Fall 2017 Part 1

This Fall has been full, hard, full of great blessings and beautiful in so many ways. Justin and I found out we were expecting again the last weekend in August.

We were very excited, and I was a little surprised. It had taken a little longer to get pregnant this time around. We both knew it was time for another one to join our family and were excited to get a positive test. I also got peaches and pears this weekend from the church orchard to can the following week. Thankfully I was able to finish that task before the morning sickness set in.

We also began Joy School the Tuesday after Labor Day. So far it has been a wonderful program for Natalie and our family. I love the values that are taught and it is rewarding to be such a close part of your child's education. The group we ended up with is fabulous and it has been a blessing. Again thankfully I was the first one to teach and while morning sickness was starting, it was still bearable.

 First Day of PreSchool for Natalie

After that first week of Joy School, the sickness hit and it was intense. I mostly laid on the couch and slept whenever I could. I don't remember being as tired with my other pregnancies. I had been that sick with my first pregnancy which was a molar pregnancy. I had to give up a small job of babysitting a friends little girl a couple of hours a day and just hang tight. After some complications at about 8 weeks we ended up in the E.R. because my regular provider was not open. We found out we were actually pregnant with twins. No wonder I had been so sick and incredibly tired. Twin A looked healthy and had a strong heart beat. Twin B was behind in gestational age, had a small yolk sac and while the heart rate was still within normal range, was low for a baby that age. After going to the E.R. the next day my morning sickness seemed to cut in half, I believe that is when baby B died.

This totally changed my birthing plan and caused me to pick a doctor that delivers in Boise. At that point we didn't know if baby B would live or die and I wanted to make sure I had someone who could manage a high risk pregnancy.
When I met with this provider a week later to check in and do another ultrasound Baby B no longer had a heartbeat. It has been hard, but I have been given great peace that there is a higher plan and a reason for Baby B. I am still seeing this provider as he is an amazing doctor and I feel like for some reason this is the path I needed to take for the delivery of the coming baby.
While my morning sickness was no as intense, it was still challenging and I have had a lot of throwing up and just long days. For the first 10 weeks pizza tasted delicious! Greasy and lots of heartiness to it. We had pizza hut two nights in a row! I have never ever done that before in my life, not even with other pregnancies. It is so bizarre how much pregnancy changes you.

I guess the girls enjoyed it! I was so happy to see September go as I knew more time passing meant being closer to feeling better. When October came I was excited to decorate for Halloween and get some dish soap that didn't make me want to puke! Our skeleton is endearingly called Mr. Bones. We love to move his legs to make him take on different dance moves.

While all this has been going on on the home front, Justin was recently called to be the Young Men's president, he was trying to finish up several side work jobs he had found over the summer, started another school year at TVCC and the Meridian Temple celebration were all in the works. Blessings and trials, they all come hand in hand.

 




Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Almost 2 and Stuff

 This girl never stops moving and I think her only fear is going to sleep at night without

a pacifier. I found her in the kitchen sink the other day.

 Same day she climbed into the dishwasher to dump her cereal in the soap dispenser.

 I know there were a few other things she did this day as well

that made me roll my eyes and quickly rescue her. 

We had it so easy with N. J is total by the book toddler.

 Natalie loves to wear these fleece purple pants. Even when it is 80* outside. 

She also loves to play outside. Last Sunday she ran through the sprinklers in her fleece purple pants.

She is silly, but definitely has opinions on clothes, shoes and hair.

Packing around the sidewalk chalk when her and I stayed home from church on Sunday.

She loves to pick the flowers in the yard. 

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Spring Colds

I kept thinking yesterday that I needed to record what I was feeling. I will look back in several years and either remember, "Yes, that was hard!" or  think "Wow, you were such a baby and whined too much...." Only time will tell my future feelings, but I am recording.

A week ago today I started coming down with a cold. These are never fun, but I had no idea what I was in for. This is the worst cold I have ever had, except for maybe the one I got while Student Teaching. I guess I can safely say this has been the worst cold this year. It has come complete with congestion, plugged ears, burning throat, a raspy voice for days (most of the time it was so ahnoying to talk I haven't said much), and an overall feeling of living under water.

This combined with Jenna also being sick, the weather being beautiful and my Type A personality going crazy because "I don't have time to be sick!" This week has been challenging for me physically and emotionally. I am not quite sure what is wrong with Jenna. She does seem to have some congestion but not like other colds I have seen her have. She has had a low grade fever off and on and mostly she has just been super irritable and demands to be held most of the time. I really am thinking maybe just her 2 year old molars???

I keep thinking that I should be better by now, but it has been lingering longer than my liking. Alas, learning patience requires too much time, haha. Now that I write this out I really do just feel that I am whining. Hopefully the healing continues to improve and by Monday we will be back to ourselves.

We have watched too much TV this week and I was too worn out to require Jenna to wear appropriate sized footwear this morning or to require only one toy in the car rather than 7. When the week started my washer had been broken for about a week, my mixer was also broken, and our little yellow commuter car is broken. By Tuesday evening the washer and mixer are fixed, and this weekend hopefully the yellow car is back to normal. Justin is amazing and has been so good to help me with the girls at night. I still have a lot to learn in being calm and patient in all things. I am happy to say today I am feeling a lot more positive and grateful for more sunshine and energy.

 Girls playing on the packing foam for the mixer. They called them boats.

 Jenna lying around wanting to be held.

 She had 2 blankets, 2 pacifiers and her baby doll that have to go with her everywhere.

 Natalie had 3 dolls, Jenna 2, we also had a phone and too big of church

shoes on Jenna on our expedition to Ontario this morning.

 Natalie has been such a trooper through having a sick and 

grumpy mother and a very clingy sister around. 

I guess she liked all the movies she got to watch! Ha!

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Changes

 I saw these beauties one evening after returning from an appointment with the Bishop in our ward. 

They were such an uplifting part of that day. I was tired and the weather this Spring has been insane. A lot more clouds and rain and wind then I would prefer. These little yellow blossoms of joy were just what I needed.

I had gotten asked to serve in the Relief Society Presidency. It was so bitter sweet. I have really enjoyed teaching the 9-11 year old girls at church and doing Activity Days. I felt like we were finally getting into a rhythm of things. This new calling is going to challenge me in completely different ways, but I know it is where I need to be serving now.

 I took Natalie to see the play Madagascar put on by the Children's Theater here in the Treasure Valley. It was a fun new experience and the perfect length for little kids.

 We went right to Michael's baptism afterwards. Then straight to a birthday party for Cambree who is 3! It was a busy day but so fun to have family close.

 The last day with my Primary Class. I am going to miss these girls!

These two people came through town this particular weekend. It was so great to spend time with them. We had lunch and got to catch up after church. They are two that we can just relax and be ourselves with. Mostly like our family. Hopefully we will get to see them a few more times this year.

We ended the weekend with a drive up to the Owyhee Dam to see the Glory Hole. It is a site to behold. It was frigid though so we didn't behold it very long. It was a great weekend with good and new changes for our family.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Spring Break

 This guy left for Florida the first day of Spring Break. Sounds pretty cushy right? Well he had a training and was able to also enjoy a nice resort and some sunshine. I forgive him, but made him promise next time he goes to take me with him. :) Actually he offered, but we both decided it would be better to hit our goal for our savings account rather than use the money for entertainment. 

 While he was gone we started things off with colds for all of us. I also stayed up late a few night working on painting this chair. My goal is to do all of our chairs and kitchen table. They really need a face lift. I would say this is going to be a slow process. I am working hard on my patience with this project. I was very pleased with the color they are.

 On Tuesday we went to the Zoo with our cousins. This was the most pleasant experience I have had at the zoo in several years. Usually there are too many people and my children have no interest in the animals. This year both were not a problem. Afterwards we went to an all you can eat pasta and pizza buffet. It was delicious and I look forward to taking Justin to try it out.

 This girl fell asleep in the middle of the floor one day. I was shocked! It was at 10:30 in the morning and a movie was on because I had some important phone calls to take. I came in the living room a while later and she was out. This girl is always full of surprises.

It was wonderful to have Justin come back from his four day trip. I however had hurt my back the day before he arrived. I thought it would be ok, but it kept getting worse and my chiropractor was out for Spring Break as well. It was a long weekend. I did get to enjoy Beauty and the Beast with my sister and a date with Justin. What I heard of General Conference was also good. I have had several minor health set backs the last 2 months and it has been a bit of a trial for me after having a very healthy body for most of my life. I am grateful for the reminder to slow down and breathe. I am also thankful for all those who have helped me, mainly Justin and my mom or sisters. There was also a lady in our ward who is a massage therapist who helped me with stretching through the weekend so I could endure until Monday. Natalie enjoyed General Conference. She could recognize everyone in the first presidency and a few of the Apostles. I was honestly surprised how much she picked up. 

We had cinnamon rolls again, as I am trying to make it tradition! We also enjoyed a big family dinner afterwards on Sunday. It was not a relaxing Spring Break, but it happened and I am grateful for the things we get to experience. 

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

The Hair Cut

Natalie needed a trim of her hair a couple months ago. As I began to do it and she saw the locks fall to the ground she became hysterical. "My hair has turned black!" She was convinced that because I trimmed off some of her hair, the remaining hair had turned black. She didn't believe me it was ok until I blow dried it for her and it was still obviously red. This is her in tears over the hair on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh!

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Days go by....

This winter is finally passing. Today was cold and their is still bits of snow remaining, but we are seeing more sunlight that hangs in the sky for longer hours, more green grass, and more wind. Spring is coming! My girls have changed so much over the last several months and I know I need to keep a better record of our life. I hope to be a little better at blogging this year and tracking our beautiful messy life.

Quick update on where everyone is at. Justin is continuing to teach at TVCC. It is going really well, better than we even thought. He really enjoys the variety his days bring and being able to manage his own time. He is busy as the program is in the beginning stages, but he is a hardworker and does well. He just returned from a trip to Chicago to receive training on some trainers the program ordered. It was a great training and he was able to enjoy some Chicago style pizza while there. He gets to drive a little hatch back yellow ford focus. You definitely can't miss him! We are grateful that his parents passed on a fuel economy car to us. He is teaching a class in Caldwell this semester and it definitely helps with the gas bill each month. :)

I continue to work hard at being a wife and homemaker. I love to read a good book when I have time and am planning to paint our free dining room table that so desperately needs some help. I have also been working on being more intentional in doing pre school type activities with Natalie. It has been a lot of fun to put my inner teaching nerd to work researching pedagogy for young children. I also enjoy working with the Activity Day girls and teaching that age group at church. Some days seem long, but time is flying by when I look back.

Natalie is nearly four and a sweet, kind little girl. She is working hard to learn all the letters of the alphabet and their sounds so she can earn a trip to the movie theater. She continues to love to play and especially with her cousins! She really loves to learn. This week we learned about Presidents of the United States for Presidents day and she thought that was fascinating. She also loves to hear stories of Jesus and is enjoying going through the scripture DVD's she got for Christmas. Her favorite food is probably chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (these are a treat and not everyday occurrence) She also loves making up pretend words to make her peers laugh and enjoys a good brownie. She is learning to make good choices, listen and be a kind sister to Jenna. She does a good job most of the time. She also gets to give her first talk in Primary this week.

 This girl loved Santa! She kept cutting in line at our ward Christmas party. She couldn't restrain her excitement and still doesn't understand lines very well. Thankfully people were kind and let her go.

 We have radiant heat in our house and Prince Charming found his way into one of our heaters. He didn't fair so well. I am just glad I found him when I did. 

Jenna is now running, saying  "nooooo!", loves to cook or be wherever you are in the kitchen, climbs on everything, thinks she is hilarious most of the time, is very willing to get her boots and coat on to go places, really likes animals and babies. She is 19 months and talks a lot, but is continually figuring out how to say more words. She really enjoys going to nursery, but is always exhausted by the end because it is her nap time. She loves to play with Natalie when they are getting along and enjoys spinning in circles until she falls down. Her favorite songs right now are Wheels on the Bus and the Hokey Pokey. Her favorite books are, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," "Chilly Millie Moo," and one about a Duck in a Jeep. She has really picked up a passion for reading over the last 3 months.

 Decorating Gingerbread houses, she really just ate it and all the candy she could get.

 This is a little girl we watch for a couple hours a week. These two have such a good time together.

To survive this winter we have visited a lot of people, watched a fair amount of movies, colored, played with playdoh, go to story time every Tuesday and started a play group. It has been a wonderful winter, even though it has had it's challenges. We have lived in Nyssa for a year now and everyday I am grateful we were blessed with the opportunity to make a change and move back to the country. We have definitely had our challenges, but it is so nice to be closer to all of our family and have space for the girls to run and explore.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard