Kerestes Korner

A conversation with Jordan

2012-02-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Me: Jordan please finish your breakfast

Jordan: I eat it all I can have Ice cream?

Me:No you may not have Ice cream this early in the morning.

Jordan: Oh ok

10 minutes latter....

Jordan: Mom I finished my cereal... time for Ice cream!

Me: No Jordan you aren't having Ice cream

Jordan: I want something else to eat I still hungry.... how about something from in here... (opening the freezer)

Me: Jordan get out of the freezer.

Jordan: But mommy I still hungry I need Ice cream.

Me: (getting a little frustrated) Jordan I already told you no don't ask again.

Jordan (whining and fake crying): Mommy (running down the hall and shutting the door)

Giving her a few minuted to calm down I head down the hall to talk to her.

Me: Jordan, (looking in her room) where are you?

Jordan: I in your room

Me: please come out so we can talk.

Jordan: No

Me: why not

Jordan: cuz I not love you any more

A little Shocked I go into my room (trying not to laugh)

Me:Jordan did you say you don't love me any more?

Jordan: Yes cuz I want Ice cream and you say no.

I explained to her why she didn't need Ice cream and that it isn't nice to tell mommy that you don't love her.

Me: Jordan I will always love you no matter what.

Jordan: Mom you want me to put woeshin (lotion) on you feet?

Me: No thank you I need a shower 1st.

Jordan: But mommy I love you.

How come she is so sweet?

It's Offical

2012-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

So I hate to admit it but I wasn't sure I wanted this day to come. But it has and I am starting to enjoy it. What is this terrible thing I was dreading you ask? Soccer! That's right I am a "Soccer Mom". I know it isn't that bad, so far... Luckily Cohen and Kaelyn are on the same team "The Saints". They are both enjoying it a lot. They had their 1st game on the Saturday Jan 7th. The Saints vs The Dust Devils
We Won! Saints 3 Dust Devils 2. We are so proud of our team.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving Lance's brother Mike and his family came to visit for a little over a week. We all enjoyed visiting and getting to know each other better.

All the Kerestes Grandkids

Played Football in the Street

Drove Go Karts

Rode Bumper Boats (and got wet)

Played Miniature Golf

All in all we had a blast and can't waite to get togather again soon.

Missing Teeth

2011-12-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

The Tooth Fairy has been very busy at The Kerestes Korner. Kaelyn has lost 4 teeth so far with a few more on the verge of coming out. Cohen keeps checking his teeth to see if any are loose. No such luck. Jordan keeps telling everyone she talks to on the phone that Kaelyn teeth fell out. Kaelyn's 1st grade class sang "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" it was quite fitting beings most of them were missing more than a few teeth. Kaelyn is also using all the tooth fairy money on Christmas presents for others. She is such a thoughtful little girl.

She's Here!!!!!!

2011-10-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

That's Right! Bria Amelia Kerestes was born October 22 2011. She weighed 8lbs 3oz, 20 1/2 inches long, and has strawberry blond hair. Carolyn was able to avoid a C-section altogether this time. Mom and baby are doing well and recovering nicely. Bria and Carolyn arrived home late Sunday night and are enjoying being home. Kaelyn is a great help, in the hospital she didn't want to go home because that meant she had to stop rocking Bria and give her back to mommy. Cohen enjoyed holding her as well but he felt most comfortable behind the camera taking pictures. Jordan on the other had just wanted to kiss Bria and hold her. Any time Carolyn gets up to do something Jordan puts out her hands and offers to hold her. Carolyn had to put the bouncy seat on the dinning room table so Bria can get some sleep without getting touched constantly. All in things are going well so far.

I would like to thank all of you who kept us in your prayers and gave us so much encouragement during the pregnancy. It really meant a lot to us.

Prince Eric and Princess Charlene

2011-10-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I am from a large family (8 kids 5 girls and 3 boys). I am the 2nd child and have had the pleasure of watching the majority of them grow up. There has been many experiences such as HS graduations, baby blessings, Baptisms and weddings to say the least. In mid August I got a call from my youngest sister Charlene who is in her 1st year of collage. Charlene informed me that her and Eric have decided to get married Sept. 9th 2011. I was shocked and excited all at once. Being 32 weeks pregnant I wasn't sure if I would be able attend but I really wanted to! I talked to Lance and my OB and was given the ok to go. Lance and I decided that it would be best if I went ALONE!!! without Lance and the kids. I made all the necessary plans for Lance and the kids and I was on my way (by plane). I arrived on the Sept.6th and stayed for a week. It was a wonderful trip.

The wedding was beautiful and I love my new Brother-in-law Eric. It was fun getting to know him. I was able to take a few (ok a lot) pictures but I will not bore you with all of them. So here is a sample:

A few of the grandkids!

The Bride's Maid's

Charlene and Eric

The wedding Party

Porter, Estyn and Vince

Cool Weather

2011-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

My favorite season is fall. Not sure if it because fall is the season that my birthday falls in or the idea that the weather gets cooler (yes even in Yuma the weather gets cooler) and the leaves change colors. Now in Yuma the leaves don't change much but I am OK with that since we don't get S N O W! I love to open all the doors and windows turn on the fans and bask in the cool air. The kids can go and play outside and I don't have to keep getting on the to shut the door to keep the A/C in. Last night the kids played outside for about an hour with the dog and I was able to relax with my feet up. Oh how I love fall!

One Year Older...Happy Birthday Kealyn Tate!

2011-10-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

On the 9th Kaelyn turned 7 years old. Since I am due on the 24th of this month we decided to no do a big party. We decided Kaelyn could invite one family over for dinner and desert. She was also able to pick her favorite dinner and desert. She picked Ice cream cake and Pizza. We invited the Fonseca family who we have know for about 2 years. They have 3 kids two of which are twins and will be turning 5 this month. They also have a 3 year old so we had 6 kids hanging out at our house. Lance's Parents, Regan (Lance's sister) and her boyfriend Matt came too. Over all it was a nice relaxing day and Kaelyn had a great birthday. Thanks to all that came and made her day great. Happy Birthday Kaelyn!

Summer Catch up! Visit to WA!

2011-10-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Like most summers our family drives up to Wa to see the Lumpkins side of the family. This summer was no different...at first. We headed to Logan where my sister Mary lives to cut the drive in half. Planed on staying there for a day or two. Upon arrival we realized the car was having problems. So our stay turned into 3 days. We are glad Mary and John were so willing to let us stay with them for so long. Thanks you two we love you so much.

We made it to my parents house just in time for Porter's HS graduation. It was great we visited with Grandma and Grandpa Jolley, my sister Dora and her family, my brother Estyn and his family, my sister Charlene, my brother Vince, and my sister Collette and her family. Over all it was a great trip and the kids had fun getting to know their cousins.
On the way home we stopped by and saw Mary and John again (we only stayed one night this time). from there we drove to Vegas and visited with Bruce and Sally (Lance's Dad's cousins). We stayed the night with them and spent most the day there too. We arrived home tired and happy to be home.
Over all it was a great trip and we are looking forward to what next summer will bring us.

Potter and Kerestes Kids

Taken for a ride

Smores

The Family

Porter's Graduation

Sallie, Bruce and the Kids

Aunt Charlene and the kids

Time to stock up!

2011-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Strawberries went on sale so I decided to stock up. I made some Jam and froze some too.

22 containers of Strawberries,

All chopped and ready for jam.

7 jars of jam

sliced strawberries all sealed and ready to be frozen.

So 22 16oz containers of strawberries = 7jars of jam and 8 1gal bags of sliced strawberries. I would say I had a sucessful day!

June Birthday's

2011-09-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

In the month of June, Cohen (the 24th) turned 5, Lance (the 28th) tunred 33 and Jordan (the 30th) tunred 3. So we had a combined party with food, frineds and lots and lots of fun take a look.

Kaelyn's New Skill

2011-07-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I Love To See The Temple

2011-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

On our way up to Washington State this year we decided to take the trip slow and visit as many temples as we could on the way up. We visited:
1.) Las Vegas, NV temple
2.) St. George, UT temple
3.) Provo, UT temple
4.) Mount Timpanogos temple (in American Fork, UT)
5.) Draper, UT temple
6.) Oquirrh Mountian, UT temple
7.) Jordan River, UT temple
8.) Salt Lake City, UT temple
9.) Bountiful, UT temple
10.) Ogden, UT temple
11.) Logan, UT temple
12.) Boise, ID temple
13.) Columbia River temple (in Richland, WA)
14.) Spokane, WA temple
15.) Idaho Falls, ID temple
16.) Manti, UT temple

We are so blessed to have so many temples so close to us.

2011-07-19T14:33:00.001-07:00

Hey Mom! The movie said my name!

2011-07-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

So when Lance and I found out that our 2nd child would be a boy we knew immediately that we where going to name him Cohen. My mom had given Kaelyn a fun nick name so I was wondering what she would give Cohen.
Out family has a tendency to quote movies all the time. we may call each other up just to see if they know what movie we are quoting. It has been a lot of fun over the years. I have tried to share this love with my kids. The past few weeks we have gotten hold of some old movies my family quoted a lot and I have showed them to the kids and Lance. As many of you know me well I don't have a how do you say a quiet laugh. I find my self laughing all by myself at the movies. I get some interesting looks from Lance and the Kids but oh well.
So the other day I turned on the movie Cool Runnings (Love this movie) while I got a few things done around the house. The kids heard me laughing at random times so they decided to watch it with me. I had left the room to have Cohen chasing right behind me say with a big smile on his face..." Mom mom the movie said my name!" I stopped what i was doing and asked him "What did they say?" I knew exactly what he meant but I wanted to hear him say it. He replied "they said Webster Webster and Cohen! Mom that is what Grandma L calls me!"

In the movie if you haven't see it or it has been a while: Jr.'s Dad is tired of him chasing a silly dream of being an Olympic runner and tells him he is sending him to Miami, Fl for a job he got him at a Law Firm called Webster Webster and Cohen.

Cohen is now catching on to the Love I have for this movie. Not just for this one scene but for the movie it self!
Now when we watch it Cohen says here comes the very best part of the movie. It is nice to know Cohen and I share the same love for something even if it is a silly movie!

Jordan Assumes

2011-07-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

So I normally do Laundry on the weekends because it is cheaper on my wallet. But there are weekends I don’t get around to it because I am so preoccupied with something else. So instead I try to get a few loads done before 9 am. One particular morning I got up and took the sheets off my bed and proceed to the laundry room so I could start a load or two. Jordan is an early riser so she was up and fallowed me. I could tell she was a little confused at why we were doing laundry so early. I asked her if she wanted to help and she perked right up. As I was putting the sheets in, she looked up at me and said…”Daddy Peed?” I laughed and said no Daddy didn’t pee the bed. It is really sad when your kids think the only reason you wash the sheets is if someone peed the bed. I am just glad she blamed it on Lance and not me!

Jordan Loves Her Daddy!

2011-05-24T07:30:00.001-07:00

We have found that all are kids are so very different in every form of the word. Jordan (Red) is the most interesting at this age. Lance asks her is she loves him and most of the time all she will do is scowl and turn away from him. Other time she will say no and other time she will tell me as he is driving away to work that she loves her Daddy. Lance and I have tried many times to get her to say it to his face. Over the past 3 years we have learned that her actions speak louder than words. I have mentioned to Lance a few times when Jordan is not in ear shot that she does love him even thought she doesn’t say it. Here are a few ways of how she shows her love for her Daddy:

Adventures of the Kerestes and Linn Families

2011-05-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed to find such wonderful friends here in Yuma. The Linn's are no exception. We decided as a family we would head to San Diego for 2 days of fun. We went to Balboa Park and The Mormon Battalion. We all had loads of fun.

Silly Faces

All 8 kids together and somewhat smiling

Going for a wagon ride

Getting into character

Panning for gold

It's Another Girl!!!!!

2011-05-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

That's right we are blessed with another girl. Her name is Bella and she is already 4 months old. Her birthday is Jan. 8 2011. She is such a joy and the kids love having her around. We have had he only a week and surprisingly I love her like one of my own. Thanks to Bella I have been up by 5:30am every morning she will not let me go back to sleep. I can tell you one thing I am not as tired during the day because Bella keeps me on my toes. Even thought is has been only a week I have been thinking that our family would not have been complete without her. Welcome to the Family Bella

Aunt Edna

2011-05-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

My Dad only has one sister Edna who is 7 years older than him. She and her husband Bill have lived in California in the same house for as long as I can remember and long before that. Since Lance and I have lived in Yuma we realized that they were only 3 hours away so we tried to visit them often. It has been so fun to get to know them better and for them to get to know my kids as well. For the past 3 years Aunt Edna has been ill and in the Hospital a few times. I had the opportunity to go and visit her on one occasion when she was in the hospital. I was 9 months pregnant with Jordan and feeling quite LARGE! I rode over with my dad who along with my mom had flown in from Wa the day before. When I entered her room I was taken back at home much she looked like my grandmother who had passed way when I was 9. As I told her this she smiled and told me how taken back she was that I looked so much like my mother. It was a great experience to be with her and hold her hand while she laid there in her hospital bed. Within 2 days of going to see her she was released from the hospital and sent home with an Oxygen tank. We were all pleased to see she was getting better. Three Years passed and I got a phone call from my dad saying she had a heart attack and had passed away. My parents drove down and stayed with us and we drove up to my uncle’s place and visited with Family and went to the funeral. It was hard to see my uncle and cousins so sad. I knew in my heart she was in a better place and wasn't in any pain. I loved her dearly and will miss her.

The Rodeo

2011-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's a...Girl!

2011-05-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

That’s right we will have 3 girls and 1 boy. Cohen was a little bummed on Friday when we found out but has since got over it. I think!
When we found out that Kaelyn was a girl was couldn't decide on a name. So in the delivery room we finally decided on Kaelyn. Phew! I was worried we would bring her home unnamed. So with this little girl I was determined to have a named picked out ASAP. So Friday night I sat on my bed reading through the baby name book. After I had a list of a few I went and sat by lance and ran some by him. After a few minutes we agreed on the name....Wait for it.....Bria. We haven't picked a middle name but we have time for that. I can't wait to bring her home!

15 weeks!

2011-05-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a long 15 weeks in one way and a short 15 weeks in another. We have been swamped with Softball on Tuesday nights for Lance; Kindergarten for Kaelyn; Preschool, Kinder registration, and Kinder testing for Cohen; Young Women’s, Dr. appointments, Youth Dances, Daily Naps (don't be jealous), Nausea and counting down to October 24th (The Due Date) for Carolyn; Dress up, puzzles, being sassy, and loving to snuggle for Jordan.

I am totally thrilled to be expecting our 4th child. We will be finding out on May 12th the sex of the baby. For those of you who were wondering...there is only

ONE

baby. I was worried that possibly there were 2 since there is something in the water here. There are 2 sets of twins in our ward and another set due in November. Cohen has been praying for twins so we had my Ob make sure there is only one. Phew!

Sick and Trired of Being Sick and Tired

2011-02-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

So I have been sick off and on for the past few months. In November I had Kidney Stones (can you say strong PAIN killers). In December I had an upper respiratory infection (1 round of antibiotics). And in January I got Strep throat, thanks Lance for sharing (Round 2 of antibiotics). One night I was having trouble sleeping so I relocated out on the couch. I watched a little TV and started to doze off when I was greeted by:

Kaelyn
Who had a high fever!
And not too long after that we were greeted by:

Cohen who also had a high fever.
I may have been sick but I had to document this event!

Hanging Up The Lights...

2011-02-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

One Saturday I woke up to a quiet house. I thought for a moment how nice, then I realized at I could here Jordan playing. I got up wondering why I could only here Jordan and ran into Kaelyn who was looking for a stocking hat to put on so she could go out front with Dad. You see Lance was outside hanging up the lights. I asked Kaelyn where Cohen was since his bed was empty. She said as calm as can be.."Oh he is on the roof." My heart sank what if he falls. I then ran to get the camera and this is what I found:

Day #6

2010-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry if this is boring any of you. I wanted to document this so I wouldn't forget. I promise this is the last one on this subject. On with the stats!
Day 6: Jordan has had 0 accident's and wore only one pair of underwear today.
What a relief!

Potty Training Day #4 and #5

2010-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Day #4
1 Pair of underwear 0 accident's!
I am so amazed at how well Jordan is doing!

Day #5 (Sunday)
2 pairs of underwear 1 accident
She wore a Diaper to Church for safety (I am not ready for that just yet and I am sure the Nursery Leaders will thank me for that)

Potty Training Day #3

2010-12-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

Jordan is learning quickly, sometimes she doesn't even tell me she has to go. She just runs to the bathroom and then calls me when she is all done. She has a book she reads while she goes too sometimes it drives me crazy but she has a routine so that is good.
3 pairs of under wear.......2 accidents
1 nap with out an accident
1st Time she Poop in the potty
Jordan we are so proud of you.

Potty Training

2010-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Day one: 1 pair of underwear 0 accidents
1 fit about having to put on a diaper to go to play at grandmas.
Day two: 4 pairs of underwear so far 3 accidents 1 trip to the store with out
an accident.

Photo Shoot

2010-12-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

So just before Thanksgiving I decided that we needed to get our pictures taken for Christmas cards. To save money I took out the camera and started to take pictures of the kids. I bribed them of course. Here is a little sample:

5K Turkey Trott

2010-11-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Rah! Rah!

2010-11-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Craft

2010-11-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Kaelyn's lost tooth

2010-11-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

It happened. I knew it was going to happen but I was so not ready to pull it. That kind of thing makes my skin crawl. She was so excited that her tooth was loose she was always wiggling it and asking me to check if it was ready to pull. When my teeth were loose I would always wait until it would almost fall out on it's own I hated having to pull them. So on one particular day Kaelyn asked me to check her tooth and that is when I saw it. The first thing that came to my mind was...she is going to need braces and I needed to start a savings account not so that kind of thing. What I saw was her adult tooth coming in behind her baby tooth. I showed Lance and said this baby one has to get out. So after 2 days of trying Lance got out a "tool" and pulled it. Lace gave her and big pep talk about how it will hurt but not for long and that is was going to bleed and to not worry. Kaelyn was so brave. I hope that her Adult tooth will come in just fine.

All Dressed Up

2010-11-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

I know haloween was almost a month ago but I thought better late than never. I was trying to do a theam this year. the theam I picked was Star Wars. But Kaelyn didn't want to be Pirncess Lea. So I thought Well I still have Cohen as Darth Vader and Jordan and Yoda. But as soon as Jordan saw what Kaelyn was wearing she ran to the dress up box and changed to match sister. She was so cut when she came out that I didin't have the heart to make her change.

Kaelyn's Brave Donation

2010-11-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Before

After

All in the name of Locks of Love

Cohen's Thought of the Day

2010-11-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy but I took Jordan and Cohen with me to my eye appointment. They were really good and I made sure that I brought coloring books and The Friend along to read. (The Friend is a magazine our church put together for kids 3 to 12 years old) As we were sitting in the waiting room Cohen wanted to know what they were going to do to my eyes. I let him know that they were going to look at them and make sure I had the right kind of glasses. Cohen doesn’t do much talking when Kaelyn is around so when she is at school I try to have as many conversations with him as he will allow. While waiting this is what we talked about:

Me: Cohen when you grow up do you think you will wear glasses?
Cohen: Um no! (With attitude) I am not going to grow up I am going to stay 5 forever!
Me: But Cohen you are not 5 yet
Cohen: I know…but when I turn 5 I will stay 5 forever.
Me: ok if you want to.

The doctor then called us in. He is a member of our ward and the kids know him so they were comfortable talking to me in front of him. We chatted and he (the Dr) mentioned how fast they are growing.

I told me what Cohen had said in the waiting room. He chuckled and said Good answer moms never what their kids to grow up. Cohen responded like this.

And I am not getting older than 5 and then my hair wont grow and I will never have to get it cut again.

The Dr and I couldn’t help but laugh. I love the way Cohen’s little mind works.

Trip to UT

2010-11-03T18:12:00.001-07:00

Kealyn's 1st day of School

2010-11-03T17:58:00.001-07:00

Catching Up...(Trip to PA)

2010-11-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

#8 Visitting Mary and John In Utah

2010-07-20T15:08:00.001-07:00

Metting skittles their dog

#7 Being with Family!

2010-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Jordan Playing Grandmas piano

Coloring with Jessie.

The girls: Jordan, Aubry, Jaylene, Kaelyn and Kira swinging on the Grandma's poarch.

Cohen and Kaden Sharing their food with Logan

#6 Getting Our Hair done.

2010-07-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dora loved how long Kaelyn's hair was so she decided to braid it for her. I guess it was so relaxing that she fell asleep.

#5 Making Cinnamon Rolls with Aubry

2010-07-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Aubry was my little helper. Wish I would have take more pictures of the process.

# 4 Slip-N-Slide

2010-07-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

My parents have a great front yard for playing. It is big and has a sligh slope for great Slip-N-Slide fun!

Kaden and Kaelyn racing...not sure who go to the end 1st but it was fun watching.

#3 H.S. Grdauation

2010-07-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

My younger sister Charlene Graduated from H.S. and we had the opertunity to be there for it.

#2 Cook Out at The Potter's

2010-07-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

We spent a few day at The Potter's house playing and cooking outside.

Highlights From Washington Road Trip

2010-07-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

1)Cousins, Cousins and more Cousins:

Surprise!

2010-06-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

As many of you know June is a busy month. We have 3 birthdays all within a week of each other. Lance's was on the 28Th and he turned 32. That morning i got up made cinnamon rolls and called a good friend of ours that works with Lance. I asked her to see what time Lance was taking his lunch and if he had any meetings today. I let her know what my plans were so she could be sure not to let him escape. She called me later and informed me that he plans on going to lunch around 11:45 and he was free of meetings today. I finished the cinnamon rolls and packed a lunch for the 5 of us to share and headed to Lance's office. As we walked in the office I had the kids walk in ahead of me and as we rounded the corner He saw the kids 1st. He was so surprised and excited to see us. I took the cinnamon rolls into the break room and we sang to Lance and then we shared the cinnamon rolls with his co workers. After that we went to lunch at the local hang out near his work. a bunch of his co-workers where there as well so they made sure to announce over the Loud speaker the is was Lance's birthday and proceeded to sing to him. After we finished eating we headed home. Lance was able to take the rest of the day off. Kealyn and Cohen rode home in Lance's car and I took Jordan in mine. Jordan was not excited about this since she wanted to be with daddy and the big kids. Lance was able to get some rest while the kids and I rapped his gifts. We rented a movie and Opened Lance's gifts. Over all it was a great day and Lance was extremely surprised. Thanks to those who helped me pull off such a great surprise. We love you Lance.

A Helping Hand

2010-06-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

After Cohen and Jordan went down for their naps I went to lay down. Kaelyn came into talk to me and this was our conversation:
Kaelyn: Mom Jordan's awake
Me: Oh good. Will you play with her for a few more minutes?
Kealyn: sure and she left
10 minutes latter
Kaelyn: Mom, Mom (trying to wake me up)
Me: What! (not happy to be woken up)
Kaelyn: Jordan peed in her Diaper so I changed her.
Me: oh well thanks you. You didn't have to.
Kaelyn: I know (then she was gone again)
Letter......
Kaelyn: Mom mommy (again waking me up)
Me: Yes Kaelyn (a little annoyed)
Kaelyn: So Jordan pooped in her diaper....and so I changed her...
Me: Seriously? bring her here (to my surprise she did a wonderful job both time).
Me: Thank you Tate you are awesome.
Kaelyn: I knew you didn't feel well and wanted rest so I changed her for you.
She then proceeded to tell me of her experience changing a stinky diaper. I will spare you the details.
Kaelyn I love you and I am not sure what I am going to do when you go to all day Kindergarten.
Just a side note Kaelyn has never changed a diaper before now and I have never expected her to ever change a diaper.

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

2010-06-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Did you miss us, or did you even notice we were gone?

As many of you know I am the second in a family of eight children. Many of us have moved away from home but most still live in WA State. On the 12th of June my youngest sister Charlene graduated from High School. So we packed the kids up and headed up to WA to support her. We stopped in Layton UT and stayed the night with my sister Mary and brother in-law John. The next morning we headed up to my parents. Out trip consisted of visiting Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents, having sleepovers, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores on two different occasions, sitting in the “hot” sun (it was only 90) watching Aunt Charlene graduate, shopping, playing at the park, reconnecting with old friends, feeding the seagulls, playing on the slip-n-slide, getting rides in a wagon behind the lawn mower, and playing the Wii with Uncle John and Aunt Charlene. We are home now andlooking abck on our trip we feel over all it was a bunch of fun. I will post pictures in a few days.

I just want to thank everyone that let us sleep at their house eat their food. We enjoyed hanging out and we will see you next year when Porter graduates!

Bike Ride!

2010-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

So I got a new accessory for me bike so that the four (Kaelyn, Cohen, Jordan and I) of us could go on pike rides together. I put it together all by myself (well Kaelyn and Cohen helped). Jordan loves it so much the we have a hard time getting her out of it and when I tell her it is time to go somewhere she automatically runs to the bike!

Hardwear Store Craft

2010-06-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

A few Saturday's a month the hardwear store has a free craft for the kids to do. The get and apron, a patch and a cerfificate. The kids have so much fun. Cohen loves that he gets to use a hammer

.

Getting the Mail

2010-06-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

Our kids love to go check the mail. Most of the time I take them but this particular time Lance said he was going to check the mail and all 3 kids came running. I stayed far enough behind them to get a few pictures. I just love watching the kids bond with their dad.

See World and The Zoo

2010-06-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

My friend and I decided to pack up our 4 kids (my 3 and her 1) and head to Sea World and The Zoo! The first day was Sea World and the second was the Zoo! Here are the pictures we took:

Lesson Learned

2010-05-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

Kaelyn and I went shopping at Old Navy. We shopped their clearance because they had a 50% off the marked clearance price. We look at all kinds of stuff. We talked and laughed and really enjoyed our time together. We went to a few other store and I was looking at swim suits and Kaelyn decided she wanted to help me find one. She made a comment about each one she saw, "Too shinny", "Too big", "I don't like that color", "This on is cute", wow that one has holes in it" and on and on. She sure has an opinion. I was at first a little embarrassed but then I realized she was being really cute. I really started to laugh when she blurted out really loud...."Mom a lot of these swim suits are so not modest" she said this with such an attitude. I was so proud of her for catching on so young. Lance and I must be doing something right! Love you Kaelyn Thanks for being such a great listener.

Awsome Deal

2010-05-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

So Target send me an e-mail once a week to inform me of what is on sale for the week. I was so excited to see that an Instep Bike Trailer that was normaly $100.00 is on Sale for $84.00. I showed it to Lance and he said well if you plan on using it then get it. So Monday morning I got up fed the kids got them dressed and we headed to Target. It felt like Christmas. I bought it brought it home and put it togather in the spot. Jordan Could not waite to get in it. She ran and got her baby doll to let her ride in it. I hooked it to my bike and we were off. Kaelyn and Cohen rode their bike and scooter on the sidewalk next to me around the neighborhood. Can I just say I love it!!!! Jordan didn't want to get out. Infact I unstraped her and she hung on to the straps to so I couldn't get her out. I prommised her we would go again latter. I am so looking for ward to our next ride.

Toilet Trouble

2010-05-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

To start off I want to say how much I love my Husband. He is my "Mr. Fix It" I would have taken pictures but he would not have been too happy about it. Now on to the story!

In our house there are a few rules like any other home I am sure. The most important rule right now it "Shut the bathroom door" and I don't mean while you are using it. I mean when you are done. Why you ask. Good question. Jordan our 22 month old is fascinated by the ability to flush the toilet. If she hears that someone is in the bathroom she runs to the bathroom so she can flush the toilet for you. Well a few weeks ago Cohen came out of the bathroom claiming that the toilet was filling with water. I dropped everything I was doing to save the day. The toilet was clog but didn't over flow thankfully. I used the plunger to no avail. I went online to see what else I could do to unclog the toilet. I found a sight that said to squirt dish soap into the toilet and then from hip height pore hot water into the toilet. It didn't work! but I read latter that if you child has flushed a toy down the toilet this would not work. (although if you don't have a plunger this remedy will work) This is when I came to the realization that Jordan had flushed something. I thought to my self I have to call Lance. I was hoping that I could fix it before he got home from work. Not the case. Lance tried and tried. He tried plunging it, Snaking it, Plunging again, and then snaking again. I even bought a new plunger since ours was getting old and the rubber was cracking. after a week of trying everything that we could think of he told me to call a plumber. I called around and got estimates. The best price was $85.00 to take the toilet off and fish out what was flushed by Jordan. I called Lance to tell him the news and he said "I can do that myself and save the $85.00" I tried to talk him out of it worried he wouldn't be able to do this himself with out costing us more money. Well.... Lance got home and after the kids went to bed (so he wouldn't have and audience I am sure) he did it. I helped a little bit. This hole time I thought Jordan had flushed a small rubber duck but I was soooo wrong. To my surprise she had flushed an empty bubble bottle. You know the cheep ones you get in a 6 pack at Walmart. So now the toilet is working and the kids don't have to use the master bathroom. Now I will be putting a lock on The bathroom door so that Jordan can't get in to prevent this from happening again.

A New Calling

2010-04-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

At church they changed a few people around to fill in the gaps where other had moved away. Lance and I teach the in the primary, the 7 turning 8 class. I am also in charge of Personal Progress with the Young Women. I enjoy serving my Heavenly Father in any way I can.

I got a phone call Tuesday night from the Bishops clerk. He informed me that the Bishop would like to see me at 6:30pm. I let the clerk know that I would be there. I knew as soon as I hung up the phone that I was going to be getting a new calling. You see my good friends Jennifer T moved away and not too long ago. She was the 2nd counselor in the Young Women’s Program at church. I knew that since she was moving that they would be calling at least one person to fill her calling. 6:30pm rolled around and I headed to the church to meet with Bishop Harris. He asked me if I would be willing to serve as the Young Women’s Secretary. I accepted and let him know that I didn’t want to be released from the Personal Progress. He let me know that that was not going to be a problem.

At church on Sunday the called a whole new Young Women’s Presidency with:
Heather S. –President
Shelly H –1st Counselor
Marsha N –2nd Counselor
Carolyn K (me)-Secretary

After they called our names they asked for all in favorer of these women serving in these calling raise your right hand. As I went to raise my hand Jordan tried to pull it back down. She apparently protested. I had a good laugh over that.

I am so excited I love each one of these women dearly and can’t wait to get to know them better.

What did you just eat?

2010-04-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

While my parents were visiting the kids fallowed them around almost everywhere they went. My dad was in the hall bathroom combing his hair and getting ready for the day while Cohen looked on intently. Dad slipped something into his mouth and Cohen without skipping a beat looked up at my dad and said "Grandpa what did you just eat"? (Cohen loves to eat and if you are eating something he wants to have some too) He looked at Cohen and smiled. He then opened his mouth and took out his false teeth. Cohen's eyes got big and my dad told him that Grandpa didn't brush his teeth like he should so they had to give him fake ones. All Cohen could say was "OH" and then open his mouth wide and touch his teeth. When dad told my mom and I this story I had to try my hardest not to laugh and make Cohen feel bad. Cohen is such a sweet little boy. My parents truly enjoyed their visit and so did we.

Easter!

2010-04-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Since my parents were in town and were leaving on Friday we decided to celebrate Easter on Thursday. Lance's parents come over and we had the Kids search for eggs and then we had a wonderful dinner. Here are some pictures from the Hunt. Thanks mom for being the Photographer.

A Fun Visit From The Grandparents

2010-04-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

This past week my parents drove down from Washington to pay our little family a much needed visit. My mom works at the local school where they live and was on spring break. So they thought it would be fun to come and visit with us since they had not send us since last April when my sister Mary got married. The kids were so excited to see them and didn’t want to take naps while they were here.

They arrived on Sunday evening and the kids greeted them with big hugs and kisses. I had planed to have my parents sleep in Kaelyn and Cohen’s room on the bottom bunk since it is a full sized bed and have Kaelyn and Cohen sleep in Jordan’s room. I set up a bed of one of them on the floor and the other could sleep on the toddler bed while Jordan slept in the crib. As it was nearing bedtime we did our normal bedtime routine. As the kids got in bed, Kaelyn protested going to bed. This is not an abnormal thing for Kaelyn so I just told her that I had a few fun things planed and if she didn’t go to bed she would not be able to participate. She told me she wanted to sleep on the top bunk with Grandma and Grandpa. I made sure it was ok with my parents and they were excited that she wanted to be closer to them. So her and Cohen slept in the same room as my parents and enjoyed every minuet of it. Jordan was glad they did this because she hates sleeping with a night-light on and with Kaelyn and Cohen in the other room she could sleep in complete darkness.

We went to the park and had lunch with our friends and played our hearts out.
The weather was really hot and Jordan and I got a little sun burnt. My parents loved meeting our friends and watching all the kids play. We went grocery shopping. I went visiting teaching and the kids got to stay home and play with Grandma and Grandpa. We watched the plumber fix the bathroom faucets. Wednesday night we all went out to dinner and La Fonda and had authentic Mexican food. Thursday we celebrated Easter and had Lance’s parents over as well. The kids looked for the eggs and then we had a delicious dinner. That night my parents left to head back home to Washington. They had planed to stay the night in Vegas and then continue on to my sister Mary’s house. They got there just fine and went out to dinner with Mary and her in-laws. They got a call from Charlene (my 18 year old sister) let ting them know she was throwing up and had a high fever. They decided to leave ASAP so they could be with Charlene while she was ill.

All in all it was a great visit and the kids are looking forward to seeing them this summer for Aunt Charlene’s High School Graduation.

Thanks for the visit Grandma and Grandpa Lumpkins. It was a real treat

Thanks A Bunch

2010-03-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Now I know Lance hasn't been gone very long but just because he is gone doesn't mean I have been alone. In fact Saturday night a few friends came over and hung out with me. We talked laughed and watched a really dumb movie. Then on Sunday Melissa came over and we cleaned the kitchen hung out, talked and made dinner together. Monday Jessica's kids came over while she has a Dr. appointment and when she got back she brought me lunch and we sat and chatted for a while. Tuesday Kaelyn and Cohen had pre school and while they were gone Talana and Miriam came over to visit with me and too see how I was doing. After they left I met up at the park with Lisa, Jen and Melanie we talked and laughed while the kids played. After that I had planed to go get groceries and take the kids with me. Lisa let me drop them off at her house and I got my shopping done ALONE!! I haven't done that in a while. Thanks Lisa. Wednesday the kids and I walking to the park to meet up with Jen, Lisa and Melanie again. Thursday The kids have pre school again and I plan on getting some laundry done. Also Thursday night is GNO (girls night out) at a friends house and Grandma Kerestes is coming over to watch the kids. Friday I don't have anything planed as of yet. But I want to thank everyone who has helped me out either by coming over, taking my kids for a while or helping me clean my house these past few days. It has meant so much to me. I feel I am really loved and watched over by my Heavenly Father. I think I have the best friends in the whole word.

Daddy Is far away

2010-03-22T09:39:00.001-07:00

On Saturday Lance left for a Country called Qatar (Kuh-tar). He will be there for a week doing some training and observing. Imagine me trying to explain this to my 3 kids. As we drove home from the airport I told them that Daddy would be in Qatar for a week and before I could finish my sentence Cohen piped and said "Daddy is going to play in a band"? I smiled (trying not to laugh) and said "No son he is going to a Country called Qatar not Guitar"
You see Cohen has a hard time pronouncing some words. He sometimes forgets to say the first letter of the word or replaces it with a different letter. Take the word Guitar for instance. Cohen calls a guitar a kuhtar. So when I told Cohen that Daddy was going to "Qatar" he heard "kuh-tar" and thought Lance was going to play a guitar in a band. I love how his little minds work.
I look forward to him coming home and seeing all the pictures he took and hearing about the experiences that he had.
Since Lance started traveling, he has been to many different places. Washington D.C., Oxnard California (near Venture Ca on the Ocean), New Jersey, New York and now Qatar.
Wish me luck while I am alone with all 3 of my adorable kids!

As Requested!

2010-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

I was made aware that the family pictures I posted back in December were really small and hard to see. Sorry it took me so long but I was able to get a bigger size onto my computer. So as requested here are the larger versions of our November Photo Shoot.

Look What Jordan Can Do!

2010-03-18T07:41:00.001-07:00

Jordan is growing so fast and trying to do everything Kaelyn and Cohen can do. Such as: Sleeping in a big girl bed. Climbing the ladder of the bunk bed (this freaks me out a LOT) Climb on the table. (Kaelyn and Cohen never tried this)

Make me a PBand J

2010-03-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Lance was home sick not to long ago. He asked me what was for dinner and I told him food storage soup. It was taking longer then I had expected so he looked over at Kaelyn and said..."Kaelyn what are you making me for dinner since what mommy is making isn't ready yet?" She looked confused and said..."I don't know how to make anything." Lance let her know that Peanut butter and Jelly was really easy to make and that her bet she could make that. Kaelyn took that as a challenge and asked me to help her get the stuff she needed. Lance didn't think she would do it, he was half kidding to see what she would do. Here is what she did...

Up Date On "The Challenge"

2010-03-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

The challenge has been going on for 4 full weeks now (well almost as of Monday the 15Th). I know I should have been updating each week but I wanted to see some better results before I posted anything.
The results: I tried on a pair of jeans today that I haven't worn since I had Jordan. They are a size 12. THEY FIT!!!!! So that is great news. I also weighed my self today!!! I am down...8lbs in a little less than 4 weeks! I am felling great and getting more and more motivated and I am starting to really enjoy the routines I am doing each night. I guess hard work really does pay off.
Thanks so much for all of your support.

The Sound of Music

2010-03-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

As a kid I loved watching "The Sound of Music" I think it is one of the reasons I love musicals so much. Well the last 24 hours (almost) I have had one of the songs in my head and I can't get it our. Hopefully if I blog about it maybe I can get the song out of my head. Don't get me wrong I like the song but it gets really old after a few hours. What is the song you ask...."May Favorite Things" sung by Maria when there is a tone of thunder and lightning. The part of the song that keeps going threw my head is: When the dog bites when the bee stings when I'm feeling sad... I know you are wondering why this song why this part of the song. Well let me explain. I am afraid of dogs not all dogs just big ones that bark at me for no reason. So I am kinda of a chicken but I am OK with that. I signed up to take a lady in our ward dinner since she is a little tide up at the moment. So I double what I was making for dinner so there was enough for her and her family as well as mine. I made a dessert and them proceed to load my kids in the car and take it over to her. I pulled into her drive way and there was her 2 dogs. A larger dog and a smaller dog. The larger one has scared me in the past since his bark it kinda frightening. I left the Kids in the car grabbed the food and walked slowly to the door. The husband came out to meet me and let me in the gate. As we were standing there getting ready to open the door and the pain hit me. (dang it I wasn't planing on crying as I typed this) I looked at him and said your dog just bit me. He said "Oh! that is why we have the gate up!" Well even though they have a little gate up so the dog can't get the the front door the dog was still able to rest his paws on the gate and bite my leg 3 inches below my butt. I proceeded into the house gave them the dinner and left. As soon and I got home I ran into the bathroom striped my pants down to see how bad it really was. (sorry no pictures) I wasn't bleeding but I have a one inch by two inch nasty bruise and some skin is peeling off. I have vowed and Lance reassured this for me that is will not be returning to this home. Now I sing...When the dog bites when the bee sting when I'm feeling sad... I just hope i am the 1st and last person that dog bites.

"Santa"

2010-02-19T12:06:00.001-08:00

The weather here in Yuma is fantastic in the winter so a lot of "Snow Birds"(I like to call them "old fogies") come down here to get away from the snow and ice. A lot of them are LDS and we have a branch for them that meets every Sunday at 8:45am in the same building that our ward meets. The Branch is quite large but would be larger if 1/2 of them would stop coming to our ward. We meet at 10:15am on Sunday. So it has been 3 weeks that we have gotten to church on time and there wasn't any more room in the Chapel and they can't open it up to overflow into the gym because the Snow bird branch is having their last meeting in there. So we stand in the hall take the sacrament and then go and sit in the Relief Society room and listen to the rest of the meeting there. I am a little bitter sorry.
Four weeks ago we were sitting in the very last row close to the door, when a couple of Snow Birds came in to sit down. The man had a large pure white beard and was kinds round in the middle area. Cohen looked and me and said in the sweetest whisper "Mom is that Santa"? I smiled and tried not to laugh as I shook my head. I then leaned over to Lance to tell him what Cohen had said. He told Cohen that he was one of his helpers I bet. Cohen liked that answer. I wanted to tell the old man what Cohen had said but I haven't seen him since (maybe because I haven't been able to even enter the Chapel in the last 3 weeks!
Cohen I just want you to know that we love you and all your cute sayings.

The Challenge!

2010-02-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

I use to have a saying that I quoted quite frequently "House work make me ugly" my new quote it "Marriage has made me Fat" I know it is not nice to blame being over weight on anything but myself but it is so much easier to blame someone or something else.
Where am I going with this you ask. Well I have a point and I am getting to it.
I have set a few goals such as loosing a few (more than a few) pounds, being more organized and bettering our family's food storage. I have been doing OK but Lance would like me to better. I know this because he has been making slight hints about a few of my goals. His hints haven't made me want to work any harder. So a few weeks ago he decided to change his tactics. He came home from work and said "I have a secret" If you know me even a little bit I have a very hard time with secrets and surprises. I have to know now and if you don't want me to know about something don't mention that you know something i I am not allowed to know. I tried to guess with no avail. I then let him know that he needed to tell me or I was going to be angry. Not really angry but a little bit. So he told me and I am glad he told me because I have started to try harder.
What was the secret?
Lance thinks he can beat me to the weight of 170lbs. This light a fire under me and to this day has not burned out. I am not going to tell you how much I weigh but I will tell you this Lance has more to loose than me. I know men loose weight different than women but I am more active than he is and I have an advantage. My good friends Mary, Liz and Melissa are going to push me 'til I break and then push me some more.
Here is Our schedules:
Lance
Monday: Jog for 45min.
with sit ups and push ups
Tuesday: Jog for 45min. with sit ups and push ups
Wednesday: Jog 45 min.
with sit ups and push ups
Thursday: Jog 45 minutes, Racket ball, with sit ups and push ups
Friday: Jog 45 min. Basketball 2 hours
with sit ups and push ups
Saturday: Jog 45 min Basket ball 2 hours
with sit ups and push ups
Sunday: Rest
Carolyn
Monday:Pilate's (8:30-9am) P90X(7-8pm)
Tuesday: P90X (8-9am)
Wednesday:Pilate's (8:30-9am) P90X (8:30-9:30pm)
Thursday: P90X (8-9pm)
Friday:P90X (7-8pm)
Saturday: P90X (10-11am)
Sunday:Rest

I will keep you updated on how we are doing. Vote for Carolyn!

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2010-02-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

Today at Preschool we decorated sugar cookies. I made my normal recipe but instead of White flour I used Whole Wheat. I wasn't sure if they would be any good. To my surprise they were a big hit. The mom's also like them and asked for the recipe. So instead of sending out a mass e-mail I am posting it.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
2c. sugar 5 1/2 tsp baking powder
1c. margarine 2tsp vanilla
4 eggs 4to5 c. Flour (white or wheat)
1 tsp salt
Cream together sugar and margarine. Beat in eggs until light. Add remaining ingredients. Bake in ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.
You may roll out dough and cut into shapes, or drop onto cookies sheet and mash down. Sprinkle with sugar before you bake or frost if desired.

Cup cake!

2010-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Jordan and I went to pick Kealyn up from a Birthday Party and they had extra cup cakes so my friend sent us home with 3 (one for each of the kids). Jordan couldn't wait until we got home to eat it. Yum Yum!

Lake Kerestes

2010-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

It rained and rained and rained. This is unusual for Yuma.

Caught Red Headed I mean Red Handed!

2010-01-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

So I was in the Kitchen cooking and Jordan was being really quite. I turned around and there she was...

Coloring...Their favorite past time

2010-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

The other night Kaelyn was laying on the floor coloring when Jordan decided to join her. Not too long after that this is what I found. They were too cute not to take a picture!

Washing The Car is Fun To Do!

2010-01-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post I mentioned that Parley came over and helped in the yard. Well he also helped wash the car. Since Parley was doing it Kaelyn and Cohen joined in. Jordan felt left out so Lance brought her out to help as well.

Parley, Jordan, Kaelyn and Cohen all drying the car.

Jordan loved playing in the soap!

Jordan Being a Big Help

Snug as bugs

2010-01-27T18:48:00.001-08:00

In Jordan's room we have a toddler bed set up. None of the kids actually sleep in it. The other night we knelt by it to have family prayer. After prayer the kids decided it would be funny if they all climbed in it. It was quite comical too see the 3 of them trying to all fit on this little bed.

Dress Up

2010-01-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

For Chirstmas all 3 kids got some fun dress up clothes. When ever we have company over they do a fashion show for them. Even Jordan gets into it.

Kaelyn Is full of questions

2010-01-18T06:05:00.001-08:00

Kaelyn and Cohen for a while have wanted to marry a few of my siblings. Kaelyn wants to marry Uncle Vince (22) and Cohen wants to marry Aunt Charlene (18). Lance and I have played along since they are young and don't understand the concept yet. Then They thought it would be fun to marry each other. The other day Kaelyn told me that she can't marry Uncle Vince or Cohen because Vince is her uncle and Cohen is her brother and that isn't right. I found out latter Lance had told her this. I told her that she was right and that she needed to marry someone that isn't part of her family. She thought for a while and started to color. A few minutes latter she piped up again saying "Well can I Marry Wesley?" I told her if he asked her to marry him it was alright with me. She liked that answer and went back to coloring. A few minutes latter she had a new question "Mommy how did you know that you were going to marry Daddy?" I smiled and sat next to her and told her that Daddy had asked me and then I prayed to know if he was the one I was to marry. She said "Oh so I can pray too and see if I can marry Wesley." I just smiled at her. Next thing I know she is kneeling on the floor in the living room praying. This is what I heard: "Dear Heavenly Father thank you for this day, bless me to be good and listen to my parents and make good choices. Oh and Heavenly Father can I marry Wesley? in the name of Jesus Christ Amen." It was so cute. I just had to share it with all of those who read our family blog.

Date Night and Hannah Babysat

2010-01-18T05:29:00.001-08:00

Friday night Lance and I went to see "Blind Side" at the Marine Base. It's great they have only one viewing screen but it cost only $2 a person. I called Hannah (one of the girls from church) to see if she was available. She was on one condition, Her parents were going out as well and didn't want to leave Parley (9 years old)home alone. So they wanted to know if he could come along. I was fine with Parley coming, he is a good kids and loves my kids.
When the movie got over we headed home and discussed the amount we wanted to pay Hannah. Lance thought it would be a good idea to pay Parley some as well. So we decided on a price for each of them. I took Hannah and Parley home and gave them their payment and thanked them for watching the kids. As I drove home I thought..Hannah's mom will be calling me in the morning to tell me I shouldn't have paid Parley. I didn't care since Parley helped and we didn't pay Hannah any less then normal even thought Parley came too. I told Lance and he just smiled he felt the same way I did about the situation.
In the morning I got up and took Jordan to the park where I was meeting a few friends to walk 3 miles. After my walk I planed on meeting Lance, Kaelyn and Cohen at the softball field so Lance could play softball. We all got home around Noon and sure enough the message light was blinking. I listened to it and called Hannah and Parley's mom back. We discussed that she wanted Parley to give the money back because we had not called him to babysit we had called Hannah to. We went back and forth for a while and I finally said okay he can give the money back if it will make you feel better. Neither one of us was mad. she just wanted Parley to be honest and she didn't think it was honest to take money for something he wasn't hired to do.
After I hung up Lance said he was needed some help in the yard and my car needed to be washed and he wanted Parley to come help him. So he called The family back and said the Parley could keep the money if he would come over and help him in the yard and help me wash my car. Parley was more than willing to come and help. He was also glad he could keep the money.
Next time we want Hannah to come and babysit we will ask if Parley can babysit too.

The fun things we have been up to.

2010-01-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

Jordan is learning to rind a bike, sort of!

Taking bubble baths!

Dressing up!

Decorating cookies!

And playing outside!

Check Ups and Cleanings

2010-01-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

On Monday Cohen had his first dentist appointment. He did really well. He sat still and was very cooperative. They said he has really deep grooves in his teeth and that brushing alone wasn't going to get into the deep part of the grooves. So they recommended we get them sealed. Over all it was a great visit and he was so excited to get some stickers and a new tooth brush.
Latter that afternoon Kaelyn had her 5 year old well visit with Dr. Amon. She is still in the 50h percentile and is healthy. She has extremely dry skin and so we need to get some better lotion for her.
On Wednesday Cohen and Jordan had their 18 month and 3 year check ups. Cohen's stats are: 39.5 inches 38lbs and in the 75Th percentile.
Jordan's stats are: 31.25 inches and 21lbs and in the 25 percentile.
Jordan got 2 shots and was really mad at me for holding her down while the nurse gave them to her.
Over all The 3 of them are healthy and growing up right on track.

Christmas!

2010-01-12T09:01:00.001-08:00

So I know it's late but here are some pictures from Christmas.

A Visit From The Young Women

2010-01-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

The 12 and 13 year old girls from church came over on a Tuesday night for a lesson in how to make bread. Their plan was to help me make the bread and then use it for the Sacrament that next Sunday. I had recently bought a hand grinder. Isn't it cute!
So before the girls arrived I ground enough wheat to make about 4 loaves of bread. The girl had no idea I had done this. I made a loaf ahead of time so that while they were making the other ones this one would be finished and they could sample it. To my surprise they loved it and there wasn't a crumb left. I had a batch in the bread mixer that was in the process of rising and then I had all the ingredients to make 2 more.

I showed them all the recipe and told them they would be grinding the wheat to make the bread. They were all excited until the realized that they were going to be doing it by hand. The each took a tern.

After they had all had a tern I brought out the wheat I had already ground and they were so relieved. Instead of putting all the ingredients in the bread maker I had them all mix the bread in a large bowl with my had mixer. After that we kneaded the dough and let it rise. They were not able to stay to bake it since it was already 8:30pm and they all had to be getting home. So I baked the bread after they left.

Before they left they all pitched in and did the dishes, and cleaned up our mess from making the bread.

It was so much fun to have them over and teach them something I truly enjoy doing. I hope they did too! Thanks Girls!

Sick!

2009-12-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while since I last posted. It has been a crazy time for the Kerestes Korner. Kaelyn brought home a nasty cough from who knows where. I got it then Lance got it, and then Jordan got it. Then Friday I left Cohen and Jordan with Lance while I took Kaelyn to Tumbling class. As I walked in the door from the garage I found both Jordan and Cohen in just their underwear and diaper and Lance no where in sight. Jordan waved at me as if nothing was wrong. Lance came around the corner with a hand full of laundry and informed me that they both threw up while I was gone. I thought great we just got over the coughs now this. Saturday morning I took a trip to The Mesa Temple with our youth. I felt bad leaving Lance with 2 sick kids but I had already committed to go. when I got home Lance informed me that Cohen now has been running a fever and Jordan only threw up once. Sunday Kaelyn and I went to church and Lance stayed home with Cohen and Jordan. Jordan wasn't sick any more but I had to teach a lesson so we decided it would be better if he just kept Jordan home with him. When Kaelyn and I returned from church Lance was fealling sick and Cohen still had a fever. By the end of the night I got it. Monday morning the kids slept in until 8am and Lance woke up and decided he felt better so he left for work. Cohen woke up with a cough and Kaelyn threw up breakfast. Jordan also has a fever but it is because she is cutting a new tooth. I am hoping we are all feeling better tomorrow. Cross you fingers. Kaelyn and Cohen have their preschool Christmas party tomarrow and I am incharge of making cookies. Now that all 3 kids are asleep I am hoping I can get them all baked and ready to go for tomarrow. I will be sure to take pictures of the party.

Family Pictures

2009-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving a good friend of mine took our family pictures for us. They truned out really well despite the fact the wind was blowing. Jordan wasn't in the mood to have her picture take so you won't get the opertunity to see her smiling face sorry. Here are a few of my favorites.

November 14th 10K Turkey Trot

2009-11-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

So the Annual 10K Turkey Trot has arrived in Yuma Az. Liz, Caroline and I decided we would all get matching shirts and do it together. Liz is a very fast walker, so when we walk together I sometimes have to jog to catch up with her. We try to walk at least 2 nights a week doing up to 5 miles a night. I thought that is was getting me ready for the 10K but I was sorely mistaken.
Registration was between 7:15am and 8:15am on the day of the race. You could have registered earlier but where's fun in that (we forgot to). So I picked up Caroline and headed to the bank so I had cash and then we were to swing by and get Liz. I regret to say…I made us late. There I said it. I thought that it would make me feel better to say it but not so much. We showed up at the park where the 10K was taking place and we hurried to be sure we could still register. They still let us. Why would they turn away 3 girls with the cutest matching shirts you had ever seen? We got our numbers and we got in line to start the race. We decided we would walk for 5 minutes and jog for 2 minutes. I did ok I could have done better if I had did a little more running previous to the race. We each took turns pushing Jordan in the stroller. I got to the point the running was getting really hard to do. I am not complaining I am just letting you know what a terrible runner I am. (I have set some goals to do better) So I decided walking fast was good enough. At least I was finishing the race. Liz since she is such a fast walker got further ahead and finished before us. Caroline and I had noticed that there was an older man behind us but we didn’t pay him much attention. We thought he was awesome to be doing a 10K at his age. We later noticed that he was getting closer and closer. Close enough that he was gaining a lot of ground. I was determined not to let him pass me so I started to walk faster and faster but it didn’t seem to be working. As we rounded the last corner I started running as fast as I could, there was no way I was going to let this old man beat me. Well as we got closer to the finish line I was feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to beat him. Caroline kept encouraging me and we crossed the finish line before him. I was so proud of myself. I completed my first 10K in 1 hour and 29 minutes. I gave the old man a hugged him and thanked him for the motivation. As they were giving out the medals they announced that he got the gold in his age group…the 90 years old and older. Holy cow! I cried. He is an amazing man. I also found out that he has been doing these races for years. I look forward to seeing him on December 5th for the next 10K and I hope to have a better time.

Halloween Party!

2009-11-02T08:00:00.001-08:00

Kaelyn and Cohen were invited to their first Halloween party. They played games, decorated cookies and had so much fun. Here are some pictures from the big event!

Look Who's Walking!

2009-11-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

As you can tell Jordan was a Turtle for Halloween. She loved the costume so much she didn't like to have it taken off. She is also walking or should I say running. We are so proud of our little Jordan.

5K Run/Walk 2009

2009-11-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

So a few friends of mine (Mary and Liz)talked me into doing a 5K with them. Mary had a baby 2 months ago and also has 2 older daughters Hanna 11 and Jenna 9. I brought my double stroller and Put Jordan in that. They had 2 races, a one mile race and a 5K race. You had the choice of Running or walking them and you could do both or only one. Hanna and Jenna wanted to do the one mile and so Liz Mary and I tagged along. I called the one mile my warm up. Then it was time for the 5K. My 2 friends walked with me for a 1.2 laps and then decided that the wanted to jog the rest. I continues to walk. Jordan fell asleep on the 2nd lap. As I got to the last 1/2 mile Liz came back for me and took the stroller so I could run the rest of the way to the finish line. I am not the great of a runner but I am working hard to get better and better. I was so proud of myself for sticking it out and making it to the end. I felt so good afterwords. I reached a goal and I intend to be able to run for a longer amount of time. Next month there will be another one so I will be Running/walking in that one too. Wish me luck.

Jordan Can't Stand to Sleep

2009-10-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Trip to The San Diego Zoo

2009-10-23T10:37:00.001-07:00

Lisa and I went to the San Diego Zoo on Wednesday. The Zoo was having a special for the whole months of October that Kids ages 3-11 years old got in free. So we thought that was a great opportunity and we packed up all 5 kids in my car and left for the Zoo. While we were there We saw all kinds of Snakes, Monkey's, Gorillas, Fish, Birds, Tigers, Hippos and so much more. The kids had a blast and Lisa and I enjoyed the joy it brought to their faces. They had a little play ground for the kids and we let them play there for a while. On the trip home the kids did a little sleeping and watching movies. Over all it was a great trip.

2009-10-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Kaelyn's Birthday Party

2009-10-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

We decided to have Kaelyn's Party at the park near our house since the weather was so nice. I made a cake and we invited a few of her friends. Everyone had lots of fun. After the party I surprised her and told her the Madi would be spending to the night. I wish I would have taken a few pictures of that but oh well. They both had a blast and went to bed earlier than I thought they would. Thanks to everyone that helped to make her birthday so special.

Kaelyn's 5!

2009-10-09T06:56:00.001-07:00

Kaelyn is turning 5 today and I looked for a baby picture of her as a baby but I was not successful. So I found a picture from 3 year ago. I will keep searching. The Other Picture was take in march of 09. Happy Birthday Kaelyn!

General Confrence.

2009-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

As many of you know twice and year (once in April and Once in October) we as Latter Day Saints get the opportunity to listen to the leaders of our Church speak on various topics and the Prophet Thomas S. Monson ask them to speak on. We as a family got to watch and listen to all these wonderful men and women speak from the comfort of our home. I had many things that would keep the kids busy as we listened to The Conference. I try to tech my kids the names of the First Presidency and quiz them on this. When one of them gets up to speak I say "Who can tell me who the is?" Kaelyn and Cohen have been doing very well. I thought that they would have a hard time remembering Brother Uchtdorf but instead they always forget Brother Eyring.
And them know who the Prophet Thomas S. Monson is as well.

So as we were listening today Cohen (our 3 year old) was coloring a picture and was in his own little world so I thought. He looked up and me and then the TV and asked who was speaking and I told him the persons name and told him what calling they held and he said oh. A few speakers later he asked again who was speaking and I answered him. He then said "Mom when is it Jesus Christ's turn?" I smiled and let him know that the Apostles and Prophets speak for Jesus, and that Jesus inspires them on what to say. Cohen then said "Well I better listen then!" he stopped coloring and sat quietly listening for a while.

I am so proud of him and the way his little mind works. I am so glad that I have a Father in Heaven that trust me enough to send me Cohen, Kaelyn and Jordan. So I can teach the the proper princaples to keep them on the straight and narrow. I pary that I will always have the paticence to raise them the rest of the way.

Is it over yet?

2009-10-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

So for Family Home Evening the other night we got together with The Lerma family and watched The new Johny Lingo movie. It was a lot longer than I thought it would be but the kids liked it a lot. Kealyn noticed that a lot of the people in the movie were wearing lava lava's and she thought that was cool. When there was about 20 minutes left Kaelyn (knowing that she couldn't have dessert until the movie was over) said "Mommy is it over yet"? Before I could tell her no Cohen piped up and said "Not yet they haven't Kissed yet"! Poor boy has watched too many princesses movies. We all thought that was way to cute. We laughed and he smiled really big. He knew he had said something really clever.

Who's Affraid of The Big Bad Wolf?

2009-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

After preschool I arranged for Cohen, Kaelyn and Jordan to stay with my friend Jen's house while Lance and I attended a funeral for a good friend of mine. Cohen ended up at my friend Lisa's house for some "boy time". You see I have 2 girls and 1 boy, Jen has a girl and a boy, Lisa has a girl and a boy, Lisa was babysitting a girl and a boy. So if you added right the boys were out numbered. So Lisa took all the boys home and Jen kept the girls. When I went to Lisa's to pick up Cohen she told me this story:
The Boy decided to watch a movie. The Three Little Pig was picked. When the big bad wolf Had made his entrance Cohen said..."Sister Love I don't like the big bad wolf."
Lisa said: "Yeah we don't let the big bad wolf into our house"
Cohen said: "We don't either, and if we read our scriptures the big bad wolf can't get in our house."
Lisa said: "That is right Cohen."

I was so happy to hear that he thought of this one his own. Cohen we love you very much and are glad that you are in our family.

Jordan's New Trick

2009-09-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Kaelyn came running in my room complaining that Jordan had changed the channel on the TV and she didn't know how to change it back. I went into the living room and found Jordan like this: I asked Kealyn if she had put her in the box and she said no. I took Jordan out and fixed the TV. Good thing I kept the camera ready because the got she did this: