More than expected...

Being away from home isn't always easy...

I got a phone call last Thursday from my aunt Alison telling me my mom was going in for surgery in a half hour. My dad had taken my mom to the ER the night before because she was having severe stomach pains. She took a bath hoping to ease some pain and it only got worse. My dad had to help her out of the tub and took her to the ER where they ran several tests and decided it had to be her appendix.

They took her in for surgery hoping to take care of things with a scope and once they got in there they realized that it wasn't her appendix at all. She had a ruptured bowel!! Where her small intestine and large intestine connect, it had burst and she had some infection throughout.

My mom has Crohn's Disease so this can be one of the complications. She is a nurse herself so when she got back to her room and felt a huge bandage across her stomach she knew something more had taken place while she was under.

She was discharged from the hospital today and is staying with my grandma for a few days. I wish I was there to help cook her meals and take care of her. I'm grateful for my family and glad they are close enough to take care of her.
I hope you get feeling better soon mom. Love you!

Miscellaneous Monday... Crafts

Here are a few fun tutorials and cute crafts I've come across lately...
This really could come in handy.
Bath Apron Tutorial
Love these...
Simple Wall Hangings
My friend Angie gave this as a bridal shower gift and I still want one for myself.
Soap Dispenser
I've seen these covered in pictures too, so cute!
Star Tutorial
We can always use another one of these right?!~
Cork Board Tutorial
This one is a lot cuter than mine...
Grocery Bag Holder
So fun...
Sassy Clips
I really need some of these.
Tea Towels
Make your own
Whiteboard
Simple Tutorial
Apron
Another fun craft from Vanilla Joy
Birthday Banner

Wouldn't this idea make life a little bit easier...
Do your socks stay together after being washed and dried??
Hope you're able to add one of these to your "Want" To Do list.
I've got several... I just don't know where to start.

Hope everyone gets a few days of warm this week!
Soak it up while you can... darn snow.

Don't forget to visit Give Away Today... I really wouldn't mind winning this one ;)

Quick shout out to all my friends in Idaho Falls...
So excited you get to enjoy Cafe Rio anytime now!!
Love it.
Happy Monday!

Loving the warm weather...

On Monday they were having FREE golfing at the Midway golf course.
I had a doctor's appt scheduled that day, but rescheduled for later in the week so I could surprise Gord.
Tydon and I picked him up from work and told him plans had changed and we were going for a little drive instead. He was like a little kid when I told him we were going golfing. The weather was perfect and he LOVES to golf.
It was a fun surprise!!
My favorite part was Cafe Rio for dinner... yum! We had a gift card from some friends, so I'd been waiting for a special occasion to enjoy it. Thanks Bailey's

A couple weeks ago a bunch of us took our kids to Discovery Gateway.
The kids could spend all day there... It's at least a 3 hour visit when we go.
We even made it into their motion class which was fun for the kids.

Thanksgiving Point is having their Annual Tulip Festival right now so we decided to go see what all the excitement was about. The kids loved the big hill to play on. The flowers were beautiful. They had over 250,000!! I had never been to anything like it, so it was fun to see. The weather was so nice! We were glad we went before lunch because it finally reached 80 in Utah!!

There has been so many fun things to do here.
Living somewhere new makes everything seem like a new adventure. The warm weather didn't stay, but we were excited to enjoy a few days of sunshine this week.
Tydon and I even got our first sunburns of the year! It's fun to see a line for once:) We are excited that it's Friday and we get to enjoy the weekend with dad.

Pregnancy...

A lot has been on my mind lately...
I type a lot faster than I can write so it is just easier to journal here. (You might want to skip down to "Being Pregnant Again")
I look back to last July when Gordon and I decided it was probably time to start trying again for another baby. Gordon is really good when it comes to this topic. He really just lets me take the lead and always says, "It's your body and you know what you can handle." I appreciate that he doesn't pressure me or try to tell me when I'm ready.
Gordon was just finishing up school, hurray! So we knew the job search was on and it was time to think about growing our family. We found out we were pregnant in September and excited for a Spring/Summer baby. I feel very blessed to be able to conceive quickly and know how hard it is for some of my friends. It can be a very sensitive subject...
In September we still hadn't found a permanent job and Gordon was doing side jobs and eventually we ended up pretty much moving out to Mud Lake with Gord's family to help on the farm and with jobs there. It was sooo much fun! We loved spending so much time with his family. Heck who wouldn't love not being required to cook and clean?! Gordon was like a little kid, getting to hunt and spend time with his brothers and nephews. Of course he tried to work as much as he could too :) I was in heaven spending most of my days in my sister-in-law's sewing room prepping projects for boutiques while Tydon played with his cousins.
I still had nail clients so I would go home each week to work a day or two and we still held a calling in our ward as the Activities Chair, so we would be there for ward activities. The hour and fifteen minute drive didn't seem like much after a while.
Gordon and I hadn't told anyone about the pregnancy and for some reason I wasn't really in a telling mood. Not even close friends. October was going to be a busy and exciting month. Tydon was turning two and we were probably going to tell our families the exciting news!
This pregnancy just seemed different to me though. I kept having thoughts of miscarriage or problems and just wasn't as excited or something. I couldn't figure out why I was being so negative. I would say my prayers and ask for comfort and guidance, but continued to have that stupor of thought.
I was about 6 weeks along when we headed home to get prepped for our Ward Dinner in a Pumpkin activity. We went home on a Sunday and played games with the Bradshaw's. That night I was kinda spotting, but knew it was normal for some women and didn't think much of it. The next morning I got up at 5:30 to go work out and knew I had miscarried. I was bleeding a lot, but it wasn't horrible so I decided to go and work out anyway. I didn't want to go get back in bed just to lay there and think about it.
After i got home from aerobics I took a hot bath and was relaxing in the tub when Gordon woke up. He could tell that something was wrong so I told him what had happened and he immediately dropped to his knees to talk to me about it. I have to say that I am married to my best friend and the most compassionate man I know. Gordon truly helps when I'm in need.
I was still in shock from everything that had happened. My previous negative thoughts and worry were now starting to make sense. I know that I had been prepared for this experience.
As the morning progressed I experienced some heavy cramping and bleeding. I needed to be getting things ready for our ward activity that evening and luckily Gordon took charge. He ran my errands for me while I was able to rest and let my body take its course.
Later that afternoon I was feeling better and able to get the things done I needed to. I was grateful that I had some obligations and didn't have much time to think about what had just happened. The activity was a success and it was good to be surrounded by friends and our great bishop. Gordon had an interview with him that evening and told him about our loss. I will never forget our bishops sweet words that night and the comfort I received.
The next day was a lot harder. My body was adjusting to the loss and my hormones really took control. I knew I just needed to let my body take its course. This made Gordon nervous. He doesn't like to see me cry and he didn't know what to do. I just told him that it was part of the process and I just needed some time. I was able to hold it together while I did nails, but grateful to just be home.
The next day Gordon had to go back to Mud Lake. I didn't want to be home alone so I decided to go with him. I was grateful to be surrounded by family even though they didnt' know what had happened.
I'm not really the communicator in the family and like to be tough sometimes so I didn't call my mom for a couple more days. We eventually told Gord's family and were grateful for everyone's compassion.
I'm grateful for this experience and for all that I learned. I can relate to other women who have experienced such loss. I know that Heavenly Father helped prepare me for this experience. My body was telling me that something just wasn't right and for that I'm grateful. It has also made me appreciate the miracle of pregnancy that much more.
Being pregnant this time has been very different. I've worried about the possibility of miscarriage again, but I know it's normal once you've endured such an experience. Last Sunday was Ward Conference and I was grateful for the words of our Stake President. He encouraged us to ask our husbands for a blessing, even if it has just been a bad day. The thought has come to mind several times, but it seems like a never follow through. I knew that this was an answer to my prayers and so I asked Gordon for a blessing.
I am so grateful for the priesthood and the opportunity to be married to a man who is worthy of that great power. I found so much comfort from the words spoken and know I'm being heard when I say my prayers.

Being pregnant again...

This pregnancy compared to Tydon's has been so different!
With Tydon, I was probably in the best shape of my life to start with...
I was going to Cosmetology school M-F 8-5pm, coaching 2 All-Star Cheerleading squads and cheering on 2 co-ed squads. I didn't get home until after 11pm some nights and felt great!! Life was crazy busy and I'm sure Gord felt like a bachelor again sometimes.
At this time in my pregnancy with Tydon I was at Cheerleading Nationals. I was tumbling, on the top of tripple high stunts and wearing a cheerleading uniform!! Crazy I know, but my doctor okayed it and just told me to be careful.

This time... I don't have a gym membership so I'm not nearly in the shape I once was. I think it has really made a difference for me. I've been extremely tired and happy if I showered for the day :) My accomplishment has been making dinner every night.
I haven't been sick, but VERY hungry. I feel like I've eaten more with this pregnancy than I did all of Tydon's.
I don't remember feeling Tydon move until probably 22 weeks...
This little man is busy! I'm sure it makes a difference having felt it before, but I really don't remember noticing anything until after I knew what I was having with Tydon.
I didn't show until sometime in June with Tydon, but I can feel the bump coming on pretty quick with this one.
Being in my second tri-mester has helped a ton. I finally have energy and don't need a nap everyday like before. I feel like I've been released from bed rest. ha ha I've found my motivation to get crafty again so I'll post some pics soon.

So far I think the biggest difference from Tydon to this pregnancy has not being as active as I once was. I know it helped me to be in pretty good shape starting out and staying very active throughout the pregnancy. I'm hoping the warm weather will encourage some more activity on my part.

All in all, doing good.
I'll post a pic at 20 weeks and by then I'm sure you'll see a bump :O)

Miscellaneous Monday... For BABY

Well... Since there are LOTS of ladies pregnant right now, I couldn't help posting some of my favorite tutorials and cute ideas for babies.
BUT FIRST...
I can't even imagine.

17 lb baby born in Russia

Sure hope my doctor doesn't let this happen to me!!

So fun for a little girl
Matching Dress and Blanket
If you're feeling ambitious...
Nursery Decor Tutorials
After your baby gets too big for the other cover, you'll need this...
Car Seat Cover Tutorial
These can always come in handy...
Binky Clip Tutorial
You can buy these, but why not make one!
Reversible Nursing Cover
So Sweet! Perfect for those Fall babies :)
Sweater Hat
Another fabulous Idea
Nursing Cover Clips
Just for Baby
Blocks Tutorial
Rings Tutorial

LOVE these!!
Elephant Tutorial..... Giraffe Tutorial

All these fun ideas get me excited to start making things for our little man!
If you have anymore fun ideas... please let me know!!

Happy Monday!

Hotel...Motel...

A couple weeks ago we had several nights of visitors!!

We love visitors.
Thursday
Or should I say early Friday morning... my dad and my little bro stayed.
They were on their way to Green River to go motorbiking for the weekend.
Tydon loves his grandpa and Brody.
He can't wait until he's big enough to ride a motorbike...
for now he enjoys riding with the big boys.

Friday
My Aunt Alison and her 3 kids came into town.
They came down to shop for swimsuits and get out of Idaho for a couple days
while they were on Spring Break (I miss those days...)
We set up an appointment with Nicole from Lime Ricki and tried on their fabulous swimsuits!!
Their suits are true to the sizing charts on their website so don't be afraid to order...
They have a store location in Idaho Falls for those of you in the area!!
I still can't decide which one I want!!

If you can't find one there... here is a great post with a few other modest swimsuit sites.


Saturday night
we had the Walker family stay with us!
It was so good to see them... It's been way too long.
We enjoyed dinner at Famous Dave's and went home and made yummy
Peach Cobbler!!
(This recipe is SUPER easy and to die for)

Thanks everyone for staying the night!!
We love to have visitors, so please let us know if you are coming into town.

The Big Announcement...

Well... I've known since the beginning of February that we were expecting, but wanted to wait until we knew what we were having to tell our families.

Of course there were close friends that have known for a while, but being in Utah made it easier not to tell our families.
Since we moved I had to find a new OB so I asked one of my friends in the ward that had just had a baby and she referred me to her doctor. It also worked out that the same doctor's radiologist is in our ward and she can start doing gender checks at 14 weeks!! I was so excited... and a little hopeful we would be able to find out before Easter so we could tell our families.

So last Wednesday evening we went in for an ultrasound (I made sure to drink orange juice before I went) hoping the baby would cooperate for us. Sure enough HE wasn't shy and made it very clear we were having another boy!! Gordon and I were very excited and a little relieved since Tydon was also an October baby... we have everything we need~
Then we had to think of a couple ways to tell the fam...

We left Friday morning for Pocatello to meet with our Accountant (IT'S TAX DAY!! Hope you got your taxes done :) and visit some friends. While we were there we stopped at the mall to get a shirt made for Tydon and we were on our way to Mud Lake.

SATURDAY...
The Wood Fam always colors Easter eggs and has a big egg hunt so I thought it would be fun to surprise the fam while we were dying the eggs. Gordon's sis-in-law, Laurel is also expecting (but didn't know that I was) so I told her my idea to just randomly drop an egg in the pink water with "It's a Girl" written on it. I just kept an eye on her and when she made her egg I did the same and quickly dropped mine in the blue water and waited for someone to pull it out. Everyone was excited for Laurel. They already have 3 girls so they were really hoping for a boy this time... Gord's neice saw that I had put an egg in the blue water so when she checked it she looked at me surpised and said "and this one is Chelsi's!!" Everyone was shocked... Laurel immediately wanted to trade :) This baby was an accident for them (Laurel is 35 and their youngest girl is 8) and they really were hoping for a boy.
**Gordon is the baby of 8 kids (4 boys and 4 girls) and he is the only boy in the fam that has a son to carry the Wood name. There are 27 grandkids and all of his brothers have girls... so you can imagine his brothers being a little jealous when they found out Gord has his second boy on the way.**

The surprise worked out perfect and of course Gord's family is really excited for a baby girl in September and a baby boy in October. Gord's neice is also expecting in September so there will be a few new babies in the fam.

Gord's family is so much fun. it's always a party. There were 300 Easter eggs hidden this year for the kids!! It was fun to finally be back in Mud Lake for a weekend with the fam.
EASTER SUNDAY...
We went to church with Gord's fam and then we headed to Idaho Falls to visit my family. My house isn't quite as busy as Gord's. My mom's sister and her 3 kids were there along with my grandma.
I made sure Tydon had a jacket on over his new Easter shirt so our "big news" wasn't too obvious. When we got there my dad wanted to take Tydon outside to feed the horses so out they went on the four wheeler.
Dinner was ready when they came back in so we all gathered to say the prayer. (This couldn't have been anymore perfect!!) Before the prayer my mom said "Tydon let's take your jacket off before we eat." Gordon and I just looked at eachother and smiled. I said, "Yeah, show grandma your new Easter shirt." My mom took his jacket off, read it and screamed "What?!" She is pretty animated as it is so... it was perfect!! My brother thought my mom had seen a spider or something. Tydon was surprised too, he didn't understand why grandma was screaming. My fam couldn't believe it. Especially when we announced it was going to be another boy...
**I am the oldest of two and my brother is 7 years younger than me so Gord's family and my family are complete opposites. This will be grandbaby #2 for my fam.**

This was a pretty exciting weekend for us!!
Now that our families know, we are even more excited for this little man to be a part of our family. Tydon is starting to say he's going to be a big brother and says there's a baby in mom's tummy. He's going to be a great big brother.


My Due Date is October 9th
So I'm almost 15 weeks...
I have been feeling pretty good, no throwing up or anything like that
Just SUPER tired
Excited to get motivated to get crafty again...
No baby bump yet, but I'll probably be posting soon...

*Crazy Pregnancy Symptom*
I haven't really felt nauseated, but if I wait too long to eat... when I take my first bite of food I have a feeling like I might throw up and it causes me to sneeze and then it goes away.
It's kinda crazy... I had the same symptom with Tydon.
Much rather sneeze than throw up though!

Tydon's Easter Surprise...

The little man should arrive
the beginning of October!!

We are so excited!

Easter Traditions

Well Easter is officially only a few days away...
We are headed to Idaho for the weekend to visit the fam and partake in the usual
Easter Traditions

Holiday treats are always fun...
Cute Edible Nests

This little guy is soo cute!

This would be great for the older kids...

Bunny Money Store

Who doesn't want to save a few dollars...
Easter Traditions on a Budget

This would really make it more exciting...

Creative Easter Egg Hunt

I would have loved this as a kid...

Flashlight Egg Hunt

This time of year is full of treats and fun, but also a great reminder of our Savior and all he has done for us. Let us be reminded of his sacrifice as we cherish the moments spent with our families this weekend.

Secret Lives of Moms

Yesterday on Oprah she had a special on the "Secret Lives of Moms." She had several moms Skype in to share some of their thoughts and secrets of motherhood...

"Sometimes I'll skip pages while reading bedtime stories to my kids."
"I haven't showered for at least 3 or 4 days."
"I've packed a whole lunch for my kids out of snacks I found just in the car."
"I'm lucky if I even get my house semi picked up and get dressed for the day."

My favorite confession:

Vicki was traveling across state with her 2 children.
"I looked in the back, and the kids were sleeping, which was literally a miracle from God, but the problem was I had to pee," she says. "So I'm thinking, 'If I stop at a rest area, they're totally going to wake up, and I do not want them to wake up.' So I reach into the diaper bag, I pulled out a diaper and I peed into it."

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile have written several books for moms
their latest book is
I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper

"The expectations we have on ourselves is completely unrealistic. This generation of women was raised to believe that we should and could do it all," Trisha says. "And that list [of expectations] is so huge that we think if we can't live up to that, then we're not good moms."

Why do we always try to put on a happy face??

Mothers need to know that if they can't do it all—or if they don't want to—that doesn't make them failures, Amy says. "We need honesty," she says. "We need to support each other more."

I can truly say that life changes after having a baby. You can't just get up and go or stop really quick anymore. There is someone else that depends on you for everything and looks up to you for help and guidance. I think it is so important for us as mothers to be HONEST with one another and especially with our spouses. If we've had a rough day it's okay to explain why.

There is nothing wrong with asking to...
go take a bubble bath for some alone time
run to the store without the kids
spend time with some girlfriends one evening
go for a quick jog or a walk
have your hubby help with simple tasks around the house

I know I am very lucky to have the help I do from my husband. I'm grateful for his willingness to jump right in and help when he walks through the door after a long day at work.
I honestly don't know how single parents accomplish all that they do and I look up to them for being able to take on such an enormous task.

To all you mothers out there... it's okay to be HONEST and ask for help.
We all can relate to one another and it's important that we are here for each other.
I admire you for what you do!