An Update

Its been a while, a long while. I am sorry, I suck at blogging. Really though, I am busy being a mom and wife and student and find little to no time to blog. I should schedule time for the blog so that I dont forget the little things that happen, I can look back and see how quickly my children have grown, but for now I am busy being a mom. Thank goodness my phone goes everywhere I go so that I can capture a picture here and there of my cute, cute kids.

Mckinley turned 5 over the weekend. I can hardly believe that I have a 5 year old. Am I really old enough for this?
We had a small party with family and her Tangled cake that took me HOURS to make. Thank goodness for Brets mom and all of her genius ideas that helped keep this cake from tumbling over.

Tait is still a little monster, but he is my monster. I love him to death. He is very sweet to Josie and he loves to copy everything that McKinley does. He loves spending time with mom while McKinley is at school and is a really big helper.

Josie is already almost 7 months old. She sits and rolls and moves backwards. She is so sweet and she is by far my happiest baby. She laughs at everything and LOVES her mom. (which I am completely ok with)

She does not, however, like bows. Which I am dealing with... one day she will love them. ;)

Bret is so close to graduation we can hardly stand it. He will walk in May but will be completely done the last week of July. After a few recent changes and surprises this past month, (which I would be happy to discuss with anyone just not on the blog) we have started to actively look for full time internships both in and out of state for him. We have heard back from a few NFL teams this week.. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I think it would be super cool. Although, we will be happy with anything to get him DONE!

I am, keeping on, trying to juggle family, school, church callings and everything. I am quite overwhelmed most days and find little to no time for much of anything. Since my last post I have gained another 10 lbs, but have lost 5. So, I am on my way back down, I am just trying to stay focused and find new ways of being healthy and get in exercise when I can without overwhelming myself. I often remind myself that my numbers are not me. There are many other things that make me who I am and my numbers tell you nothing other than I like food. I am signed up for my very first REAL 5 k in 10 weeks and I hope to be able to run the whole thing. Wish me luck!!!

I Heart Food

Hi. My name is Alicen and I LOVE food. Any kind of food, any time of the day or night, you put in front of me and I will eat it.
As many of you already know, I have never been what "they" call thin. But my babies have done serious damage to this already not so perfect body. I swear I am the only person that gains weight AFTER they have babies. After I had Tait I topped the scale at a whopping 236.4lbs! After losing a lot of that I swore I would never go back. It took me 5 months to lose 43lbs. It took a lot of hard work, no cheating and a lot of dedication.
Well here I am again, not weighing that, but too close for comfort. I gave all my 'fat' close away and now I have nothing but sweats and pjs to wear because that is all that fits. So what I am going to be doing? Well to start, I joined weight watchers I have tried this before, but never with as much determination as I have now. I am going to do weight training at LEAST 3 days a week and cardio 5 days a week, even if it means going for a simple walk or bike ride with my family. And this time I SWEAR I am not ever going to see the 200's again!


Because I want my body that looks like this

to look like this!

The Taiter Monster

I have a three year old son. Which means I am constantly ready to pull my hair out. He is cute, he is loved, but he is a monster at three.

I know you are thinking to yourself, how could a face like this be a monster? Let me do a run down of what a normal day with Tait is like.

7:00 am - wake up demanding his morning chocolate milk
7:15 am - having a melt down that he cant find his shoes and wants his HUGE lightening mcqueen blanket for the car. in the mean time has since lost his sippy cup of chocolate milk
7:20 am - Bret getting him in the car
7:25 am - having another melt down over the fact his blanket has not been wrapped around his back and that the movie is not on. (I am driving to xing at this point)
7:30-8:20 am - somewhat watching the movie, throwing his sippy cup, hitting McKinley across Josie waking Josie up then pokes her until she starts crying
8:35 am - runs like a mad man into McKinleys school opens her locker and locks himself inside
8:40 am - needs to go to the bathroom, goes in the girls bathroom to get soap first, washes his hands than goes to the bathroom
9:00 - 10 am - at the gym (reprieve for mom)
10:05 am - yet another melt down over mom picking the wrong stamp for his hand
10:20 am - rumaging through the candy dish because he is "hungry"

Convo between the two of us

Mom: Tait, get out of the treats, are you hungry? I will cut you up an apple. Do you want an apple?
Tait: No, I want cheese crackers
Mom: How about crackers and an apple or grapes?
Tait: No, I want chocolate
Mom: No chocolate. How about an orange?
Tait: NO! I am hungry. I want a treat!
Mom: Sit at the table I will get you a snack

10:25 am - smashing is grapes in the table and throwing the rest on the floor, and then goes back into the treat bucket.
10:50 am - trying to find his shoes.
11:10 am - another trip inside McKinleys locker
12:00 pm - going to the bathroom and needs his bum wiped (I am feeding Josie) I tell him to wait a minute and he then proceeds to dump the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet
12:10 pm - standing in the corner in time out singing the ABC's or I love to see the temple
12:12 pm - Mom explaining he needs to wait when I ask him to wait and not dump the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet
12:15 pm - back to the treat bucket. Conversation above repeated only this time with suggestions for lunch
12:30 pm - eating lunch, wiping it all over the table, the chair, the floor, the wall. (Its no wonder he is always in the treat bucket. All his food ends up everywhere other than his mouth)
1:00-2:30 pm - play time which often includes arguements over toys, hitting, crayons on the walls, wrestling Mckinley and the dog, time outs and lots of I'm sorries
2:30 pm - another search for shoes
2:40 - 3:15 pm - another bout of somewhat watching the movie, throwing his sippy cup, hitting McKinley across Josie waking Josie up then pokes her until she starts crying
3:20-5:30 pm - NAP TIME
5:30 pm - dad is home now so he plays with dad
6:00 pm - another trip to the treat bucket
6:05 pm - Same coversation as above only this time about how dinner is almost ready and he can have a treat after dinner.
6:10 pm - Eating dinner. Another fit about not liking what was made and how he is hungry and wants a treat
6:35 pm - playing in the sink after helping with the dishes. Water is getting every where he is soaked and so is my kitchen
7:00 pm - after cleaning up the water mess, we run errands where he screams the whole time because he wants to walk. Bret usually gives in at some point and lets him down and he begins running all over the store and knocking things over and BEGS to go to the toy section. (really? WHY would I let you see the toys)
8:00- 8:30 getting ready for bed, in the bath splashing water everywhere.
8:30 pm - reading books where he is not paying attention, but poking his sisters, and doing circles on the floor like a dog chasing his tail
8:50 pm - Prayers. Now if this kid does not get to pray he talks or cries during the whole thing. Or his is pointing out spiders crawling up the walls, trucks driving by or whatever else he can think of.
9:00 pm - bed time. Which usually is another battle back and forth. I need a drink, I need to go to the bathroom, etc. We finally threaten him before he eventually falls asleep.

I try and think of ways to discipline this kid, but nothing is working. Time outs are pointless, taking toys away does nothing, even when he gets spanked (which I really dont do all that often) he laughs through. Someone PLEASE help me!!! I just might check myself into the mental hospital!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Life with three has been crazy! But it seems as if we finally have a routine... phew! I might actually spend time updating the blog while all three (yes, ALL three) of my children sleep away!
I LOVE this time of year. Fall is by far my favorite season. Here are a few of some of my other FAVORITE things.

Clorox wipes

Seriously, how did our mothers survive without these? I use them for every surface in my house, several times a day. I am a clorox wipe aholic!

Family Fun Magazine

I look forward to when this magazine arrives in the mail. I love to see all the creative things people do with their kids. One day I hope to be a cool mom like the ones in this magazine.

Ipod

I love my ipod (which was recently lost, but has been found) I use it everyday during nap time. Cleaning my house, mowing the lawn, yard work outside and of course while I am at the gym (which I hope to make a more regular habit) Music makes me happy, a clean house makes me happy, My trusty little ipod bring these two things together!

boogie wipes

I thank my sister in law Robyn for introducing these to me. My little man has never not had a runny nose. These are great and dont make his little nose red! They come in a little package and I have them in the car, in the tahoe, in my bag, in the church bag! You can even buy them in bulk at Costco!

Scentsy

Honestly who doesnt love a house that smells good? Enough said.

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy - stress relief body wash, scrub and lotion

At the end of the day I love this stuff. It smells minty fresh and while it might not relieve all my stress. It sure is nice to think about being stress free!

My Adorable Baby

I know that everyone says this, but I cant believe how fast time is flying by. I think with each new baby brings another clock that speeds up time. Josie will already be 6 weeks old on Wednesday. I am loving every minute holding this precious little new baby in my arms. I look at my other kids and realize just how not important other things are like always having a clean house, laundry folded, dishes done, and how much time I really waste on Facebook. These little babies grow up too fast.

I have slowed down a bit, especially since she LOVES to nurse and takes her time. I have had many people say things like, "but bottles are so much faster, you get so much more done", which is a very true statement, since my other two were bottle fed, but I am loving basking in every moment I have with Josie. And my messy house proves it.

McKinley and Tait are great with her. They always fight over who gets to hold her and love being right up in her face (all the time) We are working on personal bubble space.. McKinley is a great helper and I am going to miss her when she starts pre-school next week.

Tait is way into Spiderman and thinks he is him, literally. We were watching the movie in the car one day and he said,"look at me go mom, I am getting the bad guy". This kid is the funniest little man ever and I never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. He is always saying funny things and is a HUGE tease, just like his dad. He loves soccer, football and baseball. And insists on wearing clothes that have anytime of sports theme to it. I am sure that Bret is thankful that he is this way since he is now out numbered.
McKinley is growing up in to a little girl. She isn't a baby any more. She is obsessed with Justin Bieber, and loves to dance. Even though I am not able to get her to actually dance at dance class. If anyone knows of a dance studio that is great with little kids PLEASE let me know. She loved playing soccer this summer and is really looking forward to going to the BYU football games this year with mom and dad.

Its a...

GIRL!!!

Josie Sue Kettenring is here! Born July 27, 2011 @ 3.21pm 7lb 11 oz and 20" long!

The morning of the 27th I called the hospital, they told me to come in and we ended up staying! We checked in at 1030am, they started some pitocin and 1130 and I was only at a 3 and 75% effaced. At 1215 I got the epidural and I was only at a 4 and still at 75%. I seriously thought that we were going to be there forever. But I had the epidural and I was going to get in a nap... or at least I thought. The nurse came in again at 145 and checked me again, this time I was at a 5 and 85% effaced. She begged me to have the baby by 3 so she could find out what we were having, I jokingly said "ok lets do it". Around 230 I was starting to feel my feet again, so I switched sides I was laying on and hit the "extra" button. The nurse came in at 245 and checked me, this time I was at a 7. She stayed for a while and said she would bring in the nurse that was going to take her place. They both came in around 305 and we talked for a minute, the new nurse stayed, we talked about our dogs and kids. She left and said I will be back in about an hour, unless you need me sooner. She left and I felt the baby move down... WOW! PAIN! Sudden unbelievable pain! I looked at Bret and said its time, he laughed until he saw that I was having a hard time breathing. I hit the nurse button and she came in right away. She checked me and immediately paged my dr.. twice to be exact and called the resident doctor in the hallway because she wasnt sure if my doc would make it down the one floor from her office to my room in time. They got the room set up, my doctor walked in, and I pushed 3 times, once for the head, and twice for her shoulders.
Bret and I were convienced we were having a boy and when she held her up we both looked at each other in shock that we had a girl! She had the cord wrapped around her neck and was definately the bluest of all my babies, but she was beautiful and absolutely perfect!


We absolutely love her! The kids are adjusting well and I am feeling fantastic. Although, I had forgotten what it was like to have a newborn at home. I think she is a perfect combo of both of my kids. What do you think?

Josie


Tait





McKinley

Something a Little Commical... I Really Do Love My Kids

I was blog stalking and found this. I wont lie, I copied it because it was just too funny not too.

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids
Lesson 1


1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.