Little Cambri

My little baby is two months old today. When you are pregnant, it feels like forever. But after the date passes and baby comes, it feels like things move so quickly. One thing that is not moving fast is the fact that Cambri is a horrible sleeper. I know now that I got very spoiled with Izzy. I was working on the baby books today and I saw that Izzy slept through the night completely at 7 weeks. WTH?!??!?!????? Cambri isn't even close to that point. In fact, things are degressing. For the last two nights, she has been up for solid hour periods insisting to be held. It's very painful because you can bet that Izzy will have me up by 8am. AAAHHH. Such is the life of a mother. Except for the fact that I still young enough to handle this. But I can't do this much longer. I have to look at the fun things thought. Cambri will smile once in awhile and she is getting very cute. She still looks like Izzy though. I almost gave my Grandma a heart attack when she picked up a picture of my Grandpa holding Izzy and she thought it was Cambri. She thought that it was a ghost picture or something because my Grandpa passed away before Cam Cam was born. If these eight weeks have been an indication of times to come, Cambri will be a pleasure for many years to come.

Genius Move

Judging by these actions, you would never guess that Chuck has already suffered from giardiasis (more commonly known as "beaver fever"). The best way to avoid giardiasis is to avoid drinking untreated surface water, especially from mountain streams because beavers and other muskrats are common carriers of the disease. But I do think its funny to hear him scream like a girl.

Josh, Heidi & Marley

My little sister has been sent back to Illinois, much to the dismay of our family. We know that they are happy back there, but selfishly, we wish the three of them still lived here in Idaho. It really meant a lot to Isabelle and myself that they made the trip back here just for Izzy's birthday. It was so nice to not have to work every single day they were in town. One of the small joys of maternity leave. We had a really good visit barring the time that my mom woke up in the middle of the night to check on Marley and mistook her face paint as blood. Needless to say, the entire house was woken by her screams. I just wanted my little sis to know that we miss her and her family every single day and hope for their quick return to Idaho. Being that Josh is the only one that can get little Cambri to smile, we need him around on a more permenant basis. Also, Heidi has more patience in her little pinky that I do in my entire body for Isabelle's ADD. I just need her to come home...

A Different Kind of Sad

As some of you out there know, I had my tubes tied this week. It was a strange feeling as I laid there in the surgery holding area by myself. I felt completely alone and everyone bone in my body was telling me to get up and run. But my head was telling me that I was doing the right thing for our family. Chase wasn't able to be at the hospital with me because someone had to take care of our kids but I know that he was very hesitant about the surgery. The number one reason why I went through with it is because I want our two kids to have every opportunity they can possibly have. Even adding one more to the mix takes away from finite resources i.e. energy, time & money that parents can offer their children. I love my kids enough to want them to get everything that I can give. I need them to know that really everything I do is for them and that means stopping with them. I was told once that every mom goes through a mourning period when they realize they will never have another child. Here I am at 25 and going through that feeling. I feel very selfish for feeling sad right know but I have to accept that it is normal and won't last forever. While I do feel very sad right now, I know that eventually I will feel comfortable with this decision. I really don't have a choice at this point. But by knowing that Isabelle and Cambri are it without a doubt gives me the responsibility (and privilege) of enjoying every singe moment I have with my kids. Right now I feel like a semi has taken me out but this to shall pass and physically and emotionally I will be ok.

Like Mommy, Like Baby

This picture is a reenactment of something that happened while we were visiting Chase in Utah. Izzy, Cambri and I were in shopping in Walmart and all of a sudden I noticed that people were staring at me and one guy even pointed at me. I had just used the restroom so I thought that I had tucked my dress in funny or had toliet paper stuck to my shoes or something. All of a sudden, I look down and Izzy (who is riding in the front of the cart) has her shirt lifted, her hand clamped to the back of the baby's neck and she is nursing her doll. She is casually looking around while her baby is eating. Her shirt in this picture is a lot more flowing than the one she was wearing that day. In Utah, she was wearing just a basic tshirt and she was holding it up well over her shoulder. I told her that the baby was done and she needed to put the baby down. Then she told me, "Nope, she still needs to eat from the other side still." She then proceeds to move the baby to the other side. I'm sometimes shocked at how much this kid picks up and applies to her own life.

Always Crazy

While these pictures are very old, I have to include them because they are the essence of my child. She always thinks that every event in our lives somehow revolves around her. I don't know what we have done to make it this way but I have to admit that I think shes kind of cute. My hope for her is that she never lets inhibitions get in the way of her doing what she wants. She is one of the most outgoing people I know and she's only three!

Our Polygamist Family in Arches National Park

The sign at the beginning of Arches National park was very clear about a few things. In fact, let me show you verbatim what was posted at the head of the trail. I have taken the liberty of highlighting a few keys words that should have created some buzz in four very ableminded adults.

Delicate Arch
Start: Wolfe Ranch parking area
Length: 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Elevation change: 480 feet (146 m)
Trail Type: Strenuous

Take at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per
person! Open slickrock with some exposure
to heights and no shade. The first half-mile
is a well-defined trail. Upon reaching the
slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail
climbs gradually and levels out toward the
top of this rock face.
Just before you get to

Delicate Arch, the trail traverses a rock ledge
for about 200 yards (183 m).

Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread to
give you good traction. Do not hike in
leather-soled shoes or boots. Some trails
cover uneven terrain and follow rock
ledges.Protect your skin with a hat, long-sleeved
shirt, and sun screen. There is little shade in
the desert. The sun is intense year round
and can easily burn your skin, especially in
the summer.

I read this and seriously thought to myself, "This sounds harder than I thought but we should be able to do it." Nevermind the fact that we had 1/4 of quart of water for 8 people to share. And we were all in flip flops. And I had my newborn with me. We set out anyway. With the kids in stollers. Needless to say, I didn't make it all the way. I found a tree and stopped halfway through the hike with my baby. The rest of the adverturers went on. Right after they left me, they passed two hikers that were on their back from the arch. These two didn't see me and as soon as they passed our group, the man said, "You can always tell when you are in Utah when you see a polygamist family out and about." I wanted to ask him where he got his facts about polygamy in Utah but I was under the impression it was a single man with multiple wives. Which didn't apply to Nicole, Ryan, Chase, Jade, Mia & Isabelle. But I thought it was funny. Later on some guy stopped and gave me a gatorade. He refused to leave until I took a drink from it. All you have to do is sit around look pathetic and people give you stuff. I told the guy that he shouldn't reward bad behavior. The bad behavior being me with my newborn in the desert. In the end, only Chase and Ryan made it all the way to the final destination. I think that in the end we had a good time, we were just grotesquely unprepared.

Mashin Maven Movers

Isabelle: "Ladies and Gentlemice, we are proud to wesent you [sic] the mashin maven movers. I did it. I did it Jade!"

Jade: "You did it! Well kind of...Actually not really. Say it like me Izzy."

Jade: "Im"

Izzy: "Im"

Jade: "Gin"

Izzy: "Gin"

Jade: "Nation"

Izzy: "Nation"

Jade: "Imagination!"

Izzy: "Mashin Maven"

Izzy: "Ladies and Gentlemice, we are proud to wesent you [sic] the mashin maven movers. I did it. I did it Jade!"

Now repeat this conversation in extremely tight quarters no less than 250 times and tell me that you wouldn't consider opening a vehicle door and throwing yourself to the mercy of the interstate pavement.