This thing is covered in dust

Why oh why is it so hard for me to keep up with this darn blog? I always have things to put on here and I always forget to post. Hmmm I am going to forget details to everything if I don't get on that. Trying to adjust to life in a new home. new baby. new town, new.... everything. We are keeping busy. So busy in fact that in the 4 weeks we have lived here, I STILL have not completely unpacked. oops. The only rooms left to finish are the girls room and mine and Daniel's room. They don't seem like a priority when I have so many fun new things to do and explore with my kids. Living here is literally our dream come true. We have wanted this for so long. I miss my friends and family terribly but I KNOW this is where we need to be and right now. Yes it IS tough as Daniel is still only part time at his job. When he moved down here early to find work it sucked so bad when he lost his other job. Luckily I was still watching kids to help bring in money and Dan still has his design work. Even though things are extremely tight right now I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure Dan could be working tons and making more money but then I wouldn't be able to wake up almost every morning to him and the girls. Most mornings he gets up with the girls (bc I am up with the new baby throughout the night) and he makes us breakfast. He is home a lot and we get lots of time with him! We have been on a few hikes, the splash park, the library, evening walks, late night movies or shows on netflix, cooking dinner together, laying on the floor coloring together, countless stories to the kids, art projects, tickle fights, loving on the new baby and all the things we can think of to do as a family on a limited income and daniel having little hours at work. It is HEAVEN. I love it. It is a good feeling to wake up most days and ask what do we want to do today?? It took a LONG time to get here. I watched kids since Ireland was 5 months old. She will be 4 in October so I have never ever been able to wake up and ask what we can do for the day. I loooooove day and night to just play with my babies and not be so exhausted each night that I can make dinner at night and get housework done and plan adventures. I feel we deserve this. We needed this so badly for us and for our kids. They love living here and love being within walking distance of everything fun a kid could want to do.

We will be headed up to Salt Lake around the 8th of this month. My father in law is coming this way anyway so he will pick up me and the girls. We will stay in my old house (that will be weird and so empty) for a few days. Apparently when we moved, our insurance coverage couldn't come with :( our "coverage area" doesn't cover where we live. At all. SO we are a tad behind on things I thought we could take care of once we moved. So while in Salt Lake I will: take myself to the eye dr and FINALLY get my correct lenses put in my glasses (hooray for being able to see soon) I need to get Leighton new glasses. her nose piece broke and she has bent the glasses so many times, they are mangled... well she is two! I still need to see my dr for my 6 week post natal visit. Ashlyn needs her 2 week shots (yeah she is 7 weeks now) as well as her two month check up and Leighton's 2 year check up. Let's see... oh yeah Leighton is also behind on immunizations. Man you would think I was busy before and after we moved huh?? jeez. anything else I need to take care of?? ha ha ok moving on.... then I will stay at my mom's for a few days then on July 14th I will go in for surgery. I need to get my deviated septum fixed. I am so excited to not feel like this anymore!! Also he will remove the nodules off my vocal chords. I am extremely optimistic that I will sound and feel a 100 times better after I finish healing! My mom will care for me and the girls through all of this. Then back home I go. The sad part in all of this: Daniel can't afford to take time off of work so he can't come. Also our anniversary is the day after surgery and I can't be with him. Reasons I am doing this and now and in Salt Lake: My insurance stops the end of July. My Dr. is in Salt Lake and the only day the Dr can do it in July is the 14th. sad but it HAS to happen. I can not live with this anymore. I can't. I refuse and shouldn't have to. So Dan and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary on August 15th instead. Should be lovely.

is this update long enough?? ha ha. hello, it's me talking... of course I am not done! :)

Leighton turned 2!! On June 24th. She is such an amazing little girl. She is so hilarious too. She really is a funny kid. She knows it and will do anything to get you to laugh. She is smart as can be and asks me daily to "do preschool" since I teach Ireland, she wants in too. Sure thing kiddo! I don't mind, that's the age Ireland showed interest too. Leighton loves to learn and blows us away daily with new things she knows. Things even I didn't teach her. She is just a sponge! She is a good big sister and is always getting the baby a binky or blanky and informs me every single time the baby cries. ha ha. thanks sis! Leighton is becoming super independent and wants to do everything on her own, and she asks to help do things around the house and we love having her help. Oh but she is a trouble maker for sure! ha ha she loves to push your buttons and see what she can get away with knowing you are watching her. stinker. jeez you would think she was a curious, growing, learning toddler or something huh? :)

Ireland... my sweet Ireland. In my post not long ago I talked about how we butt heads. I may or may not have made her sound like a brat. She so isn't. She is just head strong. As am I. We have extremely similar personalities and so we both clash at times. I seriously love her to death and wouldn't change her for anything. She is a big sister to TWO younger siblings and she is only 3.5 years old. A new move, a new baby, having mommy watch kids her whole life, sharing every toy she owned, having sister get a lot of attention with her bad health and hospital stay (Leighton is who I am talking about) and having her Daddy move away for over 2 months and everything else.... I would say she has every right in the world to be a little cranky or frustrated with the world, yeah?? I am trying with all of my heart to get her in a regular schedule sprinkled with lots of fun, new activities and fresh air. Trying to make things normal for her. She is such a good kid. She is a great big sister and is so protective of her sissies. She is a pleaser and wants to help make every meal, clean up, sweep the floors, ect. She wants to ask a million and one questions a day to soak up everything she possibly can. Both girls are doing well with sign language still. We, as a family are learning more and more. They both started to sign at age 9 months and have always continued with it. Daniel and I took a 9 week course forever ago and I have a desire to learn more. I will take a class at Dixie State and see where I get with that. The girls love it and its a fun thing for us as a family.

Awww my newest little Princess.... she is Heaven! Ashlyn will be 7 weeks old tomorrow and is the cutest little thing. She rolls over from tummy to back and has for a while now. Scares her to death every time. She does it every time I put her on her belly. She has an adorable smile and it always starts as a crooked lip, then big open mouth, twinkling eyes, then her gorgeous toothless smile. She coos and tries to "talk" often now. She is an amazing sleeper. She has since day 1. I often had to wake her up to eat the first 2 or so weeks. She would just sleep the hours away. Now she nurses between 1230 and 1 am, 4 am, 7 and so forth. Not a problem as I am up until 1 am anyway. I am a night owl. Sometimes she skips the 4 am and waked up at 6 to eat. It works well for me. I still can't believe I finally made milk for my kid! 3rd time was the charm. This is so weird and new for me.

wowza this was a tad long eh? ha ha ha ha. not sorry at all. Can't wait to get pictures up! We all know there will be far too many of those as well!!