Pumpkins and Such

 

Once again, it's that time of year where the excitement of Halloween starts!  That means it's pumpkin carving time!  This year we only got 3 pumpkins, one for Stetzen, one for Tinzley, and one for Zach and me.  I will tell you right now that Zach absolutely dislikes gutting and carving pumpkins.  I don't know why.  I love carving them!  It makes me feel like a kid again.  

I think Stetzen takes after his dad in the pumpkin department.  I tried with all my might to try to get him to help me pull out all the pumpkin guts before his dad got home from work, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  All he could say about it was that it was "Yucky!"  The moment his dad came home, though, he wanted to do everything his dad did.  He found the sharpie and began drawing up his creation and was well on his way to cutting it out.  Good thing dad came through and helped him with the cutting, or he might have been the real Captain Hook for Halloween!

In the end Stetzen carved a classic Jack-o-Lantern face, Tinzley carved a mummy pumpkin, and Zach & I (but mostly Zach because I did Tinzley's) carved a spider.  I think they all turned out pretty cute!

As for the wonderful display of our creations, well I spaced them out until about 11 pm on Halloween, so the lighted ones are pretty pitiful.  I couldn't  stop shaking in the cold to take them so they were all blurry.  But, you can get a good idea of how cool they would have looked in the other picture. 

Can't Believe It's Been a Month!

Our little Tinzley just turned 1 month, and it seems like she just barely got here!  I really hope she doesn't row up as fast as it seems like Stetzen has.  It has been quite an adjustment having two children.  I have been terrified of going to town alone because I just don't know how I'm going to wrestle two little kids.  My first opportunity came when I took Tinzley to her 1 month appointment.  All was fine and dandy until it came time to leave.  He wanted to take home one of the office's toys and threw the biggest fit because he couldn't keep it.  It was a nightmare and epic fail!  I was so grateful for the receptionist.  She saw all the hoopla and helped me take Tinzley back to the car.  Hopefully this will not be the norm.

As for the progress Tinz has made, it seems like it's been a lot!

Growth Stats:
Weight - 8 lbs 9 oz - 25th Percentile
Height - 21.5 inches - 50th Percentile

Milestones:
She's found her hands



She loves to suck on her fist and fingers.  I think she is going to the thumb sucker of the family.  She really doesn't like a bink unless she is tired or hungry which I think is a good thing.  She also loves a good cuddle.  She doesn't like to be set down for very long without being held.  I love that she likes to snuggle.  Hopefully it lasts a long time!  She is also very alert.  I think she is the most alert baby I've ever seen.  When she is awake she is looking around and happy. 



As for sleeping, she is a trooper.  I will admit that the sleepless nights is what I dreaded the most before she arrived.  But, she sleeps really well.  She only wakes up two or three times during the night (every 3 hours).  It is so nice!  I still feel tired in the mornings but not exhausted.  In all, she is a really good baby like her brother.  I couldn't ask for a better baby!

 

Cousin Besties

 

Tinzley got her first visit from her cousins Paige, Hunty, Caige, and Alyah today!  I couldn't believe how much Paige has grown!  Last time we saw her she seemed like a tiny little baby still.  When you put her next to little Tinz she looks like a giant.  I can't believe they grow that fast!  I think every night that I wish my kids could just stay tiny little babies, but babies who slept through the night. 

It was fun to see how each of them reacted to Tinzley.  I have a feeling her and her cousins are going to be good friends.  I know that when Josh & Kayla found out we were pregnant too, they desperately wanted us to have a girl so Paige and her could be best friends.  All we have to do now is to get them to move close so they can be besties. 

I love this pictureof these two!  Alyah was so excited to meet Tinz.  She got so upset with her mom when she found out she came to the house without her while she took a nap.  They had to make a second special trip just so she could see Tinzley.  It was cute!  It seems like not long ago Alyah was the only little baby in the family.  Now they are everywhere, lol!  Here's to a fun day with the cousins!

A Birthday Wish

This year, I really didn't have any wishes for my birthday.  That is not until Tinzley's due date had come and gone with no Tinzley.  While sitting on the hospital bed the morning she finally came, I decided the best birthday present would be to be able to leave the hospital on my birthday. 

Not only did I get my wish, but Zach surprised me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers!  Not only are they beautiful, but it had calla lillies which I love (and which are my favorite flower). Thank you so much sweetie!  It made my day and I couldn't have asked for a better set of gifts!  You are an amazing husband!  I am grateful to have you in my life and for the two beautiful children we have together.   What a wonderful birthday this was, especially since most of it was spent in a hospital room.

Baths are for the Birds...

 

Today Tinzley got her first bath!  To sum up her experience in three words, she hated it!  Stetzen didn't like his wash cloth baths either.  I can't say that I would blame them.  If I had to have a wash cloth bath instead of soaking it up, I might get a little upset too! 

 

 

After I got her all wrapped up and dressed, she was as happy as could be.  Now she can put a checkmark on one of the many baby firsts she'll get to experience.  

The Newest Addition to the Young Family!!

 

With the greatest joy, the Young Family introduces our newest edition...

 

Tinzley JaNae Young 

 

We absolutely adore her and are glad that she is a happy and healthy baby.  We love these amazing photos taken of our baby girl.  My only wish is that we could have gotten a family shot when Stetzen was here at the hospital. 

Zach's New Baby

After the Young Reunion at Bear Lake, Zach aquired a new must have...a jet ski!  He had so much fun, of which I didn't really get to participate because I was fat and preggers.  Anyway, everyday he tried to convince me why we should get one.  Here was his resoning...1) You always complain that we don't do anything fun, so this would be something fun we could do during the summer on my days off.   2)  It's cheaper than a boat and you can wakeboard and tube behind it just as easy.  3)  It is easier to maintain and move than a boat.  And lastly, 4)  If we buy it now, the kids will be able to enjoy it all next summer and your family will have something fun to do when they visit in the summer.  Not only did he try to convince me, but he tried to convince his dad to buy one too because two is always better than one.  Brands was in on the coersion, but his dad didn't want to fork over the money for one.  So, the future of jet ski heaven depended upon my approval.

 

 

I will admit, I was mostly opposed to the idea.  Even though it sounded fun.  Zach really pawned the idea off that he was getting it for me, but I know full well that he wanted it because he thought it was a good time.  He would look on KSL everynight and try to find the best deal on a slightly used machine and ask me what I thought about each one.  I can't say that I really wanted one, but I let him entertain the idea.  As with most slurges he has, I don't really ever nix the idea.  After he found one that had only been used once, I think he made up his mind that he was going to get one and this was it.  We talked about it, and being the best wife ever I let him get his baby.

 

 

When we brought it home, Zach just had to tell Brands that he bought a jet ski.  Brands had no idea we went down to Utah and thought that he was BSing as usual.  Not until he came over to the place to do some chores that he saw it and had to check it out.  Zach was itching to take the jet ski out the second we brought it home, but he had to work for three days.  The second he got off, it was off to the Gorge to try it out.  Of course we had to take Brands.  He was on his final countdown until he left on his mission, and he really wanted to go out on a jet ski before he left.  Once again, I make dreams come true, lol. 

 

 

 

Everyone had a great time on the lake.  Zach and Brands to it out for its maiden voyage while Stetz and I played with his loader on the lakeside.  It's always a good time for Stetz.  After that we all went out and took Rache's tube out for a ride.  Sadly, Brands was the only one to fall off.  I really hoped I could dump Zach off, but I wasn't a crazy enough driver while preggo to do it.  I did make Brands fall off, and I'm not even sure how.  I thought I was fairly nice when I drove for him.  Oh well, it was funny anyways.  I have to admit that we all did have a good time, even though we couldn't get too excited while I was on it.  The lifejacket situation made me feel awfully nausious.  If only Tinzley had come early like I hoped.

 

 

       

Baby Paige

 

Baby Paige May Young is here!  She is such a cutie!  We are so excited for Josh and Kayla!  When we heard she was here, we hitched a ride with Zach's parents to go see little Paige.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see her.  She was so tiny!  She barely weighed 6 pounds and was only 18.5 inches long!  It's been so long since I've seen a newborn.  It made me all the more excited to have Tinzley come!

 

 

Going to see Baby Paige had a lot riding on it for Zach and me.  We thought this would be a good indicator of how Stetzen was going to handle having a new baby sister.  He really loves playing with his cousin Hunter who was born in February, so we thought he would like Baby Paige.  My how we were wrong.  I hate to say it, but he absolutely despised her!  It was slightly devastating.  He would not go see her and refused to go around anyone who was holding her. 

 

I couldn't believe his reaction.  He really did not like any part of the trip.  It makes me nervous how he is going to handle having Tinzley around.  Will he not like her, not even a little bit?  Yikes!  Let's just hope that he will have a change of heart about baby girls by the Tinzley comes.  If not, we might be in for a rough time.

 

 

All in all, it was wonderful to meet Paige and we wish her and her parents all the best as they start their new family life!  Here's to sleepless nights and busy days!  Congrats Josh & Kayla!

Firework Frenzie

 

This year was a fun year for us to celebrate the 4th.  We invited my family down to celebrate with us.  They met us in Evanston the night of the 4th for the fireworks.  To anyone who's never been, it's quite the experience.  It's like the war all over again but with fireworks blasting everywhere.  I think it is harder to explain than if you experienced it for yourself.  Izaak, Elias, and Stetzen all had a blast firing off sparklers and other little fireworks too.  It was a little hectic trying to keep track of them.  Needless to say, by the time all the fireworks were done, the familia was speechless.  Way to go Wyo! 

 

 

The next day we decided to go out to the Gorge to fish and play in the water.  We borrowed Jim's boat for our fun-filled day.  Zach and my dad left in the morning to fish and then the girls and kids all came later that afternoon to tube and mess around at the lake.  Just as the we were leaving to meet up with Zach and my dad, I get a call from my dad saying Zach lost his phone, then they couldn't get the boat to work, and not to come for another couple of hours because they hadn't fished at all in the 4 hours they'd been gone.  So, we waited for another hour or two and headed in. 

 

When we got there, Zach made a comment that we should have waited longer because they just started to catch fish and didn't really want to stop.  But we headed out anyways to go tubing.  When we got to a good spot, we filled up the tube with air and tried to get someone to go out there.  Katelyn wouldn't go, I couldn't go, and none of the kids wanted to go.  So, Zach went out there with Stetz.  Two seconds into the ride and the tube was taking on water.  We reeled them in and the tubing fun was done.  I thought we should just go to the shore to eat subs that we made and the kids could play off the shoreline.  When we opened the sandwiches, the bread was all soggy because I had a prego brain failure and put ice the cooler when we only wrapped the sandwiches with tin foil.  The day turned out to be pretty much a bust!  Zach decided to go get the truck and bring it over to the dock so we could head home.  I don't know why, but he thought it would be easier to walk to the car the girls rode in and the drive over to get the truck instead of just bringing the boat to the car.  I think it took him two hours to come back.  On the way, Kate got stuck in some mud and broke her sandals.  She had no shoes to wear for half the walk.  When he finally got back, we loaded up the boat and headed for the dock.  Once we were there, it took another hour to load the thing onto the trailer.  It was a nightmarish kind of day, lol.  

 

The next day, I had planned to go float the canal on the mountain, but everyone was so exhausted from the day before that we just bummed around.  That evening, though, I wanted to take them all fishing at Long's Park.  It's pretty much my favorite spot to go because someone always catches something.  When we got up there, it started to rain and never let up.  No one caught anything!  Later we had cooked tin foil dinners in the fire and rushed home to get warm and clean up.  It seems like any time my family comes down the weather is bad and it's muddy.  No wonder they don't come down very often!

 

To top the weekend off, as I was getting ready for church the next morning, the power cut out just as I was going to do my hair.  I was a very nice host and let everyone else shower and get ready before me.  I showered the night before so all I needed to do was get my hair done.  Well, let's just say it was a pioneer hair day because I couldn't use anything to get ready.  We called the power company and no one else's power was out, just mine.  Weird tidbit, though, the power wasn't totally out, but just pitiful enough only to run my lights.  When I got home from church, the power company had come out and fixed the problem, but I couldn't have planned so many FAILS to happen in one weekend.  Hopefully they all had fun.  Despite all the hoopla I managed to have some fun.  Here's to another memorable 4th of July!

Bear Lake Extravaganza

To kick off the summer heat wave, we went to Bear Lake with Zach’s family.  Zach had to work during the weekend, so Stetzen and I hitched a ride with his parents and Brandon.  As soon as we arrived, Stetzen went straight to the water.  He is definitely a fish!  He takes right after his daddy.  Zach loves to swim and competed in school.  Stetzen is well on his way to outdoing his dad in that aspect of life.  Once he’s in the water there’s no hope of getting him out unless you drag him out or it magically disappears.  So, going to the beach meant an entire day of entertainment for Stetz.

 

 

When he went out into the water, all he wanted to do was sit in the middle of the water and play with his tractors.  He thought it was really fun when the waves would pick up from the boats driving by.  If you let him, he would have floated off to the middle of the lake.  He loved being able to play with his cousins Jacob and Caige. 

 

Jake and Caige loved to spin out in the water on an inner tube.  Grandpa was helping them spin, and he tried to get Stetzen to try it, but he was not digging the whole tube idea.  He did like to go out on the raft and canoe for rides, which I don’t really know what the difference was.

 

When he wasn’t basking in the water, he was digging and playing in the sand.  He had a lot of fun playing in a little puddle of water, digging the sand out with a shovel and driving his tractors around.  It was nearly impossible to get him to come back to the tent to eat or to lather on the sunscreen.

 

As a mom, I must admit that it was a little overwhelming keeping track of a overexcited toddler.  He was running from one place to another—water to sand, sand to water.  I was worn out just playing with him and keeping him alive.  I did enjoy it and the cool water, though.  I would definitely make sure Zach could come next time.  It would be a little easier on a mom.

 

I think we both had a lot of fun, and we both ended up burning despite my efforts to keep the sunscreen pasted on.  His poor little cheeks burned just below his eyes and my entire back decided to fry.  I’m definitely not a fan of sunburns, but who is?  Next time, we’ll have to spray it on every hour.  Bear Lake, we enjoyed the fun, the water, and the family!  We’ll see you again in August, with lots of sunscreen!