the awesome Daddy that he is.  Maybe I feel a little less load to carry.  So I seem to want to cling on to Sunday nights knowing that I'll wake up to Monday in the morning.  What is it that I dread.  Let's list... shall we?

1. Wake up at 5:30 to get my work-out in and shower before the kids wake up at 7:00 for school.

2. Make sure the girls actually wake up at 7:00 for school and frantically dress them (even though they are totally capable of doing it themselves), do 3 sets of girlie hair-do's and a spiky boy-do.

3. Whip up a healthy breakfast of Lucky Charms.... yes, I said Lucky Charms with a vitamin on the side! (they are more than welcome to have oatmeal or anything healthy for that matter if the hair process goes smoothly!)

4. While they are shoving their little mouths with their healthy breakfast and I spoon feed little Justin his breakfast, I am also reading the scriptures to them! (best time to read!  They are so busy eating that they can't talk or argue!)

5. Make sure shoes are on, teeth brushed, lunches are made, and backpacks are loaded and on the right persons back!

6. It's already after 8:00!  Hurry.... let's get walking to school!  WHAT?  Justin is poopy?!

7. Walk back home from school and notice the sink piled with expanded marshmallows from their healthy breakfast.  Do kitchen clean-up.

8. Clean, clean, clean, clean...... Did I mention that I clean?

9. Play with Brynn and Justin in-between laundry loads and poopy diapers. If we are lucky, we'll even hit chick-fil-a for lunch!

10. Load up the little ones to pick up the big ones from school.... that means the dreaded homework hour is coming!

11. 3:30 - 4:30  Not a pleasant time.  Need I say more?

12. Brainstorm for a dinner idea and make the dinner with one hand (daddy-less since he works until 8:00 p.m.) while feeding Justin with the other hand.

13. Let the kids finally have some play time so that Mommy can clean up after dinner just so we can make another mess during dessert. (which is a MUST in this home!)

14. Give little boy a bath... and tuck him in bed.

15. Give Brynn a bath, read stories, and tuck her in bed.

16. Referee during April's and Taylee's shower, make sure they read, and tuck them in bed. 

17. It's already 8:00 p.m.  Daddy is hopefully on his way home.  Mommy is tired and remembers the load of laundry that I started at 9:00 earlier this morning.  Grrrr...

I do eventually get to bed, and I do repeat this every day.  Some days we throw in dance and activity days.  It gets done though.... and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Fat lip :(

My poor Brynnie!  She was being such a good girl today (I have to note that because it is rare!) when all of a sudden her world was turned upside down!  She lost her footing in her excitement to watch her favorite dinosaur show and what do you know.... her top teeth hit her lower lip with some major force! She was bleeding all over and could hardly talk without biting on that fat lip of hers, which in turn would cause more pain!

Brynn - " Mom wook at my wip!  It is big wike my eyes!"

me - "yes Brynn, it is.  It will get better. You are brave!"

Brynn - "Am I still pwetty?"

me - "You are always going to be pretty! You're Brynn!"

Brynn - "I know!"

 

Feeding time!

So I've been listening to Mom tell people that she wasn't going to start me on cereal quite yet.  That has made me a little frustrated!  I might be small, but that doesn't mean I don't want to eat "big boy" food or that I'm not ready!  I've been fussing on purpose.  Mom finally caught on and said, "Maybe he is ready for cereal.  Bottles aren't cutting it anymore. He always seems hungry."  So my crying paid off.  I've been holding up my head so good, so I'm sure that helped too.  Here's my play by play with feeding time.  It was awesome!

I'm looking up at my cool Dad and thanking him for finally feeding me something good!

I couldn't stop sucking my lips!  Each time I did, I would get more food somehow!

Even though I love Mom the most, I had to show her how I felt for making me wait!

The coolest part... I still was able to have a drink after I finished my cereal! I'm gonna love this!

Never forget...

Today is the 7th anniversary of the day our world forever changed.  I'll never forget that day.  I remember where I was, what I was doing, and what I was feeling the day I saw and heard the terrible news.  I had recently found out that I was pregnant with Taylee.  Something I was so excited about began to really scare me.  Should I be bringing a child into a world that is under attack and so evil?  I had to remind myself of my awesome Dad who always taught us about the signs of the Second Coming of the Savior and to not be afraid.  The times were going to be tough and hard, but we should not fear if we are doing the things the Lord would have us do.  Someday it will be a beautiful thing.  He looks so forward to that day. I strive to be more like my Dad!  This will live in our hearts and minds forever.  Continue to pray for those men and women who are in the Middle East fighting to keep our world safe and count your many blessings!

I'm still growing...

1. School is back on for the kids.  I've realized why I enjoy the "off track" times much more than the "on track" ones.  I expect a lot from my kids, maybe too much.  I am working so hard to be patient and calm during during homework hour.  I love my sweet girls and want them to remember the good times we share, not the nasty hour that we dread!

2. My husband might not separate laundry the way I do, clean the way I do, vacuum in straight lines like I do, or get the kids to bed the second I want them in bed, but he DOES it all the best he can!  I LOVE him for that! Who says my way is the right way anyway!?

3. I have been working on growing our food storage for years. 12 to be exact!  In no way am I near the year supply we've been asked to have, but at least I have tried.  For that I am thankful because it doesn't take a catastrophe to need to break in to the food storage!

4. Money is fun when you have it, but when you run short,  you realize quickly how much you don't need as much as you thought you did.  All that matters is that you have your family.  They are what I hope to take with me anyway!

5. Words are just words.  Actions can help people.  I want my actions to speak louder than my words to every person around me!  

6. I LOVE YOU all and I'm still growing...

Goodbye summer...

As we all know, summer is over.  Since our kids have been off track, we feel like we had a little extra summer to enjoy.  Knowing that this was officially the last weekend of "our" summer, we decided to hit the zoo and enjoy the gorgeous day together as a family!  I think every single animal was out today.  We had such a great time together and are very sad to see the summer slip away.  Back to school they go on Monday :(

The girls were actually a little nervous for this shot! Mr. Giraffe was pretty close!

Daddy and the girls watching the bear! It's not very often that the bear is out!

We already know he's little, so I thought this was the perfect shot of him!

Justin's 4 mo. check-up

Justin had his 4 month check-up today and I was positive the kid has put on enough weight to finally get over the 8% on the chart....  WRONG!  He's a tiny 11.5 lbs which puts him in the 3% for weight!  Yes, it went down, and yes, it's supposed to be going up!  Oh well.... it could be worse! He's such a sweet little boy!  We all feel so thankful to have him in our home.  Since birth he has failed his hearing tests and finally passed a few weeks ago.  He just likes to stress his Mom out, which isn't hard to do anyway!  Check out his long hair!  I've already cut it twice too!  At least something is growing! 

Paper dolls and dinosaurs!

First thing the kids asked me when traveling home from California was, "What are we going to do when we get home for the next week we are off track?"  Well, considering we just got back from vacation and money is slim... I told them we are staying home and playing with each other! I knew they would come up with something to do.  They are very creative and absolutely love all kinds of art!  They made up their own paper doll set!  Good job girls!

April and Taylee with their paper doll "Jessica" and all of her accessories!

Seriously so creative! Bed with pillow, comforter, and teddy bear (top left), TV with remote (top right), and all the change of clothes you could think of!  Maybe, just maybe, they will keep this up and own their own clothing line someday!

Brynn is obsessed with Dinosaurs! Justin is going to have a great playmate.  She enjoys showing him each one and what their names are!  I am so glad they will have each other to play with! She's a great big sister!