Happy Halloween

Bennett & Kylee

Ahoy Matey!

Little Pirate Man

We had a very happy halloween this year with our little pirate. After watching "Dora's Pirate Adventure" Bennett decided he wanted to be a pirate. We later found out, it was only because he thought he would get a treasure chest full of toys and prizes. Whatever his motive was, he was one cute little pirate. We went to a Halloween carnival at Edge the Monday before Halloween, Bennett definitely enjoyed eating baby doughnuts off of a string, and getting a bucket full of Candy with only a half hours effort. The Friday before Halloween we went to my work for a trick-or-treat where he received another bucket full of treats in about a 15 minute time period. Needless to say, when Halloween actually rolled around, we had too many trick or treats. Now everyday we get to pick a few "trick or treats" to have after lunch.

Yee Haw...Ride Em' Cowboy!

Bennett & Jackson...the Cowboys!





Bennett found his Cowboy hat and has been running around the house ever since, saying..."Yee Haw, Ride a cowboy hat." He found a long ribbon, and says he is going to "Lasso" everything. It is so cute and so funny. I thought I better post up some pics of him in cowboy mode. He wants to be a pirate for halloween, cause he wants to wear an eye patch, but now I am debating to have him be a cowboy. Let me know what you think...

Bennett Update

Well, Bennett is going to be 2.5 on Monday so I guess it is time to say bye-bye to "Binky mouth." I decided to snip the tips off of all the Binky's before I ran the dishwasher the other morning. He was waiting for the dishwasher to be done so that he could have his bink, and go lay down to watch Diego. I gave him one, he popped it in his mouth, started to walk away...and then STOPPED! Bennett:"Oh, No!! My Binky mouth is broken." Me:"Ought Oh, if it's broken you better throw it in the garbage." Needless to say, he proceeded to throw every single Binky in the garbage. We are officially two days with zero binks. We have had a few requests, quickly followed by, "Oh, there broken and thrown in the garbage." I think it is safe to say, the Binky addiction is officially over.
He has been quite a turkey when it comes to eating lately. If it weren't for sippy cups of milk and juice, combined with butterscotch pudding the boy would be starved. We were at the Knolls last weekend for Dynofest and I was trying to get him to eat breakfast. I told him he had to have 7 bites before he could go outside and ride bikes. He ate 1 bite, then he would hold the tiny pieces of french toast up to him mouth, and then very dramatically say..."I can't, it's too heavy." Apparently, it's too much to eat a few pieces of bread. Today, I was trying to get him to eat anything for lunch, and he said that a sandwich was "too big", and wheat thins were "too little". A quesadilla was "too tight," and soup was "too yucky." He is such a little kiddo, and we are loving all of his hilarious little comments. He is a really big helper, and is loving to learn Spanish with "Go Diego Go." Our next big step is potty training, any suggestions or tips are appreciated.

Farewell to Summer

Ready for a ride...

Who needs a scarf when you have puppies?

We need this little boy out of the way...where can we put him?

Bennett really wanted this "Motorcycle Bikey"

Kate & Rob in Chuck's Sandrail

Bennett & Mommy

Me & Trit at the Pioneer Days Rodeo

It is turning into fall quickly, and since today is September 1st...I thought I would start saying goodbye. We had an awesome summer! Apparently I was too busy playing and working that I didn't have time to blog about any of it. My baby sister Trit was up for most of the summer, along with her three year old Jackson, and baby girl Hannah. I work three shifts a week from 6PM to 6AM, so in between sleeping and caring for Bennett it's been a little crazy! Some of our summer highlights were going to the Sand Dunes, the Pioneer Days Rodeo, Cowabunga Bay, and spending time with our family. We haven't made it to Lagoon or to the drive in yet, but I think we may still be able to squeeze those in.

What do you do in the SUMMERTIME?

Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool?
Yep, we have had a fabulous summer so far. We have been keeping busy, we have been doing a Hike day, a Swim day, and even a Park day. Rob has been taking Bennett on a Golf day too. Bennett is having too much fun! Rob and I are thinking it's a definite possibility that the boy may not have pain receptors, he is one crazy kid. He has crashed and had a few what we thought to be major injuries, and he just gets up and says, "Ouch, that was a good crash." Tough little guy. Daddy bought him some golf clubs, they lasted two days, until he got real golf clubs from Uncle Brad. He loves to hit the golf ball, and is actually a pretty good little golfer. He also LOVES swimming. He watched the big kids go off the diving board the other day, and he just looked at me and said, "I want to jump Mom." So, Kayden walked him to the end of the plank, he bounced a few times and jumped right in. He then wanted to go off one more time, this time with the boat around him. He is loving having me work on Tuesdays so he can go with Aunt and Tay. Then he loves to have "Boppy," Grammy tend him while mama sleeps one day. We are still having to drag "binki mouth" and "Eggo Blankie" everywhere we go. Translation, Bennett still is my baby, the proof is in the Binki and the fact that we have to take his Blanket with Diego on it everywhere we go. Other than those two things and diapers, he is all KID!

Massive Upate

Have I really been so busy the last 6 weeks that I haven't even had time to update or see what anyone else has been doing? Yes, it is true! We have been so crazy lately, but we have a lot of exciting news to share! Here are some of the things we have been up to...
-Kate is officially a Registered Nurse!
-Bennett turned 2 years old!
-We went to Moab for Easter Weekend!
-Kate had a birthday!
-Kate is employed after a two years off!

First things first, I couldn't justify blogging for a few weeks while I was studying to take my RN boards. I took them on March 30 and was really nervous when the test shut off after only 75 questions. The test is crazy, you keep testing until you have proved that you are competent enough to be a RN. You can answer anywhere from 75-265 questions. I went in thinking I was going to be there for 6 hours and answer 265 questions. After only 1.5 hours and 75 questions, the screen went gray and told me I was done. I knew that I had either done really well, or really bad. The horrible thing is, they make you wait for 48 hours before disclosing your results on the DOPL website. I tried to keep busy during that time, by transforming Bennett's room into a big boy room. I helped the time pass, but the morning of April 1st I was terrified. I got up super early, to check the website. The first time I checked, it hadn't been updated yet. I was relieved, but still so scared. So, I decided to try and get some more sleep. At about 6:45, I got up again. I was like...ok, DOPL opens in like 15 minutes, the website had better be updated by now. I went to verify a license, typed in my name...And there it was...Active Registered Nursing License. I couldn't scream, cause I would wake everyone up. So, I dropped my laptop and jumped up and down!!! Saying, Yes! YEs! YES!!! As quietly as I could! Then I ran into our bedroom, and jumped on the bed. Rob looked up at me and said so??? I just screamed! We were so excited! Rob wanted to go back to bed, but I just kept smiling! I had to get up and call everyone I knew that would be awake that early. Nursing school is really tough, but going through it with a baby and a young family was really tough. I have to brag for a minute and say I am so excited and proud of myself. It was a long road, but I did it!! Of course, I couldn't have done it without all the support that I had. Especially from Rob! He has been a amazing! Dixie and Ginger too! Really everyone has helped me so much, between taking Bennett for me and helping me study, thanks everyone!!

Our little baby boy turned 2!! I laid there before his birthday party and had to count the months and events that have happened to us over the past two years to make sure that it really was true. And it is, he is our big two year old boy. We celebrated his birthday with a "Rock N' Roll" party. He is big time into guitars, singing, and dancing. He got a mini fender for his birthday, and we had a Guitar Pinata, a guitar cake, and played Rock Band. He loved having everyone over. He was so cute opening his gifts. Most kids just throw the gift cause they are so excited to open more. Not our Bee's, he had to try on every outfit, get every toy out and play with it before he could move on to the next gift. He was a little angel.

I am back to work. I am working as a RN at a facility in South Ogden called Mountain View. I really like it so far, and love the hours! So far, it has been great! I will probably go back to the hospital sooner than later, but I thought this would be a great way to get a little experience, not to mention they pay quite a bit more than the hospital. Eventually, I want to do L&D, so hopefully I am on my way.

I will post the pics of Bennett's birthday when I figure out where I saved them. For now, here are some cute pics of the little angel!

Daddy & Bennett!

Toilet Trouble

So, I have this great idea that I am going to potty train the dude before I go back to work in April. Good thinking...right? So, I went to the store, bought a cute potty, got Bennett all sorts of excited... I think that I am on the right track of getting this all right. So, every couple of hours I ask him if he wants to sit on the potty. I take off his diaper and his pants and he is hanging out on the pot. For some reason, he decides that he needs to take off all of his clothes. So, he strips down to his birthday suit and is hanging out. At this point nothing is happening, so we start doing other things. So, I am putting away clothes, picking up toys, and whatever else and I am thinking that I will just keep a close eye on that little naked guy. Of course, the phone rings and a friend needs me to jump on the computer and look at something. So, I am preoccupied and all of the sudden Bennett gets that look...I was not able to get off the phone fast enough. As a girl I assumed that it would just dribble down his legs. I was way wrong!!! That thing shot off like a rocket launcher and sprayed everywhere. Needless to say, my kitchen walls got a much needed scrubbing. I guess we will try again tomorrow. Any and all tips are appreciated!

Happy Valentines Birthday!

We had a very fun weekend filled with Rob's Birthday and Valentines Day. Rob turned the ripe old age of 28 years old on Friday the 13th. For those of you who don't know how creepy that is, he was born on Friday the 13th, and the last three of his SSN is 666. I know, it is quiet possible that he is the devil. He wanted to just hang out this year and not do his famous little kid birthday parties. So, we went and saw Underworld, went to Mimi's and then hung out with a few friends after. Rob was very excited to get a new chain, sprockets, and a new riding jacket for his special day! Valentines was fun this year, we both decided that Bennett would be our Valentine. We got each other new hoodies for Spring time riding. Bennett got his favorite song, "Chicken Fried," on CD, a John Deere tractor book, and the entire cycle town from Harley Davidson. He loved it!! We spent the day in Salt Lake at a few motorcycle shops, and then had a nice lunch at the Spaghetti Factory. Bennett loved seeing the Trolley and eating noodles. After a nice long nap, we invited Rob's parents over for a heart shaped Papa Murphy's pizza and Cake & Ice Cream for Rob's B-day. It was a very fun weekend, excepting that Bennett has Croup and Rob and I have a cold. Other than that, it was fabulous! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day!

Silly Bennett....

Bennett is talking so much now! He says pretty much anything that anyone says, so please watch your language around the little guy. I think my boy is so darling, but he is much more like Rob than me. Other than his pale white skin, white hair, and pokey out ears he is all Rob. Turns out, he is a little like me...he is so funny! If some of you don't know...I am actually quite hilarious, you just need to wait and see me when I am in my zone. Anyways, Bennett has been cracking us up the past few days. I had to share some of the funny things that he has done or said.
-His cousins have a dog named "Scrappy" that we call "Scrap" for short. Last night we were leaving Rob's parents home, and Scrap came running up. Bennett saw him, and was like..."look, the cat." I said, that is not a cat, it is Scrap. He then started yelling, Crap, come here Crap. I don't know why, but it made me laugh so hard. So, now every time I see Scrap, I am going to be thinking CRAP.
-He is OBSESSED with our poor little Tyker-Boo. Tyke is a tiny little Maltese dog, and unless Bennett has food, Tyke generally hates him. Tyke when and got a hair cut the other day, so Bennett would not leave him alone. He kept loving him and kissing him to death. So, when it was time for night-night Bennett wouldn't go get in his bed unless his "boo" came with him. So poor Tyker, had to sleep in the crib with the terrible little boy two nights in a row.
-We have been teaching Bee all the words for our bodies. He loves to point to every ones feet, hands, and whatever else he knows and make sure he is right. Rob was in the tub awhile ago, and Bennett busted in on him. He was pointing to Rob's body and naming everything. When he got to his man parts, he said..."what's that?" Rob told him what it was and Bennett just stared at him...after a few seconds Bennett just said..."Whoa!" We laughed pretty hard, and I think Rob was a little embarrassed.
-Rob was putting together Bennett's train track the other day, when he decided to glue it all together and put it on a board so we didn't have to assemble the whole thing 15 times a day. He pinched his finger, and said "Damn." Bennett looked at Rob and said, "Damn." Rob & Justin laughed so hard, that Bennett kept saying it over and over and over. Naughty Daddy!
-Rob and I have been saying lately how we are fat and need to loose weight. The other night Bennett ran right into my legs so his head hit me right in the butt. I looked at him, and said don't run into me. He pointed to my butt, and said "fat?" I was like..."Yep, and it is a good thing too, or you may have just had a had injury."
-We tended Beckam last week, and of course Bennett wanted to do everything to help the baby. He told me everything the baby was doing. He would run up to me and say...Mom, the baby, his binks, fall, him mouth. I would tell him to give Beckam his Bink, and he would run back and say...Mom, the baby, binks, his mouth. He was such a good little helper and bawled his head off both days when Beckam went bye-bye.

Anyways, he is so much fun, and we love him so much.

Twilight...

I just took the quiz to see who which female character I am most like...the results are in!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Holy Cow Moly!

I realize that it has been approximately 66 days since my last post. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Life has been absolute chaos for me the past two months. So, to recap...
Halloween... Very fun! Our little "B" was a "Bee," naturally. He loved running with the big kids from house to house, saying "Pees," and "Ank You." He even stayed up until midnight to take in all of the festivities.

Thanksgiving...We had a wonderful dinner at our friends the Nielsens. It was a the year to go with my family, and the event was held in St. George this year. So, because of my school schedule we were unable to attend. The Nielsens were kind enough to let us in to their home for an excellent home cooked meal. They were even nice enough to let me win the "Turkey Bowl," later that evening at the bowling alley. It was a very exciting game! Not only did I get a turkey(3 strikes in a row for those of you who aren't big on bowling0, but I also beat both Riley and Kole.

Precepting...I survived precepting! I was a little disappointed when I requested Labor and Delivery and got CVTU (Cardiovascular Thoracic Unit,) but I ended up absolutely loving it. Hearts have always scared me to death, but I faced my fears and ended up really loving the heart unit. Go figure...


Graduation... Yep, it's official. You may now start referring to me as Nurse Kate. I graduated, and was pinned an RN by one of my very best friends Stefani Layton. It was a very exciting day for me. Not only was I the class elected speaker, but Rob through me a really nice party with some of our family and friends afterward.

Christmas Break... Well the girls came up from St. George, and then came up again. My Sweet little Grandma Allen (Grams) passed away on December 22nd. The girls had been home for about 12 hours when it happened. So, the day after Christmas they turned around and came back up. Grams passing made Christmas hard for me this year, but watching Bennett with all the cousins and toys helped a lot. It also helped a lot to know that she didn't have to spend another Christmas alone. The Friday before Grams passed, all of my siblings, our spouses, and our children went to see Grams. It was so nice to see her, and it was almost like she waited for us to say goodbye. It was especially nice for me to be able to tell her that I finally graduated and was officially a nurse. She was very proud, and that meant so much to me. We had Grams viewing the day after Christmas, and her funeral the 27th. I had the opportunity to dress her, and do her makeup. I think she looked really beautiful and so peaceful. I am so glad that I have been able to do that for both my Mother and Grandmother.


Christmas...Despite the following days events, Christmas was really nice. We loved coordinating with "Santa," and had so much fun with Bennett Christmas morning. He got spoiled rotten, and loved every minute of it. Rob surprised me with an awesome video camera. So, once I figure it out, I will start posting video of the dude growing up. We were so crazy and busy that we didn't even get our Christmas cards sent out. We did attempt it though...

New Years... New Year's was pretty chill this year. We were so exhausted from all the excitement over the last two weeks that we just stayed home and hung out. I barely made it to midnight to welcome in the new year.

So, there you have it. I will try to be better at posting, once a week rather than once a quarter. But hey...at least you know that Eli is home and doing well.