Lovin' our babies!

I thought I'd post some pictures of the colts I've been talking about that we bought over Christmas. They are still in Rexburg because they were just weaned from their mamas. We try to go see them every other weekend until we bring them here, but it had been over a month since we had seen them. I can't believe how much bigger they are! They are so dang cute.

My horse is the lighter one on top, and Jim's is the buckskin on the bottom. Isn't he gorgeous? Jim has always wanted a buckskin and this is one of the prettiest shaped colts I've seen. Out of the ten colts we could choose from, Jim immediately saw him and wanted him. I've always wanted a Palamino and this was the lightest horse of the bunch. He's way friendly and loves to eat! Jordyn always tells me, "Mama, your horse is a pig" cause every time we go to see them, mine just keeps eating from our hands the whole time. I think that is why I was drawn to him-Gotta Love Our Food! I also like mine because he has blond highlights in his mane and white stockings on his feet!

Even though raising colts is going to be a lot of work, I'm so excited to start with them young. I've always loved horses but have been really afraid of them. I don't know if it's because they are so powerful and majestic, or because my friend in sixth grade was drug to death by one. I want to get over my fear and think being around them early will totally help. My girls absolutely love them and always beg to "go see the horses". Even little Jordyn and Avery aren't scared of them and feed the horses from their hands. I'm so happy that my girls can have this experience growing up and learn love and responsibility for the horses.

I'm finding myself getting caught up in the whole "horse" thing and wouldn't even mind having land so they could be right on our property outside the back door. I would love to be able to take the girls out each day and work with the horses. Heck, maybe I'll let Jim have his dream by getting a ranch someday. It would be a big adjustment, but I think I could get used to the lifestyle and love it. Except for the Wranglers part-my Wrangler BUTT would not drive anyone NUTTS!

I can't decide what to name mine. Horses are way harder to name than kids. Jim is thinking of Chance for his. Any suggestions?

Enchanted Easter!!

Easter was great this year! It was just our little family and very relaxing. The girls went to Grandma's Easter egg hunt on Saturday and had a fun time trying to find their eggs using the clues Grandma had drawn. Sunday started early since we have to be to church at 8:40, so the girls got to peek in their baskets and really dive in after we got home. They looked adorable in their pastel dresses! Mommy gave them the Enchanted movie and we all watched it together after church (even Jim laughed a few times and thought it was clever-I absolutely LOVE it!!)

We all took a nap, ate a yummy dinner, and then made Easter sugar cookies. I kind of feel bad that it was basically like any other Sunday, but it was just what we needed. We read a few Easter stories and talked about Jesus' resurrection so the girls understood what Easter is really about! I found this scene after I woke up on Sunday afternoon.

(Poor Jordyn took forever to fall asleep and tried to come in and tell me that her hands were messy, but I didn't want to open my eyes and told her to go find daddy. She had eaten her chocolate bunny while we were sleeping and since no one would get up to help her, she finally fell asleep with her hands in the air so she wouldn't get anything dirty. They were covered in chocolate! Aren't I a great mother?)

Happy Birthday Babe!

It was Jim's birthday on Wednesday and even though this is a couple of days late, I still wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday. Last year on his 30th b-day, he was alone on business and didn't have anyone to celebrate it with. So this year was definitely better because he was home with us!

We bought a couple of colts around Christmas, and Jim wanted "horse stuff" for his birthday. So the girls and I went to Vickers (Western store) to pick something out. Yeah right! First of all, shopping with Avery is a nightmare (especially when she poops, hides in the clothes, runs off, and pulls all the horse shampoo bottles off the shelf). Second, I have no clue about taking care of horses and what they need. I don't know the right sizes of halters, bits, lead ropes, and anything else just to get them in the trailor. I couldn't even pick out a brush without help. Jim wants to get some cowboy boots and a hat to get back to his roots (I've been clearing out that part of his wardrobe since we got married!) but I didn't dare pick those out either. So sorry Babe! I tried and ended up leaving with a gift card and a poopy, sticky toddler (the sales clerk gave them suckers!!).

Jim is the greatest husband ever. I know he is the only man I could have married. He is such a great father and absolutely adores his little girls. He always thinks of his family first and sacrifices a lot of his time and hobbies to spend time with us. He is surrounded by females and I know there are times when he'd rather be fishing, but he stays with us and supports us through everything (even Ashtyn's ballet peformances twice a year where he has to watch men dance in tights). Jim knows when Mommy is about to go crazy and always tries to let me have some time away whether it is a girls weekend out of town, working out at the gym, or even a late night run to Walmart.

Jim has never been afraid to change a poopy diaper, give the girls a bath, wipe a snotty nose, watch a princess/barbie movie, or read countless books to show his love for his daughters. I am so appreciative that he helps out as much as he does. He definitely makes my job a lot easier (although for the life of him, he absolutely cannot do hair-not even a pony tail).

Jim is one of the hardest workers I know. He often puts in 50-60 hours of work every week. He is a very dedicated and reliable employee and does his job the best he can. I am so thankful I'm able to stay home with the kids knowing how hard Jim works to provide a nice living for his family. His greatest dream would be to wake up every day and get on the back of a horse at his ranch. But he has put that on hold while I get more "accustomed" to the idea.

I love you babe! Thanks for always making me feel loved and beautiful (even though I don't feel like it). Thanks for giving up countless hours of "guy fun" to spend time with your girls. Thanks for being your little girls' hero, prince, teacher, horsey, and dancing partner. We look forward every day for when you come home!

(I couldn't find a picture of just Jim, so the first is one with his Grandma from New Mexico last summer. It is one of my favorites 'cause I think he looks really cute!)

Sunshine and Snowboardin'

Jim and I went snowboarding together (finally!) on Saturday and had a blast. It was 40 degrees and totally sunny. We ended up taking off our hats, coats, and even gloves because we were so hot. Jim has the funniest sunburn on his face. He wore goggles cause it was so bright and totally looks like he still has them on. We are both still getting the hang of boarding but made a major improvement. I caught my back edge and biffed it hard twice. I mean head slamming the ground, hat and glasses flying off, me just laying there to get my bearings. I have been so sore the last couple of days, especially my neck. I think I got a good case of whiplash but it was still dang fun. Of course I forgot my camera, but I'll have to post a picture of our new boards when I take one-they are way sweet! By the way, new boards are especially slippery and fast! Be warned!

We had a fun weekend because the girls were at a sleepover at Grandma's (thanks Mom!). Jim and I went to a movie (10,000 B.C.-it was good) Friday night and spent Saturday together in Driggs (looking at a house we're interested in) and then boardin'. It's so good to spend time together without the kids every once in a while.

All About Avery!!!

Avery was tagged by her friend Elle Eaton! Elle's mommy was my girls' awesome baby-sitter while Mommy worked for about five months. Avery misses her like crazy and whenever the doorbell rings, she runs to the the door and yells, "Kara's here!".

We were so excited when Avery came out with lots of dark hair. She didn't keep it very long, but we thought she was a beautiful baby. Although she came as a suprise only 12 months after Jordyn, Mommy was so excited to be having another girl. She was our smallest baby at 6 pounds and was so delicate and sweet!
Avery has always been a very happy, smiley, playful baby! She didn't sleep very good for about the first 5 weeks, but then she turned into my best sleeper and still takes a 3-4 hour nap every day.

Avery has loved to eat since day one and will eat just about anything. The only time she was ever grouchy as a baby was because she was hungry. After some food, she was happy as can be again. She's also my messiest eater! She loves to rub yogurt in her hair and smash food between her fingers. Her favorite foods are bananas, grapes, spaghetti, ham, chicken, soup, and tootsie rolls!
Avery has an extreme passion for shoes. She tries on 3-4 different pair everyday. It doesn't matter if they are mine, her's, Jordyn's, Ashytn's, or Daddy's. She's not picky! She started trying them on when she was about 9 months old and hasn't given it up. She walks down the stairs in Ashtyn's dress-up shoes better than Mommy walks in heels. Since she's always so happy, if we ever heard Avery whining or getting upset as a baby, I immediately knew she was trying to get shoes on and was having a hard time. I was always right! Now she's a master at it, buckles and all, and was even trying to tie laces today when she put on a pair of Ashtyn's friend's shoes.
Avery is the busiest baby I have ever seen. The only time she lays or sits down is when she's sleeping, playing a certain game, or eating (which after about 5 minutes, she stands in her high chair). We always tease that we got a boy, and his name is Avery. She gets into every drawer, cupboard, and anything else she can pull out, dump, scatter, or make a mess. I never had to baby-proof my house because my other girls were never into this, but Avery doesn't stay still for a second. She is really good at entertaining herself, but Mommy gets tired trying to keep up with her and clean up her messes. Luckily, she likes to clean up now and sings, "clean up, everybody clean up" to herself.
Avery is very playful and mischevious! She loves to make people laugh and will put on quite the show if she has an audience. She loves being chased, playing hide & seek, peek-a-boo, and dancing. She is such a fun little girl and always keeps a happy mood in the house. Avery has been a very early talker and will say anything we say. Her vocabulary is amazing! She loves books and songs, and loves to sing. At only 22 months, she can count to 12, knows her ABC's, and sings tons of songs almost word-for-word. At her 18-month check-up, she sang "I am a Child of God" to the doctor, and he was blown away. Her current favorite song is "Learn of Me", a Young Women's song I started singing to her a couple of months ago. It has three long versus plus the melody, and she knows the whole thing. She also loves the "Sound of Music" and sings "Eidle Vise(?)" and "So do la fa me do re". She also love the "Enchanted" Soundtrack, Brooks & Dunn, and Taylor Swift. Whenever we get into the car, she always says, "I want that stupid 'ole pick-up truck". It is so dang cute to hear her sing, and we make her do it all the time!
Avery is one of the sweetest, happiest, most fun babies I know. I can't believe she is growing up so fast. Even though she can get a little sassy sometimes and bully her older sister Jordyn (hey-they're 12 months apart. They are either best friends or enemies!), she loves her sisters and they love playing together! While Ashtyn is at school and before Avery takes a nap, she and Jordyn usually play together every afternoon. Most of the time it is fun, innocent play, but sometimes they can be double troube. Like the time they climbed onto the table and ate all the cheetos, or the time they scooped all of the toilet water out of the potty and were swimming in it on the bathroom floor. They keep things rolling!!!!

We love you Avery, and even though you were an unexpected suprise, we know you were meant to be here at this time. You have brought so much love, happiness, and smiles to our lives. (And a ton of craziness, too! Could you maybe just want to snuggle all day with Mom tomorrow and not make any messes? I'm feeling a little tired!)

Avery tags Olivia Thomason and Max Loveless!

I want a job with perks!

Sometimes I wish I had my husband's job. Not the stressful, building of software, pressure of deadlines, management of people part, but the traveling and luxury part. Jim has been traveling quite a bit lately, and mostly to warm, sunny climates. He made me take this picture of him shoveling snow the day he left for Pheonix a few weeks ago. The other picture is him in Pheonix a few hours later. He put the pictures in his presenation to let the clients know how happy he was to be there. He's also been to California a couple of times, Chicago, Salt Lake, and soon to be in Dallas and Florida. Sometimes I wish our roles were reversed so I'd be the one on a plane to some warm destination, eating at nice restaurants, and sleeping at the Mariott. Jim says I'd get sick of traveling like he does and just want to be at home, but I think it would be quite a while before that happened!