By the way...We're Expecting!

I almost forgot that I had a blog!  If there's anyone out there who still blogs you might like to know that we are expecting our 4th kid this November (18th-ish).  I'm feeling great and the kids are really excited.  Ruston is of course hoping for a boy, I don't mind either way.  Girls are familiar at this point.  We figure there aren't enough suprises in the world these days so we (like the other kids) have chosen not to find out what we are having.

Business is good.  Family is healthy. Kids starting school in a few weeks.  I'll post more later if I remember.  Just keeping this one short and sweet.

Alesha

Happy New Year!!

2012 was a great year for our family and a busy one too!  We wanted to fill you in on all the fun adventures we shared last year.  Our biggest adventure was that in June we moved!  Needing to be closer to Ruston’s office, we moved to a fantastic house in Nyssa.  It is within walking distance to school, work, the park, the library and anything else we need.  We love it!

Other fun times include – Our end of school vacation around Oregon. Going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Beach, hiking around Silver Falls and going to the High Desert Museum in Bend.  The circus came to Ontario and Elli got to ride her first elephant!  Ruston took Elli fishing where she caught her first fish.  My parents moved from the Portland area to Nyssa to be closer to us – this has been my favorite part of the whole year!!  We went to the McKee Family (Ruston’s Mom) Reunion in Moroni, UT.  We saw lots of cousins and the watched the Manti Pageant.  Fun times!  On the way home, we stopped in Lava Hot Springs for another family vacation.  We played at the water park and went hiking in the Minnetonka Caves.  Later in the summer, we went cabin camping with Ruston’s parents in Unity, OR state park.  A tradition we hope to do again!  We held our first annual Halloween party with friends from the area.  It was a blast and another tradition we plan to continue! Christmas was spent in our very own home and was perfect in every way!  

Ruston and I got to take TWO vacations without kids this year.  One to McCall, ID with lots of hiking, mountain lake swimming and a trip to a luxury spa.  And the other to Fresno, CA where we visited the Fresno Zoo (always a favorite thing for me), the Fresno Temple and spent several days in Yosemite National Park.  Ruston was in photographer heaven.  He even had to buy another memory card, because he filled all his other cards within the first few days!  It was so beautiful there.  We can’t wait to go back someday.

Cami (2) Our friendly, babbling baby.  She talks constantly to everyone who will listen, we just don’t understand very much of it!  She is getting better at talking as each month passes and its fun to watch her becoming less of a baby and more of a little kid.  She wants to be potty trained, but I forgot how time consuming it can be!  In, out, on, off…seems like I never have time to really start.  Perhaps in the next few months?

Addison (5) is enjoying preschool this year in Nyssa.  This past year she danced in a ballet class and will make the most of every opportunity to play princess or dress-up.  She loves learning and pretending.  She has even started reading simple words.  We are very proud of her.  Addison has had the hardest time adjusting to our new home.  She frequently asks when we are moving back to Grandma and Papa’s house.  It’s very sweet.  She loves her grandparents so much!

Elli (7) has started 1^st grade and is making lots of new friends.  She participated in clogging in Vale and took guitar lessons too earlier in the year, but now is focusing on her school work.  She loves reading books about ocean animal life and lions.  She has a pet gold fish and is trying to convince us that she “needs” a guinea pig.  We’ll see about that!

Alesha – My life has gotten even busier than I ever planned.  With the ending of the Miss Malheur County pageant program this year I needed to find some other outlet to make a difference in the world!  I joined the Nyssa Parks and Recreation committee and also started a Neighborhood Watch program around our local park.  This has been very worthwhile and a fun way to get to know people in Nyssa.  What I wasn’t planning on was getting called to be Primary President in our ward.  85 kids – Yikes!  That has been a challenge and a lesson in patience in multiple ways.  But it’s all very rewarding and I am learning to be more organized.

Ruston has been quite the busy business man this year.  He was awarded the Benefactor of the Year from the Miss Malheur County Scholarship Program and gave to the community a Free Dental Day, helping many people in need.  He also has expanded his dental services to include braces.  He is in the middle of very extensive training to learn how and has already seen tremendous growth in his business from this venture.

We hope your year has been fun too and we hope to see you sometime this year!  If you are ever travelling between Utah and Northwest we are right along the way!  Stop in to say hi.  Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Ruston, Alesha, Elli, Addison and Cami Munk

Busy, busy, busy!

Ok, so it's been a year (almost) since I last posted.  I think blogs are becoming a very outdated thing.  I've always been socially late in everything!  Everyone is facebooking, but I just don't have time.  There's not enough time in the day to make comments on moment-to-moment stuff.  By the time the family is fed, house is cleaned (or close enough!) and everyone else's needs are taken care of there isn't a moment to spare in my day.  How do you juggle your social media and your life?  I'd love to hear from you.

Our big news is that we moved this summer!!  We needed more space and Ruston wanted to be closer to work.  We now live on a nice, quiet street in town which means we can walk everywhere!  School, office, library, bank, store, you name it!  The house is pretty big, so there's lots of room to spread out our stuff.  My cookbooks have come out of the storage unit (after four dusty years) and are displayed in the kitchen.  Ruston's beautiful chinese artwork is displayed through out the house too.  We miss grandma and grandpa, but are so happy to be on our own.  Our new address is 810 Reece Ave. Nyssa, OR 97913.  If you didn't get a card that says "we moved" then I don't have your address.  Reply to this post with your address (I won't publish it) and then you can be sure to get a christmas card from us.

But in other news, Elli has started 1st grade at Nyssa.  She loves it.  She knew a bunch of kids in her class from church so she has instant friends.  She is learning subtraction and about the human body.  She is also happily waiting for the classroom guinea pigs to have their babies.  Big news for 1st grade!

Addison is in preschool here in Nyssa.  She has two wonderful teachers that she adores and is learning letters and even wrote her own christmas wishlist today.  It's not entirely readable, but in her own 4 yr old way - it's perfect!  She is still crazy about princesses and hippos.  We aren't sure how the hippo thing got started, but this year for christmas she wants a whole family of plush hippos.  Could be worse I guess!!

Cami will be 2 next month.  She is trying out a few new words, but still doesn't say a whole lot.  She loves her sisters and her baby doll.  She loves to color (sometimes on the couch) and hates having her teeth brushed.  She is a ham in front of a camera and will often be found singing "twinkle twinkle" at the top of her lungs through the aisles of walmart.  It's classic!

On a side note...what do you get the two year old girl with two older sisters for a birthday or christmas?  She has enough toys, dolls, clothes, hair bows and "stuff" to fill a semi.  She doesn't even know what a birthday is.  Does she really need more?  We did a charity birthday last year and donated the money we would've spent on gifts to the JDRF.  We could probably do that again, but I thought I should get her something.  I need ideas of consumable (not necessarily edible - just something that can be used up) stuff that a toddler would enjoy.  What do your kids like?

Ruston is incredibly busy these days.  He is still working at his own office in Nyssa and has recently added Braces to his list of services offered.  This has been a huge boom to business.  He is actually in California this weekend (and 6 more times over the coming year) to learn how to do it.  It's a big investment in both time and money, but it will be worth it in the end.  He also works at the State prison still and teaches sunday school when he is in town.  He recently returned from an unsuccesful moose hunt in canada this past week with his dad.  He says he had a good time, but decided that it was basically a really expensive camping trip.

My life is pretty much the same as usual.  Being a mom is the greatest job ever.  Some days the pay isn't enough, but then I see my girls playing nicely together or hear them loving my dinner and it's all worth it.  My prayers are petitioning for our family to grow, with no success yet, but hopefully by Christmas we'll have news.

This summer has been filled with vacations and it's nice to finally be settled down again.  The family went to the Oregon Coast and Bend.  We went cabin-camping at Unity State Park with grandma and grandpa.  Ruston and I went on an anniversary weekend to McCall, ID and then on another vacation to Yosemite Nat'l Park in September.  Both were amazing trips - without kids!

Oh, other great news is that my parents are moving out this way from Portland, OR!!  They are working on getting a house just outside of Nyssa with some property.  It will be great to have everyone close for the holidays.  No more traveling at Thanksgiving/Christmas for us!  We've done it too many years in a row.  It's too hard.  I'm looking forward to spending some time at home.

I'm planning an awesome Halloween party this year too.  I'm thinking the Sat. just before Halloween.  I'll post pictures afterward. It should be great.  The kids are having a blast decorating the house with me.

Hope things are well for you and yours!  Comment if you want.  I'll try to be better about writing on the blog...in my free time (haha)!

Love, Alesha
    

Elli's loses a tooth!

A few weeks back, Elli bit down on a plum pit and knocked her two bottom teeth loose. Luckily having a dentist for a daddy, Ruston took an x-ray and decided that one of the teeth would heal up because the next tooth wasn't ready for awhile, but the other one was on it's way! So Elli has been wiggling that one like crazy. Just the other day she showed us where the new tooth was coming up and she was ready for the baby tooth to be gone. Last night she gave up her bedtime story if Ruston would pull her tooth. So he did. He counted to three, but being tricky pulled it on two and the tooth was out. Elli wanted to take it to show and tell today so she said we couldn't let the tooth fairy take it yet. Luckily again, Daddy has the tooth fairy on speed dial and he said that he would call her and fill her in on the details! She was so happy! Hooray for Elli!

Cami's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Cami! We celebrated Cami's birthday with pizza and blueberry muffins with cream cheese. (Ruston and I don't like cake or frosting!) She opened one gift from Grandma and Papa and then the girls gave her some of their older toys from when they were one. Grandma and Papa also gave some money toward her charity birthday and we did too. It was a fun night. Just perfect for a one-year old!

Cami Turns One!

As many of you know, Cami will turn one this weekend. She is happy, healthy and absolutely adorable. I have given a lot of thought into what exactly a one year old wants or needs - nothing comes to mind. With big sisters to give hand-me-downs in both toys and clothes, Cami doesn't need anything.

Finally tonight, I heard about a terrific idea: a charity birthday party. This year in lieu of gifts we will collect donations for a charity. We wanted it to be something special to our family so we selected the JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Cami's cousin Janson was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes just months before his second birthday. His life and his family's was changed forever. We love Janson very much and hope that someday this terrible disease will be no more.

During November, if you choose to think of Cami, please consider sending a gift of charity instead of a gift to her. You can send donations to me by mail at:

Cami's 1st Birthday
3827 Tattletale Ln.
Ontario, OR 97914

All donations received by Nov. 14th that are submitted through diabetes.org (American Diabetes Association) will be DOUBLED by that organization. I'm checking to see if the JDRF will match donations too. They might not, so we will have to wait and see when they email me back. We would rather give to JDRF, although both are very good causes. Keep checking back to see if I've heard anything over the next few days.

Lots of love and gratitude,
Alesha


p.s. I just found out that November is American Diabetes Month. Just another reason to give to a great cause!

New Stuff Coming Soon!

Wow! What a fun and crazy summer this has been. I have lots of pictures to post and fun days to write about. So check back soon. I'll get them all posted in the next few days.

Love,
Alesha

Girls, Girls, Girls!

What a household we are! Poor Ruston and Tony living in a house of women. I know they love it, but I imagine they feel very out numbered at times. But life goes on and we are all having a great time. It's been awhile since I wrote, so trying to figure out where to pick up is hard to do. Let's see...

Ruston has recently found joy in acting. He signed up to act with the Illustrious Onion Skin Players in Weiser, ID. He meant to only have a small role, since he had never acted before, and ended up being cast as the Hero! Of course this was no shock to me since I knew what a ham he can be. He is Anderson O'Right, the dutiful first mate of the lovely Paddy Wheeler, aboard the Little Milly. It's a play made up by a patient of his who encouraged him to join the cast. I have seen him once and thought he was terrific. I'll also go see his last show on the 19th. If you are anywhere in the western Idaho area, you should get tickets to see him. It's great! Also, Ruston just got called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher in our Nyssa 1st Ward. A little scary for him, but he's already done a great job and it will only get easier!

Elli just registered for kindergarten at Vale Elementary. We decided that she had more friends in Vale and even though most of them are boys, she will fit in best there. The teachers are wonderful and the school system seems great. I can hardly believe she's ready for school, but the more I think about it the easier it is. She is incredibly smart (and I'm not biased, everyone says it!) and I know she will do very well this coming year. She's also looking forward to soccer this summer and recently participated in the Miss Malheur County Scholarship Program - Little Princess Program. She wasn't named as a princess, her good friend Katelynn was, but she had a fantastic time. She got to meet Miss Oregon, Stephenie Steers, and get pictures taken with her. She also performed in a little dance number on stage with Miss Oregon. She was adorable!

Addison has been growing up a lot lately. She isn't really involved in any big things yet, but I do have her signed up for swimming lessons in April and will try to get her into a dance class this summer. Her favorite things are dressing up like a princess, having pretend picnics and coloring...especially if it involves pink stuff!

Cami is still as sweet as ever. She is four months now. I took her in for her well-check today and she is a "gigantic" 11 lbs. 12 oz. I know - tiny! But the doctor says she is on the right growth pattern and looks very healthy. She is strong and we've even started her on a little rice cereal at night. She has slept through the night once (10 p.m. - 6 a.m.), but I didn't hold my breath for long! She is still waking up once each night since then. I just give her a little bottle (2 oz) then tuck her back in to sleep. She's getting better at all the little things babies do and we couldn't love her more!

I figure I may as well write about Tony and Viola too since they are technically part of the household and a few of you out there might care! Viola has been called as the nursery leader in her ward as well as a teacher in Relief Society still. She balances both and is doing a great job. Her mom just got released from the Nursing Home in Vale yesterday and Viola has had her hands full taking care of her. For those who don't know, Grandma Merle fell and broke her hip a month or so back. She has been in rehabilitation until now, but has progressed far enough that she was allowed to go back home. Unfortuately, she still can't be left at home by herself at all in case she falls again. So Viola is spending most of her days there watching over her. She's a good daughter. It makes me appreciate all the care I will likely have to give to her and Tony as they age as well. I hope I can be as thoughtful as she has been to her mother.

And as for me, family and church have kept me busy. I was recently called as the YW camp director for our ward. I also am on the RS activity planning committee. We are less than a week away from the annual Relief Society Birthday Dinner. We are doing a program put together by Jenny Phillips (famous LDS singer who I've never heard of before now!). It should be great. Other than that, life is pretty typical. I haven't read any good books lately. I do want to see Gnomeo and Juliet one of these days. Oh and I'm getting excited for St. Patricks Day (this will be our first year that leprechauns plans to visit the house! We already have a trap made!) but I've decided that I really don't like eating Corned Beef and Cabbage. Honestly, corned beef tastes like salty hotdogs and don't get me started on slimy cabbage...gross! If anyone out there knows of an Irish meal that does NOT involve these two yucky items please make a comment. I'm willing to try almost anything! Thanks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Life is busy with three!

I promise I will write more later - things have been so busy though. Suffice it to say everyone is healthy and doing very well. Cami will be three months tomorrow and is (finally) growing bigger. Yesterday was Chinese New Year which has always been a very big holiday for us. Tonight Tony and Viola are having a party and tomorrow night Ruston and I will have our party. It's kind of a big deal. So anyway, we are busy and I will write more when I get another minute.

Happy New Year!

Introducing...Camilla Joslyn Munk

On Friday November 5th, Camilla Joslyn Munk was born at 1:41 p.m. in our local hospital. Not only was this the easiest pregnancy ever, it was also the easiest delivery ever. Thanks to modern medicine (which I love!) there was no pain and practically no effort required. Four pushes and she was in my arms. I had supposed she would be a girl, but still felt that wonderful heart swelling feeling when the doctor said "it's a girl!" So magical.

She was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long. She has dark hair like Elli and actually looks a lot like Elli as a baby. One funny thing is that she was born smiling. She fussed for a moment and then for the next hour as she was being cleaned, nursing for the first time, and being held in our arms - she smiled. She was alert and so peaceful.

Since then, recovery has been fantastic. I am in no pain. I didn't even need anything stronger than ibuprofen in the hospital after she was born. We came home after two days and the family was happy to see us. Elli and Addison were happy for a new baby and they love her very much.

Cami is still working on day vs. night, but I feel like each day gets a little better. The only problem we are having is nursing. For some reason she has not figured out a proper latch and even after nursing for 20 minutes is still hungry and I am no more relieved on my end of things. I have been pumping to help myself out and luckily she has taken to a bottle really well. So I know that she is getting enough to eat, but I am a little bummed that she won't nurse. I haven't got too emotional about it, but to be totally honest I feel really upset that we haven't come up with a solution. If anyone out there has a suggestion for helping a baby to latch on please feel free to comment. I'm desperate. I love nursing. I did it for a year on Elli and Addison and feel like a sub-par mother for not being able to do it like I did before.

Anyway, we are all healthy and adjusting to life with three kids. My parents are coming out for Thanksgiving and we will bless Cami this coming Sunday. Pictures coming soon. Keep watching!

Love,
Alesha

Counting down to the new baby and Elli's birthday!

Well, we are in the final weeks before the baby comes. Many people have asked me about names and unfortunately we don't have it narrowed down quite yet. I actually think Ruston does know what he wants to name the baby (boy or girl) but won't tell me yet. I'm sure it won't be anything "wierd" but he hates it when people say "oh (name), I hated a kid named that in school." Really not helpful to new parents, but I guess as long as he tells me the name on the way to the hospital I'll be fine.

I've found all the old baby stuff and pulled it out of storage to get washed up. It's so fun looking at tiny little clothes. We even have some boy stuff that has been hanging around since I was pregnant with Elli - mostly pajamas which is great since that's what I dress them in for the first few months anyway. So I feel pretty prepared. I'm hoping for one of those portable swings for travelling around the holidays, but there's still plenty of time.

We plan to get family pictures taken just after Thanksgiving so that we have an updated photo for our Christmas card this year. If you think your address needs to be updated make a comment to this posting (I won't publish it) and that way I can be sure to send you a card.

So the other fun event in our life is Elli's upcoming birthday. She'll be five next month and has about a thousand ideas for her birthday party. I personally don't like "at home" parties - the house gets trashed, I have to come up with all the entertainment and our house just isn't very child-friendly. So I'd like to see her have a swimming party at the Ontario pool, or go to Chucky Cheese, etc. but she can't decide. I don't want to pick out her party for her, but it may come down to that if she drags her feet for too much longer.

I have to share her birthday wish list though. Some of the things she wants are too funny. Appearantly this is the year for things that go on your feet!

Rain boots
Garden boots
A laptop
Blue cowgirl boots
Games
Puzzles - especially one with lions
Roller skates
Ice skates
A scooter
A file cabinet for all her drawings
Lion sheets and blankets
Madagascar sheets and blankets
A dark blue towel with her name on it
A hula hoop
And more clothes

We'll have to see about some of those things. She sure is sweet though. I'll post a birthday profile for her after the baby is born so that you can see all the funny things she says about herself. For instance, she always wants to do/be anything that daddy will love. So this year for halloween she is trying to decide whether to be a lion (her top choice) or something that will make daddy happy...such as a bottle of hot sauce or a can of diet dr. pepper! Isn't that funny? We are still looking for a lion costume if you know anywhere that has one let me know!

Happy Halloween! Keep checking the blog around November 5-6th to find out what we had for a baby!

Love,
Alesha

Whirlwind Summer!

Wow! It has been forever since I wrote last. Luckily, I can at least say that I have been busy having fun all summer long. We are home, for now...with only a few camping trips planned over the coming months. But life is calming down and we are happy to be home.

The fun started in July when I took the girls to visit my parents in Estacada. I was able to leave them with Grandma and Papa for a week while I attended the Miss Oregon competition with our local title holder, Miss Malheur County - Brenda. She did very well in the pageant and won not only Most Improved but also Miss Congeniality. It was a lot of fun watching and I'm looking forward to next year's competition and the excitement that comes with that. After the competition was done, my parents brought the girls (including Mercedes, my niece) out to Seaside to see me. We had a wonderful time together and got to do lots of fun things. Elli got to ride bumper cars for the first time and everyone loved feeding the sea lions at the Seaside Aquarium.

We were only back in Estacada for a day when it was time for Mercedes to go home to Tennessee. She had been able to visit my parents for two months and was excited to go home and see her family. I asked to fly her back, since I hadn't seen my sweet new nephew Max yet. It was a long flight, but seeing Aaron's family was so worth it! Thanks Aaron and Becky for the fun times!

A flew back to Portland and spent a few more days there and then headed back home to Vale - with the kids and my mom in tow. The girls were excited to see Ruston, who had to stay home and work to pay for all our fun. We were only home for a few days when we left, with my mom, to go to the Wilkinson Family Reunion in Coalville, UT. I met a lot of family that I had never met before and had a wonderful time. It was a short trip though and we came back after just the weekend.

A few days after that Ruston finally joined us on a vacation to Yellowstone! We'd never been there before and we all loved it. Ruston made it a goal to fill up as many photo memory cards as possible and when we got home he had taken over 1800 photos. We saw buffalo, elk, moose, antelope, even a bear. We gave Elli a camera too and she loved being just like Daddy. She took several hundred photos over the week - many that actually look good too! I'll have to write more about Yellowstone later, but for now I just need to catch up on the summer time-line.

We got back from Yellowstone on Sunday and I left with the girls and Ruston's parents to got to the Munk Reunion in Bear Lake, UT that Thursday morning. Ruston would've liked to have come but it would have been a lot of driving for only a little family time. We stayed in Lava Hot Springs where they have an awesome water park. There wasn't a little baby pool, but the shallow area was still fun for the kids. Actually Elli decided that she was a big girl and since she was tall enough rode down several water slides all by herself. She was scared on the first time down and then she wouldn't stop riding. I lost count after while, but she must have gone down the slides over 30 times. I can't believe how big she is getting and I'm glad that she's so much braver than me. The trip ended with a stop in Salt Lake and a short visit to the Hogle Zoo (where Ruston took me the day he proposed) then a long car ride home.

It's sad that the only time I had a camera this whole summer was in Yellowstone because there were lots of great memories made. We had a wonderful summer and I'll have to make sure that I write down a few more details later, so that I don't forget.

Ruston's office is doing well. He stays busy and loves working in Nyssa. Elli will start preschool in Vale again after Labor Day, she's excited about that. Addison is working on potty training and has both good days and bad. M&M's have been a good motivator! As you can see by the baby tracker I'm due in about two and a half months. I'm feeling good. I've had a few funny moments of people mentioning (less than politely) how much my tummy has grown - Ruston's grandma being the most rude!! But luckily I don't get too offended. I'm actually not that big, but there's no where for the baby to go except out. So, it's funny when people haven't seen me in awhile. There are people who can mention my growing tummy with tact and some that still have a few lessons to learn. Oh by the way, we still don't know what we are having. It's a fun surprise and keeps us guessing everyday.

I'll write more soon. Hopefully you are having great summer too!

Love, Alesha

That silly house in Ohio...

Before I begin about Ohio, let me reassure all readers that new pictures will be coming soon. We took some great shots on Elli's last day of school (hooray for summer!) and a recent trip to the zoo. So they are coming eventually!

People have been asking us what the deal is with our house in Ohio, so I thought I would recap all the details. Back in March the house got broken into again (previously broken into in Jan. 09) and the remaining pipes in the basement were stolen. With no pipes there is no water to the rest of the house - so it is unlivable at this point. We had just started proceedings with our mortgage company to work toward a short sale when this happened. After loads of paperwork, the company decided that they would officially let us do a short sale but we had to fix all the damages first. Luckily we do have home owners insurance, but since it is for "unoccupied dwellings" the deductible is super high and they paid us $800 to fix a job that will end up costing several thousand. My thought is fix the house and get it sold just to be done with it. But our fear is that if we replace all the pipes, the people who broke into it before will just come back and do it again. So we've discussed the details with our lawyer who said that we should put in a contract that the work will be completed only with a firm offer on the table to buy the house. In the mean time, we will fix the back door that was busted in and clean up the debris that was left. Luckily no damage was done to the rest of the house, which makes me suspicious about who the vandals were. I believe it was a local person who is looking to buy the home for cheap if they scare us enough to where we want to drop the house fast. Their only flaw was that we couldn't care less about the house now and if we simply walk away and foreclose they get nothing either. But I don't really know who did it, so I guess it doesn't matter.

The mortage company is hoping to get $65k out of the sale, way below our current mortgage, but some money. So I guess if you were looking for a home for cheap, this is the time to buy. If you don't mind living in Cleveland!

This month marks two years that Ruston has been out of dental school. That went fast!! His office is still open three days a week, some days are busy - some aren't. We are sad that we don't live closer to friends in Nyssa, but very happy living in Vale too. We really can't go anywhere with our home still in Ohio, but even if it did sell I think we might stick around for another year or so. Eventually, we'd like to be in Nyssa to be closer to Ruston's office - but while I am pregnant and when the baby is still young I think we'll be able to manage the crowded circumstances. I think next summer will be the breaking point, but maybe not? We've enjoyed ourselves this long, maybe it could work longer. That is if we are still welcome. Who knows?

By the way, for those keeping track - I am 16 weeks pregnant and feeling much better these days. Not really sick (most days) and not quite as tired, but certainly showing! I brought out my maternity clothes from storage and had fun looking at all the cute things I have left-over from Elli and Addison. I'll be due a few days before Elli's birthday so still a while to go, but getting very real and very excited. My ultrasound will be next month, but I'm still not planning to find out what we are having. Sorry Mom!

Have a great week! And if you have a blog listed at the right and haven't updated it in several months - do it! I miss reading new things about friends and family. I'll try to do better too!

Yes!! It's a baby!!

Hello and thanks to my four faithful blog readers who commented on the previous post. It's nice to know I have a few friends! There are still some members of our family I haven't heard a congratulations from - but then they didn't remember my birthday either. Oh well, I guess that's life.

Anyway, we are proud to announce that after trying for almost a year and a half I am finally pregnant! I'm due November 11th (right before Elli's birthday) which puts me about 10 weeks right now. I'm feeling good, pretty nauseous (is that how it's spelled?) but not much throwing up - not that it makes it any less annoying to be sick. People like to throw around experiences of how many weeks they threw up every single day...it doesn't make me feel any better. Sick is sick!! But knowing how long we have wanted this baby makes every miserable moment worth it and I try not to complain too much.

We told Elli and she was excited. But then we mentioned that Grandma Tracie might be coming to visit too when the baby was born and she literally got up and started dancing and singing. She was so excited I almost wondered whether she even caught the part about the baby. But later she informed me that if it's a boy it will be named Max and if it's a girl it should be Ruby (Ruby & Max cartoons are her favorite right now). I told her Daddy would choose as always, but that she could give him as many ideas as she wanted.

This does bring up some interesting details about where we should be living in 7 months. Somehow three kids in one room seems awful tight. I know, I know, people have done it before and Joseph Smith shared a bedroom with his whole family - but that doesn't mean I want to! I'm still evaluating my feelings to see what will be best for our family - along with feelings I have to counteract all the raging hormones and then add in a pinch of praticality. So, needless to say this might be a hard decision to make.

So what else can I write about? The weather is getting nicer and my flowers are starting to look really nice. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new nephew - check out Aaron and Becky's blog to see if thier little baby Max (his real name - not named after a cartoon bunny!) has arrived. I'll post new pictures soon. I'm too tired for now and I think I want a little icecream...and maybe some pickles! Hooray!! I'm pregnant!!

New Family Photo

I took this idea from my friend Rebecca's blog. I wanted to you all see our latest family photo. Leave me a comment when you figure it out!

Love,
Alesha

Pictures

We finally downloaded a bunch of pictures from Ruston's camera tonight. So, I'll save the boring words and just show you what we've been up to for the past few weeks.

Happy New Year!!

Today begins the Year of the Tiger! We just said goodbye to a bunch of friends for our annual New Year's party. We had so much food! I think most people waddled out to their cars. Our menu included: postickers (of course!), red roast pork, fresh fruit, hot & sour soup, white rice, fried mango chicken noodles, beef stirfry, sweet & sour chicken, drinks and fortune cookies. It was great! The kids played while the adults talked. We watched a little bit of the Olympics too. Ruston's camera was at the office, so we didn't get any pictures. But I'll work on getting a few up soon of the girls. Sorry!

Have a great New Year! We love you all.

Love,
Alesha & Ruston

Addison Turns Two!!

Addison turned two this past week and she is growing up so fast! She still doesn't really get the idea of a birthday, so we just kept it low key. She got presents from both grandparents that she absolutely loves. And then we just gave her Elli's old stuff. No...she's not going to hate us later! She's two. She still has "new" toys and clothes. She has plenty of things. We did have a little party at our friends John and Susan's house. They have a little girl just younger than Addison so we let the kids all hang out until we decided they had enough, put them to bed. It was a fun night. I bought her an icecream cake from Walmart since I don't like regular cake. I figure if I'm paying money for a cake she won't remember anyway I may as well want to eat it after she blows out the candle! Of course, she didn't actually understand that part either. Oh well, she's still little. Next year she will have much more of an opinion.

Fun Facts About Addison:
Birthday Weight: 25 lbs. (with boots on)
Birthday Height: (Haven't checked yet!)
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter (off a spoon right out of the tub like her Aunt Andrea!)
Favorite Song: 3 little monkeys swinging in a tree
Favorite Cartoon: Dora
Favorite Animal: Cats
Favorite Toys: Baby (White Bear) and Tiny (Brown Bear)
Favorite Person: It's a three way tie between Mommy, Papa and Grandma - most days she cries when Daddy comes home and hides behind me. Other days she runs straight to him! Depends on the day.
Favorite Clothes: Pajamas - most days she screams when we have to change her out of her pajamas; unless we can entice her with her 2nd favorite thing: socks!
Mommy's Bragging Points: While Addison doesn't talk near as much as Elli at this age, she still expresses herself well and is never shy about giving loves when asked. She loves to read books and sing songs all day long. She is still tiny but growing into a beautiful girl and we love her lots!

Happy Birthday Addison!

Happy Birthday Elli

This weekend Elli will turn four! I figured it was taking me long enough to write about Hawaii (sorry for those who were hoping to read about it) that I decided to get a head start on Elli's Birthday. Elli will have a party on Saturday afternoon with some friends. She decided to have a Safari Birthday. We'll set up our giant tent in the back yard and have the party there. The "explorers" will get to hunt around the back yard for hidden animals. It should be great! Yes, pictures will be posted - I promise! And then we'll have a little family party on Sunday. Elli says for her special birthday dinner she wants macaroni & cheese and cupcakes. I love little kids - dinner doesn't get much easier than that! Then she'll actually celebrate her birthday again at preschool on Monday with her friends there. So I suppose after three days of cupcakes she'll be sick of them right? I doubt it.

Some fun facts about Elli:
Weight: 43 lbs.
Height: To be measured on her actual birthday
Favorite color: dark blue (second year running!)
Favorite thing to do at school: painting
Favorite thing to do at home: play chase with Daddy
Favorite Book: Mater and the Ghostlight
Favorite Movie: Cars and Madagascar 2
Favorite TV Show: Dora
Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite Animal: Lions
Favorite Song: Yankee Doodle (second year running)
What she wants to be when she grows up: a cheerleader (this was not at my prompting either!)
Mom's Bragging Points: Elli is very smart! She can count to 100 and has learned how to negotiate very well. She knows her address and phone number by heart. She loves reading scriptures at night and remembers them later at church or when she plays. She loves to give hugs and help out with Addison. She is a great friend and has a very active imagination.

Elli's Birthday Wish List:
Pretend kitchen stuff - food and dishes
A mini-4 wheeler (or power wheels) - Lauren, are you still using yours for your kids?
Games (board games and card games)
Matchbox Cars
4-5T or XS (4/5) Clothes
Little Pet Shop toys
My Little Ponies (really big right now!)
Puzzles

Check back after this weekend for pictures from Elli's parties!

Hawaii Details Coming Soon

Hello Everyone,

Boy it's been a long time since I wrote on the blog. We just got back from Hawaii a week ago and had a wonderful time. I'll post some pictures and tell you all about it soon. It's too late tonight. So check back later!

Thanks,
Alesha