Is this child abuse?

Kaitlyn wrote a paper today in school about 3 wishes....

I wish for a small puppy, because I love pets and animals.

I wish for a kitten that is cute, because they are nice animals.

I wish that I can stop sucking my thumb so I can get a toy, because I don't want my DAD to break all the bones in my mouth!

( We have really been trying to help her understand why it is important to stop sucking her thumb. It is starting to affect the bone structure in her mouth. This comes from a conversation about why her teeth don't touch together like other peoples, and why her jaw hurts when she wakes up after sucking her thumb all night!) Poor Kid, I think I scared her to death. But she is still sucking her thumb!

Beautiful Girls

Today was a first in our family. We actually got ready for church and had a half an hour to spare! We decided to take a few pictures of the kids. I cannot believe how fast they grow up. It really dawned on me tonight when I put Madelyn in her pajamas. They were the pajamas that Kaitlyn wore when she was 2. Yes it is sad, my baby turns 2 in 2 weeks! Where does the time go!




Kaitlyn: I cannot believe she is 7. Today she has been very concerned about a family in our ward that was not at church today. I thought it was because the lady teaches her class, but it turns out she has a bit of a CRUSH on her oldest SON! ( I am sooo not ready for this!)She was saying her prayers and asked that Heavenly Father would help this family that they could be at church next week. She ended her prayer with the biggest grin on her face! We all just started laughing. I wish I had a better relationship with Kaitlyn. She has been a demanding little sole ever since she wanted to come to earth! I think she is 7 going on 17, and isn't afraid to step up and speak her mind. However there are always those precious Mommy moments that make you realize that it is all worth while. A hug, an I love you, or moments where we are on the same page. She is a great big sister and a good helper. She is still always singing a song. Her new favorite thing is to take a shower, because I can turn on the bathroom fan and she can sing her little heart out, without having to worry about bothering the neighbors! She is struggling so much right now with sucking her thumb. It is such a habit for her, and has gotten even worse since we moved. We have tried to set goals for 1 week. She flat out can't do it. Even if she makes it all day, at night it goes right in. I have tried everything I can think of. It is so hard to watch her struggle with this and know that my options are limited. We are in the process of fitting her for a mouth appliance that will hopefully help her.



Jenna: (Notice her very long straight hair) She loves to straighten her hair! It is the only time the poor kiddo gets to BRUSH her hair. We don't do it very often but when we do, she combs and combs her hair! She is getting so grown up. I am going to have a hard time parting with Jenna next year when she goes to Kindergarten. She has been so sad because Madelyn couldn't say her name. Finally Madelyn came up with something that resembled enough of her name for her satisfaction. She calls her "Nanny", and Kaitlyn "Cake". That was a great day! We had tears after every prayer that Madelyn said, and couldn't say her name.

They are finally becoming pretty good buddies!
Jenna helped her make a laundry basket bed while Mommy was sick, so they could make vegging out in front of the t.v. just a little more fun! I have an awesome friend that has been so willing to watch my girls while I help out at the office a few hours a week. Jenna LOVES going there. It has been such a blessing for me. I think Jenna had the hardest time adjusting without any friends. So it makes her day to go play with 2 darling little girls, and be the " BIG SISTER" for the day to all of them! (Thank you so much Carrie!)

Madelyn: She has grown so much lately. She is really loving singing songs. Her favorites are twinkle twinkle"Inky", wheels on the bus, and the 2 songs daddy always teaches them sneaky snake, and the bee. There isn't much that gets by her. She has discovered after climbing 3 flights of stairs 3 times a day it is much easier to hitch a ride with Mom. It doesn't matter how full my hands are she insists on being carried! I can't seem to let this one grow up though. I still rock her every night for a few minutes. ( she calls it bocky bye) I so love that time with her. I am a little frustrated with her sisters who have so rudely taught her to burp! I keep trying to remind them that princesses do not burp! But with a 7 year old in the house, bodily noises are the funniest thing on the planet hands down! At least she will say excuse me now! She also picked up this disgusting little habit......

Oh we love her! I think she knows she is about to turn two! Just last week she tried out the drop down roll around, kick em tantrum thing! You gotta love the terrible 2's, however I think the 3's are worse! Here is another funny picture, she certainly takes after Jenna in the fashion world. She loves SHOES, and picking out her clothes herself. Here she is sporting Capri's with her Winter BOOTS.

Colors and more colors....

So I only wish my camera could capture the true colors. We have since found a true fuchsia colored home, lime green (borderline florescent) Pam you would love this! Rust orange seems to be a newer color of choice. And there is one street that reminds me of Easter eggs, bold Easter pastels!
I just wanted to add that the pictures of the blue houses, I didn't have to drive far. They are literally everywhere! I think we will make a "Montana Blue" scrapbook, for all of you to view when you come visit me! And of course we will give you the LIVE tour as well, it is much better in person!

Oh yes, and the pink blazer is classic! It actually has a black and white picture of someone that takes up nearly the entire back window!!

Church

So today was our 3rd Sunday at our ward. The first Sunday we were here was stake conference. The second Sunday we went to our ward and then it was general conference. The 2nd Sunday we were in our ward we spoke in sacrament meeting. And today Joe was called to be the 2nd councilor in the Elders Quorum Presidency, and I was called to be the first councilor in the Young Women's organization. ( Those were some talks don't you think!) Our ward is made up of a lot of elderly people and a lot of widows. We are one of very few younger couples in our ward. We are both excited about getting involved in the ward, and apparently we are needed!

The Montana "BLUES"

We have been doing a lot of driving around getting to know the area. We have also been looking at homes for sale and in doing so, have found an interesting little trend. My camera does not do some of these pictures the justice they deserve! If you like the color of blue, we are talking true "OUT HOUSE" blue, do I have a place for you! Joe and I have nicknamed it M.T. blue for "Montana Blue", seriously, it is everywhere!

There are the ALL BLUE houses.....




And then there is blue as an accent, and 2 toned blue







And my personal favorite.....

And if blue isn't your thing, don't worry there is something for you too!

Perhaps something in PINK.....

Montana-itis

Okay so is it me or does it seem like the first 3 months you live somewhere new you can pretty much count on being sick! I am having flashbacks of when I first moved to Kentucky and ended up with Whooping cough! Who knows how I picked that one up, It was awful though!
Sorry, I am going to whine for just a minute.... There is one nice thing about humidity in Kentucky. My sinuses are cracking in half and I feel like my head is stuck in a watermelon here! It has been a long time since I have felt this miserable being sick, (years in fact) and all I have is a COLD! Seriously Moms don't have time to be sick. And when they are life just goes on as normal. There is no napping, no extra hot shower to breath, no one making hot cider etc... sigh. Life goes on with hot dinner on the table, laundry done, toilets sparkling etc. I guess I should be grateful I am still capable of doing all those things, because if I wasn't I would most likely be DEAD!

Big Sky Country

I am pretty sure this is why they call it Big Sky Country! The sky is beautiful. I love how often it changes and I feel like I can see forever.

And here it really is the whole reason we now live in Montana!

We closed on March 31st, and Joe took over April 1st. Dr. Sullivans name will come off in a few months, after the patients have gotten use to the transition.

So far things are going well. It has been quite an adjustment for us learning to run a new business, but think we are getting the hang of it.

Other than that Kaitlyn has adjusted well to school and loves the more laid back environment. She is a totally different person when she gets home after having a recess!

Jenna is bored, she misses her preschool and her friends. We have only been to church once between stake conference and general conference. But I am hoping she will find a little friend soon.

Madelyn is growing like a weed, and talking up a storm. She tries to say and repeat everything. She is starting to sing, it's so cute.

I miss my freezer meals, and feel frazzled most of the time. I think we are getting it together though. I feel like I just gained another household to run. The office has bills to pay, things to clean, errands to run, papers to file etc. We spend most of our evenings going over mile long lists of things we still need to do. But all in all this week has gone much better than last, and I think it will only get better from here! ( I hope)