The Followell Family

Caden't 7th Birthday

2010-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Caden's birthday was back on February 7th, but I have been working full time so it took me a bit to post about it:). This year for Caden's birthday we did a pretend sleepover. The boys all came over and we made pizzas...then they brought sleeping bags and watched a movie...after the movie was over they opened presents and ate the beautiful football cake I made. I am usually a "buy my cake" kinda person but I decided to make his this year, and I was very happy with how it turned out:). I can't believe Caden is already seven. We have had him for four years now. He really is such an amazing little boy. He has such an imagination and is a GREAT artist. I am always surprised at the drawings he brings home. He is a great listener and always wants to do what is right. I am so grateful that we were able to find him and bring him in to our family!

Tailee Laurel Followell Is Here!

2009-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

I can"t believe our long wait is finally over, and I can"t believe I have 3 kids. Tailee (pronounced Ty-lee) was brought into this world on November 10, 2009 at 5:23pm. She weighed 8lbs 30z and was 20.5 inches long. My mom told me that when I was born I weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 20.5 inches long, funny huh. We didn't actually leave for Kansas City until early Wednesday morning. Our flight was delayed 2 hours but we finally got there. Since the new rules with swine flu say little kids cannot come to the hospital, my sister in law Haley came down at the last minute to get Kadrie. What a lifesaver. Then Nolan and I went to the hospital to see our new baby girl. The instant we held her we knew she was meant to be ours. She was absolutely beautiful and did not look only 1 day old. All that hair does tend to add some age:). We didn't actually get to stay with her until the next day. Finally on Friday we went to court. Unfortunately, our hopes of an easy smooth adoption did not come true. Tailee's birthfather did not want to consent to the adoption, eventhough her birthmom did. Our lawyer advised us to wait until Monday and we would go to court again. Talk about an agonizing weekend. It was seriously probably the worst emotional hell I have ever been through. Eventhough I knew there was a chance we might not get to take her home, I didn't feel comfortable just leaving her for the nurses to care for until Monday. I felt she needed to feel a warm body next to her. My brother and his wife had come for the weekend with Kadrie and their two boys so Haley and I stayed the nights at the hospital and then Nolan and I went for a few hours each day to spend time just holding her. Finally Monday came and we went to court. Again the birthfather refused to sign, but after some talking with our lawyer he did agree to sign and at 5:00pm we left for the hospital for the last time to finally pick up our daughter. We could finally call her Tailee. It felt great. Her birthmother, Hannah, is such an amazing woman. I know that what she did for Tailee was out of the most selfless love for her daughter and she wanted her to have so much more than she could give her. She stayed strong through all of this and we can never thank her enough. I feel so honored that she chose me to be Tailee's mom and what a great responsibility I have to make sure she grows up to be a great person. Tailee has been seriously the best baby I have ever been around, and I really thought Kadrie was an easy baby. She only cries when she is hungry and most of the time she just is looking around checking everything out. Everytime Nolan and I look at her we fall more in love with her. She is so beautiful and I am so glad she is here and finally ours. I want to say Thank You to all of our family and friends who fasted and prayed so hard for our family so that this little miracle could be ours forever.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2009

2009-11-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

This year we got to actually pick pumpkins from a pumpkin patch. We went with our good friends Will and Tia and their families to pick out our own pumpkins. The kids had a lot of fun picking out their own and even picked out a baby one for Tailee. This Halloween Caden was an army guy. When he would go up to each house the people would say "oh a GI Joe guy". Caden was getting so mad and told me "Everyone keeps saying I"m a GI Joe guy". We had to explain to him what that was. Kadrie was a pretty kitty. She looked so dang cute and had to constantly point out to everyone her pink tail. Having kids has sure brought back the fun in Halloween.

Our Nursery is Finished!

2009-10-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have been working on the nursery for the last couple weeks. I think it turned out really cute. I don't think I am all that great of a decorator so I was pretty proud of how I did on this room. We have decided to name her Tailee Laurel Followell(hence the TAILEE name all around the room). Nolan and I were joking the other day about how much work I put in to this room and what a bummer it would be if she tricked us and decided to come out a boy. I am definitely not prepared for a boy, but I am sure it would all work out just fine if we did get a surprise. We are getting so excited. The closer to the due date we get, the more real it seems. I have tried to prepare for our trip as much as I can, but since baby's aren't really predictable, there is still a lot we are waiting to do until the last minute. I can't believe in the next month I am going to be a mother of three. That makes me nervous:).

Yellowstone Bear World

2009-10-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Nolan and I wanted to get away with the kids the other day and we decided to do something we have been meaning to do for awhile. We drove up to Rexburg, ID and visited Bear World. A couple of Wednesdays ago we left at 8am and headed up to Idaho. We traveled through the Star Valley way. Oh my gosh it was so beautiful. Nolan and I fell in love with that area. If we could move there we would. It was so pretty. Anyway, we got up to Bear World at around noon. We have heard about this place from friends who had been, and we were excited to see it ourselves. The first thing we did was travel on a paved road through the park. The first part was just regular wild life. Nothing really dangerous. There were some buffalo, deer, and elk. Then we got to the next gate. Nolan and I laughed at how it seemed like we were entering Jurassic Park. They give you the basic instructions like go 5mph, don't stop if a bear climbs on your vehicle, and never roll down your windows (duh). The first area there were grizzly bears. Two younger ones and a papa bear. They are confined in an electric fence and cannot come up to your window. The next area was where all the black bears are. There had to have been like a total of thirty black bears in that area. It was such a cool experience. It was a hot day so most of them were just laying around, but some were up walking. There were also three wolves in the area too. The bears got really close but none actually got on to our truck. The next thing we did there was go to the petting zoo. This was not like your normal petting zoo. It was an acre of land and all the animals just run free. You could go up to any animal in there or they could come up to you. The little nanny goats kept coming up to Kadrie and putting their horns under her and trying to flip her. She did not like that very much and she let them know it. Our favorite part of the petting zoo were the deer. In Green River you see deer running around town all the time, but I have never been able to touch one. It was the neatest thing. There was a new baby fawn that was only a couple months old. If you went up to it, he would just lay his head on your lap. After the petting zoo we headed over to the children's amusement rides. There were about five rollercoasters there for the kids. They were the only ones there so they got to ride as long as they wanted. They had such a great time. Finally it was time to leave, but we decided to drive through the park one last time. This time we saw a brown bear crossing the road so Nolan drove right up to it. We stopped (I know, we broke the rules) to see if the bear would climb on our truck. Sure enough we looked back and the bear had climbed up on our tailgate. He would have climbed in but Nolan started pulling away. It was exactly what we were hoping for. It was such a great experience to see the bears so close up, but I still have my fear of bears and I hope to never see one without my truck window separating us. After Bear World we traveled down to Lava Hot Springs. We went swimming in the mineral pools and then went out to eat at a Thai restaurant. I can never pass up a good curry. It was about 8pm when we finished eating and we had another 3 1/2 hours to get home. We decided not to stay the night somewhere, because we are trying to save for the upcoming adoption. Eventhough it was a lot of driving it was so worth it. It was a great family day!

Caden's Cricket Rifle

2009-10-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Caden knows his obsession with guns. He loves anything to do with guns, tanks, grenades, anything army. We will even catch him totally engrossed watching the military channel or the history channel. For his 6th birthday this year, Nolan and I bought him his first .22 cricket rifle. It is especially for younger kids. Now I know some of you liberals, or conservatives who are liberal when it comes to guns(Hi mom) reading this are getting your panties all bunched up, but let me explain our reasoning. When you live in Wyoming, especially in Green River, Wy, chances are most of your children's friends have parents with guns. Hunting is big around here. Most practice gun safety and have their guns locked up, but for the chance that some one is stupid enough not to, we feel it is best to teach our children about guns and how to safely handle them. We especially teach them that if they see one at a friend's house, they never touch it and immediately are to go and tell an adult. They are NEVER to touch a gun unless their is an adult there to assist. To try and act like guns don't exist is absurd. I have this argument with my mom anytime guns come up. In our house, the guns are locked up separate from their ammunition, and out of reach of children. So, eventhough we did give Caden a gun for his birthday, it's not like he can use it whenever he wants. He has been threatened that if he ever touches it without an adult there to to help he won't shoot again until he is 16. Anyway, back down on the ground off my soap box, the other day Nolan went out to shoot his new 270wsm to get ready for antelope hunting and he also brought Caden's too so he could do some shooting. Caden has become really good at shooting it by himself. This video shows him shooting. He does end up needing some help, but for the most part he gets it. I know my mom is going to have a heart attack when she sees this. Sorry mom:).

Kadrie and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, or should I say Week!

2009-10-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Kadrie has been our sick child ever since she was born. Which would make sense, since Caden (due to the fact that he was adopted through foster care) is covered by our insurance and Medicaid and doesn't cost us a thing at the doctor's office, and Kadrie is not, and costs us a lot :). Anyway, since she was born we have dealt with ear infections. When she was one, she had tubes put into her ears. This helped for a while, but two years later, they were still there. They were also plugged and causing more infections. She always seems to have a runny nose or some kind of cold. We took her back into the ENT doctor and he decided to try drops and see if that unplugs the tubes. Well it didn't so she had to have surgery to put in new tubes. Also we have always noticed that Kadrie's tonsils are HUGE, and that is an understatement. I had him check those as well, and he agreed that perhaps by taking them out she would be sick less and have fewer ear infections. I have heard that having tonsils taken out when you were younger was best, so Nolan and I figured this was a good a time as any. I had mine out at 23 and it was literally a living HELL! So on September 9, 2009 Kadrie went under the knife. The whole thing didn't take longer than 20minutes. I could hear her screaming when she came out of anesthesia and soon they came to get me. They thought maybe I could help calm her down. Wrong. She was such a different kid. She was thrashing around, trying to get her hands in her mouth to scratch at her throat, she was hitting me in the face, and she was biting at the bandages on her arm that they use to keep the IV in. It was so hard to see my little girl like that. I was going to do it by myself, but Nolan called that night from work and said he could get off early to come with me. Thank goodness. I don't think I could have done it with out him. I am so glad he is such a good husband and dad. It took a good 30 minutes to calm her down and then the medicine kicked in and put her to sleep. She woke up on the drive home and was her normal self, kind of. You could tell she hurt and it was so hard to make her drink. She did really good the first 3 days. She even had oatmeal the night of the surgery, but on day 4 it became harder and harder to get her to drink. I started having to set an alarm to make her drink. We made it a game. It took probably almost two weeks before Kadrie was back to her normal self. During the healing process she had a really high pitched voice that drove Nolan and I crazy. We are so glad to have her normal, deep voice back. I am glad that whold ordeal is over and I am hoping for no more ear infections!

First Day of School 2009

2009-10-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the first day of school pictures of the kids this year. Nolan and I, along with Caden's teachers, agreed that repeating kindergarten this year would be in his best interest. I was worried that it might be hard on Caden to see all his friends from last year in 1st grade, but so far he hasn't had any problems. I figured if I was going to hold him back, Kindergarten was the best year to do it. His teacher this year is Miss Lefferdink. She is new to Jackson and this is her first year ever teaching. I really like her and I am glad Caden has her for a teacher. Kadrie started preschool this year. I can not believe that she is that old. She has always seemed older than her age, but ever since she started preschool she seems even more grown up. Her teacher is Ms. Kari and it is a great preschool. The other day, when Nolan and I were decorating the nursery, Kadrie picked up a bumble bee that was going on the wall and we noticed she was singing something. We asked her to sing it louder and she said, "Bumble bee, Can you say your name for me?" We asked her where she learned that song and she said, "From Ms. Kari". It was so cute. Nolan and I kept making her sing it all night. I am really proud of my two kids. They are growing up so well and unfortunately so fast. I am so happy I was chosen to be there mom!

Nastiness!

2009-10-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

The other day I went downstairs to use the computer and I saw a spider on the ground. I thought it was dead and so I got close to it. I nudged it with a piece of paper just to be sure and it moved. It

was probably the size of a quarter. I had to keep it to show Nolan because I knew he wouldn't believe it if I just told him, plus I wanted to know what type of spider it was. I put it in a ziploc bag and then started searching the internet, and I found it. It was a female hobo spider and it was in the same category and the brown recluse and black widow. Yikes! Needless to say we need an exterminator. Nolan, of course, was extremely grossed out when he came home. In our house I am the one who deals with the spider disposal.

Bear Lake Camping Take 2

2009-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

So like I said, we did all our summer camping two weekends in a row. The second we went with our good family friends, The Arnells. It had been two years since we had last camped with them so we were due for a trip. We wanted to leave Thursday night so we could have all day Friday and Saturday up at Bear Lake. Nolan was working all day Thursday so I had to load up his truck, four wheeler and all. I was so proud of myself. I did have Gary come over and help me tie everything down. The last thing I want is for the four wheeler to fly out while I'm by myself on the highway (Toni, you know what I'm talking about ;)). We had such a blast, and this weekend was much better than the last. Lauren and Riley came up on Friday and met us again. We went to the lake both Friday and Saturday. On Saturday we spent the whole day tubing. I am such a freaking chicken on that thing. My voice was hoarse screaming at Riley cause he was going too fast, only to find out he was going faster when Caden was by himself. On Friday, Kadrie was really sick with a nasty cold and all she wanted to do was sleep and be held. You can see how miserable she was in the picture with me. I know I am going to sound like a bad mom, but I love when my kids are sick. I love how cuddly they are. I actually don't mind my kids being sick, in fact, sometimes I want to make them sick just so they will be all cuddly. Ok so not really, but you know what I mean. We always have so much fun camping with the Arnells, and the kids get a long so well. Plus you can't beat Gary's BBQ chicken and Nanette's potato salad. And of course my famous watermelon brownies :). Ok, so they aren't famous, but they should be. They are awesome.

Bear Lake Camping

2009-09-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Since this summer I ended up working full time, so that the other hygienist could be on maternity leave, we didn't do any camping. So at the end of August we decided to get it all in. We ended up camping two weekends in a row. We sold our camper in February and so we resorted back to good ol' tent camping, with an air mattress, of course! We love Bear Lake and for the last few summers that is where we end up camping. It's great because at night and in the morning you get to be in the mountains doing the whole camping thing, and then in the afternoon we head down to the gorgeous lake. The first weekend our good friends, Lauren and Riley came up. Riley even brought his boat. Unfortunately, the weather was not so pleasant and the first morning we woke up to pouring rain. It did eventually taper off, but it was definitely not boat weather. We still had a lot of fun anyway. I was not about to get up and cook breakfast in the rain, so we went to Plan B, the nearest restraurant. Saturday was my birthday, and anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite part of my birthday is the cake and candles. Nolan seems to struggle at remembering this every year, but to his credit he kept mentioning how he was trying to figure out how to bring up a birthday cake(he had a big reminder on the calendar). Well he didn't bring one up so I decided to try to cook brownies in a watermelon as my birthday cake. We went out and bought brownie mix and stuff(we already had the watermelon), and while I was mixing up the brownies, Lauren surprised me with a birthday cake she had brought up from home. What a great friend. She didn't trust Nolan to remember. We still made the brownies and they were awesome. Watermelon Brownies, who would have thought. So even though the weather didn't cooperate we still had a blast. Lauren and Riley are always fun to be around. Kadrie especially loves Riley. She told Lauren she was going to marry him when she is done being a princess, and then asked Lauren if that made her mad. She is so funny. Caden, of course, loves the dirt part of camping and destroying anything. He found an old ax in the river and spent the weekend trying to chop down a tree. He never succeeded, but I never heard he was bored. Bronco also kept busy chasing his own splash in the river.

My First Ultrasound!

2009-07-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

With both of my first two adoptions I never had the chance to be involved during the pregnancy. I am so excited that with this adoption we have the chance to be. H. was so awesome and brought me the ultrasound pictures of our baby. There were three, but this was the only one that you could really see her. Isn't her profile so dang cute? I love the shape of her little head and her cute little nose. I've always loved looking at everyone else's ultrasounds, but now I finally have one of my own. Aren't I so freaking lucky :)!

We Are Expecting!

2009-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

So for all of you who haven't heard, we are expecting a baby girl due October 27th. This adoption, just like our other two, has been nothing short of a miracle before our eyes. A couple of weeks ago, I had a patient come into my office. She was telling me about her daughter who just had adopted a little boy and, of course, I couldn't help but brag about my two kids. I told her that Nolan and I were wanting to adopt again, but that we were just waiting a bit. Well the next day she passed along to me information about a possible adoption situation. Nolan and I were extatic. It felt like a blessing that fell into our laps. I spoke on the phone to the birthmother's mom and sent her pictures. She told her daughter about us and she and the birthfather wanted to meet us. H. and R. flew out this last weekend and we got to spend all Saturday with them. It was a long day for them, I'm sure. Their flight was delayed and then we drove back to Green River and then back to Utah. All of that on Saturday. They were such good sports and the long drive to and from Utah was great to get to know eachother. They are both such wonderful people and I feel so blessed to have been able to get to know them. I know this decision of theirs is such a hard one to make. I know that it is out of love for their baby and wanting her to have a wonderful life that they are chosing to make an adoption plan for her. I hope they know how grateful we are to them for blessing our family with the joys of another child, something Nolan and I could not have if it weren't for them. Words will never express how much they mean to us.

Caden and Kadrie's Pledge of Allegiance

2009-07-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

My mom was telling me that when my sister Shaye was 4 she learned the Pledge of Allegiance. I thought I would try to see if Kadrie would let me teach her. She doesn't ever let me teach her anything, but she actually did this time. It's not perfect, but I love the way she says it. When I was teaching her I realized that maybe I should work on it with Caden who is 6. Well I went to teach him and he said, "Oh I already know it Mom", then he rattled it off for me. I didn't realize that they still taught them in school. I was so proud of him. So no time better than around the Fourth of July to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

This year we met my family at my parent's condo in Provo, UT to celebrate the Fourth of July. What a fun weekend they have there. There was so much to do and see. It was way hot but we had so much fun just spending time with everyone. Nolan was such a sport. He drove up after working all night to see us. I love that man. We went up to where they have the Stadium of Fire and sat on the lawn and listened to SheDaisy and The Jonas Brothers (no offense to all those crazed teenage girls, but really, what is the big deal). Before it got really dark they let off a few fireworks. Caden and Kadrie were climbing on the cougar statue and as soon as the fireworks went off Kadrie was booking it toward us. She was just sobbing. The poor girl probably thought we were all being shot at. After she realized it wasn't all that scary, she was obsessed with the fireworks. It was so funny. Caden didn't care a bit. Anyone who knows Caden knows how gun-obsessed he is. If he hears something that sounds like a gun, he is in heaven. We had a blast down there and I think we plan on going there from now on.

2009-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my brother, Jameson, and his wife, Keiliane, came to our house for a visit. I met Keili two years ago at a visit to Temple Square. She was a sister missionary there and I thought she was so cute. I told her that I thought my brother would just love her and I was right. They married a little over a year from that first meeting. She is from Brazil and was teaching me this weekend how to do some Brazilian dances. They are so tiring. She should start her own work out DVD teaching people how to dance the Brazilian dances. Kadrie loved every minute of it. Any time Kadrie hears music she can't help but start moving her body. She has always been like that. This is a video of them dancing. Thanks for coming and visiting you guys. We love having you!

Lyndsay and Amanda's Crazy Memorial Day Weekend 2009

2009-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I lost my camera about a month ago and have been unable to take any pictures, but I still wanted to blog our memorial day weekend. For Memorial Day weekend, Nolan and I could not agree on anything to do. So instead, we both did separate things. He went bear hunting with a friend, and I asked my good friend Amanda to come with me to Utah. We took all four kids with us and headed to Provo on Friday night. Our kids are way too close and obviously spend wayyyy too much time together. The fight like brother and sisters. They hold nothing back. Despite the feuding going on, Amanda and I managed to block the noise and spend two hours shopping at Old Navy. I am sure everyone around us was thinking we must be deaf. We took the kids swimming and went to Temple Square. It was still a fun weekend. Relaxing, No, but Fun, Yes!

Mother's Day 2009!

2009-06-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day was great. Nolan bought me a patio set I had been wanting for a long time. I love the memories I have of growing up and eating on our balcony in the summer. We try to eat outside every night. Caden made me a card that was in the shape of a watering can and gave me seeds to plant as well. I bought a cute pot and the kids helped me plant them on Mother's Day. They are growing really well, but are only green leaves so far. That weekend, Nolan, was on graves so I had to make my own meal but it was FABULOUS! Good thing his sister, Spring, was there. She helped make my load a lot lighter. We had chicken and steak shish kabobs, with dill red potatoes, green beans and my mom's famous cheese bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Anyway, it was a great day. I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to be a mom. I don't take that responsibility for granted. I have two great kids and I feel so blessed that I was chosen to be their mother.

Kadrie's Princess Room

2009-06-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

So I FINALLY finished Kadrie's room. It had been painted but her dresser and mirror had been in the garage waiting for me to come and paint it. Finally, a rainy day pushed me into doing it. I think it turned out soooo cute. She loves pink and brown, possibly due to some brainwashing:). I had to finish it off with a saying that my mom and I came up with about our sweet dear Kadrie. I love that girl, but "strong" doesn't even begin to describe her personality. She loves her room and I am very proud of my work.

Italy vs. Holland

2009-01-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago I joined a yahoo group with other women who face the challenges of infertility. We all share and discuss our ups and downs with infertility and adoption adventures. Someone recently wrote in a post of an article she had received from a blog. The woman speaking is talking about her experience with having a child with a disability. I thought it was also a great analogy for infertility and the trials that come with it. I thought I would share it with my family and friends. I know it is hard for those who have not struggled with this trial to fully understand what a couple with infertility goes through. I know my wonderful mother tries to help me, but she knows that she can never fully know where I am coming from. Our struggles with infertility have been the hardest thing that I feel I have ever been through in my entire life. However, I know that I am lucky and have been wonderfully blessed to have had two children that literally fell into my lap. And although I absolutely love my children so very much, and adoption was always in our plans, it doesn't take away the grieving that occurs when you realize your plans and dreams of actually feeling a child inside of you may never happen. This analogy is just one that truly explains in words the feelings I have inside.

"Welcome to Holland"c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved I am
often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability- to
try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it,
to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a
baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip -to Italy. You buy a bunch of
guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David.
The gondolas in Venice. You may learn somehandy phrases in Italian. It's all
very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You
pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The
stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do
you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my
life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight
plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is
that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of
pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out
and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will
meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different
place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've
been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you
begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland
even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...
and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the
rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's
what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...
because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But... if you
spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy,you may never be
free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ...about Holland.
At this time in my life, I am in Holland, and it's beautiful and exciting and full of adventures and trails that I still have yet to hike. It is hard, at times, to talk to all the people who get to come and go to Italy and tell you all about it, but I really love Holland. Someday I may have a surprise in the mail and find a ticket to Italy waiting for me, but I am not going to waste my days looking at the window and waiting for the mail to come. I am in Holland, and I want to see everything that it has to offer.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T09:11:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas we decided it was time to stay at home and start our own traditions. It was really a fun holiday season. A couple weeks before Christmas, we went up to Boise to surprise my family, since we wouldn't be there on Christmas. It was a great time being with them. Then our Christmas festivities began on Christmas Eve. We finished up our shopping. I made my famous spaghetti. My mom always made spaghetti on Christmas eve so I used the same tradition. Then we went out and looked at the lights. When we got back to the house we had the kids act out the Christmas story and then they open one present. It's always new pajamas. Kadrie had a hard time going to sleep, but Caden was out in no time. I have to admit I was pretty excited about Christmas so I actually ended up waking the kids up at 6:30. I know I'm a dork. They were so excited about everything they got. We had just a really peaceful, fun Christmas. Unfortunately, no snow!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

So I know this post is way late, but oh well. Every year we like to go and find our own Christmas tree and cut it down. Problem is, is that eventhough we have done this for the past 4 years we still forget that THE TREE ALWAYS LOOKS SMALLER IN THE FOREST! This year our tree was massive. Oh well, it makes for a great story. It kept falling over because it is so big so Nolan had to screw it into the wall. We had a fun day getting the tree. We went down to Dutch John area to get our permit because the place here was closed. The first picture is of the Flaming Gorge Dam that is near Dutch John. Then we found our tree, cut it down, and went out to eat. It was a great family day. I love the picture of my two kids hugging, although I would have to say it looks a bit like an engagement picture. At least sometimes they like eachother.

More Painting!

2009-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Our house has white walls EVERYWHERE. I hate white walls. They are just so boring to me and luckily paint is cheap. Actually I went to Home Depot and found that they lowered their paint like 3-4 dollars. Sweet. So my house feels overwhelming to paint all of it, so I decided to split it up. I have done more than half of the living/dining/ kitchen area. I still have so much more to do, but Iwill get there. I have forever in this house, because I am NEVER moving again.

Caden's New Room

2008-11-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

So we have lived in our house for 6 months now, but just recently I found the energy to change Caden's room. When we moved in his room was this bright baby blue color. I hated it, but was too lazy to change. Yesterday I decided that I had waited long enough. I took the kids to Home Depot with me and we got the paint we needed. I then spent the rest of the afternoon transforming his room. I love the way it turned out. This was my mom's idea. I love her ideas because they are always spectacular. Caden even helped a little bit. Here is a little plug for the FROG TAPE. It is the green painting tape that you can buy at any home improvement store. It is fabulous. Usually I use the blue take and is still bleeds. The green tape gives you a perfect crisp line. I used it when I did the stripes in Kadrie's room. You will never go back to the blue tape again. It is a little more expensive, but well worth the extra money.

My Very First Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

So this year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, Nolan and I have decided to stay in Green River and start our own traditions. Plus his work doesn't give him much time off. So this Thanksgiving was my first one that I had to cook. I had never cooked a Turkey before but it all turned out better than I could have hoped. We invited our friends, Toni and Nathan Southam to have Thanksgiving with us. Toni helped me cook and Nathan and Nolan played Xbox (surprising, right). Later that evening, the missionaries stopped by and had pie with us. One of our missionaries is Tongan, but from Oregon. His mom has had a new baby since he has been on him mission, so he loved seeing Kadrie. She definitely look like she could be polynesian. They are both great missionaries and we enjoyed our visit with them. This Thanksgiving felt kinda weird not being with my family, but it was still a lot of fun.

Fishing at the Gorge

2008-11-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Nolan has made a lot of good friends at work. One friend in particuar, Carl, has been getting Nolan out a lot these last few weeks. We went out a couple of weeks ago, when both Nolan and I had a day off together. It was FREEZING, but a lot of fun. We caught two fish that time. Then the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Nolan took Caden out of school and went fishing with him all day. The fish tasted great, which is a lot coming from me because I am not much of a fish eater. We have been grilling them which is great because it keeps the stink out of my house. Actually, these fish really don't have a fishy smell. It has been a lot of fun and I think we will be doing a lot more fishing this winter.

Caden's Wrestling Camp

2008-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of weeks, Caden has been going to a wrestling camp that is put on by the high school wrestlers. He has had a lot of fun. He did pretty good. He met a lot of kids. Fortunately, Caden is just a sweet kid with not a mean bone in his body. He was so fun to watch. Even when he was trying to bring someone down, he couldn't help but have a huge smile on his face. He is such a sweet kid. I don't think wrestling is going to be the sport for him, but he can do whatever he wants to do. In January we are looking forward to starting indoor soccer. This is more of his kind of sport. Then this spring/summer we are excited to see him play baseball. Caden can throw farther than any kid his age that I have seen. The second picture on this blog is to show you what Kadrie did the whole time during practice. She loves to do somersaults and so she did. Over and Over.

CU Buffs vs. Iowa State

2008-11-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of November we finall made it out to Colorado to see my brother Jameson play football. It was such a cool day. The CU campus is gorgeous and historic. The mountains close by just accentuate how pretty it is. It was really cool to go to a college game and know someone on the field. Nolan, Tia, Lauren and I all went down to cheer on the Buffs. It was a great game. The Buffs were behind and then in the fourth quarter they came back and scored 3 touchdown and then kept Iowa from scoring at the very end to finally win it. It was intense, but all really good games are. Afterward we met Jamers and we all went out to eat at PF Changs. It was a great day. I look forward to going to more games next year.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

Halloween is definitely so much fun now that we have kids. This year Caden wanted to be a policeman. He loves the typical little boy stuff, policeman, fireman, soldiers, etc.... He was a very cute policeman. I found a bat girl outfit at Walmart that I just couldn't pass up. Kadrie loves to watch batman and when I showed her the outfit she was very excited. Nolan had to work Halloween night so he didn't get to come with us. Instead I drug my single friend who has no kids, named Lauren(inside joke). We had so much fun and of course the kids scored on the candy. After we finished going door to door we went to a haunted house specifically for little kids at the Civic Center. It was a really fun night, and it was 60 degrees. Can you believe that? 60 degrees in Wyoming at Halloween time. Yeah, that probably won't happen again for another hundred years. ;)

Auntie Spring and Uncle Chris' wedding!

2008-11-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

Aunt Spring and now Uncle Chris got married on October 18, 2008. It really was a gorgeous wedding. Chris' mom did a wonderful job helping make this wedding spectacular. I wish I had better pictures of Spring. She was fabulously gorgeous (if that is even a word). The two are definitely in love and perfect for eachother. Kadrie got to be the flower girl and she sure was cute. Unfortunately, she was too shy so she just frowned down the aisle and booked it toward me. Still, she was cute anyway. Nolan was able to walk Spring down the aisle. Spring's parents, my inlaws, didn't agree with the wedding so they opted not to come. It was so cute to see them walk down the aisle. Nolan sure loves his sister. I even got tears in my eyes. Spring also asked me to take a few minutes and talk about marriage during the ceremony. It was a very special day and I am so glad we got to be a part of it. Congrats you two!

Grandma and Grandpa Barlow

2008-11-30T08:02:00.001-08:00

So Nolan and I have been married now for 5 years and I had still never met his grandparents that lived in Tennessee. Fortunately, the just moved to Laramie, WY and so on our way to Spring's wedding we got to stop off and finally meet them. They were all so sweet and great to talk and catch up with. Our kids loved them and attached quickly. We hope to see more of them now that they live so close.

Move Over Tyra Banks!

2008-10-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Kadrie can be very tomboyish. She loves to shoot the gun, go camping, and get dirty, but she can also be very girly. She loves to get into my make up and so I like to indulge her sometimes. She is really good at sitting very still and lets me straighten her hair and apply all the make up. I thought it would be fun to dress her up and take a few modeling pictures, so here they are. For those of you who are right now saying, "Oh I can't believe she would put make up on her 2 year old", don't worry we didn't leave the house all day. It's unbelieveable how much older Kadrie looks in these pictures. Far from that of a 2 year old. Nolan and I both realize that we are going to have to keep her locked up or we are going to be in a lot of trouble down the road ;).

View Of Green River

2008-10-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have a great neighbor, Charlotte, who is a real trooper. The other day around 4 in the afternoon I decided to take the kids on a hike up a hill to see the view of Green River from it. Charlotte's boys wanted to come and so she agreed to it as well. Let me prep this a little by telling you that Charlotte is from Louisiana, and so when I told her a hill she thought something a lot smaller. Wyoming hills are bigger that Louisiana hills, or at least what you call a hill. The boys practically ran up the hill and we were way behind them. Kadrie made me carry her up the hill, so I had an extra 30 pounds on my hip. We finally made it up and it was worth it these are the shots we got from up there. If you double click on the third picture you can actually see our neighborhood really well. Look for a really big mustard color house. It's not ours but that is our neighborhood. We are actually just across the street from that house. Green River definitely has it's own unique beauty. I love living here.

GO WOLVES!

2008-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things about living in Green River are the high school football games. I love the feel of a small town football game. We always see so many people we know.

We do more talking than watching sometimes. The Green River Wolves have been great this season which is an extra bonus to watching them, (unlike those dang CU Buffs). Caden and his friend, Kameron, had a lot of fun during this game. However, when those two get together they think they can do whatever they want. The ran off and we couldn't find them for 15 minutes. When we finally did we had Kameron's dad, Josh, who is a police that works the games talk to them about getting lost. I don't know if it affected Kameron all that much, being that it was his dad and all, but Caden was sobbing. I wanted him to know how serious that was. Kadrie loves going to the football games, and I think it is because she like to dance to the band. Whenever the band is playing she has to stand on a bleacher and shake it. It is so funny and very entertaining for all those around us. You can hear people all around us comment on her. This weekend Green River plays Rock Springs in the big Trona Bowl rival game. GO WOLVES!

Homecoming Parade

2008-10-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

During the Green River Wolves Homecoming parade, the elementary kids get to walk and wear school t-shirts. When Caden's school came by we kept looking and looking for Caden, but still hadn't seen him. I was getting a little worried. Finally at the very end I saw Caden, holding hands with our neighbor, Tyler. All the kindergardners had to hold hands with the fourth graders. Later on when I was talking to a friend she said the principal was talking to her and had mentioned what a long walk that was and how she had to even hold one of the kindergardners. Remembering that Caden was at the very end of the group we asked him, "Caden, did the principal have to carry you during the parade?". He told us, "Oh yeah that walk was too long and my legs got too tired so I asked her to carry me." I later found out that she carried him 3/4 of the way. That is so Caden. That cute face of his can get him anything. I guess we are going to have to start making Caden run a mile every day to get him into better shape! (I'm kidding for all those who don't really know me;))

Beauty Queen or Raccoon?

2008-10-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

Anytime Kadrie is home and it gets really quiet you can bet something bad is happening. This is just one example. For some reason Kadrie is obsessed with getting into my make up, even though she has been told a hundred times not to touch it. This happened one day while Nolan was home with her. She decided to put on mascara like mommy, but ended up looking like a raccoon. We have learned that, yes, our kids do need to be disciplined when they disobey us, but they also need to have as many pictures taken as possible. In a few months, or even days sometimes, you won't be mad and you need to pictures to remember the humor of it. I'm laughing right now:)

My "FREAKING" Cute Kids!!!

2008-10-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

I know I am biased, but aren't my kids just the most cutest kids you have ever seen. I love these two so much. Every day I realize how lucky I am to have been given these kids. These pictures were taken before church one Sunday. I just thought they looked so good and had to catch a few snapshots. Caden and Kadrie, I want you two to know that I love being your mommy and I thank Heavenly Father every day for giving you to me. I LOVE YOU!

Indoor Camping

2008-10-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

The other day I was remembering how fun it was when we were kids and we would make a tent with blankets. I actually still think it is fun. Nolan was on graves so the kids and I put blankets up all around my bedroom to make a giant tent. We had it incorporate the entertainment center too, and we watched, "The Bridge to Terebithia"(ah... tear jerker) and ate popcorn. Then we were all going to sleep in the tent with sleeping bags, but my back is not what it used to be and with my own bed so close by. I ended up in my bed and Kadrie followed, as usual, but Caden was a trooper and stuck it out all night. Then next morning we folded all of the blankets up and that was that. It was so much fun and I still wonder why my mom would have a fit whenever we would make tents.

Caden's in Kindergarten!

2008-09-06T20:27:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I have a kid old enough to go to Kindergarten. I was just about as excited as Caden was for his first day of school. I was a little sad, but more excited for the wonderful experiences he is going to have and all that he is going to learn. Last week we went to the store and let him pick out his own backpack and lunch box. Guess what he picked? Camouflage! That is just sooooo Caden. He gets to ride the bus to and from school. I was a little nervous for that. I hoped he would know what to do when he reached the school, but the teachers are all right there to give direction. When I was growing up we always had hot lunch and I hated it. I was jealous of the kids who brought cold lunch. I figured that was what Caden would want, too. After his second day of school he told me,"I want to eat the lunch at the school". I guess the grass is always greener. We made a compromise and decided he could pick out two hot lunches a week. Also, Kindergarten here is all day long. Caden usually can take a good two hour nap every afternoon, but he seems to be getting along just fine without it. I thought it was neat to see that his school was the Jackson Jaguars, because my elementary school was the Jessop Jaguars. Ah memories! The girl posing with Caden in the last picture is our next door neighbor, Crystal. She is so nice to Caden and offered to pick him and take him to the bus stop every day. She even sits with him on the bus. She really is a sweet girl. Caden is such a sweet boy and makes friends wherever he goes. I am so excited for him to be in school and it's fun to see him feel so grown up. Congrats Caden on your first day!

Jameson Davis #38

2008-09-06T09:25:00.001-07:00

This last Sunday kicked off the 2008 football season for the Colorado Buffaloes. My brother, Jameson, is the kicker
for them, and more specifically
the kickoff kicker. He literally

kicked off the season for the Buffs.
Jameson's performance was
stellar. He had 3 touchbacks (for
any of you who aren't familiar with

football terms that means really, REALLY far) in just one game, and two more kicks that were almost touchbacks. Jameson has a very, VERY powerful leg. He is starting and he is only a freshman. We have four years to watch him only get better and better. Being able to watch him on TV last weekend was AWESOME! I love watching football, but it is even better to watch someone you know play. This last week he was also interviewed by The Denver Post, here is a link to that article www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_10364297. It is definitely worth checking out. Jameson, keep up the good, hard work and we can't wait to cheer you and the buffs on this season and seasons to come. Love ya.

Family Visit

2008-09-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

We always love when friends and family want to stop and stay with us, even for just a night. In August we were lucky enough to have Aunt Jenny, Harrison, and Olivia stay with us for the night on their way back to Colorado. I was fourteen when Harrison was born. It's hard to believe that this year he just turned fourteen. Olivia, is so sweet and is also growing up much too fast. She is an amazing gymnast and she did her floor routine for us while she was here. Keep it up, Olivia. I had so much fun being able to talk with my Aunt Jenny. She is an amazing woman who has done a wonderful job raising two great kids. Kudos to you, Jenny. Thanks again guys for stopping by. We hope to see you again, soon.

"I want mommy ears"

2008-09-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, Kadrie has been pointing to my ears and saying, "OOO pretty. I want mommy ears". I asked her if she wanted to get earings in her ears and she would tell me yes. I told her it would hurt and then I would pinch her ear to show her. Then I would ask her again if she wanted them and she would still say yes. I know you are thinking, "Come on, Lyndsay, she is two", but she really did keep asking me. I'll admit, I wanted to get her ears pierced, too. So, we went down to Walmart, because they were the only place I talked to who would do it one at a time. I knew one shot was all we were going to get. We let her pick them out with a little direction. Nolan said we should let her have whatever she picks, but she was picking the huge pink stones that would cover her entire earlobe. Thank goodness I didn't let Nolan take her alone. I diverted her attention to some smaller pink stones and that seemed to satisfy her. The ladies were really nice to her and she did great. She held really still and then the gun went off and Kadrie had a delayed cry. She sobbed for about a minute until we asked her if she wanted to see them. Once she saw them she stopped crying. By the time we were in the car, she was all smiles again. That night we went to softball and she was showing them off to everyone, but before bed she started telling me, "I don't want 'em". I told her too late, because I wasn't doing that again. Now, however, she tells me occasionally out of the blue, "I like 'em".

General Chemicals Annual Picnic

2008-09-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know yet, Nolan quit his job with the railroad to work for a company called General Chemical in March of this year. He is loving his job out there and so are we. We get to see him so much more. Every year the company shuts down the mine; yes Nolan is an underground miner, but no need to worry it is very safe and is not a coal mine. Anyway, when they shut the mine down they have a big barbeque catered for everyone who works at General Chemical. They also have games for the kids, a big blow-up slide, which even Nolan and I had fun on, a rock climbing wall, free snow cones, and face painting. Caden loved the rock climbing wall and he did really good to. He made it to the top every time for the grand prize of ringing the bell. Good job, Caden. The kids also wanted their face painted. Caden, of course, wanted Spiderman and I picked out the butterfly for Kadrie. She sat so still for the clowns who decorated her face. Didn't they do a great job? The whole day was a lot of fun for both adults and kids. We can't wait until we can do it again next year.

Kadrie Is Potty-trained

2008-09-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Because I didn't know how to do this blogging thing until just recently, some of these posts are kinda old, but I still wanted to share them with all of you nonetheless. I had to take a second and brag about my crazy Kadrie. I love this girl. At the end of June she turned two. In the middle of July I told her that there were no more diapers and she was going to have to start wearing big girl pants. She said, "OK" and that was pretty much it. She had about 1 accident a day for 3 days and then suddenly I caught her using the "potty" all by herself. I never even have to ask her. She just does it. She even keeps the bed dry all night. So here's to you, Kadrie, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Pinedale 2008

2008-09-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

In July one of my great friends here in Green River, Sheri, talked me into going to her hometown of Pinedale and running in a 5 mile race. I know that isn't much for all of you half and full marathoners out there, but it was tough. It was up hill the first 2.5 miles and then back down hill. Since it was Pinedale's celebration there was a lot of things to do with the kids. We went to a rodeo. In the rodeo Caden got to run after some calves and try to get a ribbon. He was pretty bummed when he came up empty handed. We also went to a parade and the kids scored on candy. Kadrie had so much fun waving at everyone in the parade. It's so fun to be able to watch the kids experience different things. I love being a mom!

The Annual Sweetwater County Fair

2008-09-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Every year we look forward to taking the kids to the County Fair. They have so much for the kids to do. Caden and Kadrie love animals so it's really fun for them to be able to interact with them.

2008-09-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

So we have lived in southwestern Wyoming for 3 1/2 years and we have only recently found great places to go camping. We have been driving 2-3 hours to go camping without taking advantage of the great places we had practically in our own backyard. Nolan has a great friend, Brian, at work who took us out near the Ft. Bridger valley area to go fishing. Their daughter, Brylee, is so cute. She and Caden got along great and she loved Kadrie. The area was gorgeous and we definitely plan to go camping here in the future. Oh and great fishing. They were only small brookies but all together we caught 10 within an hour.

Did it work?

2007-11-13T22:51:00.001-08:00

Ha I guess I better get on the band wagon. Everyone else is doing it so I better see what the fuss is about and show off my cute family as well.