Santa came to visit

This past week, we had a knock on our door and it was Santa! He came to visit Amanda and little Kaitlyn. What a surprise! Amanda almost didn't know what to think. We asked if she wanted a picture of her with Santa and she ran in the other room. lol Then Roy told her that she needed to tell him what she wanted for Christmas and that Kaitlyn was getting her picture with Santa. So she came out and got her picture taken also. :)

Jessica's Christmas Choir Performance

Jessica had her school's Christmas choir performance! It has been always fun to see her little programs and the fun little songs they sing. Here is a picture of her with her group and a picture of her with her choir teachers.

Kaitlyn with eyes open

We haven't had any pictures posted with Kaitlyn with her eyes open. So we thought we would post a picture of her so all of you could see what she really looks like. :)

December 1st

Just to back up a bit, December 1st is my Mom's birthday. As a tradition, the family will get together and decorate a little tree on mom's grave. We don't have a headstone on her grave yet. I think Dad is waiting for his time to come and let us kids have one made for both of them.

Later in the evening, Roy, Amanda and I were able to decorate the little tree. It was a lot warmer outside than last year...we actually could sit on the grass! :) After decorating Mom's grave, we went over to Dad's and helped put up his Christmas Tree. It was a fun evening and lots of reminicing. :)

Kaitlyn Marie is here! :)

We are proud to announce that Kaitlyn Marie was born on Friday, December 5 at 6:57 p.m. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19.5 inches long! She is a cutie and she has a good combination of both Roy and I. Amanda has been pretty excited to have a little sister! :) Here are a few pictures from the hospital.

Roy's Birthday!

Roy's Birthday was on November 4! It was quite an exciting day! He received a candy bar poster from some older ladies who are around his parents age at the gym and then gave him movie tickets for our date night. :) Then he also received some gifts from family and neighbors. I didn't even have to make a cake! We had a apple pie made for us, so we used that for his birthday cake. :) This will be a good year for Roy and many happy days to come! Happy Birthday My Sweetie!

Halloween 2008

Well, we had a fun Halloween. Roy went out with the kids treat-or-treating, while I stayed home to pass out candy. It was fun to see Amanda's excitement just dressing up and getting candy. In the photo from left to right: Amanda (Curious George or in Amanda's words "George the Monkey"), Ammon (Janga Fett - Star Wars Character), and Jessica (a cute little witch).

Family Halloween Party

My sister, Becky, had a halloween party at her home this past weekend. I missed out on it but I was able to see some photos of a couple of my siblings. I have to share them since I think they are pretty fun. The first picture is my sister, Becky, as the witch off of Snow White and the second picture is my brother, Pat, as the angel Moroni. hee hee. I love my family! Fun memories!

Ammon's Baptism

Well today was a special day. Ammon was baptized! Yahoo! It was a wonderful meeting. Roy was able to confirm him and did a wonderful job! A little before the confirmation the bishop asked if I would share my testimony after the confirmation was taken place. It was a neat opportunity and I did get choked up a little at first. Ammon was pretty excited of course and was very proud about his decision! Afterwards we all had lunch at Mark Anthony's Italian restraunt. It was nice to be able to have the family from all sides of the family to show their support. The picture up above was taken when the meeting was all finished.

Time to Have Some Fun

This week, I had been thinking, it has been awhile since we just had fun going somewhere with the kids (just our family) and family reunions don't count! :) Roy & I decided to go to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point yesterday before it gets too cold outside. We tried out a couple of the the corn mazes, rode the cow train, jumped on the "jumping pillows", rode the petal bikes, had duck races, walked through the dark insides of a fake creature, had balloons shaped into a penguin, sword and a bear holding on to a heart, slid down the black pipe slides (those were a big hit), and many other fun activities. We had a blast and it was fun to see the kids reactions.

I've Been Tagged!

Alright Jackie got me! I was thinking I was feeling pretty lucky not being tagged by anyone. :)

Two names I go by: Mommy and Lala

Two things I am wearing: Black dress pants and stretchy pregnant shirt

Two things I want right now: Be able to know what to make for dinner tonight and be able to go home from work.

Two things I did last night: Went to Joe Banditos with Roy & Amanda for dinner and watched the "Biggest Loser"

Two things I ate today: Turkey Sandwich and grapes

Two favorite drinks: Icy cold water and any kind of fruit smoothie.

Alright I tag Laurel, Denise, and Jeff! Then you tag three people. :)

The Seam Ripper Incident

Last night didn't turn out what I thought it would be like. My usual Wednesday evenings are to go with Roy and Amanda to pick up Jessica and Ammon from their mom's in Herriman. Come back home, have kids work on homework, have dinner, then have family home evening and then take the Jessica & Ammon back to Herriman.

Well there was a bit of change of plans for me yesterday. My sister, informed me a couple of weeks ago about a class Nebo School District was doing at Springville High School (right by my house) on making cloth diapers. It was just one night and for 2 hours. I would learn to make an all-in-one diaper and see if it was something I wanted to pursue for my next baby to save money. So the plan was I would have dinner with the kids and then go to this class with my sister. I even picked out a lesson for Roy to give for FHE so that things might be easier with all the kids.

Well I got to the class a little late, and we learned all sorts of neat things. Then the last hour we started learning to sew these diapers. It has been a long time since I have sewn anything and I wouldn't call myself an expert. But I have to admit I was proud of myself for what I still remembered. Well, I goofed up a bit on the diaper and my sister mentioned the instructor had a seam ripper to help unstitch some of the stitching and it was a really nice. (Side Note: The seam ripper was bigger than your normal "little" seam ripper. It was around 4 inches long and had a bigger point on it). :)

I started to unpick my mistake on the diaper. I was almost done with it when...the seam ripper flipped out of my hand and I put my legs together to try to catch it from falling on the floor and then next thing I know, blood is squirting out of my leg through my pants!! I was shocked. I put my hand over my leg and called for my sister, Diana, for some help. I didn't want to draw attention to the other people and I was trying to stay calm. I told Diana what had happened and
we got some paper towels and ran to the bathroom. We pulled my pants up to see what it looked like and it cut a little over a inch long and about three layers deep of skin (could have been deeper but it punctured a vein)...it was definitely enough for me that I couldn't look at it any more...otherwise I would freak out.

Well to make a long story short, I ended up going to the emergency room in the hospital, had 4 stitches put in my leg and a tetanus shot in my arm and yes I stayed calm through the whole situation and laughed quite a bit. It was embarrasing to even tell the story to the different hospital staff. My sister and I had a good laugh along with the hospital staff ...who would think a seam ripper could do so much damage.

I am more sore today in my arm from the shot than my leg...crazy! Roy is now calling me "Peg Leg the Pirate." :)

Amanda napping

It is fun to step back and look at your child especially when they are sleeping and see how cute and peaceful they are! Roy took a picture of Amanda yesterday taking a nap before church. Later on we checked on her and Roy asked if I thought our next baby would be just as cute. I told him "yeah I think so, we make cute kids!" :) Hopefully I didn't ginx us! hee hee

Ammon's Soccer Game

Here is a couple of photos of Ammon's soccer game this past Saturday! We were able to get an action shot of him headed for the soccer ball. Looks like a couple of boys fell down. It was a good game and Ammon's team won! Yahoo!

Also here is a picture of Roy, Amanda, Jessica, Alex (Jessica & Ammon's half-brother) and Ammon.

Ammon's 8th Birthday!

Well, Ammon turned 8 years old on September 14! Happy days! He no longer has to sit in a booster seat in the car. Since this is a big birthday where he will be getting baptized we got him a new suit and scriptures. Well, the next day when we were getting ready for church...he was the first to be in his new suit with his scriptures in hand. :) He will be baptized on October 11 in Herriman. We are so excited for him and it is hard to believe he is growing up so fast.

Oh the Good Old Drill Team Days!

Well the beginning of last week, I heard that Michelle Boyack, Drill Team Advisor for Spanish Fork High School, was trying to get all the Drill Team dancers together to have a reunion and perform at the Homecoming Football game the same week. Well the reunion was on Thursday and the performance was on Friday night! My first thought was it would be so fun to do and I wonder if I still have any coordination in me and oh yeah...I am six months pregnant!! Well after thinking about it for quite some time, a extra push of a co-worker and supportive husband, I decided to give it a shot.

I showed up at the reunion and looked around and didn't see anyone I recognized and then from a distance I saw my sister-in-law, Vickie (Roy's oldest sister). Man, I was soooo glad to see her! Then shortly after we broke up into groups to learn our routines. I went with the 90's group. It was reassuring all the other girls were in the same vote as me in learning these routines...except they were not pregnant, but I kept plugging along. Well as I was talking to the other girls in my group and I realized I knew their older sisters which made it even more fun. :) Afterward we had dinner and practiced as a group with the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. I had a blast!

Friday, we got together again and went through the routines again one last time and then performed at the Homecomming Football Half-time. I definitely have to say I have no regrets doing this and not wondering "what if". I had a wonderful time!

Above is a picture of me, a friend of Vickie's, Vickie (my sister-in-law), Michelle Boyack (drill advisor), and another friend of Vickie's. :) I had other pictures but the flash did not work so the pictures are all dark...what luck! :) I am hoping to get a 90's picture of our group emailed to me...we shall see.

Finally Know Gender of Baby

Well thanks to a friend in my ward, she was able to hook me up with her sister-in-law to give me a free ultrasound. So I went in on Friday night at 9 p.m. and tried to get a second guess on what we were having. I almost thought we were going to have the same problem as the last ultrasound because the baby was crossing its legs at the ankles. It would stretch but just keeping its ankles crossed. So after drinking 2 orange juice glasses the baby moved a little just in time to let us know what it was and then SHE crossed her ankles again. Yes, it is a little girl!! :) I am excited! I didn't think I would have two girls straight in a row. It will definitely be easier since we already have a bunch of girl stuff. :) Now we need to start thinking of names...fun fun.

August 9, 2008 Salem Days 5k Family Run

Roy, Jessica, Ammon and Amanda went to the Salem Days 5k race. I didn't go since I had only 1 1/2 hours of sleep with the long trip from Idaho (Brittany's wedding). But they seemed to have a wonderful time. Ammon came in 3rd place in his age division (6-7 year olds) and he even won a prize in the drawing!

My Niece Brittany's Wedding on 08/08/08

It is hard to believe my nieces and nephews are getting married, yet they were getting married before I did! :) I am just a late bloomer I guess. :) Here is a picture of my sister's (Marilyn) family, with the new bride and groom (Brittany & Tyler) at the Idaho Falls Temple. It was beautiful there!

I also got a chance to go back to Rexburg to BYU-Idaho. I haven't been back there for several years! So much has changed since I was there last, but yet the spirit is still there with many wonderful memories. The temple there is just beautiful!

Grandpa Richardson's Tractor - July 2008

We were hanging out at Grandpa Richardson's house on the 4th of July. Amanda and her cousin, Julia, were having a good time playing on Grandpa's tractor.

Jessica's 10th Birthday

We were able to have Jessica on her birthday this year. We were up in Tremonton for a Critchfield reunion earlier that day and then celebrated her birthday later that afternoon. It is hard to believe she is 10 already and going to 5th grade! She is a great student and is definitely a leader! She has been in a choir group at her school up in Herriman, Utah for the past couple of years. She loves Littlest Pet Shop toys & Polly Pockets.

Amanda's 2nd Birthday

We brought donuts to Amanda's Daycare (Iliana's home) to celebrate with Amanda and her friends on her birthday. Amanda was pretty excited to see us! Here are some pictures!

Amanda's First Hair Cut

Here is Amanda modeling her new hair do! This is the Saturday before her birthday.

Orem Owlz Game - July 2008

Roy's brother invited us to go to a Orem Owlz game earlier in July. It was our first time going and actually had a great time! Hootz the Owl was a big hit!

Art City Days June 1, 2008 in Springville

On June 1, 2008 Our family had quite the day. We ran the 5k run at Art City Days in Springville out in the rain. Roy stayed with Jessica and Ammon to motivate them and they were big troopers to keep going. Amanda stayed warmer in the stroller while mommy ran/walked with a full bladder. :) I guess that is what you get being pregnant and being in the rain. :)

Right after the race, I got Amanda ready for the Springville Days Baby Contest. Jessica and Ammon were in the baby contest when they were younger and placed in the top 3, so we thought we would keep the tradition. Well we were excited to learn that Amanda came in 2nd place in her age division. :) She sang with Roy the song, "I'm so Glad when Daddy comes Home". Roy would start it out and Amanda would fill in the words and do the little actions. She sang the song for 2 out of the 3 judges. Looking at the pictures...the kids were suppose to come in a white onsie and since it was cold and raining they said they could put their pants on to keep their little legs warm...so Amanda's outfit is quite white. :) The following Saturday, I rode on the float with Amanda. We snacked on grapes and she waved at different people. Amanda every once in awhile would yell "Hi!" Once she saw Roy, she was yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!" She was definitely excited to see him. :)

General Conference (2)

This is what mommy looks like when the kids are good during General Conference.

General Conference April 2008

We were all watching General Conference and the kids were all being so good coloring their little packets...even Amanda. I just couldn't resist...I had to take a picture.

Amanda last one to leave

This is Amanda being the last one leaving at Mom's grave. They have a special bond even though Mom passed away a couple of months before Amanda was born. Amanda was born a week late and I think it was so she could spend more time with Grandma. :) It was definitely meant for Amanda to have mom's middle name, "May". So Amanda is our little Amanda May or the kids would call her "Baby May". :)

Grandma Richardson's Birthday December 1, 2007

Each year on Mom's birthday we have made a tradition to go to her grave and decorate it for Christmas. This year Amanda was able to come with Roy and I and she loved it.

Get the Current Year Caught Up :)

Well, I thought I would just go backwards of the current year to get things caught up and then post our adventures as we go along after that. Then every one can get a feel for what we are up to. This year has been busy especially this summer with all the family reunions, birthdays, weddings of our nieces on both sides of the family and canning food from our garden. It has been a happy time!

This is a picture from April of this year. We figured we hadn't had a current picture since Amanda was born, plus we had just found out we were expecting another one. Figured we better get a picture before I didn't want any pictures of me. :)

Results from my Ultrasound

Well, we had our ultrasound a couple of days ago. When we first started our baby was in breach position. So the doctor looked around at all the body parts of the baby to make sure it was developing properly and every thing looked strong and healthy. At one point the baby was in hurdle position and then it put its legs together. The doctor said he was 70% sure it was a girl and then confirmed it was a girl. It was a bit of a surprise to Roy and I since we thought for sure it was going to be a boy. But there is still a bit of doubt that we really don't know for sure what it is since the baby's legs were so close together. :) In the meantime, we are thinking of Girl and Boy names and even if we can think of some unisex names we like that would even be a bonus. Then it will not matter what the gender may be. :) We will be happy with what we get. :)

Finally Did It!

Well, I finally set up a blog. I have seen so many different blogs lately that this actually looks like it will be fun to do and possibily a way I can write down my thoughts/have a journal. :) Hopefully this will help to keep family and friends informed on how or what our family is up to with our many adventures! :)