As a mom... I have come to realize that I encounter a lot of firsts, with my children. You almost dont realize that after the intial firsts like first tooth, and first time rolling over, and first steps, that you will encounter new ones every day. Lexi has experieced many firsts in the last couple months. She started kindergarten on Sept. 7. How did THAT happen? I cried and cried. I couldn't believe I was the mom of a school kid. And after the 1st day she told me she didn't need me to walk her to school anymore, that she could walk herself. What she didn't realize is that I needed that!! She lost her first tooth last week...it was loose for about 3 weeks and hanging by a thread. She wouldn't let Cameron or me anywhere near her, for fear we would yank it out. I was starting to worry that it was gonna fall out while she was eating and she would swallow it. But my sister Meagan took care of it. When Lexi least expected it, Meagan tackled her and ripped it out. The Tooth Fairy left her $3. And it she loved it! She also had her first parent teacher conference last week. We learned that she is doing very well in school. Learning to read and doing great with writing. She may need to work on not being the center of attenion!

Quinn has experienced many firsts lately too. She got her first pair of glasses. She is so dang cute in them. She leaves them on so good because they help her out so much! She also has started walking without help! She started out walking with a walker. I think starting out with the walker gave her the confidence to go for it on her own. We are looking forward to some things Quinn will be particiapting in. She gets to take some swimming lessons through the National Ability Center. They will teach her to swim while doing therapy in the water. We are also trying to get her into a horse riding program. Quinn has made huge strides since we found out about her Cerebral Palsy. She is doing so well. She is a little spit fire, and very independent. Thank goodness for those qualities that will help her make it through this hard trial she will have forever.





Lexi's 1st day of school. She picked out the outfit!




It is so weird to see my little girl without all of her teeth! She seems so grown up!

Quinn loves her glasses. And they are very cute! She has actually gotten to the point where she looks really weird without them on. They fit her personality!

Here she is walking! She walks all over the place now. Although after walking for a while she tends to get very tired and her muscles get tight!

This just shows Quinn's little personality. She is always being silly. And is such a girl. In fact she has to wear a splint on her hand to stretch her thumb. And she wouldn't wear it until I glued a flower on it!

We are still alive!

Despite of the fact that I haven't been updating my blog...we are still alive and ticking! We have had a pretty busy summer with Cameron derbying and softball and working. Lexi is getting ready to go to kindergarten and has already picked out her outfit for the first day. She is super excited! I can't believe that it's already time....where did the past 5 years go. She is so smart and such a cutie! Quinn has been doing really well with her therapy and has actually started taking steps! She has a little walker and gets going pretty good! She got glasses last week ( I will post pics soon). She loves them and never takes them off cuz she can finally see!! And she just got accepted to Shriner's Hospital which is SO good. It's just what she needs, it's an orthopedic children's hospital that's non profit...so we don't have to pay! So we are doing well...I will try to post updates more often.

Budd Family Update

Well it's been quite a while since I have blogged. I feel like my life has just gotten so overwhelming that I haven't had time to blog. So here is an update on our family!

Lexi just turned 5 on June 1st!! Holy Cow how did that happen? She had her kindergarten shot in the spring and you would have thought they cut her head off the way she reacted! She played spring soccer, and is quite the player! She also graduated from preschool the end of May. She is playing TBall this summer and really likes it. I can't believe my little girl is going to be starting kindergarten I feel really old!!

Quinn is getting really big...she is 19 months old. In the last month and a half we have found out that Quinn had a brain bleed in the womb. This brain bleed has caused her to have Cerebral Palsy. It has only affected the left side of her body making her a Hemi Palegic. We have started with a program called early intervention, it's where they come to your house and do physical and occupational therapy. Cerebral palsy never goes away, but with therapy, they can teach her body how to live with it. This has been hardest thing for me to hear as a parent. You never think anything will ever happen to your child. But she is such a strong sweet little spirit, and she is going to be fine. She is going to have to work a lot harder than most kids, to do normal kids things. I feel so lucky to have both of my kids here. And that they are for the most part healthy. Because things can always be worse and I am super lucky that Heavenly Father sent these sweet spirits to me to teach and take care of. What an experience!

Cameron and I were able to go to the Draper Temple with the Epps the other night. I was such a great experience. I also feel so lucky to have a husband who honors his priesthood and can take me to the temple. We have been doing a lot of shooting bows lately because I drew out a general Archery deer tag and I just barely learned how to shoot a bow. So we have been practicing a lot. Its super fun to have something to do together that we both enjoy.




Quinn can walk as long as she is pushing this stroller. But without it she doesn't walk yet. But she is getting close!




Cameron and I together. We don't have very many pic of just the 2 of us!



Here is Lexi getting ready to play T Ball. She actually does a really good job hitting and fielding the ball. She got hit in the face the 1st game and it kinda shook her up a little!



The girls love to go Jeeping! It is so cute they just ride all over the yard. Quinn loves it! And I think it makes Lexi feel super cool!

26 Things about me...

So I have noticed on a couple of other blogs the 26 things about me list...so I figured I would do one... so here goes.

A: Age 23
B: Bed size- King
C: Chore I hate: Sweeping
D: Dog's name: Hannah
E: Essential Food Item: Almond Joy Pieces
F: Favorite Color: PINK
G: Gold or Silver: Silver
H: Height: 5'7"
I: I am: OCD
J: Job: During the day, Wife and Mommy, by Night, Server
K: Kids: Lexi almost 5, Quinn 16 months
L: Living situation: Our cute little house on the corner with our cute little family!
M: Lori Luke ( soon to be Keck)
N: Nicknames: Terra is actually short for Terralind, so that could be my nickname, and Terr, TerrBerr, and Terra Toots
O: Overnight Hospital stays: 2 C- Sections, Kidney Stones, and Congestive Heart failure, and 3 of those were before I was 19.
P: Pet Peeve: when people interrupt!!! Drives me nuts!!
Q: Quote from a movie: On the Movie " A League of Our Own" She says " The name's May and that's not just a name it's an attitude." So I always say " The name's Terra, and that's not just a name it's an attitude." It's so fitting.
R: Right or Left Handed: Right
S: Siblings: Rachel, Meagan, and Madison. And they are all my best friends!
T: Time I wake up: On days where Lexi has school I wake up at 7. But other days I wake up when my kids get up, usually around 9 or 9 30.
U: Unique thing about my car: I just got it in August, cuz my transmission went out in my old one. I also own a derby car! Since I drove in it.
V: Vegetables I hate: POTATOES!!!
W: Ways I run late: I am never late...no matter what, I guess that's part of my OCD.
X: X-Rays: Ultrasounds, Echo Cardiogram, Cat Scans, and Teeth. The Echo Cardiogram and Cat Scan were because of Congestive Heart Failure.
Z: Zoo Favorite: Baboons with the Rainbow Butts!

On the Farm

Well this time of the year is the time that we have baby lambs and baby goats. It's really cute when they are first born and are just tiny. Well, my dad went on a cruise last week and left us in charge of the farm. The first day we went over, there were 4 baby goats, and they were dying. So we brought them home and got them warmed up and fed them with a tube. So for about 3 days we had baby goats living in my kitchen. And needless to say they all died. It was super sad!

Simple Reminders

Well we were driving the other day and I was cussing out this car for going slow. They wouldn't get out of my way and they were going WAY slow, so I was giving them a piece of my mind. So after we passed them, we saw that it was a little old guy. And Lexi said, " Mom, you shouldn't have been so hard on him, he's old and short." And I just thought, how sad is it that my 4 year old has to remind me to be a nice person. And then I thought how lucky I am to have someone to keep me in line! Not only does she keep me in line, she also helps me remember the simple things in life. Like when she notices a cloud shaped like something, and then points it out to me. I am so glad I have a simple mind to keep me in line!

Archery Woman!

My New Hobby!!




So...about 3 weeks ago, I mentioned to Cameron that I would like to learn how to shoot a Bow. Just to see if I like it, and then maybe we could get me one. Well, apparently he was super excited because he took me to Cabelas and bought me one. It's awesome! And PINK!! We took it to Humphrey's Archery and got it all set up and got my arrows and everything. My draw length is 27 and Cameron's is 29. So I guess that means I have long arms. And the draw weight is at 40lbs. So it takes a lot of effort to pull it back. I have to laugh because I have been after Cameron to fix our shower for about 9 months, and he keeps putting off, but when I say I want a bow, he buys it 5 days later! I swear he wants me to be like Tiffany on a hunting show called The Crush with Lee and Tiffany.

So Cameron set up some targets in our basement so I could practice and get comfortable with it. So I have been shooting down there, and we went to Ibohunt last Saturday and shot. It was way fun, except that I whipped my arm pretty good and got a big old bruise! But it really is a lot of fun. I can't wait to shoot a deer with it!

Boyfriends Already?

Well...we have had a little bit of teenage drama with Lexi the last little while. Ever since she started school in September she has had a little crush on a boy in her class. She talks about him all the time and just gets this grin on her face. Well in about November, Ms. Katie had to tell me that Lexi got in trouble for locking 3 boys in the bathroom and not letting them leave until they kissed her! I don't know where she got that idea! Well, I guess her and this boy decided to be boyfriend/girlfriend. And Lexi had to yell at another little girl who sat by her man! So they other day I went to pick her up from school, and this little boy came and asked me to get him an invitation for her bday party, because he doesn't know when it is or where we live. So she had invited him to her party, which I am not mistaken shouldn't be til June! But when I picked her up the other day she told me that they broke up. And when I asked her why, she told me that she told Porter, that he needed to go home and tell his mom that she would never see him again, because if they get married, he needs to come live with us! Oh my goodness, this has already started, what am I gonna do when she is 14?

So that was the update on Lexi...here is the update for Quinn...

She is 14 months, and she weighs 18 lbs. So that puts her in the 5th percentile. I was reading older posts, and when she was 6 months, she was in the 30th, so that has dropped pretty bad. But she eats, so I don't know what to do. Since her surgery, she acts like a totally different kid. She wants to sit and play all the time. Her 1st word was Baby. And her 2nd was deer. She is so funny. She has started to pull herself up to the couch, so I think that she should start walking soon. She is so full of energy and look out if she doesn't get what she wants. She has an attitude!!