Happy Birthday Ash!!

This is so pathetic..and I hate to admit that I am even doing it. But it is 4:43 in the morning, and I am sitting here wide awake at my computer typing this up. I don't know what my problem is, I just can't sleep at the moment. I woke up at like 4:00, because my darling baby rests his cute little head right on my bladder and makes me go the bathroom ALL the time. Well after that I just layed thinking about things (I do my best thinking at night) and I started going over this post in my head. I decided rather to lay there thinking about it, I might as well just get up and type it. Sooo, anyways...here I am. It is my sweet sisters 24th birthday today, yikes Ash!! We are getting old. I just wanted to tell my little sis how much I love her and to have a fabulous birthday!! I decided to list my top 5 things about Ashley, and why I love her so much.

1. She is soooo beautiful. I know that is a funny thing to love her for, but I can't help it. Look at that girl, do they come any prettier. Me and Jenny always say if she wasn't our sister we would hate her. The girl has zero faults, she is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. I don't understand how someone can be such perfection, but Ashley is. When my mom was pregnant with Ashley, Jenny and I were only a year old. We got so much attention because we were twins, everyone was always making a big deal about us and going on and on about how cute we were. My mom was so worried for the next baby, because she thought they wouldn't get as much attention and the baby would feel left out. She used to pray that Ashley was a boy so she would be set apart from us, and if she wasn't a boy my mom used to say please let her be the most beautiful baby then, give her something so special that people just can't look away. Well it worked...I wish I had a scanner so I could put a pic of Ash as a baby. Holy cow!! Perfectly tiny, porcelain skin, tons of dark hair that stuck straight up, huge brown eyes, and the most darling little face. And she hasn't changed, I have never met someone that I think is prettier than my little sister. I am sure I am biased since she is my sister, but she is without a doubt a beautiful person.

2. She is the most selfless and giving person I have ever met. She has always been this way. She can't stand to hurt feelings or have someone feel bad, so she will do anything for anyone at any given time. I am afraid she gets taken advantage of quite often because of this little personality trait. When we were little Jen and I were always making her give up her toys or clean our rooms...whatever it was we could talk her into it. She just couldn't tell us no. I obviously feel bad about this now, but it just makes Ashley, Ashley. Its who she is. The older we get though, I have realized that she is one in a million. There is nothing she won't do for me...I have a few moments that stand out the most. When we were in highschool, I was defintely my mom's most difficult child. We were always fighting about something. Whether it was how late I could stay out, what I wore, how much time I spent with Thiago...whatever I drove my poor mother crazy. I would go up to my room screaming and crying cause I would be so mad, whatever the situation Ashley would stick up for me. She would tell my mom she was being mean and try and get her to let me do whatever it was I wanted. Then Ash would come up to my room and I would lay on her lap, while she played with my hair until I stopped crying. This is what a sister truly is, someone who will stand up for you even when you are dead wrong. The other moment is more recent. When I had my first miscarriage, I called Ash the minute I realized what was happening. She was there in an instant, and never left my side. I will never forget this...she stayed with me through the whole thing, and when it was over she layed with me in my bed the entire night and not only held me while I cried. But she cried with me. Oh how I love this girl, she has got me through some of my darkest hours and I do not know what I would do without her. I remember laying there that night, feeling as if my heart had broken, but I also remember thanking my heavenly father for my angel of a sister.

3. She is so happy all of the time and so incredibly optimistic. Nothing in life gets her down, I am such a pessimist and am always feeling gloomy about something. I hang out with Ashley for one minute, and I am instantly feeling better. She lets nothing get to her, whatever is going on just kind of bounces off and that smile never leaves her face. She is my most favorite person to hang out with, because of this. I have never really needed a lot of friends, cause I have had my sisters. They are my best friends and I don't really leave a whole lot of room for anyone else. I don't know if it is cause we are so close in age, or if I am just extra lucky to have such great sisters. Whatever it is, there is no one I would rather be with then my 2 girls.

4. She is the most talented person. Anything with her hands she can do. Whether it is wallpapering my kid's room, helping me plant my flowers, sewing something on for me...whatever I trust her to do it. I love things to look cute and nice, but I am not always so good at doing it myself. I don't have enough patience, and I am just not that talented. Ashley does all that kind of stuff for me, I swear my house might as well be hers. She helps me hang pictures, organzize things, put things together, all kinds of stuff. Do you see what I mean when I say she has no faults, she can literally do ANYTHING!

5. Last and most certainly not least she is one of my two best friends. Jenny and I have always been super close, being twins and all. But with her gone in Kentucky, I find myself turning more and more to my little sister. We live like 2 minutes apart and so we are together all of the time. We shop together, we get groceries together, we let our kids play together, we do our big projects together. She is by my side in everything I do. I love her so much, I have a great family and rely on them all but Ashley truly is my angel. That is how I see her...the person who continually lifts me up and I know will always be standing next to me. Whether I deserve it or not, she is my most truest friend. She supports me in everything I do, and I tell you what nobody better ever mess with these sisters of mine. I love these two girls, I would do anything in this world for them. I am on their side through everything, I will defend them until the bitter end. I would literally walk through fire for them. Next to Thiago and my babies, and of course my mom, there are not 2 people in this world that I love more. I hope they know that, I hope they know how much they mean to me!! I love you my girlies...and my little one Happy, happy B-day!

Sunday Dinners...

Sunday dinners...one of life's many simple pleasures. What is it about them that I love so much....spending time with my family, the great food, that lazy Sunday feeling and oh so much more. Every Sunday we take turns going to the Cano's house or my moms for dinner. Thats right folks, I absolutely never have to cook on Sundays and that is spectacular. I love that we take turns like that, I love my mother in laws cooking as well as my own moms. It is nice to get a taste of both every once in a while. This Sunday was extra special, cause my twinny is back in Utah. For good this time, well we are hoping for good. As most of you know, her hubby just graduated from law school this past May. However, to make a long story short he is going on to DC to do one more year of specialized law school (I don't know what else to call it) in the tax program. Jenny and the boys would have gone with, but my nephew Luke was born 12 weeks premature and has some hearing loss. They got him into an incredible school here in Logan, Utah. It starts this fall, and is necessary if they want to get him ready to be mainstreamed by Kindergarten. They had to make the tough decision to send Eric on to DC, while Jen and the boys stay here. It is going to be so hard on them, but they had to make the decision that is best for Eric's career and for little Luke's progression. Soooo...here is my twin, home for now.


My cute mom...slaving away in the kitchen.


My sisters..and best friends!


My Carsey-boy and Lance at their little table...supposed to be eating but they spend most of their time goofing around.


The rest of the family...Eric wouldn't turn around and look at the camera and Souli was being an idiot holding up his corn like that.


After dinner, we always go out on my moms patio and visit while the kiddos play. I love my moms house, it is so beautiful and clean and homey. Just very comforting, and always makes me feel like a little kid again. All the kids are gathered around Jenny begging for popsicles in this picture.


More playing...



After their bath, they all tried to wrestle with Thiago. So funny, he throws pillows at them and gets them all riled up. It started with just Carson, and pretty soon it was all of them, besides Luke who was sleeping.


Get him boys!!

Celebrating the 24th

Fun, fun, fun...love holidays. We never have anything real definite planned on the 24th , so we just kind of decided last minute to go swimming. Me, Jen, Jill, Ash, Tam, my mom and the kids all went to the Roy Aquatic Center. A little frightening for me this year...I was pretty nervous to get in a swimming suit being pregnant. I was so completely self-conscious all day long. However, Carson loves swimming so I sucked it up and went and tried to forget how ridiculous I must have looked. Carson being the sweetheart that he is kept telling me how cute I looked, he is always so very complimentary.




Jenny is so mad at me for putting this picture on , but I don't think it is that bad. We are swimming after all, how cute are we supposed to look.


They loved the slide, like all kids they have a hard time waiting in line though. Carson just couldn't stand there and wait when there was so much other stuff to do. So he only went down a few times.


Jill, you are such a trooper. She is always right there in all the action with the kids. No wonder they all love you. She kept throwing Carson up in the air, and catching him. He loved it, well until he slipped all the way under the water. He didn't love that so much. We had to go back to our little area and rest for awhile until he was ready to face the world again.


Lots of fun swimming...two small problems though. Carson somehow ended up cutting his foot, and it started bleeding. We had to go to the lifeguard office for a little first aid....and Ash dropped her camera in the pool and it no longer works. Other than that, great time!


That night we went to the Phongsavaths for a BBQ. I didn't get many pictures of that, but here is one of me and Carson watching Thiago's little firework show. Carson was so cute, he loves fireworks and after every one that Thiago lit off, Carson would clap and say "oh, daddy..good one".

All About My Firstborn

My sister just did this on her blog about my little nephew and I thought it looked like fun. So here is a little more info on my little buddy...

Baby's full name?
Carson Jeffrey Cano

Why did you choose that specific name?
We had a hard time coming up with Carson. We had about a million girl names we liked but we couldn't agree on a boys name. After I had my targeted ultrasound at 19 weeks and found out he was a boy, I really wanted to decide on a name. To me they are a little person that I already love in there, and I just can't call them baby. As soon as possible I like to start calling them by their name. So we got on the internet and read every baby name possible and finally narrowed it down between about 10 names. And we agreed we both liked Carson. Jeffrey is my dads name, and Thiago and I both agreed that would be his middle name. My dad has all daughters and no one to carry on his last name, so we thought it was only fair to go with his name.

Were you married at the time?
Of course, 2 years and 1 month.

What were your reactions?
Sooo excited of course. We had only been trying for about 3 months, and I really thought it would take longer than that. That week I was expecting to start just like always, but the days kept passing and nothing happened. It was a Thursday, October 14....I had worked all day. The longer that day went on, I started to think what if. On my way home from a 10 hour work day I stopped at the Albertsons right by my house and bought a test. I got home and Thiago was at his parents house, I really didn't think I was so I just thought I would hurry and take the test and be done with it. So I did, I took it and walked out of the room to do something, came back in, looked at the test and did a doubletake. What the...I could not believe it. I called Thiago and said "um, you had better come home." He thought something was wrong, but I just started laughing and told him. He ran home, and came into the bathroom where I was still sitting in shock. He looked at the test and we both just freaked. We were screaming and crying (well, me) and laughing. Great day.

How old were you?
I was 21 when I found out, and 22 when I had him. Thiago was 22 the entire time, almost 23.

Who did you tell first? We called that night in this order my mom and Ash, Jen and then Thiago's family. We didn't keep it a secret for very long, I was naive then and thought all pregnancies went well.

Did you want to find out the sex? Oh yes, there is no way I will ever want to be surprised at that. I am to much of a planner, and I don't really like surprises. As soon as it is possible to know, I want to know.

Due date?
June 21, 2005

Did you deliver early or late.
Right on time, to the exact date. And that is because they started me, I think he would have stayed in there forever if we had let him.

Did you have morning sickness?
Not once, I am one of those lucky girls that doesn't get sick when they are pregnant. I have never felt nauseous even once with any of my pregnancies. Thank heavens for that.

What did you crave?
Nothing out of the ordinary. I liked all food in general, I was always hungry. I think that is the only time I have ever eaten more than Thiago.

Who irritated you the most?
I don't think anyone. It was such a happy time, I don't remember being that hormonal or upset about much of anything.

What was your first child's sex?
A perfect, little boy!

Did you have any complications in your pregnancy?
Nope...it was the smoothest pregnancy ever. I got high blood pressure near the end, but it never got to the point where we worried about it. I just kind of took it easy those last couple of weeks.

How many hours were you in labor?
About seven.

Who drove me to the hospital?
My cute husband..it was just the two of us for awhile there.

Who watched?
Thiago, my mom I insisted that she had to be there, and Thiago's mom, and Ashley. Kind of a full house. I used to be the most modest person ever, but having a baby has changed that. I don't care who sees what know.

Was it natural or C-section?
Natural, and I am so glad. I didn't want a C-section, I really wanted the experience of doing it myself.

Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
You bet, if they are offering I will take it. Epidurals are a girls best friend.

How much did your child weigh?
6 pounds 7 ounces...with a pretty big head might I add, I had an episiotomy and tore on top of that.

Did your child have any complications?
Not a one. Me, however had a few problems the next day. I was bleeding like crazy and they finally figured out that I had a retained placenta. They had to go in and do a D&C the next day to clean everything out. I had lost so much blood though, that I ended up getting 2 units. I felt awful that first day after I had him, so weak and dizzy.

What hospital did you deliver at?
Davis

How old is your firstborn now.
3 years old and the love of my life!!

Little Fishies...

Just a few pictures of Carson and Brev playing in their pool the other day. These two could just live outside, they both kick and scream when it is finally time to go in. Carson's favorite part is actually when we fill the pool up, cause he can play with the hose. Brev doesn't like that so much cause Carson tries to squirt him the whole time. Gotta love summer!!

Home Tag

I am finally getting around to doing this home tag. We have had so much other stuff going on that I needed to post first, but here we go. I actually took most of the pictures earlier today, but I never sit down at the computer until night. You may think I cheated and fixed my house up, but this is usually just how it looks. My family makes fun of me, cause I have a hard time with messes and if things aren't put away just right. It is not always clean-clean, but it is always picked up. So anyways....

Kitchen sink...so exciting.


My favorite room. I love my bedroom, it is in the front of the house with a big window that lets in lots of sunlight. It is so bright and airy, and I love the colors. It is very calming to me.


Another angle...


Messiest room...I really don't have a messiest room right now. It is usually my basement I guess, but we are organizing that to make room for the desk and computer we have to move down there, so everything is really organized. So here is a picture of my garage, it isn't to bad, just kind of cluttered I guess.


What your kids are doing right now? Laying in my bed watching his Georgey...he is supposed to be going to sleep, but Thiago keeps starting new episodes for him. Oh well, he can sleep in tomorrow. Thats what summer is all about.


Outside of my fridge. Covered in pictures, just like both of my sisters. We like pictures what can I say. They make me happy to see those cute smiling faces of all the people I love.


Inside of my fridge. Actually is pretty full, I usually go shopping on Mondays and so the first of the week it is well stocked. Come Sunday though, I look like a poor mother hubbard.


Picture of my toilet...in another post awhile back their was a picture of my bathroom. So for this one I decided to put Carson's toilet in his bathroom. His is funner to look at anyways. Well, as fun as a toilet gets.


Favorite pair of shoes. Flip-flops for sure. That is all I wear in the summertime. I have like 5 pairs I alternate between right now, but these are probably my favorite. They are so comfortable, and I just think they are cute.


My closet. Oh, this picture makes me sad. I have to go from having this closet all to myself the past 3 years to sharing with a boy. Yuck! Thiago's clothes have been in our spare bedroom/office closet, but that is turning into Carson's new room. And Lincoln gets Carson's old room. So me and Thiago now have to share, I am going to put half of my stuff downstairs in one of those hanging garment racks. So sad!!


Self-portrait. Well, this is the most awful picture I have ever put of myself on here. It is the end of the day, we have been outside with Carson's swimming pool all day, and I am trying to take it myself. Not cute...

Weber State Fireworks

We always go with Thiago's family to the Weber State fireworks on the Sunday before the 24th. They actually kinda sucked this year, we got there at like 7:00 or so and waited for them to start. That part wasn't to bad, it is fun to sit around and visit and Thiago's mom brings tons of good food. Plus, Carson always has fun. He spent his first hour there throwing chunks of dirt on the road. I started to get really miserable though cause I drank a capri sun, that literally went right through me. I carry my kids really low and they just sit right on my bladder, I seriously have to go the bathroom ALL the time. Anyways, I have been trying to be careful to not drink alot if I know I am going someplace where I won't have a bathroom for awhile, well who would have thought one little capri sun would have been torture. I wasn't about to go in those little outhouse things...so I sat there miserable for like an hour and a half. The fireworks finally started and they were like 10 minutes long if that. They were the shortest and dumbest fireworks I have ever seen, I was ok with that though. It just got me to a bathroom sooner. Oh, the joys of being pregnant.

In the Great Outdoors

I survived our weekend of camping...those of you who know me well know I am not a camper. We had a family reunion in Mantua this past weekend and we totally tented it this time. We usually take my mom and Dean's trailer, so I still have water, air, bathroom...you know that kind of thing. Well since Mantua is so close, we decided it wasn't really worth all the trouble of packing up the trailer, so we slept in tents and ate out of coolers and little camp stoves. Not my most favorite thing to do, but Carson loved it and I did end up having fun.


Me checking out our tent...thank goodness it was just one night.


Carson and Granny O. Carson thought the tents were the coolest things...he kept calling them our houses. He would walk down to the Kofoeds tent and say "me go to Hallie's house."


He thought he needed to wear his sunglasses the entire time, even when it started to get dark.


The kiddos loved this, they stacked up all of our air matresses before we got them into our tents and jumped from one to the other. Brevin spent most of his time trying to climb back up after being knocked down by the bigger kids.


Me and Ash standing around looking pretty...


Gotta love the 4-wheelers!!


Carson loved roasting marshmellows...he mainly just like holding the stick. He would swing it around, almost hitting us. His marshmellows were never edible...he either burnt them or got ash or dirt all over them. But he had a lot of fun doing it.


Just taking it easy...who knew roasting marshmellows could be such hard work.


Saturday everyone went on the 4-wheelers up to Willard peek. Well everyone except me and Ash, thats a little to bumpy for two pregnant girls. They all were gone for like 4 hours, while me and Ashley sat back at camp. Not a whole lot of fun for us, but everyone else loved it.


Tough guy...isn't he!!


Carson and his dad...I love to see the two of them together doing something they both love. I sure do love my boys!!


Me and Ashley sitting back at camp all by our lonely little selves. Great times, thanks Granny O and the rest of my cute family for another weekend full of great memories. I love my family, each and every one of them. Hope you all had as much fun as we did...and Tanner-boy Happy, happy Birthday. Thanks for spending your big day with all of us, we love you so much and our so proud of the little 7 year old you have become. I can't imagine loving a little guy more than we love you!! Happy B-day buddy!