Christmas 2011

This year has gone by so fast! It has caught me off guard that Christmas is here already!! We are all so excited to celebrate the Christmas season this year!  To do a quick update on our family this past year here it goes:

Andy is working at the Good Samaritan Village as a full-time CNA and is LOVING it! He is such a hard worker and is so pleasant to be around that everyone at work loves working with him. He comes home talking about employees at work and new people he met and funny stories from the night. He works Friday thru Monday from 2pm to 10pm. He loves that shift. He loves being a Sunbeam teacher and doesn't ever want to be released!! He enjoys spending time with his family and playing games. He is such a good dad and the boys love to play with him and wrestle! He will be waiting until the next applications are due, he is applying here and Cheyanne, WY and possibly a few programs in Phoenix, AZ. We are unsure of how things are going to go with applications here. We are HOPING he gets in and we can stay!

I am SO glad that my classes are over and I can finally be home with my kids all week! It wasn't too bad and I got A's in both classes!! :) However they told me that the only way that I will get accepted into the program is if I got a full time job as a CNA to get some hours. Not planning on doing that anytime in the future... so It might be awhile before I get in. :) Which is ok with me... I am more worried about andy getting done than me getting done with school.  I have been feeling GREAT! I am so glad that this pregnancy has been relatively mild compared to the boys. If I wouldn't of had that dang cold I probably wouldn't have been sick at all!!  We are still planning on not finding out the sex of the baby, which will be fine.... I guess. I am giving up fighting :) lol. This is something Andy is dead set on and there is NO changing his mind... believe me I have tried!! lol.  I love being a stay at home mom, even though some days I want to pull my hair out! lol.

Kyler is an energetic little boy! He loves playing with friends and his little brother... even though they fight most of the time they are playing. He has been going to BHS preschool and has LOVED every minute of it! He loves primary too! He is such a good boy and so tender hearted. He acts a little too much like his mommy some days :). We love him so much and can't imagine life without him!

Aiden has become quite the little stinker... and bully! He very much enjoys beating up his older brother. He has things figured out! He has already started telling fibs and I can't believe it! He is a VERY busy little boy and keeps me on my toes. He is also very much a follower and will do whatever Ky tells him to do.... even when he knows he will get into trouble. He is a very snuggly little boy and loves to be held when he wakes up from naps and in the morning. He loves to climb into mom and dad's bed in the morning and cuddle with us. It gets a little annoying having a little person in our bed every morning but can't complain about the cuddle time! He is very independent and wants to do everything Ky can do. He adds so much to our family... and we love him so much!

We are going to be adding another little person to our family the middle of May and are so excited. I am crossing my fingers for a little girl... I seriously need some pink in my life :), but will be so happy and grateful for a happy healthy baby.

This Christmas season has been such a great one for our family. We have been able to spend so much time with family who live far away, if only he could spend time with all of them! We are so grateful for our amazing ward and such great neighbors, people who care about others and are so giving to those around them. From the bottom of my heart Thank you!

I sincerely hope that all who read my blog have a very Merry Christmas! And keep the ultimate gift at the center of your holiday!

With all our love,
The Boyd Family

Thanksgiving 2011!!

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving, spent surrounded by family. Half of Andy's family were in Virginia with his Sister so this year Thanksgiving was spent with my family.  I saw cousins I haven't seen in years! It was so great! And I didn't take ANY pictures :( Boo! I have lost my brain!

We have so many things to be thankful for! Just to name a few: Our beautiful home, our amazing little boys who are so loving and love to fight (lol). I am so thankful for the new life we are going to be adding to our family. I am grateful for my AMAZING husband who is willing to do whatever it takes to support our family! He works so hard to get good grades and be here for me and the kids too. He is my best friend and is such a good man! I love you so much honey! I am grateful for this country and the freedoms we have. For the gospel in my life and all it means to me and my family. For a Temple marriage and the chance to be with my family for eternity!  I am grateful for our extended family and all they do for us! For good friends! We are so blessed!

HIRED... We are so blessed!

I am not sure why I have been putting off this post... but we are excited to say that Andy found a job! Not exactly the one he wanted... but no time to be picky! He will be working evenings at Good Samaritan Village. He did his CNA clinicals there and actually enjoyed it.  We are not sure when the unemployment will end, but assuming in the next couple of weeks. He has started orientation and will be doing his training in the next week ish.  We are so excited that he found something so fast!! It will help him to get more points when he applies to the program again in March. We have also been looking into other programs... out of state.... I know... NOT EXCITED! We are really hoping that this next time around he will be accepted.

As far as my pregnancy...  I am 14 weeks and doing great!! If I could finish getting rid of this darn cold I would be much better.  I have placenta previa, which means that my placenta is covering the birth canal and if it doesn't move by 20 weeks I will have to have a C-Section.  I have had a lot of bleeding associated with the previa, which makes us a little worried. I am not so excited about the c-section thing, but I am so glad that the baby and myself are ok. We have also decided that we are not finding out the sex of the baby. I am really nervous about that and not really excited.... I like to be prepared way before the baby is born. But if we are ever going to not find out... this would be the time, my sister is done having kids and gave us all her baby girl stuff... we are well prepared for both!

I am so excited for another little life added to our family. This has been quite the stressful time for us, not the best timing but he/she must need to be here now for a reason.  I struggled with this actually quite a bit at first, Andy has been so excited the whole time, he is so good about this stuff. When we get a prompting about something he is all for it day one! I on the other hand question, doubt and make up as many excuses as possible, I also went through a time where I was sure I wouldn't be able to get pregnant and hoped that was true (how sad is that? My poor sisters struggle with being able to get pregnant and here I was wishing for it... oh ye of little faith!). During conference Elder Anderson gave an amazing talk on families that hit me pretty hard. His main point was "that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions." What hit me the most was "Where is your faith?" I knew it was coming, I knew that was what we were supposed to be doing & I knew it was not what I wanted. Where was my faith? Now that this little life is growing inside me I have been better. I am getting more and more excited, and more and more nervous and anxious about how to make it all work.

In the past year and a half Andy and I have grown so much closer together, we have not had near the stress of money, and have had MUCH less than before. We have been so blessed and I am so grateful to the Lord. It has been a hard year. Making really hard decisions and trying to be faithful. I am so grateful for my beautiful little boys who keep me on my toes.... ALL THE TIME!  They are such a joy and blessing to us. I want to thank everyone who has been there for us, helped with our kids while I took classes and for the prayers said on our behalf. Thank you!

BUMMED!!

So we found out this week that Andy did not get into the LPN program.  It was something we were expecting but hoping for a miracle. So... trying to figure out plan B. If he would have gotten in, it would have been the easy road. Since when do you get the easy road... right? So he re-applies in March and we have until then to increase his points, so he is trying to find a CNA job. If he gets in then he will have to be working full time while attending school since the baby is due right around the time he starts school again. Unemployment will run out as soon as this semester is over. Trying my hardest to find the positives!!

Family Pictures.... HELP I can't decide!

Thanks to Natalie Williams for taking these pictures! I love them.... just can't decide which ones I like better... lol!  Check out her blog at nataliewilliamsphotography.blogspot.com

Homecoming Queen

 My gorgeous cousin Shannon Simmons was nominated for Homecoming Queen... and she asked Kyler to Escort her. He LOVED it and was so excited to see Shanny the princess :)

We borrowed a suit from Ashlee Olsen and Shannon got him some Sunglasses. He loved everyone cheering for him and shanny :)

All Dressed up and ready to go!!

 

Being crowned

 And she WON!! So that night we got to go to the Homecoming game where Shanny, the Homecoming king and Kyler rode in a Camero around the field. When they got back all Ky said was " I wanna go again!"

Getting back from the ride. After that he was glued to Shanny's side. He didn't want to leave her!

He had so much fun and loved every minute... I may be biased but he was ADORABLE too!!

Update

It feels like forever ago since I updated my blog on us. Life has been slightly crazy... I decided to go back and take a few more classes at EITC to finish pre-req classes for the LPN program. I only need 2!

Andy is finishing up his last 12 credits for the LPN program as well. We have the 2 classes I need together, that has been interesting. lol. Seeing him in a classroom setting has been kinda funny. He is the type that sits in the back corner leans up against the back wall and never looks at the book.... yet he answers all the questions right and is a little smarty pants. lol. He has helped me A LOT in our math class, I probably lean on him more than I should. He is doing so well in his other classes too.

Kyler starts pre-school at the High School in a few weeks. This semester and next. He is SUPER excited that he gets to go to the BIG school!! He has been so funny the last few months.  JaNae told him that if he eats all his dinner and stays in his bed ALL night then he will grow to be big like Daddy. He has taken that to heart and has been eating so much better and sleeping much better. He has been telling us since about February that he wants a baby girl. He was telling us a lot!  Two weeks ago he walked up to my aunt without even saying hi and said "my mommy has a baby in her tummy"!  So the secret was out. Yes, I do! Andy says that we are not going to be finding out what the sex of the baby is. Not sure if I can do that. Might stress me out the whole time, but we'll see if it happens. :) Kyler is so excited!! We went and had an ultrasound yesterday and all is well. We saw the heartbeat... and only one baby! For the past few weeks andy has been convincing me that we were having twins. But sorry babe... only one! We are really excited, not really the best timing, but hoping all works out in the end.

Aiden has gotten to be a little bit of a bully. He beats Kyler up a lot, most every day. He loves him though. Since they started sharing a room he wants kyler in his room when he goes to sleep or it is "scary" (learned that word from ky). He talks so much and repeats EVERYTHING said around him. He loves to play and is very cuddly still. But can be quite the little stinker! He LOVES nursery.

We are doing great!

Happy Birthday Ky!!

Kyler turned 4 a couple weeks ago! I can't believe he is 4 years old. Its crazy to me! He is such a good little boy & we love him so much! He has gotten so funny and the things he comes up with just crack me up!

2 years old!

This post is a month late... I can't believe my baby is 2! He has been such a joy and has kept me on my toes the last 2 years! He is a very busy little boy but so loving and cuddly!! We love him so much!!! HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY AIDEN!

5 years ago....

I can't believe how fast the last 5 years have gone! They have been the best 5 years of my life I think! I am so grateful for andy all he is for me and my little family. He is the best daddy and has won the hearts of our little boys, he is their hero! He is my best friend and means the world to me! I love you babe!

LAKE POWELL!!!

Lake Powell was a blast, it has been 6 years since I was able to go with my family. They go every couple of years. Andy had never been able to go because I have been pregnant and almost ready to have a baby when they have gone but, we had so much fun! So glad that we were able to go! Aiden stayed behind with Grandma Boyd and my sister SueAnn. We missed him terribly but he would have been such a handful there we are glad he didn't go. Here are several pictures of our week at Lake Powell :)

Kyler loved the Banana tube! He would stand at the end of the house boat staring at the tube until someone would ask him if he wanted a ride on it. It was pretty funny!

Andy and Brady cliff jumping. They kept going higher and higher.

Andy going down the slide and trying to.... not sure... surf? lol

Kyler jumping off the diving board! He did it the first day, and I missed it! He thought it was fun but didn't want to do it again... lol. I finally convinced him to do it again on the last day. He only did it once.

Me waterskiing

and I learned how to wakeboard.... kinda

Kayak rides

Kyler going off the slide... he LOVED that thing!! Up and down the slide over and over!

First camping trip this year!!! Lava Hot springs!

A new tradition in our family is this camp-out! Smith Trout Haven just outside Lava and spending a day at the pools! It was a lot of fun!
Our camp spot!!

Can anyone say "CHEESE??"Aiden walking around pulling his pants down!
All the kids... and grandpa!
JaNae our adopted sister finally joined us on a camping excursion.
The campground has swings and teeter totters scattered through the campground!
Day at the pool!! Our pool camp spot! I had gotten a HORRIBLE sunburn and needed shade we took the little canopy thing for some shade.

Eating lunch!
NAP TIME! Our homemade shade tent!! If you tell Aiden to not eat something... this is what happens!! The whole oreo is in his mouth!