Some changes coming our way.

It's been awhile but I've been so busy lately and so tired that by the end of the night all I want to do is watch a little t.v. and then go to bed. So what's been going on? Well thankfully Greg is home and we made it through that long year.

Now that he's home it's time for some changes. Greg accepted a job as a Geologist for the BLM in Price, UT. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I am so excited for Greg to have a normal 9-5 job, not to mention the great benefits and security having a government job. On the other hand it sucks because we have to move to Price. It's still far from my family, farther from Greg's family and it's a super small town. We went down there twice house hunting and I was very disappointed with the selection. Thankfully we did find a house and should be in about the middle of November. For right now me and girls are still here in Pocatello while Greg is living out of a hotel in Price. Just my luck, Greg comes back from Iraq only to leave us a few weeks later. But at least it's not for too long.
So besides getting ready to move I'm just busy taking care of these 3 little girls by myself...like usual. Eva started preschool again and is loving it. Although this will be her last month there and I know she is super sad to move away from her best friend Halle.


I couldn't ask for a better helper! Eva is so sweet and loving towards both her sisters. She tires so hard to keep the younger two happy and willing gives Layla any toy she wants without hesitation. Sometimes I tell Eva she doesn't have to give (whatever it is) to Layla if she still wants it but Eva always says, "it's alright Mom I don't mind." She defiantly got this from Greg. :)



Layla is still being a little 2 year old. She is so sweet and funny one moment and beyond sassy the next. She has started to imagine with little toys and it is so cute. I can't always understand what she is saying but I hear her telling her toys, "you're alright." or "I'll be right back OK?" She also loves to snuggle when she watches movies or is getting tired. She'll come sit by me or Eva and say, "snuggle me." I love it.




Julia just hit the 6 month mark on the 18th. She is a chub just like her sisters were and I think it's so cute. She is a pretty happy baby and is hitting her milestones on track. She babbles a lot, has rolled front to back and back to front and has started sitting up all by herself. She is a joy to have and really completes our family of girls.



I recently had the girls pictures taken and as you can see I have so much fun dolling these little girls up! So that's what's up around here. Hopefully my next post will be pics of our house!

Who needs sand when you have rice?

I bought Eva and Layla a sand & water table as a gift when Julia was born. I got it all ready for them and even ordered pink and purple sand online. They have used the table a lot this spring and summer but I have had one complaint. I never realized how messy sand is! The girls would have it stuck all over them which would lead to it being brought in the house. They would also carry it in buckets around the yard and before I knew it the sand was gone and I would have to order more. Then I discovered something much better.....Rice! Not only did I decided to put rice in the table but I found a way to dye it different colors using food coloring. The girls had so much fun helping me make all the colored rice.
Eva and Layla mixing up the rice. They are both in my aprons which made me think maybe my next project will be to sew them matching ones. :)


After we mixed all the colors we put them on pans and placed them in the sun to dry.


Then I got the table all set up. Here is the water side with Ariel all ready for a swim.


And here is all the rice complete with sand toys and buried treasure.


Layla was so excited she couldn't wait to start playing.



Eva and Layla played out there for so long their legs were getting tired so Eva when and got a stool for Layla and a beanbag chair for herself. She's such a good big sister.


So the colored rice is a huge hit. I highly recommend it cause It's cleaner, cheaper and a fun little project to do with the girls.

Our 2 weeks with Daddy

Daddy finally came home for a long awaited visit. I can not tell you how wonderful it was to have him here. I felt complete again and was the happiest I've been in almost a year. We really didn't do too much. Just enjoyed each others company, went out to eat at all of Greg's favorite places, visited family and snuggled a lot. Now as you look through these pic's you need to play this song "All American Girl." Every time I hear it I think of Greg with his 3 little girls.



Here is Greg holding baby Julia for the very first time.


and he pretty much didn't stop holding her the whole time he was home.




Of course he also couldn't help but spend as much time as possible with all his little girls. Yes Julia is snuggled right into his side just sleeping away.


Greg pushing Layla on her big wheel.

He even taught Eva to ride her bike without training wheels. We are so proud of her.


Layla was sad about something and Greg was sympathising with her.


We also blessed Julia while Greg was home. Because of the short time that he was going to be here we decided to do it on a Saturday at our home with just family. It was such a nice relaxing day. Looking back I wish I would have done all my girls blessings this way.


My sweet little Angel in her blessing dress.




And here is Julia giving Greg one of her big smiles.


The 2 weeks flew by and now Greg is on his way back to Iraq. But he is almost done. September is right around the corner and then My hubby will be back for good and our family will be whole again. I love him so much and I'm so thankful that even after all this time apart we are still just as close as ever. He truly is my best friend and the most wonderful Daddy.

Mother's Day

As of tomorrow it has been 3 weeks since little Julia has made her appearance into the world. So how are things going? Pretty good. :) She is a good baby who so far doesn't fuss or cry unless she is hungry. She wakes often at night but always goes back to sleep after eating. I guess I'm still kinda used to waking up a lot since Layla woke up every 2 hours to eat until she was 13 months! So yeah Julia waking about 4 times a night isn't so bad. Eva and Layla love her to death and are very sweet to her. I am also proud of the fact that I still haven't had a "for no reason melt down cry" which usually happens at least once right after I have a baby. Maybe it's because I'm too busy to cry about anything silly? Well whatever the reason I'm glad I've got everything under control. Like I said JuJu bean is a good baby but having another is still more work. Like getting Eva to preschool by 9 am is a juggling act, so was going to my brother-in-laws wedding over the weekend and going back to church on Sunday. But I'm doing it and I'm really happy.
With it being Mother's Day and me being alone I thought i would be sad but.....I'm not. I feel like even though Greg isn't here I've got my little family of girls with me and that makes me happy. I love being a Mom and I love my life. Motherhood is the greatest job I could ever have and I can only hope I do it well and raise strong, loving, kind, beautiful girls.
In the spirit of Mother's Day here are some of my favorite quotes about Mothers. Happy Mother's Day.




A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown


The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh


All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown


When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty


Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

A mother is a mother still,
The holiest thing alive.
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A mother understands what a child does not say. ~Author Unknown


I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln


Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. ~John Wilmot

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents. ~John J. Plomp

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. ~Author Unknown

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

Julia's Photo Shoot

I have never done infant pictures and the biggest reason is because c-sections are so hard to recover from. I think pictures are the last thing on my mind during that time. But again with this being my last baby I really wanted to get some taken and I have a good friend who does a great job. So exactly one week after JuJu bean was born I got them done, and I love them! I think the egg is my favorite but I still love them all. Thanks Melonie for doing such a great job!






Anyone for a cup of tea?




Glamor Shots!



I love her little feet!




Pretty in Pink.







I just had to get a picture of Julia with Daddy's dog tags on.

So that's my little sweet heart. I just love her.