HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE LOU!

It is hard to believe that exactly 4 years ago, I gave birth to my sweet daughter, Carrie Louise. She was only 6 lb 4 oz & 18 inches long. She had a perfectly round head with just a little bit of hair. My first memory of her was hearing her cry- it reminded me of a little lamb cry. It was perfect. Since that time, she has brought me joy, heartache, astonishment, nervousness, wonder and awe. She has had her struggles, but above it all, she is sweet, tenderhearted, caring, funny, kind and crazy. Although I wish that she was potty trained and slept in her own bed, she is perfect in every other way. She has brought so much joy and love into our home.

Some of my favorite things she does is:

~Eating ice cream with her "Ice Cream Buddy" (Aunt Cherilyn)
~Hiding her dolly from Ol' Man (Grandpa Worthen)
~Listening to her say her prayers
~Organizing her chicken and fries in a line, waiting to be dunked in "sauce" (ranch)
~Calling her Ken doll, "Boyfriend"
~Saying "DUH" after you do something silly
~Talking like a pirate
~Running around in circles, just because you can
~Saying "Me loves you so much"

She is my little princess and I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to take care of her here on Earth.

I love you so much!!! Happy Birthday Carrie Lou!

Back to diapers...

Many of you know that the headache I currently have is from trying to potty train Carrie. She has learned to go pee in the toilet, but has refused to poop. I think in the whole time we have been working with her, she has pooped in the toilet 3 or 4 times. Part of the problem has been the fact that she gets plugged up easily, and then learned how to hold it in. I have tried everything under the sun to motivate her to use the bathroom, but nothing has worked. In fact, she has now started to boycott the toilet all together, peeing her pants several times a day.

I took her to her doctor today, and he said that some children who have "intense" personalities feel like they need to have total control over everything in their environment. One of them being, peeing and pooping (in their pants). He said that we need to start over with her and put her back in diapers. grrr. We will try this for several weeks- making sure that she doesn't get plugged up so her body will start to recognize that pooping doesn't always hurt. After we get her to not hold it in any more, we will then re-train her to use the bathroom.

I am really frustrated about this situation and wish that I had a magic wand to make it all better. I hope that this new approach will help her and that we can move on with our lives and not have pee or poop be the focus.

Wish us luck, keep us in your prayers- and I'll pray that you never have to deal with the same situation as us. :P

A summary...

I really suck at this blogging thing. I love reading everyone's blogs, but usually have no motivation to update mine.

I am going to post some pictures that summarize the last 2 months, and hopefully you will enjoy them.

Duncan was playing on the 4-wheeler in the garage when I asked him to get off. When I heard screaming, I ran out to find him stuck between the 4-wheeler and the lawn mower. When I picked him up, I noticed that he was now sporting a hole in his face. Off the ER we went where he got 8 stitches. He now has a nasty scar on his chin, but hey- it adds character, right?

Many of you know that my kids are obsessed with pirates, so it made perfect sense to dress them up as pirates. Reid and Cherilyn came down to do the "Trick-or-Treat" part, which was a lot of fun. We then met up with Riley and Alison and ended the evening at One Man Band. Yum.




I finally had to get Duncan's hair cut. When it was wet, the back touched his shoulders, and his sides were past his ears. Other than the curls going away, I was happy to get it cut. (Thanks Debra!) I just wasn't expecting him to look so grown up! We definately have NO babies at this house anymore...




I found Duncan had gotten into the HUGE bucket of flour that was in the kitchen. I didn't know whether to laugh or scream, so I opted to get a picture of him before I cleaned him up. Anytime the camera comes out, Carrie has to get in on the action, so this was her cute attempt at a photo with Duncan. I love it! They really are so cute together!



This was after the first snow fall for the year. Carrie was so excited to go outside with her new hat and gloves. I still can't get over how big she is getting. The other picture is me playing around with the camera. She had mascara on, and I was trying to get a close up of it. I love how it turned out. She is so beautiful!

Well, not a whole lot else has happened, except my deer hunt which was not documented (except a few on my phone) because our battery was dead, again! We really need to buy another one... I did kill a small 2x2, and am happy that we now have a freezer full of meat.

We are looking forward to the holidays this year, but are also sad that my parents will not be out here for it. We miss them tons, and hope they come out soon!

Long time, no post

I am almost embarrassed by how long it has been since I posted a good one. Life has been super crazy between 1 surgery, 1 hospital stay, 1 deer hunt, and well... just life.

I would post some pics of everything but I need to find my cord to the camera first. I did find it in the kids toy room when I reorganized everything, but I set it down and now I can't find it again. (the story of my life) When I find the cord, again, I will post some pics...

I will try to not be so long winded in updating all of us:

SCOTT: He just finished up a Bow hunt for deer, and while he didn't tag anything, he did have a ton of fun just getting out and being in the woods. He went to Monticello for the first part of the hunt and was missed terribly by his family. (thank you mom for all the babysitting you did while he was gone...) He is staying busy at the temple on Fridays, and working lots of overtime. Maybe one day he'll learn to relax and enjoy his time off without worrying about what has to be done next...

LEANNE: I have been crazy busy with school. (I still have all A's. yay) I am currently studying for my Radiology Tech Certification, and will soon take my CNA Certification. I have had the chance to do clinicals at a rest home in Sandy. While it has made me realize how much I want to be an RN and not work at a rest home the rest of my life, it has opened my eyes to things I haven't wanted to think about yet. 1st - I DO NOT want to get old. It just plain sucks to see all these residents who used to live full lives, now have to be spoon fed their puree'd food. 2nd- I will not put my parents in a rest home. I figure that because I am going in to nursing, I will volunteer myself to care for them when they get old(er). 3rd- When I do get old, and if my kids can't take care of me, just take me out back with a handgun. I don't want to spend the end of my life having crappy CNA's wipe my butt, or yelling at me because they have to give me a shower. No thanks... Anyway- life is good. I love learning, and am excited for my new classes to start again after a hard month of clinicals.

CARRIE: Well, we are officially not in diapers anymore. But that doesn't mean we have conquered potty training. While she uses the toilet for peeing, she flat out refuses to poop in the toilet, so I wash panties everyday... over and over again. I am praying that things click in her head one day with regards to pooping b/c I am so tired of washing panties! At then end of July, Carrie got a nasty virus that wiped her out. She wasn't getting any better, and after having a high fever for 2 days and becoming really dehydrated, her pediatrition admitted her to the hospital. She spent the night and the next day there getting lots of IV fluids to get her re-hydrated. Although she wasn't eating much, they felt comfortable in discharging her to get better. She recovered quickly, but we are very aware of the fact that this probably won't be her last hospital stay. (it was #2 for being dehydrated) Her doctor said that some kids just shut down when they are sick, and if they've been hospitilized once for dehydration, you can count on them going in again. That would be Carrie. YAY for insurance.

DUNCAN: At the beginning of July, Duncan had surgery to fix a problem called "trigger thumb". What is that, you ask? Basically, the tendons in his thumbs were kind of stuck in the sheath that surrounds them so his thumbs were locked in a bent position. The only way to straighten them was to manually extend them yourself which caused him a great deal of pain. So, we met with a doctor who recommended surgery to correct it. He had casts on both arms up to his elbows afterwards to keep his incisions clean and dry. They were bright orange, obnoxious, and ended up being weapons. I was happy to have them removed. He is such a trooper! I'm glad that I had them fixed because he now has full use of his thumbs, and even hyperextends them now. He also turned 2 yrs old July 29th. I am sad to not have a baby anymore. He is a lot of fun and tons of energy.... He keeps us all on our toes.

Well, I hope that you've been able to read everything without falling asleep... I will try to post pics ASAP. Our next big thing we are getting ready for is my hunt next month, and then before you know it, Christmas will be here...

Take care!

I am still alive.

More to come soon!

happy Rochelle? jk. i love you

Camping up Diamond Fork Canyon

We went to Diamond Fork Canyon this weekend for a quick overnighter. The weather was great~ nice and sunny with a cool breeze. There were some nasty looking bugs there, but no mosquitoes, thank goodness. We camped right next to the creek, and had lots of trees to use for shade if it got too sunny! The kids really had a blast and are such troopers! Ben, Rochelle & Grant came up late Friday night and we had a fun time with them as well. I didn't get any pictures from our rides b/c it was WAY dusty, and I didn't want to take my camera and run the risk of it getting ruined. (I have ruined a camera before from too many dusty trails) So, maybe next time, if we remember to put the rack bags on the 4 wheelers...

Enjoy these pics from the weekend!

Our tent (which we love) set up right by the creek. We were able to sit inside the tent in the middle of the day because it was shaded just right with a breeze coming thru the screen!

Scott, Duncan & Carrie on the 4-wheeler. They had so much fun with Daddy riding around camp and up & down the road. Carrie is getting quite good at controlling the trottle. (heaven help us) She thinks that she needs her own machine now. Maybe....

Carrie & Scott shooting mom's gun. She did rather well- hitting the coke can several times in a row!

Duncan & Scott shooting. Oh- and of course Copper. She has to be right there with you whenever the gun comes out. It is funny, but good for Scott since he is working with her to be his "hunting dog".

Carrie & Duncan sitting around the campfire. They love their tiny chairs to sit on. It makes them feel important~ or something.

Scott & Copper around the fire. He is always good to get a nice fire going. I'm starting to see his Boy Scout skills being put to good use!

Duncan asleep in his sleeping bag. I know that it is hard to see him, but Scott wouldn't let me take another picture of him for fear of him waking up from the flash! (yes, his sleeping bag is camo)

Carrie getting ready for bed in her sleeping bag. She loves sleeping in it and feeling like a big girl.

It isn't camping until the kids get dirty. You should have seen the bath water when we got home!

Duncan crashed before we even pulled out of the campsite. He slept the whole ride home, which made for a nice and quiet drive.

FUN TIMES

We are so fortunate to live so close to many beautiful mountains! On Saturday, we loaded up the kids- including Copper and drove into Springville. We then went to Little Caesars and got a pizza and bread sticks and then headed east. Destination = Hobble Creek Canyon. We drove up there and then pulled off at a little field. The cows had been there with evidence of cow pies and the grass being only a few inches tall- as opposed to the knee high grass we had just passed.

We got out our chairs and then enjoyed the cool evening and pizza. We could have used some soda to wash it down with, but forgot to bring some! The kids had a riot in the dirt and finding sticks to throw to Copper. We then went down to creek and played some more with Copper and sticks. Although she is great at fetching the sticks, she has no clue that she needs to bring them back to Scott. So after throwing 20 or more sticks in the water, we headed back to the jeep where Scott shot is bow and then his handgun.

Here are some pics from the evening. We had a blast and hope to do this more often. We already have next weekend scheduled for camping and 4-wheeling up Diamond Fork Canyon. Stay tuned for more posts!

******

Carrie was smiling and when I asked her to open her eyes, this is the picture I got!

******

Scott and Duncan eating some pizza.
******

Copper swimming in the creek, waiting for Scott to throw another stick.

******

Carrie hates any loud noises, so when she saw the gun come out-
her fingers went into her ears!

******

I really don't like this picture of me, but since I hardly have any with the kids,
I thought that I 'd put it in....

******

Duncan's overalls fell down, so Carrie was helping him put them back on- kind of. It was so cute- she kept saying "Lift your leg up Duncan", but his shoe kept getting stuck so Carrie just took them off.

******

Scott shooting his gun, and Copper having to be right next him. In fact she kept nudging Scott in the butt with her nose everytime he shot. It was really funny to watch.

******

Scott picked this flower. I've never seen anything like it- it's so beautiful!

******

Carrie playing with the arrows. She was a good helper to pull them out of the target, and then flail them around like batons.

******

I am only doing this tag because I love you Nicki.....

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excited and ecstatic to not have to be on clomid anymore.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Never!!!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? I turned 25 the day before she was born

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Took a test the day I was to get my period, and it was positive!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Scott

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Hell NO

9. DUE DATE? January 18, 2005

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? I didn't throw up until 2nd trimester, and then continued to throw up until I had her. But it wasn't really morning sickness- I would puke b/c my gag reflex was super sensitive and everything made me gag.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Pancakes, red meat & fish

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Peeing my pants b/c I puked a ton...

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? We were convinced it was a boy, but were excited to have had a girl.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? I lost 40 lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? No surprise

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Had a small amount of bleeding at 11 weeks, some pre-term labor, but nothing to crazy

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Provo, Utah- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 4, and 1 push

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Scott

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Scott

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I did get an epidural, after some resistance- but it ended up being the best thing. I was able to sleep and then woke up with her head already crowning.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6lb 4oz

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? December 31, 2004

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Carrie Louise Witney

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 years 4 months 28 days... :)

So I got these fun potties at IKEA, and the kids were so excited to use them that they stripped down to nothing and sat down. It was too cute of a picture to pass up.

P.S. Duncan did go pee in the toilet a few minutes later. Pretty sure he'll be teaching Carrie how to use the bathroom!

FINALLY!!! SOME NEW PICTURES.....

I LOVE this picture!
Carrie and Duncan do love each other. They just happen to
fight like cats and dogs in between holding each others hands~

Carrie squatting, for no reason at all other than she can!


Just a funny picture of Duncan. He is getting so big! I want my baby back :(

Carrie LOVES momma's sunglasses! She knows she looks good in them

I spy Duncan in all the camo...

Rrrrrr

Carrie and Duncan are obsessed with pirates, which is funny in itself... But apparantly Duncan knows what a pirate says... It is so cute. We were trying to get him to say hello because he says it "hewhoa", but we only got a hi.

Easter Fun at Aunt Cherilyn's house.

This year for Easter, we went up to Cherilyn's house and did an egg hunt there. The kids had a blast, and it was fun to be with Cherilyn, Riley and Kyle. I did realize though, that at these times, I miss my parents a ton and only wish that they could live out here for moments like these.

Carrie was having fun finding all of the eggs..
Duncan really enjoyed it as well. It is funny to see his little

body bending over to collect all the eggs.

He found one!
Carrie was excited to get a Dora bat.
Duncan thought it was hilarious to hide in Coppers dog-box. We had to drag him out as he wouldn't get out on his own!

I think that this is my favorite picture because Duncan thought that he could pick up whatever he wanted. So as you can see, he collected a dog toy during the egg hunt. He was so proud of it too!

Yeah for me.

For any one that cares...

I have a 4.0 in school.

This has never happened, but I hope to keep it this way.

Yeah for me.

The things that keep me busy.

As if having two toddlers isn't busy enough, I've decided to go to school. I started at the end of January at Stevens-Henager in the Medical Specialties program. I eventually want to become an RN, but in order to do that program, I had to have a bunch of pre-req's that I didn't have. By the end of the specialties program (it's 20 months long) I will have several certifications under my belt like: CNA, MA, EMT, phlebotomy tech, lab tech, limited radiologist, etc... I figure that the more schooling and certifications I have, the more qualified I will be to then attend the nursing program.

Although this school is VERY expensive and time consuming, I love the fast pace and experience I am getting. I have 100% attendance so far ( a huge accomplishment for those of you who know my history...) and have gotten A's on all of my assignments/tests. Although I hate to be away from the kids at night during the week, I know that my hard work will be rewarded and that my family will be blessed from it.

Scott also stays busy now that he has started working in the Provo Temple. Since he doesn't work on Friday, he now spends his morning in the Temple. I am grateful to him for his diligence and desire to serve. Carrie's favorite song on our Primary CD is "Temple Song" and we listen to it over and over and over... Everytime we go past the Temple she gets excited and says that she wants to go in and see "Daddy's Temple". It is so cute to see her interest in something so important. I can't help but think that she feels the spirit and senses something special about this sacred building.

Well, other than work, school, temple, a dog and 2 toddlers, we stay plenty busy, but love every minute of it.

Great. I've been tagged.

Rochelle tagged me, so here I go.....

1. 10 years ago:
I was 18 and in my senior year at Lake Forest High School. I would have been getting ready for my final trip to Europe with the Band/Orchestra. We went to Prague, Vienna & Budapest. It was a blast and I am so happy that I had the chance to go to Europe 3 times while in high school.

2. 5 things on my list to do today:
-Find my dumb keys (we did. in the trash! Thanks Duncan.)
-Haul off the crappy free bed (we did)
-Finish cleaning the house (we got a good start, but still need to finish)
-Clean jeep (not so much)
-Return stupid chairs to Ikea (yes, and got a new kitchen table. Yeah!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Reese's peanut butter cups (holiday kind like the Easter egg ones in the store now)
Mini vanilla wafers
Tortilla chips

4. What would I do if I were a billionaire?
Pay off my debt; move out of this stupid HOA neighborhood and onto a ranch with lots of animals and a TON of property; get plastic surgery to make me a size 8 so I don't have to shop at the "Fat lady store" anymore; fix my feet and buy lots of shoes; get a Kawasaki Mule & a sweet camper trailer. I could go on, but I have a primary lesson I have to finish preparing after this!

5. 3 of my bad habits:
-I am a procrastinator and I hate it!
-Not putting away laundry after I wash it.
-Sleeping in until my kiddies wake me up.

6. Places I have lived:
-Lake Bluff, IL
-Salt Lake City, UT
-Orem, UT
-Springville, UT
-Spanish Fork, UT

7. Last 5 jobs I have had:
-Cashier at Sunroc
-Cashier/Manager at Christopher & Banks
-Cashier at Lane Bryant
-Staff at group home for mentally handicapped
-Food preparer at Fresh Food Junkies

8. 5 things people don't know about me:
-I'm addicted to Glenn Beck (ok- some of you know this, but others don't!)
-I am baby hungry right now
-I would like to get my tattoos fixed (yes, I have a tattoos- is that even spelled right?)
-I wish I could kick in my neighbors teeth b/c she called the cops about our "barking" dog and demanded that charges be pressed so now we have a fun ticket we have to pay. Oh- by the way, our dog doesn't bark that much....
-I see dead people (not really, I just didn't know what else to put!)

Hope you had fun reading this....

My very first post!

OK, I am really dumb when it comes to blogging and internet stuff, so please be patient.

I'll start with some pictures of my CRAZY kids, and then hopefully I'll start posting some more stuff!