July

My sisters and Kaitlyn stayed over one night. The next day we went to the splash park at Columbia Park.Addysin and Caiden switch roles when it comes to showers. Caiden DOES NOT like getting his head sprayed. Addysin loves it. Addysin prefers showers and Caiden always thinks he wants to shower with her, but its one of the only things I can think of that scares him to death. 

 Ashley, Emily, and Kaitlyn.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's  for no reason one night. This kids (Chris included) LOVED it! It was actually a ton of fun! We (meaning Chris) won like 800 tickets and got them a tool set.

Chuck E. Cheese was all that Addysin could talk about so we made this sticker chart. Earn 50 stickers= Chuck E. Cheese. She had just got potty trained and was still scared to go #2, but knowing she would get a sticker if she did was perfect motivation. She would go like 4 times a day! She would push so hard her face would go red. Easy girl! Kids will do amazing things to get a sticker.

We went to the Moses Lake water park. Its quite the drive, like 1 1/2 hours to the nearest water park! I dont know why nobody has the brains here to start one in Tri-cities. It was a ton of fun. We took 3 of my sisters and they each brought a friend.

Rainy summer days are so refreshing! Love the coolness in the middle of July. Sometimes the kids eat on the balcony. Usually when I have just cleaned the floor and want to enjoy it clean for a few more hours.

Our view

"Another picture?"

And I know....

I need to majorly update this blog on our lives. I dont know what my problem is. Dont worry, a giant post will be coming soon. Please check back...

Life as a Vegan (5 1/2 weeks)

Great! I really feel a lot better. First of all, natural food is a.m.a.z.i.n.g! Too bad I have been so addicted to sugar-y, chocolate-y, carb-y, delicious JUNK my whole life, and not appreciated the good stuff we're blessed with to eat. I eat about 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day! I used to eat less than that a week. I know, I was disgusting.  I also eat whole grains, like plain old fashioned oatmeal without sweeteners, Cracked wheat mush, Dave's killer bread, Whole wheat tortillas, and Santitas tortilla chips :) Okay, I cut those out today. I make a lot of dinners with beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, kidney). We love Mexican food so its not hard to incorporate beans into our diet. I eat nuts only a few times a week. Usually for a snack, or when they're in a recipe. I have found so many Delicious things to eat and make. Eating this way seriously isn't hard. When we go out to a restaurant, which isn't very often for me, I will have meat if I feel like "splurging". I love vegi subs at subway and Quiznos. I never have cheese or other dairy products though because I think that is what causes my headaches, along with sugar. So basically I'm allergic to dairy.

Okay, so here is a breakdown of how my symptoms have changed:

Fatigue- amazingly better. If I could only get myself to bed before midnight I would feel even better. I NEVER take naps, whereas I was taking them at least 3/7 days. When my kids wake me up in the morning, I get up and get going instead of turning a movie on for them in our room so I can sleep another hour.

Headaches-  Almost never. I never take ibuprofen anymore. I used to take 600-1000 MG/day! I also used to drink Mt Dew to get through the day and only have 3 times in the 5 weeks! When I do have a headache that is as bad as the ones I used to deal with every day, its because I ate something I shouldn't have the day before (example-A big helping of peanut M&M's).

Muscles and joints- feel less tense. I'm not feeling awesome, but I'm not in pain. This has helped with the tension headaches.  I've been to the chiropractor once in 6 weeks, whereas I was going once a week before ($30 a time!). My muscles instantly relaxed once I started eating this way.

Sinuses- I have TONS less mucus ( sorry, TMI). My face/head feels clearer.

Patience for my children- still waiting on that one.

Weight loss- 12 lbs.

I am slowly transitioning my children to eat healthier, but they are so stinking picky!!! Its hard. They are by no means vegan, but I have limited they're sugar intake and try to get them to eat fruits with most meals. Vegetables are impossible. Hopefully I can fix the damage I've done to them :) My goal is that they will someday eat what I make for dinner, instead of toast and strawberries. Our future children will be much better trained in eating healthy. You live a learn. Sorry, Addysin and Caiden.

One very interesting thing..... I weened Caiden off the bottle a month ago and he wont drink milk out of a cup because its "gross". Before he was weened he would throw up all the time from crying so hard and gagging on mucus in his throat. Especially during the night. I couldn't ever let him cry himself back to sleep because it was guaranteed that he would throw up. He threw up at our family picture photo shoot. He even threw up all on his nursery leader when he got made that I left him. I couldn't ever let him get worked up. I don't know if its coincidence on timing, but he never throws up anymore (and trust me he still cries just as hard)... knock on wood. I think he is intolerant to milk like I am, but he still eats cheese. Maybe I should cut that out too.... hmm.

Why I'm Going Vegan.

I'm an unhealthy person. I usually feel "not well" or "sick and tired" -literally.

Extremely fatigued, always.

Headache, 90% of the time.

My joints and muscles aches, always.

My complexion, I look like a teenager.

My vision keeps getting worse.

My sinuses are swollen, always. Doesn't help with the headache.

I am ADDICTED to junk food. I eat maybe one serving of fruits/vegetables a day!

I take 3-6 ibueprophin a day!

I resort to caffine probably 4 times a week to make it through the day.

I take naps 50% of the time when my kids do! And I'm not even pregnant.

I want to wake up in the morning bright and early and have the energy to enjoy life, and get things accomplished.

I want all my aches to be GONE.

I want to have more patience with my kids. I want them to be able to let them be loud without me telling  them that they're hurting my head. Addysin started asking me "does your head hurt?". Sad.

I want to be active.

Chris has type 1 diabetes. He is doing it too, and just in the past few days he uses much less insulin and his blood sugar levels are more in control. With this type of diabetes, he cannot cure it. But he can  help it. He can live longer, avoid losing limbs to amputation, and help keep his eyesight. WOW!

#1 reason. My whole body and head always ache. My mother-in-law cured her arthritis by going vegan. She has more energy. I believe her, whats not to believe? Doesn't it make sense that the food that God gave us is what we should be eating in its natural form? I'm trying to steer away from processed foods as well.

#2 reason. (which should be my #1 reason) To be healthy, and to "grow" healthy children.

What am I doing with our kids? I want them to eat 100% better than they do now. I dont know how to do it. They are TERRIBLE eaters. Their favorite foods:

hot dogs
chicken nuggets
pizza
cheez whiz
cheese its
toast and butter
bagels and cream cheese
Candy, cookies, ice cream, junk food of all sorts
strawberries- thank goodness
instant oatmeal
sometimes bananas
apples with caramel dip
top ramen
yogurt

Yeah, wow, that is what I have to work with. Maybe I need to let them go hungry until they will eat brocolli. Any ideas?
If you want to be healthier and live a better life, read this. Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is so good. Maybe I'm only motivated because I am in constant pain and discomfort. 

I'm so glad I have been "awakened" to the disgusting diet I, and most Americans, live. I dont want to have cancer, suffer a heart attack, develop diabetes, or arthritis. Call me crazy. And I definitly dont want to feed my kids things that are going to cause them MAJOR problems in a year from now, or 50 years. If you want the best for your children, you will be interested in reading this. Its going to be a hard change, but we need to eat more simple, whole foods. Its the way our bodies were designed, but they cant perform the way they are meant to with all the man made junk sitting inside of it. We aren't made to be diseased people. We make ourselves that way.

Just like the title of the book- Eat to live. If I have to hold back my gag reflex while I'm forcing down spinach and tomatos, so be it. Isn't it obvious? Eating makes us fat and unhealthy. Some people just get away with looking and feeling good while eating the same way I usually eat.

I'm convinced.

I'm on my third day of the "anti-headache diet" given on pg. 170 in the book. My headaches have been much much worse, which the book warns of. It is recommended that I dont take pain medication. My body is detoxifying. Its a 2 week diet. Its really hard to go through this, but everytime I think about the pain in my head it drives me to continue the diet. After I'm done with this, I will be able to eat a lot more variety. The hard part will be once my headaches are gone and the motivation to eat healthy is just to be healthy. Its hard when everyone else is eating the "normal" way. I need to remember the long term benefits.

Did I get you thinking a little?

Fourth of July weekend

Saturday, July 3

10 AM- Basin City Parade

There were at least 100 firetrucks from all over Southeastern Washington. The Basin City Fire Chief died fighting a fire last week. It was almost like a memorial for him. It was a little sad. The firetrucks were all at the end of the parade, but lasted much longer than the main part of the parade.

Our family picture for the day :)

5 PM- boating at Levy Landing on Snake River

We got a late start, but had a lot of fun playing in the sand, tubing, and wake boarding. People there: Chris, me, Addysin, Caiden, my dad, my sister Emily, Daryl, Evelyn, and three other work friends. We planned on more of Chris' employees so I bought a bunch of snack food and treats. The Kids ate way too much junk, and Caiden was eating sand along with his Oreos. I COULD NOT keep his hands clean, and he would purposely put his hands in his mouth. I thought "oh well, I tried" and let him eat sand. In the middle of the night he threw up straight chocolate all over his crib. Too much chocolate or too much sand? Its hard to say.

Addysin was picking up handfuls of sand and throwing it into the river for an hour straight. Her swimsuit got ruined by the sand. It is stuck between the pink and the liner-sad.

Of course, Caiden was destroying her castle. She was scalding him saying, "Caiden, Dont! I'm your brother!"

Sunday, July 4

Church, lunch, dinner at Joanna's parents house in Burbank, fireworks at her families.

We watched the show that is shot off a barge on the Columbia River.

Five years ago, Chris walked off the airplane from his mission. Wow, I was so weak in the knees! I REALLY was. We had known each other for 5 years already and finally we were able to date and possibly get married! It was an exciting day. I'm gonna have to make another full post to tell the story so I can always remember it.

Cousins

We spent a sunday evening at Chris' sister Melissa's house in Connell. They have 6 kids! Its so fun to be there, we really love them all- and their huge yard.

Mark is almost 5 and a bit small. Caiden looks almost his size in this picture. Mark is sooo cute. He just had to take Caiden down the slide over and over again.

Melissa and Ryan live in the house that Chris and his siblings all grew up in. Chris climbed a tree up to his old fort and found this in the tree!!! It was full of tons of rusty nails and that hammer. Its been up there for almost 15 years!

Eliza and Addysin have become really good friends.

My kids have NEVER gotton this dirty. I guess we never have that much fun. Next time, Caiden will not wear his church clothes out there.

Mark being cute again. I think he's my new crush :)

The next time we went over, when Mark and Eliza saw us walking through the door, they both (super excitedly) said, "Addysin, you're here!" and smoothered her in hugs.

A good summer day

I've been looking forward to summer since it left last year. I live for the warm weather, and this year has been oddly cool. Or maybe its just me thinking this. We dont have a pool anymore, and our yard is not-so-fun so we dont get outside very often. I enjoy taking the kids to the parks though. They LOVE it.

One day we went to "Playground of Dream" in Columbia Park. We went with the other wives and kids whose husbands are working with Chris. (Joanna, Evelyn, Alanna, Zayden, Whitney, and Payton) I had so much fun getting to know them better! I took some pizza for dinner. If you didn't know this, I hate dinner time with the kids. They are ultra picky eaters, and take like an hour to eat. So dinner at the park = awesome.

 There is a little fountain park, and an amazingly safe and cool playground. Caiden is old enough to play by himself- most the time. So I love it of course. I dont love that I lost him twice! I was standing on the top of the playtoy getting a birds eye view because I couldn't find him. Then I spotted my little shirtless boy pretty far away. He had gone over to the bike rack to check out the mini bikes.  He is REALLY into anything with wheels- bikes, trikes, scooters, motorcycles, four-wheelers.

They would't get wet :) Caiden hates getting his head showered on, and Addysin didn't have a friend to copy.

Afterwards, Joanna and I went over to see our husbands at the office while they were working. It happen to be "Cool Desert Nights". Its a car show in Downtown Richland. And Chris' office is right there so we walked over to it, then over to the park. It was a pleasantly warm evening, and so fun to spend time with Chris. He has been working like a crazy man.

I  L.O.V.E. SUMMER

I LOVE Rollerblading!

Rollerblading used to be the norm and pretty cool. Now, its definitly border line dorky. Or maybe the fact that I wont go by myself because I dont want to be seen rollerblading alone means that its totally dorky. Either way, it is super fun!!! All of the girls in my family have rollerblades. 8 girls. Yeah, we LOVE rollerblading. We always have.

Well, in the Tri-Cities there are A gazillion miles of bike paths, especially along the river. One day Amy and I went with the kids. From the get go I realized her rollerblades coasted WAY further than mine. I was constantly pushing. Then I realized they were pretty bad. Then the front wheel was sticking and not even rolling on my right foot. At that point we were just starting to head back and had 2 miles to go! I reached down and saw that two of the wheels were coming off the bearings! Well we made it back, and you better believe I complained the whole way! Amy kept saying, "stop complaining, you're making me feel really bad for you." I was like "Thats the point!" I love myself a good pity party.

We went 4 miles, but really, I went 8. Okay, I would come to a stop when going down hills!!! So the next day I got some new wheels. The cheapest ones at sports authority were $50! But oh were they worth it?! Amy thought that I was gonna rant and rave the whole way about how good my new wheels were. No, I just continued complaining to Sara and Ashley about my hardships the day before. We had so much fun both days though, and of course the kids loved it. Both days we went from Howard Amon park to Leslie Groves, let the kids play for a while, and went back. Every dog we saw, Caiden would wave to and say "hi". We saw a lot of dogs.

It dawned on me how much those wheels have been through. They're like 10 years old. And I used them as a major form of transportation the summer I was a freshman at BYU-I. My roomate also had rollerblades (what are the chances?) so we skated all over Rexburg- not kidding! Then we met two guys that had blades and Lindsey and I learned how to jump off stairs and other cool stuff :) I honestly could jump down half a flight of stairs! I know, I 'm so cool.

Goodbye wheels. We've gone a lot of miles together.

I'm still completely in love with my Schwinn Mark III bike trailer/jogging stroller.

Fathers Day

Woke up, gave Chris his gifts (2 pairs of shoes), went to church, Addysin sang with the Primary for the Dads, Chris shed a tear (she's really growing up), Caiden started screaming because he wanted to go up to the stand with all the other kids so I had to go in the hall and missed her singing :( Addysin made Chris a bowtie in sunday school, after church he took a nap, I made a big meal, I went to see my Grandpa McCullough just down the road, then we went out to see my Dad. It was a fun day.

I love all of the dads in my life. I am especially grateful for the dad that Chris is to our Children. He is great. They both adore him. When he leaves in the morning, Caiden crys (Chris likes that I'm sure). When he gets home the kids RUN to him for hugs. Chris LOVES LOVES LOVES snuggling with them. Its super cute, especially in the middle of the night when they come in our room crying. Chris doesn't really wake up, but he will always snuggle them (in his sleep). He is so good to teach them about the gospel. He has taught our children to pray, and explains things better than I can. I am really blessed to have such a good man to help me raise our kids.

Bleazard Family Reunion 2010

Two weeks ago we had a family reunion with my side. Everyone was home all together for the first time in a while. It was a very short trip for everyone. Melanie, Ben and their family were here for almost 3 days from Arizona. Kara and Adam were here 2 days from Salt Lake. Sara was able to stay for a week. We went boating Friday, and Saturday was basically dedicated to getting ready for the pictures at 6 pm. We had a lot of fun in the Salon at my parents getting ready. Jessica and I are both cosmetologists so we cut a lot of hair, and she curled the little girl's hair. We also had a BBQ on saturday and that is the only time we got some snapshots! I hate that.  

The professional pictures are coming soon! Cant wait to see them!

Addysin was COMPLETELY and TOTALLY obsessed with Kaylie. Kaylie is 5 and Addysin idolized her.

I'll post some pictures of the shirts I designed soon.

Simple memories

Sometimes the funnest times with my kids are when we're doing things that dont sound like {that} much fun. Chris works really late and we never spend dinner with him. In the evenings I get REALLY bored and want to get out. This day we picked up some pizza hut, ate on our balcony, made brownies, and there was no fighting! Its times like this that I cannot get enough of motherhood. I hope that our children have some of their best  memories at home being with family.

Our family pictures!

Here is a "sneak peek" of our family pictures. There are a ton more that will be ready in a couple weeks. I cant wait to finally have a family picture! We havent ever had one with Caiden (Chris and I with our kids), and our last big family picture (with my family) was when Addysin was 3 weeks old.

KB Light Photography  They did so good!

How to make it through your little boy's haircut

Caiden's hair has gotton really curly! It was time to cut again, despite all the comments about how cute it was. I thought he was starting to look like a clown. Then with his face all beat up, he looked completely neglected. Dont worry... I saved the hair :) Hopefully we'll be seeing his curls again.

Yay! My first tutorial!

This can apply even if you get his hair cut somewhere besides your home. If you can though, have it done where he is comfortable. A new salon or someones home he doesn't know will not be a good start to something most babies hate. This also applies to girls. Good news, girl haircuts are much quicker.

I use scissors all over VS. clippers. It works for caiden's hair, but may not for your boy's. The sound on their head usually doesn't go over well with babies.

Cut it in a place where you dont care that its going to be covered in hair. Best place- bathroom. You will want to put him in the tub when you are done to wash off the hair that is ALL over him. Also Caiden loves seeing himself in the mirror. A bumbo chair works great for keeping them in one spot, even for small toddlers.

Have things on hand to occupy. Dont start haircut without things like...

*Spray bottle. Let him spray the mirror, his mouth, whatever. I had to be very animated, such as gasping in surprise when he sprays it everytime. When that gets old, moved on to...

*Tooth brush with baby toothpaste on it. This one only lasts a minute.

*If the hairdresser can manage the angle, let him turn the sink water on and off. Let him get his feet, or anything else, wet.

*Let him play with your phone. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

When he has HAD IT and you're only halfway through, bring out the big guns.

*Dum dum suckers, candy he rarely gets and loves, anything sweet. Maybe my kids are just sugar aholics and this wont work.

* Every kid has something they want to play with that you wont let him. Bring it out if it wont be ruined but sticky wet hair, and if its the only way to get through this and have a cute kid, instead of a bush wacked child.

Dont let him get too worked up before moving to the next form of distraction.

Most importantly, dont get mad at yourself, your spouse, or the hairdresser (whoever is doing the cutting) if its a bit shorter than planned. Its a hard thing to do! If its just completely goofy looking... thats another story.

The perfect haircut... minus 1/2"

Caiden

The problem with being a boy...

Scabby noses, black eyes, lumps on forehead, scratches, and the oh so lovely chipped teeth

Caiden. He can be difficult. He likes to make messes. He wont sleep through the night consistantly anymore, he now requires a bottle to go to bed, he likes to hit. He wont cuddle with me when he wakes up from a nap, but will with anyone else. All I get is him screaming for 1/2 hour and nothing makes him happy. He is a terrible eater.  In summary, he is entering the "TERRIBLE TWOS". Joy.

But with all that said, he is still my little love bug. He is so irresistibly adorable. And I dont think its just me.

Finally, and all of the sudden, Caiden has been trying to talk. His words dont sound even close to anything, but he usually uses the right amount of syllables so I know he's trying. Its so cute.

Here are his favorite words that sound pretty close to the real thing:

Hewoah (hello) He says it in three different tones. Hewoah? Hewooooooah?! or Hewoah!

He says it to anyone, and everyone while waving. We had stayed at my parents house a couple weeks ago for a night. In the early morning we let him into our bed. I got up in the morning and went upstairs. I thought, "what is he going to do when he wakes up? fall off the bed, cry...?" Then I hear his little voice coming out of the room saying "Hewoooooah?" over and over in all different tones. It was so so so cute.

I dont know

I was telling my cousin that he doesn't say anything at all. And, I swear, the second I finished saying that I hear him accros the room tell my mom "I dont know" !!!!! We couldn't believe it, everyone started cheering for him. It was the wierdest thing. He hasn't ever said it clearly again.

e duck! (its stuck)  Which means help, I cant reach it, get me up on the chair, get me out of my car seat, etc.

uh uh (no) Any question that is asked will get this answer, even if he means yes. I try to teach him "yes" but thats not as fun a word to say. The funniest part is he say it to cartoons. Example- "which way do we go?" Caiden, "uh uh"

And with such a small vocabulary, he still gets frustrated a lot, if not more than ever. He likes to hit Addysin for fun. He loves to torment her. He will see something she is playing with and walk over and RIP it out of her hands. I wish they played together, but since he is just coming into his terrible two's I'm not planning on them being BFF for a while. This week he started BEATING the ground with his fist on occassion when he doesn't get his way. Chris and I were like "Woah!". We didn't know if we should laugh or be worried about his anger.

He is pretty good at saying sorry though when I tell him to. I cant even write out the way it sounds because it honestly doesn't sound like anything. But, again, its two syllables so I know in his mind he is saying it. And he gives her a hug when he apologizes. Addysin is really good to stand there and wait for an apology and say "I forgive you". She is also really good at tattle tailing.

I love having a little boy. Even though he is very naughty that way he torments Addysin sometimes, it is pretty funny. She is so sweet not to hit him. The other thing that is so naughty is the way he blatantly disobeys me. If he is running away from me, he wont go far UNLESS he sees me look at him. Then he gets a huge smile on his face and he takes off running. So, I have to secretly check up on him. Once again. Funny, but not.

Last funny story. We live on a dead end Street with only 5 houses. Not very much traffic. One day he got out the front door. I found him outside casually walking back from the mailboxes. I called to him, he saw me, and turned to run back to the mailboxes. Once he got there, he opened the big mailbox at the bottom that is meant for packages and pulled out his football he had hid in there.