Happy Birthday and Kidney Stones

Yesterday I celebrated my 25th birthday. Let me tell you how...

Passing Kidney Stones!! Yay! What a great way to spend your birthday. But enough of that...

As I have approached 25, I have been really contemplating my life, what kind of mom I am, what kind of wife I am, and what kind of person I am.

Lately, I have not been that impressed. Since I started working full time everything has kind of gone down the crapper. I get off work and don't feel like doing a damn thing. The laundry doesn't get done, and my house is a filthy pig sty! I have let Lexi sleep on the couch about every night this summer because I am to lazy to go tuck her in. And I have been slacking on Quinn's therapy that I am supposed to do with her every day.

I keep thinking..."Something's got to give." And it has. Last week I gave my notice at work. While expecting our 3rd child, I look at the mess that I am in right now, and get really scared when I think of a new baby in this mess. Plus, how does a mother of 3 work 40 hours a week?

So...yesterday as I was "Celebrating" my 25th. I decided to give myself a make over. I am going to make over the mom and wife I am and try to be better. I am not in my early twenties anymore and can't get away with being flaky. So...now I am going to stay home and not work. Lucky me to get to stay home with such cute kids! I have to sacrifice some stuff. Like my brand new 2011 Jetta that I absolutely love. Because we won't be able to afford it now. But I would drive a 1982 New Yorker if it means I get to stay home with my kids.

Maybe that is the newer, older, wiser version of myself. But I have just gotten to the point that it doesn't matter what I drive, and it doesn't matter what I wear or what toys we have. All that matters is that my family is taken care of. And that I am not on the sidelines like I have felt like for the past 8 months. And is feeling like you are on the sidelines in your own kids lives worth driving a nice car and making good money? I think not.

I tried working full time. I like the job. But I can't say that it is for me. I can't wait to spend my days home with my wonderful kids and hopefully improve myself.

Naughty, Naughty

I have always said that the "Terrible 2's" aren't nearly as bad as people say. I personally think that it is closer to 3 that it gets bad.

Did I mention Quinn will be 3 in November?

It's hard to imagine this sweet little thing being "Terrible"

But believe me, I witness it on a daily basis!

She can go from sweet, innocent little Quinn, to Monster in .02 seconds!

The other night we were sitting upstairs watching "Tangled" with the girls. All was well and everyone was being quiet and enjoying the show, when out of nowhere, Quinn chucks a toy laptop at Lexi's head! Now, this girl can throw. Her right arm is so strong from trying to compensate from not being able to use her left one. Needless to say she left a GIANT goose egg on Lexi's forehead that stayed for days.

I know what you are thinking....that Lexi must have done something to provoke this behavior. That would be a negative! I witnessed the whole thing.

Also, we were at my Grandma Bonnie's and Lexi was lying on the couch and Quinn looked at all of the adults to see who was watching, and didn't know I was, when she tried to hit Lex over the head with a toy vacuum. And then giggled!

I don't know what I am going to do with her!

I woke her up this morning to get her ready to go to the sheep show with my sisters. And she was not thrilled to get woke up.

Me: Quinn, get up. You get to go hang out with Rachel at the sheep show, that will be so fun!

Quinn: No I don't want to.

Me: You have to, mommy has to go to work! Come one, let's get ready.

Quinn: I get ready, but I will be naughty at the sheep show!

All I can say is at least she is honest!

Gone with the Wind

Last winter I read this...

and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

I love to read, and especially Historical Fiction.

This is by far my favorite book.

Last weekend my Grandma Bonnie invited my sisters, my Aunt Shellie and I to watch it and have a slumber party. It was so much fun! We ate Hawaiin Haystacks, Strawberry Cheesecake and got up in the morning and had crepes. The movie is almost 4 hours long, and I couldn't get enough of it! My Grandma has always loved it and bought the book for me last winter thinking I would never read it. Oh but I did, I read all 1100 pages of it in about 3 weeks. It was fun to sleep at her house again since I haven't since I was a teenager. (Yes, I slept over even though I live a block away)

One of my favorite scenes, after Scarlett and Rhett get back from their honeymoon in New Orleans.

"As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again."

I love how Scarlett is so strong. I would like to think that I could be as strong as her. She knew what she had to take care of and she did whatever she had to do to take care of it. I would like to think that her and Rhett do end up together because she always seems to find a way to get what she wants.

Hottest New Accessory of the Season

This just in....

The hottest accessory of the summer is....

Lexi has been sportin' this bad boy for about two weeks.

She has about 3 more to go!

Here is how it all went down.

My sisters and I were in my house watching " Pretty Little Liars", and Cameron was outside working on his derby car, while Lexi and the neighbor boy were playing. I heard a blood curdling scream, so dramatic that I thought they were just playing. When it never let up...I decided to check things out. I went outside to find Cameron holding Lex and her arm was swollen and red. She carefully explained to us that she was trying to go down the slide and went over the side backwards. We took her to the Urgent Care and found out she had fractured her growth plate and her elbow.

Not the best way to start the summer, but she feels pretty important with that awesome cast. When my sister Madi asked if she could sign it, Lexi told her she could but it would cost $1. What a savy little business woman!

Dear...whoever

Another segment to my Dear...whoever....

Dear Negative Nelly,

I know that sometimes it's hard to keep your comments to yourself. But sometimes they hurt. I have recently heard of many of you so called "Negative Nelly's" making the comment that I shouldn't be having another baby because I have one with special needs. What the heck is that about people? Yes, I do have a child with special needs, and I wouldn't have her any other way. Yes, she has lots of doctor appointments and therapy sessions, and I wouldn't do anything different. Yes, having a child with special needs takes up a lot of time and sometimes it is frustrating. But I have so much love for my children that I can't imagine not having another one to love just as much! My kids bring so much happiness to my life that I just couldn't resist adding another one to the mix. So to all of you skeptics, we will be just fine adding another one. Thank you for your concern, but make sure when you make comments that they aren't going to hurt someone's feelings. Until you know what it's like to have a child with special needs, you don't know the joy that comes with it.

If you haven't heard...

As many of you have now learned....

We are having another baby!

I am due on January 24, 2012, which makes me 11 1/2 weeks.

We are very excited and the girls just can't wait!

We were going to try to keep this a secret for a while, at least until I started to show. But I thought it would be a good idea to tell Lexi. Boy was I wrong!

Lexi went to her Grandma's the next day and said...

" Grandma I have a big secret, and I can't tell you, but it will be here in 9 months"

She couldn't for the life of her figure out how Molly knew. She told me over and over again that she didn't tell her that we were pregnant! She didn't understand that she had given away the biggest hint possible!

Quinn is also very excited. I don't know if she will be once it gets here, but we will see!

She keeps telling me that it is a brother and we are going to name him Handsome.

We are all very excited about this new adventure in our lives. It is going to take some getting used to for sure. Our lives are already so busy, but we can't wait for the excitement!

Thank You UPS Man!

At work yesterday the UPS man came in and said he had 17 packages for me. 17....that's a lot. So I went in the warehouse and opened the door for him and when he was done unloading I went to sign for the 17 packages. This is how the conversation went....

UPS MAN: Actually, I need an adult signature for these.

ME: Okay, I am an adult.

UPS MAN: No, I mean like over 21.

ME: Wow! I am actually 25...but thanks for the confidence boost!

So, to the UPS Man who thought I was merely a teenager, THANK YOU! Lately I have been feeling very old.

Randoms

Random #1: I absolutely hate Play Dough. Who invented that nasty crap? All it is good for is getting stuck in the carpet and causing a huge fight with me and my kids when I won't let them play with it....dumb!

Random #2: I am taking a new fitness class. It's called Vertical Fitness...LOVE IT!

Random #3: I hate to admit it, but on more than one occasion when my doorbell has rang, I have gone and looked who it is out the window in my door, clearly visible to the person standing there, and turned around and walked away.

Random #4: I had a Ham and Swiss from Scrappy's Timp Freeze the other day and it's quite possible that it is the best thing I have ever eaten. It had pickles and some special mustard sauce. Delightful!

Random #5: I drew a general Archery Deer Tag this year...guess I should practice shooting my bow.

Random #6: Sometimes when people are talking to me I zone out and just pretend that I know what they are saying. The embarrassing thing is when I am supposed to remember something from that conversation and have to admit that I wasn't listening.

Random # 7: Cameron and I like to play practical jokes on each other. He still hasn't gotten me back from when I went downstairs and turned the water off to the master shower while he was in it.

Random #8: Every Friday night we record "Ghost Adventures" I freakin love that show.

Random #9: Sometimes I like to go into my kids rooms at night while they are sleeping and talk to them. Is that considered mean?

Random #10: I bought a very cute pair of Gladiator Sandals and I am wearing them right now...LOVE THEM!

Budd Girls Update

Having girls has been such an amazing thing....we get to dress pretty, dance, do make-up, sing, play with dolls and Barbies, and bake. I absolutely love my girls. I am so glad I don't have to play with bugs and dirt and little boy things. I sure don't know what I would do with a boy. So here are some of the happenings lately for the Budd Girls...

Lexi celebrated her 6th birthday on June 1st! She is so grown up. We had all the family over for cake and ice cream. And then we took her to Kung Fu Panda 2. Then a couple days later she took of to Billings, Montana to spend a week with my mom. I have never spent more than 2 nights apart from her so I have been really missing her. She will start 1st grade in the fall and is very excited! Her teacher is Mrs. Mecham and we have heard really great things about her! Lexi is a little goof, who is always playing jokes and trying to be funny. She absolutely HATES cleaning her room. In fact, the picture above was one night that she was supposed to be cleaning, she came out to ask me something dressed like this! She also has a habit of falling asleep when she is supposed to be cleaning.

Lexi is such a good kid who is full of energy and has a very kind heart. She is an amazing daughter and sister and we love her so much!

Quinn is doing very well since her seizure. She is back to herself, we just are a little more cautious with her. She is growing up so much, I can't even believe that she is almost 3. She runs around and plays with Lexi constantly. She loves playing with babies, riding her " bike" ( the one she decided to ride down the stairs!), and cuddling. She has not one bit of fear in her. Even though she has a harder time doing things, she will do them no matter what. She is a spitfire and tells you exactly what she wants. Quinn has made so much progress and is doing amazing. She has such a strong will and will try as hard as she can and never give up. She is such a good example to us and such a sweet spirit.

She went to Primary Children's for and eeg the other day. It measured her brain waves and can tell us more about the seizure. She had about 25 little wires all hooked to her head and then a "turbin" wrapped around it. She had to sleep for 30 minutes.

The nurse was so cute with her. We have always been treated so good at Primary Children's. She told Quinn that all of those wires were going to make her look like "Tangled" and she had really long hair! It was so cute. She was really good for the whole thing.

Lexi gets to come home on Sunday and I CAN'T WAIT!! I miss her so much. Quinn has missed her too, so we just sit and cuddle and miss Lexi.

Fear

I wouldn't say I am an especially fearful person. I mean, I am afraid of the normal things like clowns, spiders, and the wind ( okay not so normal on that one). Last week I had the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me happen.

As I was lying in bed Wednesday morning, talking myself into getting up, Quinn came walking in my room. Now this isn't abnormal. She usually walks in and says " Can I cuddle?" But this time she walked in and started throwing up foam. I rushed her to the bathroom and got her cleaned up and laid her down on my bed.

I went upstairs to wake Lexi up for school and came back down and Quinn was acting really weird. She was shaking terribly and her eyes were darting back and forth. That's when I noticed that her left hand was twitching. It finally dawned on me that she was having a seizure.

I immediately grabbed the phone and called my Grandma Bonnie. I said " I am having an emergency and I need you NOW!" and I hung up. My sweet Grandma was there in one minute. She walked in and saw what was happening and called 911. Tristi also showed up because I was on the phone with her telling her I wouldn't be to work when I realized she was having a seizure. I hung up on her and so she jumped in the car and came.

In the meantime I was a total basketcase! I couldn't get a hold of Cameron and I am pretty sure I was still in my garments when my Grandma and Tristi showed up.

My house was filled with Paramedics, cops, and any family who had heard it on the scanner or drove by and saw something was wrong. In all of this chaos... Lexi sat in the kitchen, out of the way of everything and was calm and collected. What a sweetheart. She had to be so worried!

We finally got a hold of Cameron and he came in and said "What are we waiting for, take her to Primary Children's". Cool as a cucumber. I am so glad he was, one of us needed to be.

The ambulance took her to Primary Children's and she seized the whole way there. They gave her some medicine in her IV to stop the seizure and did a CT Scan. The scan came back not normal...because it will never be, because of her brain damage. But it came back with nothing new on it. So that means no new damage occured.

We stayed at the hospital for about 9 hours and they sent us home. They perscribed some medication that we can shoot up her nose if she has another one. She was very tired and not herself for a couple days, but is back to normal now.

Besides the fact that I have a new fear now...of leaving her with someone, of her having another one, of the stress it puts on her. I am so glad to know what to expect for next time. I am so grateful that the seizure didn't do any more damage to her. She is such a brave little thing and didn't think anything of what was going on. In fact when her hand was twitching, she kept grabbing it with her right hand and holding it to try and stop it.

So...to all of you who helped that day, or brought us dinner, or just called to check in. Thank you so much for caring about our family. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated and didn't go un noticed.

A case of the Mondays...

Mondays....

What can I say?

CHAOS!!

Yesterday when we got home from church at 4, we decided it would be a great idea to have a nap. Boy were we wrong!

Lexi and Quinn both took long good naps and we never heard a peep from either of them. But come bed time, LOOK OUT!

Quinn cried for at least 2 hours...I am not exaggerating. As we get her ready for bed, we get in pj's, brush teeth, and get a drink. She was not happy by any stretch of the imagination to be going to bed...so Cameron proceeds to give her a drink and she tells him afterwards, "You're still mean dad"

He put her in bed and we just got sat down watching last weeks episode of 90210, when she opened her door and yelled..." I'm throwin a fit!" and slammed the door.

Literally 2 hours of this!!

While Lexi on the other hand was so excited for her Field Trip to the Zoo today that she couldn't sleep and had to keep getting up for some reason or another.

So by the time Cameron and I make it to bed, neither one of us can get comfortable to go to sleep. Just as we start to doze off, Cameron's on call phone keeps ringing to let him know something is wrong at work.

Needless to say....no one in our family got very much sleep. As if getting going on Monday mornings isn't hard enough. Let's add a night of NO SLEEP!!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Mornings

Mornings at our house are quite interesting now that I work. We rush, rush, rush still to end up late. This morning we had quite a dramatic one....

Me: Quinn, come on let's do your hair ( While picking out this bow)

Quinn: Put it back! Put it back! I not wear it!

Me: Come on, we are in a hurry, we are gonna be late, let's do your hair!

Quinn: I not wear that flower, I doesn't match!

add kicking and screaming

Quinn: I throwin a fit!

I am really gonna have problems if it is already starting at 2. Next thing ya know she will want to pick out her own clothes! Just another morning in the life of The Budd's.

Dear....whoever

Do you ever get so irritated with people sometimes? And then you just have to grin and bear it? Well I have discovered that writing it down might help to me to get over stuff that bugs me. So...here goes...

Dear Complainer,

I know that you work all the time, I know that you have bills to pay, I know that you are tired, I know that everything in your life goes wrong, I know that you are picked on, I know that nothing is ever your fault, I know that you are sick all the time.....BUT GET OVER IT!!!! Every person has problems of their own, has to work to pay their bills, is tired of working, has confrontations with people, has someone to take care of. You, my complaining friend, are not alone. Deal with your issues and quit thinking they are worse than everyone else's. Things could always be worse.

Dear Interupter,

I just can't even tell you how much I love it when I am in the middle of telling you something and you just butt right in and cut me off. IT IS AWESOME!!! Obviously what you have to say is SO much more important than what I am currently saying.

Dear Person riding my butt in the car,

I know you are in a super big hurry. But do you really think that by following so closely that it will make me go faster.....WRONG! I hate to tell you this, but when you are following to close for my comfort, I will slow down to 15 mph in a 50, and I won't let you pass. I understand you are in a hurry, but it's not my problem. GET OFF MY BUTT!

Wow! That helps a little, I am sure there will be more to come!

When Quinn was first diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, I was devastated. My worst fear was that she was going to get made fun of because she is different. She won't walk the same way other kids do, it might take her longer to learn physical things, and she may have to take special classes at school. Quinn is different, but having her in our home has made it such a special place. Having a child with special needs really makes you take a step back and appreciate how good you really do have it.

I came across this video and couldn't help but share it. Some of my fears have been settled by seeing this amazing boy, and how he treated his friend with Cerebral Palsy. Quinn's CP is obviously not as severe as this boys, but it still touched my heart. I know there are kids out there that will befriend my little Quinn just like he did Dayton. This kid is really a great example of how to live your life.

https://lds.org/youth/video/daytons-legs?lang=eng

Yes....we are still here

I am slightly ashamed that I haven't made a post since October...but our lives have been pretty crazy and my priorities haven't really been on keeping people updated on our happenings. I have now promised myself to keep up on my blogging since my Mom and Cameron's Grandma have moved away, and we don't get to see them often. So if anything, I need to keep it up for them. So here is a taste of what has been going on in our lives...

Lexi is growing so much. She is almost done with kindergarten and has learned so much! I am amazed and the things that she tells me. Even though when I ask her what she learns at school every day, she simply says " I'm not telling." But I am not going to give up, one day she will tell! She reads books to me all of the time, and is constantly writing letters to her friends. She is such a great big sister to Quinn. She plays with her and helps her learn new things. She has lost 2 teeth and has one hanging by a thread. We cut her hair off in an A-Line about a month ago and she is so cute with it. She plays spring soccer, takes dance lessons, and rides her bike fast and all the time! She loves to read, color, and play outside with her dad. She told me she is going to marry Justin Bieber and keeps asking if we can go to Canada to see him. Her favorite show on t.v. is iCarly. She is quite the drama queen, everything is always exaggerated 100%. Conversations with Lexi are like you are speaking to a teenager. Half the time I have to remind myself that she is 5. She keeps me in check and reminds me to change the song when it's a bad one. And reminds me everytime I say a word I shouldn't. She says the nicest prayers that sometime make me laugh because of the things she says. My little Lexi is such a good girl. I constantly notice how she takes such good care of her sister. She would never let anything happen to her. She is friends with everyone at school and doesn't leave anyone out. She has such a tender heart and is always thinking of someone else. She is such a great example to me and I love her so much!

Quinn has made such progress in the last 6 months.You would never know by looking at her that she has Cerebal Palsy. In November she started seeing doctors at Shriner's Hospital. She loves to go there! She got a brace for her leg and has to wear it everyday. The brace has helped her to be able to walk on her own and be more balanced. Now not only does she walk on her own, she RUNS! I have a very hard time keeping up with her. We get to meet with the school district in May to see if she will qualify for the Special Ed preschool. We are crossing our fingers that she will, this would be an amazing thing for Quinn to keep getting the therapy she needs. If she does get into the preschool, she will start in November when she turns 3. That is going to be so hard for me. She just seems way to little to be in school. Quinn is such a little spitfire. She doesn't let anyone tell her anything. She does what she wants to do and when she wants to do it. She keeps up with Lexi and they play together all the time. I have had to come to the realization that I can't keep her in a bubble. She is going to be able to do everything that other kids do, she is just going to have to work a lot harder. Quinn is learning so much. She is talking up a storm, and to tell you the truth, she never shuts up. She says things like " I wanna see you, hold me." and " I love you.....so much." and when she is mad at me she says " Mommy's mad at me....I'm gonna cry." Her little voice just melts my heart, even when she is throwing a fit, it is so hard to get mad at her. Quinn has been such a blessing to our home. She just brings such a sweet spirit to our family and I don't know what we would do without her.

Cameron is doing well. He is still working for Jordanelle Special Service District. It seems like he develops more and more hobbies everyday. He played winter basketball and I have to say, I loved going to watch the games. Some of them were pretty intense and needless to say, my sister and I almost got thrown out. It's not something that I am proud of, but the old Terra came out for a minute. He has been horn hunting and found a pretty nice elk shed. Right now he is getting ready to play summer softball. Which I also enjoy going to watch. He got a new dog, an outside one. I wasn't very thrilled about it, but since he got a dog I finally got a fence to give us some privacy from our crazy neighbors. Cameron is an awesome dad and husband, and I love him with all my heart!

Oh is it to me now....I have have had some really life changing things going on in my life. Besides being mom, wife, sister, friend, and daughter. I am now a full time working mom. In January I got a job at a company in Heber called LAVA Corp. We do whole home automation, audio, lighting, security, and home theater systems. I am the office manager and I really enjoy it. It was definitely a change for me. I went from working 15 hours a week to working 40. It's been lots of fun and I have learned so much. I love being home at nights and on weekends with my family. I actually get to watch my shows when they come on at night! I don't play bunco anymore, and I rarely get together with the girls. I just want to go home and never leave when I get off. I have read some great books lately, including " Gone with the Wind" and "The Help". My favorite was "Gone with the Wind" I just loved the story, it was so good! And I am now starting the Sookie Stackhouse books. Though I haven't had much time to read lately.

So for now, the Budd's are doing great! We look forward to summer....playing softball, going on bike rides, making smores, and hanging out with our friends and family.