They are the Roses...

McKenna's Baptism

2012-01-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

We were proud to celebrate McKenna's baptism on New Year's Eve. She and Josh did wonderful and she beamed like a true princess. We were happy to join with another family from our ward and a friend of McKenna's.

We were happy to give her a CTR necklace to remember the day by which everyone was calling her "baptism bling."

Thank you Aunt Erin for coming and celebrating with us. We were glad you could make it.

Josh, Kaiden, McKenna, Seer, and Saleen

Josh and Brianne's Photography Design Skills

2011-12-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have been spending the majority of my "job" time on our website and have since been learning photoshop to promote our grille products. These new skills came in handy when we wanted some professional pictures of Saleen without going to a photographer. Josh is an excellent photographer and even though he doesn't do much photoshop he is also very good at that too because of how artistic he is. So he helped me with the highlights of her headband, accentuated her eyes, and shadows for her picture. For me it is so stressful to take little ones to a photographer so being able to have Josh do it and now we can edit them is such a blessing. Anything to alleviate stress around here:)

Original Picture with Scratches (self induced)

Saleen after Photoshop

Baby Pictures

2011-11-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Seer and "Saleenie"

The Evil Sorcerer, the Cat, the Pumpkin, and the Lady Bug

The Four Amigos

Saleen After Church

Our Beautiful Saleen at 5 Months

Fall Fun

2011-10-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

Another digital scrapbooking design by Smilebox

Summertime

2011-08-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

This collage customized with Smilebox

Saleen and Sisters

2011-07-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

This free picture collage customized with Smilebox

A Family of Six

2011-07-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's been 8 weeks since Miss Saleen came into our home and it's been a wonderful couple of months. We all have a routine that involves her now like she has always been with us. The thing I haven't gotten used to yet is having FOUR kids! When we run errands without Josh it is the craziest. The looks I get from people and comments we get everywhere the Ellison train goes like the "your brave," or "are these all yours?" and always "you’ve got your hands full!" I say train because that’s how I feel sometimes. I’ve got one kid in the shopping cart, one walking, and another pushing a stroller with the other kid. Sometimes I even count them all when we get in the car to make sure I have all of them. We've been trying to get out of the house so we walk to the park. Now we have one in a stroller, one on roller skates, one puling a wagon with one in the wagon attached to the dog. I'm sweaty just walking a block with this crew and yes I am counting it as exercise.

I am amazed that the newness and excitement for Seer and her baby sister hasn't worn off yet. I still have to pry her 30 pound body off from squashing Saleen while she says "ah baby" and about every 30 minutes she asks me where she is if she's napping and she is the first one she asks about when she wakes up. She is also very protective of her and will yell at anyone who tries to pick her up besides mom or dad. She has made "no, no" and "uh ah" her new favorite words.

On the 4th of July (Seer's first one where she understood the fireworks) she was frightened by the "boom booms." After some time of me holding and consoling her that everything was okay I used Saleen to help her be brave. After the loud ones would go off I took Saleen close to Seer and said "sissy sissy what's that? It's loud." I wasn’t surprised when Seer rubbed her head and said "its otay" for the first time. Now every time she cries or squishes her she will say "ah baby its otay."

With the rain this week having all of us stuck inside has left me pretty antsy. Josh joked that I have one too many kids. It's a little much juggling two older, smart, cunning siblings, a spirited 2 year old who has a cold, a newborn, and a dog right in the middle. The easiest one is by far the newborn. Oh how I long for the days I could stick a bottle in Kaiden’s mouth and he would drift to sleep.

Saleen in Pictures 6 Weeks

2011-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

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Introducing Saleen Allenki Ellison

2011-05-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Saleen Allenki arrived safely on May 18th at 8:06 am. She was 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19.5 inches long. One ounce less than Seer was. Josh thought up Saleen and its really come to grow on me. Its a beautiful and unique name. Her middle name is a mix of Josh's dad's name and his grandfather's. (Allen and Ki) She has been a very good baby and I've quickly fallen in love with her. I didn't know what to expect with my fourth child. I didn't think I could love anymore than I already do but your heart stretches with each child. She is a true joy in our home. Its scary but she makes me want more already. I will fight the urge!

Seer kissed my belly every time I said where is the baby. Now she gets to kiss the real thing. She is a phenomenal big sister especially for a 2-year-old.

Seer and McKenna getting to know their new baby sister.

A proud papa of 3 girls now. He kept saying, "she is so adorable" and I would say "your welcome."

Seer can't get enough of the baby. We have to watch her close because she wants to pick her up, rock her, read books to her, which ultimately could lead to an accident. But she has showed no signs of jealousy and she only wants to help.

Me and McKenna had a deal that when the new baby came she would take care of her and I would take care of Seer. She has done a marvelous job so far feeding her, protecting her, and getting her to go to sleep. She is awesome!

Saleen holding McKenna's finger.

No, that isn't a doll. Its Saleen and Seer. Its hard to believe that Seer was that small 2 years ago-now she's huge! I deliver small girls but they sure get big.

Kaiden did an awesome job of getting her bottle and feeding her. Kaiden and McKenna have been a tremendous help with their younger siblings.

Baby Update

2011-05-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

In an effort to update the family and friends following our BLOG I wanted to let you know of the latest development. Last Monday I went in for a third ultrasound to see if my placenta had moved away from my cervix enough to have a home birth. It was at 1.8 cm and needed to be at least at 2 in order to have my midwife deliver at home. When they measured me I was told that it was at 1.5 cm so not only could I not have a home birth but I had to have a c-section in order to minimize the chance of hemorrhaging. This was not the news we were looking for, but at the end of the day I am grateful for the technology to find these problems and prevent any harm to me or the baby.

In the beginning our plan was to do a home birth in order to save money. But as time went on and I read books in preparation I began to really get excited of the prospect of being a "woman warrior" and laboring and delivering without pain medication. I kept telling Josh with the money I'm saving us you should buy me this or that (I was joking...kind-of). So now I will never know what its like to go into labor naturally or to say I did it naturally. It bums me out but there is nothing I could have done. I admit that I am also relieved that I don't have to go through that torture, but I'm always looking for ways to be as a tough as Josh.

So tomorrow Wednesday the 18th Josh and I will be going to Sacred Heart Riverbend for my c-section at 7:20 in the morning. She will probably be here by 8 in the morning and once recovery has begun we'll be glad to let everyone know her name, weight, etc. I have to stay in the hospital for about 3 days so Teri will have the kids until then and then my mom takes them over the weekend. The coming week Seer will go to Teri's house because I can't lift for up to a month and Seer requires this still so she'll be Grandma's helper until I recover a bit more.

Josh will be struggling with the business on his own for a little while but I will try to help as much as I can. He now he has a couple of employees so he's not 100% alone there now. This business is more demanding, time consuming, and backbreaking than we anticipated so in order to stay afloat Josh has to work massive hours.

We are so blessed to have family close by that can help us out. Thank you everyone!

Second Ultrasound Update

2011-04-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here is "confirmed" baby girl Ellison at 35 weeks. This is the first time I've gotten a 3D image which was really neat. FYI her arm is not cut in half-that's just how much of her fit in the image.
They were checking on my low lying placenta which apparently is still a problem. It is supposed to be at least 2 cm away from your cervix for most doctors to let you deliver naturally and mine is at 1.8 cm. As it is now my midwife cannot deliver at home as we had planned and I would have to deliver in the hospital. The doctor that overlooked my ultrasound said he would be willing to let me try to have natural labor before intervening with a c-section but only in the hospital. So in 3 weeks I am going to have a third ultrasound to see if its moved to 2 cm so my midwife can deliver at home. If not, I will have to go to the hospital but it won't be an automatic c-section. I have orders to eat as much as humanly possible especially protein to try to get her bigger which will result in a healthier baby and help to move my placenta. Protein is the hardest thing for me to consume because I don't like meat but I'm trying. All in all I know that she is healthy and my health is in well capable hands so it will work out. My main concern is not getting a c-section which may happen if I began to hemorrhage. Please keep us in your prayers.

A Wonderful and Exhausting Weekend

2011-04-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were fortunate enough to be able to go up to Richland, Washington to be a part of the oldest grandchild on the Ellison side getting married. Nothing is easy when you are traveling with little kids especially a 2 year-old that thinks that 6 AM is playtime in a motel room. But it was very uplifting, spiritual, and growing experience to be able to witness a sealing. Its the first one we've attended and with our sealing just 3 years ago it was wonderful to be able to hear everything as a bystander this time. I was really able to hear the words of the officiator and feel the level of commitment and importance of being sealed in the Temple with your spouse. I was happy to have my Joshie next to me.

Thank you Ashley and Spencer for allowing us to attend your beautiful ceremony and reception. We wish you all the best!

Kids and Such

2011-03-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

In effort to talk about something other than me. Here are a few pictures of the other members of the family.

Here Seer is doing what she loves best. Being outside and exploring new things with Daddy of course.

Here Seer is kissing Daddy.

I know the picture is cut off, but I couldn't have captured her beautiful smile better. She lights up a room!

With Daddy not around as much, Kaiden has found alternative "boy" things to do like painting his sister's toenails.

And her fingers of course. He is an artist after all. Notice the 3 colors he is using.

McKenna and Seer on the Merry-go-Round

New Skates they Earned by Practicing Basketball Every Day for a Month

Fun at the Park over Spring Break

No Photo Album is Complete without a Mohalk Picture

One of Seer's Love Hugs

Singing Pop Star in the Making

Month 7 Squashy Joshie

2011-03-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Baby is the Size of a Squash

Well we are now officially at 29 weeks. I have 6 more weeks until I have another ultrasound to see if the previa has dissipated so I can have a normal delivery. I'm pretty confident that it has, but please still keep us in your prayers. I am continuing to have some back pain from the kidney issues but thanks to my mom-in-law and her sister I have some great herbs that are helping with that issue.

The baby is moving a ton. I feel her all day long (yes I'm accepting that she is a she). I get worried because sometimes she moves so fast and jittery that it feels like bouncy jello or something. Not the usual kick that I'm used to. I'm telling myself its hiccups or something but I'm still a little worried about it.

I am now consistently getting comments that "You look pregnant now," "You've gotten a lot bigger," and "You can't hide it anymore." Which is very true. From 6-7 months I've really shot out and I'm convinced that I'm the biggest I've been with all my pregnancies at this stage, but my memory is not that great at all. Josh laughs at me as if I've never done this before. By the time I get to this stage my maternity shirts seem to have shrunk in the dryer so when I actually need them to cover my belly they creep up which McKenna gets a laugh out of seeing. Seer as always, loves to crawl all around and on me. Her elbow jabs and feet in my belly aren't so cute anymore. I've been trying to tell her there is a baby in there, but she just giggles. She is very loving with her baby dolls so I think she will be a great big sister. Kaiden and McKenna are becoming better siblings everyday and I am so grateful to have their help each day with playing with Seer, feeding her, or taking her outside with them once in a while. They really are great kids.

The business is in full swing now. I think the average person would be insane by now and its funny to think I've been through this before with JE Illusions. I can't believe at the age of 31 we're doing this all over again. This business is different, more challenging, and I'm really looking forward to seeing its progress in the next 6 months. We've invested everything into it and I'm confident in Josh that we'll be just fine. He is working 16 hour days again. Working at the shop until late evening and then planning, website details, etc. until bedtime. Its really hard but I remember this from before so that makes it a little more bearable. We had a toddler and a newborn with JE Illusions so this scenario is about the same as we'll have with Royalty Core. I work a little here and there, but Josh has been very kind in giving me space to handle being pregnant with a toddler at home. I'm basically the support system trying to keep Josh from falling asleep standing up. The website is live now, but not operable, hopefully in a few weeks it will have progressed a lot and products will be made and ready to sell. Josh is currently at a week long training in Washington on his OMAX waterjet cutting machine. He says he's caught up to the guys that have previous training already and he's enjoying it.

So that's it for this month. Hope everyone is doing well.

Schabahn Day Designs

2011-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

For my birthday my sister Erin got me a gift certificate for a charm necklace that a friend of her's custom designs. So far this is the design that we have come up with and I love it. The copper circle has the initials of our kids with the last one still in question and then Josh and my wedding year. Then the silver circle has Josh and my initials. Of course this image is just photoshopped and she will actually stamp the letters and numbers into the charms when it is complete.

I think that Schabahn did such a wonderful job and her customer service was fabulous that I wanted to share her talents. You can see her other designs and her store here: http://www.schabahnday.etsy.com/ or http://schabahndaydesigns.blogspot.com/.

Month 6 is an Eggplant

2011-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

The past week has been hard on the whole family. All 5 of us got the stomach flu and really took its toll on us. I had my 25 week check up today with my midwife and discovered that I have kidney stones, I'm dehydrated, and I have low blood pressure. Its nothing to be concerned with but she recommended that I drink and eat more to compensate. She told me that now is the time to build up my calorie reserves because the baby is building her blood supply which takes away from mine so to listen to my body and eat more often. This I can do! I just have to drink a gallon of water a day and eat every 2.5 hours. No problem, right:)

Seer got to lay on me while they examined my belly and the heartbeat. The heartbeat monitor still makes her cry but the soothing voices of Colleen and her assistant helped calm her down and she managed to say bye bye to them with a smile when they left.

Tonight we will get to have a family birthday dinner and get to go away for a night with Josh with no kids over the weekend. I am very much looking forward to this!

Yesterday we signed the lease to our new shop, our cnc water jet machine was delivered, and set-up of the shop has begun. Its very excited to finally have this part of the business pinned down. Although it also means Josh will be gone all day like with a "normal" job. No more breakfasts and lunches together or midday talks which I will miss. We've been together every day all day since 2004 so this will be an adjustment for me to not be around him all day.

Seer and I will have to come up with some creative ways to spend our days now.

Pregnancy Week 24

2011-02-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting has happened in the past four weeks. I finally can't hide the fact that I'm pregnant now. It got pretty obvious this past month. I met with the midwife and it went great. I will be seeing her again on my birthday in two weeks.

No changes with the placenta previa and I will be getting another ultrasound probably at 32 weeks or so to see if its moved. I'm hoping for the best.

Strangely enough morning sickness has came about again this week. Its not as bad as before but I don't feel very good. I'm assuming its stress from the business start-up. This business is exciting to me and Josh has a lot of passion in it so its been fun to do this again. We've begun purchasing equipment, we're very close to signing a shop lease, website will be done in about a month, and we have some of the CAD drawings ready for Josh's designs. The businesses that Josh has been trying to get quotes from are not being responsive so we've decided that he will be manufacturing his parts himself. He's the one we can trust to do the best work anyway so we are in the process of purchasing major equipment, tools, etc. Although its exciting-its very stressful to buy all of this stuff without any income coming in for a while as well as the back and forth between pricing, seller's, quality, etc. This is the third time we've had a start-up begin while I was pregnant. We've always liked to cram everything into one. Why not have a baby and a new business in the same year? That's Josh for you-never stopping and never boring. It's fun to watch the Joshie a show:)

Your Pregnancy: Week 24

5 Months and 22 Weeks and Counting...

2011-01-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling better physically. I can still sleep all day if I was allowed (which I'm not). I don't have much ambition or enthusiasm to do much these days. I try to keep the house picked up, but I don't do any of my hobbies really anymore. Seer isn't happy unless I'm right with her so even getting on the computer for a bit is hard. She's worth my attention but I am getting bored of me and her hanging out watching Nick Jr. all day. She can turn on the TV and I'm having a hard time getting her to stop. I think I will get one of those button plate things for flat screens.

Josh keeps telling me that I'm not myself when I'm pregnant and not to worry because when this baby is born I will feel like doing things again. I'm not very keen on being lazy but that's me right now. He has been really great to me. He's been extremely busy with his new business start-up and doesn't put pressure on me to work like I used to. I just wish he could be home all day with me and be my man slave. Is that too much to ask:)

I've chosen a midwife for the birth and I start seeing her tomorrow. She will be coming to my home so it will be really convenient (one of my favorite words) and nice for Seer to be able to get used to her here. So long until next time...

Snow Play

2011-01-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great time across the street from Willamette Pass this past weekend with Uncle Bob, Sara, and Cade. Seer got to sled for the first time and Pilot got to play in the snow for the first time. It was a challenge being pregnant and having a one-year-old but we were able to have some fun for a couple of hours.

McKenna and Kaiden climbing up our sledding hill.

Kaiden and McKenna taking the plunge down our sledding track we made. They loved it until they had to walk back up.

Seer and me sitting in "our spot" perfectly carved for my tushy to sit in and watch the fun.

The leader in sledding distance K-Dog.

Daddy had the responsibility of keeping Seer happy most of the time. She loved sledding and couldn't stop smiling every time she had her turn.

Pilot had proven to be up for anything. He can be a dune dog, a water dog, and a sled dog. He loved running up and down the hills with each sledder.

Mom you may want to look away. 5 Months pregnant and tipping over sledding. It was really fun though!!!

Baby at 20 Weeks

2011-01-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

From my ultrasound last week it appears that our baby is a girl. The ultrasound technician was 85% sure it was a girl and upped it to 90% by the end of the visit. This is the first ultrasound where the person was not 100% sure so I'm still holding out hope that it could still be a boy. I must not have drank enough water because she was having me turn on my side then back and she was struggling with the elastic band holding up my pants. That coinciding with 3 young kids and a husband watching her-she seemed a little stressed. The ultrasound took an hour an a half which seemed like an eternity. I'm not sure if it was because she couldn't see well, the baby moved a lot or what. So who knows.

A few years ago someone did a pendulum test on me and it said I would have 4 children. It would be a boy, girl, girl, and then boy. I've always believed in this as true and have convinced myself that the last baby would be a boy so I was surprised when she said it was a girl. I'm trying to digest the fact of having 3 girls in our home. Kaiden by far is the easy going one. He didn't scream, need his hair done, whine constantly, and he wasn't as needy as my girls. He was strong, independent and always on the move. McKenna was very quiet the first few months we had her. She was 4 weeks premature and she hardly did anything but sleep. Once she "woke up" from this she cried and screamed all the time and was very needy. Seer has always been very happy and easily to console but she is very demanding and needy like her sister. She, like Kaiden, is very strong and big for her age, and very much a daddy's girl.

I will have to have another ultrasound probably at 32 weeks or so to check my placenta. Apparently I have placenta previa which means my placenta is covering my cervix. If it doesn't move by the time its time for delivery I will have to have a c-section to prevent me from hemorrhaging. I have to be on pelvic rest and take it easy until it moves to prevent any bleeding that could occur in the mean time or preterm labor. In 90% of patients the placenta does move so I'm assuming I will be in the clear-if not I am terrified of the hospital bills. It could be $20,000 or more for a c-section. Also to keep costs down I'm switching to a midwife and will try to deliver in the birthing center. This means no pain medication. This will also be a first for me who gets the epidermal shot as soon as I can.

Just like every child is different so is every pregnancy. My fourth and planning to be my final pregnancy has been the hardest emotionally, physically, and may also be recovery wise. I hope that doesn't reflect on the child's personality:)

Baby Number 4 at 19 Weeks

http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-tools/slideshow/how-big-is-baby.aspx?page=17

Your Pregnancy: Week 16

2010-12-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Your Pregnancy: Week 16

At 16 weeks I thought for sure I would be feeling great by now. Unfortunately, I'm still sick to my stomach most days, very tired, unmotivated, irritable, and very lazy. I'm starting to get used to it so its definitely not as bad as 6 weeks ago. I find myself wondering how people with diseases and terminal illnesses cope with day to day life.

I wish I documented more how I felt with the other 3 pregnancies. I remember being tired with Kaiden and a little nauseous, but that's it. I was pretty sick with McKenna for a while and had the flu on top of it. With Seer I was sick for about 3 months. So I guess there all different-just like the babies born.

One thing that makes a difference is how you spend your time. I was a Junior at the U of O with Kaiden. I was 6 months along when summer break came and I was back to school in the fall. I graduated with McKenna. I was 8 months along when winter term ended and I had her a few weeks later finally with my degree. We were in the process of transitioning JE Illusions when I was pregnant with Seer so I was busy for the beginning. Now, I'm pretty much a stay at home mom who has gotten very lazy so I think that makes me dwell on how bad I feel. If I can just get out of the house and do something I know I would feel better.

Hopefully next month will be a different story. Until then stay clear of grumpy bumpy:)

Kaiden's Baptism

2010-12-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

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Seer Riding Pilot Video...So Cute!

2010-11-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you are able to Seer and Pilot in the video-I took it with my phone.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

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Kaiden's 8th Birthday

2010-10-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Kaiden's party was a success with friends from school and our neighborhood along with cousins. We're so glad everyone could join us and have a great time.

I Didn't Know We Could Get So Many Kids on the Tramp

Kaiden's Loot

Kaiden's RC Truck from Dad

The Party Animal's

Ah Brother and Sister Love!

Spencer Butte Hike

2010-09-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

They look sweet, but just moments after they were pushing each other off the mountain...just kidding.

I am notorious for having really "great" ideas, mentioning them, and then never doing them. So we've been trying to become more organized and actually plan things to do as a family. I am usually dragging my feet by this point because it always involves a lot of work for me and a lot of whining. BUT...in the end we always have a great time and memories to take home with us that we will remember forever so its worth it.

Friday, September 3rd we climbed Spencer's Butte as a family. The kids did great and I'm glad I had Pilot to pull me along.

A Beautiful View and Beautiful Subjects

I'm too sexy for my...?

Komen Eugene Race for the Cure

2010-09-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Join my Friend in Her Fight

Komen Eugene Race for the Cure

This event is planned to start at 8:00 am on Oct 10, 2010 at Autzen Stadium.

Race for the Cure Eugene 10.10.10

2010 Ellison Family Reunion Scrapbook

2010-08-10T15:12:00.001-07:00

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My Summer Vacation

2010-08-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Ellison Cousins minus Montana who is On his Mission in Honduras

We were fortunate enough to be able to go to Southern California for a family fun get-away and Ellison family reunion a few weeks ago. It was so much fun and the pictures capture only a glimpse of the memories we all had. Here are just a few photos of what we did over the last two weeks. We hope you enjoy.


Cousins During the Reunion and Newport Beach

Bailey, McKenna, Lauren, Seer, and Kaiden

Grandpa Rex and Seer


McKenna and Seer at Newport Beach

The Waves Caught Kaiden and McKenna

The Waves Caught Us and No I Wasn't Expecting to Get Wet

Oceanside before the Ocean

Shamu Show at Seaworld

McKenna Feeding the Dolphin

Mama and Seer Petting Dolphin

Kaiden Petting the Dolphin

End of the Day at Seaworld

Seer and Daddy on the Skyline at the Zoo

Seer Petting a Goat at the Zoo

San Diego Zoo July 2010


Legoland, California July 2010

Fall Creek Summer Fun

2010-07-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

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Josh's "Sketch"

2010-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

McKenna really loves to draw horses so I asked if Josh could do a quick sketch to help her learn to draw them. This was the result. Impressive.

2010-05-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

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We seem to spend quite a few time in the car dropping of daddy and picking him up for our business so needless to say mom has some time on her hands.

We also spend a lot of time in the office and Seer has begun to try to do what the big boys do like homework. It looks like she's ready to help Kaiden out in first grade math already too.

Seer began taking her steps this week. There is nothing cuter than your precious baby grinning from ear to ear walking to you.

Seer's First Backyard Adventure

2010-04-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

We have been working on our backyard since November of 2009. We decided to tear out all of our grass and put a huge concrete slab in along with only hardscape materials mainly because of the dog, but also because of the natural and beautiful look of rocks, logs, etc. We've both always loved dryer climates like Bend, Oregon, Arizona, and Utah landscapes so Josh designed the project and chose the materials we used.

We both did the work (although of course I'm 10 times stronger than Josh so I did 75% of it) which still has a lot more to go. We shoveled somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 truckloads of dirt, gravel, river rock, boulders, etc. If you know Josh you know that his trucks are lifted 8-10 inches and are huge. So we're talking about 37,500 pounds of material that we have shoveled, dumped, and spread out in our backyard.

We wanted to eliminate the swamp land in our yard so we had to elevate it quite a bit.

I plan to have Josh take some professional pictures of the final project. We still have a patio cover to build, a new gate to build and install, concrete staining, run a gas line to our fire pit, and some more planting to do. But is where we can enjoy it now and Seer along with her siblings and cousins got to crawl around outside for the first time today.

She loves the outdoors and truly loved it. She didn't seem to be bothered by the rocky terrain and munched on a few (with supervision of course) with success.

We're looking forward to getting the kids a trampoline and hosting a hot dog party with the fire pit soon.

Seer's 1st Birthday

2010-04-15T12:39:00.001-07:00

Seer's new drum is a "hit." She loves to make music on anything. She also got some great new clothes, shoes, barrettes, necklaces, money, and a teddy bear. Thank you everyone!

She had a lot of fun in the ball pit.

We're so glad that cousins could celebrate with us. Hey McKenna what happened to your tooth?

This is before she began crying like we tortured her with birthday cake.

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Book Label Craft

2010-04-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is a fun idea I actually got from Martha Stewart when I was looking for a personalized gift I could make for baby showers. They are book labels to adhere to the inside of your child's books. I am a very amateur crafter so these were easy enough for me to try. I thought I would share the idea and if you would like me to make you some I would be happy to in my spare time (ah what spare time).

Baby Memories

2010-04-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Almost every night the kids and Josh gather on the couch to share grapes. This is my chance to get a moment to myself. The other night Seer joined the party and was quite good at picking at her own grapes and shoveling them in before the other kids could get them.

Daddy finally has a true love that doesn't talk back:)

We finally got our hot tub hooked up and this was the girls chance to show off their new swim suits. My beauties.

Easter Memories

2010-04-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Seer experienced her first Easter yesterday complete with egg decorating, ice cream on pancakes, and eating eggs of course.

Its hard to get Kaiden to take a picture these days without something closed, hanging out, open, or crooked. But at least its Kaiden and beautiful McKenna.

Seer had fun playing with the egg before she decided to eat it shell and all.

Her best bud Pilot is always there to catch her when she falls and finish her left overs too.

2010-03-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Postcard design customized with Smilebox

Man's Best Friend

2010-03-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

As a new dog owner of a 8 month old very active golden retriever (who we bought when Seer was only 2 months old) I've felt a little crazy. Keeping up with him has been a real challenge. But seeing the relationship he has with Seer is amazing. When he bothers her when she's eating in her high chiar she will scream at him until he leaves. They share toys (yes kongs and chew toys are great for babies) and today they were sharing a bone. Seer had half and Pilot had the other half. He is so gentle with her and the fact that he shares a brand new bone with her without even a hesitation makes me love him just for that. Kaiden and McKenna act like twins and Seer has Pilot. Not bad.

Now if we can just get him to stop going after Kaiden...

Mmm...Kongs and Dog Bones!

Happy Birthday

2010-02-16T13:35:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I think especially us women start to feel ran down, neglected, and unappreciated. This birthday for the first time I felt OLD. I always thought people were silly to dread getting older but that all changes when it happens to you. I am so grateful that I have energetic beautiful children to remind me that I wouldn't have them or have the ability to care for them if I wasn't so "old."

I am also grateful for my husband that out of no where at 10:30 at night can make me feel like a million bucks with a bouquet of flowers, chocolate, and a card. Thank you for making this old lady feel special.

To Ally and Sara...and Edward

2010-02-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

I was "hired" a few months back to help my nieces redecorate and organize their bedroom. Its taken us a while but we've finally purchased new bedding, dresser, storage, and caddy's for them. Its been an awesome experience to get to spend extra time with them.

I wanted to make something special for their room so I made these. I'm still trying to figure out how to print them but I wanted show them in their best format.

To Ally and Sara. I hope we can spend more time together and finish your room once and for all.

Digital Scrapbook

2010-01-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Josh got me a new imac along with all of the bells and whistles of photoshop, dreamweaver, etc for photo enhancement, photography, and making a website.

My ultimate goal is to build our business a new website over time. I first wanted to learn how to do digital scrapbooking so this is my first attempt.

I hope to begin to learn do make pages and embellishments of my own.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T15:39:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Josh's Pictures of the Kids

2009-12-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Josh has always been a beautiful artist and great at photography so when I told him I was taking the kids to get their portraits done he said let me try. His session gave me the best pictures of the kids. And there are so many to choose from. Here are just a few...

Time with Daddy

2009-11-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Adorable Video of Daddy and the Kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjyU8hSDl-s

Oh How Time Fly's Pilot and Seer

2009-11-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

Pilot at 2 Months

Seer at 4 Months

Pilot at 3 Months

Seer at 5 Months

Pilot at 4 Months

Seer at 6 Months

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be able to go Trick or Treating with Uncle Jason and our Cousins Ally, Cade, and Sara again this year. They are so fun to share our holiday's with!

Seer lucked out with Trick or Treating. She got more than everyone. Must have been the costume. Just kidding-these are her cousin's.

Kaiden worked for almost 2 weeks on his homemade costume. His mask, bones, everything was drawn, cut out, and colored by him.

Kaiden the Scary Monster and McKenna the cheerleader in my old uniform.

GO TEAM!

Pilot Koda Ellison

2009-09-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Pilot Koda Ellison born June 25, 2009. Golden Retriever.

Kaiden's 7th Birthday!

2009-09-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

After Kaiden's party we took the kids to the BMX track by autzen stadium to try out their bikes.

Kaiden was a bit hesitant at first, but he got the hang of it fast on his new bike that Josh picked out for him. Its a "freestyle" Tony hawk limited edition bike that he will grow into.

McKenna got to upgrade to Kaiden's old bike. She tried out the BMX track too for her first time. She was the only girl there and of course she was in a skirt. You go girl!

McKenna showing us how its done- with a smile and dimples!

The windy party!

Family is so important. They were the first to arrive at the party!!!

My first attempt at baking. Lego cakes. Easy for most, but it took a lot of effort on my part:)

Our Summer Vacation

2009-08-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun this summer. We camped, swam, went to Utah, Camped at Lake Billy Chinook, Lapine, and a KOA campground, went boating, camped in a motorhome, rode bikes, went to Enchanted Forest, the zoo, movies, visited family, and so much more. We spent a lot of time together as a family since Josh doesn't have to leave to work. Its been a momentous and fabulous experience for all of us.

King Bubba flying at Enchanted Forest.

The kids on the "Hopper" at Enchanted Forest.

Camping at a KOA with our RV-now that is camping!!!

Seer going for a bike ride with daddy!

In the crooked house at Enchanted Forest!

Kaiden's first experience with mountain biking. He did great!

Kaiden's cannonball!

My two beauties!

Roasting marshmallows for our Ellison tradition of FRT (fire roasted treat).

Our bike gang!

Family time at Lake Billy Chinook

Lake Billy Chinook Camping

Seer with Daddy

This was the funniest thing. We were telling the kids to strike a pose at camping in Lapine, Oregon. It was around 10 PM on a dark street and they were hilarious.

We had to do it again another night!

McKenna and Daddy caught "Chip" our chipmunk. We let it go moments later. We ended up catching him 3 times.

Chip eating from Daddy's hands.

Chip eating from Kaiden's hands.

A meal fit for kings. Pizza and salad!

Our Boat for a Day

2009-08-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

The kids had a lot of fun swimming in Fall Creek. Thank goodness for life jackets!

Tubing behind the boat!

Seer's infant life vest was very comfortable...not. She did great with it though!

Kaiden eyeballing McKenna to try to bump her off the tube!

One of the advantages of Josh having his dealer's license is that we can enjoy our "toys" that are actually for sale. We spent 10 hours getting it ready to for sale and it took all but a few minutes to undo all of the hard work with 3 kids. I'm amazed by how much my kids have done in their short lives but at least they are having fun!

McKenna is on Two Wheels!

2009-08-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

McKenna got her license to drive yesterday and got her training wheels off! It took her about 2 tries with Josh and Kaiden holding on to her and she was off. She is still yet to fall down.

Daddy is still holding on....

She stops for a pose of course.

Kaiden gives it a go and helps her.

Since she mastered two wheels she tried the scooter too. Very ambitious!

Oregon Heat

2009-07-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

When we bought our house we opted out for getting air conditioning. After 3 summers we've done OK. I think the kids would disagree...

McKenna has no fan. She asked me to get her one with flowers of course.

Seer never got dressed yesterday because she would sweat through everything. She had to sleep on our floor last night just to get some of the night air that happened to feel like 95 degrees! Her crib was like a sauna.

4th of July in Lake Tahoe

2009-07-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Josh wanted to take us all to Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July because of the best fireworks. He was right. It was the best show I've ever seen. Good call!

We built a hole for swimming in. We were quite popular with the other kids.

We didn't have anyone to take a family picture so we did this one in the mirror. McKenna was not told pose but man did it turn out hilarious.

The kids swimming in Lake Tahoe with the Dixie coming behind them.

Just the girls.

What a beauty. She is a splitting image of her brother with such a wonderful personality. On her first road trip she did quite well!

Kaiden practicing his modeling and daddy his gang signs.

Wow, how come he keeps getting better looking while I keep going down hill? Oh well.

We're Movin'!!!

2009-07-14T21:11:00.001-07:00

Well after one year we finally sold our house. We have been waiting for our business to sell and then we had to wait for house to sell which has been very hard in this economy. We finally came across a nice young man who wanted it. We have planned and dreamed of moving out of Eugene for the first time for both Josh and I. We decided we would like to try out Salt Lake City.

We began house hunting last week, but nothing definitive yet. We're looking forward to the new adventure, but we are going to really miss our families.

Kaiden's Graduation

2009-06-10T13:04:00.001-07:00

Kaiden graduated from Kindergarten today. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments this year. Here he is with his teacher Ms. Healey. He is beginning to really read and spell letters which was hard for him at first. He is such a great little man!

They had a Hawaii theme for graduation and they performed songs.

Each child stood up and the teacher announced what they wanted to do when they grew up. Some kids wanted to be policeman, others doctor's, but not my Kaiden. He wants to be a garbage man so he can drive a big truck.

The entire morning class.

Yesterday when I got up from a nap Kaiden had created a police hat out of paper. He didn't like that it fell off so he asked me to find one on the computer. He cut it out and fit his and his sister's to their heads with tape all by himself. They also made money and tickets for "bad guys". They are so creative!!!

Some Motherly Thoughts...

2009-05-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

I think there is a moment in every mother's life where she believes, "I can do this." I've enjoyed every minute of Seer's existance with us, but there of course have been some challenges. I don't remember being this tired with the other two. Although I was 22 and 23 then. I also had trouble nursing for the first few weeks which was painful and disheartning. Now that we have somewhat of a schedule going, she's nursing correctly, and I've been trying to take naps, things are getting into a groove.

We went to the zoo on Memorial Day with her and I'm amazed by how easy of a baby she is. I got a front pack for her and that kept her content the entire time. Then two days ago I put the pack on with her in it, was able to nurse her, and I was picking up toys with my feet so I didn't disturb her. Is this multi-tasking or what?

She smiled at me for the first time yesterday. I can't believe how something so small can feel so amazing as a baby's smile. Especially your own baby.

Kaiden and Daddy riding the quad. Don't try this at home. I trust Josh to keep the kids safe. Kaiden on the other hand was not so sure this time around:)

Kaiden and McKenna at the river. They remind me of Indiana Jones. They love to find bugs and make things out of nothing. Today Kaiden made a holster for his "valiant" sword I made him for a FHE lesson. So cute!

McKenna's Ballet Performance

2009-05-12T16:00:00.001-07:00

McKenna participated in ballet again over the last few weeks. She still stuggles with not sitting down every few minutes from "being tired." But she looks stunning to me. She is a gorgeous little girl that I am very proud of. Even if I'm a little biased. Look at those moves!!!

Updated Seer and Family Pictures

2009-05-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

Seer had some confusion as to who was holding her. But Dad didn't mind:)

I love this picture. She actually looks like she's smiling. And thank you to Melissa for the great booties (hand made).

Kaiden is very proud that he can hold his baby sister by himself standing up. He is very sweet and protective of her. He makes sure the blanket covers her toes, the sun is out of her eyes, and loves to try to make her smile.

Kaiden's Soccer

2009-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kaiden played on a Kidsports kindergarten soccer team this season. He had a really fun time and did score a goal. We're very proud of his first season as an athelete.

Seer Isabella has Arrived

2009-04-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Words cannot express how incredibly grateful I am for the birth of Seer. She has brought so much peace and love to my heart. There was a rush of emotion when she was born and tears came to my eyes. I was so excited to meet her and because we had waited a year and a half for her the meeting was so much more intense and special. She is such a blessing and a gift from Heavenly Father that I hope I can live up to and be appreciative of always.

Seer Isabella Ellison was born April 14, 2009 at 8:01 PM. She weighed 6 Pounds 13 Ounces and 19.5 Inches Long. Here is what her name means from the Bible dictionary. "A seer is a revelator and a prophet also” (Mosiah 8: 15-16), and when necessary he can use the Urim and Thummim or holy interpreters (Mosiah 8: 13; Mosiah 28: 16). There have been many seers in the history of God’s people on this earth, but not so many as there have been prophets. “A seer is greater than a prophet . . . and a gift which is greater can no man have . . . “ (Mosiah 8: 15-18). Joseph Smith is the great seer of the latter days. In addition, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch to the Church are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators."

We checked into the hospital at 4 PM Tuesday April 14th at the new hospital Sacred Heart at River Bend. It was a beautiful resort style hospital. Our room was spacious and new with a nice view of tall trees and the sky. By 5 or so my doctor had come in, my IV was in with the pitocin and my antibiotics for the Group B strep. I had a student nurse along with the regular CNA so that made things interesting. The first time she tried to put the IV in she hit a valve. I think that hurt more than the labor pains. After minutes of that she redid it on my other arm. Ouch! They then broke my water and within a half hour my contractions (that I could feel) had started. Within the hour they got intense. Somehow it wasn’t as bad as I remember. I was able to breathe through them thinking about the reward of Seer and that got me through it. Having Josh by my side always helps. I had dilated 2 more centimeters by now. I was at 4 when I arrived. They called the anesthesiologist soon after that and I got my epidural. It took about a half hour for the pain to decrease and then it was smooth sailing. At around 7:50 PM I felt a lot of pressure. My doctor arrived soon after and after 3 pushes Seer was born at 8:01 PM.

The kids have really enjoyed her. I was suprised that the first couple of days I was taking turns with the kids to hold her. All I wanted to do was hold her. She is really a good baby and doesn't really cry. She just makes noises. I can't wait to raise her.

Spring Break Camping

2009-03-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Happy" Grandma and Grandpa were also able to come. Rex taught Josh how to ride around the age of 3 so he loved watching his grandchildren enjoy his passion!

We also had Josh's sister come in from California with her adorable kids. Miss Bailey was great friends with Kaiden!

We were fortunate enough to have Josh's brother and kids come with us for extra play friends. They took turns riding the quads and being pulled by the sled!

We went camping in Florence over Spring Break. I was pretty hesitant to go being 9 months pregnant but we had a RV which worked out perfect! The kids of course had a blast. Within minutes they had found there weapons of choice (sticks) and Kaiden was doing his favorite pose...umm?

Dirt Bike Rider

2009-03-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Kaiden has learned how to ride his first motorcycle at 6 years old. You would like as his mom I would be petrified, but I am so proud of him! We call him DBR (dirt bike rider) now. It seemed to really give him a confidence boost.

The other day Josh took it out and said Kaiden want to try it? He hopped on and took of with Josh chasing as fast as he could behind him. Kaiden made it all the way around the corner of our street without crashing. We later told him that Josh needed to TEACH him how to ride it first. He kept saying...why wouldn't it stop?

We took them to the dunes Saturday and he spent about an hour in heavy winds and rain riding in circles in the parking lot. The sand made him crash so we'll work on that later. The kids both got their own gear and are currently running around outside with their new helmets on. McKenna's is yellow with sparkles (that is her in the front seat wondering when its her turn to go on the quad) and Kaiden's of course has monster's on it.

McKenna's Bed

2009-03-11T20:03:00.001-07:00

With the new baby coming McKenna has been so excited to share her room and to get a "big girl" bed so the baby can have her bed which will convert back to a crib. Each night as we get closer I see that time is ticking before my baby girl McKenna really does grows out of her bed...

Arizona All Star Game

2009-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had a fabulous time in Phoenix, Arizona over the Valentine's week. I suprised him with tickets to the NBA All Star Game for Christmas. It was also cool to see that Josh is almost the same size as Shaq...well almost. He was about the same as Stoudemire.

The day before we left I got a kidney stone so the trip was full of fun little suprises and a doctor visit. It was still great to get a way on our last "babymoon."

Daddy Dress-Up

2009-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Mommy gets grumpy with the pregnancy sometimes so Daddy had to play dress up with us. We had a great time. He was a very eager participant!!! Thank you Daddy. We love you!!!

Oregon Coast in January

2009-02-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Dunes Trip in January

2009-02-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time at the Dunes in Florence on Saturday. Josh grew up riding on the dunes there so its always fun to take the kids now. We have jeep as our ATV for now and it suits us perfectly. We captured some beautiful pictures of the kids.

Integrity Auto Center

2009-01-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some of Josh's new finds. As some of you know Josh and I got our automotive dealer license in 2007 so we could buy and sell cars and potentially have a car lot. Now that we have sold JE Illusions Josh has been dedicating a lot of his time to this business. So be on a look out for Integrity Auto Center. We plan to lease a lot on Hwy 99 where the Interstate 5 trailors are here soon. For now our inventory is in our garage. We've sold our Cadillac and one of the cars we listed in 2 days was sold so we're doing good so far. Wish us luck and Gooooo Josh...!!! BTW if you live near us and hear someone going 100 MPH down the road that would be Josh "test riding" the motorcycles.

Seaside after Christmas Trip

2009-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

It only took us 15 hours to get there from McCall, Idaho due to the weather, a minor flood, and icy conditions, but we got there. The finally to our Christmas vacation was a trip to the beach where it was warmer than 10 degree's but still too cold for me. The kids as always enjoyed themselves.

The "HOLE"

2009-01-03T16:23:00.001-08:00

Josh and Kaiden spent quite a bit of time at the "hole." There was about 5 feet of snow over Christmas where we were and they were able to dig a hole bigger and bigger until they were able to sled through it. It was quite the construction project for the father and son duo.

McKenna's 5th Birthday

2009-01-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

McKenna turned the big "5" on Christmas Eve and we were able to celebrate with just the 4 of us in McCall, Idaho at a nice resort my mom let us use. We dined on 5 star pizza, cake, and ice cream.

Kaiden's Christmas Trip 2008

2009-01-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas trip where we were able to visit with family and vacation some using a timeshare so it was free...can't ask for more than that! The pictures are amazing so here are some of the highlights.

Here is Kaiden cutting down a real life Christmas tree with Grandpa in his backyard in Seneca, Oregon.

Here Kaiden was able to go snowshoeing with Grandpa is the "scary" woods. He later told us that when the snow fell from the trees it looked likes ghosts. He had a great time! Mom, Dad, and McKenna were on the snowmobile that my aunt loaned us for the day.

Snow Day in the Valley

2008-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time the past few days playing in the snow. Kaiden had his first experience with no school days Monday and Tuesday.

McKenna loved eating the snow even while sledding and Kaiden loves sledding in it. We pulled the kids around the neighborhood on sleds behind the jeep. The look on their faces was so great I wish I could have captured it on camera better.

This is What Happens When an Overachiever has Free Time...

2008-12-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

Since we sold the business over a month ago Josh has been able to take some time off. So far he plans to continue training for his basketball career, start up a new business Royalty Core manufacturing aftermarket truck parts, purchasing homes to fix up and sell, continue buying and selling cars with our dealer's licence Integrity Auto Center, snowboard all day, and his latest... purchasing motorcycles for resale and of course to ride in the meantime.

This is what happens when you leave your husband alone for a few hours at an auto auction. Yes, there are 3 bikes in our garage...and he's not done. Josh gives new meaning to "I bet you just can't eat one."

Baby Number 3

2008-12-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

We found out Tuesday that we are having a healthy baby girl. We're excited about it. The kids got to come and Kaiden was convinced there was some sort of alien inside mommy.

There were two screens in the room. One for me to look at and one for the nurse. McKenna asked if one was the girl baby and one was the boy baby.

The kids are continually wondering how the baby will come into the world. Now they think its through my belly button. I will stick with that for a while.

I'm so excited to see how they are with the new baby. They are wonderful kids!

Family Update

2008-09-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well August 16th, 2008 we were joined by friends and family to be sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was absolutely wonderful, romantic, and moving for all of us. Thank you to all of you who attended and showed us your support.

Soon after we returned from Salt Lake we received two offers on our business and later that afternoon found out we were expecting. It took us a year for both but they were well worth waiting for.

We plan to close on the business October 15th and have baby number 3 April 19th. It will be a fun new year for all of us.

Kaiden started kindergarten this year, rides the school bus, and is very busy being well...a boy!

McKenna still attends Sunshine Preschool and gets some alone time when big brother goes to school.

We are excited to be able to have me home with them after the training is over for the business.

Josh has wonderful plans to attend college and play college and pro basketball.