Story Time

It's Been Awhile...

2011-02-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

I guess it has been awhile since I have given any sort of update, so here it is...First off, my apologies...we got a new computer and just barely got all of the software programs back on it. I have been a major slacker, I know. Things around here have been GREAT! In a nutshell here is what we are up to...
Rob, is about to turn 30 next Sunday...he is still working at Edge Products as a calibrator and he LOVES his work. He has been doing work on alternate fuels and has really been enjoying it. He has been assisting with CNG conversion kits, and even got to take a few trips to the EPA labs to make sure his work was in compliance with emission standards. Of course, he did AMAZING and met the companies target goals on his first try. He is gearing up for another season of riding and golfing, now all we need is some warm weather.
Kate, I am still trying to balance the whole work-family issue that is called life. I am working in the Endocrine and Diabetes Clinic as a research nurse conducting clinical trials for Type 1 diabetics. I work up there about 30+ hours a week, and try to take a few days off during the week to work on my most important job...Bennett Awesome Race Story. I am also working once a pay period in Adult Psychiatry to make sure I am staying sane at the end of the day. I take off Mondays and most Fridays to stay home and play with my boys. Laundry, dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting still also consume a lot of my time.
Bennett is going to be turning 4 this March. For now, I am cherishing every moment of his 3 year old days. He LOVES being 3, and has to has everything three's. Our dear friend Derek has convinced Bee that he is so awesome, he should be names Bennett Awesome Race...so, we now have to refer to him as that. He will correct you. He is going to preschool two days a week and LOVES it. He loves the kids and loves learning fun and exciting things each day. He is a very lucky boy to have his best buddy and cousin Bowen join him in the same class. Consequently, they end up playing for several hours each week. They are so cute together and say the funniest things. Bennett is OBSESSED with Transformers, especially Optimus Prime. He was Optimus for Halloween this year, and was good enough to get a HUGE Optimus Prime from none other than Santa Claus this year. He loves music, movies, and reading...hmm. Wonder where he gets that from. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree or trees in our case.
Anyways, that is pretty much what we are up to. I am going to try to be better at posting and keeping up on the pics of the cute little boy...

Happy Halloween

2009-11-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-09-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-06-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-24T18:52:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-01-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Girls & Drivers....BEWARE! Eli's Home!

2008-10-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our nephew Eli finally made it home safely from India. After some confusion in India, as to whether or not they should let him out of the country...Two days later, he made it. We are so glad he is back, and it just feels normal to have him home. Welcome Home Elder Story!

Funny Little Dude

2008-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Cleaning Ears"

"Daddy's Shoes"

My Bennett is starting to be such a funny little guy. He loves clomping around in whatever shoes he can get his feet into, even if his own shoes are already on. He loves being a big boy, and being able to take care of himself. He cleans out his own ears, brushes his own teeth, combs his own hair, and helps do whatever else he can. He loves to sweep and swiffer the floor, and loves to get chased by the vacuum. My friend Tammy came over on Friday with her little baby Beckam, and I was a little nervous that B would get jealous of him. He didn't get jealous at all, he just wanted to show that little guy all the stuff he could do. He kept wanting Beckam to "watch him" while he went down the slide, danced, jumped, and ran around. It was really cute, and fun. He is 19 months old today, and I wonder where the time has gone. He is so fun, and we can't love him enough. He still always has either a car or a motorcycle in one of his hands, and has to have a bink and a blank most of the time. I know he is getting big, but he is still my baby.

Yikes...

2008-10-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Just so you know...
There is a snake in my front yard.

Eli...

2008-10-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

I was wishing today that I could chop my hair off, and be done with this whole long hair phase. Then I got thinking...when is Eli coming home? All of the "Story Girls" + Rob and Kent, have been growing our hair out, and have not cut it for what seems like forever. Just to clarify, I have still had a trim every 8 weeks, so it really isn't that bad. So, I was so excited to realize that we only have 20 more days without our Eli. We are so excited for Eli to come home, and all of the reasons have nothing to do with hair cuts....
Here are my top 10 reasons for Eli to come home.
1. Eli has never met Mr. Bennett Race.
2. We get our $Free.99 welder back.
3. We get random visits from Eli late at night wanting to hang out.
4. We have a movie buddy.
5. We have a sand dunes buddy.
6. We may have another free babysitter, pending #1's response.
7. Someone else besides me, who LOVES mashed potatoes.
8. Chuck will have someone else to blame for missing tools, besdies Rob & Jacob.
9. The entertainment of watching Nat & Al share a room again.
10. We have missed him terribly, and can't wait to see him again.
We are so proud of Eli, and the work that he has done in India, but we are so ready for him to come home. The Story's haven't been the same without him. So, E...hurry up and get home, we miss ya!

18 Months!

2008-09-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Our little "B" is now a big 1 & 1/2 year old boy. I can't believe how big he is now. He weighs just about 24 pounds & is 33 inches tall. He is still in the 25% for his weight and is still in the 50% for height. Over the past 18 months he has grown 16 inches and has gained 18 pounds! He now has 14 teeth, and is able to run, climb, and jump! All of which he LOVES to do! He is saying so many words, and is being such a funny little guy! I tried really hard to take some pictures of him, but every time I bust out the camera, all he wants to do is look at the pictures.

Catching Up...

2008-09-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

We have been crazy these last few weeks, trying to get back into the swing of things I guess. We went on another trip to St. Anthony over labor day weekend. It was a ton of fun, but I didn't take any pictures. Bennett was a wild little boy self as usual, making the sand dunes a bit difficult for "MOM." He never calls me mama anymore, he just screams...Moooom whenever he needs me. It is pretty cute! He is getting so big, and constantly is learning and exploring. He is really good at his please, thank-you's and love you's. He can tell you what a dog, cat, and a snake say. I need to invest in a video camera so you can see. He loves to kiss me, but still just head butts Rob for his kiss to his daddy. He wants to do everything that Rob does, every time someone drove by us on their bike/quad at the dunes he would say "ride a bike?" He wanted every person to take him on a ride. It was so funny. Rob got my bike all dialed in with the new exhaust, every time someone would come over to check it out, B's would say, "mama bike." He definitely loves anything that has wheels and makes noise. Grandpa Chuck got his sandrail going, and we had a lot of fun riding around in the rail. I can't wait until Rob gets ours done. Maybe before Eli comes home?? With Rob's hair getting so long, I bought him a bandanna to keep it all together while we were riding. Bennett would not leave the store, until I bought him the one with the puppy paws on it. So, here is My B, hanging out my trailer window saying hello and waiving to everyone with his puppy bandanna on.

A mean little boy...

2008-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Bennett is OBSESSED with the camera ever since I took the pictures of G2. He constantly carries it around, and screeches if I do not show him the pictures every 10 seconds. He can't understand that in order for me to show him the pictures, I need to hold the camera for a minute. So, of course he got mad at me and started crying and being a meanie. I took a picture of his meanie-ness so he could see what a naughty little boy looks like. See for yourself...

Cat Sitting...

2008-08-12T13:46:00.001-07:00

Our Bennett had a very fun weekend, he got to tend his Uncle Brad's Kitty G2. G2 is a "Jungle Bob," hybrid cat, who is full of wildness! He is so much fun, and Bennett had too much fun playing with him all weekend. G2 was a pretty good sport with the little guy, he even let him take his temperature. G2 couldn't decide where the best place in the house was to sleep. He tried the book case, the counter top, our bed, and in a box full of peanuts. He made quite a mess trying out each spot, but it was fun to have something new and exciting at our place. We also had Taylee over Thursday/Friday. Having two kids, a cat, and a dog was a lot more work than I thought it would be. Bennett is missing his G2 now, and about 10 times a day he goes and gets the camera and brings it to me. He wants to look at the pictures of him with G2. He loves to look at them, point at G2 and bark at him. It was a lot of fun, but now the dude really wants a kitty for his very own. Who is going to tell that little sweet boy...NO!

Revised Tonsillectomy Update...

2008-07-31T23:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess my husband wanted to know how much I really loved him. Wednesday he finally started to feel good after a week of laying around doing nothing. He must have over done it just a wee bit while we were chasing Bennett around. I went to go get B some milk, and Rob went into the bathroom. All of the sudden I hear "honey...,"in a desperate, horrified voice. I ran into the bathroom where it appeared that my husband was bleeding to death. The bathroom looked like a murder had occurred in there, and Rob had so much blood coming from his mouth and nose that he couldn't even pause long enough to take a breath. I went into panic mode, I spent so much time researching all the nursing interventions of a post tonsillectomy hemorrhage, however in our little house I didn't have a pair of curved hemostats, a massive pile of 2x2's, or any materials to start an IV. CRAP! Oh, and I had a baby on my hip. So, first things first we need to stop the bleeding, how do you stop the bleeding in some one's throat with no equipment? AHHH! I called our neighbors to see if they could come watch B, and fortunately Chad had logical reasoning intact and called 911 for me. I left Bennett on the floor, grabbed some ice packs and all but strangled Rob to try to get the bleeding to stop. He bled steadily for about 25 minutes before the blood started to clot. We figured he lost about 2.5 liters of blood all together. It really scared me, it was like someone turned a hose on and no one knew where the shut off valve was to turn it off. The ambulance got to our house pretty quickly, and they started an IV and took him to the ER. Once we were there, the bleeding had stopped for the most part. We spent the night in the ER, mostly for observation and fluid. He lost so much blood, that even after what seemed like gallons of NS he was still pretty questionable. The really scary thing is that only of the scabs came off. All that blood from one tiny tonsil scab, I was shocked. Now, I know why adults bleed to death after tonsillectomies. SCARY!!! Anyways, Rob is now doing well again. We got him pretty well hydrated, and his labs are still low, but acceptable. I figure it will take a few days for his body to be back to a state of well being. I am just so glad that he is young and healthy enough for his body to be able to compensate after a hemorrhage that bad. Everyone pray that the other scab does not come off! I have confined Rob to bed rest, and a clear liquid diet. He may hate me for it, but at least he will live to see another day. I just want him to know that I love him very much! And even though he thinks that I am strong enough to make it without him, I really do not want to find out. Rob, I love you, please get well soon! And when I say soon, I mean really soon, this is taking forever and I want my able bodied husband back!

Tonsillectomy Update

2008-07-27T22:21:00.001-07:00

Rob had to have his tonsils removed last Wednesday. So far, he is surviving. For the most part he has been a pretty good patient, which is great, cause I was really worried that he would be super mean and ornery. He can't eat anything solid yet, but he is keeping hydrated with Gatorade and sherbet. I was initially the most worried about pain management, so we have been dosing up with lortab or percocet every four hours on the dot. He can't do a whole lot except sleep, but he hasn't complained once. Must be working! Anyways, he is feeling exhausted but doing great for the most part. Thanks everyone for your concern and support. Get Well Soon Rob!! Love you!

It's Official...The Dude is walking!

2008-07-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Walking to Daddy!

Walking around in the trailer.

I was about to have a melt down last week, here I was still carrying around a 15 month old, about to be 16 month old. I was so over him not walking!! It wouldn't be so bad, excepting that since he was 10 months we have been thinking any day now. Friday, while we were going to breakfast up in Rexburg, Bennett wanted his daddy. Grams was carrying him, so she put him down and said "OK, go get your daddy." And that little monster walked right over to Rob like it was no big deal. We all started screaming, clapping, and cheering for him. He was so excited, so of course he kept walking and walking. I wouldn't say that he is a full time walker yet, but he is definitely getting the hang of it. He mostly walks, unless he wants to go fast, then he sits down and does the booty scoot. He is such a cute little boy, and we are having so much fun with him. He is also a very good little kisser! He loves to kiss his mama's cheeks, and blows kisses to almost everyone else. He loves to smack his lips together, the sound makes me laugh. He is saying please, and thank you a lot too. He is starting to really imitate everything I do. Today he even ate an entire yogurt with his own spoon, and didn't make too much of a mess. I can't believe that he is getting so big. He is now 32 inches tall, and weighs 22 pounds. He spends his time driving around anything with wheels, and going up and down the stairs as many times as I will let him.

St. Anthony Trip...

2008-07-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Story Clan

Grandpa & Bennett

Me & Bennett

Hope & Aspen

Morgan & Krista

Chuck & Dixie (The orphange owners)

Bennett & Aspen

We spent this past weekend on a fabulous sand dunes trip with our friends and family. We headed up to Rexburg on Thursday night as soon as I got out of school. It was awesome cause Bennett slept the whole time, and me and Rob just hung out. We met Chuck & Dixie in the Wal-Mart parking lot around 11:00, and just decided to spend the night there. It was so funny to camp at Wal-Mart, the other funny thing was that we were not the only two families who had that same idea. Anyways, we got up on Friday morning and went to breakfast at Frontier Pies. Then we drove over to St. Anthony and got settled in at Desert Oasis. Friday afternoon our friends Derek, Krista, Addy, & Aspen arrived. We were so excited to have them there. Cody, Hope, Morgan, and Jordan arrived later that evening just in time for dinner. We had so much fun playing all day long, and got all sorts of dirty, sandy, and stinky. Saturday night, Brad, Deb, and the girls came up. We were so excited cause Brad brought his sand rail. Sunday was super hot, so no one really wanted to ride that much. Once it cooled off, we all loaded up and went on a big ride over to the lake. It was so much fun being there with everyone. And even though my brand new 4 wheeler wouldn't start, I even had fun riding the scrambled egg. (Scrambler)
Bennett had so much fun playing with all the kids. I have never seen such a dirty child in all of my life. He loved going on "Ranger Rides," riding with Gramp, and especially loved riding with Uncle Brad in the sand rail. He is definitely a little motor head. Rob LOVES his new bike, and was so excited that Derek finally came up with him. I didn't do too much riding since my 4 wheeler was being dumb, but I had tons of fun just hanging out. We had the most delicious meals, and had an awesome camp fire each night complete with smores. We did not want to come home, but sure enjoyed our time there with everyone.

My Life...

2008-07-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking today of my life, and how it is so different now that I am a mama to a RACER. I never imagined that my life would revolve around motorcycles, trucks, and cars. But, this is what we do... drive around trucks all day while making motor noises. Don't mind the motorcycle pajamas, and the 4 other vehicles that have already been run out of fuel.

Happy 4th O' July!!

2008-07-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Libby, our 4th of July doggie.

Fireworks @ Huntsville Park!!

Bennett enjoying Libby's birthday cake...

We had a very fun 4th of July holiday weekend. We took our trailer up to Rob's parents and camped out on their lawn for a few days. It was so much fun to be there all weekend long with our family. We spent the 4th, playing in the water, having a BBQ, and of course watching the fireworks. Bennett LOVED the fireworks, and was trying really hard to get them. He kept reaching for the sky, and waving to them. It was so nice to be up in the Valley, where both of our families are. Saturday and Sunday were spent hanging out, riding, the track, and of course eating....
We really missed the girls coming up for the 4th. Between Jo's new house, and Deli working, it just wasn't happening this year. Hopefully next year!! Thanks again to all of our family, we love you all, and love spending time with you.
P.S. I have no idea, what happened to the pictures on this post, but I have a test I need to study for, so I am not going to fix it. Sorry!

Family Portrait

2008-06-30T10:21:00.002-07:00

Jen & Stace had these cute families on their blog, so I thought I would make us a cute one to. So we have Rob who loves to golf and has decided to join all of us girls in our quest to not cut our hair until Eli comes home. Then we have me, who is getting so close to being done with nursing school, and hasn't cut my hair since Eli left 21 months agos. Then we have our little B who is just trying to grow some more of that white hair. And of course our Tyker Boo, who is just the best little puppy ever! So, here we are...

The Story's

2008-06-30T10:21:00.001-07:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Baby Day!

2008-06-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

Two of my very best friends had babies today! It must have been something in the water, cause they were both scheduled for inductions later this week. Tammy was supposed to be induced tomorrow, at an awesome 41 weeks gestation. Luckily she went into labor on her own, and had a cute fat little boy this evening at 6:53. Beckam Austin Rees weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce and was 21.5 inches long. Tam is the woman, she pushed that big boy out with no problems and no epis. She is amazing!! Congratulations to Tammy & Derek, I am so excited for you both! Roxy & Jeff also welcomed their second baby girl Jaycee Nicole Barlow into their family this morning at 7:44. She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches. Their little girl Kyree who is 2.5 is very excited for her little sister to finally be here. Congratulations to you both, and I hope everything goes well. I will post pictures of the little munchkins just as soon as I get to see them tomorrow. Happy Babies!!!

Helmet Hair, Wait...No, Helmet Thumb

2008-06-24T10:54:00.001-07:00

My B has been running around for two days with this little helmet on his thumb. It goes to his Travis Pastrana rider, but it fits so perfect on that little thumb. He takes it off every couple of minutes, but then puts it right back on. He has been eating with it, playing, and even got in the tub with it on. I just thought it was so cute and funny that I had to share...

Catching up...

2008-06-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted for forever I thought I better show pictures of my boy so everyone can see how he is doing. He is 15 months old now, and he is so much fun. He is getting to be a wild child! He loves you to chase him and get him, and he loves to get into everything and make messes. He loves to go to Gram & Gramps where there are dogs, cats, swings, and bikes.

Fathers Day!

2008-06-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Chuck

Bennett & Rob driving the Fire Engine

Kate & Bennett

Happy Fathers Day to Rob, Chuck, Dad, Brad, Ryan, Kent,Dustin,and Gramps. I realize that Fathers Day was a week and a half ago, but I am about a week and a half behind in everything in my life right now. So, just wanted to say thanks to the dads and that I love them. We had a nice Fathers Day, and amazingly we got to see all the dads. Bennett gave Rob a gift card to iFly, and a Tapout T shirt. We also got Grandpa Chuck a Tapout shirt to sport while we are watching my "honey" Rich Franklin beat up and the mean guys. We gave my dad a Home Depot gift card, he was super excited! He loves that place. Anyways, we just hung out at our house and then went and saw my dad at the Fire Station. Bennett was so excited to drive the fire engine, and play ping pong. We had dinner with the Story's, but Chuck wasn't doing to well. He forgot for a minute that he was 70, and decided to ride one of the pit bikes on the track. Yeah....Crash! So, a broken rib and a really big bruise later he is finally feeling okay now. Anyways, just wanted to say to Rob that I love you, and I appreciate all that you do for me & Bennett. Not to many Daddy's do what you do, and I know that it is tough, but you and B will be so close forever because of it. I love you!

Midnight BBQ

2008-06-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Justin!!

Riley & Kelly

Tara, Bennett, & Justin

Saturday night we were golfing with Mitch & Tara when we decided we better do something for Justin's birthday. So at about nine we called up a few people and got a BBQ together. We ate around 11:00, but technically we are still good friends because we still had an hour left of Justin's birthday.

My Grams...

2008-06-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

"Dougie" & "Benny & the jets"

Grandma Allen & Bennett
I love this picture cause you can see my grams cute little old house.

Today was a tough day for my family and my Grandma Allen. She is rounding the corner to 86 years old and it is really starting to take it's toll on her. After a few falls, episodes of dementia, and a past stroke it was time to have full-time care for her. We took her this morning to the care center. I had a really hard time leaving her there all by herself. It is just so hard for me to believe that my grams might not ever be home again. I grew up next door to my grams for 20 years, and then even lived with her briefly after my mom died. Although our 60 year age difference sometimes got the best of us, we still had a good time. I love my Grams, and I hope that she will do well at the care center. She was so excited that "her baby" came with her. She loves Bennett to death, and he really lightened the mood for all of us. I hope that this is the best choice for her and my dad. It is a tough chore to be in charge of the care of someone else, as all of us know. I just hope that everything goes well. My grams is so cute, and she loves everyone so much.
Love you Grams...

Tam's Baby Shower...

2008-06-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Two pregnant girlies...Tam & Jen

Kate & Tammy

Just about ready...

Cutest Belly!

One of my very best friends is getting ready to have her very first baby! She is about the cutest pregnant lady I have ever seen, so I thought I better share how cute she is with all of you. We had an awesome shower for her on Saturday at her new beautiful house. Baby boy should be here by June 28Th. We had a really good turn out and she got a lot of things that she will definitely put to good use once the dude gets here.
Tammy will be such a good mother, and I am so excited for her new endeavor. Can't wait until he gets here...

Motorcycle Mania...

2008-05-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Bennett & Rob ready to roll...

Sand Dunes...

2008-05-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

We survived our first family trip to the sand dunes. I was a little nervous taking our Bennett, but he loved it! He had so much fun, and didn't stop making motor noises for three days. We were so excited to take our new toy hauler out on her maiden voyage. She did great and it was so nice to have our very own trailer to hang out in. Our friends Kasey & Jenny came with us, they were so fun and helped out so much with the B-diddy. Thanks a million guys! We were planning on leaving at 10:00 on Friday morning, but in "Story Time" that means 3:00. We got up to Rexburg in the early evening to have dinner and stop in to Rexburg Motorsports to make sure we were good to go. We finally got to Sand Hills about 8:00 and got camp set up and hung out for a bit before bed time. Saturday and Sunday were both so much fun. We spent our days riding, and our evenings around the camp fire. When we got up this morning our plan was to go on one last ride. However, the rain came in and we decided to head out a little early. We had such a fun time, and were so glad that we got to get so much riding in, even with our little dude. He had a blast! When we got home, all he wanted to do was ride his 4-wheeler around the yard. He refused to get off, and screamed any time we tried to get him off. I think that his middle name is definitely going to fit him. He is our little Racer for sure. I just want to say "Thanks again," to Kasey & Jen, and also to Rob. You guys were so much fun and so helpful. And to my honey, I love you so much, thanks for working so hard so that we can do fun stuff together. I hope there are many more Story Family Sand Dunes Trips to come...

Two New Teeth

2008-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was brushing little dude's teeth tonight and noticed that he had two more teeth that just broke through. He has two in on the bottom, and the two new ones are on either side of those. He now has 4 on bottom, and 4 on top. He is so funny when he gets teeth in. The first two on the bottom came in the same day, then he got the four top teeth in one day, and now two more in one day. I guess he knows that it drives me crazy when things are uneven. Anyways, he is a cute little angel and I love him so much!!

Cute Pic!

2008-05-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I got a cute email from my sister Josie, wishing me a Happy Mother's Day, and she attached the cutest picture so I thought I would share with you. It is my mom, Tay, and Trit. It was taken in Spring of 2002. Trit was 17, Tay was 2, and mom was 43. I just thought they looked so cute in all their denim. Thanks Jo, you made my day!

Sick Little Angel...

2008-05-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

My little has not been feeling very well for a few days. Yesterday morning, I picked him up and he was about 9000 degrees, and felt like a bag of bones. Poor little guy, the only thing he has eaten for three days is yogurt, juice, and milk. Since he was still doing that awful barking cough, I thought I better take him in. So, I dosed him up with some Motrin and took him in to see the Dr. His o2 was 89%, and his fever was 102. He had also lost more than 2 pounds, putting him back to weighing 20 pounds. I felt really bad that I had waited a few days to take him in, but you never know with kids. So, anyways...he has double ear infections, and Croup. So, he just wants to be loved every minute and sleep. So, he spent the rest of the day loving his daddy hanging out on the love sac. Then this morning, I woke up coughing up the yucky stuff with my throat really hurting. What do you do?

Mother's Day Weekend!

2008-05-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was bitter-sweet, we had so many things going on, and it went by WAY too fast. Friday night we celebrated Rob's dad's 70th Birthday. We had a surprise party at Maddox for him, and made him a really special book. I think he really enjoyed being there with all of his siblings, children, and grandchildren. We had a nice dinner, and we were up in the cozy lodge, which was awesome cause the kids could play and not bug the rest of the guests. Happy Birthday Chuck!!! Saturday, was a hard day for my Rob. He sold his second "love" and I think it was really hard for him to watch his EVO drive away with a little Asian guy inside it. After 4 years, hours in the shop, lot's of money, and a whole lot of memories, Rob decided that it was in our families best interest to sale the car. I know how much he loved that car, but I am proud of him for making the choice that he did. We are hoping to replace the car with another fun toy, hopefully one that the whole family can enjoy. Mother's Day was a beautiful day, and I was so excited to be with my boys and just hang out. Rob took me golfing, and Bennett gave me a "Mother's Day Special, Spa Day." I am super excited about going and getting pampered for a day. Ging and Tay were so sweet, they got me a gift certificate to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Ging and Tay even took my B's for a few hours, so me and Rob could have a break from the little sick boy. I was thinking yesterday when I was texting everyone Happy Mother's Day, how many wonderful "Mom's" I know. I feel like I am a good mother, and I know it is because I watch all of the wonderful women around me be wives and mothers, and they ROCK! I just want to say thanks, too all the great women in my life. You guys are so awesome, and I think the world of you. I am so excited for Jen, Tammy, and Kristy to become mother's here in the next few months. It is such an amazing calling, and you will enjoy every minute with your little angels. I love my Bennett so much, he is so cute, and so fun to love. Thank you Bennett, for making me your mommy. Thanks, Rob for giving me a little dude, and for making me your wife. I love you both so much!! Yesterday was really a great day. Amos, Ginger, Tay, Rob, Bennett, and me went and had a picnic with "mom" at her graveside. It was fun to hang out, and reminisce off all the good times. It was pretty hilarious too, Amos was getting text messages about every 30 seconds on how the Jazz were doing. Then we went and had dinner with Rob's family. It was so yummy, and we always love spending time up in the Valley. Both of us feel like we are "home." I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-05-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Rob and I went to Las Vegas this past weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We had such a fun time, but missed our Bennett and our Tyker pretty badly. We drove down to St. George on Friday afternoon. Bennett got to stay the weekend with Jackson, Deli-Cat, and Dustin. He had so much fun playing cars and going on bike rides. Jackson was pretty upset to wake up on Monday morning and not have any dude to play with. They had so much fun together and I really appreciate Deli for taking him. It is really scary to leave your baby for more than a couple of hours, but I knew she would do a great job with him. Thanks Deli!! Anyways, Saturday we went to the Hoover Dam. I had never been there before, and went Rob went to Phoenix last month he drove through there and wanted to show me. It was AMAZING!!! We even went on our first helicopter ride so we could see everything. It was pretty dam cool. Saturday night we got all dressed up and went out. We went and saw Zumanity and went to the Cheesecake Factory. Sunday, we finally got to go see the "Bodies." I was so excited, and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Everyone, plan a trip and go see the Bodies. It is absolutely amazing. I am so glad that I got to go while in nursing school, it really brought the anatomy of the human body to life for me. I think even Rob enjoyed me telling him all of the cool stuff that goes on. Our bodies are truly amazing machines. Nothing else even comes close. We had to cut our trip a bit short, our B was not feeling to well. We really had a good time though. It was so nice to just be alone for a while. I love my husband so much, and I am so grateful for him. He is a wonderful provider for our family, and he is so supportive of my decisions and choices. I love you Rob, and I hope we have many more years together.

Missing Mom

2008-04-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. She would have been 49 years old today. It is weird to think that my mom would be rounding the corner to 50 soon. I can't ever imagine her aging and getting old. I miss her so much, and I wish she was here. I guess it is true what they say, when one door closes it opens another. I lost my mom, but being with Rob has opened so many doors for me. I have a whole new family, and I never imagined I could love the Story's as much as my own family, but I do. Not to mention that Rob and I have made a fun little family of our own with Tyke & Bennett. I am just really grateful that families are forever. I love all of my family so much. My neighbor growing up, Verla Fraiser, once told me that a real family doesn't have any in-laws, or steps. I love that because now instead of having 3 sisters I have 5, instead of 1 brother I have 2. As well as 2 moms and 2 dads. And don't forget the kids... 7 nephews, and 7 nieces. It really makes life, twice as sweet! Anyways, just wanted to share my thoughts today, and tell you all that I love you and appreciate you. Especially those of you who help me with Bennett. I am so lucky cause Dixie, Ging, Ellie, Jen, Nat, and Alia are all so willing to help. And not to mention my other sisters...Krista, Tammy, and Tares. You guys are the best!

Face Lift

2008-04-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Just want to send out a THANK YOU to Ellie for making my blog so cute! If anyone else wants to update their blog with the talents and creativity of Ellie, just click on my links to Ellie's Cute Blogs, or you can go to http://blogginbeautifully.blogspot.com/. She will hook you up with a darling background, cute headers, font/color changes, and blog set up. You can also look at a few other blogs she has created. Thanks again, I love it!!

Allen Girls & Grandkids

2008-04-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ging & Tay Allen, Jo, Madi, & Pierson Robison, Bennett & Kate Story, Jackson & Trit Burrows.

St. George Weekend...

2008-04-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been down to see my Southern Sisters since Jackson was blessed over a year and a half ago. I guess it was definitely my turn to make the drive. Ging and I loaded up Tay & Bennett on Thursday evening and headed down to see the kids. We had a really fun time, and the weather was so gorgeous. We stayed with Trit, Dustin, and Jackson at the Burrows home. It was fun for the kids to get to play all day every day. Friday we mostly just hung out and played. I did have to make a Jimmy Johns run, but other than that we just played. Friday night, I tended the little dudes while Deli, Ging, and Tay went to the Drake Bell concert. They had so much fun, and thought that Drake was a real HOTTIE!! Tay now wants to be Mrs. Bell, and even got a Drake T-shirt. Saturday, we took the kids swimming. We were at an indoor pool, but the water was still COLD! Madi and Bennett's lips were purple, and we were all freezing. Ryan went and told the lady that the water was freezing, but she insisted that the water was 87 degrees. I think the cyanotic children proved otherwise, but we had fun anyways. Saturday night we took all the kids out to dinner. CRAZY TOWN! Try getting a table for 11 on a Saturday night. Sunday, we just layed around all day until Jo's church got out, so that we could celebrate Miss Madi's 2nd birthday. After her party we hit the road and headed home. It was a really fun trip, but it was so nice to come home. Jo & Ryan are doing really well. They are living in Coral Canyon right now in the tiny house you have ever seen. They are just about to move into their new mansion here in a couple of weeks. I think Jo deliberately moved into the smallest house ever while she built her new enormous house. I don't know what she is going to do with all that room. I hope it comes with a maid. Her kids are so darling, Pierson is 4.5 and is playing T-ball this summer. He is such a good boy, and is excited to be going to Kindergarten this fall. Madi turned 2 on Sunday. She is a little gorgeous woman. She is so hilarious, and had us all rolling the entire trip. She talks so cute, and is a wild little girl. Deli & Dustin are doing good too. They are living with Dustin's parents while Dustin goes to school, and Trit works. She has a paper route, and then she works half days at America First Credit Union. She comes home at lunch, and the Dustin goes to school. It works out good for them not to have to have someone watch Jacks. Jackson is 21 months old, and in to everything. While we were there, he just about ate a grasshopper and had no problem picking up a lizard and throwing it in the bushes. He is so cute, and imitates everything that you do. He even nags at Dustin in Deli's tone of voice. He yells, DUST anytime he needs his daddy. He has the cutest chubby cheeks, and little blond hair do. We had a nice trip down south for the weekend, thanks girls for the fun. And thanks to the Burrows for letting us come invade their space, destroy their house, and eat their food. Love you guys...

The boy is 1!

2008-03-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, our little "B" made it a whole year. He is such an angel and we are so grateful that we got him. Last night we had a little party for him, I was just listening to what everyone was calling him. That little guy has a lot of names. I was just thinking that I should write them all down, so we can remember all the fun things we called him. So his actual name is Bennett Race, but the list of aliases is quite extensive...

Bees

Bees Wax

BeeZee

Benny B

Ben

Benny B Bobby Beaver Buffalo Boof

BenneWennett

Racer

Race Face

Racee

B-Diddy

Bean

Benihana

Little Dude

Little B

Love Bug

Angel Face

And my dad calls Jackson & Bennett, Bennett & Broke it.

In my family, you don't actually go by your name. I am pretty sure my dad has a nickname for every person that he associates with. And I have taken on some of that, and usually just shorten everyones names. I usually just call everyone the first syllable of their name.

All this naming got me curious, so I just went and dug out my baby book. My parents did the same thing and called me all sorts of funny names...

Cute Kate

Tiny Mite

10 Pounds of Fun

Gorgeous

Cooly Cooly

Boola Van Dyke

Boot-Bate

Funny huh....

Anyways, I was just looking at my little guy today, and can't beleive that he is one. What a fun age. He is so cute, and all of you who know him know of his beautiful blue eyes. I don't think I have ever taken him out of my house without someone stopping me to tell me how cute he is, and how amazing his big blue eyes are. He has the biggest blue eyes, and they are framed in with the longest blond eyelashes you have ever seen. He really is an angel baby. I am excited to watch him learn and grow more and more. I love you Bennett, Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Tag...I am it!

2008-03-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged to do the husband survey....Here goes!

1. What is his name? Benjamin Robin Story.

2. How long have you been together? We have been married for three years, been together for 5.5 years, and have been friends since Junior High.

3. How old is he? He is 27 years old. He was born on Friday the 13th, of February 1981.

4. Who eats more? Are you serious...Me! Rob never eats. He likes to drink. For dinner he will eat five bites of food, and then drink 5 gatorades. He doesn't need food to live. He hates food and to eat. And he even hates treats, because he doesn't have sweet tasting taste budes after he bit his tongue off in high school. Food is like the one thing we don't understand each other on. I love to eat, obviously. And Rob just isn't feeling it. I sometimes wish that I had a hungry man.

5. Who said "I love you" first? Probably me. I have been in love with Rob since 7th grade, so I was probably jumping the gun a little when I made the confession.

6. Who is taller? Rob! It would be pretty weird if some guy were shorter than me. I am only 5'2". Rob is about 5'10", so when I don't have shoes on, he is way taller...

7. Who sings better? Rob. He has a beautiful voice. I love it when we sing together. Although, since I don't play violin anymore, he always tells me that I am flat. So, now I never sing in front of him, cause I am scared that he'll tell me that I am off key.

8. Who does the laundry? That would be me. I pretty much do all of the housework. Isn't that what homemakers are supposed to do? Rob goes to work, and I stay home and raise the baby, clean the house, and cook the meals.

9. Who pays the bills? When we actually pay our bills, it is me. Rob and I are both horrid with bills and money. We try, but we really should hire someone to do that for us. I am thinking Ginger would be really good at that.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I sleep on the right side. For the first two years of marriage, it was opposite. But since we have our B, the right side is closer to the door. So when I was nursing him, we switched so that I could be closer do the door. Weird huh, cause usually once you pick a side, you stay there forever...

11. Who mows the lawn? We both do. Our lawnmower broke last year. So, whenever it was my turn we would just borrow someones push mower, but if it was Rob's turn, all of the sudden it was no big deal to load up his dad's "swather" and head down to our place. Interesting huh... Acutally, I really enjoyed when his dad's was here. I would just load up Tyke and B on my lap and we would get ir done....

12. Who cooks dinner? When we have dinner, it is me. Since I go to school every day from 4:30-9:30 we don't eat a whole lot in the evenings.

13. Who drives? Rob! I hate to drive with him, he is the worse side seat driver ever. He even tells his parents how to drive... So he drives us everywhere we go.

14. What does he like to do? snowboard, snowmobile, ride motorcycles, fix cars, read forums, have sex, you know...the usual man things.

15. Who is more stubborn? Uh...Rob. I am like the most easy going person ever, and he is SO stubborn. It is in the Story's genetic make up to be stubborn and have a temper.

16. Who kissed who first? I don't remember...we kissed for the first time when I was in 8th grade. I just remember that it was on his parents couch. And he is an awesome kisser. I kissed a lot of boys after Rob, and no one even came close. I guess that is why, I went back and married the guy. LOL.

17. Who proposed to who? What is this question? What woman would propose to a man? He proposed to me. It was super fun, I always told the boys that I dated that if they didn't propose in a cute way, that I would say no. I guess Rob put a lot of thought into it, cause he did a dang good job.

18. Who has more friends? Rob, although they always end up being both of our friends. He is still best buds with all of his high school buddies, then he has work friends, then he has car friends, then he has snowmobile friends, then he has his random friends that I have no idea where he meets these people....

19. Who is more sensitive? I am going to have to go with Rob on this one. He is very sentimental to a lot of things, and his needs and feelings are really sensitive.

20. Who has more siblings? Me! I have Amos, my brother, and then Ginger, Josie (Ryan), and Deli (Dustin). So I guess I have six. Rob has Brad (Deb), Amber, and Ellie (Kent). So I just have one more than him.

21. Who wears the pants? Rob... There is never any alteration. Refer to ?# 15 for any questions...

I love my husband very much! He is a wonderful provider, and such a good daddy. Not very many men would support there wives through school, and take the kid for hours on end every night. You are the best!! Love you!

The 25th Anniversary of Me!

2008-03-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official...I am 25 years old. This event happened on Sunday, March 16, 2008. My Rob took me on a wonderful surprise, and we had a lot of fun. I couldn't believe that Rob could pull of a surprise like he did. He arranged the babysitters, packed the suitcases, and made the reservations all right under my nose. We went and stayed at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It was so gorgeous and fabulous. We got all dressed up, and went to PF Changs for dinner. It is one of my favorite places to eat, and the food was so yummy. After dinner, we went and met some friends at the Tavernacle. It is a social club, that has two pianos. They will play whatever songs you request, and it was tons of fun. Rob requested that they since it was my birthday, that I stand up on the piano and have everyone sing to me. I also had to dance on the piano, to me and Rob's song... "poor some sugar on me." It was hilarious. We had such a fun time, and it was nice to just be the two of us. We have only spent one other night alone together since we got our little B. So, it was nice to sleep in and not have to do anything. Thanks Honey!

Tay, kissing her Benny B Bobby Beaver Buffalo Boof

2008-03-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

2008-03-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Taylee Essence Allen
8 Years Old Today!

Happy Birthday Tay!

2008-03-13T11:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it...My oldest neice turned 8 years old today. I still remember the day the Ginger had her. I can't belieive that 8 years has gone by so fast, she is so big now. I love that little woman, and she is one of my best friends. She can make by B's laugh more than anyone else can. He thinks she is so hilarious, and she loves to get him rolling. She is about the funniest thing in the world, she calls Bennett, Benny B Bobby Beaver Buffalo Boof. Everytime she talks to him, he cracks up. I am just going to share some funny stories of Tay, for her special day. As you know, Taylee's biolgical father (Brown people is what she calls them) is black...One day we were playing I spy in the car, and I said something brown. She said her hair, her eyes, everything she could see in the car. When I kept saying no, she finally stopped and looked around for a long time. Finally she said...MY DAD? It was hilarious! She is so funny. Another funny story is the other day, Me, Tay, and Jen went out to dinner. We were talking about Fergie, and how she was engaged to the man I was really supposed to marry, Josh Duhmel. So, I said that I hated Fergie. Then a few days later, we were driving in the car, and I turned on Fergie. She said, "Kate, I thought you hate Fergie." I explained to her, that I didn't actually hate her, that I was just jealous that she is going to marry my want-to-be hottie. She sat there for a minute, and then said..."Kate, is sounds to me that you just need to be greatful for Rob. Cause you have a wonderful husband, and he loves you very much." I thought it was so cute, and it is always nice to have a child really put things in perspective for you. So, I am no longer jealous of Fergie, cause I to have a hott husband who loves me. I am posting a picture of Tay, so you can see how beautiful she is. She looks so much like my mother, and I love to see a little bit of her in each of us.

Jumping on the Bandwagon...

2008-03-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to keep in touch with my friends and family better. I realize that it is March, but that is still towards the beginning of the year, Right? So, here goes.... For those of you who haven't seen or talked to me for awhile, I will give a quick update. Rob is still working at Edge, and really loving it. I am loving it to because his boss let's him come in an hour early everyday so that he is off in time to come home and be daddy, while I am at school. Also, they decided to work 9 hour days so that they can have every other Friday off, this totally rocks, cause I have Clinical every Friday. I am just busy with Bennett, school, and house stuff. We got a wild hair on Friday, and Rob let me paint my kitchen ceiling and my dining room wall RED! It looks fantastic, but my house is still a mess from all the painting and trim work. Bennett is almost 1! I am freaking out, where did a year go. So, mark your calendars, little dude will be 1 on March 21st.