6 months to go

In 6 months Ashlynn will be 1. Right now I cant believe she is already 6 months old.

I just love her cute little face. He cheesy smile. Loud squeals.

Ashlynn spends most of her day sleeping ( like 18 hours!). She is just now sitting up but for some reason can only do it in a grass.

She loves to drink juice....she now can hold her bottle, take a drink, pull it out of her mouth and but it back in. She is getting so big. Sippy cups are just around the corner

She is a sweet little girl that loves to play with you. She loves to laugh and squeal. Anything she can, she will, put in her mouth. Pieces of paper gone in minutes. She finally doesnt hate her car seat. She loves her brother and sisters.

There are lots of things we love about Ashlynn. Her cheesy smile. Her snuggles. Her drool on your face while you play. Her cute little laugh. Her sweet face that melts your heart. Her eagerness to get moving!

She is enough to make you forget how tired you are or your bad day.

Party like you turning 6!

Since it is usually a million degrees when Raymond's birthday rolls around we thought we would go to the pool before super and cake and ice cream. I was terrified to bring my camera by the water. So all the pictures are during breaks from swimming.

Raymond's Aunts and Uncle (his dad's family) came swimming

They brought a body guard with them.........Ok it is Uncle Marty

Raymond loved having Kobe and Connor to play with

Ashlynn LOVED the water. There was so much going on. She loved looking at everything. Her grandma swam with her. That she loved. She was so happy just hanging out. When she got to hot it was favorite Aunt Cari's job to give her a drink.

The girls had so much fun. I had to throw a couple pictures of them in, right?!

Raymond was told that his mom can make any cake (thanks Kobe). He request a wave with beach ball. It sounds easy right? Harder than you think. The waves kept breaking. However, he loved it and still thinks I'm amazing

Raymond got lots of toys that he loved

and one not so loved thing.....

a math book. It does benefit him greatly when he wants to play xbox though

This last picture I'm sure you figure I threw in because of the cute on looker. However I didnt. I threw in there because MISS MURRAY is in the back shoving her mouth full of cake and I thought it was freaking awesome! Love you Cari

Raymond had a great time. He loved his birthday. His presents. And all his friends and family that came to celebrate with him.

A big thank you to everyone that helped Raymond make it to 6!

Raymond's 6!

Raymond, also known as, Mr. Bennett, little man, dude, brother and son, just turned 6. He is such a big boy. Reading. Writing. Going to school.

He loves to go through his baby book. As we sat on the couch and did so, I thought to myself, "man I look young". I get asked a lot if it was hard. Or if I wish I could have done things a "normal" 17 or 18 year old would have done. Really I had never thought of it. To me being a mama to that tiny little boy was my "normal". I didn't know any different. Honestly I didn't care to know any different. I loved being a mama to that sweet little baby. I love being a mama to that sweet big boy.

Raymond is lots of things. He is laid back. He will just go with the flow. I say he very much has the Southern California personality. He is very caring. He loves to be a big brother. He is all boy. Rocks. Sticks. Dirty. Wholes in everything. He loves to play. He is amazing at xbox (probably better than he should be). He embraces his Navajo culture. He is sweet and loving. For some reason animals take to him, and he loves that. He loves "older" people, like his grandparents, and old grandma. He could talk to them for hours. He is a bit spunky and wild.

Raymond is growing up to be such a sweet, loving boy. I miss my little toddler running around. But I love my big boy running around.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAYMOND!

Its lost!

Raymond lost his first tooth yesterday!

He is getting so big.

I remember when they first came in

Best part?

The tooth fairy left him a dollar!

Talk about inflation!

A year.........

A year ago, tomorrow, my grandpa died. It was fast. They found the cancer the first week of May.

It was hard. Maybe because it happened so fast. Maybe because I wasnt ready. I knew he was. He was a GOD believing Christian man. He knew where he was going. He was ok with that. I would come in the house and he would have a big smile and say "you're looking at the cancer kid Shelley". I had to fight back the tears.

This is one of the last pictures that I have of him. Kayann didnt want to do it. But I knew it was the last.

The next day he got a radiation injection. Not to kill the cancer but to help with the pain. That meant that pregnant women (which I was) and children couldnt be around him

I want to fast forward to now. My grandma is doing an amazing job living her life without him. I'm sure it is hard. They went through so much in their many years together.

I'm not going to lie. My grandpa was a stubborn, cranky old man. I would mow his lawn. The whole time he would follow me around telling me how to do it. That was just who he was. But he loved everyone. He loved the children so much. The little ones. He thought they were the greatest.

I am amazed at the impact this has had on my children. They only knew him for a year. But they knew he would always be at grandma's house, either in his chair or in his computer room. They also knew that if they didnt say hi it would hurt his feeling. Raymond would walk in and YELL "hi grandpa" to make sure he heard him (grandpa could hardly hear). Grandpa would always give the kids a hug and kiss goodbye. He would usually sneak candy into their pockets.

The kids asked a lot of questions once they realized grandpa wasnt in his chair anymore. I would tell them the truth. Grandpa is in heaven. Jesus healed him. Raymond talks about how his arm isnt at his side anymore. How he can use his leg. How in heaven grandpa isnt sick anymore. He can play and chase him. At bedtime Kayann loves me to sing Silent Night. At the end it says "sleep in heavenly peace" For the last year, every night she says "like grandpa in heaven". We always talk about how grandpa is all better now. She asked how she will be able to see him and play with him. I tell her she has to love Jesus and one day she will be able to play with grandpa.

I'm grateful for the chance this has given me to teach my children. To help them understand.

This is probably one of the hardest things for me to write (if you cant tell it is a bit scattered and rambling). You never realize how close you are to someone or what an impact they have until they are gone.

I dont cry because he is gone. I cry because we have to live without him

WHOA!

I must have gotten the blogging bug. I went from a post that was over 10 day old, with nothing after to 4 today. ha

Let's pretend

Kayann LOVES Sleeping Beauty right now. Which I'm fine with. However after today I think Sleeping Beauty time will be cut back......Why you ask.............Her new thing to pretend is the kiss from the end of the movie. She will sit on my lap, tilt my head to the side, shut my eyes, and do it. Press her lips against mine. She doesnt really kiss, she just presses them there. Still.....She is 3. There is no need to practice kissing.

Our first camping trip

We got to go on our first camping trip of the year this past weekend. Derek's friend Brady and his girls came along for the fun.

We started the day late. Raymond and Kaylee were both throwing up. This was something Jakobe had a couple days earlier, so I knew it was a 24 hour thing. We finally got out the door. We started our 2 hour drive to the high Unitas. Derek has never gone camping with small children. So imagine the look on his face when 30 minutes into the trip Kayann says she has to pee. Once back on the road not even 10 minutes later Ashlynn starts scream to eat. He thought for sure we wouldn't get there until dark.

We made it to camp around 2. Not too far away there was a meadow and a large creek. Derek and Brady started to set up. I made lunch for the kids. As we ate and set up we saw something moving in the meadow. There was a huge BULL MOOSE!

The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever

It rained the whole first night we were there. I mean from the time I went to bed to the time we got up. Just poured rain. That didn't really bother the kids. They stood around the attempt at a campfire, drinking their hot chocolate, talking about random things like, big foot and bears.

Since it was a bit muddy out and still sprinkling, we decided to head to Mirror Lake

for a day of fishing. Raymond loves fishing. Kobe has never been. Derek helped Kobe catch his first fish.

Kayann played with her practice fishing pole but soon got bored so her and Kaylee sat and ate snacks.

I got to hang out and hold Ashlynn all day.

Derek and Brady pulled out about 8 trout for supper. There is nothing like camping fire fish

It was still drizzling on and off when we got back to camp. Ashlynn hates the cold. I couldn't hold her the whole time though. I had hands to wash, and lunch to start. So I made her a little shelter.

She loved it. She would play with the blanket and giggle.

During nap time I took the girls over to the water. Kayann played "does it float or sink". She thought she was so smart. It only took her a couple times to learn that most everything floats. The only thing she could find that would sink was rocks. She would run, grab something and say "does it float?" and toss it in. Kaylee followed her everywhere mimicking her.

The next morning brought a little sadness. It was time to pack up and go home. (I had to go to work.). Raymond looked at me and said "I wish you had 3 days off so we could stay". The kids hung out around the fire throwing random sticks and what not in

Ashlynn, although she protested, hung out in her pak-n-play. All in all it was a good trip. I was really worried about Kayann peeing outside. She refuses to use a port-a -potty or the toilet if it hasn't been flushed. I tried my best to talk it up, you know, make it cool. But really how do you do that? To my surprise she was fine with it. She actually kind of liked it. She kept telling me she had to go potty. Than she would get this surprised look and say "I doing it mom. I a big girl". I was worried about Ashlynn being warm enough. She made it. She slept in an undershirt, socks, a sleeping and play, a sleep sack over all of that, wrapped in a blanket, than covered. What can I say? She likes to be warm.......HOT. We had so much fun. We are taking my mom and her friend with us this weekend!

Dont be mad

I love to post the funny things my kids say. As of now Kayann comes up with stuff that just kills me. I cant help but to laugh.

Today, while getting dressed, Kayann pulled out a shirt that is a little to big (it shows her undershirt). I usually tell her to put it back. When walked in her room to check on her, she looks at me and says "dont be mad. Dont be mad" I looked down and saw the shirt on the floor. I just smiled, reassured her I wasnt mad, and walked away.

Seeing how Kayann is super picky, once she realized that her shirt showed her undershirt she decided to change. As she quickly went back upstairs she turns to me and says "mom dont be mad" I askec about what. She says "o nothing. I"m just changing my shirt".

She makes me smile.

Have you seen it?

I'm searching ever so desperately for the lost and found that contains my sanity, my mind, and organizations skills. If you happen to find them please let me know. Thanks

Now let me fill this post with some humorous sort of tale.......... I have been trying to get all the camping laundry (plus regular laundry) washed, dried and put away, while working 3 days in a row, and getting ready to go camping again this weekend. This morning I took the laundry out of the dryer, put the wet clothes in the dryer. I started the water and added soap to the washer. Went in the restroom to make sure Raymond had toothpaste on his toothbrush. Came back in the laundry room and proceeded to dump the CLEAN clothes back in to the washer. I hurried and grabbed what hadn't gotten wet. But it was too late. I had already added another load of laundry to my many to do.