On our last month in OR

We are on our last month in OR. We leave on the 25th...not that I am counting or anything :). I don't know why I am that excited to go home, but I am. Carl is going to be super busy with school, consulting club, interviews, job searching, conventions, etc, but I am still excited to come home. Although it has been "interesting" and educational to explore OR and am grateful for our highest temp of 80 degrees, there is something about being home with friends and family close that is so comforting.

Here are some pics from our latest adventures:

We went to Arch Cape Beach the weekend before last, and it was great! The kids found tons of starfish, crabs, and shells.

The kids loved digging. I brought some of there small figurine toys and they dug for "treasure". They had a blast discovering the toys in the sand.

This was June & I's first beach trip. It is a little under and hour and a half drive. It was pretty windy, so she was bundled up. Don't you just love a bottle on the beach?

We have done TONS of "school" while we have been here...mainly b/c we have been inside a lot due to the rain, but the kids are getting great with their letters and EmmaJane can finally write her name instead of EJ.

And here are the lastest of June, the 3 month old:

Ready to go out on a cool day!

June all ready to party at church!

June just chillin' at the pool.

Emma Jane and CJ trying to make June happy by giving her their animals.

A little sister cuddle time!

June in her first pair of jeans.

We're Alive w/ Pictures Galore!

The kids got a bunkbed! Woo hoo! Now if only we could stop them from coming into our bed!

We went a Children's museum and they had lifesize lincoln logs! I wish I got a better picture of the house they built!

Carl took all the kids to see this waterfall! So gorgeous!

CJ on the trail to the waterfall.

Emma Jane, the hulk, in front of the waterfall on the trail.

Carl and all the kids on his adventure!

CJ was in heaven when we saw this at the zoo. Its head moves and it makes noises. AWESOME!

Emma Jane and the Lions at the zoo.

The kids at the petting zoo!

The kids at the beach! Carl had been DYING to go even with an hour drive!

Now Pics of June:

Look at that cutie pie!

She is smiling!

And she loves bath time!

Sorry, turn your head!

Look at that cute smile!

All smiles...atleast for 10 minutes after she eats...and 10 minutes after she wakes up...sometimes. :)

Portland for the Summer

Carl got an internship at Intel this summer in Portland, OR. Friday Carl drove with the kids (and Mabel) with our van jammed pack and towing his car...which was also jammed pack. The hitch was less than 6 inches off the ground. We prayed all through their travels that the car wouldn't break down or blow a tire. Thankfully, by straight up Grace, they got to Portland safely. I stayed to finish cleaning the house and packing up the last minute items and flew on Saturday with June. June does not do well in the car. When I say she doesn't do well, I mean that she screams most of the time. Anyway, they picked me up in the airport and we crammed me, June, my 2 suitcases, and our double stroller in the van. (No one had room to put their feet down except Carl & the stroller had to be tied to the bike rack on the trunk of Carl's car). I wish someone could have recorded us at the airport. Imagine the van with a roof bag on top, towing a car w/ a bike rack picking us up at the airport. Then, it took us about 20 minutes to rearrange things to fit us all...this is all at curbside pick up.

When we got to our apartment, we unloaded everything. We couldn't find an apartment here that would rent for 3 months that was furnished, so as soon as we got here, we have been buying things on craigslist.

We bought this brown microsuede couch: $50. Black Faux Leather Glider and ottoman: $15. Dining Room Table and Chairs: $100. Coffee Table: $5

Desk: $15, Chair: $5, TV table: $5

Tonight we bought a bed and mattress for $80 b/c we were having to re-blow it up multiple times a night. I guess it couldn't handle Carl and I's weight, plus us getting up several times a night to take care of June and to put EJ and CJ back in their bedroom. Tomorrow we are picking up a bunk bed for EJ and CJ. Hopefully, that will stop them from coming into our bed...I doubt it.

And, I couldn't not post a picture of June. She still pretty hard to figure out, but she is still pretty cute. She just started smiling a lot more which is so fun. She is finally fitting in her 0-3 months clothes and grew out of the newborn diapers.

It has been quite the journey this past weekend. The hardest transition has been going from a house to an apartment. The kids love to play outside and they are a lot more confined in the apartment. It has been pretty cold and wet ever since we got here. The kids are going a little stir crazy, and I am not so great getting out with all 3 kids since June is still pretty crabby. But, I will get better at it with practice and hopefully we will get to explore the area this week!

Crazy Times

Nana went home today. Boo hoo hoo. :( I seriously could not have done it without her--especially with Carl gone. She was like the energizer bunny while she was here, so I hope she gets to sleep a ton this week before she heads to LA where my sister is having her baby.

Carl returned from India on Friday! Woo Hoo! It has been AMAZING to have him back. He is the ying to my yang, and I can't imagine letting him go ANYWHERE again! :) So, don't even think about it Carl.

On Sunday, we blessed Miss June since this was the only Sunday we would be back before we headed to Portland on Friday. (By the way, Carl got an internship with Intel in Portland for the summer. We leave Friday and will be back in UT the last week in August. Talk about crazy times!)

Cute little June Belle.

She looked so beautiful in her dress. Thanks Lindsey for letting me borrow Layla's! It fit her perfectly.

By the way, we weighed June yesterday, and she weighed 9 lbs. So, she is growing! :)

Gpa's here! Woo Hoo

Gpa came Saturday night, and we have been loving having him here!

He brought these cool balancing birds for the kids.

The kids slept in to 7am, which they haven't done since June was born, so they got to go to Chuck E Cheese with Nana and Gpa. They had a blast!

This is for Carl to see how big she is getting! She is almost 3 weeks and still not fitting into her 0-3 month clothes.

Me and Miss Ma'am

Little Miss June HATED her first bath, but she still loves to get her hair washed!

CJ put these stickers all over him and wanted to be referred to as "Stickers." It was pretty funny.

The kids have loved having Nana and Gpa here, CJ especially. He follows them around and loves being their little helper. CJ even sneaks in there bed at night. Like last night, he woke up several times at night, and I kept putting him back in his bed. I finally let him sleep in my bed b/c I needed to sleep. But, by 3 am, he had snuck out and hopped in their bed. Sorry Mom and Dad. I tried. :)

June still isn't sleeping that great, but we are slowly getting the hang of it. We just take it one day at time and say lots and lots of prayers. :)

What We've Been Up To...

Well, it has been a week since Carl left for India. We miss him dearly. He gives us updates on his BLOG which is very entertaining. We also talk to him via Google Video every night, so the kids can see him and we can have family scripture study and prayer.

And, Nana has been amazing. She has already done tons of laundry and fixed tons of things at our house, not to mention entertaining the older kids or helping rock June or change her diaper. She is seriously the bomb. Now if only I could get my kids to sleep in past 6am, so we can get some more sleep...

We have had visitors...

Gpa Haynie reading to the kids

Gma & Gpa Dalton came down with Pam and Ben.

And, since we have been having warm weather, we have been playing outside as much as we can!

CJ's new found obsession: These Roller Skates. He wants to wear them all the time...even in the house.

And, Emma Jane has been practicing her roller skating skills too. Nana has also been working on teaching her how to ride a bike without training wheels. I will post a video later. And, CJ has learned how to ride Emma Jane's 2 wheel scooter better than she can! It is amazing how fast he can go!

And, on to June:

This little lady is obsessed with anything June: picking out her diapers and outfits, getting pacifiers for her, checking on her while she is asleep, and holding her any chance she can get. It is pretty dang cute to see how much she cares for her.

This is what June looks like most of the day--all wrapped up in her blanket.

This is June 2 weeks old. We still haven't quite figured out how to put her to bed. She gets up as soon as you put her down, but o well. You figure she still hasn't hit her due date which is May 9th! I just got her to bed, so I better get to sleep before she wakes up in a half an hour. :)

Holding Down the Fort

Well, Carl is in India. He left Friday morning. June was 1 week old at the time. Since then, we have had 2 sleepless nights and mostly sleepless days. June is not like my other two. She is not a natural sleeper. She seems to be pretty gassy, and she wakes up within 30 minutes of putting her down...usually. It is so sad b/c you can tell she is so tired and wants to sleep. She is just so uncomfortable. It is just so hard to see them in pain and be trying so hard to figure out what they need and want. It is funny how even though it is my 3rd kid, it feels like my 1st. It definitely makes me miss Carl more.

June 6 days old

The proud big sister

2 happy kids--thanks to Nana. Nana has been the bomb! I don't know how we would survive without her. She has been so helpful with cleaning, cooking, laundry, you name it. The kids love her so much too! We are grateful to have her help, and we are grateful that Grandpa let us borrow her for so long!

June just woke up so I better run...

Little Miss June

We got home from the hospital Sunday afternoon and are slowly getting into the swing of things. We are just trying to figure out our little miss's likes and dislikes. And my body is trying to heal. Meanwhile we are just to trying to prepare for Carl leaving to India Friday morning. Boo hoo. :-( But in the meantime, we are enjoying having Carl off from school and having June home. Here are some pics from the past few days.

Our New Family at the Hospital

First Day Home

Loving Getting Her Hair Washed

All Wide-Eyed after Getting Her Hair Washed

Sweet Little Thing Asleep

Me & Miss Ma'am

June Bug (Belle) has arrived!

I will be adding photos and putting the newest ones at the front, so come back and check them out later if you want to see more :)