The Watts Family

Sometimes....

2011-12-10T20:13:00.001-07:00

I let the little things get in the way of the big picture.
I have 'Momma-Guilt' for not spending more QT with my precious little ones.
I forget that these little humans that I co-exist with are really precious little ones.
I don't love decorating my house for any holiday, but do it anyway. Every holiday.
I can not resist kissing my babys face, even when I know I have a cold.
I genuinely love & enjoy the bonding time between me and my babies when nursing.
I procrastinate until the last mintue to do anything...
...which is why I am {always} late.
I blame my, er, punctuality problems on my kids.
I try to do everything, which usually translates to nothing {getting done}.
I wish I talked to my Mom more often.
I drink waaaaay too much DietDrPepper.

Gosh, it's a good thing these things only happen S O M E T I M E S.

October 2011

2011-12-01T15:31:00.001-07:00

Roman and his cousin, Jarom:

Happy 29th Birthday Mom!!! (or something like that....)

Alora's Preschool Fieldtrip to Black Island Farms. She had a grin from ear to ear for 3 hours straight. We had so much fun!!

She took at least 10 minutes choosing "just the perfect pumpkin":

This is my brother Derrek and his 6 month old baby Jarom. Jarom LOVES is when Derrek does this "trick" with him, but it makes all of the mothers in the room gasp with worry!!!

Grandpa and Roman:

At Lagoon's Frightmares:

Roman turns 6 monthsold!!!

HAppY HalLoWeEn!!!

September 2011

2011-12-01T15:17:00.001-07:00

We went to the cabin with the Roberts family and had so much fun!!! We love hanging with the Roberts, because there is a best friend for everyone!!

Isaac and Carter

Alora and Owen

Kaydn and Richie

Brigham City Peach Days:

My Mom won 1st place for her short story entry. We are so proud of you Mom! Way to go!!

Roman turns FIVE months old!!!

First day of school 2011-12

2011-09-01T15:48:00.006-06:00

Richie: 4th Grade

Carter: 1st Grade

Alora: Preschool

April 2011

2011-07-26T14:31:00.005-06:00

Wow! So many projects going on in April, not to mention the arrival of our 4th kiddo!

Not a very good host.

2011-01-28T11:34:00.007-07:00

So my husband likes to refer to our little unborn bundle of joy as a "parasite". I really hate it when he does but it really is true. By definition, a baby is just that:

par·a·site

[par-uh-sahyt]

noun

1. an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.

2. a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others.

So as crude a word may it be, it is entirely true. My precious little "parasite" is sucking all that I offer him-plus some-right out of me.

Unfortuneatly for my little guy, I am a TERRIBLE host. I would think most people would report that they "eat more healthy" during pregnancy..."go to bed earlier" in behalf of their unborn child...."drink gobs and gobs of water" to help the precious thing grow.

Not me. Call me selfish. Maybe it's because this is #4 baby. I don't know. But I manage to stuff my face of all things unhealthy. If I want it, I get it. And I seem to be a bottomless pit for burgers, fries, and my worst offense, Diet Dr Pepper. Don't judge. Oh, and I never get to bed before 11PM. ::sigh::

Here is my spread from a couple days ago:

I say "Oh Well" most days. My hips are growing at the same pace my belly is. I am one giant square. Other days I feel really terrible about my eating habits in behalf of my little bean, so I try to make up for with all things healthy. That lasts about a day until I cave and have some more fries.

Let it be written...

2011-01-20T18:35:00.002-07:00

So I have to apologize...my blog has had some serious neglect lately! I have no excuse except for my own laziness. Everything has gone by the way-side the past few months. I am going to go ahead and just blame everything on pregnancy. My gym membership has been neglected, my house has been neglected, even my children have been neglected in those first few months while I was in utter misery from the nausea induced by my un-born little man. So, I am going to try try try to keep things in my life a-rolling....i.e my blog and my mounds of laundry. The reason is that if I don't, I am going to be swallowed up by my S.A.D. during this long dreary Utah winter.

Soooo, now that is has been written, it is known, therefore it must be done!!! Here's to brighter, better, more fullfilled days!!!

WORST.DAY.EVER.

2010-12-05T12:19:00.004-07:00

So we knew going into the day that it was going to be bad. We had 7 hours of travel ahead of us to get us home from Nana & poppies house in North Carolina back to our humble abode in Utah. But Alora had just been diagnosed with pneumonia, Carter with an ear infection, and I had what felt like the start of the flu.

Sooo.....when you are expecting the worst, then it doesn't seem that bad right? WRONG!!!

Here is the how the day shaped up:

2:22:Original fly time from NC to MN. Check in only to discover the flight will be delayed in MN due to snow and we wouldn't make connecting flight to SLC. OK, no biggie, still smiles. Re-book to a 2:45 flight to GA. Change gates. (3 kids-2 sick, 2 adults-1 pregnant and wearing heals no less (fashion first, right??), 1 carry on per person-that's 5 if you lost count, 1 lap top bag, 1 giant diaper bag, and 1 toddler car seat**) Get on new plane for GA.

(**=reference #1)

"Oh, look kids!! It's snowing here!!! How fun! It NEVER snows in North Carolina. How pretty!"

Well, that '...never snows in North Carolina part?' part? So true. We sit on runway waiting for runway to clear and the plane to be de-iced. An hour goes by....ah-oh! the plane is out of gas! Back to the terminal to re-fuel. Another hour passes. Ah-oh, the plane sat too long and has to be de-iced again. Ah-oh again! the de-icer machine is broken and has to have a mechanic come look at it. It's ok, still smiles! we went through every single coloring book, sticker book, leap frog toy, snack in the bag, and we haven't left NC yet! Oh boy.

Finally!! We are off! Hooray and off to GA we go.

5:40pm: Arrive in GA. We were supposed to have 2 and a half hr lay-over so we could eat dinner, have potty breaks, change diapers, ect. BUT since we were 2 hours late, we had to RUNRUNRUN to the next flight. (see reference #1) Do not stop for food, do not stop for potty, do not stop to change that 40 lb pee leaking diaper! The next gate is 2 escalators, 1 walking side walk and 1 concourse train ride later. Phew! Made it just in time! (they had already made the last boarding call!) Get on plane in a big heap, but, hey, at least we made it. Get to runway...hear the captain say we are #2 for take off...wait to "blast off!" and wait, and wait, and wait....hear captain say there is a small problem with the fuel line, but its no biggie, a crew is right on that and we will be off in no time! One hour later still on runway. no smiles anymore. mommy's head cold is full blown migraine. crying children, and "NO! I don't want to color!!!"

Captain: "So sorry, but it looks like we will have to taxi back to the terminal and change planes."

Gather up sick and crying kids, gather up 7 bags, gather up car seat, and head back in to another plane.

Sometime after 8PM: Get on 4 hr 18 min flight from GA to SLC.

Spent. Don't even care if the people next to us changed seats 'because of the smell of the bathroom" Can't do a single thing for my inconsolable baby sitting next to me. Listen to Richie complain that he 'just wanted a chicken sandwich, why can't I just have a chicken sandwich??' Carter on my lap trying to sleep because he is so tired, but doesn't have room to lay down. Mommy's migraine that is now off the charts.

8:15-12:30am: Enter the longest flight/4 hours of my life.

1am: Hooray! We made it to Salt Lake! Let's get our luggage and just go home. Waiting, waiting...does it usually take this long to get our luggage? Ohhh, of course our luggage is lost. The line to the lost luggage office was really long, so we went to our car first. (which, btw, my parents had so graciously dropped of in short term parking earlier that day) Get all kids and luggage in car and head back to lost luggage counter. IT'S CLOSED!! What, do they close shop at 2:00AM??? So Rich's hustles around the airport to find out what can be done about our lost luggage. My silent prayers for mercy back at the car must have been heard, because some gentleman opened up the lost luggage office and vwaaa-laaaa!!! There sits our luggage. HALLELUJAH!!

3:00am: Get home and crash.

8:00am: wake up to baby with diarrea and a 5 year old that thinks he's going to throw up. Oh, and I think that migraine has actually gotten worse.

Alas...the end of my story. We are home, we are safe, we are not all healthy, but if we can get through yesterday, we can get through anything!!!

Playing Catch Up!!!

2010-06-12T02:43:00.007-06:00

TOP TO BOTTOM: Richie's first Pinewood Derby (4th Place and Most original!!!)...Rich turns 35 (old man!).....Easter Fun!.....Richie gets new glasses (Sooo handsome!).....new puppy love (Welcome Izzy!!).....my baby boy turns 5 with a party at Chucky cheese....My poor baby got her tonsils out and was on the hospital over-night....Richie starts scouts....Richie starts basketball (and Carter "watches" him play ZzZzZzZ)

PHEW!!!

2010-02-14T14:19:00.004-07:00

JANUARY!!!

Tami 'n' Terra

Richie got baptized!!!

We had to get rid of our 2 family pets....Richie has terrible asthma and is allergic to cats. It was a sad day :(

Richie started basketball!!

We took our annual trip to the car show...found lots of dream cars!

2010-02-14T12:51:00.005-07:00

DECEMBER!!!

Richie and Carter were helping Dad shovel the snow, which brought on a game of sword-fighting between Richie and Carter. This "game" however, resulted in.....

...this!!! A gash in Carter's head!!! (It's all fun and games until someone gets their brains knocked out!!!)

Richie celebrated his 8th birthday with Lego Rock Band Party.

And he got a zillion Bakugan.

We made a trip to Temple Square to see the lights...

Rich's parents came into town from North carolina for the holidays!

And we made lotsa yummy Holiday Treats!!!

We all got new, matching jammies.

Chirstmas Eve...not a creature was stirring...

Soon enough, the mayhem began!!!

The fam played games at Grandma and Grandpa's House.

The Watts and The Watts

It's time for an update!

2010-02-14T12:21:00.004-07:00

So it has been a super busy past few months! But with all the holidays past us, I thought it was time to RE-CAP all the fun we've been having!!!

NOVEMBER:

GNO~Went to see New Moon (GO Team Edward!)

Miss, Jen & Tami at dinner afterwards.

Tami & her friend Kamie ran in a race in Brigham City, sponsored by her ex-boss, Dr. Kyle Klein.

THANKSGIVING!

Tami with her sisters, Lauri & Dayna, and Mom.

Putting up the Christmas Tree.

Halloween FUN!!

2009-11-02T13:30:00.007-07:00

Carter in all his snow gear for the dusting of snow we had. He was still super excited about it!

We painted our pumpkins this year, because Mom (me) was a bit too lazy to carve! They turned out really cute, and a lot less messy!

Jen, Tami & Brindy

We crashed my sister's ward Trunk-or-Treat, and got LOADS of candy! It was lots of fun.

We also crashed my sister's Halloween block party! (Thanks Dayna!) They had bouncys, tons of food and games, candy launcher, and the best part? It was all FREE! (but we did donate for next years party!!)

Carter waiting for the "candy launcher"

Richie waiting for the candy launcher:

The fam going out Trick-Or-Treating...Mom was Velma, Richie was Snake Eyes from GI Joe, Carter was Duke from GI Joe, and Alora was a Bubble Bee Princess, and Dad was....Dad? (Boooring!).

In front of a spooky garage:

Richie the Sickey

2009-10-24T13:10:00.006-06:00

On Saturday, October 17, Richie started running a fever. He had been coughing really bad for a couple weeks, so I made him an appointment to see the doctor at wee care the next day. On Sunday morning, I had a meeting at church that I needed to be to at 8:00am, so I left my house at 7:45am, not knowing that would be the last time I would be home in many many hours! So Rich, Carter and Alora meet me at sacrament meeting at 9:00, and we leave Richie home, sick and sleeping. His appointment was for 11:00. The plan was for Rich to take him, and I was to stay at church with the little ones, but at 10:30, I told Rich that I wanted to go with him too. He said that would be fine, but that we would have to take the little ones to the appt. and that it made more sense for just him and Richie to go. I still just had a nagging feeling that I needed to go to the doctor with Richie. So we went home and woke up Richie and the whole family went to the doctor.

When we got there, I was mostly concerned that he was going to have the swine flu. He was having all the symptoms. Also, that morning, before church, Rich and I noticed that he was having labored breathing. He was just looking very sick. So when he gets into the exam room, it turns out that he DID test positive for the H1N1 virus, and as the doctor was checking the rest of his vitals, she noticed that he was wheezing a lot in his chest. So she checked his oxygen levels and they were in the low 80's. She gave him a breathing treatment (albuterol) and put him on oxygen. After that, she checked him again, and his O2 levels had not come up. So she repeated the process of breathing treatment, oxygen and checking his O2 levels. By this point, she still could not get his O2 levels up, even with an oxygen mask on, so she ordered a chest x-ray to see what was going on. At this point, we had been at the clinic for over 2 hours and Alora and Carter were getting very antsey, so I called my sister Dayna, who came and saved the day, by coming to pick up the little ones. (Thanks Dee!) When we got the results for the chest x-ray, it came back that Richie had pneumonia as well, and things were being complicated due to his asthma. The Doctor decided that Richie needed to be admitted to the hospital via ambulance because he needed constant oxygen.

Once we got to the McKay Dee Hospital, things got worse. They could not find a mask that would give Richie enough oxygen to keep his levels up. They were treating him with 2 antibiotics and Tamiflu, but they weren't doing any good if he couldn't breathe and we couldn't clear his lungs. They were giving him breathing treatments every 1 1/2 as well as oral steroids and IV steroids. After 4 different breathing masks they settled on a re-breather mask. (the kind of oxygen mask with a bag on the bottom) He was doing OK, but even at 100% oxygen and the re-breather mask, he was barely staying in the high 80's. During the night, it got even worse, and they had to put him on a bi-pap machine that basically did his breathing for him. They told us that this was there last resort, and that if his O2 levels don't show improvement, they would be life fighting him to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake for a vent. He was on the bi-pap from 5:00am until 11:00am the next morning, when finally he was showing signs that he could handle just an oxygen mask and he would not have to got to PCMC. So they put him back on the re-breather mask at 100% O2 and that is where he stayed for day 2.

The beautiful view from our window.

Day 3 was Tuesday. This was day that he showed us signs of improvement. He got his appetite back. He was able to play some games that the hospital provided (like x box, puzzles, Lego's, sand art, painting), and he was able to get up and walk down the hall. He was still on oxygen but doing so much better.

Unfortunately, Rich ended up getting H1N1 as well. He has had to wear a mask at all times since Tuesday when he was diagnosed. At this point, we are just trying to keep the little kids from getting sick. Especially were as Carter has asthma as well, and Alora is so young. I have tried and failed to get them vaccinated for the swine flu, because the clinics are sooo full, they are just running out too soon. We just hope and pray they don't get it!

Day 4 was Wednesday. He had done a complete turn around. That morning, they were able to come in and wean him off the oxygen from 10L (100% oxygen) to 8L 2 hours later, to 6L, to 4, to 2 to 1 to .05 by that evening, then to room air. His oxygen had to stay at 90 at room air, and it did! even the doctors and nurses were AMAZED at how quickly he had made such a huge turn around. We know that it is due to the many prayers that were given on Richie's behalf this week, and the wonderful help he had in the hospital. He is a strong little guy.

He is home now and still on bed rest and medicine. He will have to take it easy for awhile. No exercise for 2 weeks and it will take about 6 weeks to fully recover, but he will bounce back just fine. Thank you to all for your love, prayer and support. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!!!

Autumn Adventures!!

2009-10-23T18:29:00.008-06:00

Alora, the Diva!

Rich took me to "Tap Dogs" at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake for my birthday, then out to eat at Z'Tejas for dinner. It was a great night out!!

Hiking at Cascade Falls in American Fork canyon, with the Roberts Family.

At the Pumpkin Patch with Carter's Preschool:

August FUN!

2009-09-17T13:23:00.007-06:00

Silly Richie stuffed Alora, along with all of the toys, blankets and pillows he could find, into a storage bin. He said it would be her "mobile bed". He thought this was the funniest thing ever! Alora? Not so much.

Tami n' Terra. 2 peas n' a pod Ü

The Roberts are our very best friends and that is because we all have a buddy! Clint & Rich (who met at work 6 or 7 years ago), Tami and Terra, Kaydn and Richie, Isaac and Carter, and of course baby Alora and baby Owen! (which we will force to become best friends when the time comes!) We always have the greatest of times with the Roberts!!! Lagoon was no exception!

Alora LOVES anything to do with the water. So one day when Rich was out washing the car, she grabbed the hose and was entertained for well over an hour! Even though it was in the 90's that day, I eventually had to bring her in because she was shivering from the freezing hose water. She of course, protested!

YummyYum Summer Days

Giddy-up, Grandpa!!

Peek-a-boo!

Carter and Alora had their surgeries on the same day. Carter had his tonsils and adenoids removed, and Alora had tubes put in her ears, to help prevent ear infections, which she was getting a lot of. This is Carter at the Surgical Center, all in good spirits, oblivious to what's to come...

Pre-Surgery. Doin' fine!

Alora and Daddy, Post-Surgery. Alora did great. She was up and going 20 minutes later, and the procedure never really slowed her down.

Carter Post-Surgery. He had a rough-go of it for about 2 weeks following surgery, but had ice cream, popsicles and lots of TLC helped out a lot!

Carter recuperating at home, day of surgery (with blue popsicle lips! this was also a rare partial-smile moment for him, he did not have many happy moments for awhile!)

And...Alora. First day home from surgery, Bright eyed and bushy-tailed!

2009-09-17T10:31:00.003-06:00

Peach Days in Brigham City. The day started with a 10k run by my best friend Terra and I. It was a great race! My first 10k, but definitely not my last! I think I have caught the running bug! Then the rest of the day was tradition as normal! First we watched to parade. Then all of my family and the Roberts family went to the park for our annual Pizza in the Park lunch! YumYum! The we took all the kids to the carnival for some more fun! But my camera battery died, so no pictures of the carny! All in all it was a WONDERFUL day!!!

First day of school!

2009-09-17T09:44:00.004-06:00

Carter's first day of (4 yr old) preschool!

Ready to learn!

Richie's first day of 2nd grade!

Tips and Tricks I have learned along the way...

2009-08-24T13:59:00.003-06:00

I have no idea what has made me think of this. I was drying my hair today and was thinking of these way random thoughts. So I thought I would share! You may have heard them before. But if you have any great tips to share, please leave your comment and let me know! I would love to hear them!!!

*If you leave your washed clothes in the washing maching for too long and they smell sour, put a cup of white vingar in the bleach dispenser and turn the washer to "rinse". It will get the smell right out and won't waste *as much* water! (not too proud of this one...I do this way too often!)

*To clean out the inside of your microwave, put a clean, wet wash cloth in the microwave and cook for about 1-2 minutes. The steam will un-stick the crusties and when the washcloth cools down a bit you can wipe down the inside with minimal effort!

*For a cheap laundry stain remover, use a few squirts dawn dishwashing soap and water in a spray bottle. Works great!

*I just read this one in an email today: (thanks Debbi!) to get rid of house flies in your house of camper, just fill up a zip lock baggie half full and put 4-5 pennies in it. Hang it at the entrance of the doorway you don't want the flies to enter through. Apparently it creates a dizzying effect on the flies from the prizm (or something?)

*Open a banana from the bottom and you won't get the stingys.

This is all I can think of at the moment....what great inventions do you have? Let's hear 'em!

Catching up~July!!

2009-08-12T11:50:00.011-06:00

WOW-EEE! We had a BUSY July! So there are lots of pictures! Consider yourself warned. Ü

Rich and I ran our first ever 5k together on the 4th of July:

My sister, Lauri with Alora:

One of my best friends, Adrienne, with her daughter after her blessing.

Adrienne's cute family: They had come down from CA to visit, so we played a lot, but I managed to forget my camera most of the time :/

Lots of fun=sleepy kiddos!

The kids cooling off with ice cream at Baskin Robins:

We went to the Tracy Aviary with Kamie and her boys, Tanner, Tyler, Trace and Tate, then went and played at Liberty park afterwards:

The boys showing off their "bird" face creations:

Playing at the water spouts at Liberty Park:

Best buds, Carter and Trace:

The future couple....Alora and Tate!

At the Oquirrah Mountain Temple open house with the Adams:

My crazy family!

Tami with her sister, Dayna, her daughter katelin, and our Mom:

Me and my sisters, Lauri and Dayna..such beauties!!!

At the Roberts family cabin near Salina, UT:

Ummmm, because we are just that cool.

Playing an INTENSE game of LIFE, because LIFE is INTENSE!

Carter with his bff, Isaac:

"I don't want to touch the eyes!!!" Carter says.

yumyumyumyum, this is the best S'mores EVER!

Gearing up for a long day on the 4 wheeler!

Stopping for lunch under some trees...

Carter fell asleep after a long day of riding!

the Roberts and The Watts:

Catching Up!! ~JUNE~

2009-07-30T11:00:00.009-06:00

WOW!! What a GREAT summer we have had! This is just our June, I will have to update July and August later. I can not believe that school is starting in 2 weeks! It is bitter-sweet, because I am sad that there will be no staying up late nights and sleeping in late mornings filled with PLAY PLAY PLAY all day days! But on the other hand, I could certainly do without all the quarreling that goes on between Carter and Richie and nagging to get the chores done. So a little down time might be good, plus I LOVE the fall. It's my favorite!

Here are some highlights!:

Sweet baby girl, Alora, looking sweet as can be!

We played a lot with our friends and went to many parks. Here is an outing with the Roberts at Thanksgiving Point:

My cute bff, Terra with her sweet baby Owen:

Richie finished up his baseball season--what an all-star!

A few days after school got out, we took off for a trip to Nana and Poppie's house in North Carolina. While we were there, we celebrated Alora's FIRST birthday! Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl!

Nana & Granny (Rich's Mom and Grandma)

"The boys" on Father's Day:

Checking out the coolest Lego ship ever! at the coolest Lego store ever!

Enjoying the festivities at Vacation Bible School:

Nana and Granny were at the ticket booth.

We had many precious moments:

The last weekend we were in NC, we took the older boys (and left Alora with Nana & Granny) to Wrightsville Beach and also to the aquarium. While there we ate at this great sea food restaurant on the beach!

Daddy buried Carter in the sand.

At the NC aquarium:

Eating ice cream on the pier:

We had another birthday/BBQ/party for Alora and Grandpa (my dad when we got home at our house:

Big 1 year old!

happy Birthday Alora and Grandpa!

We also had a family reunion to celebrate that my Grandparents would have turned 100 this summer. It was so great to see all of my relatives that I have not seen in years!

The "baby blues" (eyes that is) of the family.

My sisters: Kappy, Dayna, me, & Lauri.

2009-07-15T18:26:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Fun with Friends

2009-05-28T09:11:00.005-06:00

We went to the Gotti's annual Memorial Day BBQ and had a great time!!! Thanks guys!

Alora's first fruit punch experience:

Caitlyn and Alora:

With 2 of my best friends, Jen and Brindy; at baby Sophie's baby blessing:

Ken, Rich and Jason at Chick E. Cheese:

Spring time-This and That

2009-05-27T10:17:00.005-06:00

Me, my sisters (Kappy, Lauri and Dayna) and my Mom on Mother's Day:

Alora's new favorite toys:

Carter took Alora for a ride down the slide...this little trick didn't end well!

Look who's standing!

Uncle Derrek's infamous one-hand-baby-hold:

Carter playing with his cousin, Jordan:

Carter's Preschool field trip & Graduation

2009-05-27T09:04:00.005-06:00

Carter's Preschool class took a field trip to the Fire station. He had lots of fun!

Fireman Carter:

Alora watching all the action going on at the fire station:

It was a really hot day, so afterwards we had to cool off with some ice cream cones from Arctic Circle! This was Alora's first ice cream cone, and she ate it up!

Carter & his Preschool class getting ready for the presentation:

Getting his Preschool Diploma:

Carter and his preschool teacher, Miss Sarah.

Just when you think NOTHING is getting through...

2009-05-15T09:33:00.003-06:00

you have a major BREAK THROUGH moment with the cute lil' punksters.

I was getting everyone in bed the other night and I had just turned on Carter's night light and lullabies. Then I went about my usuall nighttime routine of cleaning the kitchen, finishing the laundry, putting all the toys away, ect. blah, ect. At this point it is past 10, and my darling qt pie, Carter comes sheepishly into the kitchen. My first response was "get back in bed, Carter!" Then he says, "but I want a pear". I am totally confused and bleary eyed, just wanting my ds to go back to bed. I say, "a pear? Honey we don't have any pears, and it is too late anyway." He gets very distraught, and starts to cry, saying I want a pear, I want a pear! Again, I say, Honey, I don't understand, what kind of pear are you talking about? He looks at me and says THIS KIND, MOMMY! And he folds his arms and bows his head. Ahhhhhhhh. My heart melted. Here I was scolding him, and all he wanted was a prayer. In my daze, I had forgotten the goodnight prayer with Carter, which is not hard to "accidentally" forget, because he never folds his arms or stays quiet during prayers. You have to stop 20 times and say SHHHH or FOLD YOUR ARMS, or STOP KICKING! I guess he really does get. I won't "forget" anymore.

What do you think?

2009-05-14T16:24:00.003-06:00

Do Alora and Carter still look alike?

Carter and Tami January 2006:

Tami and Alora April 2009:

Alora at 10 Months:

Carter at 10 months:

I had a June Cleaver day

2009-05-03T20:50:00.004-06:00

I had all the kids beautified for church and we were only 20 minutes late!!! (For us, that is a new record for 9:00 church, and we are nearly half way through the year ::sigh::) After church I came home, and with Rich's help, made a yum-o lunch and delightful dinner for the crock pot with pork chops, carrots and potaotes. Afterwards, I made a cake-FROM SCRATCH! ::gasp:: It was called Hummingbird Cake and it was from a BH&G magazine. It's a 3 layer cake made with bananas and pineapple, with cream cheese frosting and candied nuts on top. it was oh-so-good. I do bake, but it is usually the run of the mill cookie type baking. I do realize how big of a dork I am for posting this. Ü

(we didn't eat ALL of this tonight, we gave some to my sweet neighbor, Jerry.)

These are a few of my favorite things....

2009-04-28T20:46:00.001-06:00

Alora turns 10 months old!

Alora's new "kissy" face:

Easter/Rich's Birthday

2009-04-15T14:52:00.005-06:00

Richie and Carter coloring Easter Eggs.

Easter morning:

And the hunt is on!

That evening we had my family over for Easter dinner and to celebrate Rich's and Kylee's birthday. (It was Katelin's birthday celbration too, but she was sick :o(

Yea...a sweater.

Spring Break

2009-04-15T14:07:00.009-06:00

First we went for a hike at Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon. (Apparently Alora was going to jump ship.)

It was such a beautiful day!

The ever so studious, Rich.

Next we went to the Springville Art Museum. Richie goes to school at Syracuse Arts Academy. They have a lot of artwork on display at his school. The originals are at here at the Springville Art Museum. I was so impressed with Richie that he knew the names of so many paintings and artists!

Carter was tuckered. He slept the whole time at the museum.

Richie is pointing at a painting that he learned about at school.

After the museum, we got checked into our hotel in Provo and we all had a dip in the pool.

Carter gets easily attatched to objects. He found a small New Testement book that belonged to Rich as a kid while we were at Nana and Poppie's house last Christmas. The book goes everywhere with him...bed, school, even vacation. He calls it his "Jesus book" or his "Green Book" that helps him "find the treasure". So when we got to the hotel, he found the Bible in the drawer and got excited that there was another "Jesus Book" there. He fell asleep reading it.

The next day we went to the Dinosaur Museum and also the Life Science Museum at BYU.

At the Life Science Museum:

On our way home, we stopped at Mrs. Cavanaugh's chocolate factory and took a tour. We got free treats but had to buy some more because they were sooooo good!

"Rich"

2009-04-04T13:52:00.002-06:00

My cousin, our friend, your son, your brother, her fiance, his Daddy. To all, you will be missed.

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free,

I'm following the path God laid for me.

I took his hand when I heard his call,

I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work, to play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way,

I've found that peace at the end of the day.
If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,

Ah, yes, these things too I will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My Life's been full, I savoured much,

Good friends, good times, a loved one' touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wanted me now, He set me free.

Alora is 9 months!

2009-03-25T14:42:00.002-06:00

Happy 4th Birthday, Carter!

2009-03-25T12:41:00.006-06:00

Carter had a fun, busy day! First, he helped me bake his cake. He is so silly, he totally posed for this. But he put in all the ingredients himself, then mixed it. his favorite DS character is Kirby, so he wanted a kirby cake.

It went from this...:

To this!

Then we went to the mall to Build-A-Teddy. He picked out the stuffed Calico cat, because we have a calico cat at home named Callie.

Then he wished on his star....

Next he got to brush and fluff his new kitty.

He had a hard time choosing between the super man outfit and the basketball outfit. The bball won in the end. Carter named her Basketball-Cat-Girl. He would not budge on the name, and if you tried to leave off the "girl" he was sure to correct you.

Then I did something I never do. I actually GAVE them MONEY to play on the toys at the mall!!! The kids got to see how they really work, instead of 'using your imagination' like Mom usually tells them to do. Ü

(Hey at least Richie looks like he's having fun!)

Next, it was off to Carter's dinner of choice. Chuck E. Cheese's. No big surprise there!

Granny Jean sent him moneymoneymoney!

Carter invited one of his best buddies, Trace to come along. They had a great time.

Carter's new scooter:

In memory of...

2009-03-05T13:24:00.003-07:00

My dear sweet Gramma. She passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, from a massive stroke. She was witty, independant, ever-caring, out-spoken, and oh-so-sassy!!!

She was also very inspiring and always giving. She was always dressed to the nines, with her hair and makeup always done. She was a beautiful person, both inside and out.

She will be truly missed. I love you Gramma.

Growing bigger every day...

2009-02-23T13:45:00.003-07:00

Alora at 7 months:

8 months:

The boys with Alora

2009-02-23T12:46:00.009-07:00

Carter LOVES to love on Alora. He never lets an opportunity pass to hug and kiss on her. He always is saying, "she's soooo cute! She loves me Mom!" And Alora just gets a kick out of him. Richie is in school all day, so he is not around her as much, but he is her "protector". He always is aware of where she is and when she needs something.

Snooowww much snow!

2009-02-23T12:27:00.004-07:00

So we have had a lot of snow days here lately. But it hasn't stopped us from getting out and having some fun! Here are some highlights from our sledding day:

First came (LOTS) of this:

Our little snow angel, Alora. She sat here in her car seat in the snow, and happily watched us. We can always count on Alora to be good, wherever we are!

TV crush tag

2009-01-26T16:58:00.006-07:00

The tag says to post who your current TV crush is, plus two Runner-Ups.

I have to say that right now my TV crush is Eric Dane from Grey's Anatomy. You know, McSteamy A.K.A Mark Sloan? Yea, so sterio-typical hot guy and a total womanizer on the show, but hey, in my fantasy TV world, I think he is McSteamy!

My runner up is definately Matthew Fox from LOST. I have had a crush on him ever since Party of 5 days.

My other runner up is Jason from the bachelor. He's pretty cute.

So ignore those glares you are getting from your husband right now, and post your TV crush!

Oh yea, there is one honorable mention I have to mention: Bob from Biggest Loser. Just something about that guy....

Chirstmas-time in North Carolina

2009-01-15T22:14:00.008-07:00

So we loaded up the whole fam and headed east for the holidays. To Nana & Poppie's house we went! We left just before Christmas and were gone for 2 weeks. It was a true vacation! We did a whole lot of the good stuff, like eating, sleeping, going to movies (I think there was 4 in all), hitting Frankee's-the indoor arcade/ride place--going to the museum, playing with all of our fabulous Christmas gifts, LOTS of card playing for the adults, LOTS of DS playing for the kids, and just having a really great time!! Oh, and Alora learned how to sit up while there and cut her very first tooth!

Bear Watching:

Eating at Red Robin:

Granny never left Alora's side. It was so cute!

The fam getting ready to race!

The kids: "YEA!!! WEEEEEEE!"--Nana: "Am I strapped in good enough?!?!"

AAARRGGGGHHHH matey!

MORE eating at the fish fry place:

The Watts in the backyard:

So sweet...Richie, Nana, Alora, Magwa and Shawnee:

This is where the adults spent the wee hours of each night/morning:

Making/eating chocolate chip cookies....YUM!

Indy/Carter:

Watch out world! Rich has a gun!

Alora's 1st Christmas:

Hmmm, TWO of these kids is not like the others!

Poppie playing with the boys:

Granny & Nana teaching Alora how to sit up:

Oh look! We are EATING at ANOTHER restaurant!

This is what the boys did 90% of the time...ahhh a true vacation for all.

Exploring by the creek:

Walking down the driveway:

Alora is 6 months old!

2009-01-15T22:01:00.004-07:00

STATS:
Weight: 17.5lbs (75%)
Height: 27.5" (90%)

Alora sitting up like a big girl!

Alora is getting so big!! I can hardly believe she is 6 months already! She is hitting all of her milestones, and is happy and healthy! She is always giggling, especially at her brothers who make her "belly laugh". She is a great eater, sleeper, and just over all a GREAT baby!!!
We love you baby Alora~

Some days...

2009-01-08T15:36:00.002-07:00

Some days are just bleck days. You know the kind of day that you don't feel like doing a single thing and are still hanging out in your pajama pants at 3pm? Well, today is a bleck day for me. I worked out this morning and never bothered to shower. Eww. My once fabulous sleeper, Alora is now sleeping in these little 15 minute spurts. She is teething hence not taking her naps, hence me not getting anything accomplished whatsoever. (oh, except write in my blog while listening to her cry in her crib, hoping she will go to sleep soon) And when I do get up and catch a glance at myself I pray no one comes to the door unexpectedly because I would fear they would call CPS because I was neglecting my kids who are still in their pajamas at 3pm (and one that is crying in her crib). And when your husband comes home at 6pm and you still have the just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and he gives you the raised-eyebrow-what-DID-you-DO-all-day-woman?!? look. Ahhhh. Did I mention I haven't brushed my teeth today either? Ewwwww. Well, TMI, but today? Who cares. Just don't come to my house. It's a bleck day and I would hate for my stank to reach you. Ü

Richie's 7th Birthday Bash!!!

2009-01-05T22:11:00.003-07:00

I cannot believe my little guy just turned 7. The years have flown by faster than I could have imagined. Richie is a super-bright, always lovable, willing to do it all kiddo. I am so very proud of him. He makes it easy to be his Mom. (Now if I could just say that in 10 years!!!)

He celebrated his 7th birthday at Chuck E Cheeses this year with 7 of his bestest buddies. They had a blast!!! Then the next day was his "actual" birthday. So we let him choose anywhere he wanted to go and he of course choose Hungry Bear Pizza. So the fam went there and in sticking to Richie birthday tradition, went to Krispy Kreme afterward for his free birthday doughnut!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-12-11T16:23:00.004-07:00

So I hosted my first Thanksgiving this year! It turned out great! I had my parents, my brother, Derrek and his family, and my little brother Dallon there. We made everything from scratch or fresh, and everything was YUM-O! The only bad part is that we were not all together. I am very GRATEFUL for my dear family. They really are the best. Love you guys!

Miss Alora's first Thanksgiving!

Rich carving his first turkey. (How does this thing work? scowl.)

The boys playing legos. (By boys I mean grown men Ü)

Where's Dallon? Oh yea, he was still playing legos!

At the kiddos table.

Don't forget the whipped cream!!

Alora is 5 months old!

2008-12-11T12:25:00.002-07:00

~ALORA AFTON WATTS~

5 MONTHS OLD

WEIGHT: 16.5 lbs.

Richie's a GREEN belt!

2008-11-12T15:34:00.002-07:00

If you know us at all, you know that we do A LOT of karate around here. Richie has been in for about a year and a half, and goes up to 4 days a week. He has worked really hard and just earned his green belt. He has gone from a white belt, to a yellow, orange, blue, purple and now green.

We are very proud of him!!!

Thank You VETERANS!!!

2008-11-12T15:11:00.004-07:00

The first grade class at Syracuse Arts Academy put on a Veterans Day program. They did a great job!! Richie was one of the students selected to be an announcer. They sang patriotic songs, had a slide show, and made a flag for each vet that came. Way to go Richie! THANK YOU to all of the men and woman who sacraifice so much for our families and our great country!! And a special shout of thanks and hugs to Grandpa (Rowland), Uncle Derrek, Poppie (Rick), and Nana (Debra)!!! You're the best!!!

Each child shook the hand of each vet that came.

(Carter was a pill during the performance, but how can ya not love that face?!?)

Alora, the Diva

2008-11-12T12:51:00.004-07:00

All my life, I just wanted to have babies. Just to be a Mom. I had every doll there was and I was always a girly-girl. Putting bows in their hair, and even my little brothers hair. Now that I am a Mommy and have my GIRL, it really IS all that it's cracked up to be...plus some!

And I just had to post this, because I think Alora is so dang cute in her big ol' high chair. She started cereal 2 weeks ago, and absolutely LOVES it!

Photo Tag

2008-11-12T12:46:00.003-07:00

So this tag is from Sarah and Chrystie....I thought I would play along! You go to the 4th folder in your pictures and grab the 4th photo. Here is what I found:

Carter in the tub! He was 11 months old. Oh he's just so darn cute!!!

Watts Fall Portraits (Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom!)

2008-11-03T21:10:00.004-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

October fun!!

2008-11-03T14:39:00.006-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Alora is 4 months old!!!

2008-10-18T15:13:00.004-06:00

My sweet baby girl is getting so big!!! We went to her 4 month well baby appointment yesterday and the stats are in! Alora is one big and healthy baby!

STATS:

LENGTH: 25"--------90%

WEIGHT: 15 lbs.-----90%

Watts Look-alike Meter

2008-10-17T17:17:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Watts Look-alike Meter

2008-10-17T16:28:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy

Watts Look-alike Meter

2008-10-16T13:29:00.000-06:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Roots

Tami's 30th birthday!

2008-10-13T14:50:00.006-06:00

My darling husband, Rich planned a great surprise birthday dinner for me. Unfortunatly, I accidentally found out about it. I was checking my email, and he had forgotten to log out of his, so his account popped up! And right there before my eyes was an email that said "Tami's surprise dinner". OOPS! I wish I had not seen it, but oh well. It still turned out great! Rich had arranged for all of my closest friends and family to meet at the Olive Garden (yum, my fave!) It was so nice to be there with all of them. It was such a perfect thing for RIch to do for me. Thanks Rich!!!

Afterwards, we went to a movie, "Eagle Eye" which was pretty good. It was a really fun night!

Picking Pumpkins...

2008-10-13T13:51:00.005-06:00

...at the pumpkin patch!!!

Riding the hayride to the pumpkin patch:

This one is too funny...I told Carter to smile, and in the time it took my camera to take the picture, he grabs his tush and says "but I gotta poo, Mom!!!"

Which one is the perfect one....Hmmmm.....

...this one!!!

What handsome fellas!

(Note to self and others that may be venturing to the pumpkin patch--don't wear flops & shorts!! It is so dirty and dusty and there are stickers everywhere, and 3 foot tall weeds, oh and don't wear a baby--you have to bend down and pick those prickley-pokey 700 lb. ::just perfect:: pumpkins yourself! Phew! If I knew all this beforehand I would've bought one at Walmart! Wait, no I wouldn't, because the kids had the best time, and that made it all worth it Ü)

Scattegories!

2008-10-03T14:24:00.005-06:00

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things, nothing made up!

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Tami
4 LETTER WORD: Time
TV SHOW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
CITY: Tooele
BOY NAME: Troy
GIRL NAME: Tabitha
OCCUPATION: Tow Truck Driver
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Turtleneck
FOOD: Toffee
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Tampons
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Tornado
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Time Out!

Ok, now I tag Kamie, Sara & Chrystie!

Scattegories

2008-10-03T14:24:00.001-06:00

Baby Alora

2008-09-22T08:08:00.003-06:00

3 Months old!!

Richie and his toothless grin!

2008-09-17T12:43:00.003-06:00

Richie with his 2 front teeth extremely loose. He wouldn't let me or anyone wiggle them, because since his bottom 2 teeth were pulled by the dentist (because his adult teeth were coming in and they were not loose) he felt that ONLY the dentist could take them. So, fortunatly, we had a dentist appt already scheduled for his cleaning, and they yanked the top ones too. Now all he wants for Christmas are his 2 front teeth! haha

Peachy Peach Days!

2008-09-15T15:38:00.006-06:00

We had a great time at our annual Peach Days in my hometown of Brigham City. We go there every year, and every year we do the same thing: Watch the parade (at the exact same spot), have pizza in the park, hit the carnival, buy an autographed Ned Young calendar, wander around the booths to see what useless junk I can buy but really I am looking for someone I might know from The Good-Ol-Days-then be thankful that I actually didn't run into anyone because I've gained "a few baby pounds" since I saw them a decade ago, go home. This is the same every year. We do not deviate from the Peach Days Schedule. HOWEVER, this year we did. My nephew, Jacob was baptised that evening, so we got to see that. That was really neat. Way to go Jake!

Carter:

Richie:

Jackson Hole

2008-09-04T22:33:00.006-06:00

My entire family--which includes 2 parents, 4 siblings, 3 sibling in-laws, and 12 nieces and nephews...PLUS me and Rich and our 3 kiddos. Done the math? That is 26 of us that went to Jackson this weekend to celebrate Mom and Dad's 40th Anniversary. We had such a great time!!! Even if I was hangin with the Nerd Herd. Ü

Here are the Good Times:

The boys getting ready to do a little raftin!
(Look closely-I think there is an actual aura around my Dad's Diet Coke, as if it is singing high praises to the heavens)

The girls

We had so many people we did 2 river runs. For anyone reading and interested, that there in the back is not our river guide. That is my hunky, single, athletic, awesome, and did I mention SINGLE brother, Dallon....(just helpin ya out bro) Ü

Check out Rich's face....classic!

Whoa!! 'Bout to lose Rich there!

The boys helped me make Monkey Munch, hence they got to lick the bowl!

Richie on the way to the river.

Tami & Rich and the rest of the adults went to Bar J while all the kiddos stayed back at the condo (except for Alora, of course, who still refuses a bottle) I laughed my head off and had some gooood eats here.

Richie and his cousins, Carson and Jacob. They played A LOT of video games. A true vacation.

Ahhhh, my little chubba-wubba

Mom and Dad with all the grandkids (You can actually see my Dad's hair getting greyer)

Tami, Dallon, Lauri, Derrek & Dayna with Mom & Pops

The one-legged man!

Most of the family had gone to Jackson to do some shopping, but our little family decided to branch out and go to Teton Nat'l Park. We took a boat across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls. It was really spectacular. At one point, however, it did snow on us. Brrrrrrrrrr.

We thought we would be saving some money by doing this. Not so much.

-REALLY cheap sneakers from K Mart: $15.00
(Rich and I didn't bring hiking shoes-brilliant, I know)
-Admission to get into Teton National Park (that we failed to realize before-hand): $25.00
-Round trip tickets to get across Jenny Lake: $29.50
-Ponchos (because we clearly planned THIS trip well): $3.00
-Spending quality time with my family and being able to see these incredible places...(wait for it...)PRICELESS.

1st day of school

2008-09-03T13:33:00.004-06:00

My baby boys are BIG boys! This was Richie's first day of FIRST grade!! And Carter's first day of PRECHOOL!!! It was such a bitter-sweet moment for me....on one hand I was so glad to have the boys done with summer, with all of the bickering and fighting and boredom, so they could FINALLY go to school and fill their little brains with something other than video games! But on the other hand, it was so sad to have them leave...especially Richie, being in all day school for the first time. 8:30 to 3:30 makes for a long day away! Carter only goes Mondays and Wednesdays for a couple of hours in the morning...just enough time for me to get some Mommy/Alora time in!

Carter LOVES his little backpack! He would wear it all day every day if I would let him.

Richie and Daddy

Ahhh, my handsome fella!

This is me wondering how bad it would be if I started blubbering like a baby and gave him a big hug and smooch right there in front of all of his classmates. I settled for an over-the-shoulder-hug instead.

What princess are you?!?

2008-08-24T00:31:00.003-06:00

OK ladies, we are ALL princess's...that is just a given! But which one are you?

I am Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Hmmm.....that sounds about right....

So take the quiz to find out WHICH ONE YOU are!!

http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354

Who's WHO?!?!?

2008-08-20T14:48:00.007-06:00

Since the boys look SO much like their Dad, I had always assumed that when we had a little girl, she would look like me. Ü

Not so much...the consensus is in....she looks just like her brother! What do you think?

ALORA:

CARTER:

ALORA'S BLESSING:

CARTER'S BLESSING:

CARTER:

ALORA:

ALORA:

CARTER:

CARTER:

ALORA:

JACK JOHNSON!!!

2008-08-20T14:30:00.004-06:00

There was a SEA of people!

Rich, me and Alora went to USANA amphitheater on Monday night to see Jack Johnson in concert. I love this guy! He is one of my faves, by far. It was a great night to get out. The weather was perfect. Rich's Dad is in town and he watched the boys for us. We got a wee bit lost on the way up, so we didn't get there until 6:45ish, and the concert started at 7:00.
When we got there, there was about a BAGILLION people!!! So we hung out with Alora on the lawn and "people watched" for a good 2 hours before Jack even started playing. Alora was great the whole time, just hanging out and sleeping. It was a great night out with my hubby & baby!

August Pics:

2008-08-10T17:36:00.003-06:00

Stop taking my picture!!!!!

Carter and Alora: (Carter always makes her smile!!)

Alora showing off one of Nana's adorable outfits:

Looking straight down at the kiddos:

Alora's Blessing Day!

2008-08-10T11:49:00.010-06:00

We blessed Alora on August 3, 2008. It was such a wonderful day! I was only sorry that ALL of our friends and family couldn't come!

Rich did such a wonderful job, and gave Alora a beautiful, heart-felt blessing. Afterwards, we went to our home and had lunch with our friends and family.

My dear, sweet sister-in-law made Alora's blessing dress, and she did such an awesome job. Thank you so much, Kappy!!!! We used the material from the train of my wedding dress to make it. The flower in the front is one of the flowers from the back of my train, where it was attatched to my wedding dress, with 3 more flowers on the back, and one on the headband.

Here is the back of the dress:

Alora getting ready for her big day!

Tami, Rich and Alora at the church:

Mom and sisters: Mom, Tami, Alora, Dayna & Lauri

The Watts family:

Sleeping Beauty:

So pretty!

Alora's middle name is Afton, after my dear Grandmother. The little necklace she is wearing with the pink rose, had belonged to her.

Grandpa Williams:

Aunt Lauri:

Aunt Dayna:

Family friend, Terra:

Family friend, Jen:

And...the rest of the gang!

July Pics

2008-07-24T11:08:00.005-06:00

So we have had a pretty mellow July. Richie moved up to a purple belt in his karate class. We are very proud of him!! Alora changes every day it seems. Carter just loves to dote on her! Here are some pictures from the month:

4th of July

2008-07-08T11:11:00.005-06:00

So Rich, Carter, Alora & I went to Brigham City to meet up with Mom & Dad. We met at Pioneer Park, and had KFC. We lounged around all afternoon (well, Rich will tell you that I lounged around all day while he chased Carter around the entire park--and this is entirely true!--thanks hon, you're the best!) Then later Dallon and his friend showed up. We hung around until that evening, then watched the fireworks! It was a fun, laid back evening. We are very blessed to live in this country and to be able to have all of the freedoms that we enjoy.

Grandma, Grandpa & Alora (2 weeks old)

Uncle Dallon with Alora

My Dad and 3 other guys taking down the gi-normous flag!

The Gi-Normous flag in action

Tami & Rich

Tami & Carter

So much gratitude

2008-07-02T11:37:00.002-06:00

So as you all know by now, we welcomed our sweet baby girl, Alora into the world on June 20. I had a repeat C-section and everything went very smoothly, just as planned. We are so very blessed to have added another healthy, beautiful soul into our home. However, sometime later that day, I started developing a severe migraine. I assumed that this was just from a sudden change in hormones, as I get hormonal migraines quite frequently. Each day in the hospital my migraine got a little bit worse, instead of getting better. I had to ask friends and family to visit at a later time, as I was in dyer pain. (I'm sorry!) On the last day in the hospital, it was determined that I probably had a "spinal migraine" as a result of the spinal anethesia. It is when the needle goes too far into the spinal cavity and punctures a hole, thus causing spinal fluid to leak, which causes the migraine. There were 2 treatment options: 1-lay flat for 7-10 days until that hole heals, or 2-get another epidural and get a blood patch put over the hole. Seeing as it was already day 3 1/2, I figured I would wait it out. By day 10 post partum, I still had the migraine. So I made the trip back to the hospital to get the blood patch done. It helped some (but not completely) and I thought that I was finally able to function again. However, that was Monday, and by today, the migraine is back. So I think that either it wasn't a true spianl migraine in the first place, or it just didn't take. (there are some serious restrictions for 24 hours after the blood patch and the clot could easlily become dislodged).

So, my main point in writing all of this is because through all the pain of the last 12 days, I have also been extremely humbled, and full of gratitude. There has been such an outpouring of love, support, prayers and generosity from all of our friends and family. I am just so very grateful for all they have done. There have been so many selfless acts done on our behalf, I can not list them all, but I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone for being there for us. It would have been a much bigger struggle for us if we didn't have family & friends caring for Richie and Carter, for all the meals that have been brought in, for Rich being allowed to stay home, for the trips to the hospital & doctor appointments, and especially for all of the prayers that have been said in our behalf. It has really shown me what I already knew, which is that we truly have wonderful friends and family, and that even through our trials, the Lord will still bless us.

You will need to PAUSE the music on the playlist at the bottom of the screen first

2008-07-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Getting ready for baby...

2008-06-12T10:08:00.001-06:00

ALL DONE!!!

BEFORE:

RICHIE GOT IN ON THE ACTION. TOO:

PINK ON TOP, TAN ON BOTTOM

MY DAD PUT UP THE CHAIR RAIL:

A HUGE, BIG THANKS!!!!

2008-06-04T14:03:00.004-06:00

So to all of my fabulous BFF's from book club......

THANK YOU, GALS!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

So I am part of the best book club ever! And it is my favorite thing to do every month. I get together with the best girls ever, eat fabulous homemade dinners and yummy desserts, and we talk about a book for a good solid 6 minutes or so. Then we proceed to gab until wee hours of the morning, usually 2 or 3 A.M. about all things girlie. It is the best time ever. So last month, on May 22nd, I walked in to Jana's house, and everyone was there with for a surprise baby shower for me!!! It was totally unexpected! I really should have known better, because we just had a surprise shower for Jana 3 months ago, but I was completely oblivious and thrown off guard. (blame this on my pregnancy-induced mental retardation) Jana had to whole place decorated with pink, Haley had made the cutest diaper cake EVER, and Brindy had pain-stakingly made party favors out of rolled infant clothes, and made it into a bouquet of "flowers".
I didn't have a camera, and for me, this was misery, but I did steal a picture of the bouquet from Brindy:

Here is the diaper cake:

So thanks again everyone, for all of the super cute clothes and gifts, and for just thinking of me and the baby. You are all the best!!!

Richie's Kindergarten Graduation!!

2008-06-04T09:25:00.005-06:00

So Richie breezed through kindergarten with a zest for learning, and a smile on his face everyday. His scored 100% or near on all subjects and is reading at a 2nd grade level. We hope his passion for learning never ends! Congratulations, Richie!! We love you!!
Richie getting his diploma from his teacher, Ms. Beier:

The proud gradulate:

Richie with his awesome teacher, Ms. Beier:

The kids made ABC books that were on display...Richie's is the red and white one in front:

Enjoying Springtime

2008-05-31T20:07:00.007-06:00

So the weather is finally getting warmer here and we have been enjoying the springtime.

Richie is in T-Ball:

GO REDS, GO!!!

Carter playing in his sandbox:

Callie and Cody watching the rain:

Ready to pop

2008-05-31T17:35:00.001-06:00

So for those of you who may not know, I am due June 29th, but am having a scheduled C-section on Friday, June 20th. So the countdown is officially on.....

29 weeks

31 weeks

Almost 32 weeks

May 18th/35 weeks:

May 26th/ 36 weeks:

4-4-4-4

2008-05-09T09:47:00.002-06:00

I got this in an email, so instead of forwarding it to everyone, I am just posting it here.

Four, Four, Four, Four...

A) Four places that I go to over and over: Drop Richie off at school, pick Richie up from school....EVERDAY, Walmart (I can never remember everything in just ONE trip!), Drop Richie off at Karate, Pick Richie up from karate--not everyday though...just Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, to the bathroom...about 19 times an hour.

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): My Dad, The Childrens Place, my Mother-in-law, Terra

C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Applebees, Olive Garden, Cafe Rio, _____(Insert any ice cream joint here)

D) Four places I would rather be right now: Hmmm, sleeping, Disneyland, A warm, sunny beach, with my family doing something fun

E) Four people I think will respond: this question is stupid

F) Four TV shows I watch all the time: Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, Lost, House

Trains & Buses

2008-05-01T16:25:00.007-06:00

We thught it would be fun to take the kids to Salt Lake on the new Front Runner Train, this past Saturday. Little did we know, the rest of the world had the same idea! When we first got to Clearfield station, we were amazed to hear that there was a 2 hour wait. So then we went to Ogden and Roy, only to find it was just as busy. So we went to lunch and came back to wait in line. (well, Rich and Richie did. Carter and I sat in the car until it was time to get on Ü)

We were FINALLY able to get a seat after 2 stops.
When we got to Salt Lake, they were running all UTA for free, so we rode the bus next over to The Gateway. We had the whole bus to ourselves! A nice change from the busy bus.

Once we got to The Gateway, we did a little shopping, then let Richie climb the rock wall at Dick's Sporting Goods. Then we ran back to the train and did it all over again!

Carter and Mommy on Arbor Day

2008-05-01T15:52:00.008-06:00

Carter and I went to the Clearfield Library for Arbor Day. They read books about trees first, then we walked to the park and Carter got to help plant a tree. He thought this was the greatest thing ever! He got to get down and dirty in the dirt, and even had juice and cookies afterwards. It was a fun day for us both.

Carter and the Arborist, Steve:

I helped plant a tree!

Spring Time Fun

2008-04-28T17:47:00.004-06:00

So I have gotten a little schedule crazy lately. I think it is because I am so worried the boys are going to be bored to death this summer after the baby is born, because I won't be taking them to a million places. SO I decided to create a world of chaos for myself, in hopes that my boys would have some quality fun! Yea! Fun! ::giving an unexaggerated raw raw::

Right now Richie is in swimming lessons, T-Ball, Soccor & Karate. Carter will be starting swimming and is in tumbling. My weekly schedule is insane, but worth it? Who knows....ask the boys.

Happy Easter!!!

2008-04-01T11:18:00.002-06:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Carter!!!

2008-04-01T10:47:00.004-06:00

So Carter had 2 birthday parties the weekend of his birthday. First, we went to Boondocks with our dear friends, the Roberts. They have 2 boys around the same age as Richie & Carter and we always have a blast with them. So we went there and had dinner and cake, and Carter opened his gifts. Then they had a great time playing all night!

Then he had part 2 at my Mom and Dad's house with all his Aunts and Uncles and cousins.

He REALLY enjoyed that chocolate cake!

So much so, that he better try the white cake, too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG GUY!!!

Tag Tag Tag

2008-04-01T10:30:00.005-06:00

FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES- Since being pregnant, they are a pair of biege flats that I wear with everything, everywhere.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION- I did not make any this year, so that I could not feel guilty about not doing them.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW- I was listening to She and Him, trying to decide if I liked it. Another blogger gave it a rave review. I am undecided.

IF YOU HAD $200 TO SPEND ON YOURSELF WHAT WOULD IT BE- After being in bed with the flu all weekend, I think I would go to the spa and get a facial, a manicure, a pedicure, a massage, wait....my $200 bucks is probably up by now, huh?

RANDOM THOUGHT- I am so sick of being sick. I hate that I am looking at snow right now on my lawn and it is April 1st. I wish my house would clean itself. Perhaps I should think happier thoughts....

FAVORITE PLACE TO GO IN THE CITY YOU LIVE IN- Here in Layton, it would have to be a good resaurant and a movie. (how boring am I?)

THE BOOK YOU ARE READING - Shopaholic and Baby, my book club selection this month. and the BOM. and pregnancy books.

I am not going to tag anyone, but if you want to join in, feel free!! Ü

Once again, chronicles from "My Crazy Carter!"

2008-03-13T14:58:00.006-06:00

So if you know me at all, you know that my Carter is a handful to say the least. But he also is so sweet and helpful...sometimes!

One of his favorite things to do is help me load the washer and dryer, and spray the stains with spray n' wash. So on this day, he was donning his birthday suit--as he often does around our house, because he is potty training, plus he just loves to be naked!--and he was wearing Richie's ball cap. He was just so cute, I couldn't help but take a picture!

Carter has also been fighting his naps, which I expect at this age, but he truly still needs one. So this day, he was crying in his room, then all fell silent. When Rich and I went to check on him, this is what we found. "Defiance to the very end!! I will NOT sleep in my bed!"

All in all, he is the sweetest little bugger, how could you not love that smile?!?

Getting there....

2008-03-07T14:53:00.003-07:00

So for my friends and family whom I don't see all the time, here I am at almost 25 weeks pregnant. Richie took this picture, so this is his angle. Ü

By Golly, I finally did it!

2008-03-03T11:19:00.005-07:00

I finally got around to getting a "pretty" skin for my blog! No more boring ones! I did it the lazy, cheating way, but that is only because I still don't know how to do it the crafty, be-original way. And that is OK. I will continue to admire all of the friend and stranger blogs and their really great templates!

2008-02-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Richie had a permanent tooth growing in behind his bottom baby tooth, and had to have it pulled. Once we got to the dentist, he said that there were actually 2 adult teeth coming up right next to each other. So, being the good pediatric dentist that he was, he put a movie on for Richie to watch--this being on the ceiling, of course!--and gave him some head phones. Then came the "pilot nose" that gave Richie the happy gas, and happy did it make him! (he was pretty loopy for a minute!) By the time I had left to check on Carter and come back, I had asked the doc if he had given Richie any shots. He turned toward Richie, shook his shoulder and said, "hey bud, did you have any shots?" Richie says, NO, and then the doc holds up a giant needle! The doc says, "really? Cause I just gave you 5!!" Richie sits straight up, and smiles, and says, "WOW! That didn't hurt a smidge!!!"

Soooo, within a few more seconds, the 2 bottom teeth were gone, and Richie was as happy as ever to go to school and tell and show all his friends that he had just lost 2 TEETH! At the same time!

Our family vacation to the great NorCal!

2008-02-24T19:48:00.009-07:00

So sort of on a whim, we decided to take a family vacation before I got too far along in the pregnancy and before the baby was born. After searching for just the right place, we settled on Northern California to the Great Redwoods! We had such a great time! The boys loved hiking in the forests and exploring the beaches, and the scenery was so spectacular! It was a very relaxing and fun trip for all of us (except for the blizzard detour we had to make on the way home--see below) So here are some highlights our most recent adventure:

DAY 1:

We had originally decided to get up about 4am and do the whole days worth of driving in one day. However the night before we were to leave, Rich ended up working really late and I had one of my migraines, so that slowed the "getting packed and ready" part WAY down. So at 1:00AM, when we finally did go to bed, we made an executive decision to "sleep in" and leave at 7:00AM instead. We stopped in Wells, NV to say hi to my Grandma and have breadfast. After that, we made it all the way to Williams, CA. When we took a closer look at the map, we realized that we had 200 miles of VERY winedy (is that spelled right?!?) and steep roads to get us into Eureka, CA, which was our final destination. So we stopped short at about 11:00PM at Williams, CA. and called it a day.

Breakfast in the car...granola bars and Yoohoos!

DAY 2:

We Watts are not exactly morning people--AT ALL. We got up and at 'em at about 10:00 then stopped at Applebees for lunch at noon. My bladder could NOT handle more that 1 hour in the car at a time! What a huge pain that was! (sorry Rich!) We finally made it to Eureka, CA that evening and went to eat at Denny's because after we had got settled in, that was really the only thing open.

DAY 3:

So we took great care to get all the touist info and brouchures there was to offer. We decided for our first adventure we would head North to the Redwood Forest and do some hiking. One of the hikes recommeded was in Fern Canyon. So we all donned our sneakers, jeans and water bottles for our so called hike. We really did expect trails! What we actually got was another winedy muddy road that went for 6 miles to a parking lot. Along the way, we saw so many wild elk! It was really neat. So we were geared up for our hike. What we found was no such trail, but a wet river bed, with lots of mud, rocks and fallen trees on our "trail". After awhile of trying to stay clean and dry, we gave up and just let the kids get dirty and wet. We had more fun after that! Richie and Rich donned a hiking stick, and looked as though they were ready to be on survivor, and Carter held tight to a stick and a rock the whole time, and he definately threw caution to the wind and went crazy, exploring and getting plenty dirty. He was so in his element!

We literally had to go over the river and through the woods to get here!

Survivor anyone?

Trying to stay dry....

...then just giving up!

DAY 4:

Today we headed south to the tiny town of Ferndale, played on the black sand beaches and went to a cheese factory (with free cheese tasting-yum!) and to the Avenue of the Giants.

At the black sand beaches:

This is Ferndale, which is a small town built in the 1800's. It's a whole town of historic Victorian homes and businesses. It was so cute!! It looked like we stepped into a Thomas Kinkade brouchure. We stopped at this little toy shop that looked exactly like Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. We spent at least an hour in there playing with vintage toys and looking around.

Here we are at the Loletta cheese factory tasting their yummy cheese!

Hiking in The Avenue of Giants:

Richie and Dad in front of fallen down tree--these are the "roots"

See Carter at the very bottom?

Richie and Carter playing inside a tree cave.

Driving thru the "Drive-Thru Tree".

DAY 5:

We leave Eureka and head south. We went to this great hidden beach called Shelter Cove at the bottom of yet another curvy, steep road. We saw a lighthouse and explored the tidepools. We had plans on going on to "Confusion Hill" where gravity is "off" and things slant to the sides, but we got there 30 minutes too late, much to the dissapointment of Richie.

At the Lighthouse at Shelter Cove.

Exploring the tidepools at Shelter Cove:

Check out these big guns!

Look at this star fish, Mom!

DAY 6:

We headed south yet again, and went to San Fransisco. We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, went to a really cool hands-on science museum, called The Exploritorium and went to lunch in the city.

San Fransisco Bay:

Golden Gate Bridge:

After our visit to San Fransisco, we were on our way home, however that proved more difficult than we expected! We were in a canyon heading west on I-80, about 40 miles east of Reno, when we got stuck in a blizzard! They made all the traffic move off the road and get snow chains for our tires. So this little mandatory detour ended costing us $120.00!!! Plus, it was dark and snowy and we couldn't get the chains to fit right, so finally we paid the worker guy another $20.00 to install them, just to find out that the attendant had given us the wrong size chains in the first place! So we got that all fixed up then got on the road again, but since there was 5" of snow and we had chains, we never went faster than 30 MPH. It took us another hour to get 20 minutes to Reno, where we stoppe for the night. Phew!

DAY 7:

On our way home today, we stopped in Wells, NV again to check in on my Grandma, as there was an earthquake there while we were gone. She was fine. Her house did have some damage to the chimney and fireplace, a couple of cracks in the walls, and everything in her cupboards fell our and her pictures all fell down. She was doing well, though, which we were very gratefull for.

The Watts Family

Sometimes....

October 2011

September 2011

First day of school 2011-12

April 2011

Not a very good host.

Let it be written...

WORST.DAY.EVER.

Playing Catch Up!!!

It's time for an update!

Halloween FUN!!

Richie the Sickey

Autumn Adventures!!

August FUN!

First day of school!

Tips and Tricks I have learned along the way...

Catching up~July!!

Catching Up!! ~JUNE~

Fun with Friends

Spring time-This and That

Carter's Preschool field trip & Graduation

Just when you think NOTHING is getting through...

What do you think?

I had a June Cleaver day

These are a few of my favorite things....

Easter/Rich's Birthday

Spring Break

"Rich"

Alora is 9 months!

Happy 4th Birthday, Carter!

In memory of...

Growing bigger every day...

The boys with Alora

Snooowww much snow!

TV crush tag

Chirstmas-time in North Carolina

Alora is 6 months old!

Some days...

Richie's 7th Birthday Bash!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Alora is 5 months old!

Richie's a GREEN belt!

Thank You VETERANS!!!

Alora, the Diva

Photo Tag

Watts Fall Portraits (Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom!)

October fun!!

Alora is 4 months old!!!

Watts Look-alike Meter

Watts Look-alike Meter

Watts Look-alike Meter

Tami's 30th birthday!

Picking Pumpkins...

Scattegories!

Scattegories

Baby Alora

Richie and his toothless grin!

Peachy Peach Days!

Jackson Hole

1st day of school

What princess are you?!?

Who's WHO?!?!?

JACK JOHNSON!!!

August Pics:

Alora's Blessing Day!

July Pics

4th of July

So much gratitude

**You will need to PAUSE the music on the playlist at the bottom of the screen first**

Getting ready for baby...

A HUGE, BIG THANKS!!!!

Richie's Kindergarten Graduation!!

Enjoying Springtime

Ready to pop

4-4-4-4

Trains & Buses

Carter and Mommy on Arbor Day

Spring Time Fun

Happy Easter!!!

You will need to PAUSE the music on the playlist at the bottom of the screen first