Thank You!

So I'm trying to keep our blog up to date a little better than I have in the past and I would be very ungrateful if I didn't write at least a little bit about our experiences after Ben's accident.

When ever I start thinking about raising my boys, I think about all of the terrible things we are surrounded by in this world.  If I let myself think for too long, basically everything scares me.  I start thinking...I wish I could make all of their decisions...okay maybe not all...but most, so I can ensure they are safe and happy.  But as we all know, that's just not "the plan:.  About now you're probably thinking, "Where the heck is Eleshia going with this one?"  No worries, I'm getting there.  After Ben's accident we found out that even though there are a lot of bad people out there, there are still even more amazing people out there, who genuinely care about others.

We have been so incredibly blessed by so many people, family, friends, and a multitude of people we have never even met.  Although we have shed many "why and now what" tears, we have shed just as many tears of gratitude and wonder.  There is no way I could ever thank everyone that helped us, so I am going to attach a couple of things that Anthony has written.

The words "Thank you" seem so insufficient to express the deep, heartfelt, and humble gratitude we feel.  It can't be said enough, but it will never be enough.  THANK YOU!  We are so grateful for your love and support.  We love you!

LIFE IS GOOD!

If you are reading this blog it most likely means that you know me really well because I really don't think there are many people who stick it out with my blog due to my terrible habit of not updating frequently. With that said what I am about to say next may or may not be surprising to you. I HATE WRITING! I am too much of a perfectionist to enjoy the process, I agonize over my wording and spelling, so it takes me five times longer to blog than it should. There you go, that is my excuse. You probably already knew it, but I thought I would go ahead and put it out there. My goal for this post is to finish all of the writing in ten minutes...starting now. It is my goal to not rewrite anything or double check my spelling, so if incorrect spelling or improper grammar bother you...stop reading now. Wish me luck...this is way harder than you thInk for me.

This is my second time trying to update our blog.  I really did give it the "old college try" like I said I would in that first paragraph but then I ended up staying up until like 1:30 in the morning and what I ended up with was more of a journal entry with too many details and I hadn't even made it half way through our adventures, so I saved it to my computer, determined to finish it soon, so I can put it in my journal before I forget everything.  Here's take two.

I really like this picture of my beautiful happy boys hanging out together.  I have told Anthony multiple times lately that I love how well our boys play together.  It is mind boggling to me.  I have mentioned on this blog before that I was an incredible mean big sister.  I used to pick on my little brother relentlessly.  It is just the two of us and I am five years older than he is, I don't know if that made a difference or if I was just a stubborn bully, but I don't remember us playing together well/often.  My boys are amazing they play together constantly, everyday, and more often than not, as of late, very peacefully.  Kyle loves to read and the other boys love to listen to him.  I love moments like these when I am able to catch them just enjoying one another.  I love my boys so much and hope they stay good friends through out their lives.

A week before Camron was born one of my first soccer girls Kaitlyn Averret...Blackham was sweet enough to come out to our house and take some pictures for us.  I think they turned out great and I am so grateful that she was willing to share her time and her talent with my family.  Thank you, Kaitlyn!

Check out this stud!  I can't believe this little man is already six years old.  It seems like just yesterday, he was born and my world was turned upside down.  I just read a blog that Sarah Scott...Averret, if you are wondering, which you may or may not be, yes...she did marry into her best friend's family, the afore mentioned Kaitlyn Averret...Blackham to be clear.  Wow that was quite the tangent, I'm not sure how to punctuate that and I don't want to take the time to figure it out, so I'm just going to move on.  Sarah had a great link on her blog to another ladies blog that talks about raising kids.  This lady talks about how everyone is so pessimistic about children and parenthood.  I can't do it justice, so take a few minutes to read this blog, so you can fully understand my train of thought.  Basically reading this blog made me think about my attitude toward parenting...I think I have been a "negative naysayer" about parenting more often than a positive voice for how wonderful and fulfilling parenting can be.  Like I said earlier, having Kyle turned my life upside down.  I was used to doing what I wanted when I wanted and changing from all about me to all about him, was really hard for me, but it has totally been worth it and it has gotten much easier with the birth of each of my boys. 

Here are my "Just Waits" for Kyle

• Just wait until your nearly six year old calls you atleast three times a day while at his grandmas house just to tell you what he is doing and talk to his brothers.
• Just wait until you little man decides it's okay to wrestle with his shirt off and then walks around like a tough guy for the rest of the practice.
• Just wait until your little man is brimming with excitement to show you a surprise downstairs and then when you go down there he has cleaned the whole toy room without being asked.
• Just wait until you hear your little man say multiple times..."I can't believe you're actually my soccer coach!" 

Kyle has been so awesome lately.  He has been so easy going and fun.  He plays so well with his little brothers and he has been really helpful around the house.  He loves reading and loves being with his friends.  I am so grateful I was blessed six years ago with such and amazing boy!

This little cheese ball is my Benjamin.  You probably can't tell from this picture, but Ben hates pictures.  By this point of our photo shoot he was done.  He was forcing back tears, but he was a good enough to give it one more try for me.  Benjamin is such and amazing boy, he has always been my boy, my cuddle bug.  He is so fun and loving.  He has an incredible imagination and is by far the best out of my boys at playing by himself.  He can get lost for hours in his own little world, but he is also a fantastic friend.  He seems to truly understand people.  He seems to understand the give and take of playing with friends better than even Kyle does.  He is such a sweetheart...if Kyle has taken something and from him and I intervene on Ben's behalf, if Kyle starts crying, Ben will just give him the coveted toy/object.  He hates to see his big brother sad.  He is also one of the most courageous boys I know.  Since his accident so many people have told us, "Don't worry, you'll see, little kids are so resillient."  And I believed them, but it is still amazing to me to witness it.  Ben is still the same happy boy he was before the accident.  He is tough and determined.  He works hard at what ever he is asked to do by us or his physical therapists and he never gives up.  He figures out ways to do what ever he wants to do.  But most of all...he never stops smiling and loving life.  He is truly amazing!  I love him so much!

• Just wait until your little man wraps you in a hug that completely melts your heart.
• Just wait until your little man truly shows you the meaning of forgiveness when he, with out prompting or guile, shares his birthday candy with the little girl who was brought by her mother to your house to appologize to him for making fun of him on the bus about his leg.

Look at this handsome boy!  I know I am totally bias, but man...he's cute!  Tyler bug is my high energy always on the move, all boy.  He has two speeds fast, rough, and tough and asleep.  He will go 100 miles an hour for as long as I will let him and then he will crash with in minutes of resting his head on the pillow.  He loves playing with his brothers and he loves, I mean LOVES..candy.  Anthony calls him, his little lion cub because he is always climbing on him.  It reminds us of the documentaries you see where the lion cubs are crawling all over their mamas as they lay there patiently.  I wish I could say I am as patient with the constant jarring of his climbing as those lionesses.  Although his is a rough and tumble kid, he loves to cuddle.  The day always seems to go by much smoother if I take the time to cuddle with my bug in the morning.

• Just wait until you hear your two year old totally included in his big brothers' bed time chats, when all of them are laughing uncontrollably instead of sleeping.
• Just wait until your little man's first words in the morning are in a whisper..."Ben...Ben!  Where's Ben?  Where's Kyle?  Where's Daddy?"  
• Just wait until you watch your little man race into his daddy's arms as soon as he comes through the door after work.

How can you not smile at this boy!  This is how Camron looks all the time.  He is by far my most smiley baby.  He is so happy and content.  He rarely cries unless he tired or just needs a change of scenery.  I don't know if it is because Camron is so interactive at such a young age or because I'm pretty sure he is going to be my last infant, or because I have pretty much given up any hope of getting him on a schedule like I had the other boys on, but I have been much more relaxed and I have had much more fun with this little guy than I remember having with my other boys at this age.  He is just so dang cute, he makes me want to just squeeze him. 

• Just wait until you three month old starts smiling so big it seems like it starts from his toes.
• Just wait until you wake up in the morning to your little one cooing to himself in his crib.
• Just wait until your little one cranes his neck clear around to see you when he hears your voice.

To sum it up, I have four amazing, talented, and beautiful boys.  I have an incredible husband that loves me and adores his boys.  A man that my boys can look up to and learn from.

LIFE IS GOOD! 

5 Years!!!!!!!

My baby turned five!!!  I can't believe Kyle is already five.  It doesn't seem like it has already been that long since my life was totally turned upside down.  This little man is so amazing!  He is so smart and fun.  Lately he as been a very easy going kid.  He is an amazing big brother and an excellent helper.  He is so excited to go to school this fall.  School is going to be an interesting experience.  I have no doubt that he will excel, I just hope he doesn't make the teachers pull their hair out when he finishes his work before everyone else and then proceeds to distract the rest of the class.  I guess we will see what happens...maybe his father will know what do do to help the situation, since Kyle is practically his clone in every way shape and form.

Anther Grandma Milty masterpiece! 

 These cakes taste as good as they look!

 These are the friends and cousins Kyle invited to his birthday party: (L to R) Back row = Trevor Fowles and Taylor Whitney.  Front row = Dawson Dimmick, Ryan Dimmick, Kyle, and Ben.

We played a couple of games before we moved on to the presents and cake.  First we let the boys throw darts at balloons for prizes and then they smashed Kyle's Saturn pinata.

 These were Kyle's third and fourth favorite presents of the day.  He loves projects, so Uncle David, Dawson, and Ryan hit it out of the park when they gave him this Lego thing.  His #1 favorite gift was the BB gun Uncle Justin gave him and then coming in at #2 was the "Lock it in your pocket" remote control car we gave him (I don't know what they are really called, but that is what Kyle called it when he begged me for months to get him one.

Ben Day and More

I'm back to the ranks of horrific blogger.  What can I say...sometimes you feel it and sometimes you don't. 

Here is a quick update on our lives:

Ben turned 3 on February 13th!  I can't believe how fast time flies!  He is such a sweetheart, we are so blessed to have him in our family.  I think Ben is destined to be the peacemaker of our bunch.  He is my tender hearted, little, cuddle bug.  He loves to play with Kyle or anyone for that matter.  He doesn't have to be in charge, he is just happy and content playing anything from bear hunting to family.  He doesn't seem to be really passionate about anything yet, he is just a very easy going, fun, little man!  Here are some pics from his birthday (more proof of my inept blogger status).

Ben requested a train cake and of course Grandma Milty hit it out of the park!

 I love the cheesy pics!  They remind me of all my birthday pics from back in the day. 

 Ben has always loved playing restaurant, so we thought this play kitchen would be a hit.

 As always, the boys had more fun playing with the box than they did with the kitchen.

 Honestly, they played with the kitchen for a few hours on Ben's birthday and a few minutes the day after....

 but they spent hours playing with this box.

 They were playing so well together this day that I don't think I made them go get dressed until just before lunch.

 The rest of these are just random pics.

 Ben still hates getting his picture taken, but I liked the lighting in the pic. 

 You know those times when it is too quiet?  Luckily this day no harm was taking place.  This is where I found Tyler.  The boys had emptied their toy box earlier that morning and I found him in there playing contentedly by himself.  I can't believe he stayed in there long enough for me to take his picture.  As you can tell by the crazy claw hand, this picture was snapped just in time.

 Tyler's a daddy's boy.  He loves to be outside!

 Anthony and his brother Matt made our haystack into a fort for the kids.

 Not long after this pic was taken, the kids talked the guys into putting some wood in there for a desk and they had made a bed as well.  The boys love playing with their cousins.

So there you have it.  With all of the snow and cold weather we have stayed cooped up in our house the majoirty of the time.  Now that it is spring, Anthony has started sheering again, I'm reffing again, and I have become involved with creating a middle school traveling soccer league.  We are as busy as ever, but loving every minute of it.  I'm so grateful for my three healthy, beautiful boys and my amazing husband who allows me to explore my excessive soccer/coaching endevours. 

Grandma and Grandpa Milty

This post is long overdue, as you can tell by the Christmas tree in the background, but I really liked these pictures, so I decided to post them anyway.  While Anthony and I went to the Logan temple to participate in an endowment session with my friend Sarah, my mom and dad watched the boys.  We had a great weekend thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Milty.

 While we were gone Grandma helped Kyle build this gingerbread train.  Originally she thought both of the boys would want to decorate the train, but Ben quickly told her that he did not want to help with the train, he wanted to continue hunting bears with Grandpa.  

(The weapons necessary for a successful bear hunt: One noisy, flashing light sword, a pair of binoculars, an empty pocket knife scabbard, and of course a flashlight.)

Grandpa has been so amazing with Benjamin.  He has played hunting for hours with him.  I really don't know how he does it, I can barely last 20 minutes in any kind of make believe activity.  Lately their targets have been coyotes and bears, but all too often while stalking said prey, Ben the hunter gets attacked by snakes or other wild beasts and must be revived by a quick dose of fruit snacks or tickles.  Ben loves spending time with his grandpa.

Grandma and her baby!

I thought this picture of my grandpa (Grandpa Great) and Kyle turned out great!  I'm so happy my boys have had the opportunity to get to know my grandpa.  He is such a funny man.  I only wish they would have had the opportunity to meet my Grandma Dimmick, she was truly an amazing lady.

Time Flies

Last Saturday Anthony and I were able to attend the Logan temple to do an endowment session with one of my great friends, Sarah Scott.  

 

I met Sarah when Anthony and I moved down to Sanpete back in 2005. As is the case with just about all of my friends, soccer is what brought us together. 

At that point Sarah was a funny little freshman that played on the first team I ever had the opportunity to head coach, the Manti High School Girls Soccer Club.  

It may sound weird that one of best buddies is a girl that is 9 years younger than me, but if that seems weird to you than you don't know Sarah. Sarah spent countless hours helping me build my house while Anthony was in St. George.  This entailed watching as another great friend of ours got hay stuck on her hands while tarring my foundation, pulling what seemed like miles of electrical wire, using sawzall blades to prepare sandwiches, competing to cut out and place string on mock recessed lighting, and great conversations about nothing and everything. 

She is an incredible young woman who has been a great example to me and everyone she has come in contact with.  I am truly grateful that I have been given the opportunity to get to know her over the years.

This picture was taken just days before Sarah was married.  She and her fiance (Zach) came over for dinner that night and then decorated some cookies with Kyle.

Sarah and Zach were married on December 28th in the Manti temple.  It was a beautiful day.  I am so happy for them and I can't wait to hear about all of their adventures in the Air Force. 

It's unbelievable how fast time flies.  It's crazy to watch as my girls go from being silly high school girls to college students, missionaries, wives, and mothers.  Since 2005, seven of my girls have gotten married, four of which have babies of their own now, and three of my girls have gone or are heading out on missions.  This all means that I'm getting old, but I don't feel any older now than I did when I left Portland 11 years ago.  How does that work?  Who knows...but I'm okay with it.  

Presents for My Babies!

So I decided this year that I would really like to make a gift for my boys every year. I don't know if I will be able to fulfill this idea, desire, dream...I can't think of the right word right now, but I think it would be really cool if I could. I need to include a huge thanks here to Garry Bringhurst (A.K.A. Grandpa Garry) for cutting all the blocks out for me and a doing all but the sanding on the boxes.

This one is for Kyle. I got this idea from a Book of Mormon Heroes puzzle that Grandma Sheila gave the boys last year. Kyle enjoys playing with that one so I thought I would make him his very own Kyle interchangeable puzzle. I had him pick out six of his favorite pictures. Then I used spray adhesive to glue each one of those pictures to a different face of the puzzle and Mod Podged it on. This process was way more difficult in the doing than it was in the thinking. I had never used Mod Podge prior to this, so I had a bit of a learning curve to over come. All in all I think they turned out pretty good. I would definitely do a few things different if I were to do it again, but we'll have to see if they like this before I considering a repeat.

Ben doesn't have quite the attention span for puzzles as Kyle does, so I made his with only three pieces. The fun part about his is that I tried to get the boys to pose in relatively the same positions so Ben could miss match their body parts.

This is Ben's head on Tyler's torso with Kyle's legs. Kyle had a great time dressing up crazy and posing for these photos, Ben hated just about every minute of it, and Tyler was just about impossible to take a picture of.

Seeing how Tyler is a baby and all that I just went with a cube for him. There is a different picture on every side. I just hope he doesn't turn this into another thing to beat Ben with. It is 4 in. x 4 in. and it ended up a lot heavier than I had anticipated.

Here are a couple of pictures of the awesome boxes that Garry built for me.

I can't wait unitl Christmas! Anthony and I decided not to get the boys a lot of toys this year because they already have about three totes full of toys that they barely use. Instead we bought the boys things we can do as a family. We bought them each a little tool set and then Anthony found some bird house patterns and a couple of other projects online for them to do. Both Kyle and Ben are always begging us to do things with them, so hopefully this will be a fun and memorable Christmas for them.

This is a blanket that I made while I was pregnant with Kyle. He received so many blankets that I never gave it to him. Then Grandma Steinfeldt made Ben a blanket that he absolutely adores, so I didn't give it to him either. Lately Tyler has been trying to steal Ben's blanket whenever possible, so I figured I may as well give it to him. Who knows if he will like it now, it is a bit big, but I'm sure he will love it someday. I figure this is just as good, if not better than, giving him a buch of of boxes and wrapping paper for Christmas, which I'm sure will rule the day no matter what we give him.