51/52 Moments with baby Dusty...

I'm a little late this week, but thought I would still join in the fun!


Baby Dusty is starting to have more awake periods. I love this stage when they just stare at everything with bright eyes. He also will just sit and stare at me with adoration in his little eyes. I know this will change ( my 4 year old and I have been having a few battles lately!). We have even heard him coo a few times. I am trying to soak up every minute of this precious stage he is in.
He grunts and squeaks alot.
Also a fun memory I don't want to forget is that during all of my late night feedings with baby Dusty I could hear a real owl outside my window hooo hooing.
I thought it was fitting since he is my owl themed baby.

The Rancher's Wife's Photography: Turning 2 means...

dressing like Daddy




lots of running (I am a little sore today after running so much with him!)

occasionally losing your hat from a gust of wind (this brought lots of tears which mom was able to fix once she was able to catch the hat!)

being big enough to pick up heavy rocks and throw them in the water to watch them splash...

being big enough to walk across the bridge

being big enough to climb up on the slide (with mom nearby)

being able to ride in a real tractor...
and being able to have a tractor themed birthday party...

not being too big to hold moms hand...

playing with great g'ma's tractors and trucks while eating a cookie

Week 17 - April 26 - Smiles

The contest this week over at I Heart Faces is all about smiles.
Head over to www.iheartfaces.com to check it out!
I knew I had to enter this picture of our newborn baby boy Dusty Christopher when I saw the contest was about smiles.
He was only 24 days old when I took this picture on Saturday.
There is nothing quite like a newborn smiling...
Authentic, Real, & not forced at all!
I was so happy to be at the right place at the right time when he decided to SMILE.
Hope you enjoy!
Just click on the image to make it bigger...

Shine

Last night the light was absolutely beautiful. Everything was just shining...
Hope you enjoy!
Just Click on the Images to Make Them Bigger...

And as I was just soaking up all of the beautiful light around me this is what the boys were up too...:)

Just keepin it real!

Fischer told me that he found a rock with "fly poop all over it."

Smile

50/52 Memories before and after baby Dusty...

This is the last picture I took with my boys before baby Dusty was born. If you look closely you will see a huge piece of GUM in Hazy J's mouth, and Fishy is making a funny face.
(he is a lot like his Dad!)



5:10AM on March 31, 2010 preparing to have my c-section...
My last tummy picture at 39 weeks and 1 day...




after baby was born
Baby and I did lots of sleeping after surgery...
Chris brought me strawberry slushies from sonic & it snowed 5 inches while we were in the hospital...
We stayed the night before at Aaron and Candy's house. After we dropped the boys off at G'pa and G'mas house after lunch, Chris took me to a "city" to do some shopping before my surgery.
I bought some t-shirts, comfy pants, a nice top for my motivation to lose my pregnancy weight, and McQueen undies & socks for the boys!
Then we met Aaron and Candy at Bernie's to have dinner. We then headed to Safeway to pick up some brownie mix and ice cream to bring to Aaron and Candy's house. We played BLURT, and ate brownies and ice cream.
I did not sleep most of the night before surgery because of nerves.
Then we were up and getting ready by 4AM to make it to prep for the surgery at 5AM.

And after all the late night bathroom runs, late night stumbles to find the tums, after all the discomfort of not being able to sleep or turn over or eat anything after 5PM because of indigestion...
after not being able to catch my 2 & 4 year old if they were being naughty
after worrying in the first 12 weeks if you were alright or if I would miscarry
after worrying in the next trimester if you would be okay & make it full term
after the late night rush to the hospital after our mtn lion scare
after the 4th time they had to poke me to put my IV in
we heard you cry for the first time, and it was all worth it
(I remember very clearly during surgery that the atmosphere of the room changed after baby started crying...it was as if the doctors & nurses just breathed a sigh of relief along with Chris and I)
It was even worth it afterwards when I felt RAW and sore and tired
It was all worth it because you were alive & healthy & hungry & perfect
and you proved once again that nothing in life that is worth it is easy!

I took this picture the other day while we were out helping Dad irrigate.

Starting to feel more like myself again...

Some inspiration...

I also wanted to re-post another of my favorite quotes about everyday life. This one's from Anna Quindlen:

..but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.


And while it takes courage to achieve greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfillment in being ordinary. For the joys that last have little relationship to achievement, to standing one step higher on the victory platform. What is the adventure in being ordinary? It is daring to love just for the pleasure of giving it away. It is venturing to give new life and to nurture it to maturity. It is working hard for the pure joy of being tired at the end of the day. It is caring and sharing and giving and loving…
Marilyn Thomsen

A Week in the Life:Monday & Tuesday

irrigating with a 2 year old...

No he is not throwing a rock in the water (it is a cow pie!)

I guess they were helping our fields grow better by removing all of the dried up cow pies and throwing them in the ditch

a snack break of cinnamon rolls...

Wow I am still a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of energy and organization it takes to get a 4, 2 and 0 year old out of the door...

put your socks on...put your pants on...grab your mud boots...do I have the diaper bag...where is your other sock....stop fussing...where is the front pack for the baby...do I have the mail keys/cell phone/purse/bills and mail???

I have made lots of trips back and forth on my driveway because I forgot something! HA

I guess the more I practice the better I will be at it!

2 pairs of pants down in one morning...and 3 more to go for Mr Hazy J! He takes the cake for creating the most laundry in one day for mom!

Loaded up and ready to go to town...

I then had to turn around 2 on the dirt road...I forgot the mail key and my cell phone!

But at least they are buckled in and they had both gone potty

Dad made out like a bandit the other day on the mtn horn hunting.

I am trying to follow along with Ali Edward's for a Week in the Life. I am taking a no stress approach to my documenting...

I am just doing bulleted lists to remember certain things about our day, and I take my camera with me as much as possible.

A few things I want to remember about Monday and Tuesday:

Monday:

Dad, baby and I were up before the boys

I made dunkin donuts coffee

Dad ate cereal/I ate a yogurt cup & banana

Dad left to go and feed cows/fence

read from Ecclesiastes

Boys woke up/told them to head to the potty

lately been telling Hazy to show Dusty how to go potty, seems to help him want to go

Boys ate leftover breakfast casserole/strawberry yogurt

We headed to town to pick up aunt em and went to the grocery store

dressed the boys and had them go play outside for a bit

(loading 3 kids up/making sure they are dressed and had gone potty took quite a bit of effort)

I had to turn around 2 times get my cell phone and the mail keys!

it was great to have em's help at the store, she took the boys in one cart and I had baby in another

she ended up heading down the snack aisle with the boys and came out with 2 mini cans of pringles and a pack of cookies...

I let Robyn (the pharmacy lady) hold Dusty and we chatted a bit

as we were checking out the boys decided to start fighting so it was a hurried rush to the door after I paid for our groceries

the boys wanted to go to the park, but since they were naughty in the store I did not let them go

We had to head home to fix lunch for dad

Em and I hauled the boys slide outside for them to play on as I was fixing lunch

made turkey sandwiches, aunt Em came with us home

lots of crying because I would not let them go to the park!

after lunch Dad helped put the boys upstairs for nap time...but Fish took longer then usual to fall asleep

kept bouncing back and forth between the upstairs and our room with the baby and Fish

we all laid down for a nap, but it was soon cut short because Fish woke up earlier then normal too

decided to take a walk, had to haul the stroller upstairs from the downstairs closet

Fish kept stopping in the middle of the road and throwing dirt in the air

He was a dirty mess

after out walk we all loaded up in the car again to take Em home

we decided to stay at her house for a minute, she made us homemade popcorn

then the boys and I loaded up and headed home

pretty worn out by this time of day...still trying to recover from my c-section

dad took the boys with him irrigating, went to lay down and take a shower

Tuesday:

everyone up together to eat breakfast/Life cereal for breakfast/dunkin donuts coffee

Dad left to feed cows and fence

beautiful day, boys played make believe for awhile

I decided to try to cut their hair, I made it through Hazen's haircut before my hair trimmers died I have to buy a new set at Wal-Mart when we head to town again

then I showered the boys and then ran a bath so baby could join them

bathed all 3 boys, and then after Fish's bath I just used scissors to trim his hair a little since I couldn't cut it

dressed the boys to head outside

Hazen came in 2x from playing outside with pee pee pants/usually just left his pants and underwear outside and then came in asking for another pair

after the boys played awhile they stopped by for a Popsicle on the deck (has become a new favorite treat lately) had to have MATCHING green Popsicles

Fish wanted a snack but I did not want him to eat to much because it would spoil his lunch

gave him a string cheese

as I was making lunch the boys decided to play right at my feet they like the warm spots on our tile but it made for some interesting cooking

put baby in the baby bjorn because he seemed to want mom while I was cooking

I made enchiladas for lunch/put some cin rolls out to rise

fed the boys a little early because they were starving

Dad came in for lunch, and helped put the boys to bed for nap

I laid down with baby in our bed downstairs and took my computer to work with a few pictures before we ended up falling asleep too

we all woke up at 3PM

sent the boys to the potty while I checked on the cin rolls and started the oven

dressed the boys while the rolls cooked for 15 min

grabbed my diaper bag, baby bjorn, baby in carseat, paper towels and coats for the boys to head down and bring dad a snack

loaded the boys up in the car along with all of the stuff

lots of water everywhere when we headed up to the Lake field where dad is fencing we had to cross lots of water in the car

slightly nervous I wouldn't make it though some of the water

we made it and found g'pa and jazz

jazz ended up stealing some of the cin rolls! but we caught her before she ate them all

G'pa called dad to join us, we all had a snack of cin rolls and water

then we loaded up in the ranger to go irrigating with dad

(kind of a big deal because the boys wanted to ride on the 4 wheeler instead of the ranger but then baby and I could not go)

I drove the ranger with baby as the boys followed dad irrigating

they were completely soaked by the time we went to the car/had to take their pants off and socks and stick them in the very back of the car

that was the 3rd pair of pants for Hazen

headed home with all of the boys to heat up leftover enchiladas

unloaded all of the boys and wet clothes and snacks

let the boys play for awhile

Dad came home about 6 PM, ate cin rolls for dessert

boys headed outside with dad to play Haz ended up peeing his pants again 4 pairs of pants in one day!

the boys are downstairs right now listening to Frances and Taily-po on the tape player (library books we have to take back on Thursday)

I have baby in my lap as I am typing this on the computer

baby had to to fed, changed and put lots of dessitin on him, he peed on me again today

I finally got a pee pee tee pee but sometimes I in a rush and forget to use it

8PM and I am ready for bed! I plan to brush teeth soon and do just that soon

Haz just peed his pants again 5 pairs of pants down! :)

I don't think I am going to put another pair on him today

brushed the boys teeth with watermelon toothpaste, backs and fronts have to tel them to hold still

Wednesday:

Hazy woke up in the middle of the night and his diaper had come off

he ended up sleeping with mom the rest of the night (talk about having bed bugs!) only a really snuggly cute bed bug...

Found out this morning that I won Alison's contest

Made dunkin donuts coffee

we all ate and sang together this morning/cereal

boys headed to see g'ma, I worked on my blog and pictures

headed to town to pick up the mail and send a contract for Chris

baby is sleeping and wearing a little cute lion outfit from Aunt Renee

I love how he looks with stripes and orange, he seems to be getting chubbier by the minute

Dad even said this morning that he must have gotten chubbier over night last night!

Dusty makes lots of squeaks and grunts, loves to eat and be held