Something Worked!

I don't know if it was my change in attitude about Bennett's eating or the Prevacid, but he woke up yesterday and ate ALL day long. He ate 3 bowls of cereal, 2 full lunches, his dinner and Braden's dinner. He also ate an entire carton of strawberries throughout the day. This morning he woke up and ate half of my veggie omlet and wanted more. Who is this kid? I feel bad if the simple fix all this time would have been a little pill. At least we know now!

Bennett's Dr. Appointment

I finally got Bennett to the Dr. today for his 2-year check up (only 6 months late). The conclusion was: he is tall and skinny. Every new Dr. I go to they look at his chart, look at the numbers, look at me, and ask, "is his dad tall and thin?" YES, thank you. I realize the tall and think genes are not mine.

I have been pretty concerned about his weight lately because the boy does not eat. We usually make it through breakfast and lunch okay. But when it comes to dinner, he will not eat no matter what. He will go to bed without eating a single bite. I have tried everything I can think of to make him eat...bribery, threats, games, dipping things, tooth picks, begging, crying, forcing (which resulted in him barfing all over me - I probably deserved it).

After discussing the problem with his Dr. the results: it is probably my fault. I am too controlling and I am more worried about winning the battle. I need to just let it go. He eats his dinner, or he doesn't...the choice is up to him - NOT ME! Soooo hard for me to relinquish control to a toddler who doesn't know what is best for himself. But I am going to try to back off and hopefully get some results. The Dr. also prescribed some Prevacid to try for reflux because Bennett still throws up at night occasionally. That would be great to have no more throw up to clean off sheets.

He is so smart and talks non-stop all day long. He is my little buddy. I love hanging out with him all day.

No, I'm Not Dead

How sad...I really haven't posted anything since May! Good thing one of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog again. How sad that all those thoughts and memories are gone. Well, I will try to play catch-up as best as I can but I will definitely start blogging regularly.

We have had life changing events in the past year. We picked up and moved from Ohio to Utah, Dane got a new job, the kids started school, and we bought a house in Herriman. After my most wonderful and patient in-laws let us stay with them for 7 months, we finally bought a home. We are now in Herriman and loving it. Dane is managing his own store now and he LOVES his job. It makes such a difference in our family to have him really love his job.

We are trying to adjust to being back in a "Utah" neighborhood. It is pretty different from being out of state. We had such great experiences in Texas and Ohio. We were welcomed right in and made friends within the first couple of weeks. Things are much slower here. Part of the problem is that it is winter and no one goes outside. But we haven't really made any friends here yet. Hopefully things will pick up in that area soon.

Hailee is very happy at her new school. We are on year-round school for the first time. She was off for 3 weeks in November. We had a lot of fun...including going to St. George for Thanksgiving. She is in the same class as her 2nd cousin, Kelsie. She was so excited to go to school with someone she knows. She is tired of being the "new" kid. I think this will be the last time. Braden was going to school for a few months but we had to pull him out when we moved because Sandy is about 30 minutes away. We are trying to find a new one for him to go to for the rest of the year. He is SOOOO ready to start something!

We had the best holiday season being able to spend time with our families. It was so much fun to have cousins over and to have grandparents and aunts visit on Christmas!

Sorry about all the words. I think the next posts will be shorter and have pictures.

A Plug For The Greatest Mom Ever!!!

Since you never know who might be glancing at your blog...I wanted to post this for my sister-in-law. She is truly one of the best moms I know. She has the most incredible testimony about adoption and eternal families and shares it with her children, family, and friends. They have had so many struggles with trying to adopt one more child. Their social worker said since there are so many families waiting to adopt a child, the best way to have a sucessful adoption is through someone you know. If anyone who reads this blog and knows of someone wanting to place a baby, please let me know. Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family...I love you all!

We are currently waiting to adopt our 3rd child. If you know of someone that might choose adoption as an option, we welcome anyone to refer us. You can view our file at https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/ct/eng/site/pregnant/ 1. click on "view Adopting Family Profiles" 2. Click on "continue" under GUESTS. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and type in our names, Tyler, Holly, Utah and click FIND.

Some Cute Pages

I had to put some of these cute scrapbook pages on here. I love to take advantage of my talented mother-in-law's digital scrapbooking hobby. Not only does she scrapbook all of these but she also took most of the pictures. I am so grateful for her willingness to share her beautiful artwork with me.

HAILEE

Crazy faces. Someone likes to pose for the camera.

This is from Hailee's baptism. She is the most beautiful girl. I am so lucky to be her mom.

She's got plenty of personality!

BRADEN

Gotta love this boy.
He never stops moving...even if he loses his pants.

I don't know of anyone who can melt my heart like Braden. He can go from trouble to sweeter than sugar in 3.5 seconds. He's got me wrapped around his finger.

BENNETT
Bennett loves to put baseball hats on. He won't wear one his own size but he will walk around wearing Daddy's or Grandpa's.

That's one cute boy.

ALL OF THEM

Braden is 5!!!

What happened? My little baby boy is 5!!! He has been so excited to turn 5. I am pretty sure he thinks something magical is going to happen to transform him into a "bigger" kid the second he turns 5. What can I say about this boy? He is a true joy to have in my life. He is so full of energy. Sometimes I can just sit and watch him in amazement as he runs around like a wind up toy - bouncing off walls, couches, people, and climbing anything in sight. He also has a sweet side that I just eat up. He has to get his daily snuggles in with me. I just hold him and try to make it last a few seconds longer than he wants it to. I don't want to think about the day that he doesn't want to do that anymore.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Braden:

*He is naturally athletic. He can do any monkey bar or climbing apparatus at any park.

*He is determined. If he really wants to do something he will try it over and over and over until he gets it right. He has patience and doesn't get frustrated. He just tries until he gets it right.

*He has the best smile. His whole face lights up when he smiles.

*He loves his big sister. He loves playing whatever she wants to play. He wants the same kind of cereal, sandwich, drink she wants. He is a good sport to play a long with her girly games.

*He loves learning. He gets a special look in his eye when he finally "gets" something.

*He loves his family and lets us know it often. He loves his grandparents and aunts and uncles too.

I am so lucky to be your mom, Braden. I hope you have a great birthday and have fun at you Chuck E. Cheese party!

Anniversary

We had our 10 year anniversary today. I can't believe we have been married for 10 years! I think a lot of people feel the same way. It seems like I have known Dane forever but the past 10 years have just flown by. I feel like it was just a few weeks ago when we were dating and planning our wedding.

I would never have imagined the journey we have been on for the past 10 years. We have had so many growing opportunities. My cute sister-in-law, Lisa, inspired me to write some things that are great about Dane. She always writes the cutest stuff about her hubby (my brother). So...here are my top 10 favorite things about Dane. There are a lot more but I better stick with 10 for now.

10 - He has a great smile. I love it when I can make him smile so big that is shows all his pretty teeth.
9 - He loves music. Obviously it is important to me but he has a wide taste in music and is always willing to try new stuff out.
8 - He always remembers important dates with me and tries to make them special. He may not remember other family members or friends' birthdays, but he always remembers mine.
7 - I always feel safe when I'm with him.
6 - He is down to earth and in control of his emotions. He is always the one to stop before getting too heated.
5 - He has a testimony of the Gospel. He isn't showy or flashy with it but he is steady and strong.
4 - He is very good at finances. Sometimes I am not grateful for this because it puts me on a strict budget but I am truly grateful that he sees the big picture and holds me to it.
3 - He is the life of the party. Everyone loves to be around Dane. I am the lucky one who gets to go home with him!
2 - He is the best daddy to our kids. He would rather be spending time with me and the kids than anything else.
1 - I have to say my favorite thing is that I never go a day without laughing. He brings so much joy to my life. I might be a little too serious and boring without his sense of humor to help me out. I love it!

Love you, babe!