Fun Pics

Dakota L.O.V.E.S. dressing up in my clothes. She also has an obsession with socks!!

This is my 3rd Generation of necklaces! P.s. If you want to know what to get me for christmas. Paper, washers, hemp, beads, and Diamond Glaze!

Hey all,

Hey everyone, how you doing? Just thought I would write and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I don't think I will get another day off until Christmas Eve. Life is going pretty well for us in New Mexico. We (at the academy) are earning something they told us the other day. Officer Parks says we will really like what we are earning. Lets just say we earn everything except our food. That is given to us. We just got coats, boy the P.T. in the morning has been way hard. Now it is way hard again. I think they will lighten up a little soon. I will try to let you know what we are "earning". If you want to see some pics, most of them are us doing mail call, but go to www.nmsp.com and from there go to site map, and than recruit training pictures. They are kind of fun.

Oh! Christmas Tree!

We finally got a Christmas tree and decorated it with Nate. I wanted to do it today because we won't get to see him until Christmas again.

Hard Night

Well last night was a rough night and it makes it even more rough when you know you have to do it alone, with no breaks. Owen woke up at 10 and would not go back to sleep regardless of my every efforts. He thought of every excuse to get up over and over again. time out didn't work, talking didn't work, rubbing his back didn't work. After 2 hours I quit and let him in bed with me. Even then he would not sleep. He complained of his stomach hurting. So i tried to be patient, but wasn't very so. He tossed and turned and would or could not relax until finally 2 am. So from 2 to 6:30 I slept good. Then kota woke me up. Amazingly I was able to make it through the day totally functionable, but I can't do it another night. I have been trying to get Austin to sleep better. Since we have moved he has been waking every 3 to 4 hours to eat and sometimes more. We have a pretty spacious closet and so I moved him out of Owens room and into their so that he won't wake them up if i let him cry for 20 minutes. So far he has been doing good. It stays warm in their and the close muffle some of the noise. Last night he woke up 2 times and I thought he wanted to eat. It had been 5-6 hours, which is improvement, but he didn't eat. He ended up going through the whole night without eating. when I wnet in to get him he was sitting up. I don't know how he did it and haven't seen him do it since. He is getting his body of the ground and can scoot and move around while sitting up. He talks and squeals alot and will grab my face and pull it to his and slobber on me. I would like to think that it is his way of kissing me and saying I love you. He has such a sweet little laugh. He makes all smile! Dakota is cute but mischevious!! She will go up to Owen and take the toy he is playing with and then run and hide. He of course screams and goes after it, sometimes she will throw it back at him before he reaches her. It is kind of humorous. She is alwai\ys taking care of Austin. You can bet if he lets out a little cry she is their before me. She will hand him toys and whisper words to him and then will give him his binky. Sometimes it makes him more upset, but her efforts are sweet and cute. Her Birthday is coming up and I bought her a princess table with chairs. I think she will love it. I am trying to do a theme for each kid for Xmas. Owens is Toy story. He loves Buzz and woody, but mostly Buzz. Dakota's is Princess along with Play Kitchen. Austin, I don't know. I thing I will just by him some yummies to eat. I am excited for Christmas this year, but a little bit sad, cause i haven't figured out what I want to do for a Xmas tree. A few have our neighbors have some pretty lights out and Owen keeps saying he wants some and every time we go to the store he gets excited to see the Xmas tree. It is just so hard to do with out nate here to help. Oh well. we will see what happens. Owen si trying to be such a big boy and help me out. I am blessed!!

4 DAYS OF HEAVEN!

AWW! That was amazing. And it did go too fast! Our friends Matt and Mick ended up still being able to come. That was great! We had soo much fun and the kids loved being with each other. Our friends headed out early this morning and Nate left a few hours ago. Sad!! This month will be the longest stretch of not seeing him. So once I make it past this, all will be well! We have made it through one month!! Yea! The kids had so much fun with their dad. Owen played hard and is exhausted. Owen and Julien played like old times like they were never apart. Maze and Dakota are still in love and they don't know it but are arranged to marry each other 20 years from now. They followed eachother around and did what the other was doing. It was so cute. Mick, Matt, Nate and I had a really good time just relaxing and preparing dinners. The kids played and we caught up. It was sad to watch them go knowing we won't see them for a really long time. We love them and they are like family to us. We are praying really hard for them to move here. I think our chances are good. :) I am way excited for the visitors we have in the next couple of months. Holly is coming in a couple of weeks. My dad is planning on comming sometime at the beginning of the year. We would love to book more visitors. :) We have truly been blessed here. We are sacrificing a short time of our earthly experience which will bring us big blessings for a lifetime. The Lord wanted us hear, we followed with some doubts, but really trying to believe that Heavenly father knew what he was doing, and He did.

Home for 24 hours, sure feels good. Only have three days of work next week. I have a gut feeling they will not be easy, hehehehe, Week three went by well. The law class I took was interesting and fun. Hard to sit in a class for eight hours every day, but nice to see a paycheck. Push ups are getting better. Yesterday instead of a run, we ran half mile to a school and did a fart lick run around the track for a mile and half, than on the football field we did other things that hurt, wheel barrel, crab crawl, bear crawl, low crawl aka the crawl you see army guys do on their bellies, fire man carry (that one hurt the next day, I sure feel that in the back), It was kinda fun though. Duty Sargent this week, we had room inspections a couple of times. One time I was standing at attention, he comes and looks at me a couple of times. Walks past me and comes back. He said "Searle, have you lost waight?" I replied, Sir yes sir. He said How much? I said, Sir this recruit does not know" it was kinda of interesting. I knew my pants were getting bigger, but the Duty Sargent only comes for one week at a time. I must dropped some last week. Must have been his 35 minute raindeer games one night :)
I actually like it though. When the pain starts, I think of me fighting a bad guy. that helps. Some times I have a face in my head of the guy I'm beating, that is fun too :)
Thanks for the letters, I do read them often more than once. When I get a chance. I have sent everyone a letter now. I hope to do that every couple weeks. Hard to sit and right a good letter. So sorry, but I hope you enjoy what you do get from me. Your prayers are being answered. the Lord is sure good to me and my little family. thank you so much for the prayers. That means a lot to me.

Love you all,

THANKSGIVING!!

So we just heard about the huge storm in Utah. It is holding our friends back from coming for thanksgiving. We are sad!! Oh well! I am still going to do dinner, we will just have alot of leftovers. :( Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Anyways, Last night I made Homemade chicken nuggets they were yummy. I can't go back to frozen. They were so yummy and EASY!!!!! So if anybody wants a recipe I will let you know a good one. My sister is coming December 10th-14th. I am way excited. It will be fun to have company!! Owen busted me the other night. I put the kids to bed and to relax I put a movie on that I got in the mail from Netflix. Well, I thought Owen was asleep. NOPE! He was already fighting going to bed anyways, so when he came out after awhile for the third or fourth time. I quit!! So he sat and watched the movie with me. The next night was a pain too. I didn't get him to bed until 9 with the help of a few drops of melatonin. He has not done this for a really long time. i don't know what the deal is. The first night he wasn't in bed until 11. Then last night after I got Owen to bad. I layed down and slept for an hour before Austin woke up. Yeah, he didn't go to bed until 1:20. I made him cry for 20 0r so minutes and that wasn't working so I went and got him and attempted to rock him, but he had that twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face. After that I couldn't be mad or frustrated, it was so cute!! So I snuggled and kissed him for a minute, then put him on the floor with some toys as I laid in the recliner snuggled up to a blanket. He played for almost 40 minutes or something. It is all a blur. Then he went to sleep until 6, ate then slept until 8. What a turkey!! Dakota sleeps through it all. Bless her. Atleast I got one child that sleeps like me. Well, I hope all is well in Utah and that everyone drives safe. I am excited to get to spend 4 days with Nate, but I have a feeling it will go by too fast. Owen lieks to play school and most of the tiem I am Miss Carol! HAHa! He talks about her class and her all of the time and still tells me what he learned in her class. It is cute and sad all at the same time. I need to find him a teacher as good as her. Several times a day I will go to grab my dish towel off the counter and find that it is missing. Later I will find one of Dakota's babies wrapped in it on the floor somewhere. I have learned to just let her keep one and I get a new one. SHe is so funny and has the mother and caregiver gene encrypted into her DNA! Austin has been teething and is very grouchy sometimes. He will cry if I am not holding him or right next to him. I wish they could get all of thier teeth at once and be done, but that would make life to easy! :) When he is happy, he is such a doll. I do have to say that his grouchy is not as bad as some though. He is a heartthrob!! Well we are good and are making it. We love you all!

Love Nellie and the kids!

THANKSGIVING

Nate will be home Wednesday Night thru Sunday. So if anyone wants to call him, that would be the time to do it. We love you all!

BUSY WEEK

Well it has been a busy week for me. Mostly by choice. First off, Thank you Grandma, Trav, Lori, Stacie and Jen for your letters. I appreciate them. Grandma I am glad you are enjoying the rest home. It is sad about the ones who don't have family. I would always drag Nate with me on Mothers Day with flowers to visit those ones and other holidays. He hated it, but it was good. He is glad now. Some of them do have family, they just don't visit. That bugs me more than anything. Then, you have those ones who are very spoiled, rightfully so, who have family take them to lunch often or visit often. Those ones seem to be the happiest! Don't worry as I said before we won't let you go to one of those!!! Grandpa, you are random, but I love it!! It is fun to read your letters. Trav and Lori, your boys are great. They have such fun and adventurous personalities. Stacie, thank you for your sweet letter of encouragement. Jen, I like your idea, wish you were here to do with us!!! Well our weekend with Nate was great, an adjustment, but good. The kids loved seeing him and played hard!! Austin wasn't so sure at first when Nate was hugging me, I am HIS mommy!! But a few hours and he was talking and smiling at Nate. It was cute. It was hard to watch him go, especially when he started crying. It scared me. But he has been back for almost a week and doing good. He got to call me Tuesday night and tonight. It all depends on the duty sargent. Talking was good. I am glad I got to hear his voice. I guess their have been some lazy recruits this week who have got them punished alot. It annoyed Nate!! It would me. One day they had to do 15v minutes of exercises every hour because of some guys. He gets to come home saturday night around 6 and leave around 6 sunday. Then goes back for 3 days and comes back for Thanksgiving. matt and Mickelayne are coming for Thanksgiving with Julien, Maze and Layla. We are way excited about that. My sister is thinking about coming in december. So that will ne nice. I have made friends here in just a month, and It took me 1 year atleast to make them in Cedar city. It is nice. Mick is still my all time bestest friend. I miss her and all of you! But things are good. Monday we went to a Natalies house to play and ended up eating dinner over their. The kids had so much fun they didn't want to leave. Then Tuesday we went over to Sarahs house. Then wnet shopping after dinner for Thanksgiving dinner. then wednesday we had play group at Chick fil a. Today we had alot of friends come over so the kids could all play and the moms could do a craft. It something some of us just started. we have enjoyed it. Then tommorow we are thinking about going to the "westside play group." NO it is not a gangster playgroup. lol A girl who went to high school with my sisters and also is good friends with them just moved to Albuquerque a year ago. Sje told me about this playgroup. We are goign to get together sometime and do dinner. But I am also thinking to stay home and relax and play with the kids would be nice too. We will see what the kids want to do. Well we are good and have been blessed greatly by friends family and neighbors. We are well taken care of. Austin is all over the place, rolling and scooting. He grabs my head and slobbers on my cheek and coo's. I think that is his way of saying I love you. I like it, well other thatn the spit! :) Dakota is saying alot and loves to sit with the girls while we are doing are crafts. She will even join in the converation with a yeah and a nod. She is so cute. The other kids play, but she is on my lap trying to be part of it. It is sooo cute. Owen is Owen. He still loves his guns, horses and picking on dakota. He helps me so much and does things for me. He has grown up alot. He tries real hard to open my doors now that nate is gone. He even tries to help by putting Dakota in time out. :) They are obsessed with balloons right now, so at the Dollar store theu had a package of the 3 BIG punch balloons. So they have been playing with those alot. Owen and Dakota love to chase each other around and they just laugh and laugh. Well I am tired so I am going to let that be it. We love you all and have a nice big house. Very roomy for visitors!! I am not hinting, I am just saying... :)

Love Danielle

Jail aka Police Academy

Hey all, Sorry I haven't wrote to any one. Mom and Dad, I sent you all a letter yesterday I think. I will try to call sometime this weekend. We will see how it goes. Life in the acadmey is a lot like jail. They tell you everything to do when and how. It is good though. I have been doing great in my classes and on the tests. I don't get yelled all that much. I think they studied our psych evals, or I'm lucky. I do get teased alot by the other recruits and also the Officers. It is a lot of fun. I have come real close to the Book of Mormon and hymns. That is the way I made it through the first couple of days. When they were screaming at us, I was singing in my head "I need thee ever hour". The Lord is sure good to me and my family. I got to call home twice, once on Friday and Sunday. The call was for only 10 minutes, but that was the best ten minutes ever. After I knew my family was safe and doing great. I got more energy and doing so much better on the reindeer games, the reindeer games are games the offericers like to make us do when we get in trouble. example, push ups, mountain climbers, squate thrusts, running, stairs, lunges, ex they are not fun games. Not ones you would be enthusiastic to join in and play hehehe. But I am getting stonger and the games are easier. We have to do 100 push ups and 100 sit ups everyday. That is how we pay to do our laundry. If we get mail it is one thing per cent on the letter. So lets say I get one letter with one stamp, That is 44 cents. I have to do either 44 crunches, 44 push ups, 44 mountain climbers, ect. On Monday I received 10 letters, Lets just say the other recruits call me the mail man. It is fun. I did all 440 and read all 10 letters. I am not complaining, I need the letters and I look forward to it. Either way I have to do exercises might as well do it for a good reason. The academy is a lot easier that I thought it would be. We are finally up to 5 miles on our run. We did a 4 mile fart lick run the other day. It wasn't bad at all. The food for the most part is good. Their has been a few meals, I wasn't sure what I was eating. If you take the food you have to eat it all or you get to do a bunch of games.
Well enough for now. I will try to send a letter once a week. I sent Mom and Dad one so they should get it soon. Take care you all, love you all a lot, Please keeep praying, I feel the prayers and the Lord is sure answering them. Please if nothing else say more prayers. Thank you so much you all are the best family I could dream of. Thanks for the love and support. Love you all,

Nate

Get To See Nate on Wednesday

Well we get to see Nate on wednesday night until thursday. I got all of your letters. thank you. I learned a new anf fun and very cute craft at Super Saturday. I am making one for all of the girls for Xmas. Sorry boys, I don't think you would like them. But you might like to see them on your wives. LOL The kids are good. Owen is wild!!! He is a boy, but other than that he has been really good. he has been a big help. Dakota misses daddy, she wines alot more. I don't know how they are going to react to sseing him. Austin has a cold, poor boy. They have been sleeping pretty good. We have been outside alot until now. It is cold today and windy. We were going to go to the Zoo tomorrow for play group. Our frineds have passes and Guest passes, so we would have got in free, but weather isn't cooperating!! :( I was excited. Oh Well! another day. I don't know if you all heard about Owen's "King of the rock" It was a fun adventure. We were at the park with a friend last week for like 3 hours. towards the end we got caught up in conversation and weren't really paying attention. My friend looked over and Owen was standing on top of the 7 foot climbing rock with his pants down. Yes he was peeing and then some... I run over their and tell him to get down and he says but I ppoped. What?! For real! Yup! Right on top of the rock in clearview of lots of construction workers and a bust street. FUN!! So I carried him down trying to be careful not to get poop on me. I clean him up and then climbed on the rock and cleaned it up. PARENTS BEWARE!! lol Meanwhile my friend is cracking up laughing. When I was getting Owen in the car, i said, "Don't ever do that again." He replied, "But mom, I was on the rock playing, and I gots to poop, so..." It was kind of funny. I am not sure I would have thought so if my friend wasn't their laughing. lol Well we are good and are making friends. We Love you all and thank you for your support.

Love the Searle's

Thank You!

Thank you all for your love and support. We really love and appreciate you all! Nate is eexcited about his new adventure ahead of him. He feels very supported. Sorry if I made anyone feel bad from my last post, that was not my intent. I just was on a soap box for a minute. We love you!!

We made it to Santa Fe Tuesday the 28th of September at 5 in the morning. It was a long drive, but the kids slept most of the way. We finally found an apartment on Wednesday, but can not get into it until Friday the 8th. We could have got into one on the 1st, but when we drove into the parking lot it just didn’t look very homey, but I thought I could get over that part as long as it was cheap enough. As I was talking to the lady in the office, I was asking her about the area and the gangs and etc. She was saying that she likes the area. Yadi-yada!! Then my eyes glanced up at the window above her and immediately traveled to the gunshot hole in the window. I just couldn’t get past that. I didn’t go back. At this point I was pretty discouraged of ever finding an affordable not ghetto place in Santa Fe. I then started questioning our decision to come here. Later that day Nate’s dad came with the Uhaul. He was tired and ornery from the long drive. He didn’t have anything good to say, so we decided we better all sleep on it. We were all so tired and stressed that it wasn’t a good idea for us to be together until we were more relaxed and rested. So Wednesday came and we started out again. We decided to check out some nicer apartments and put the price aside. So we went to Rancho Vizcaya, which Nate checked out a month ago and really liked, but the price was $1300/month. OUCH!! We couldn’t afford that, but then we found out that they give “preferred employers” a 20% discount. Which was still a lot for us, but then we went in anyways. Well besides the price, when I was there I really liked them and felt good about them. It was a night and day difference between this one and the other ones. REALLY!!!! So we put in an application and gave them our card for the app fee and the deposit. Then they told us that we get the first months rent free and that it was a $300 deposit, but then as she was running it, she found out because once again, we were a “preferred employee” that the deposit was only $50. It just kept getting better. I almost started crying and had to hold myself back from hugging the lady. She might of thought that I was weird. Then she let us know that we got $200 off our first months rent! Wow! So with all the calculations this apartment ended up costing the same as the ghetto one!! The location is GREAT! There is an LDS church just blocks away. We have a year round pool and hot tub. There is an indoor Basketball court and racquetball court. No play grounds but there are quite a few in the surrounding area. Shopping is within a short walking distance. WOW! I feel blessed and am very lucky. But I do not know that luck is the word for it. I prayed hard the night before for Heavenly father to help us find a nice place at a good price, and though it is not as cheap as Cedar City, it is the best we could find down here. We just have to learn to adjust to the cost of living down here, unless we want to get shot at. God does answer our prayers, even the ones that seem impossible and trust me at the time this one seemed impossible! Sometimes we rely on our own knowledge and understanding, which can be very dangerous, because our knowledge is nothing compared to Gods. Gods power is stronger than math and our own thinking! This was a testimony builder that if we listen no matter how stupid or ridiculous the idea may seem that God does bless our efforts! As many of you know I debated for quite sometime whether I was going to come with Nate while he was in the academy or not. I was not going to see him often and I would have no family or friends to support me and the kids. I have been praying that I would get to see him more often than they told him and at his orientation they gave him a schedule. I will get to see him almost every weekend and for Thanksgiving he has 4 days off. After thanksgiving there is one stretch that I won’t get to see him for 3 weeks until Christmas. This was another proof to me that God does answer my prayers. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, God will answer according to what he sees fit for you! Don’t be afraid! Too, often we don’t ask because we think we are silly or selfish, or that it can’t be done. This is foolish, God can do anything, and He will decide whether He will or can do it, not us!!! He loves us and wants to love and protect us. He wants to support and guide us. He wants us to be happy and He doesn’t want us to get hurt except for our benefit. I am amazed. It didn’t make sense to me to come down here and not see Nate and do have no family or friends, but Gods plan does not make sense in our limited minds and sight. Many begged me to stay, some begged me to go, but in the end I had to block it all out and listen to the spirit. I had to settle down and put all the traffic of others aside, and sit, be still and listen. I did. I listened and it still didn’t make sense. It didn’t seem like the easiest way or the most desirable way, but I listened and look what happened. We have been greatly blessed and we have only been here for a week. I believe more blessings will come as we strive to listen. Often, when we told people why we were moving and about Nate’s job, almost all replied, “I guess you take what you can get in these hard times.” To us it seemed like they thought it was crazy and that it was settling, but for us this is just the beginning. It is only guiding us one step closer to our desires and to the will of the Lord. We are not settling. We are only beginning. Thus far, everything we have done has only been a stepping stone to something better. Thank you to all that has believed in us, we love you and are dearly indebted to your belief in us. Those who don’t believe in us, we still love you, but start believing in us or move on, because we don’t need your discouragement. We get enough of that from the rest of the world and ourselves. I think Nate is amazing and does work hard to provide for his family and will continue. Many have judged us because of our Unemployment for 10 months, luckily it is not their judgement to pass, and for a good reason! If it were up to them we would be damned! Sorry for that little soap box, but I just wish some would remember that they don’t know what others are going through and how hard they are trying though it doesn’t look like it on the outside. I am just as quick to blame on judging others too, so I am going to try harder to be compassionate and instead of judging I am going to try to love. The kids are adjusting slowly but surely. We go swimming almost everyday here at the hotel and we walk the halls a lot! And there is an outside mall across the parking lot from our Hotel, we walk that a lot too!! We will keep you updated.

New Mexicans

We are just preparing to go to NM. I am probably staying behind for a while to see how it goes, plus I can't find an apartnebt that feels right. GRRR! NM has some scary areas and rumor has it that you don't go out after dark, so this scares me. Not all areas are that way, but I am not updated on which are and aren't. I am nervous to be a single mom for 5 months and to be alone!! I look forward to Nate being home at night. I get ancy and bored without him!! :( But this is a small sacrifice for a great opportunity and adventure. Owen started preschool and his teacher is Ms. Carol Walker. He really likes it and really likes her! She says he is good and a great role model for the other kids. YEAH! for owen! Dakota is binky free and starting to talk. She loves her brother Austin and takes good care of him. Aust and I wnet to Nephi one weekend and Nate said she would walk around the house looking for him and would stand by his bed all the time. When we came home her eyes opened wide and she was way excited. She grabbed from me and held him and hugged him alot!! Austin is eating like a pig. He eats Oatmeal, rice, Green Beans, carrots and some fruit. He eats a bowl full 2 times a day and sometimes a whole jar of food. He is a porker! Nate is nervous about the intensity of the Academy, but very excited for the change and the adventure. I am scared too, but also ready for something new! Here are some pics of recent activities:

New Little Guy

This is Austin Alan born 30 April 2010. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long. He has been home a little less than a week, but Owen and Dakota love him and give him plenty of attention. We are still figuring out the sleep at night thing. I end up spending the last half of the night sleeping in the chair with him. P.s. any tips on that? He is pretty patient and content for a new baby. We love him very much!

LONG LONG TIME

Well it has been a while. I have not been motivated lately to update our blog. Owen and Dakota are great! Nate is well, too. Today, I was laying in the bed and Owen came to lay by me. He put his arm around me and started rubbing me not realizing that he was rubbing my boob. So I asked him to stop and he said, "that is for the baby to eat." I said, "yes," he then asked very seriously and curiously, "Is it white milk or pink milk?" I cracked up laughing and told him it was white milk He then proceeded to tell me that the baby needs pink milk(Strawberry milk).

I only have 2 weeks left! Last monday, we thought my water had broke, but the baby just happened to drop that day and squeeze my bladder and I basically, crossed my legs while running to the bathroom, but it didn't stop it from coming! YES! I peed my pants! So because everyone was concerned, I went to the OB to get the test done to see if it was my water. It was not! I have been ancy and ready for the baby to come ever since! I think I was a little disappointed!

Dakota, let me tell you about this little daredeviled spitfire! She is wild, but very fun and happy a moajority of the time. She loves to dive in the water head first and when you rush to bring her up she smiles with a twinkle in her eye. Then she does it again! She loves to dive down big slides head first! And laugh when you gasp with fear! She loves to give her grandma Searle a heart attack while climbing the rocks out at 3 peaks here in Cedar. She climbs up them and falls, she doesn't care about the dirt on her face or in her hair or on her pants, but if it gets on her hands she shakes them and whines. She puts her wrists to the ground when she falls instead of her hands. She is pure girl with a little adventure in her. She is tough too. She likes to wrestle her daddy along with Owen. And when she gets knocked down or hit in the head, she rubs it and then shakes it off. She is a big tease and very mischievious! Remind you of anyone??

Owen, loves to listen to his music and dance. He also loves to repeat the songs he learns in Nursery. He knows the words and actions of songs I don't even know. he never sings them in Nursery, but he comes home and has them memorized! He is still a cowboy! He loves to ride and get bucked off of about anything! He also loves to round up the bulls! He is very smart and can count to 10 in order on his own. he knows half of the Alphabet and their sounds. He knows his colors and shapes, and he knows way to much for his age! We have to be careful around him, because he understands what we say. Today, he couldn't get one of his toys drawers to push in, so just like a grown up would, he said, "stupid drawer," under his breath. It is scary. You have to talk nice to other drivers too, because he catches that. Today, I cleaned, which was a big accomplishment! When I was done I said, "Man, I am dead!" He replied, "you are not dead." He is a tease, but he has his moments of seriousness. Nate also started singing to Owen, " OOOH! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea..." Owen replied, "I don't live ina pineapple under the sea, with a very serious and confused look. He is funand excited for the baby to come. We talk to him about it all the time and what the baby will be like and how it won't do much at first. He seems to get it, and he always rubs mt belly and asks when the baby will come out. It is cute.

Nate, is gettign in shape for his physical and written test in New Mexico for the Police Academy thier. That is on May 24 and 25. Speaking of that, I need/want to know if anyone can help me while he is gone. I am scared that I will still be adjusting to the New baby and 3 kids. Nate ran his first 10 k in 4 years. He took 5 thin his division and 24th overall. We were proud of him. He is planning on runnign as many races as he can. He also claims that I can not have my baby on the 1st of May! That is the Kentucky Derby. He says if I do then that is what he will be doing at the hospital, is watching it. Karen says that he has now jinxed himself! I HOPE SO!!!

Well that is is for now. I will post updated pictures the next time I feel a little motivation. We love you all and hope all is as well for everyone else as it has been for us. We are very blessed even in times of hardship! We have no complaints, other than I am ready for the back pains and so on to be gone and the baby to be here. But that is just me being whiny and a baby! So all in all, all is well!