The past 3 months in a nutshell

Ok, so I believe this is the longest I have gone without updating the blog. Life, let's just say, has been hectic! But here goes my shot at summarizing the past 3 months....

Christmas:
We had a GREAT time!! We were able to go to Stanley for a few days before Christmas and celebrate with Jared's family. It was so good to see Adam and Jenna and Caleb (we only get to see them like 1-2 times a year!). We had a blast being pulled on the sled and just relaxing! Because of my job, we had to be back so I could work Christmas day. We left Stanly on Christmas Eve and drove home. My parents and Aunt JuJu then met us at the house and we had a lovely Christmas Eve. This was the first year we did all of Christmas on Christmas Eve. I had the kids get their baths done and then Santa came to our house early. We let McKinlee know that we volunteered to have Santa come to our house on Christmas Eve so that he would have extra time on Christmas day to deliver to the rest of the world. Logan had a wonderful 1st Christmas and was his usual happy self. He knew exactly what to do with the little basketball hoop Santa brought him. McKinlee would have been happy to just get the Ariel necklace and princess crown and wand. I was sad to have to work on Christmas day, but our family lived through it! My brother Russ and his family were supposed to come up on Christmas day but because of the weather they weren't able to make it. We still had a great Christmas dinner and the holiday was just splendid!

January - February

Not a ton has gone on. I have been working Tuesday-Friday 3 pm - 1 am, so needless to say, I don't see Jared much, but I do get to spend time with the kids. Jared has decided to take yet another fire class. This time he is taking Driver Operator. He is gone on Monday and Thursday nights for that. He also got a new calling as the Priest advisor. He loves it and does a great job. So between me working, Jared taking classes and mutual, we really don't have much of a chance to see each other. I am grateful for phones and for the weekend. We actually did take a mini-vacation to Vegas with just myself and Jared. It was wonderful! The weather was perfect and it was nice just to be together for a couple days.

It seems like we have been sick for the past 2 months, also. Hopefully we are all on the mend. Little Logan had an ear infection and he is trying to cut another tooth...so needless to say he hasn't been as happy as usual. McKinlee has had the typical cold, but amazingly enough when it comes to playing with friends she isn't sick at all! (weird how she can be sick one minute and well the next....)

McKinlee turned 3!

This past weekend McKinlee turned 3! Holy crap, I can't believe 3 years have gone by! It is amazing to look back on the past 3 years, though, and see how much our lives have changed. McKinlee is a joy and we love her more than anything. She still has a little attitude, which I am sure will never change, but it is that personality that makes her McKinlee. We went to Twin this weekend for my nephew Jacob's baptism and decided that for part of McKinlee's birthday we would stay in a hotel and go swimming. We had our good friends Deven and Shelby and their 4 kids join us and had a blast! McKinlee is a little fish and it looks like Logan will be taking right after her! We then went back to Pocatello Sunday and celebrated with my parents. On Monday (McKinlee's actual birthday), we took her to Red Robin and had the waiter's sing to her....she wasn't too impressed! Then we came home, cooked some Papa Murphey pizzas and had Jerry, Stacey, Luke, and Wyatt (our neighbors) over for dinner and gifts. Jared's parents are coming up this weekend to celebrate...so basically McKinlee is getting a birthday week instead of just one day!

Kid updates:

At McKinlee's 3 year well child visit she finally weighed in at 30 lbs and measured 36 inches! Wahoo!! She is just barely wearing 2T, but I would rather her be petit than big. Logan had a doctor appointment for his ear infection and he weighed 19.5 lbs. It is amazing he doesn't weigh more with as much as he eats! I swear, that kids eats more than the rest of us combined! He and McKinlee are a great pair because whatever she doesn't eat (which is most everything) he finishes for her. He is hilarious and HAPPY!! Even when he was sick, he tried so hard to just be happy. Well, I do believe that is 3 months in a nutshell...here are some pictures of everything that has gone on.

Logan unwrapping presents.....he loved the wrapping paper and ribbons!

So cute!! enjoying the Stanley snow

Mom and McKinlee making snow angels! McKinlee riding the 4-wheeler....or should I just say, sitting on the 4-wheeler!

Mom and the kids ready for church * Dad and Logan playing after Christmas * McKinlee and her princess gear

Logan practicing to be the next basketball star!

Sick baby Logan with his daddy...he was so snuggly!!

On the sled ride at the Elk Refuge in Jackson

BIRTHDAY FUN!

Family Photos

As far as updates for the past few weeks, there aren't any. We are busy busy busy, and it doesn't seem like we are home much. The kids are sick of being taken from one grandparent to the other, and to daycare. They are ready to be home!! Soon my work schedule will be very scheduled and I will be working set days each week. I am THRILLED! I am ready to start being in a schedule and knowing exactly what I am going to work. It will be nice because I think the kids will only have to be in daycare a couple hours a day 4 days a week. WAHOO!! I know that there are lots of people who aren't a fan of moms going back to work instead of being at home with their kids, but for our family, me going back to work has been a blessing. We see the the many positive outcomes that have happened because of it and there isn't a day that goes by that we don't let our Heavenly Father know how grateful we are.

so a couple months ago we had our good friends, Aaron and Noelle Merzlock, come and take some family pictures. McKinlee was, well let's just say, not too thrilled with the whole process. So, as you are taking a look at all of the pictures, just realize that it was way worse than it looks! We actually got some cute/funny pictures of us and the kids and I wanted to share them.

We finally got our first big snow of the season a couple days ago. We might have a white Christmas now! I am super excited!! ok, that's it..nothing more to report. Here are the cute pics of my family!

Week of Milestones!

So we have had a very exciting week! McKinlee has started using the big toilet at daycare. She actually goes and tells them when she has to use the bathroom! Of course, I can't get her to go for me here at the house, but at least she is doing it somewhere!! I am SUPER excited for the days when she will be diaper free, and I think it will be just around the corner! YIPPY!!

Logan got his first 2 teeth within 48 hours of each other! Last Monday he got the first one and on Wednesday the 2nd one popped through. There wasn't really any fussing..typical Logan! He is just the happiest, sweetest baby in the world! I mean, McKinlee was an exceptional baby, but Logan is even better!! How did we get so lucky?!

Not that this is a milestone, or anything, but I did celebrate yet another birthday. My sweet sweet husband gave me the BEST present ever! He said he was going fishing, and he really was, he had the car packed, the friends ready and everything, but at the last minute he didn't go. He didn't even tell me he wasn't going, and instead he came home and cleaned the house and the garage! That was the best surprise in the world! We then had cake, and he even taught McKinlee the words to Happy Birthday, and they sang and we had candles and the whole shabang! What a great day! A couple of my Primary kids even brought me some yummy yummy cookies! What more could I ask for!? THANK YOU!

Well, once again here are the pictures of the past week!

Logan's first 2 teeth...i had to hold his tongue back or else you couldn't see them!
I LOVE my babies!
Happy birthday!
McKinlee helping put the candles on the cake...I think she actually thought it was a cake just for her. I went ahead and let her believe that :)

Halloween Fun!

So, I have been slacking (once again). There are some new developments in the Colson household....I have gone back to work. We decided a few weeks ago to have me apply for a job with the Sheriff's office as a dispatcher, and what'd ya know? I got it! So last week was my first official week back to work and I loved every second of it. There is a ton of stuff to learn, but i do enjoy what I am doing and the people I work with . It has been nice getting out and talking to people, but I do feel terrible about leaving my little kids at daycare. Jared has been AWESOME about getting them fed, dressed and out the door every morning. He has made it so much easier to go back to work. Now the time I am spending with my babies is quality, even though I miss them terribly during the day. McKinlee is actually in a pre-school and loving it! She is making new friends and learning a ton. Logan is in the same facility but just in an infant section. He doesn't care one bit, big surprise! He just goes with the flow. It is fun to go pick them up and have them get all excited to see me. I am just happy things are adjusting. I keep telling myself how blessed we are and how prayers are answered, just sometimes not in the way we were expecting them to be. Jared has been able to spend a lot of time with the kids by himself being a daddy and I think that is the greatest thing that could have happened! So enough with that let's get on to Halloween festivities 2008!!!

This year McKinlee totally knew what was going on. She knew she was going to dress up and get candy and let me tell you, she got a butt load! I had the day off (Yippy!) and so Jared took it off as well and we headed off to Idaho Falls to buy candy, run errands and meet Jared's mom for lunch. We dressed the kids up in their costumes (McKinlee was a kitty and Logan was a turtle) and went into Sam's Club where we were going to meet Jared's mom. I am totally not a mom who usually dresses the kids up to go shopping, but we wanted Barb to be able to see them in their costumes. I was happy to see many other crazy moms who had their kids dressed up, too. So McKinlee was able to get candy all throughout Sam's because everyone thought she was cute. By the time we actually got home she was already chuck full of candy and really didn't need anymore, but Trunk or Treat here we come! McKinlee really did enjoy going from car to car collecting her 'loot'. She doesn't understand the concept of waiting in line, so she would just weasle her way to the front of the pack and grab what candy she wanted. Hopefully next year we are a bit more polite. However, she did say 'thank you' to every person... Logan was just as content as can be and eventually fell asleep in the car. After trunk or treat we decided to brave the elementay school carnival. As Jared said 'it was a great form of birth control'. There were kids all over hopped up on sugar! We tried to be good parents, though, and let McKinlee do some stuff like the cake walk, haunted house, duck pond, and fishing pond. Jared even bought her a cotton candy. She had it all eaten in about 3 minutes (no exagerration), then started helping herself out to her friend Luke's. She was COVERED in blue sugar from head to toe. By the time we had done the fishing pond we were all ready to go home. Jared took McKinlee to a couple houses to go Trick or Treating, then we headed home, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. Halloween was EXHAUSTING!!! But, we had a blast!

My parents and aunt came up Saturday morning and watched the kids while Jared and I went to Jackson so I could do a Scentsy party. They then met us for a late lunch and mom and juju took me shopping for my birthday while Jared and my dad took the kids back home! It was GREAT! As much as I adore my children, shopping is much more enjoyable when they are not around!

Alright, that is our last couple weeks in a nutshell, now here are the cute pictures of Halloween!