Catch up

It has been a while since I have blogged about anything. So I am going to give a brief summary of our lives these last 6 months.

Seth got back from Afghanistan on July 25th. There is nothing more sweet than being reunited as a family after being apart for so long. The weekend Seth got home, we all went deep sea fishing (all meaning Seths family and us). The ocean was extremely rocky that day so everyone was getting sick and didnt have a very good time. It was fun hanging out with family and having a little vacation all together.

A few weeks later we went camping with the Jones family. It was a lot of fun. Going camping as a kid all you do is get in the car and go. Being an adult, there is so much to it. You have to pack everything and anything you may need. Make sure you have enough to keep the kids entertained. We found a very nice, heavily tree covered camping area. It was very hot. The camp site was secluded but only 15 minutes away from a town so we were able to get ice, food, extras, whenever we needed. We went swimming, fishing, to the ocean, redwoods. It was a ton of fun and the girls loved it to. We want to go camping every year. One of my fondest memories growing up was our yearly camping trips and I want to give those memories to my kids.

In September, we celebrated Summers first birthday. I cant believe how big she is getting. I love her so much. She is a little spitfire. She is very feisty. She likes to hit and pull hair. You say or do anything to upset her, she walks over to you and punches you in the face. This behavior was not learned... She was born this way!

After Summers birthday, we went to Disneyland for a nice family vacation. We took Seths parents with  us so we could go on rides and have some fun too. Kadence was finally old enough to understand what Disneyland was and she loved it. She loved finding the princesses, going on rides, trying to get us to buy everything. We went to Disneyland right after school started so it wasnt very crowded. Most rides were only a 10-20 minute wait which is doable with kids. We had a hotel just a few blocks from the entrance so we were able to come and go as we pleased. We went on all the rides and ate all the good food (food that only seems to taste good at parks or carnivals). Seth bought Kadence a Rapunzel dress, hair, and a pascal. She put is on and started strutting down the sidewalk with such an attitude. She really is a princess. We spent 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day at the LA zoo, and 1 day at SeaWorld. Because of Seth being in the military, SeaWorld was free! Nice, fun little prize:) We Had to much fun on our vacation and want to go again soon.

Seth and I did a Tough Mudder in Tahoe. It was so much fun! I would seriously recommend it to         everyone!

n October, Seth went hunting. Something he has been wanting to do for 10 years. Not only did he kill a buck, but he get into the Nevada record book. We have venison for a very long time. The next couple months we just focused on life. Doing whatever, whenever. We just enjoyed being a  family and being together. 

Christmas was a lot of fun. Seth was gone the year before so it was nice being able to celebrate together. Seth even had the day off... Not something that happens very often. We loved shopping for the girls and figuring out what they would love to play with. I think it was a success. After Christmas, my sister-in-law came down with her two kids and husband. It was fun watching the kids run around together for a couple weeks. 

Now, now we have a couple new focuses. First, pay off debt (again), second buy a house, and third refinance the charger. We are currently looking at houses and a have a few we like. I cant wait to actually buy one and have a house to call our own:)

Kiddos:

Kadence: Kadence is now 3. She is so much fun. She talks like a little adult and is so smart. We are trying to get her into preschool next month. She has to be tested first, then we will find out if she gets in. 

Summer: She is such a little brute. She beats up Kadence. If you tell her something she doesnt like, she turns around and socks you in the face! She has so much personality. 

Finally!

AS most of you know by now, Seth is home! It has been so nice having him here. You really dont understand how much both parents put into things until one is goine and your doing everything by yourself. Seth has been back at work for 2 weeks. Summer is about to turn a year old and Disneyland in 3 1/2 weeks! Life is amazing!

HAPPY HAPPy HAPpy HAppy Happy!!!

So after a very long 14 months, Seth will be home next week! I am so excited I can not even express it! Summer will finally get to know her father and Kadence will have her favorite play buddy back. Anyone who has kids knows how hard it is to raise them. And doing it alone is even worse. Even just having someone there to change a few diapers, or give a bath, is a huge deal! And starting next week I get my husband back. My best friend, helpmate, husband and most of all eternal companion. I can not wait :)

Catch up

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. So I decided while I am up at 1 a.m. with a 2-year-old who just threw up, id take time to do a little update.

Since I last posted Summer has grown so much. So has gone from a little baby to scooting around and her newest thing, saying "dada" and "mama". The other day she went being on her belly to sitting up all by herself. I have never shown her how to do that so that tells me how smart she is. At her last dr. appt. she weighed 16 lbs and 13 oz. I cant believe she is growing so fast. She is already fitting into 12 month clothes. The one thing about babies I hate so much is how fast they grow. I really just want her to slow down a bit. I keep telling her to stop until Seth gets home, but she doesnt listen to me. What kid listens to their mom right? Summer is such a smiley baby and oh boy is she vocal. She literally doesnt stop talking unless she is sleeping. Her squeals are so high pitched that it rattles your ear drums. Oh how I love her.

Kadence is so much fun. She is like a little parrot. She copies everything and runs around all day long. I have to take her to the park everyday just to help her get some energy out. Uncle Dylan taught her how to say "Silence, I kill you", from the comedian Jeff Dunham. Its pretty hilarious to listen to. Well Kadence still hasnt crossed over the 30 lb mark. She is so thin. I evny that so bad. Oh to be that young and not have to worry about what your eating or working out. A few weeks ago, at a wedding reception, Kadence ran into a glass door and chipped a tooth. I took her to the dentist and we got some pretty awful news. It looks like Kadence is going to have to get oral surgery. She needs to get 3 teeth crowned and 4 more sealed. I didnt even know a two-year-old could have such awful teeth. I brush her teeth every night but it didnt matter. She got my bad teeth and I got them from my dad. Stupid genetics. But now we have to get her teeth fixed in the next 6 months or they will get infected. Looks like im going to have to be more careful with Summer. Kadence is such a joy in my life. She is so funny and full of life. Growing up I always wanted boys, but now that I have my girls, I wouldnt have it any other way.

Well there is nothing really new with me. Just trying to lose weight before Seth gets home. I bought a double stroller for 50 bucks at a garage sale and I am in love with it. I love being able to run with the girls. Seth come home in 2 1/2 months. This stupid thing is almost over. I cant wait until he is back. This single parent thing is not fun. I wouldnt wish it upon anyone. It breaks my heart having to explain to the girls why their daddy isnt home. He misses them so much. I am so thankful that we are able to skype everyday. It helps so much with the distance. Im so thankful for all of the technology. It saves my life. 75ish days and he will be home for good.

We went to St. George for Easter. It was a blast. All of the Russell kids were there and it was so much fun to spend 3 days of just playing. Being able to celebrate Cassies birthday and Easter. Kadence and Noah literally played with eachother until they dropped. They would cry for eachother when it was bedtime and they would find eachother first thing in the morning. It was so cute. It was probably the best weekend I have had in the last year. We all loved it. Kadence and Summer did so well on the plane. Never cried and were just so mellow. I am pretty lucky. Mamma (Kim) made all of the kids matching outfits. So cute!

This is as good as we could get:)

Seth and I signed up for a tough mudder in September. We are so excited to do it. 11 miles, 28 obstacles. I think it is going to be so much fun. Its so much easier to workout when I have something to train for. We have some fun things planned for when Seth gets home. We are going to go deep sea fishing in August, the tough mudder and Disneyland in September and Hunting int October. We are so excited for our LA trip. We are going to go to Disneyland for 3 days, go to SeaWorld (we get in free because Seth is military, awesome!), Zoo and of course the beach. It is going to be an epic trip. We cant wait. 

Well I think we are all caught up. 2 1/2 months and our family will be whole again. 

New Years Goals

So in the spirit of the new year I thought I would share my New Years Resolutions :)

1. Lose 15-20 lbs. Do an hour on the elliptical, abs MWF, and a muscle group everyday.
2. Eat healthier. Im cutting out sweets but not sugar completely. I will still drink juice and stuff. But I want to eat heathier until I get down to the weight I want.
3. Do 5-8 hours of school a day. Depending on how much time I have, I want to get as much school done as I can. By June I want to be done with the first half of the course.
4. Spend more one on one time with my kids without anything on. No tv, no radio, no movie...Just me playing with my girls.
5. Potty train Kadence. She is ready to be potty trained.
6. Get both of my girls out of my bed and into theirs. Kadence needs to be in her own bed all night. She will go a few hours but always crawls into bed with me. Time to try to get her to sleep in her bed all night.
7. Pay off most if not all of my debt. Spend every last penny I have on paying down my credit cards so when Seth gets home we can buy a house:)
8. Not just read, but study the Book of Mormon. Do atleast a chapter a day.
9. Pray on my knees. At night I get so tired that I just lay in bed and pray and more times than not I fall asleep. So I want to pray on my knees.

With dedication and hard work I know I can reach all of my goals. With Seth gone it will be harder but I know I can do. I want to do it!

I feel blessed!

So these last couple days I have extremely blessed. Here is a list I feel blessed about...

1. All of the stuff I got for my birthday/christmas. Everyone was so generous and I got everything I needed/wanted.
2. Everything the girls got. They got everything need to get through the winter (if it ever actually comes). They got a ton of toys and Summer got her much needed playmat.
3. I decided to get my Medical Transcrption Certificate. I looked into and got into a school. I am so blessed that the school including the interenship is 100% at home. Also the military is paying for the school and because they are, the school is covering my books so I dont have to pay a cent.
4. My girls. They are the biggest blessing in my life. Kadence is so good with Summer and they are such good kids. I couldnt ask for more.
5. Seth bought me an elliptical when he was home. I wasnt sure how I was going to lose the weight I wanted to. I have p90x and other workout videos but anyone with kids know how hard that is. Everytime I try to work out one of the girls need something. Now I have a cardio machine and I am confident I can lose the weight.
6. Lastly I am grateful that I get to talk to Seth everyday. Even when he is exhausted he always makes sure he calls even if it is just to say "hi". It helps with the seperation getting to hear his voice everyday. It is something I look forward everyday:) I am so lucky my husband loves me so much:)

Seths Leave

So Seth came home for his R&R (rest and relaxation) and let me tell you it was blissful. It was so nice to have him home. I missed him so much. We decided since he was going to be home for only two weeks that we would make the best of it. I love being with him. First, with having to do every little thing with two kids by myself, just having him home so I could go do the laundry was wonderful. Going to the store was a breeze with two of us. We didnt do to much. Just hung out with eachother and eat as much junk food as we could.

Kadence loved having him home. It was like she was on crack the whole time. She never slowed down and all she wanted to do was play with him. It was a nightmare trying to get her to sleep cause all she wanted to do was play with daddy. She is such a daddys girl and him being gone is so hard on her. Summer loved Seth home as well. Shes not old enough to know it was her dad or to know its not right that hes gone, but she was so comfortable with him and loved being with him.

While he was home we did a party for Kadence. Our little girl is already two! She is getting to big! We went and visited Seths grandma so she could meet the newest member of our family. Seth taught me how to shoot his gun so in an emergency I could protect my kids if I needed to (I seriously doubt I will have to use the gun ever but its better to be safe than sorry). The best part was, was that I out-shot Seth! It was my first time shooting and I out-shot my cop/military husband. He was so proud! Not gonna lie I was pretty excited about it to. I say it was beginngers luck. Lastly, the day before he left, Seth and I went on a date day. We went to lunch, did some shopping and saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It was an amazing day.

I miss him now that he is gone but we will get through this. I know God would never give me anything I couldnt handle. In July he will be home and we will be a family again. The two weeks he was home was heaven sent and I am so grateful he was able to be home:)

Stocking

This is the stocking I am making for Summer. It is about half way done. I dont know if I can get it done by Christmas, but i figure she is 3 months so it wont matter much. Its just hard to sit down and try and use scissors and needles with two kids around. I love making these...Its just taking more time than I thought it would. But its worth it:)

A little excitment!

Seth will be home in two weeks for two weeks. I am so excited. While he is home we are getting our tree, going shopping, having an early Christmas with the girls, and eating everything we want! I am so happy he is going to be home. He will be gone for 7 months after this but im not thinking about that. Im thinking about my husband being home for two glorious weeks:)

So I have a few things to cathc up on. First things first...Summer.

She is such a good baby. She sleeps through the night and eats like a fat kid eats cake. She is so smart too. When Kadence gets to close, she has a certain cry that lets me know Kadence is close. Summer only cries when she is tired. Basically she is such an easy baby. I believe she is so good cause I am by myself. If I were to have a baby who was to high strung then I wouldnt be able to take care of my kids the way they need to be. God is blessing me with good children while Seth is gone. Hopefully they keep this up.

I love my little girls so much. I couldnt imagine life without them:)

Halloween was fun! We went to a school carnival, the pumpkin patch, my Dads halloween party, trunk-or-treating and trick-or treating. Kadence had a blast. I just wish Seth could have been here to see her. She is so obsessed with candy. Its pretty funny. Every morning she wakes up asking for candy and when I wont give it to her she throws a fit. We got a lot of candy this year. Between the party, the ward party and trick-or-treating, we have enough to last for months.

Trunk-or-treating. Kadence loved going up to each car, then looking at whatever they put in her bucket. When we went trick-or-treating there werent that many people out. So when we went to a door, the people would either give her more candy cause they had so much, or because she was so cute. I dont know why but cute kids scream "Give me more candy"

Lady-Bug costume that Grandma bought her. Too cute for words.

Kadence in her Army uniform. Daddy bought this when he went to MP school. She even wore it once when he took her to drill with him. I love this outfit:)

Because Kadence had her uniform, I ordered one for Summer too. I wanted them to match. I thought with Seth being deployed it was appropriate.

Picking out pumpkins. We got 4 little pumpkins...One for each family member:)

Instead of carving the pumpkins, I thought it would be easier just to paint them. And it was. And it was a lot of fun. Kadence had so much fun painting. This might be what we do every year. It was less messy and more fun for the little girls:)

This Halloween was fun. Kadence especially loves the candy. Next year will be better though. Everything will be better next year when Seth is home. Kadence loves and misses him so much. She talks about him and asks for him. Its sad. He will be home in a few weekd for 2 weeks and we couldnt be more excited. Come next July this deployment will be over and we will be together again. I always thought this saying was lame but its true "You never know what you have until its gone"

As of late...

Well Seth is finally at his final destination in Afghanistan. So far since he has left I have talked to him everyday but one. He is safe and ready to get this next nine months out of the way. We all are.

Summer and Kadence are doing great. Kadence is an awesome big sister. All she wants to do is hold Summer and help. Which can be overwhelming sometimes. She doesnt take "no" very well. Summer is growing everyday. Its amazing how fast they grow.

I am getting antsy to work out again. Unfortunately I still have 4 weeks to wait. I tried my stair-stepper today and strained something in my stomach. I guess I tried to soon. We all miss Seth. Its hard when half of your heart is gone. You can feel it quite literally that something isnt right. I cant wait until he is home. We have some plans that cant take place until he is home. Once he is home we can get on with our lives. I cant wait.

Summer Jade

As some of you know, I was extremely determined to have a VBAC with this baby. My c-section with Kadence was so awful I didnt want to go through it again. I wanted to actually experience giving birth to my child. This was my only chance to do so, so I really wanted to try. But I had a choice to make. Schedual a c-section a little early and have Seth there for the birth and have him home for 11 days to help, or go a little longer praying to go into labor and if I didnt have a c-section anyway with Seth not there and him not home to help. So we decided to schedual the c-section and be able to spend time together before Seth shipped over seas. So even though I really didnt want another c-section, I wanted my husband to be there.

So on September 21st, we got to the hospital at 730am for a 930 surgery. We got admitted right away, got hooked up to the monitors and went over all the paperwork. For the first time in my life the nurse had a hard time putting in my IV. Appartently my veins were to good. As she was putting the needle in my vein would move. So she was digging around and let me tell you...that was not fun. Time went by faster than I thought it would. I was filled with emotion. I dont know exactly what I was feeling. I was excited about finally meeting our baby but not excited about a huge surgery. Thankfully no emergencies came through, so at exactly 930 we walked into the OR.

I was extremely nervous. I didnt know what to expect because I was so drowsy from the pain meds when I had Kadence. I was shaking and couldnt stop. It was so annoying. So I walked into the OR and they started by putting in the spinal. I was not excited about that huge needle. They gave me a shot to numb the spot but it didnt work fast enough. I felt the long needle go into my spine and it made me jump because I wasnt expecting to feel it. It did hurt...ALOT! It only lasted a second but it hurt. Within seconds I started to feel very warm. Luckily that made me stop shaking because I wasnt cold anymore. Literally right after the spinal took affect, the nurses started putting in the catheter. There was no curtain so I sat there watching them put a huge tube somewhere that it should never go. Good thing I was numb! I layed there and watched everything get put together and around 950 the Doctor came in. I was so happy I was alert. With Kadence I dont remember a thing. Seth came in and they started the c-section. As I was laying on the table I made sure I paid attention to everything. Everything that was said and every pull, tug and pressure. After about 15 minutes, I felt the Dr. press really hard on the top of my stomach. I was told that they do that to get the head out, then again to get the body out. So my baby was about to be born. Once they pulled her out I was finally able to breathe! Anyone who has been pregnant knows that when your big it is hard to breathe. So at 10:07am they pulled her out, I started listening waiting for my baby to cry. I could hear them suctioning her mouth and I could hear all of the fluid that was coming out. It took her over a minute to start crying but once she did I was very relieved. They wrapped her up showed her to me, then her and Seth went up to the nursery to do all of the new baby stuff. They sowed me up and took me to recovery.

Seth and I were very clear that once I was in recovery, the baby was to be brought straight to me. The nurse told us that it was a policy that c-section babies were supposed to be in the nursery for 3 hours after birth but that was not ok with us. I needed my baby and I needed to feed her. So while in recovery I felt great. Obviously still numb but my head was clear and I was so excited about meeting my baby. One hour after she was born, Seth brought her to me(3 hours was not an option). I laid her on my chest and without any help from me, she laid down and started nursing. I couldnt believe that she knew how to do that already. Summer was perfect. She was small and just perfect. Its hard for me to think that I had two kids. I had been pregnant twice, given birth twice and had been married long enough to have two kids. Its still weird to me. After about an hour in recovery, the nurses took me up to the postpartum floor.

Once upstairs, we just had to sit back and wait to go home. Kadence came to the hospital once we were all settled. She freaked out at first but calmed down. She wanted to hold her and kiss her but she wanted to do it all by herself. And when we wouldnt let her, she threw a fit. After the first meeting though she was perfect. She has loved her sister so well. All she wants to do is help. Its pretty cute. After 8 hours they got me up and walking. After 12 they took all of the IVs out. That night I was free. While in the hospital, it is never ok with us for a nurse to take our baby away for anything without a parent. So because I was free, whenever they took Summer to the nursery for tests I was able to go to. I got to experience everything. I didnt get to do anything to Kadence so I was happy to be able to do it with Summer. I helped with the first bath and I was able to comfort her through the blood test and check-ups. I was so thrilled to be able to experience all of that. I just like being involved. It was originally our plan to have Kadence stay at the hospital with us but once she made a scene we decided it wouldnt be a good idea. So Seth went home to Kadence at night. We were at the hospital for 3 days and so excited to go home. We went home on September 23rd at 10:00am.

My two c-sections were like night and day. With Kadence: I was drowsy, I was in alot of pain, They wouldnt let me out of bed for 24hours, I bled alot, the nurses werent very good at their jobs, my skin drapped over my incision which made it more painful, I was in bed for almost 2 weeks, it took 4 weeks to feel normal again, my incision was red-puffy and pussy. Basically it was awful. With Summer: I was very alert, I barely had any pain, I was up and walking around within 8 hours, I didnt bled that much, the nurses we amazing! The incision is very thin with no redness or puffiness. Within 3 days I was in barely any pain. I didnt even need the meds anymore. It has been 11 days and I feel like I never had surgery. This experience was night and day compared to Kadence. I thought it was going to be awful again so I dreaded it. But it has been so easy. I feel blessed to have had such an easy recovery. I was considering not having any more kids cause being cut open doesnt sound fun to me but this c-section has been so easy that there will be more for sure.

The best part about having the c-section was that my amazing doctor gave me a mini tummy tuck! He pulled the skin down over my 1st scar which flattened the bottom half of my stomach and left me with 1 scar still. My stomach is already almost flat again because of my doctor. I will go to him every time. He was amazing.

We feel so blessed to have Summer enter our lives. So far she has been a perfect baby. She sleeps all night, doesnt cry and eats very well. She has made life so easy. We love her so much. I still cant believe how much my life has changed in 2 1/2 years. Getting married and having two kids. Our lives have been turned upside down and we seriously couldnt be happier. Seth is already talking about another one...in a few years:)

We are moving!!

Early this week, I was sitting at my dads house and I got this over whelming feeling that it was time to move. I called Seth and he supported that decision. I was supposed to stay at my inlaws while Seth was deployed but after a year, I decided that I needed my own space. I need to be able to clean the way I want, cook the way I want, and the most important...BABY PROOF! When you live in someone elses house you cant really baby proof cause its not your place. So after that strong feeling, I knew it was time! So the next day, I made up a budget and figured out what we could afford and went apartment hunting. There were two places I like but one was out of my price range. But after an email from the manager, she told me that the prices were wrong and I really could afford it! Its a perfect 2-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath. Its a good size and perfect for our little family. Rent is reasonable, water is a flat fee, the utilities are lower than other places I was looking at. I can have my apartment and still pay off all of our debt. That im excited about. So on the 1st, we get to move in! I am so excited! I cant remember the last time I was this excited. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. I know this is the right decision. Im close to school(for when I start going back), minutes away from shopping(its not a 20 minute trip anymore and the best part, its only 30 minutes from the hospital( right now i travelling an hour). I cant wait to move and I am so excited to raise my family in my own place:)

Once we are moved in...ill post pictures:)

Deployment

So as some of you know, Seth has been deployed. This deployment is for a maximum of 400 days but with the Army you never really know. Seth has been gone for 8 days and I dont really know how im reacting to it yet. Right now he is only in Texas and I get to talk to him and/or skype him everyday. I havent had to really be away from him yet. Ill admit the night he left I got pretty emotional. Just knowing how long we are going to be apart is hard. I think once he is in Afghanistan and I cant talk to him everyday, that I will have a harder time with him being gone. One thing that brings me some comfort is knowing that I get to see him twice during the time he will be gone. 1st, he gets to come home when the baby is born. Since he is only in Texas they are allowing him to come home, which is a huge blessing. 2nd, he gets his 2 week R&R( rest and relax) somewhere in the middle of this deployment. We dont know when it will be but knowing it is coming makes me feel better. So far ive been ok with him being gone. With him working graves and late shifts for the sheriffs department I am used to sleeping alone so I didnt have to adjust to him not being next to me. I think that is the hardest for most people. During the day I have been keeping myself busy and doing things I wouldnt normally do (like clean the fish tank...yuck!).

Kadence and soon Summer as well, has been a huge blessing in all this. I dont know what I would do without the distraction of kids. Kadence has so many needs and the new baby will need even more. I am never bored. I am way excited for Summer to get here...then I get to see my husband for a few days:)

Summer Baby

So at my last appointment, my stomach measured smaller than it should. This worried my doctor so he ordered me another ultrasound and has me coming in 1-2 times a week to get monitored. With all the monitoring everything had turned out good. Summers heart rate is good and there is nothing wrong. With the ultrasound though, her abdomon is measuring small. Everything else is measuring right where it should be. Just her belly is small. My dr. said its not serious but he wants to keep an eye on her. He worried because her middle is small, that she wont handle labor well. He told me that a VBAC may not be a good idea. In 3 weeks I have another ultrasound to measure her again. My Dr. said after that ultrasound he will know for sure what will be the safest kind of delivery. Im hoping she grows. I cant have another c-section. Seth is gone and I have a toddler to take care of. How do I take care of her when I cant pick her up or play with her? I know I have family and help but I hate being dependent on people. Plus no one is home during the day so either way I have to do it by myself. I just want to be able to take care of my family. I pray everyday I wont have another c-section. Plus to stay a week in the hospital...no thank you! Kadence is at my side at all times and no one will be watching her over night. Personally I feel like everything is going to be ok. When I think about having the birth that I want(VBAC), i have a sense of peace come over me. Thats makes me feel like I will get what I want. I know God always provides a way. Heres to hoping that the way is a natural delivery and a short hospital stay:)