Oh yeah, I have a blog!

There have been so many things that are blog-worthy going on around here, just no time to actually sit down and do it! One fun thing we have going on is that we got 3 baby goats! I know, so random, but I am a huge animal lover and I have always wanted a goat, so for Mother's Day I got them. They are so adorable and we just love them to pieces. They aren't going to be just pets though, we are going to put them to work! We are planning on milking the females (Lucy and Dolly) when they get a little older, but my little male (Johnny Cash, Cash for short) is definitely just a pet. He adores me, and I him, and he has the cutest little personality. He nibbles on my clothes or my hair when he wants some attention, and he actually will knock on the back door telling us he wants to come in the house! I do draw the line there, no goats in the house, but we have to make sure the doggy door is always closed because they try to come in that way. The goats and the dogs get along just fine, so we let the goats roam around the yard all day and then just put them in their pen at night. It has been so fun to learn how to care for them. We have had some illnesses and injuries that we have been able to fix, and it has been such an awesome experience for all of us. We have been looking at houses that are on 2-3 acres, and hopefully before too long we will have our own little farm and many more animals!

Cash, a Nigerian Pygmy


Dolly and Lucy, Mini-Nubians


Scott has been super busy at work. He has been on several trips over the last couple of months visiting new and prospective clients. I don't know who the business trips are more exhausting for - him or me! I cannot imagine how things would be if he was still at the Fire Department working 24 and 48 hour shifts. His 8 hour days are long enough for me as it is! God definitely directed us to make the decision for him to leave the department, and we are so grateful for the blessings we have been given. He was recently promoted to COO, and I am so proud of him. He works so hard and is so amazing at everything he does. I know I have said it before, but I am so lucky to have a husband that can do ANYTHING!

Macey and Heidi got out of school a couple weeks ago, and they have been staying pretty busy with friends and activities. Macey is taking ice skating lessons, and Heidi is in ballet. It is so fun to watch these little girls grow up and do well in their activities, I just love it. And in this heat, it is especially nice to sit in the ice rink for a little while and have to actually wear a sweater!

Heidi was recently diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. We have known for a while that she had this, but it's nice to have a diagnosis so that she can get the services she needs. She has been doing occupational and speech therapy in school, but now that school is out we are doing it privately through Cardon Children's Hospital. We have also been doing deep pressure therapy (brushing and joint compressions) every 2 hours at home. We are hopeful that she will continue to improve, and we know that God has a special plan just for Heidi. She is such a sweet girl, we absolutely love her to pieces. We have been seeing a developmental pediatrician in Scottsdale, and we have an appointment with a pediatric neuropsychologist next week to have more evaluations done. There is some suspicion that she may also be on the autism spectrum, and the neuropsychological evaluation will either confirm that or rule it out. One thing that would be very beneficial about her getting that diagnosis would be the amount of services that would be available to her. So we are anxious to see what happens and we are just taking it one day at a time. Whatever happens, we will make the best of it and do whatever we can to give Heidi everything she needs, because she deserves the best of everything!

Ryan and Jenna are growing up so fast. They will be 3 in August, and I can't believe it! I love those two little kids to pieces, but they sure can be a hand full. They are at the age where they say the funniest things, and Scott and I just look at each other and laugh. We still call them "the babies", but they are definitely little kids now. They have that special twin connection that is so cute to watch. Anytime one of them gets a snack, they always grab two of whatever it is and share. In the mornings Ryan always gets out two sippy cups and fills them up with ice water for the both of them. We moved them out of the same room a couple of months ago, and the first couple nights were heartbreaking. They cried for each other for a long time when we put them in bed. They are much better now, and in the mornings, the one we get up first always runs into the other room to say good morning. But of course twins also means double trouble. I cannot believe some of the messes and situations they get into together. I used to suffer from insomnia pretty bad, but it hasn't been a problem in the last few months!

I have made some big changes with my work situation. I was so busy several months ago that I had a friend come in and work with me so that I wasn't having to work 6-7 days a week. It was a great problem to have! Then within a couple of weeks Scott started telling me that he would love it if I would take a break from working for a while, I broke my foot, and Heidi was really struggling, so I decided that all of that was a sign that I needed to take some time off. It has been a bit of an adjustment for me to be home full-time, but it was definitely the right decision, especially with everything going on with Heidi. I miss my job, but I love that I get to be here for my kids. Most of the time ;).