gardner family

I am a failure....

2011-11-16T13:12:00.001-05:00

So, I am positive that I am a failure at blogging. I always think that I will do better, but I never do. However, I had a goal of getting this thing updated by the end of the year....let's see if I can get it done!

In order to get caught up, we are traveling back in time to spring!

In April, we went to a train museum with some friends. It was such a fun day (and super cheap), unfortunately Daxton was "tired", so we had to leave. When we were 10 minutes from home he threw up in the van. Glad we left earlier, so we didn't have to deal with that in the car the whole way home!

"T" Week at Preschool. All of the kids got their faces painted like Tigers. He had tons of fun being a tiger all day long!

With the help of my dear friend Bonnie, I made matching Easter clothes for the kids. I love how they turned out!

Here they are sporting their new Easter clothes.

The boys playing in the blossoms that dropped off of our tree. It is such a beautiful tree...but man it makes a mess!

This spring we decided to sign Kambry and Daxton up for soccer. This is how well it went....

Needless to say, when soccer was over, we were all relieved! Perhaps we'll try something different next year.

Kambry at her school choir concert in May!

Ricky had a CME conference in Cancun also in May. We went with our friends, the Smith's and had such an awesome time. We tried to eat all authentic food the whole time we were there....sometimes it was a little scary trying to get to the small restaurants at night, but we survived!
We did hit the Walmart there and can I tell you, they had THE best guacamole and mangoes that I have ever tasted in my life. Oh how I wish I could have brought some home with me!

This is our hotel at night.....it was such a nice place!

This is the view out our hotel window! Isn't it amazing?

We took a trip down to Chichen Itza. On the way we stopped and swam. I thought I would be fine without a life jacket, but I started hyperventilating and had to get out. Ricky enjoyed jumping off the cliffs off the side. It was so pretty. It also made me realize that I need to take swimming lessons to really learn to swim.

Chichen Itza and the Mayan Ruins

Seeing all these made me want to read up on the Mayan's and compare it to the Book of Mormon.

It was all so fascinating, however, the temperatures of 113 degrees didn't make me want to live there!

Xcaret

It was such an amazing trip. So glad that Ricky had his conference there, so we could travel a bit. The rest of the time was spent lounging by the pool, which may or may not have included a few naps and some good book reading.

A big thanks to Ricky's mom who came to stay with the kids, so we could have such a great time!

picture overload

2011-03-30T21:25:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to catch up on my blogging....here are a bunch of pictures from the year so far. I hope to get all caught up and stay caught up. Let's see if I can really do it!

So, January my little man turned 2. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is crazy climber and I am afraid will continue to scare me even until he is an adult with his climbing. We have tried everything we can to keep him safe...we'll see if we can succeed.

He is still allergic to milk, so this frosting was made special for him with soy milk. yummm!

Ricky took Kambry to a Daddy/Daughter Dance. It is put on by the city each year. Kambry was in Heaven as Ricky came home with flowers for her, took her to dinner, and danced the night away at the "Tangled" themed dance. They had so much fun just spending the night together. I think they are both looking forward to doing this more often!

We got so much snow this winter. If you look closely, you can see Ricky's car somewhere beyond that mound of snow!

Kambry came home from school with this paper that cracked me up. I love that she has no concept of money!!

Silly lunches to keep us sane through the long and torturous winters!

Here's Gus enjoying a cold yet sunny day. It doesn't happen often that the sun comes out, so we all have to enjoy them!

Kambry had a project for school to make a robot made of recyclables. It was so fun collecting items that we had used. She had enough that she had a lot to choose from. Here are her "Robot Plans" below.

Here is Kambry's robot. Before the paint job.

We even had enough saved up that Daxton could make a robot too.

Here is Kambry's robot after being painted. For some reason I never got a picture of the finished project. She ended up using buttons for the eyes and on the middle. She also added a bracelet from a carton of milk.

And for some reason I never got a picture of Daxton's either. He was so excited to take his to preschool for "R week" and show his off!

We ended up ripping out the carpet in our living room and getting new carpet. It was so nice to get rid of that old nasty stuff. It was so stained from the people before us, and it didn't help that Scout loved to pee on it too. I love our new carpet!

Here is an AWESOME picture of Ricky during Mustache March at work.

So thankful he shaved it off!

Just messing around with the camera, because that is what we do when we are bored and it is still freezing cold outside!

Finally Kambry's artistic masterpiece. It is the Tree of Life.

More to come shortly.

Grandpa and Grandma come for a visit

2011-02-28T14:16:00.009-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like this winter has lasted forever! We have had so much sickness throughout this winter, I will be so happy to see Spring! Anyway, aside for all the illnesses that have taken over our house, we have had some fun times!
I know all of these are long overdue, but that's how I roll...so, here you go!

My parents came out for Christmas this year. They were able to come for a week and the kids had SO much fun seeing Grandma and Grandpa. Jace really had a great time getting to know them. I wish we were closer, so the kids could see them more often.

One of the first things that had to happen when they got here, was building a snow man! He was huge!Grandpa and Ricky took the kids sledding on an awesome hill that we just found. It is right in our neighborhood and there is NEVER anyone there! It will hopefully remain a secret!

The boys loved going down backwards!We also had a Gingerbread House building contest...both teams did a great job!

Christmas Eve was full of lots of good food and drink as we sat around the table singing Christmas songs.
Here are the kids lining up Christmas morning...waiting to see what Santa brought!

This year Santa brought us one main present, a piano. We were all really excited!
The plan is for me and Kambry to take lessons this year.

Another huge hit was Daxton's Spiderman costume...who knew that it would be so loved by both young and old? Sorry Grandma...older.

We were lucky enough to have Grandma here on her birthday! It was fun to spend the day with her. We celebrated that night by going to Sesame Street Live. Fun right? We had planned to go see Wicked, but the tickets we could actually afford were all sold out. Well, it wasn't Wicked, but the kids sure loved it! (Even though Kambry pretended she was too old for it and said that she should have brought a book to read...we still saw her laughing!)

We were sad to see Grandpa and Grandma go, but we sure loved spending time with them. There are a lot more pictures to come, from the LONG winter!

does it ever end??

2011-01-14T09:22:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted anything, but wow...this week is one that deserves a post. It has been THE longest week of my life! (aside from me being on bedrest when I was pregnant with Dax.)

It all started on Saturday, Jace's birthday. We had the biggest snow storm. It just kept coming and coming. We had over 2 feet at our house. What a perfect day right? I love snow, but the unfortunate part, was that Ricky had to travel 25 miles to a psychiatric hospital to do some work there. Not a big deal, except when there is 2 feet of snow. It took him forever to get there. He did his work there and then headed home. He wanted to be home for when Jace woke up from his nap, so he could spend the rest of the day with him. Well, he called me about 4:30 and told me that he had a flat tire. He spent the next THREE hours trying to get it taken care of so that he could get home. It is a long story and I won't bore you with the details, but it was a frustrating time. He did get home just in time for cake and presents and to kiss the kids goodnight. Bad day, but we were headed to bed and Sunday was a new day!

Sunday....Ricky rounds on his patients at the hospital and meets us at church. He made it to the last two blocks of church, which we were thankful for. Church is over, we load up the kidlets and I am getting ready to leave, when Ricky knocks on my window. His car has a flat tire! Of all the rotten luck! So I thought, okay, it's alright, we can hurry and get this taken care of and get home. Nothing ever works according to plan. The tire was rusted on and it took a heck of a lot longer than it should have to get the stupid tire off. Finally a guy from our ward came out and gave it a few swift kicks and knocked it loose. Thank goodness! Bad weekend, but things can only be looking up right?

Monday morning...I head to the gym. Feeling good, ready to relieve some stress from the weekend. Go for a nice hard run on the treadmill and then head to pilates for some relaxation. Just what I need! So we start the class and we are doing some stretches, we roll up and stretch to our toes and I feel a "pop" in my back. Painful? Yes, but not too bad. I have a bad back anyway and usually some stretching helps loosen it up. I decide not to do too much more of the pilates and focus on stretching my back out. Big mistake. I stretch again and "rip". Extremely more painful than the pop. In fact, I am in so much pain, that I can't even move. I am stuck. Thankfully a friend of mine was right next to me and realized that something was wrong. I don't know if it was the groan, or the tears streaming down my cheeks, or the fact that I hadn't moved for a while. Long story short....pilates class was canceled. I was fireman carried out of the room to a massage table. (which was slightly embarrassing) Gently worked on by a sports medicine doc that just happens to work downstairs. Got a wheelchair ride to the car and have been lifted and carried almost everywhere ever since. Today begins day 5 of lying flat on my back. How long does it take for one to get bedsores? I have to admit though, that though I don't notice a huge difference in pain from the Vicodin and Valium...they definitely make my mind fuzzy and my dreams crazy and my legs wobbly! But my back does get slightly better every day.

Just one more thing to add to our string of AMAZING luck...the van wouldn't start this morning!
I hope that the rest of 2011 is a little better than it has started out.

Even though it has been rough, I have so much to be thankful for. I have such AMAZINGLY wonderful friends who have bent over backwards to help me out this last week. Thank you Emilee for setting up child care and meals...and all you did for me at the gym. You are so wonderful and I could never thank you enough! Bonnie, thank you for calling me every three hours to make sure I am still alive and not crazy from my drugs. (And thanks for offering to help me get to the bathroom...I am glad I haven't needed your assistance) And thanks to all who have watched my kids and made us meals. I love you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

more summer and some fall

2010-10-08T15:28:00.010-04:00

Here is a little bit more of our summer fun! Sorry for the picture overload!

Ricky's sister Kira came out to visit before she left on her mission. We had so much fun. We took her to the county fair which of course included a demolition derby! We also went to a baseball game and just hung out and played games and watched movies. It was so fun to see her one more time before she left!

We put the kids in swimming lessons this summer. Kambry took them last year, but it was really hard for her. This year I signed Kambry and Dax up for two sessions. Kambry had a hard time at first, but eventually warmed up to the water. Dax was a fish as soon as his toes hit the water. He may be a little too comfortable in the water.

Ricky had a conference in French Lick and stayed at the AMAZING French Lick Springs Hotel! Too bad I am too cheap to pay for everything there, but it was still a lot of fun. Because Ricky was in classes, I spent a lot of time in the pool with the kids. They all had life jackets, but some were still not okay with that. I told them they could sit on the side of the pool or get in and swim around. They chose to swim and swim and swim. It was sooo good for them to get more comfortable in the water.

While we were there a pediatric life-flight helicopter landed on the grounds. They were coming for the conference as well and since no one was in the helicopter we spent some time hanging out with the helicopter.This is a video of Kambry and Dax after French Lick. They did so much better after our trip!

We also had Aunt Jamie come up with the kids. It was so fun to hang out with them. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures. We did go swimming though and the kids (especially Jace) loved the water slide!

We also met up with our good friends the Miller's and rented a house by Indian Lake for a few days. It was so nice and relaxing! The kids loved being together again. We played in the water, played games, roasted smores (which was kind of crazy, because it was so hot!) and the girls practiced riding bikes without training wheels. The last day instead of just heading home, we decided to rent a boat. It was so much fun. We had such a fun day on the lake!

August was a busy month for birthdays. We celebrated Kambry's
6th birthday and also my 28th (yikes) birthday!

We also got a new horse named Ricardo!

Kambry started first grade. She absolutely loves it. She spends every morning at school reading with the second graders! She sure is a smarty pants!

The boys love going to the bus stop every morning with her!

We also celebrated Daxton's 4th Birthday. I can't believe how big he is getting.

Kambry started off the school year with a loose tooth. She was really excited when it got loose enough for daddy to pop it out!

At the beginning of September Ricky reseeded the lawn. Hopefully next year our lawn will look a little better.

On September 4th I ran my second half marathon...finishing 4 minutes earlier than my last one. It felt so good to meet the goals that I had set for myself. I couldn't have done it without these awesome ladies. I sure love them! Thanks for all the encouragement!

we're baaaaack!

2010-08-30T09:59:00.008-04:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. This summer has been so great. Ricky has had such an amazing schedule! We have had lots of time to spend together as a family!

Mid-June we had our family pictures taken. It hadn't happened for quite a while. In fact the last picture we had of Jace was when he was about 5 months old! Sorry buddy.
We found out about this AMAZING photographer, Lillian, from a friend. Oh, I am so glad we had her take our pictures. She was SO good with the kids and truly loves photography. Here is a snippet of our session with her. There are more posted on her blog that you can check out!

Thanks Lillian! We love them!
There will most likely just be a lot of pictures in this post and not a lot of words...enjoy!

Here is Jace doing what he does best...getting into trouble. He LOVES the toilet! Thankfully my older two do a pretty good job of flushing the toilet!

I know it was forever ago, but here are some pics for the 4th of July. I got this awesome cake recipe from this blog. It was something I had never tried before. I loved it and I got so excited to cut into the cake! (Sorry in advance for the sideways picture. For some reason my computer wouldn't let me flip it!)

We had a little get together with some friends for the 4th! It was lots of fun.

We also had some fireworks that we did at our own house with the kids. It was fun to see Jace. He LOVED it and thought he was such a big boy! He wanted to be out lighting all the fireworks with Ricky.

summer happenings

2010-07-15T15:18:00.002-04:00

Okay, I have a lot to blog about. We have been having a blast this summer, but unfortunately our beloved new puppy has chewed completely through our cord to the camera....so you will all have to wait until I can upload pictures, to find out what we have been up to!

dad

2010-06-20T16:46:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to Ricky! He is such an amazing dad. The kids think he is THE greatest person in the world. In fact each of them had a few things to say about their dad. I asked them what they love about their daddy....here are just a few things:

Daxton: that he wrestles with me, that he loves me, sometimes we play in the snow and we have snow fights and we throw snowballs and he throws one in my face, that is all.

Kambry: that he wrestles with me, that he helps me build a snowman, that he plays with me, and he loves me (I think she heard some of Dax's answers!)

Jace: aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh (running from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen and back to the living room) thusphhh, thissss...Let me translate...Jace loves playing chase with Daddy. (Ricky holds him and chases Dax and Kambry throughout the main floor of the house...living room, dining room and kitchen) as for the other two responses, I have no clue!

The kids are not the only one who loves him and think the world of him. I am so so thankful for Ricky. Although I don't get to spend nearly the amount of time that I want to with him, he is my everything! My best friend. The love of my life. I couldn't have ever asked for a better person to spend Eternity with! Thank you, Ricky for all that you do, for me, for our family! Thank you for loving us and showing us every day! I love you! Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-05T19:55:00.005-04:00

This morning Ricky and I ran the Sunburst 10k. I was a little nervous about it, because I haven't been running more than 3 miles and I have been having problems with my feet. But it went pretty good today...until I got home. I have been hobbling around like an old lady today. My poor feet and legs are so sore!
Thanks to Michelle and Kelly for keeping me going! Good job today ladies!
Ricky did amazing on his run this morning. He finished in 42 minutes...and that is with a hurt ankle! He was born to run! Way to go babe, you are amazing!

The 10k is over and now I have a bug. I have to train for something bigger. So I have successfully rounded up a couple of lovely ladies to run a half marathon with me in September. I am excited, but after running today, it makes me a little nervous! I guess that is why you train!

another addition

2010-05-27T11:02:00.003-04:00

We have decided it is time to add another little addition to our mix of craziness! We already have the five of us and Gus....he really isn't a member of the family, because well, that is his own choice. He doesn't like to be loved or really even touched for that matter. So, we wanted to add to the family with someone that would love attention and be sweet with the kids.
That being said, I would like to introduce you to Scout. He is our 9 week old Basset Hound. We have only had him for about two days, but he is so sweet and LOVES to give kisses! We are looking forward to actually having a pet that wants to belong to our family!

the lesson of LIFE

2010-05-20T20:51:00.006-04:00

From the time I was young, my parents taught me that you don't let anything go to waste...especially food. We were required to sit at the table until all of our food was gone, because we weren't allowed to waste food.
I remember one incident in particular when I was young, my mom made clam chowder...which I could not stand. (I don't know if was the texture of the clams, but ewww!) Anyway, my mom told me that I had to sit at the table until it was gone. I don't know how long it took me, but it seemed like HOURS. I complained to my mom that my stomach hurt. I didn't feel good, but I was told to finish. I finally swallowed my last bite, stood up, ran 6 feet to the kitchen sink and watched my dinner go down the drain. I swore I would NEVER do that to one of my own kids.
Fast forward 19 years....
Picture Daxton at the breakfast table polishing off his first bowl of "Cinnamon Life"and asking for a second. I pour him another bowl of cereal and after a few minutes he decides that playing around is more fun than finishing his breakfast. I let Dax know that if he doesn't finish his breakfast he will not be able to accompany us to the bus stop to send Kambry off to school. He continues to play and play. Finally it is time for us to go and he still has not eaten. I take Kambry and Jace and head out the door. (The bus stop is only two houses down the street.) Daxton comes outside screaming like a banshee. I am surprised the neighbors haven't opened their doors. We send Kambry off to school and head back to the house. I set Daxton back in his seat and tell him to finish his breakfast, or he won't be able to go to preschool...(I'll show him). He finally tells me that he will, but he wants help. So I sit next to him and proceed to spoon feed him soggy, mushy Life cereal. He takes one bite, gags and spits it back out on the spoon. I tell him he needs to eat it, so I put it back in his mouth. He promptly gags and I watch as his entire breakfast ends up back in his bowl of unfinished cereal.
Lesson learned!

dance

2010-05-12T21:39:00.003-04:00

Kambry has been taking a dance class once a week from a lady in our ward. She has had so much fun dancing with her friends and absolutely loves her teacher. We are so sad that she is moving! Thanks Miss Kristi for taking the time to teach the girls! Kambry had so much fun!

Maleficent's Power

2010-05-05T19:14:00.005-04:00

Ricky has been on Medicine this month, which means he is slightly tired! Okay, really tired. By the end of the day it is hard for him have a normal conversation, let alone keep his eyes open.

So tonight after dinner we had some time to read a few stories to the kids before they had to be in bed. Since daddy isn't home very often, he got designated to be the story reader. He did okay during the first story. By the second story, Maleficent's Revenge, words were starting to slur together and there were longer pauses in between sentences. Part way through the story, Kambry asked how Maleficent turns into a dragon....Ricky's reply..."Oh, by the power of the Priesthood". I started giggling and Ricky woke up and asked, "What did I just say?" I love when he talks in his sleep!

Last I knew, the priesthood wasn't given to women...and certainly not a villainous woman who would use that power to turn herself into a dragon!

yeah for running!

2010-05-01T13:30:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to my sister! I am so proud of her. She has NEVER been a runner. Ever. At the beginning of January she started running, being inspired by "The Biggest Loser". She figured if they could do it so could she. She started running and hasn't stopped! This morning she ran her first 5k in just over 29 minutes! Way to go Andrea! I love you!

Easter

2010-04-06T19:45:00.000-04:00

This year for Easter and General Conference, we headed down to Columbus, Ohio to visit friends and family. It was so nice to see everyone again. We had our own little Easter egg hunt and got to see the Easter Bunny. And of course, because we were away from home, Jace got sick again. It seems like every time we go away somewhere Jace gets sick. We were prepared though. We had his nebulizer and albuterol for his breathing treatments. I sure hope he will grow out of this one day! Here are a few pictures of our fun stay!

Mommy vs. Monkey

2010-03-28T20:03:00.005-04:00

I think every mom deals with curious kids. It is just part of having a little one. They start exploring their big, new world. Jace started out with the small stuff....climbing in cupboards and standing in the drawer under the stove. He soon got bored and moved to things a little bit higher. Our window seat in the kitchen came first, then he moved onto Daxton's train table...and it has only gotten worse from there.

So, in an effort to keep my child from seriously injuring himself, we have established a rule with the other kids. All rooms need to have the doors closed at all times...that will keep him off the dresser and out of the bathroom sink. As far as the kitchen table.....

let's see our little monkey work his way around this!

happy 7 years!

2010-03-08T14:34:00.008-05:00

In honor of our seventh anniversary, I have put together some pictures of our time together! It has been a wonderful seven years and I am so excited to spend Eternity with my best friend! Love you babe! Happy Anniversary!

stir crazy!

2010-02-27T23:02:00.003-05:00

I am going crazy people! I have been stuck in my house for almost TWO WEEKS! I really need to get out!
About two weeks ago I was out shoveling my driveway...trying to be a good wife and help Ricky out so he didn't have to shovel after being on call for 24 hours. I was halfway done with my driveway, when I felt this twinge in my back...and I knew I had done it again. I was even being really careful so I wouldn't hurt it. So, for the next week I got to sit on my couch with a heating pad stuck to my back! Poor Ricky. He was running around like crazy. Thanks babe for picking up the slack!
After sitting around for a week, I am finally feeling better and I can start doing my day to day things.
Then Wednesday Kambry comes home from school with pink eye! YUCK! The funny thing is, is that she has been sent home twice for "pink eye" when in fact is was just allergies. Then when she really does have it, they keep her at school all day! hehe!
Anyway, tonight Kambry is officially not contagious anymore...but now her brothers are! Grrr. Three kids with pink eye, that is six little eyes that needs 2 drops four times a day...for 10 days.
The older two do pretty good with it, but poor little Jace just hates it! I have to pin his arms down, hold his head still, pry open his eye and drop a cold, burning liquid in. At least he will still give me hugs after.
Now off to bed I go and tomorrow I will miss another week of church!

Utah again...

2010-02-15T13:16:00.002-05:00

So, two weeks after I got home from our Utah-Christmas trip, and had gotten back to regular life, I got a call from my mom saying that my grandma wasn't going to make it through the day. Grandma had been in and out of the hospital and was living in an Assisted Living center to hopefully regain her strength and get back to her condo. Unfortunately after I left, she took a turn for the worse.
I got of the phone with my mom and called my grandma. It was so hard to hear her like that. Her breathing was so labored. But it was so nice to talk to her. It was the last time I got to talk to her. She passed away just after 9:00pm.
The amazing thing, is that she got to talk to everyone (all her kids & grandkids) before she died. My dad said that she was very peaceful and ready to go. Although it was so hard to say goodbye to her, it made me so happy that she would get to see Grandpa again.
I am so thankful that I was able to go home for Christmas this year. I would have regretted not going forever! I was able to see her again and spend time with her, before she passed away. I am so glad that the kids got to see her and that she could meet little Jace!
I am thankful for the time that I had with my sweet grandma. She was ALWAYS such a wonderful example to me. She was was always so in tune with the spirit and always seemed to know when we were struggling and needed a little help. She loved everyone and served everyone. I hope that I can be a better person and become even half of who she was.
I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of life after our time here on earth. I can't wait to see her again. Love you Grandma! You will be missed.

My little man is ONE!

2010-01-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

Shortly after getting back for Utah, we got to celebrate Jace's birthday! I can't believe that he is already a year old. Time seems to be flying by!

He is such a sweet baby. Probably the easiest baby I have had! We love having him as part of our family. Some of his favorite things are...
Gus (he LOVES him. He squeals with delight every time he sees him. And Gus is so good with him. He lets Jace hit him over and over with his excited little arms!), Bath time...well any naked time, graham crackers, balls, his new stuffed puppy dog he got for Christmas, any time spent with Daddy. He also loves to wrestle and "doggy pile" anyone who is lying on the floor and finally his binky. He is a true boy!

We got to celebrate his birthday with the other first year residents, in conjunction with our "We're half way through first year" party!! It was fun to see him with his cake. Neither Kambry nor Daxton wanted anything to do with their cakes. They didn't want to even touch it. But Jace dug right in. That is all he did though. He didn't want to eat it, just play in it and shake it off his hands! (We didn't have any ice cream for his birthday celebration though. We found out while in Utah, that he is allergic to milk. Kind of a bummer. It has been a little difficult to get used to cooking with out dairy!)

We sure love Jace and are so thankful for him in our lives! I love that he still hangs his tongue out of his mouth like a little puppy. I love that he wants to be right in the middle of everything. I love that Kambry and Dax love to make him laugh and love to give him kisses. I love his sweet smiles and his cute contagious laugh!

Love you Jace!

Christmas in Utah

2010-01-09T15:21:00.008-05:00

Ricky had a week break right before Christmas, so we headed out to Utah to visit the family Unfortunately, the vacation started out with a nasty case of the stomach flu, which we passed on to quite a few people in Ricky's family. SORRY! Thankfully it was only a 12-ish hour bug and we were feeling better in no time.

After infecting Ricky's family with a nasty bug, we headed to my parents cabin and spent a few days up there working on our room and enjoying the mountain air. We took the kiddos out on some snowmobiles...which they didn't care for too much. (I think it was a combination of the noise and 16 degree weather!) The cabin is still a work in progress, but it is getting closer and closer to being finished. While we were up there Ricky and I worked on our room and were able to finish it up! (well, we still have the floor, but the walls and ceiling are all done!)

I think the best part of the cabin trip for the kids was seeing the two moose walking up the road, playing games with my parents and playing in my parents jacuzzi!

Sadly, that was the end of Ricky's trip and he had to head back home to ''real" life. The kids and I stayed for another two weeks. They loved spending time with cousins and grandparents. Kambry kept telling me that she wished we lived with Grandma and Grandpa so that she could see them every day. It is hard for her not to live by all of them. I think that each trip home gets harder for her, because she realizes how much she misses them and how much she wants to be with them. Sadly, I don't think we will ever live close enough to see them everyday, but hopefully we will live close enough that we can at least drive there for a visit.

There was quite a bit of snow there on our visit. It was a great chance to take the kids sledding. Sadly, I have never taken them sledding before. Kambry grew up in Ohio, where there really aren't many big hills...well, there was one, but it was about the only one and it was usually mud by the time we could even get there. So, my mom stayed home with Jace, and my dad and I took Kambry and Daxton sledding. There were some pretty steep hills about a mile from my parents house. We loaded up a small little plastic sled, and also the sled they have to pull behind the snowmobiles. I was nervous about how they would do, but we all had a BLAST. In fact, the worst part about it, was trying to get back up the hill so we could go down again. I am convinced that they need to put in a "sled lift". It would save so much time/energy!

And lastly, I lucky enough to go visit my sweet grandma a few times on the trip. She has been in and out of the hospital and we were worried a few times that she wouldn't make it long enough for us to see her. But she regained her strength and we were able to spend a little time with her. It was so nice to see her again and for her to meet Jace. We sure love her! What a blessing she has been in our lives!

We loved visiting family. It was so nice to spend time with them and can't wait to plan a trip back. (One where the whole family can be together and I don't have to fly alone with the kids!) Although we had fun, it was hard to be away from Ricky over Christmas. It was sad to have him all alone. I promised him that I wouldn't ever leave him for Christmas again.

cruise

2009-10-18T21:22:00.015-04:00

At the beginning of September Ricky and I went on our very first cruise! For a while we had been talking about planning one, but we just couldn't ever find the right time. Our good friends, the Miller's, finally convinced us that September was the time. We booked our tickets and counted down the days until our much needed vacation. (I can't wait to go on another one!)

Soaking up the sun!

On the top deck of the ship, there was a rock wall and 4 bungie trampolines. I really wanted to do some flips on the bungies, (they wouldn't let us) but once I got up there and started jumping, I quickly changed my mind. It was pretty high.

Formal Night

The first stop we made was in the Cayman Islands.

Here we are on a sailboat headed to Stingray City. I was a little nervous getting in the water with stingrays swimming all around us, but it was really cool! We got to hold them and even feed them. I think Ricky handled it a little better than I did.

After spending some time with the stingrays, we got to go snorkeling on a beautiful reef.

Here is our guide with a moray eel. Creepy!

Enjoying some local food....Jerk Chicken.

Our next stop was Cozumel, Mexico

We rented a jeep for the day and spent some time driving around the island.

Ashley and I enjoying our very yummy drinks!

We stopped here for lunch and did a little more snorkeling. I don't know what was in the water, (I heard they were little jellyfish-ish things) but I kept getting stung by them. I had marks all over my arms and legs from whatever it was. But it was still a good time.

One of the beaches we saw on our drive.

The guys with their champion volleyball team!

This is our "Gotta Dance" Team. One of the dancers on the ship choreographed a dance routine and taught it to this fantastic group, so that we could perform it the last night on the ship. Now I am not a dancer, but Ashley is. Jeremy really wanted Ashley to perform the dance but, she didn't want to do it alone. In return....the guys learned to salsa!
I was really hesitant at first, but it was a lot of fun learning and performing the dance...even though it was in front of almost everyone on the ship!

Now, our cruise would not have been as amazing as it was, if it weren't for these people here!
This is at dinner the last night of our cruise. Antonio and Joseph were our waiters the entire week. The food was amazing. I don't think I have ever eaten so much in my life. These two guys would bring out food faster than we could eat it. In fact, if they even heard us mention another plate of food, they would bring it out for us to try. And the sweet ladies in the back are Granny and Linda. These two ladies sat at the table next to us and kept us laughing each night. It was so great to get to know them and they certainly made the cruise even more memorable.

Jace

2009-09-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

Here is my handsome little man. He cracks me up. He is constantly smiling! At the end of August I had to take him to the ER because he couldn't breathe. He had gotten a nasty cold and it just went straight to his lungs. So we ended up at the hospital. After a little while in the ER they sent us to the PEDS floor for observation. I wish I had had my camera. He was in a little bed, (well a crib with metal bars) that looked more like a jail, and had a nasal cannula for his oxygen and every time he saw someone walk in he just started grinning from ear to ear! He is the happiest baby ever. I love it!

Here is his favorite trick. He is obsessed with his tongue and it
is ALWAYS hanging out of his mouth.

kindergarten

2009-09-29T21:42:00.004-04:00

Along with turning five, Kambry also got to start school! I can't believe my little girl has started kindergarten! It is crazy! The first day was kinda rough for me, seeing her getting on the bus. I think the hardest part was that she just bounded up the stairs without any hesitation. I didn't expect anything different....it just how she is, but it made me get all teary eyed. I realized at that moment, that I would no longer have control over what happened to her. I couldn't keep her away from mean kids, I couldn't protect her from getting her feelings hurt, I couldn't plug her ears when bad things were being said...my baby wasn't a baby anymore and I was sending her out into the world. (As much of the world that is seen in kindergarten!) I know that I am retarted and sound so protective, but it was hard for me! Although, I am positive that I am not the only mom that feels this way!

Anyway, enough about me. She absolutely LOVES school. She loves her teacher, her classmates, recess! After the first week of school I asked her how she liked school, and she told me..."Mom, school is hard! You have to eat lunch, do your alphabet, and write your name!" I started laughing like crazy! If only school that really that "hard".

Week two: the bus driver picks Kambry up and starts to pull away but then stops. She leans out and tells me..."Just so you know, Kambry has a boyfriend on the bus!" I about died! "He tells her everyday that he loves her!" WHAT?! Already I am thinking, this boy better stay away from her. She is only five years old. I gotta find out who he is, call his mom....okay, I didn't get that carried away, but I was still shocked.

So when Kambry got home from school I asked her..."So, I hear you have a boyfriend on the bus..." She starts to giggle and says, "Oh yeah, his name is Sam*" "How old is Sam?" I ask. Oh, he is in my class at school. PHEW! I can handle a five year old.
(*Name has been changed to protect his innocence.)

One other funny conversation we have had since school started went something like this:
Setting (Kambry's bedroom...me trying to get her to go to sleep!)
Me: Kambry you have got to stop playing and get to sleep.
Kambry: okay
10 minutes later...
Me: Kambry, honey, you really need to get to sleep. You are going to be so tired in the morning.
Kambry: (silence)
Me: Do you know why you are so tired in the morning?
Kambry: no...
Me: It's because you don't go to sleep at night.
Kambry: No mom, do you know why I am so tired in the morning...It's because you wake me up so early!

After a month and a half, things are still going well. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will eventually get some control over her emotions (which have been completely out of whack since she started school!). But it hasn't just been hard on her. Poor little Dax has lost his best friend. They would spend ALL day together playing and playing. It is hard for me to see him now walking around like a lost little puppy. He has become more emotional than he ever was, but it has got to be hard on him to have so many changes in such a short time. He has really become a mama's boy! Not that I mind. It is fun to have a little buddy!

German tradition: Kids get a "Schultute" on their very first day of school. It was so fun to do this for Kambry. We filled it with some candy, a shirt, socks, and her lunch box. She was so excited!

Here she is waiting for the bus! Can you see the excitement?!

birthdays galore!

2009-09-24T21:35:00.008-04:00

Well, August was a fun month for us, we got to celebrate three birthdays! First was Kambry's. I cannot believe she is five! I am so surprised at how fast the past five years have gone.

For her birthday this year Kambry really wanted to have a princess party and cake. We ended up having a princess cake and a Pinkalicious party. The party was so much fun. We played "pin the pink-tails on Pinkalicious, made pink crowns and decorated cupcakes, the girls blasted disney music in the basement and had a "dance off" and then ended up playing with the pink balloons we had used for decorations. I was planning on doing some other things, but it was nice for the girls just to be able to run around and play. Everything at the party was pink...of course. Including the food. It was so fun!

Here is Kambry at the end of the day....exhausted. Her barbies had a rough day too and they appreciated being tucked in!

We celebrated my birthday next. I finally got a smaller camera that I can just put in the diaper bag and have it for everything. I was so excited! Thanks Ricky!

And last but certainly not least, we celebrated Daxton! He is three! I can't believe it. I really just feel like he should still be my little baby, but he isn't. He is getting so big.

I felt really bad about his birthday this year. I was planning on having such a fun dinosaur birthday party for him, but then Jace got sick (see next post) and I didn't want to pass anything to anyone else or have Jace get even more sick. Thankfully he wasn't upset about it! Ricky did make him a Dinosaur cake though!

We are so thankful for our kids and love them like crazy! They are just the sweetest and such a blessing to us. We are so thankful that we have the opportunity to raise them and spend everyday teaching them, laughing with them and crying with them! I look forward to this next year with them!

the joys of home ownership!

2009-09-24T20:42:00.005-04:00

So a while ago, I was out at the store and I got a phone call from Ricky. He said that he had been out in the garden weeding (it was his day off), when it started to rain. He and Dax hurried and got things cleaned up and then camped out in the sunroom to watch the rain. A few minutes later Ricky heard this loud crack, almost like gunshot....lightning you may say.....nope......it was our tree. A third of it fell, right towards the house. Thankfully the tree wasn't a foot taller or it would have crashed right through the window and landed right in Ricky's lap! (or crushed him!)

We are so thankful for friends that helped us out with the cleanup! It would have taken us forever to get it cleaned up by ourselves! So, since we don't have a truck, it took some creativity to get all the branches into the back of our van to haul them away. About a week later while Ricky was taking care of the the last load of branches, I sat at home and folded laundry. I suddenly heard a loud cracking noise...I look up and this is what I see...a second 1/3 of our tree lying on our flower garden. I was so close to tears....it was Ricky's day off.

So, Ricky gets home from dumping the branches, and I got to be the one to show him how he would be spending his day. His reaction..."Are you serious?!" I felt so bad. This time, instead of searching around for a chain saw, we just went and bought one. We figured with our luck we would have another chance to use it.

We couldn't just leave the 1/3 of the tree that was still up standing. So we cut down the remainder of the tree. It was kinda sad to see it come down, it was our big shade tree in the backyard.

This time instead of hauling all the branches away ourselves we posted "Free firewood, if you haul away the branches" on craigslist. It was gone the next morning!

2009-09-21T15:30:00.001-04:00

I have been accused of not keeping my blog updated! I am offended and cannot believe that there are people out there that think I am slacking! Okay, really I am not offended, because I will be the first to admit that I am horrible and keeping this thing up-to-date! So, that said.....I will be doing a new post....later!

graduation present

2009-08-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

So, I have been meaning to post this, but I kept forgetting to take a picture of it. I feel like this is post worthy, because I don't consider myself a "sewer". That is why it took me two years to make this, but this is what I made for Ricky for graduation! Thanks to all who helped me out....I definitely could not have done this without your help!

summer madness

2009-07-31T11:45:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to catch up on the blog, I am just going to post some pictures of some of the rest of our summer activities.

Jace just before his haircut!

For playgroup we got to go to the local firestation. It was so fun for the kids. (I fell in love with their kitchen! One day I will have one with that much space....or at least more that I have now!)

Each of the kids got a chance to spray the fire hose!

Unfortunately, Jace's experience wasn't as enjoyable as the rest of the kids. Somehow he got sprayed with the hose and he was NOT happy!

Meet Gus...aka Gus Gus!

Now, for those of you who really know me, would be asking "WHY??" Why on earth would ever get a cat. I did it for the kids. That's all. I thought it would help them with Ricky gone so much. He is a cute kitten, but kind of a stinker! He is growing on me, and I think that I will like him even more when he gets his claws removed!

Kambry thinks that she is his mom!

Jace's first encounter at the beach. Let's just say he wasn't a huge fan. We have been a couple times since then. He has now discovered that sand it much better when it is in his mouth rather than his eyes!

Kambry with some friends at the neighborhood 4th of July parade!
(We were the parade!)

Dax learning to ride his new big boy bike!

Kambry feeling Jace's new "toofers".

Poor Jace! One day he will be big enough to fight back...and get even!

Kambry + Daxton + Jace + bubbles= one sticky mess! They wanted to make his hair curly. Unfortunately they got it on more than just his hair. It was in his mouth and eyes. Needless to say they were grounded from bubbles for a while!

A nice one to end on....it was a pretty disgusting and tricky diaper change. Thank you Jace!

Graduation & Mackinac Island

2009-07-20T20:18:00.001-04:00

I am slowly but surely going to catch up with all the fun stuff that has been going on!

After our fun family reunion with the Gardner Family, everyone stayed in town and my parents made a trip out, for graduation! It was hard to believe that this time had actually come. It was nice to have our family come out and support Ricky.
I am so proud of Ricky and all his work! He has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and it is nice to see him reaching his goals! The next goal...surviving residency!

After graduation, my parents headed up to South Bend with us and were such a huge help! They worked with us for days on little odds and ends projects, that aren't too hard but very time consuming! It was fun to have them there and so nice to work with them. We are so thankful for all of their help!

But it wasn't all work! For a few days, we headed up to the tippy-top of Michigan to Mackinaw City. We got to go on a tour of a lighthouse and Kambry was in heaven as she climbed to the top and got a nice view of Lake Michigan! We also headed up to the upper peninsula took a tour of a pretty cool shipwreck museum and skipped rocks on Lake Superior! To wrap up our visit, we headed on a ferry to Mackinac Island. I had never heard of it before, but it was so fun. There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island, only bikes and horse drawn carriages.

Grandpa and Grandma Jessop

In front of the bridge that connects to the upper peninsula

looking for good "skipping" rocks

on the ferry to the island

Main street on the island. Notice the horse manure in the middle of the street? It's everywhere! But I love the bike parking all along the street!
The Grand Hotel
(featured in the movie "Somewhere in Time")

If anyone is interested in booking a night there, the price for rooms range from $646-$988 per night! Pocket change right?! Actually, it was really interesting. After a certain time during the day, you have to be in formal attire. It was really fun to see it. It is absolutely ENORMOUS! We didn't get to tour the grounds, because you had to pay, just to walk around the hotel. Anyway, it was fun to see what we did get to see.

Also while we were on the island, we took the kids to a Butterfly House and Insect Museum. It was so neat! We walked into a room where butterflies were flying all over. I have never seen so many different colored butterflies. The funnest part, was that one particular butterfly LOVED Kambry. She must have had a certain scent or taste about her. But the butterfly basically followed her around the entire time. It landed on her head and hands and all over her clothes. She loved it.
Thanks again to my parents for planning the whole trip. It was really nice to have a vacation before starting residency. And it was so good for the kids to see their grandparents!

GFR '09 (Gardner Family Reunion)

2009-07-15T22:10:00.013-04:00

To kick off summer we had a family reunion with Ricky's family. We were in charge of it this year...kind of a crazy time to be planning one, but it was worth it. We all met in Rochester, New York and immediately got started. The first night we went to The Book of Mormon publication site. It was neat to see it again, but man was it a challenge to keep all 11 kids quiet (it never happened) and paying attention to the sister missionaries. The next morning we started early and visited probably one of my favorite places ever! The Sacred Grove!
I remember on the way to the grove, I was feeling a little frustrated with my kids, but the second we pulled in the parking lot and even before I got out of the car, my heart was so full and I could just feel the most amazing spirit! Before entering the grove, we had a little devotional, which only made the experience even more amazing. It was so neat to stand outside the grove and sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer". I can't even explain exactly how I felt, but I do know that there was no doubt in my mind that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in that very grove. It was such an amazing feeling.

Kambry enjoying her Grandpa at the morning devotional

Jace just being Jace...happy!

Next we headed to the Hill Cumorah. I have been to the temple there before, but I haven't ever gone up to the top of the hill. It was pretty amazing. It had such a nice view of the sacred grove. One other amazing thing about it, was that there we guys there mowing the lawn....pretty impressive. It is a crazy hill. I could barely walk up it. I felt bad for the guys attempting to mow the lawn!
After the Hill Cumorah, we headed to Niagara Falls. This is the second time we have been there. We took went when we first moved out to Ohio. Kambry was just a baby, so it was fun to have the kids and see their reaction to the "hunormous waterfall."

The next day we headed to the Kirtland Temple. While at the LDS visitors center we were able to see Angela Johnson's bronze sculpture exhibit, The Healing Power of Jesus Christ. The statues are amazing! If you have the chance to go see them, do it. We were lucky enough that they extended the exhibit for a few days, so that we could see them. I guess that the plan is to make all 13 of these life size!

Ricky playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" with the kids

After having a few spiritually uplifting days, we decided to take a break and head to Cedar Point! Awesome! I love that place. We all kind of took turns hanging out with the kids in Snoopy Land and going on rides with them. I was so lucky to have gone on the tea cups about 5 times in a row! I was so thankful to be relieved from that post! YUCK! It was a lot of fun though seeing the kids get so excited about the rides. I did take Daxton on one roller coaster, and even though he was big enough to go on it with me, it was REALLY scary for him. He had a death grip on me the entire time! Poor thing! I think we will wait a few years before trying another roller coaster with him.

The "scary" rollercoaster

packing, moving, unpacking...

2009-06-19T08:29:00.010-04:00

We have seriously been running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Life has been SO crazy! Unfortunately, by the time things start to calm down, Ricky will be starting work! So much for having extra time to relax!WARNING: this post will most likely end up being very lengthy!

So the month of May was literally spent packing up the house. We have collected so much stuff in the last four years it is amazing! Our number one rule while packing was "If we haven't used it in the last 4 years, it is garbage!" That helped get rid of some things, but with having three kids, we have an insane amount of STUFF! In fact, I was a little embarrassed while everyone was packing up the truck. The boxes just kept coming and coming! I don't know what we will do for our next move. Maybe just hire someone to move for us and let them figure out how to move it all! A big thanks to all those who helped me out during this crazy time...watching the kids so I could pack up a box before it got torn apart...packing up the truck...and the yummy yummy food! Thanks!

Moving went great....thank goodness we weren't going far! It was so nice to get to our house. When we pulled up there were so many people there to welcome us. They had gotten the key from our realtor and had started cleaning the house. They had pizza delivered and took the kids so we could unload the truck! It was so nice to have all the help and to see all of our new friends there waiting to help out! It made leaving our old place and all of our friends a little easier!

With the move, we also lost our health insurance. I was really nervous about not having insurance for almost 2 months. I wasn't so worried about myself or Ricky, but mostly the kids. I just knew that one of the older ones would end up in the ER! But, I just decided that I would lock my kids in their rooms for the next 2 months....just kidding. I just crossed my fingers nothing would happen.
I guess it wasn't the kids that I needed to worry about! (This is after TWO days in our new house! TWO!)
We were in our storage room and I asked Ricky hand me a tote. He bent down to grab it for me and WHACK! He hit it on a piece of wood sticking out of the wall! Sorry babe!

But despite what all of you think, it was really my family following me to Indiana so that I could practice medicine!Yes, that is a bottle of super glue....and man I did a good job gluing his head back together!
Okay, not so lengthy, but stay tuned there is MUCH more to come!

the craziness of our lives

2009-04-26T21:49:00.005-04:00

It has been a while, but we have not been sitting around picking our noses....well some have, some haven't!
What a crazy month it has been. Here are a few things that we have been up to in the past few weeks.
I'll start with Easter: It was such a fun weekend for us. Sadly, we didn't do any Easter Egg Hunts, because it was just too cold. (I guess we could have done some in the house, but we didn't.) We did take the kids to a "hunt" at a park in town. It isn't really a hunt though. They have a field filled with eggs, it is all roped off and they count to three and let the kids run and collect eggs. Basically you just have to be faster than the other kids to get any eggs. They kids loved it, they loved eating the candy they collected, and they loved seeing the Easter Bunny.

Things are going well with the house and we have set a closing date for the 1st of May! Hurray! We are excited that all is going as planned. We were a little nervous, thinking that the sellers wouldn't want to replace the things that we asked them to, but it is all working out. We are scheduled to pack up the truck on May 6th and head to the new house! But before we can pack the truck we have to pack the boxes. When we moved into our apartment here, we walked in and thought that we were in the most spacious apartment. We didn't even have enough furnishings for the house. Now, here we are almost 4 years and two kids later, we are busting at the seams! It is crazy how much stuff we have accumulated! Although I don't necessarily enjoy packing, it has been nice to go through a lot of things and get rid of a bunch of stuff that we don't need/won't need or haven't used in the last four years. It is a very long process though...especially with the kiddos around.

We have had quite a bit of rain so far this spring. But, the last few days have been really nice. So, we but away the boxes for a bit and played outside. We headed to COSI, (a science museum) the zoo....twice, playing croquet, and just spending lots of time outside! The kids have loved it and it has been nice to spend some time with friends that we will really miss when we leave.

With the beatiful spring weather comes one of my favorite activities....garage saleing...selling...sailing? However you spell it, I love it! I love the deals that you can get. My favorite find so far this year is a cute shirt...for $1...tags still on! Unfortunately, Ricky made me promise that I wouldn't get anything else until we have moved!

And last but certainly not least, on Friday Ricky finished his VERY last day of Medical School. I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard to get to this point! Good Job babe! I love you and I am so thankful for all that you have done for our family!

house hunting

2009-04-03T14:07:00.004-04:00

After several months of looking for a house, we finally found one. I started looking months ago in South Bend, just in case we matched there. We felt really good about moving there, so we searched and searched. We probably looked at hundreds of houses. We finally narrowed it down to about 20 houses that we liked. So, we made a trip up there to meet with a realtor and take a look. What a disappointing trip! Every house we looked at had something wrong with it...like the house that didn't have a bathtub, or the backyard that had so many trees that we would never be able to have grass. (A dirt backyard just isn't the best with little kids!)
So we came home completely frustrated. We were told to be patient, that perhaps the house we were supposed to be in wasn't even on the market yet. So we waited....and just a few days after coming home from South Bend, we found the house we wanted! It looked like the perfect fit for our family!
Ricky headed up one more time to look at a couple of houses, but we wanted to look at that specific one that would work best for us. Things went really well and unlike all the others we had looked at, the house was even better than the pictures! So we put an offer on the house and after a few counter offers we settled on a price!
We still have the inspections and closing, but we have found a house! Hurray! I have yet to see the house, but Ricky says I will love it! We are so excited and so thankful to have a place to live the next few years!

Residency Match

2009-03-19T13:38:00.003-04:00

Ricky found out where he is going for residency today! We are going to South Bend, IN. Ricky is doing a family medicine residency there. At a minimum, we will be there for 3 years, but we might stay for 4 if Ricky decides to do an Obstetrics fellowship (so he can do C-sections). More to come, but right now we are off to South Bend to find a place to live!

The Best 6 Years!

2009-03-18T19:14:00.003-04:00

I have been a little behind, but I am working on getting caught up.

On March 8th, Ricky and I celebrated our 6th year anniversary! I can't believe that I have been married that long. It has gone by so fast, and yet some days seem to last forever!
Marrying Ricky was the best choice that I ever made! I am so thankful for him in my life. He is so patient with me and is constantly helping me to become a better person. He is the greatest person I know. I love him so much and I am so thankful that he is a part of my life. Thank you Ricky for treating me like a queen! You are amazing and I can't wait to see how the next six years are!

So, for our anniversary, Ricky and I had a day full of fun! We started out rock climbing, at an indoor rock wall. It was so much fun, but I realized that my body has turned to jell-o since having a baby. Hopefully I will get some muscle tone back and I will be able to do a little better next time!

Afterward, we headed to the Arnold Schwarzenegger expo. For those of you who have never heard of this, or have never had the opportunity to go, you are really missing out! It was crazy! There were a totally different breed of people there! Seriously, just go check out some of the pictures....crazy!

Then we headed to dinner. We have tried 3 times in the last 2 years to make it to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate either our anniversary or a birthday, and it has never worked out. So, once again we headed to there for dinner. Well, it was an hour wait and we wouldn't be home in time for the kids to go to bed, so we ate at Red Lobster instead! (Thanks Ricky for helping me realize that I really do LOVE seafood!)
It was such a great day! It was nice to spend a whole day with just Ricky...and Jace!

Thanks to Jon and Jamie for watching the kids, so we could!

Blessing Day!

2009-03-16T08:41:00.000-04:00

On March 1st, we blessed baby Jace. It was such a wonderful day. We were sad that all of our family couldn't be out here to see it, but we were able to celebrate with Ricky's brother and his family and some friends! I love listening to the special blessings that are given. I already know that he is a special little baby, but it makes me realize even more how perfect and amazing these little babies are. We as parents have such a HUGE responsibility to teach them and help keep them on the right path, so that our little ones will make it back to live with our Father in Heaven again some day.

Anyway, we wanted to post some pictures of the family that were taken that day, but here is the story.
We (like usual) were running late for church, so we couldn't do it before. After church Kambry had a fever and was so grumpy and Daxton fell asleep on the way home. So we planned to take a picture of the family right after they woke up. But then...

So, we waited a few days for sickness to leave the house and we tried again.

Thanks Grandma for making his little outfit!

21 Things about my wife

2009-03-11T20:21:00.004-04:00

I know that there are posts out there where bloggers post 21 random things about themselves. I decided hijack Carissa's blog for an evening and post 21 things that people don't know about her (some of them, she might not even know about herself). Hope this works out for everyone's good.

21 things about Carissa...
1. She is deathly afraid of spiders. Though she is getting better, I still do all the spider slaying in the house.
2. As a child, she loved to wear multi-colored stretch pants.
3. She has a phobia of drinking out of dark glasses...if she can't see the bottom of the cup, she won't drink from it. Wouldn't want a fish to be hiding at bottom.
4. She loves putting peanut butter and syrup on her pancakes.
5. There was one time that my family actually thought that she was quiet AND shy. Boy did they get that one wrong.
6. Though she has lived in Utah for over 22 years, and to my utter shame, she has never been snow skiing.
7. She does water ski though, and can even ski with one ski (with her eyes closed).
8. She loves "Lost" and sometimes insists on calling me Jack and wants me to be a neurosurgeon.
9. When she was younger she could blow air out of her tear duct, then one day she tried to blow milk out of her tear duct. Her tear duct has been clogged ever since.
10. Her 13 year old niece is taller than her.
11. When we were first married, she couldn't even run a half mile without stopping, and now she has ran a half marathon and is starting training for another half.
12. Her three favorite foods are ice cream, ice cream and ice cream.
13. She has neat-freakitis! Even 6 years of being married to me hasn't cured her of this disease, but I'm devoted to finding a cure.
14. Despite being a professed seafood hater when we got married, she loves sea food. Our last dinner out she ate lobster, crab, shrimp and salmon.
15. She wants to go back to school to be a nurse...as if she isn't getting enough of nursing right now. Jace thinks she is the best nurse of them all....or would that be nurser?
16. While we were dating, she owned and wore a pair of tight red pleather pants. I've got pictures to prove it.
17. Though she has no problem with poop, she can't do anything with vomit. Good thing I am the other way around.
18. She can't swim, despite growing up in a family that went boating all the time and spending plenty of time in the water...with a life preserver of course.
19. She taught me to burp, and still wins hands down whenever we have a burping competition.
20. She is the most lovable, caring person that I know, and I am forever thankful she is my wife and my children's mom.
21. She still wears multi-colored stretch pants when nobody is around ;)

I would tag some other guy to do the same thing...but what's the point?

we are still alive....barely!

2009-02-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been a while. Life with three munchkins is a little harder than I had expected. I feel like I am constantly running late and always behind on everything. But we are surviving and loving our new little Jace.
He is growing like a weed. We feel like we can literally watch him grow. It is crazy. He is 6 weeks today and is still spending almost the entire day sleeping!
I took him for his one month appointment and the kid had already gained a ton of weight. At his one week appointment he was back up to his birth weight, 6 lb 3 oz....at his one month appointment he was 8 lb 9 oz! I couldn't believe it! Well I can, because he was eating about every two hours!
He is doing better at night too. Two nights ago he only got up once to eat! Way to go Jace! It was so nice to get a little more sleep!
The kids seem to be adjusting well to life with a baby around too. Dax is so good with the baby. If Jace starts to cry he will run over to him and with just one finger he will start to stroke baby Jace's face and say "shhh, it's okay, I am here!" What a sweetheart. He is also very willing to share all of his toys! I just hope that he continues to be this good to him when he gets bigger.

Kambry considers him her baby doll. She loves to kiss him and hold him...and wake him up. I can't complain that she loves her baby too much, because there are worse things that could happen. I do have to constantly remind her that she is not allowed to pick him up. She has only tried that a couple of times, thankfully. And both of them are more than willing to share toys with him. Yes, those are refrigerator magnets that Dax is sharing.

I have heard that sometimes with a third baby you have to worry about how the older children will react. Kambry is still her girly girly self, but I am a little concerned with Daxton. He seems to be going through a bit of an identity crisis.

This is my son...dancing in a tutu pretending to be Spiderman. Any suggestions on how to convince him that his "hero" doesn't wear dresses?

it's a BOY!!

2009-01-12T10:27:00.006-05:00

Jace William Gardner graced us with his presence on January 8th! He weighed in at 6 lb. 3 oz and 19 1/2 inches long!
I went to an appointment earier that day and was dilated to a 5 and 80% effaced. The doctor didn't really know what to do with me. I was having some Braxton Hicks, but no contractions...yet I was still progressing. Because I wasn't even 38 weeks yet, she couldn't induce me to give me that extra little push I needed to go into labor. So she sent me home. I was told that if I had any increased pressure or ANY contractions...even if they weren't strong or regular, I needed to go straight to the hospital. My labor with Daxton was pretty quick and the doctor was nervous that if I waited until they were regular, that it would be too late and I would be delivering at home.
After my appointment, I went home and for the next 6 hours I had some Braxton Hicks and debated about going to the hospital or not. I started having a few that were stronger, but they still didn't even hurt. But I figured that I should just follow the doctors advice and be safe rather than sorry. I headed to the hospital, feeling completely retarted, because I wasn't even really in labor. I was really worried they would just laugh at me and send me home, but at the same time, I didn't want to deliver at home, if I was still progressing.
So we made it to the hospital at 4 pm, I got all checked in and they checked me. I was at a 7! I was still 80%, so they had to get on the phone and ask the doctor what they wanted to do. As we waited, a nurse came in and started setting up for labor. I guess that was our answer. We were having a baby!
So I got my epidural, (they had to stick me three times, talk about painful!) and then they broke my water. The next thing we had to do, was just wait. It was so nice. I got to sit and talk and laugh with Ricky and the nurses and the midwife for about two hours, while we waited. I love epidurals! The baby's heart rate started dropping, so they decided to get me pushing. I pushed for about 20 minutes, until our little Jace was born!
What a miracle. I am so thankful to have him as part of our family. I started thinking about how the last person Jace saw before coming to this earth, was our Father in Heaven, and about how incredibly amazing that is!
Kambry and Daxton love their new baby brother and want to hold him and touch him all the time. They are very excited about sharing their toys with him, so we had to have a talk about not putting any toys in his bed for right now. They are so sweet and so soft with him. I am excited and pretty nervous for three kids, but I think I will have two great little helpers!

sheep & gingerbread houses

2008-12-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

So, while Ricky was gone, I took the kids to the ward Christmas party. I had to worry about getting dinner for three by myself and keeping the kids in line! It was crazy! I was very thankful for a neighbor who told me that if I held all the plates he would dish them up. It made things a lot easier. (My belly came in very handy too!) Anyway, after dinner they did a little Nativity program and then we made gingerbread houses.
Kambry, being a Sunbeam, got to be a part of the Nativity this year. A week before she was told that she got to be a sheep. She was devastated! She didn't want to be a little sheep, she wanted to be Mary...(as I am sure that every little girl dreams of being). She cried the whole way home from church. It was really sad!
For a week I tried to convince her, that it was okay to be a sheep and that they needed a really mommy to play that part of Mary. Nothing helped. Until I went to my friends house and she told Kambry about being a donkey in the nativity. Kambry giggled and giggled at her story, and by the end of the night, she realized that the sheep was just as important as Mary...(well almost!) and was excited to play her part! (Thank you Laura for your help!)
So we captured a few pictures of her during the whole program, but this was by far my favorite! After about two minutes of the program, she was completely bored out of her mind!

After the program, we made gingerbread houses. It was fun for the kids, but I realized that me trying to take the two kiddos home and all of our food items we had taken with us, there was no way I was going to get the houses home in one piece, and not get frosting all over in the car. I told Kambry she had to leave it at the church and we would make one when daddy got home. Surprisingly she took it very well, and left without a fuss!
So, to keep to my word, we all worked together to make a gingerbread house when Ricky got home. It was a little frustrating at first, and the first one ended up in the garbage, but here is the second one. (I think that the kids ate more than they actually put on the house!) Needless to say, I don't know if this will become a Christmas tradition for us!

pregnant...still!

2008-12-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have been bad at posting pictures of my belly...for more reasons than one! But here is a picture for all to see! This is me at 35 weeks..and yes, that is my belly button sticking out!

Interview Trail

2008-12-22T16:54:00.001-05:00

Well, Ricky spent the month of December out on the interview trail. He had two interviews at the end of summer in Indiana, but the rest were all during the month of December.
The last day of November he headed out to Utah, so start his interviews. He was gone for 2 1/2 weeks, leaving me home with the two kids. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I was getting bigger and bigger while he was gone, and unfortunately I am not a very patient person when I am pregnant. I tried to be a good mom, but it was hard...especially towards the end!
Ricky's interview trail took him from Utah, to Idaho, to Washington. Let me tell you, that by the end of the two and a half weeks, I was not the only one excited for interviews to be over! Ricky was so tired of driving/flying and the kids and I were sick of not having him around! It was nice to have him home right before the holidays!
Thanks to all of you who helped me survive the long weeks of being pregnant and husbandless!
Here are a few pictures of us keeping ourselves busy!

Even though he is a prince with his cape on, he still likes to read about princesses!

Here are the kiddos on their "airplane" taking a ride to Utah to see Daddy!

When we first moved out here, I had a friend tell me that I would be surprised at how fast school would go. I laughed and thought...what does she know! But it is so true. We are now in the last year of school and interviewing for residency! I can't believe how fast it has gone, and though I am excited to move on, I am really having a hard time, because I have made some really amazing friends that I know I can't take with me!

ode to moms!

2008-12-05T14:20:00.006-05:00

I got this in an email from my sister-in-law, and I thought that it was blog worthy. I know that most of my readers are mom's and can completely relate to this! So, enjoy!

If you can't double click on it to make it bigger, here is the link to read the article: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments_related/185672.php

hero by day...and night

2008-11-22T11:19:00.004-05:00

I've Been Tagged! - Hubby Tag

2008-11-15T14:36:00.002-05:00

1. Where did you meet your husband? In the singles ward

2. How long did you date? 6 months
3. How long have you been married? 5 years 8 months-yesterday was the 6th year anniversary from when he proposed!
4. What does he do that surprises you? He can't surprise me! I know all!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His eyes
6. What is his best quality? He has so many, but I love his honesty! (Even when he tells me my belly is getting big!)

7. Does he have a nick name for you? Sweets
8. What is his favorite food? Any type of food, german cheesecake, and black forest cherry cake

9. What is his favorit sport? running, biking and watching OSU football games

10. When and where was your first kiss? At the dorms that I lived in...2002

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Watch movies and play games
12. Do you have children? Two and one on the way

13. Does he have hidden talents? Not really hidden...but he is an amazing runner! He could go forever without running and up and run some insane distance. He is also so smart....He really knows something about everything! I wish he could pass some of his knowledge to me!

14. How old is he? 29

15. Who said I love you first? He did. But I felt the same way!

16. His favorite music? Rock
17. What to you admire most about him? He is such a hard worker, and strives to do his best in everything he does....even if he doesn't really want to do it!
18. What is his favorite color? I would say blue

19. Will he read this? Maybe in a few months

20. Who do you tag? Katy, Laura, Leesa, Stacey, and Ashley

lots of randomness from the rest of October...

2008-11-10T13:59:00.006-05:00

On the 28th we got to celebrate Ricky! (kind of) I sure love that guy. He had his 29th birthday! He and I spent the day in South Bend interviewing for residency and then got to drive home! Loads of fun.

While he was in one of his interviews, they came in with a birthday cake for him. I thought it was so nice that they would think of doing that for him. I was really glad too, because I couldn't get a cake for him while we were gone, so it was nice for him to at least have a cake!

After the long drive home we got a huge "Welcome Home" from the kids. It was so good to see them. We were gone for three days and have never been gone from them for more that one night. It was nice to see that they missed us as much as we missed them! After showing Ricky his "Happy Birthday" and "We missed you signs" that they made, we got lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Thanks to Jon and Jamie for taking such good care of them! Since we couldn't celebrate that night, we did a small little celebration the next day! Sorry babe that it wasn't anything super fancy, but we love you!

On the 30th we got to take the kids trick-or-treating! For some crazy reason, not everyone goes out on the 31st here in Columbus. I don't really get it, but hey, the kids don't care! They had so much fun. It was great to see both of them getting in to it. I love that here in Ohio people sit at the ends of their driveway, so you don't have to go ring the doorbell. It makes things go much faster! Kambry dressed up as Princess Aurora (for those who don't know their princesses, it is Sleeping Beauty) and Daxton was her handsome prince...Prince Phillip.

Dax was kind of dragging after the first 45 minutes. After taking a break in the stroller, we got him going again by telling him he needed to go find some dragons to fight. He was running with his sword out and his shield all ready. It was really cute!

My mom was asking to see some pictures of my belly...Here I am two days away from 29 weeks!

We got together to have an "Office" party with some friends the other night. The girls stayed up and played and read books in Kambry's princess tent in her room for quite a while. They finally gave up and went to sleep!

October at a glance...

2008-11-06T14:02:00.009-05:00

just a few pictures from the month of October:

Dax having a really hard time staying awake at lunch

Pretzel making! The kids loved rolling out the dough into "snakes". We didn't get a picture of the final project, but we had a really great time making them together!

The kiddos playing underneath Kambry's bed! They love hanging out down there!

Kambry on the last day of her pre-ballet class. They got to do a "performance" with Ms. Bonnie for all the parents.

Skipping. It was a real task to learn, but now that she has learned,

Kambry insists on skipping everywhere!

After the "performance" with her class-Kambry, Hallee, Lizzy, and Alison.

Our little princess!

baby bump

2008-10-16T12:37:00.002-04:00

I thought it was time to post a picture of my growing belly. This is me at 25 weeks! (I am happy to say, that those are my regular clothes....however I don't think those pants will fit much longer.) I have felt so amazing this pregnancy....seriously I think I have been sick only a few days the whole time.

I have been talking a lot with the kids about the new baby. Hopefully it won't be a hard thing for them, to have a new baby around. Kambry, I know, is way excited to have a new baby sister. (She will be heartbroken if it is a boy.) Dax has realized that it isn't so comfortable to sit on my lap anymore, because there isn't as much room as he would like. I am really hoping that it won't be a hard adjustment for him to have a new little one around.....I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

the dreaded boards!

2008-10-08T07:36:00.003-04:00

So the boards for med school come in a three part series. Step 1 boards are taken the second year of medical school, the Step 2's are taken the 4th year and the last are taken after the first year of residency.
Ricky set aside the month of September for his board prep...which means a stressful month for all of us. The morning of the 17th, Ricky set out to take the Step 2, written exam. Now if you all remember a certain storm that ripped through Ohio just a few days prior (the remains of Hurricane Ike) which left thousands of families and businesses without power.
So Ricky shows up to take his dreaded boards, only to find out that the testing center does not have any power. He is given a toll free number that he can call to figure out another testing date! Needless to say, he came home very frustrated. He got on the phone and was told that they could set him up for October! I don't know about the rest of you, but whenever I have studied and studied for a test, I am ready to take it on test day. It was really irritating for him to hear he needed to study for another month to keep the info fresh in his mind.
He finally found out that there was a testing center in Cincinnati that he could get in to the following morning. So, he booked a hotel, packed his bags and headed off to take the test the next day.
He was told, that it would take about 6 weeks to get the results of his test. So now we play the waiting game.
Last night he got an email saying that he would be getting his results this morning. So bright and early we were up checking his test scores! A little nerve wracking!
I have to brag for just a second. Ricky got a 247 on his boards, which puts him in the 99th percentile! He is so amazing and I am so proud of him. After all the frustrations with taking the test, he was still able to focus on his test and completely SMASH it! It was nice to see him leave for school this morning all smiles!
Good job babe! I love you and am so proud of you!

boy or girl?

2008-09-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

Well, we had our big ultrasound....and decided that we want it to be a surprise! Ricky figured that since we have one of each, we have all that we needed to be ready! At first I wasn't too crazy about the idea, because I wanted to be able to plan ahead. But it will be fun at delivery time. The doctor even said to me as we were leaving..."I didn't even sneak a peek, so you can't come asking me later." I was a little bummed at the time that there was NO way I could find out until delivery. But I am now really excited about it. There is no one that knows what we are having! It will be a surprise for all!

the long drive home

2008-09-07T07:31:00.000-04:00

One last post of our long vacation back west. We were driving in the lovely land of Idaho, filled with dead grass, sage brush and a lot of rocks...when suddenly we saw one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. No it wasn't a tree, or green grass. It was the devil's washbowl. It is a 250-foot deep canyon in the middle of nowhere. There was a bridge the spans the canyon, and as we walked over it, it seriously made both Ricky and I sick. The sickness had nothing to do with fear of heights, it was the fear of one of the kids going over the edge. It was an amazing sight though.After the water bowl, we continued on our long adventure. Again it took us only two days to make the trek back home. We drove and drove and drove. The kids were so great! The second day was Daxton's birthday. I felt so bad having him spend his special day in his carseat for 13 hours! He was a real trooper though. Good thing he didn't really understand.

After our return home, we decided to celebrate all of our birthdays. Kambry had some presents from grandparents, I had mine from Ricky and Dax hadn't opened any of his. It seriously looked like Christmas morning after things were unwrapped, with all the wrapping paper everywhere.

Kambry with her castle tent....she insists on sleeping in it every night.

It has been so great to be home! I can't wait for everything to return back to normal and get back to our regular schedule and activities!

Boise

2008-09-01T21:37:00.000-04:00

Well as many of you know, we spent our entire month of August with Ricky's sister and her husband in Boise. Ricky had a rotation at the hospital there and we were fortunate enough to have some family to stay with. We are so thankful to them for opening their home to us for a whole month....and it was just a few days after they had moved in!
It was so fun for Kambry and Dax to play with their cousins, but after a while they treated each other more like siblings than cousins. They would fight like brothers and sisters do. But despite that it was a lot of fun and Kambry was sad to leave. (She was also really excited to get home to her own toys!)
While in Boise, we got to celebrate Kambry's birthday. I can't believe that she is already 4! Ricky had to go to work, but we went with the cousins, Grandma and Auntie Kira to Boondocks and got an ice cream cone afterwards and had a fun party at home later that night. Surprisingly, this was Kambry's first birthday that she has spent with family! Crazy!

A nice birthday "tackle" from Dax

Our Birthday Girl

Dax trying to ride a big boy motorcycle

Enjoying some yummy ice cream a little too much!

We also celebrated my birthday. Ricky made an amazing dinner and a killer peach pie! He is always so great at making me feel like a queen! He felt horrible though, because he accidentally sent all my presents to Ohio instead of Boise. It didn't matter though...we didn't have a lot of space in the car to pack it up anyway!

One of the neatest things we got to do, was to take the kids to the Twin Falls, Idaho temple open house. It has been several years since I have gone to one (Bountiful, Utah) so it was nice to go to one, but the best part was being able to take my kids through it. Daxton was a little disrespectful in some areas....but I hope that Heavenly Father was just grateful that we were there trying to teach him about temples. Kambry loved it! She was so cute going through. I think it was really neat for her. We talk to her about temples and about how we want her to get married there, and she has asked us questions when we go. It was good for her to put some things together and get to see how amazingly beautiful it is inside! I told her, that the next time she would go to the temple, she had to earn her way in. That she would have to work hard to be worthy to enter. It was so fun to be there!Here are some pictures of the falls...in Twin Falls! What a beautiful place!

Happy 24th!

2008-07-26T15:02:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but every time we go home to visit family, we always get sick. Whether it is the flu, a nasty cold, or some other ridiculous virus. It gets a little frustrating, especially since we can't just make an appointment to go to a doctor. So, of course why would this trip to Utah be any different from every other year that we have come to visit.
The night before we were supposed to be leaving for Flaming Gorge, Kambry started crying and crying. She had been acting a little off for a few days before, but I didn't think much of it. I looked in her throat that night, and her tonsils were so big, that I couldn't even see the back of her throat. The poor thing was so miserable. I called Ricky and gave him all of her symptoms and he said that it sounded like strep throat....great! I took her to the ER, to have it swabbed. The doctor thought for sure that it would be positive, but thankfully it was negative and we were able to go to Flaming Gorge without getting the entire family sick!
So, I figured that we were covered with our sicknesses while here. Kambry had a nasty cold, Dax didn't end up getting it...this was great! We had our sickness and the rest of the trip would be bug free! I was right. No more bugs for us, but that didn't mean we wouldn't make any more trips to the ER!
The night of the 24th, we had planned with my sister to go watch fireworks at the local high school. I was just leaving my cousins house after dinner, and my daughter (being a princess) asked Daxton if he would help her walk down the stairs. (My cousins stairs are made of stepping stones...the kind that are made up of little pebbles.) Can you see where this is going?? Daxton took Kambry's hand, not knowing that he was supposed to be helping her down the steps. She took one step and before I could jump up, he had already fallen down two steps and landed on his face. I ran to him, picked him up and rolled him over so he was face up in my arms. There was blood everywhere! It was all over his forehead, dripping in his eyes, his ear, and in his mouth. He just screamed and screamed!
We got it to stop bleeding and realized that it wasn't as bad as we had thought. But he had some serious holes in his head. Not lacerations...holes. They were pretty deep and I couldn't look for more than a second to see if I could actually see his skull underneath! Yuck! I normally do fine with blood, but I think a combination of being pregnant and the fact that it is my son, made me really sick!
I wish we had taken a camera with us to the ER, so we could have gotten a picture before his head got all fixed up, but here he is after getting his head glued shut in three different places.

flaming gorge

2008-07-13T16:46:00.000-04:00

Well, we are here in Utah and our trip is going well so far. Ricky has left to go back to Ohio for a rotation, and I am here with the kids for a long month of being a single mom. The kids are having a hard time adjusting, but hopefully the whole month won't be this crazy!

We had the chance to go to Flaming Gorge with my entire extended family. It has been such a long time since we have had a trip with everyone (minus Ricky). Some of my favorite memories growing up, are of us on camping trips with my family...and fishing with my Grandpa. Even though Grandpa isn't with us anymore, we still had Grandma, and it was great to have the whole family together.

We filled our days with jet skiing, playing on the beach, and karaoke! It was so much fun. There was really only one night of karaoke. My family kept pushing me to go up there. I swore that the only time I would participate in singing karaoke, would be if I was drunk. Seeing that I don't drink alcohol, that would be pretty impossible! I finally got sick of my family pressuring me to go up, so my niece and I got up and sang "Goodbye Earl". I was surprised, because I actually had a lot of fun!

two kids, 1 1/2 days and 1,722 miles

2008-07-01T15:00:00.002-04:00

Crawfordville, IN: We are 4 hours into the trip of our lives. 4 hours. 6 bags of fruit snacks. 1 ½ movies. ½ nap. 250 miles. Is there really anything else to say? The kids have been great…so far. We’ll see if the last four hours are anything like the first four hours. If it is, our jobs will be easy. If not….there might be 2 less people arriving in Utah. Is there a law against child abandonment in Wyoming?
Iowa: We are still plugging along. The kids are now sleeping for the night and Carissa is in and out of consciousness, while Ricky is pushing his way through the forever long path of I-80. The only enjoyable part of the long stretch of I-80 in the dark, is the twinkling fireflies dotting the hundreds of miles of dark fields. We wish we had time to stop and catch a few to show the family in Utah.
Lincoln NE: We are just getting ready to crash for the night. Well, most of the family has been asleep for quite some time. Ricky is finally ready to give up for the night. We should probably check Datxon's pulse, he hasn’t moved in hours. And poor Kambry can’t seem to find a comfortable position in her car seat. Every 45 minutes she starts to whine and cry, poor thing. There isn’t much around, in the way of civilization, only a few crazy truckers that are still driving along at 3:30 am-(4:30 Ohio time). We are worried that if stop at a hotel and pull the kids out of the car at this time, Daxton won’t go back to sleep. So we find ourselves stopping at a rest stop and sleeping for the remainder of the night…three hours! By 7:15 we are back on the road, for a really long day. Not only is this going to be a full day of driving, it will also be very boring. The long, long, long, miles of cornfields and sage brush through Nebraska and Wyoming. At this point in our trip, we would rather be driving through the small state of Texas!
Cheyenne WY: Five states down, only one more to go! If we can make it through Wyoming, we will be home free! With only a few potty stops and a stop for lunch, we are making excellent time. We finally make it to Rock Springs for dinner and enjoy a nice sit down dinner (standing would have felt better on our bottoms) at Pizza Hut! It sure is nice to eat something other than sandwiches. Off we go again, with only three hours left in our long trip. Along the way we get to pass the booming town of Lyman where Ricky grew up. He entertained the family with many stories of growing up in this one-horse town! We continue on and are relieved to finally see a sign for Salt Lake City! Only 144 miles. Good thing we aren’t headed to Salt Lake! I don’t think I could sit that much longer. It feels so good to see signs of home. And as we curve around and see the Ogden Valley, my heart skips a beat! There is my hometown, settled between mountains, and glowing in the night lights! We have finally made it!
Even though the kids did fantastic on the trip, I don't think we will be ready to make this trip again in two months!

This is after our good nights rest in the car. Notice how sweaty Kambry is and how foggy the windows are! Yeah, pretty much we are the best parents ever!

travel tips

2008-06-22T09:31:00.006-04:00

I need some ideas! At the end of the week, we are leaving for a LONG road trip with the kids, to Utah. Does anyone have any fun ideas, or games that will help pass the time for the kids? Or for me? Thanks!

blossoming beauty

2008-06-20T20:18:00.000-04:00

Kambry LOVES to wear makeup. She is such a girly-girl. She is the happiest when she is dressed up in a princess dress and wearing beautiful makeup, with shiny lips. Lately she has been practicing more and more and will soon be a master in the art of applying makeup!

Apparently, no one has informed Dax, that it better if he stays away from the makeup!

father's day

2008-06-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let Ricky know how much I love him, and I am so thankful for him in my life. He is the best husband and the greatest dad ever!

I love you babe! Thanks for all that you do for our family!

rainy days

2008-06-13T21:17:00.000-04:00

After a long day at work, Ricky was excited to come home and take the kids outside to play. Unfortunately, it was raining. But that didn't stop Ricky. He grabbed Dax, our child who loves to play in water, and took him out to splash in puddles. After a little whining and crying from Dax, Ricky relented and brought him back to the porch.

He figured that Kambry would love a turn too. So he put her in his arms and ran out in the rain. Sadly, Kambry's turn in the rain turned out the same as Daxton's.

Poor Ricky. He was left all alone in the pooring rain with no one to play with!

Tour de Cure

2008-06-07T19:04:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to all of you who donated to Ricky's ride! He got up early this morning for a nice long ride of 100 miles in the muggy, hot air. Unfortunately it started pretty early this morning and there was no way for us to find him on the course, so we couldn't go watch him. But he did great. He finished at 5 hours and 45 minutes! I am so proud of him. There is no way that I would have the physical strength to go that long...plus my behind wouldn't be able to handle that!

When Ricky completed the tour, he noticed on the computer on his bike, that the ride was actually only 93 miles. So he headed back out on the course for another 7 miles to complete the full 100!

Good job babe! I am so proud of you!

strawberry picking

2008-06-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

I know that it would have been a whole lot cuter to get a picture of them actually picking strawberries, but I left my camera in the car. Oh well!
I was a little nervous about taking both of them by myself, but they did great! They each had their own container to put strawberries in, and they could eat as many berries as they wanted while we were picking. Surprisingly, Dax only ate about 2 or 3, while Kambry ate every single one she came across! It was so fun to take them and have them help pick the strawberries for our yummy freezer jam! The only thing that could have made it better, would be to have Daddy there with us!

Bucyrus Triathlon

2008-05-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

Ricky participated in his first triathlon this weekend! We got to cheer him on as he transitioned through each leg of the race! He did such a wonderful job and we are so proud of him!

Trying to stay warm before the race

Getting ready for the swim

During the swim

Off on the bike

Finishing with a strong run at 1:11:10!

Ricky's awesome plaque that he got for
finishing first in his age group!
Way to go babe!

Good Friends

2008-05-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

My really good friend Katie came to visit on her way to Washington D.C. to start her new job. It was so fun to spend the day with her! I am so grateful for Katie and her friendship! She has been such a great friend and I am so proud of all the accomplishments that she has made in her life!
Katie I love you! Good luck with your new life in D.C.!

polly pockets

2008-05-19T17:09:00.002-04:00

Kambry's favorite toys are Polly Pockets...especially the princess ones! While the polly pockets are great and a lot of fun for her, unfortunately there also come a lot of tiny, itty-bitty accessories. Kambry is usually pretty good about keeping them away from Daxton so he doesn't swallow them, but after today, I might need to just toss all of them in the garbage! (which wouldn't be such a bad thing!)

Yes, that is the itty-bitty polly pocket piece in Kambry's ear!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

The day didn't start off quite like I would have planned, but hey, it turned out to be a great day!
We had to be up and out of the house by 8:20 am, to speak in a branch that is about an hour and half away from home. We gave ourselves plenty of time, but unfortunately, we got lost! We were seriously about 5 minutes away from the "double-wide" church building, when we took a wrong turn, that made us 40 minutes late for the meeting! By the time we got there, it was pouring outside and we were soaked and tired of driving. The last thing that either of the kids wanted to do was sit through two hours of church and then drive home!
Since we were so late, Ricky ended up just giving his talk, because he was talking about Mothers! He did a fantastic job giving a talk from memory...we left his talk in the car! What a morning!
All of church went really well after that. It was such a neat experience being at a Branch. Growing up in Utah, the wards are always so big, and we have a big ward here in Columbus too. It was fun to be in such a small, close-knit group. In Relief Society, there were only 6 people there. Me, and the lady teaching and then 4 sister-in-laws visiting family (one might have actually been a member of the branch). It was really so much fun.
So, eventually we got home and Ricky pampered me like crazy! I am so thankful for him. He got home and went right to work in the kitchen. He wouldn't even let me step foot in there to help! He made the most amazing meal...sometimes I think he would be better at being the "mom" than I would. He is such a good cook!
Then came time for dessert! He brought out my present, and it was an ice cream maker! Oh, was I in heaven! Anyone who knows me, knows that I live and breathe ice cream! This was the best gift ever! And to make my day even greater, he made me homemade ice cream! It was divine!
The ice cream was great, and Ricky treated me like a queen, but sitting around waiting for dinner really gave me time to reflect on my life. Being a mom is such a hard calling. There aren't many days that you hear a thank you from the kids, mostly just crying and screaming. And most of the day I am covered in slimy buggers or blood from someones "owies" or tears. But then I got to thinking about the time I get to spend reading with them, or playing "princesses"/dinosaurs, or watching them read to each other and giggling, and I realized that I wouldn't change anything for the world! I love my family and I love being a mom. I love raising my kids and teaching them correct principles! I love my dear husband so much and I am so grateful for the wonderful family that I have been blessed with!

Hocking Hills-Spring Break

2008-05-04T14:34:00.000-04:00

Ricky finally took a spring break, I think the first one he has actually taken since we have been here. So, we were bound and determined to go and do something!
We decided to go camping at Hocking Hills. It is about an hour and a half away and SOOO beautiful. It is the closest thing to Utah that Ohio can provide. Ricky and I have talked about going camping since we got married and just have never done. So we decided it was time.

We (us and the Miller's) got there in the evening on Thursday and started setting up camp. We pitched the tents, while trying to get a fire going. Ricky and Jeremy made several trips to and from the car unloading. This wouldn't normally be a huge thing, except that our car was about 200 yards away...or more. We brought our Chariot's along, which turned out to be a big life saver. We packed them full of EVERYTHING, and pulled them behind our mountain bikes. We got camp all set up and had a yummy tinfoil dinner.
We put the kids to bed shortly after (the kids did amazing sleeping) and that is when all the treats came out...and the raccoons!
The next morning we headed off to Old Man's Cave for some hiking. The kids did amazing. Kambry hiked the whole way. They loved playing in the dirt and throwing rocks into the water!

We got home and started making dutch oven....yummy...and that is when the rain started. We covered the dutch ovens with a table and all piled into one tent. Ricky ended up standing in the rain, holding an umbrella over the burning briquettes, when we realized our dinner wasn't really cooking! We had a cozy little dinner of eight in a small tent and then sent the kiddos off to bed. We put all of them in the same tent to sleep, so we could stay up and play games! Luckily the rain let up so we could enjoy some fire time, while the kids fell asleep.

The next morning it was still raining...even harder than the night before. We had planned to do some hiking, but thought it would be best to just pack up and go. Which is a much bigger project, when everything is SOAKING wet! But after several hours of wiping off mud and wet leaves and more mud, and lots of water, we got everything packed up and ready to go.

Luckily we had a dvd player to put the kids in front of while we cleaned. They were real troopers!
It was such a fun trip, despite the rain, and I honestly can't wait to go again!

Tour de Cure

2008-04-25T21:51:00.007-04:00

Hey, this is Ricky. I'm breaking into the world of blogging for a few moments. I know it isn't like me to do this, but I need your help! I've decided to ride in a 100 mile cycling tour in June for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to help raise $150 for diabetes research. Why would I do such a thing? Three different reasons.

1) Over the last few years, I have been completely amazed at how many people have diabetes and how destructive it can be. I want to do something increase diabetes awareness and help diabetics (besides managing their medications and complications of course).

2) Many of my relatives (grandparents, great aunts/uncles/cousins) in Germany have diabetes. I am planning on dedicating my ride and efforts to them.

3) I'm crazy.

So I'm trying to raise $150 dollars, and I need your help doing it. I would love it If you could donate some money to the AMA to help me reach this goal. This is how you do it. Click on the following website:

http://tour.diabetes.org

Click on Donate, then select Ohio and Columbus. Then type in "Ricky Gardner" and you should get to my page and be able to figure it out from there. And seriously, no amount is too big or small. Thank you in advance.

Following suite with other organizations that request donations, I've established some clubs that you can join when you donate a certain amount. You'll notice there are certain "bonuses" that come with each club membership.

$5 Club: Free ride on my bike's handlebars around our apartment complex.

$10 Club: An autographed picture of me in action on the tour AND a free ride on my bike's handlebars

$20 Club: A free car wash and vacuuming (car must be present in Ohio to redeem) AND a free handlebar ride.

$50 Club: The option to opt out of the free handlebar ride on my bike.

$100 Club: The chance to give ME a free ride on the handlebars of YOUR bike (bike not included).

$1000 Club: All of the above.

10% of income club: I don't make as good of promises as some, but I'll throw open the windows of my apartment and toss some gifts to you....at least enough that you'll have one in each hand.

Once again, thanks in advance. I really appreciate it.

Ricky

Want to know more about diabetes and it's complications. Here is a great site: http://www.fda.gov/diabetes/related.html

Great Urban Race Pictures

2008-04-25T08:31:00.002-04:00

GUR 2008...Great Urban Race Cincinnati

2008-04-25T08:29:00.000-04:00

I am a little late posting this, because honestly I have been a little bitter! I know it is kinda dumb, but I have been. Sometimes when I spend a lot of time on something and it doesn't turn out just how I want it to, I get mad at "it". Whatever "it" may be. Usually it is a craft that I am working on, or some sort of project. Ricky thinks that I am ridiculous, but honestly, I don't just get frustrated and keep trying, I will get mad at the project and ignore it for as long as possible! In this case it is the Great Urban Race.
Okay, here goes. Last Saturday, April 19th, Ricky and I traveled down to Cincinnati to participate in this adventure race called the Great Urban Race. It is sort of a spin-off of the Amazing Race (one of my favorite shows). Anyway, we got down there a little early and found a map and just walked around for a bit. The race began at noon. We got our clues and headed off. We could either run or use public transportation (aka the bus), but that was it. We were also able to "phone a friend" for help with the clues. Our clues took us all over Cincinnati and into Newport, Kentucky. From the Cincinnati Reds stadium to the President's Garden in Eden Park. We even got to stop and eat a free ice cream cone at Graeter's. After running through parts of Newport, for clues, we were headed back on the "purple people bridge". Ricky was carrying the backpack and asked if I needed him to carry anything. I told him my glasses were driving me crazy and I wanted to put them in the bag. Well (because I was in a hurry) I tossed them in a mesh pocket, not one that zipped up. About 5 minutes later I heard something drop. We turned around and saw nothing behind us. I checked the bag and sure enough my worst fear was confirmed...my glasses were gone. But where had they gone? We looked closer and saw this tiny little drain...can you see where this is going. Just our luck, this tiny drain emptied right into the Ohio River! They were gone forever! Ricky said we didn't have time to mourn, we needed to keep going, so off we went.
After a lot of running (Ricky refused to take the bus) we finally finished 2 1/2 hours (14th place) later. But, because we had missed one of the clues (one brick with a poem on it...among thousands of others), we were given a 30 minutes penalty (which I think was a little steep...and this is where my bitterness for the race comes in). Only the top 25 finishers would qualify to go to the National Championship in Las Vegas this fall. By the time the 25th team came in we still had 7 minutes left on our penalty. So we got nothing. We just decided to pack up and go home. I was really frustrated that I had just run all over Cincinnati and Newport, KY and still didn't qualify. (The funny thing is, is that I laughed so hard when I found out there was a National Championship for this...we wouldn't have been able to go, even if we did qualify.) So yes I am being quite juvenile, but for pete's sake, my glasses are at the bottom of the Ohio River, and I worked ran hard to get 14th place.
Overall, it was a long, exhausting day, but it was nice to have a fun day with my hubby! And at least we got some good exercise! We would probably do it again, but just make sure it was in a city that we knew really well.
Thanks to mom and dad (our "phone a friend") and to the Sapp's for watching our kiddos all day long!

honor society

2008-04-24T20:48:00.003-04:00

I know that this is a little late, but I just wanted to let everyone know how proud I am of my husband. On April 15th, we attended an honor society induction ceremony for Ricky.
He was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Those who are chosen are ones who demonstrate "exemplary attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the most humanistic physicians: Integrity, excellence, compassion, altruism, respect, empathy, and service." Those who were chosen for this had to be nominated by one of their peers.
I have always known that he would be an amazing doctor. Ever since I have known him, he has talked about how important it is that he remembers and always keeps in mind what is best for the patient. He really has a way of connecting with people and really caring about them.
I am so proud of him and grateful that I have such a wonderful husband to show me how to be!
Congrats also to Ricky's friends that also got inducted!

John-David Black, Jared Peterson and Ricky

Me and my hot hubby!

I DID IT!

2008-04-13T20:30:00.005-04:00

Well yesterday was my big day. I ran the Cap City half marathon here in Columbus. I was really nervous, but kept trying to convince myself that it was just another Saturday morning run. The past few weeks I had put in between 11-14 miles on my long runs. This was just another long run. But then I saw the number of people. There were THOUSANDS. I have never seen this many people in a race before. (Okay the only other races I have done have been 5k's and one was in Nibley, UT...they haven't been big races like this one!)
As we were waiting to get started I was worried that I was going to freeze! It was so cold. There was a nasty cold breeze and we were shivering like crazy. But when we got to the starting line, we were all jam packed in there together and got us all warmed up. Then once we started the race we just forgot about the cold.
The first few miles were a pretty quick pace for me. We (me, Karen and Hayley...friends from church) were running about a 7:30 minute/mile. Which I hadn't trained at. Normally I was about an 8:30. So by about mile 6 I was really struggling. I was really getting tired. Which I thought was ridiculous, because I had been training for this for the past 8 weeks. But I just kept on going. By mile 9 Hayley was really hurting, so Karen and I kinda pulled ahead (sorry Hayley), then at mile 10 Karen decided that she really wanted to push it. Which was great, that she could, but I had to just stay where I was. I felt like I only had the energy to put one foot in front of the other. But, I did it. At mile 12 this guy in front of me lights up and starts smoking! CRAZY! It made me really mad and I shouted "Put it out!". Then I just picked up my pace and started pushing it hard the last mile. I crossed the finish line at 1:53:26 which made my pace 8:40. I had a few goals with this race...first, finish it. Second, not to walk at all, and third to finish under two hours! I met all of them.
It was such a great accomplishment. I have never set a goal like that before and it felt so good to reach it! Thanks to all who helped me out! (Karen for being my long run partner...I couldn't have done 14 by myself and also Jamie for watching the kiddos so I could train for the past 8 week, and Ricky for being so supportive and making me sign up when I was having doubts! love ya!)
Ricky was so great during the race. He had both kids and was running like a wild man to make it to certain spots during the race to cheer me on, plus he still managed to get some pictures! Thanks babe! So here are some pictures. Some are blurry, but you can get the idea!

Kambry and Dax cheering me on!

Karen, me, Hayley around mile 6 (I think)

Me and Karen around mile 9 (at least we are still smiling!)

All by myself...at mile 12.5
(the guy in the grey and black was the smoker!)

This is me at the end of the race....freezing!

Me and Karen...she is an amazing runner!

Me with my biggest fans! (love you guys!)

So, thanks again to all who supported me! I love you all! Also, thanks to the Miller's too for showing up at the finish line and surprising me! You guys are great!

One Word Tag

2008-04-02T20:42:00.003-04:00

I was tagged by Leesa, let's see how it goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? non-existent
2. Your significant other? Ricky
3. Your hair? short
4. Your mother? quirky
5. Your father? quiet
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? unknown
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? nursing (not a baby)
10. The room you’re in? living room
11. Your ex? WHO?
12. Your fear? Spiders
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? employed
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not? crafty
16. Muffins? Brown-sugar
17. One of your wish list items? money
18. Where you grew up? Utah
19. The last thing you did? Craft
20. What are you wearing? Pajamas
21. Your TV? small
22. Your pet? future
23. Your computer? on
24. Your life? happy
25. Your mood? variable
26. Missing someone? family
27. Your car? Toyota
28. Something you’re not wearing? earrings
29. Favorite store? none
30. Your summer? roadtrip
31. Like someone? yep
32. Your favorite color? red
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? today
35. Role model? dad

Sorry if some of those don't make any sense. I now tag Ashley, Jessica, & Sarah.

learning the scriptures

2008-03-31T15:03:00.002-04:00

I have to brag for a just a minute. Not about me, but about my daughter. She has the most amazing mind. We have been reading the scriptures with her every night, and honestly, she only has to hear something once to remember it. She is amazing.
Well, yesterday at church we had a visiting teaching conference, so all of the men took over the primary classes. After church a member of the Bishopric pulled me aside and said "your daughter is great!" I didn't really understand his comment, but thanked him anyway. A second later my brother-in-law took me aside and told me what he was talking about. I don't know what the lesson was about, but in sharing time, they were holding up a bunch of different pictures. They held up one and asked what it was a picture of. Nobody said anything. Then from the front row comes this little voice "it's a picture of Jesus on the cross." Next picture, same thing happened. Nobody answered, so a little sunbeam voice on the front row spoke up. Finally, a picture of Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove, during the First Vision. Once again, they were asked what it was. Kambry raised her hand and said "It's Joseph Smith." They asked what was happening and she just said "He wanted to know what church to go to!"
I was so proud of her. She is such an amazing girl, with an amazing mind. Even though I feel like she isn't paying attention when I read to her, she really is soaking it all in. I am so proud of her!

artists, hair cuts, and the do's and don'ts of cooking

2008-03-31T14:25:00.008-04:00

The kids have really been busy this past week trying to further their artistic abilities! Daxton is taking up his art with the magic markers and some spectacular fashion ideas and Kambry, with the new found sticker art. They are all lovely forms of art. Unfortunately Daxton will have to find something a little less messy for a while. Here they are with their works of art!

About two weeks ago I got my hair cut. Kambry has been dying to get hers cut as well. It drives her crazy having it in her face. She won't leave her hair pulled up, and she is constantly holding it out of her face with both hands. So, we chopped it all off.

And last but certainly not least, are a few things to avoid when cooking. With church from1-4pm it makes it hard to come home and try and prepare dinner while the kids are starving and tired. So each week we put something in the crockpot to have ready when we get home. Well, yesterday we decided to make some Rhodes rolls to go along with dinner. We pulled them out of the freezer put them in a pan and left them on top of the stove to rise while we were at church. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem, to leave them on the stove. Excep,t that yesterday we cooked a ham in the oven instead of putting something in the crockpot. So, the rolls got a little warmer than they should have during the whole rising phase! Here is what not to do...don't let your rolls rise on the oven for 3 1/2 hours when there is something cooking in the oven!

We did end up putting them in the oven to see how they would taste. They were SOOO yeasty, we just ended up throwing them away. Unfortunate, yes, but it did give us a really good laugh!

the rest of easter

2008-03-31T14:07:00.004-04:00

It was kind of a crazy week, but man was it fun. I forgot to post some pictures of the kiddos with their Easter baskets last week, so I will add some. The easter bunny hid their baskets and Kambry actually found Daxton's right off and just gave it to him. She had a harder time finding her own. It was cute to watch her. We didn't have an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We had one planned, but it got snowed out. And I feel really bad, because I didn't even color eggs with the kids...I thought about it, but I honestly thought that Dax would just end up dumping it, or drinking it. We will do better next year.

Easter weekend

2008-03-26T06:22:00.010-04:00

Well, a happy late Easter to all. I absolutely love celebrating Easter. It is such a wonderful time for us to reflect on our Savior and remember His resurrection. I think sometimes...well more than sometimes He is forgotten and replaced with the Easter bunny. While the easter bunny is fun, it is so important that we teach our children the true reason for our celebration.
This year I was really excited to teach Kambry, because she is at an age now that she can remember more and has a little better understanding of things that we teach her. With it being Easter, we thought it was a perfect time to talk some more about what happens after death and that because our Savior was able to break the bands of death and be resurrected, we also have that opportunity. We have talked before about death and how when we die, only our body goes into the ground and our spirit is taken to Heaven. And she understood that when we are resurrected our body will be reunited with our spirit, never to be separated again. It's amazing to me that she understands this, and if you ask her to tell you about it, she truly does get it....on a scaled down sort of way. She also understands that after we are resurrected, that our bodies will be perfect and those of her friends that she has (like our neighbor in a wheelchair) that cannot walk or talk here on this earth, will have the opportunity to run and laugh. It's so fun to see her get excited about it.
Anyway, I knew that a three year old couldn't fully comprehend all of this and there had to be one part that she didn't quite get. On Sunday morning we sat down as a family and watched "Finding Faith in Christ". For those who have not seen it, it is a short movie about the life of Christ and the miracles that he performed. It also shows His crucifixion and resurrection. On the way to church, we talked to Kambry about the movie and asked her again why we celebrate Easter...(we want her to REALLY get it). She told us that we celebrate Easter, because Jesus was resurrected, not because He died. She told us a little about how she was going to be resurrected and then stopped. I looked back at her and she just had this serious look on her face and calmly she said..."But I'm not ready to go on the cross". It broke my heart. I couldn't believe that we had forgotten to tell her, that she was not going to die the way that Christ died. She would not be hung on a cross, with a crown of thorns. She had seen this in the movie and in pictures and thought that was how it was going to be for her too. After we explained this, she was quite relieved.
I am so grateful for wonderful opportunities to sit down and teach her about the Gospel. She teaches me so much, and I am so thankful for her and her simple faith.
Another funny story really quick...Kambry loves to eat candy. Don't we all! We were explaining to her about cavities this weekend, and how if we eat a lot of candy, the sugar bugs will eat holes in our teeth, called cavities and we will have to get a metal filling to fix them. She wanted to see ours, so I showed her the two tiny ones that I have. She asked Ricky to see his and he said he didn't have metal in his mouth. A little while later, we were rushing out the door to go to church and Kambry shouts..."WAIT! I didn't brush my teeth! I don't want to get metal in my mouth!" Ricky and I just both started laughing. She is such a cute girl and I love hearing the cute things she says.

snow play

2008-03-11T14:26:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the day after our anniversary, church was cancelled. It seemed kinda silly, just because growing up in Utah, I can't ever remember a single day in 22 years that they had canceled church.
By Sunday most of the roads were pretty clear, or at least drivable. We ended up going to a friends house for dinner and a day to play in the snow. When we got there, there was a small slide for the kids to sled down. It was fun, but not good enough for the dads.

Here is Dax going down! He didn't care for it much,
and in fact neither did Kambry. She only went down once.

Here are Dax, Kambry and Cambri going for
a sled ride around the yard.

So after the guys realized the slide wasn't big enough
for THEM, (forget the kids) they decided to make the
slide a "little bigger". So much for a kid slide!

After a nice game of dice, the loser had to go down backwards. It seemed like a good idea, until I lost. By the time the game was over, the slide had turned to ice. I was afraid I was going to crash...that explains the use of the helmet! I didn't crash, but I really was a little nervous!

a blizzardy anniversary

2008-03-10T14:10:00.001-04:00

It's a little bit late, but I needed to add this in. On March 8th Ricky and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary. We had lots of fun things planned. I was in charge of the morning and Ricky was going to take care of things in the afternoon. Our wonderful neighbor took the kids for the day, so that we could have a fun day just to ourselves. We were going to go to breakfast in the morning and head to the University to do some rock climbing. Ricky had planned to do some fun stuff in the afternoon and head to dinner that night at the Cheesecake Factory. Fun plans huh? Well, the night of the 7th and all day on the 8th it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was the biggest storm Columbus has ever seen. They called it the Blizzard of '08.
So needless to say, we basically got snowed in. We spent the day digging out neighbors and shoveling snow. We ended up going to dinner that evening, but almost died in the process. There aren't enough plows around here, so even the main roads weren't plowed. But, we were brave...or dumb...and ventured out. It wasn't too bad. It was really nice to get out and have an evening to ourselves.
I know it's late, but I just want Ricky to know how much I love him and I can't wait to spend the next five years with him. He has been in school the past five years and our only goal in the next five is to be done with school! Really, we have other goals, but I it would be nice! I really am so thankful for his patience with me and for the wonderful and thoughtful husband that he is. I couldn't have asked for anyone better! I love you Ricky!

just passing the time...

2008-03-06T13:29:00.006-05:00

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I am SOOO tired of winter. It gets so hard to keep two kiddos entertained indoors month after month. Hopefully it won't be much longer though. We have been trying to fill our time with food, friends, food, dress up, food and one day of snow play. Unfortunately, the snow didn't last too long, but long enough for a fun day out of the house.

Peanut Butter bars are basically the best thing ever!

Fruit rollup tongue tatoos always add some excitement to snack time!

Cambri, Ella, Hallee, & Kambry doing what they do best...being Princesses!

Kambry and Dax couldn't figure out why it has taken me so long to
introduce the art of dipping graham crackers in milk...they loved it!

Kambry being a "wedding girl" with her beautiful veil

Dax being his cheeseball self

Kambry has really been into dressing herself lately.

"Aunt Jamie" taking the boys (Ethan & Dax) for a ride in the snow!

Ethan making sure Dax didn't tip over!

Kambry taking her turn pulling the boys around!

princesses, the boys in my life and friends

2008-02-26T12:55:00.018-05:00

On Saturday, Ricky and I decided to surprise Kambry with a "Princess Adventure". We didn't want to tell her where we were going, because we wanted to see how excited she would be when she found out what was going on. Our neighbor curled Kambry's hair and Kambry's little friend was here all dressed up, so it wasn't hard to convince her to put her princess dress on.

Her reaction was the greatest. We got there and EVERYTHING was princess....and really pricey. They had a huge castle set up on the ice and Kambry just kept saying..."Mom, I NEED to go in there". She has the hardest time just walking to our seats. When it got started she was so excited. Jasmine was the first princess to come out, and when Kambry saw her she screamed..."Aladdin!" The lady in front of us turned around and was really annoyed. It was kinda funny.

Kambry loved every minute of the night, clapping and singing along. It was fun to just watch her the entire time. I took so many pictures of the girls all dressed up, it w

as cute. Here are some pictures from our "Princess Adventure".

Quiet time is still going well, but poor Kambry is so exhausted by dinner time, that we usually have some problems with fits. The other day I sent her to time out on the stairs. She cried and cried...normally she will get sent to her room if she is still throwing a fit in time out, but this time I knew she was just tired, and if we sent her to her room, she would just fall asleep. Well, after a minute or two of crying it suddenly got very quiet. This is what I found when I checked on her.

Here are my boys! Ricky is balancing a plate on his head after dinner last night...he was trying to get some laughs from the kiddos. And here is Dax playing peek-a-boo.

Training for the half marathon is going well, but I have come to the conclusion that running just isn't as enjoyable when it is something that HAS to be done...especially when it has to be done in the ice and freezing rain. But nevertheless, it is going well. The only problem, is that I am ALWAYS hungry. I feel like I eat all day long. Ricky told me it is okay to eat all day long, if I am not trying to lose weight! Sweet! Someone telling me it is okay to eat and eat and eat. One problem with that...I tend to go for the sweets! Oh well. I will just run it off tomorrow!

And last but certainly not least, a picture of some good friends that I have made since being out here. This is our craft group. I love getting together each month and having time do "girly" things. It has been so great getting to know all of them so much better!

gratitude: for the good and not so good

2008-02-19T00:05:00.004-05:00

okay, so I have been having a really hard time lately at remembering to be grateful for what I DO have, and for the things that have gone right this year. Ricky and I have had quite a bit of bad luck since the beginning of 2008 and I can only pray that the entire year will not continue down this path. Just to mention a few....the entire family getting the flu (yuck), both of our cars getting hit in just 8 days...and only getting $38 from the insurance company, 3 ear infections for Dax, which means there have been A LOT of tears shed in 2008 already (not just by Dax). Glasses getting twisted to breaking point, that's okay, I still have contacts...nope, tore it in half. (just a side note: if your contact tears, don't try and wear it anyway...it really hurts!) Anyway, that is just a glance at the past month and half at the Gardner home. Really, that was just the last 3 weeks!

But, as I was reading friends' blogs, a lot of them mentioned Valentine's day...and it got me thinking about my sweet kids and my wonderful husband. I really am so grateful for them in my life. I am so glad that I have Ricky as my eternal companion. He is the greatest husband/best friend that I could have hoped for. And my children...boy do I love them! I love to see their smiling faces, I love to hear them laugh, I love to see them play together. I love watching Kambry chase Daxton around and around and around the kitchen table....both of them giggling like crazy. I love to see Dax growl and them pounce on Kambry like she is his next meal. He is two years younger, but the kid is tough. I love when Kambry comes up to me and wraps her little arms around me and says, "I love you mommy!" It melts my heart and totally makes my day. I love watching Daxton try to be just like his big sister. He loves her and it is so great to see the two of them playing and laughing.

So for those of you that I have shared my frustration with these past two months, just know that I haven't completely forgotten what is really important, and though we may have hard times, (that last longer than we would like them to) we have each other. We have our friends and our family who are there to pull us through and keep us strong. So today I am grateful for the good things that happen in our lives, and for the not so good things, that teach us patience, and for each of you and my wonderful husband and children, that bring light and laughter to our home each day.

Tagged

2008-02-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, I got tagged a while ago and I have failed to post this, but here you go!
I've been tagged by Ashley
Tag: Your Favorites
book: The Kingdom and the Crown series and the Twilight series
movie: Just Like Heaven
color: Blue
T.V Show: Lost, Prison Break, and 24
guilty pleasure: Ice Cream. I love it. I can't help it. Mostly it is my dad's fault!
outfit: My pajamas. Sometimes I am in them before the kids even get in theirs!
kitchen tip: Use a plastic knife to cut lettuce, metal makes the edges turn brown...and you won't have to get stitches!
life lesson: Find something that you love and enjoy it. Whether it is watching tv, running, scrapbooking....just find something that you love, and do you best at it! (really try not to let it be tv. I don't think anybody needs help getting better at watching it!)
activity: Spending time with the family. Even if we are only reading books together. I love it!
food: Italian, Mexican, Chinese...really I just love food!
child raising tip: Patience, patience, patience. And just remember that you can't do it alone. Pray every morning for strength, and when you rely on the Lord to help you, things will ALWAYS go so much better
pet peeve: I've got a lot, but it drives me crazy that I can never keep the house from getting cluttered.
game: I love to play games. Any game. I really like this new game my sister sent me called Bohnanza! Also I love Hand & Foot. I can't wait to go back to Utah and take on my parents!
tattoo (imagined or real): ummmm......don't really have a favorite
element: a really random question, I don't really know. Oxygen I suppose.

I tag: Jamie G., Jessica, Jenny S.

a quieter, less stressful quiet time

2008-01-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who offered advice for quiet time. We finally found something that works for us...first we work on "homework". I know she is a little small to be doing real homework, but she working on drawing her shapes, writing her letters, and cutting and glueing (her favorite). So we work on that for the first little bit, and then she can choose a movie to watch. If Dax is still sleeping after her movie is over, then she plays in the basement with her toys! Finally a nice routine that works for all of us!

Our Beloved Prophet

2008-01-28T08:34:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes to pay tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley. I remember the moment I found out that President Hunter had died, and I hoped that President Hinckley would be called as the next President of the church. I have always had a deep respect and love for him. I am grateful that we as church memebers were able to have him as our prophet, a mouthpiece for the Lord.

He will surely be missed and his death will be mourned by many, but with the knowledge that we have of the Eternities, we can be certain that President Hickley will be with our Father in Heaven. What a wonderful man.

I pray that we all can sustain and support those who are called to take the place of President Hinckley.

I am so grateful that we have been given a living prophet on the earth, that can lead us and help keep us going in the right direction. I am grateful for his service in the church, and for all that he did for the church during his time as prophet.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/beloved-church-president-gordon-b-hinckley-dies-at-97

knives+fingers=emergency room

2008-01-27T10:41:00.000-05:00

So on Friday, I was supposed to watch my nephew at 6 pm and around 4:45ish, I thought I would start putting dinner together, so that I could play with the kids instead of sending them downstairs to play while I made dinner. Taco salad was on the menu, so I started with the lettuce. Unfortunately, that is when I ended as well. Usually when cutting lettuce I use a plastic knife (because it doesn't turn you lettuce brown), but tonight I thought I would use a regular knife because I would be using all the lettuce. Not a good idea. I was only on my second cut of the lettuce when the knife grabbed ahold of my finger and sliced it up!

I was a good girl and didn't use any words that I should be ashamed of. I just hopped around holding my breath. I called the neighbors, because of course all I had were Dora bandaids, and let's face it, there was too much blood for Dora to handle! My neighbor came over and told me I needed stitches. I was convinced I would be fine, but when I got a good look at it I realized that it was pretty deep!

So, off the neighbors my kids went, off to the Urgent Care went I....unfortunately they weren't open like their message had said. So I called another urgent care...they were closing in five minutes and told me to go to come in the morning. Wow, that would be really helpful. I ended up at the hospital in the ER with a finger that wasn't even bleeding anymore. But they were so nice and took good care of me.

I have worked at a couple different ER's, but I have NEVER been a patient in one. It felt kinda weird being the patient. The last time I had stitches, was probably when I was six and I just went to the urgent care. I was a little bit nervous, because I knew that had to numb my finger, but I was brave....the first two times. He told me that skinny fingers only needed to be stuck twice to be numbed, one on each side to hit both nerves. Perfect I can handle that. It took a few more sticks, but I was finally numb and he could start suturing! So, 6 lidocaine injections, 5 sutures, and 60 minutes later I was completely whole again and on my way home! As I was leaving he told me that I couldn't soak my hand for 7-10 days..."what? No dishes for 10 days? Can I get that in writing?" He actually said he could write me a note for it, but I told him my husband would believe me....I should have gotten the note! I asked him if I could also get a note to get out of making dinner. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that! But hey, at least I have a good excuse for my dishes not being done.

wishful thinking

2008-01-24T13:12:00.000-05:00

I talked to my mom yesterday, and she was telling us how much snow they have gotten. She promised that she would send pictures. We got the pictures and well, it just made me miss Utah more than ever!
I never realized how much I love the snow. It is so beautiful and white, and so peaceful. I love it. Anyway, here are some pictures comparing the snow in Utah to the snow here in the lovely Ohio.

This is up the street from my parents house.

My mom standing on the sidewalk by their house! Can you believe the snow?! I love it!

This is how much snow we have at our house today...

And this is Kambry at Christmas. This is how it has looked outside since yesterday! No snow and green! Not the kind of winter weather I like!

Hopefully we will get a little bit more snow before the winter is over!

a not so quiet "quiet time"

2008-01-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well, we have arrived at the point that I have been dreading since Kambry was born. The point in which naps are no longer part of our daily routine. In all honesty Kambry still needs the sleep, because she can be way too emotional when she gets tired. But when she started staying up until 11:00 pm, because she "wasn't tired", we knew that horrible day had come.
We changed nap time to "quiet time", because I still need some alone time to keep my sanity. Quiet time started out in her bedroom. But soon, she figured out that she was tired and still needed sleep, so she would just turn off her lights, climb in bed and tuck herself in. She was still staying up way too late at night...I knew we needed another change. So quiet time has since moved to the basement with all of her toys. I thought this would be a wonderful idea, because she loves playing down there, especially if her doll house is there. Well, day one went just fine, but then day two and so on have not gone so well...she doesn't like to stay in the basement when she has to be there.
We spend all of quiet time yelling back and forth...."Is quiet time over yet?"...."No Kambry please play quietly. I will let you know when it is over." Currently she is sitting at the bottom of the stairs crying because she wants to come up.
Needless to say, quiet time is not so quiet around here. But I don't know what to do. She can be in her room or she will fall asleep, but if she is in the basement my blood pressure only seems to continue to climb!
Hopefully we will be able to figure out a way that works for both of us!

bring it on!

2008-01-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally know how it feels to be a single mom. The last two and a half years Ricky and I have joked that I am a single mom, because he is gone so much. But this week we figured out the real meaning of it.
This last week I got a VERY good look at what residency is going to be like. Ricky started his surgery rotation this past Monday and by the time he gets off call tomorrow morning he will have put in 94 hours!
It has really been a tough week for both of us...and for the kids. They both have noticed that he isn't around...well, at all. It is really cute to see them as soon as he walks through the door. Dax just gets this huge grin on his face and runs straigh for his legs!
So, with Ricky gone so much and it being cold outside, I really need ideas for the kids, to keep them entertained. If any of you have any good ideas, please let me know!
Hope all is well for you all, and please pray for us, that we can make it through the next 7 weeks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

I love the ending of an old year and the beginning of a new. It makes me reflect on the changes that I have made in my life and also changes that I still need to make.

Each year around this time, like so many others, I sit down and make a list of things that I would like to accomplish throughout the upcoming year. However, I like many others, never seem to accomplish many of the goals we set. Maybe this year I will just make two or three and see if I can stick to them, rather than setting 20 and not accomplishing any of them.

I did stick to one goal last year, and that was getting in shape. It is something that was really easy and enjoyable for me to do. This year I will continue that goal, but I am thinking that it will not be nearly as difficult this year as it was last year. As most of you know, one of my goals this year is to run the half marathon in April....so I will at least have to be in shape until April 12th!

Another goal that I am setting, is to read my scriptures daily. That is something that I have always struggled with. I don't know why, but it has always been a challenge for me. So even if it is only 2-3 minutes, or even 30 seconds, I will read EVERY day. Along with my own scripture study, I would like to have scripture study with Ricky each day. This might be a little complicated, because he leaves so early in the morning....but we will find time!

And thirdly...(is that a word?) I am going to be more patient! More patient with my kids, more patient with my husband, more patient with my neighbors, more patient with drivers on the road....(sometimes I have some road rage..I didn't really notice how frustrated I get, until my three year old was sitting in the car with my one day and we were at a stop light....she saw it turn green and instantly says "Come on buddy!" to the car ahead of us.) Not only am I going to try to be more patient, but I also need to use a kinder, softer tone. It is a goal, I guess we will see how I do. I think that this goal will be the hardest of all of them.

I had to put these in writing, and not just on a piece of paper that will get lost under the fridge, or in a book somewhere, or stuffed between the couch cushions. I needed to put it in writing for everyone to see. That way if I ever see you or get a message from you...you can ask how they are coming along. Which will either make me proud to say that I am doing well, or ashamed and get me back on track!

Oh, I forgot my last goal, and that is to KEEP my New Year's resolutions this year!

I hope that you all have a Happy New Year and hopefully you will be able to keep all your resolutions too!

I never posted anything from Christmas, so I better do that before I get in trouble.

But before I do that: A few weeks ago, after quiet time, Kambry woke up and asked if she could have a treat. I told her that she could pick out one treat that she would like. She asked me for a sucker. I grabbed a dum dum for her and she immediately told me that she needed a BIG sucker. I told her that those suckers are still a little big for her. She looked at me and said, "But mom, Heavenly Father gave me a big mouth so that I could eat one of those (big suckers)." I just laughed. That is probably the only time that she will be grateful for a "big" mouth!

Okay, on to Christmas. We had a really enjoyable, relaxing holiday. It was nice to be at home and let the kids just play and play with their toys. (Not that we don't love being with our family back in Utah, but it was nice to just let the kids relax and play.)

Christmas Eve we had some friends come over for dessert and we just sat around and played the Wii....(we were "Wii sitting" for some friends, while they were gone for Christmas. Thanks Leesa!) That night we read the Christmas story to the kids before going to bed. Kambry was so excited to go to bed, becuase Santa would be coming. However, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep. She kept yelling from her room "I can't hear him mom!" I tried to explain that she wouldn't be able to hear him, because he couldn't come until she was asleep. She finally crashed.

The next morning was so fun to see their faces. Dax loved the boxes and wrapping paper, and Kambry loved opening all the presents...even those that weren't hers. Her favorite gift was well....I honestly don't know. She got three Princesses from neighbors, friends & Santa, so probably those...although she really liked her new Tinkerbell dress and refused to talk to us, unless we called her Tinkerbell!

Daxton's favorite gift was his Dinosaurs. It is so interesting to see how natural it comes to him....just being a boy! As soon as we opened the package, he grabbed both of the T-Rex's and started growling and bashing their heads together. After their fight, he took one of them to eat the Christmas tree and then on to daddy's leg! It was so fun to see him playing! It is very interesting to see how different the two are! Kambry is SUCH a girl, with her princess dresses, makeup, dolls and wands and Dax with all his cars and dump trucks and dirt and mud! I sure love their different personalities!

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas, and hope you all have a very wonderful 2008!

a little update

2007-12-13T07:14:00.000-05:00

I sincerely apologize for my slacking off. December has been such a crazy, crazy month. Even though it has been crazy, we have still had time to enjoy the season.

I have been trying really hard to get all my Christmas shopping out of the way. I did a pretty good job, I think. I have been done with the kids stuff for a while now, it was just Ricky that I still had to take care of. I wanted to get him something...(I can't say, just in case he reads this) that apparently is just as hard to find, as a Wii! It is the type of gift, that I should be able to get basically anywhere. I checked EVERY store around here...nothing. I had to resort to the internet. I got it off of Amazon.com.....which is great, with their free shipping. The only bad part was, that I was $1.54 short of getting the free shipping. So then I had to spend forever looking for something that I didn't really need, just to get free shipping. How frustrating. I guess that is why they have it, so that people like me will spend several dollars more than they planned on, just to save a few bucks....if I saved any at all! Oh well.

So, what have you all missed out on in our lovely lives.....well, sickness. That is about it. We have all had nasty noses, sore throats, and coughs...and pink eye...oh and an ear infection. Luckily Daxton didn't share the pink eye with the rest of us!

We did get our first good snow fall. It was really fun to take the kids out to play. It was Dax's first encounter with snow. I don't think he likes it very much yet. He realized pretty quick that is just makes you cold and wet. Kambry on the other hand thinks that it is the greatest thing EVER! She could literally stay outside and play forever. As soon as there were a few flakes coming down (not even sticking) she said...."Mom, can we build a snowman?" It was so cute. She did get to build her "snowgirl" eventually, but she had to wait for more snow. (Special thanks to the "snowfairy" who provided the carrot for our "snowgirl") We didn't have a carrot for the nose and our neighbor just happened to be at the grocery store, so she bought us one!

The kiddos in all their snow gear. Dax wasn't too sure about the whole thing

How many Kambry's does it take to build a "snowgirl"? Only two! Kambry is here with her friend Cambri Miller.

The night of December 5th, we celebrated German Santa Claus. The kiddos stuck out their shoes and on the morning of the 6th, there were treats. It was always something that Ricky and his family did every year, and it was a tradition that we wanted to start with our family. Kambry was so excited. It was so fun to see her little face light up when she saw what she got. She was a little disappointed to learn that he wouldn't be coming the next night as well.
I am very excited to see her reaction to Christmas morning.

Dax got a "Little People" book, which he loves! Kambry was so excited to see that she got a "Dora" movie!

Speaking of Christmas, I am very pleased with my son. We put up the tree just after Thanksgiving, and not one ornament has been broken...well all the breakables are up high, but one year olds have a tendency to find a way to break anything. He has done a really good job at leaving the tree alone. If Kambry finds him playing with an ornament, she will take it away and put it back on the tree. Which means that all of our ornaments are in little clusters, but I am grateful for Kambry's help.

One last bit before I go...I have a confession to make. Today was the first day since Thanksgiving Day that I have gone running! Sick, I know. Ricky's schedule has been crazy, and I just have such a hard time running with the jogger...basically I am trying to make up excuses for my laziness. But I did run 4 miles this morning, in the rain. It was a really nice run, but I will be sore for the next couple of days!
Another fun day in the snow with the Miller's. This time building a snowman at
their house...and of course it wouldn't be fun in the snow without a snowball fight!

Here are the little ones after a fun day in the snow!

Kambry is such a big helper! She was feeding Dax his yogurt!

The kids favorite place to read/play is behind the couch cushions