an update...

Well folks. (whoever might read this)...the year is just about over! I have not done a good job at blogging this year. I have taken pictures....but not as many as I usually do. I have journaled...but not as often as I would have liked to. Life is good, bad, fun, sad and just all over the place lately.

So, I will try to do a recap of the past little while...

August 21st, Weston broke his leg for the second time this year. He spent a couple weeks in a wheel chair and then got around on crutches for another 6 weeks...then spent another month after getting is cast(s) off wearing an orthopedic boot to protect his leg. I told him that he is NOT allowed to break his leg(s) again! If he's going to break something, it needs to be an arm or something that doesn't inhibit his ability to be mobile!

I last posted on August 13th....exactly 17 days before my dad passed away. If I had only known. Ugh. My dad passing away...him not being here for the past almost 4 months has been a big part of my life. I don't cry everyday or regret anything about the time I spent with him while he was alive and I am so grateful for the many hours I got to spent with him and my family the 4 days he was in the hospital. I haven't blogged about those days. I don't know if I can yet. I get choked up just typing that. I don't replay every minute of those 4 days over and over in my mind all day long anymore. I did that for a good two weeks after he passed away. I have a good dad...and I miss him. His funeral was nice and people have reached out to my mom in so many kind and generous ways. Having people say and show they care really does make going through something like this easier. My mom is a trooper. She only took a week off of work. During that week, she went to grandparents day at my kids school...by herself. I am so glad to have her.

Brandon started a new job on Sept. 1st. He is CFO for Novo Power Bio Mass. He has been busy cleaning up their accounting department. They've asked him to oversee two of their other companies as well. He's got a LOT going on at work. He loves his job though. This job pretty much fell into our laps. Novo Power had approached him in the fall of 2013 (we were in Utah for my grandpa Barrett funeral actually) and offered him a controller position. They were wanting us to relocate asap to the White Mountain area. We fasted, prayed, went to the Temple and ultimately felt like accepting the job wasn't the right thing to do at that time. Well, Novo Power approached Brandon again the end of this past June. This time after going through the same decision making process, we felt good about him taking the job. We've committed to relocate to the White Mountain area (which basically for us means Snowflake) by March of 2016. House prices are going down here though so putting our house on the market and moving looks like it might need to happen sooner rather than later. I am having a hard time with the idea of selling our home. I am not in love with this house or emotionally attached to it...I just worry about having to have it ready for people to walk through at a moments notice. (ugh!)

We also had Halloween. Not my favorite holiday. I have a hard time with the pounds of candy consumed by my children. Over all...we could skip Halloween and I'd be just fine....but I loved it as a kid and I want my kids to at least have fun that day too.

November came and along with that, Kaitlyn turned 12! We had a party for her at the ice skating rink. I am so glad I did that and didn't try to plan something on my own! The girls all had a blast. We did that the Saturday before her birthday. On the 3rd (hers and my dad's b-day) we met my family at the cemetery and the grand kids released balloons with messages to grandpa tied to them. We were able to take Kaitlyn to the Temple to do baptism for the dead that week. Kaitlyn, Brandon and I, my mom, grandpa, Aunt Marlene and Kayla (Jamie's daughter) all went and did baptisms and confirmations. There were 4 generations of Newbold's in the Temple together that evening. We forgot to take a picture together afterwards. We need to do it again so we can get a picture! In November we also had Thanksgiving which we celebrated with my side of the family at my moms house. Then that Sunday, we celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We had everyone over to our house and had dinner and dessert. We had the grand kids and my mom play a version of the "Newlywed" game. The kids gave their best answer to questions about my parents (how they met, how old they were, things like that)...the kids all read their answers and then my mom told us her answers. I learned a lot, like that my parents actually first met when my mom was 16! It was fun to hear the kids answers too. Then we gave my mom a necklace. It is a pendant with my dad's thumb print engraved in it. I love to see my mom wearing it. Oh. Kaitlyn also got braces in November! (they're not as fun as she thought they'd be)

December has been busy with different Christmas things. I feel like there are too many different Christmas celebrations going on. In everyone's effort to celebrate, it is making me run around like a chicken with my head cut-off! How many Christmas parties do we need to have, really? So, I am trying to breathe deep and work towards my desire to have the things I do to celebrate be about bringing myself or others closer to Christ.

So, there's a little idea of what's been going on in our famly. Now you can see why I haven't taken time to sit down and blog...and if you could see what Connor and Cameron have done to the house while I have sat here at the computer....you'd understand even more!

Merry Christmas! :)

It's Offical...

Cameron can go to nursery!!!! I have been counting down for the past 8 months!

Other cute things about Cameron {who also goes by "baby", "Camers" and "Camo"}:......

Cameron makes the cutest "ruff ruff" sound when you ask him what a dog says. He's also turned into a pretty good little kisser. He's a lip smacker and I love it! He likes to say, "Mom. mom. mom. MOM. mom mom...." oh and Connor taught him to say "bum bum" last week. Other words he likes to use are: Daddy, Addie, bubble, nana (for banana...or any food sometimes) and diaper. ;)

Cameron LOVES to jump...on the trampoline or off. He has a cute hop! He loves water and hoses and watering cans. He really enjoys watering plants. He also likes throwing things. We gave him a hot wheel car to play with during Sacrament Meeting this past Sunday and he chucked it two rows up barely missing Sister P's head!

Another thing Cameron absolutely LOVES is blankets. Kaitlyn sucked her finger, Addie, Weston and Connor loved their paci's...but Cameron doesn't like either of those things. He loves to snuggle with a blanket. He has to have one or more for nap or bedtime. The other day he had 4 that he was carrying around, draped over his shoulder or around his neck. It's pretty adorable.

Cameron also really likes food. He's not very picky either. He can out eat Weston and Connor (combined) for any meal. Like most kids, he like sweets and treats but he really eats just about anything. He's a social eater too. He eats breakfast with the older kids when they are getting ready for school...and then he will climb up on the table and sit right in front of me when I sit down to eat my breakfast and beg food off of me.

I love that his hair is blonde, his eyes are blue, and his skin tans. He keeps us busy but he also keeps us all laughing and entertained. He's pretty much all of the families favorite person right now. :)

I'll have to post pictures of Camo later....when I figure out how to get them off of my phone! :)

Paint

Here's a little bit of advice.

Don't house shop 8 months pregnant.

I've done it twice....I should know...you have a since of urgency. You want  a roof over your head. Paint color and room sizes don't matter as much.

Here's a picture of the kitchen I cooked in, cleaned in and spent most of my waking hours in for the past 16 months.
 

This house just isn't big enough for that amount of color!

My parents took the kids last Saturday and Brandon and I prepped and painted for 12 hours.   I am more into boring neutral colors on the wall...and adding color through decorations and accessories.Here's the kitchen now:

I love to walk into my kitchen and not hear my walls screaming "PAINT ME please!"

THANK GOODNESS!!!

....now I need to work up the nerve to paint the rest of the house...not to mention decorations...

*on a totally unrelated note....will someone please pester me about blogging Cameron's birth story!? I had it all typed up LONG ago and then clicked the wrong key and lost it!*

“To whom do we look, in days of grief and disaster, for help and consolation?...They are men and women who have suffered, and out of their experience in suffering they bring forth the riches of their sympathy and condolences as a blessing to those now in need.  Could they do this had they not suffered themselves?”  ~Orson F. Whitney

I love this quote...the truth of it has had a profound impact on my life. My brother and sister in law shared it and I had to put in on my blog so that I'd know where to find it!

School starts for us in 2 1/2 weeks! What the!?

I don't like summers here in the Valley of the Sun.

I love summers to be a time spent outdoors! You can't do that here without a pool in your backyard....

 I find myself conflicted...

I want the summer to go by fast so the heat will be over with...

I want the summer to go by slow so that we can sleep in and enjoy the break and have fun together.

I don't know what it is going to take for me to love summer again. I miss being able to enjoy it.

We took a fun family trip to the Durango Mountain Resort the beginning of June. it is BEAUTY-full there! It was so nice to be in the cool mountain air and to just swim and play as a family. We took our first real hike as a family. It was a harder hike than we'd thought it would be...and we got eaten alive by bugs...but we saw water falls and streams and trees and flowers. We did something hard and lived to tell about it! (will include pictures later) We also went to see the Bar-D Wranglers again. We had a good road trip there and back. No major freak out sessions...so that was good. None of us wanted to come home.

But...we came home....and then we all spent the next week with the tummy flu. It was killer. I haven't been that sick in a LONG time. It totally drained me and being sick combined with coming home from a beautiful place to the dry desert heat left me feeling depressed. I went from being on a family vacation high right to a sick family low. Plus I had our ward YW Girls Camp to get ready for.

Camp went well. I had tons of fun with the girls and the leaders. I haven't laughed so hard or acted so goofy in a long time!

This past week we've had our niece Leah staying with us. We've been trying to do some school clothes shopping...which isn't easy when the only ones wanting to shop are me, Kaitlyn and Leah. Addie and the boys go to one store then they are DONE.

So, summer break is coming to an end. I am not sure what to do to make the next 2 1/2 weeks special or fun.

I'm praying for some rain so we can have a little bit of a break from it just being hot and dry.

I'll try to post pics later!

1/2 inch

You can tell that I am excited about learning that there is something besides surgery that I can do to flatten my belly...because this is my third blog post about it this week. I haven't blogged this much is a LONG time!

Just wanted to publicly congratulate myself on losing half an inch around the largest part of my waist line...in 3 days! Maybe I ate different food or drank more water Monday...that could account for something. But I have also done 500+ sitting transverse exercises and about 40 transverse squats every day for 3 days in a row...and I can feel it! I am focusing on flexing my transverse muscles anytime I am going to squat, bend, sit, stand...pretty much all the time.

The transverse muscles are the deepest on your ab muscles...the first to tear and pull apart when you have a baby growing in there....or gain weight for any other reason. I also read that chronic constipation (which I thankful do not have) can tear or weaken those muscles. I am learning that the key to a strong core is to stregnthen the transverse muscles first.

I am waiting for my Tupler Splint to arrive in the mail. I am NOT looking forward to wearing this thing in the heat....but I know I need to to help things heal and to be able to do other transverse work out without further damaging those muscles.

LOVE this quote from the fit2b.us site! " {read this like Jeff Foxworthy talkin’ about rednecks terms}: If you’ve got a 3-finger wide Grand Canyon in the trench of yer gut, you might need to splint! If you can sink yer knuckles into the ocean of yer belly like the Titanic and yer feeling yer own spine bones like icebergs, you might need to splint! If your pulse hops under yer fingers like a jumpin’ bean, you might need to splint!" 

...yep...I need to splint!

..I don't think I will  feel like I have officially started working the Tupler Technique until my splint, band and guidebook arrive. When they do, I am going to take some "before" pictures. Then I will be able to look back and really know if this is working or not! Click HERE for other peoples before and after pictures. (Do not fear...mine will be taken in a DownEast under shirt! Those things are great at showing off my mommy tummy...) ugh.

Wish me LUCK!

WIERDNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

click HERE to see something weird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from,Kaitlyn  flake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DR Rehab

Hi!

I am still researching and trying to figure out the best way to heal my DR.

I sort of impulse bought the Tupler Technique products. I know I will use them....but I wish I'd researched a bit more before buying.

Right now, I am trying to connect with people who have healed or helped to heal DR. I know from experince that having support during a healing process is crucial for success....so I am reasearching excersises and looking for people to reach out to as well.

YouTube actually seems to be a great resource for videos that are "tummy friendly". Like I said in my past post...crunches are the worst thing you could ever do for your abs. (I actually talked to a friend whose husband is a physical therapist today and she told me that's one thing her hubby tells her. "Never do crunches!") SO...with that being said, here are some links/tools that I hope will help me in this healing process!

Work Outs: 

Tupler Technique  Not done by Tupler's company...

Post Natal Rehab  This is a full video of ab workouts that are designed to "close the gap!" (tried it and it's too hard for me right now)

FitHealthyMoms She shows some work outs but doesn't go through all the repetitions. (This is more my level)

The Bump Room

Info and Support:

Tupler Technique

The Tummy Team

T-TAPP

Okay! Here we go!

Does anyone out there of the (2 1/2 people who read this blog) wanna join me on my DR Rehab journey?!

You don't have to have DR to do the work outs! They will still strengthen your core.

Leave me a comment and let's figure out the best way to give each other support....because really, that's what I am most worried about right now....not following through and  not having success because I gave up or did what comes natural to me and that is to put other peoples needs before my own. I need some on going motivation!

I am a good mom and a loving wife but I will be even better at these two extremely  important roles if I am taking care of ME too!

Diastasis Recti

My friend Angela called me today....She told me about diastasis recti which is a term I have heard before....but didn't remember. I just thought is was the doctors (my OBGYN and 2 plastic surgeons) way of telling me that I look fat...but in medical terms.Basically, it means that the abdominal muscles are separated.

It hurts me to have people ask me if I am pregnant or say things like:

"When's your baby due?"

"I didn't know that you were expecting!"

(all while rubbing or patting my NOT pregnant belly)

It is so discouraging to work out and still look pregnant. (even more discouraging when people point it out to me...on a very regular basis)

Anyhow. Angela told me that she had heard about exercises that can heal the diastasis!

I have spent the better part of today researching this.

 I am happy to report that I feel hope for my messed up, stretched out, protruding belly for the first time in over 6 years!

I just ordered a DVD, guidebook and splint.

My muscles need to heal...much like a broken bone. The splint will hold my muscles (and my internal organs that are misplaced and basically hanging out) in place and close together so that the connector tissues can reestablish and heal. The exercises help the muscles be in the right position to heal correctly. I also learned that sit ups, crunches and planks actually make the diastasis larger and should be avoided until the muscles are healed.

Think you might have DR? Wanna find out? 

Here's how:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, and the soles of your feet on the floor.
2. Place one hand behind your head, and the other hand on your abdomen, with your fingertips across your midline-parallel with your waistline- at the level of your belly button.
3. With your abdominal wall relaxed, gently press your fingertips into your abdomen.
4. Roll your upper body off the floor into a "crunch," making sure that your ribcage moves closer to your pelvis.
5. Move your fingertips back and forth across your midline, feeling for the right and left sides of your rectus abdominis muscle. Test for separation at, above, and below your belly button.

Connor

  Connor turned four on May 5th! Don't try to tell him that his birthday is on Cinco De Mayo. "It's May fiff!" is what he'll tell ya!

Connor had a fun day with his cousin Daniel over to play. We had a party at my Aunt Pat's house too. The party was thrown by my Aunt Bev for Cinco De Mayo, by my Aunt Deanna to celebrate Bev turning 50 and I brought a cake and pinata so that it could be Connors party too. ;) Connor had a blast. He thought the whole party was for him...which is great since I am not the party throwing type.

Connor loves to roller skate. He has been using Kaitlyn's old roller skates that are 5 sizes too big...and have pink wheels (which doesn't bother him because pink is his favorite color.) For his birthday, we bought his a pair of roller blades, in his size, and of a more masculine color scheme. He loves them and I even let him use them in the house.

Connor also loves My Little Ponies. It's true. He plays with them like he would if they were tan and black horses....he just likes these colors better. My parents took him shopping and it bugged my dad to buy him a "pretty pony". Connor likes what he likes and there is no use trying to talk him out of it. My mom tried to interest him in a mop and broom set and he told her he didn't like it because "Those are for girls". But ponies are okay. Gotta love 4 year old logic! :)

Connor says the cutest things and is still young enough to be cute when he pronounces things wrong. For example: He calls NETFLIX "neck flicks" (ouch). ;) Also, we have a funny book on tape called "Chickens In Headlights". He'll say "I wanna listen to the chickens and head lice story". :)

I love this kid.

Would this be called going "green" or going "brown"?

I came across a post while I was researching to see if the flowers in our back yard that Cameron LOVES to eat are actually edible. (Still haven't found a hard fact on that. I think I will have to call a nursery.)

But, this was too interesting to NOT share.

You have to check it out. It is a post about composting toilets.

Baby~In no particular order

Trip the zoo

                                                                 

Riding a horse ("Business") for the first time.

Relaxing in his swing (just a few days old)

Love his cheeks

silly face

Blessing day

Why do we take pictures of babies in random places where they'd never be safe in real life?

Hanging out in the boys room

Showing off his teeth.

Little lion for Halloween.

I love this boy!
He is one year old now!
He walks more than he crawls. (where did my baby go?)

He likes:
*food
*being outside
*teasing
*smiling
*attention
*peek-a-boo
*bath time
*playing in his brothers room

He doesn't like:
*being buckled into his car seat
*not getting his way
*when we close the door before he can escape
*sitting still ;)

What did we ever do without him?

Blogging

I am a terrible blogger.

I remember when I first started blogging....I found reasons to blog. I made up
 posts in my head. Some I posted...some I didn't.

I started blogging because I needed a place to share my thoughts. My journal was a good place....but blogging was like a journal that gave feed back! "So cute!", "I feel your pain!", "I can totally relate!"

Anyhow. I loved to blog. I liked to take pictures and post them....and now that I think back (well....I have thought about this more recently than just now) I think I started blogging because I needed feed back. I was lonely and needed people to talk to. Then blogging turned into a way to stay up to date with friends and family. It was a way for me to see how they were and to let them know how we were doing.

Than along came Face Book.

I tried FB. I didn't like it. But lots of people do for reasons that I totally understand....but that has left the blogging world a bit more barren of a place. Which is okay I guess.

So, when I think about why I don't love to blog like I used to....I think it has to do with guilt. I feel guilty that my blog isn't up to date. Over the years, my blog has become more of a family journal and I feel like if I don't take a picture of or write about all that is going on in our family, somehow the fact that it happened will have less credibility because it will not be documented for whoever wants to read it in the future. (Does that even make sense?)

Life has been busy and as I have tried to manage my time better, I have let my guilty feeling about blogging keep me from making time for it.

Right now, I am focusing on trying to get my house in order. I am trying to do the FLYlady method of establishing routines and maintaining my house by working on one "zone" a week. I have gotten pretty good at keeping my kitchen sink shiny (that's the first thing flylady says to make a habit). I am also getting better at getting dressed from head to toe....although flylady says to wear lace up shoes...and I wear flip flops. But, I am looking to buy a pair of shoes that I like enough to wear regularly. Her theory of why to wear lace up shoes seems to work for other people...helps them to be ready to get things done so I am willing to give it a try.

As far as the family goes, Adelin was baptised in January and Cameron just turned 1! Two very exciting events. We also had some changed made to our ward boundaries and we are in a different ward. I get to serve in the YW and Brandon serves in the Elders Quorum. The kids are busy with school and playing and just being kids! We have been so blessed! I know that sounds cheesy. But, I have to remind myself of how blessed I am. It is sometimes hard to see the blessings in life. Maybe I need to turn this into a blog about counting or blessings. But I really do want it to be about our family......we'll see how it goes.

SO...anyhow. There's my little post about blogging.