Night Time

Last night we attempted a sleep over in the front room. J.D. is going to be gone for at least a week on a job that's 4 hours away. When the job is over 2 hours away, they pay for a hotel room for the crew because it's cheaper than paying travel time and gas. He is going to Plentiwood, which is where my nephew James was about 2 weeks ago serving his mission. 

Back to the sleep over. We made a bed, and before we could make popcorn both boys fell asleep. Monty slept so good next to Dawson. Dawson said he slept so good with Monty by him too. 

This gets me thinking that I'm going to put the boys in the same bedroom in our new house (hopefully we get). If it means they both sleep better, it only means that I'm going to sleep better. :-) I could use some sleep these days. The dark circles under my eyes are only getting darker. 

We've also started a new night time routine. We get on PJ's, brush teeth, read a book, read scriptures or an ancestor story, family prayer, hugs and kisses, and off to bed. It has been such a success. It helps us wind down, and we all sleep better. We are trying to get on a schedule for Dawson and starting school in August. Hopefully by then, we've adjusted well to a morning and night routine. 

Playtime

I had to snap this picture, it was too cute to pass up. First, Monty is holding himself up with his hands! He is growing up way too fast. He is rolling so much and spins around. 

He obviously adores Dawson, and Dawson adores him back. Dawson got this new hot wheels track from Grammy Shelley for being such a good boy all week! Monty thinks it's pretty cool too! 

Monty would try to follow it with his eyes, but it was pretty fast! Dawson would put his head through the loop and Monty would start giggling so hard. It was so fun to see them playing together. It will be fun to see Monty grow up more and really be able to play with Dawson. 

Grammy and Mother's Day

My mom flew into Rapid City Mother's Day weekend and we went to get her to bring her home for 1 week! While in Belle Fourche, we watched Mikinzie and Brezie dance at their recital. Sorry for the bad pics, I didn't take them... lol

My mom and her little Brezie Bear. 

Brezie did such a good job and loved her flowers!

I spent most of the time in the back because Monty absolutely hates the dark... so he was happy until the curtains opened and the lights went out. He immediately freaked out. I'm glad I got to the dances the girls were in though. 

Earlier that day my mom took us girls to get pedicures.... I fell asleep to the foot rub. It was heavenly! We drove home Saturday night so we could take my mom to church the next day. Our ward did a Mother's Day Brunch and the men took care of primary and the youth while we ate in peace. :-) We had such a great day! My brother in law got us all flowers-beautiful! J.D. and Dawson gave me flowers, a card, and the movies 'Red' and 'Red 2.' I LOVE these movies! They are so funny! It was perfect! Dawson also made me a bracelet earlier that week. I was making bracelets for a friend's daughter and Dawson said he wanted to make me one for Mother's Day. It was beautiful! I wore it all day and Dawson kept commenting on it. :-) lol! 

I made a malibu chicken dinner for all of us and I relaxed the rest of the day. I'm so grateful to be a mom. I love thinking about all the sacrifices my mom made and that I make, and it feels my heart with so much joy. I wouldn't change it for the world. Motherhood has changed my life and helped me see what my mother did for me and my siblings. I used to read about pure peace and joy in the scriptures, and I can truly say that I fully understand what that is. J.D. is such an amazing person and lets me know everyday how much he loves our family and how grateful he is for what I do. Dawson smothers me with loves and kisses all day. He constantly tells me the I'm the 'besets mom ever.' Monty's smiles just make me smile instantly. I used to think I wasn't a good mom, but I had a thought about Andee one day. It made me realize I must be a good mom if Heavenly Father sent me a celestial child that was too perfect for this world, and sent me 2 boys to help me get through every day with a smile. 

I'm so grateful for my mom and all she has done and continues to do for me. She loves us no matter what our mistakes. She is so easy to talk to and is always there for me. She spent many  nights holding me because of how sick I would get as a little girl. She made sure I looked cute for school, and made financial sacrifices so I could be involved in everything! She was there for all my performances, fed me, washed my clothes, and so much more. Thank you mom!

I'm grateful for my 2nd mom, my mother in law. I have learned SO many things by just watching her be the most amazing home maker and mother. She never fails to teach me something every day whether she knows I'm watching or not. I have learned to cook better and be a better home make for our family by her example and letting me practice in her home. She has helped J.D. and I through so much with the trials and experiences we've faced. Thank you mom! 

Happy Mother's Day to my sisters and sister in laws. I am SO blessed for each of them! I love that I have such a good friendship with all of them and know I can call them if I ever need anything. Thank you! 

Happy Mother's Day to my friends and their moms. Some of them have been there since I was born and I can remember learning from them as well. Their examples have helped me become me. Thank you!

T Ball Season for Dawson

T Ball has official started! Dawson is on the Astros team and loves being a part of something. 

Dawson and Carson are on the same team! It's unreal to see how these two play together. The coach puts them in the in field. Dawson is usually at the pitchers mound, and the coach puts Carson on the base that the kids run to. (Each inning they have the kids run to 1st, then the second inning they run to 2nd, and the third inning they run to 3rd. They do this to help teach the game to the kids). So Dawson is usually stopping every ball and he throws it right to Carson. You can tell the these two practice together because they really communicate and know what each other is going to do. The coach comments on their team work almost every game. 

Our little man on the pitchers mound. He is hilarious! In between plays and batters he will dance, give us thumbs up, do running in slow motion, and all sorts of hilarious things. We can't stop laughing because he is such a character!

This was their first practice. We love their coach! We've seen so much improvement and he knows exactly what to say to teach the kids to do better. 

I love baseball and I'm so glad Dawson loves it too. All the boys look so cute and are having so much fun! 

Andee M'lee's Headstone Finally!

A long time in waiting, but it's finally set. We tried to get a headstone for Andee about 2 months after she passed away. J.D. was so determined to get it done, but our experience was horrible. The company was so rude and didn't treat J.D. like he mattered, and disregarded all of our ideas. The consultant had me in tears by the end because she wouldn't listen to us. So we cancelled the order and waited for awhile to figure it out again. 

After moving to Orem, we went to Walker monument and it was so much better. They had so much patience with us in going back and forth with ideas and changes just to make sure we got what we wanted. We also took our time because we wanted to make sure we really were going to name Monty, Monty. Finally we had the design figured out. The two main things that we know about Andee, well her name and it's importance. Second, for some reason the gerber daisies always reminded us of her. 

The back has her brother's names, and leaves room for more siblings in case we have more. It also has the size of her exact footprints from the hospital. 

I texted J.D.'s mom the morning I got the email about her headstone being set, and she went up as soon as she could to take pictures and send them to us. J.D.'s mom, Destry, and Grandma Marjorie were the first ones to see the headstone. They put yellow daisies in the vase which couldn't have been more perfect because it's the flower that reminds us of Andee. 

We really have such amazing family and these 3 are extremely special. The front right is J.D.'s Aunt JoAnn (Bryant's sister), then to the left is J.D.'s sister JoAnn, and in the back is Andee (Dawson and Monty's sister). We noticed how three generations of Stevens' lost a sister. I'm so grateful that we could bury Andee in Holden with generations of family, and also we got to bury her next to her Aunt and, great Aunt. :-) I love it. 

We can't wait to see her headstone in person. I hope we can move back to Holden in a couple of years. I know Andee is with us wherever we go, but when we lived in Holden, Dawson and I would walk to the cemetery almost every day. We would sing to Andee, and Dawson would tell her all about his days. I miss it so much. I want Monty to have those same experiences. We were able to visit Grandma Marjorie and really get to know her. It's amazing how we've come to know what's really important and find what we really what by the experiences we've had. 

What Did He Just Say?

This morning Dawson came into my bathroom and asked,

Dawson: "Mom, why did Andee die?"
Me: "Well, remember you told us. She had to go back with Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father needed her more up there than we needed her."
Dawson: "Well, she is with family too."
Me: "Yep. She's with Grandpa Stevens, daddy's sister JoAnn, daddy's aunt JoAnn, and other family members."
Dawson: "Well in like 20 weeks we are all going to die and be back at the place that I was at before I was born."
Me: "Oh really? 20 weeks?" (I'm astonished and feeling like he is telling me prophetic things)
Dawson: "Ya. That place is a happy place and there's no bad things and no one is sick."
Dawson: "Then we will see Andee again and she will be small again like when she was born.")
Me thinking, He's seen her and knows she isn't a baby right now. He remembers the plan of salvation and remembers where we came from. He is remembering!! I start to tear up.
Dawson: "Mom?"
Me: "Ya?"
Dawson: "When we see Andee again, I will help you teach her to make right choices cuz she won't understand or know."

Me thinking, how could Dawson possibly just know that in the new millennium, we have to teach Andee right from wrong without sin, since there won't be any sin during the new millenium. That's something that J.D. and I ponder all the time and try to figure out how we are going to teach Andee. No here's Dawson, who has never heard us pillow talking about it, and he's telling us that he will help us?!That's really deep doctorine and he's only 5! It's just speaks so much truth and builds us up even more. There is no way the gospel couldn't possibly not be true. There's too many things that we've experienced for it not to be. I love it! 

When Dawson was born, J.D. and I received some amazing revelation about the type of person Dawson would be. We both got it, but didn't talk about it until a couple weeks later. When talking, it was amazing that we both felt the same thing. It just strengthened our testimonies. Now we are seeing it come true every day. Children are so amazing and I tend to just want to hear more answers when they start talking about things like this. I'm so grateful for Dawson and his sweet spirit. 

I know this is really personal, but I hope that whoever reads this is strengthened. I also want Dawson to have this to look back upon if ever his faith is wavering. Love you little man! 

Monty Rolled Over!!

As of May 5th at 2:03 pm Monty B rolled over for his first time; tummy to back! 

The story, well I was sitting at the computer trying to send off some paperwork for the house and Monty was laying 2 feet from me on the floor. Dawson was on the couch trying to watch Netflix on the iPad. 

Dawson: "MOM... Monty is whining."

Me: "K, I hear him. Just 2 seconds."

Dawson: "Mmmmoooooooommm. He is whining and it's annoying me."

Pause

Dawson: "MOM! Monty just rolled over!!!"

I turned just to see Monty on his back instead of his tummy. I couldn't believe I missed it from 2 feet away! Literally the conversation happened in 20 seconds or less and Monty rolled. So yes, Dawson saw it first. 

Later that day, I put Monty on his tummy, on top of Dawson's tummy. See, Dawson loves to 'wrestle' with Monty. He is a good big brother who lets Monty slobber and moll his head. Dawson got up and moved to the couch. He left Monty on his stomach. This time, Monty was just cooing away and I was videoing from afar. I caught it! Sadly, my computer isn't letting the video work, but I got to witness the 2nd roll. It was SOOO exciting! 

Now we put him on his tummy just to watch the rolls. He is definitely close to rolling over from back to tummy too. When he is on his tummy, he can scoot around centimeter by centimeter. Not sure how, but he is always in a different place when I turn around. He is growing up so fast! YAY MONTY B! 

This n' That

We've had lots of interesting things happening lately besides the house buying process. Dawson is about to start T-ball, so we jump started the season by practicing on our own. We've practiced baseball with Dawson since he was big enough to hold a bat. He's got some natural ability, and he is gaining more confidence. He loves being outside and spending time with J.D. and I. That's what we love the most is that he loves playing, but for him it's more about just being active with his family.

 He is turning into such a funny kid! I couldn't ask for a better kid. He is caring for all of us, always tries to do the right thing, listens, and has the best sense of humor. He is a kid and still tests his parents, but for the most part J.D. and I are constantly saying how he is such a good kid.
He is such a character!

 And then there are those times..... those times that are questionable. The times that I'm not quite sure where boys gets these ideas of how to wear a shirt, or what to add to their attire. Don't worry, once I saw and snapped a black mail picture, they changed their look. :-)

 Having Jori and Danny live close has been so nice. We had a date night where we swapped watching kids for 2 hours each so both of us could go out. After we had our 2 hours, we just stayed at Jori's so the kids could keep playing while Jori and Danny went out. Poor Monty....

 MK loves her babies, and LOVES Monty. She thought this was the coolest thing to have a real live baby to pretend with.

Monty played along, but I'm sure as he gets older he won't be so willing.

We have had a couple of good weather days where we have been able to go to the park. We are meeting lots of people and getting lots of fresh air. The town isn't looking so dead either! The green grass and blossoming trees are making this place look pretty. (The joke is that Glendive is a dive).

J.D. is doing great and continuing to learn a lot. He is the new Elders Quorum President and called Danny to be his 1st counselor. Needless to say, we are seeing less of J.D., but we know the blessings are needed. J.D. is part of a 'beautify Glendive Committee' which he is so excited about. They've already starting finding funds and started planning to make this community look and feel better. With the boom of the economy, the town couldn't keep up. So there's plenty to do. I hope to be able to be on PTA while Dawson goes to school. I'm excited to get more involved in the community as well.

So far so good with our adventures up here. We miss Utah a lot, and we miss our families even more.

Easter 2014

Easter was pretty different this year being away from family, but it was still fun and the Easter bunny did find us! We made it to Albertson's to see the Eater bunny before Easter. We got Monty's smile just in time. Happy Easter Monty and Dawson!

 Dawson woke up and ran straight to Monty's basket... he was a little confused at the little bath toys... 

 and then he saw his name spelled in jelly beans with an arrow!  He followed the jelly beans.

 This is what Monty found after Dawson figured out it wasn't his own. 

 Dawson followed those little jelly beans to a big surprise! 

 He got lots of candy, a kite 

 (which was totally awesome), 

 and a lego set that the Easter bunny left for the whole family. 

 We had to fly the kite! 

After church is when we had a BBQ with Jori and Danny. We all flew kites and then Jori and I hid the Easter eggs that the kids dyed the day before. We did a small Easter egg hunt in our front yard and then most of the eggs got smashed... 

During church it was so neat to be able to substitute for Dawson's class because we were able to really get excited about the lesson for Easter Sunday. It was nice to help the kids focus on the true meaning of Easter. It's so fun to watch Dawson grow and learn. He gets so excited about the stories from the past and figuring that those things really did happen. He related the resurrection to Andee which made the lesson more special for us. I'm so grateful for Dawson and his understanding.

Monty is 4 Months

Little Monty B is 4 months old and ALMOST rolling. I think he could roll if he wanted to, but he's just taking his sweet time.

 He just can't quite get over that arm. He has got a lot to roll over too...

He is kind of a cat napper..... possibly genetic seeing how his Grandpa Stevens (his name sake) can take a 10 minute nap and be well rested whenever he chooses. He takes a small nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon. Then there are days he will only stay awake for 1-2 hours and go back to sleep for an hour. Those are the cat nap days.

 This baby is quite filling...below is a 9 month outfit. He fills it out, but it's a little long. Don't get me wrong, he is pretty lengthy, but I am anxious to see if he is actually tall or not. We've had to pull out the 6-9 month clothes because everything else is too small. I have to keep in mind that different brands are different sizes, but either way he is a growing boy.

He likes to throw us gangsta signs every once in a while too...

 He absolutely LOVES Dawson. He cuddles all the time with him, he always smiles at the sound of his voice, and likes to 'wrestle' with him. Dawson is so nice to let Monty lay on his face and let Monty drool/smother him. The other day, Dawson just kept laughing and Monty had to get it on it. Monty started squealing and giggling so much he lost his breath a couple of times. It only made it worse because it got Dawson laughing harder. Then Monty started to try and mimic the laughs that Dawson would do. It was amazing and oh so funny!

 Monty is getting to know when sleepy time is because he requires to be swaddled. Dawson as an infant required this too. :-) Monty is getting pretty good with his hands and starting to play with his binky. He likes to naw on it, pull it out, throw it, and then he'll suck on it. BUT if he doesn't want it, he will let you know.

We recently started a schedule at night time that involves eating solids. He has the funniest faces when it comes to eating baby food. It's not what he wanted, but he's getting used to it. He even opens his mouth for bites now. We are hoping it sustains him a little longer through the night so we can actually get sleep. 

This last week Monty has wanted to wake up every 2 hours and it's killing me. My whole attitude was effected. So after a nice date night, and consistency with the night routine, I think Monty is going to start sleeping better. It hasn't helped that we are in the middle of buying a home, so I'm sure Monty is picking up on my anxiety. I guess when closing day comes and passes, then I will post about our first home, but for now I will wait until it's all official.