Home At Last, Home at Last

Okay guys, I will start my own personal blog since I use this one as my own anyway. Your all probably sick of hearing from me. Whatever, Jenny got me pumped up already for girl's weekend next year. So, we made it home and we are finally one big happy family all together again. Okay, maybe we aren't so big because all you guys keep poppin' em out like rabbits. I love it though, don't get me wrong. But as I was talking to Trent we wondered if it was just our class that is like this. I mean, even for mormons, we ALL have a lot of kids in a short period of time. Most of the other mormons we have met have theirs spread out a bit more or are done after two or three. I guess it doesn't matter, but I think it is funny that we are all the same.
Anyway, Trent doesn't have to go to Guam so hurray and it is not likely that he will go to Iraq, so we are hoping he will only have to do one deployment for the whole payback period.
It is so nice to be together again and have a helping hand.
I do have a dilema. Lane isn't doing so great with the potty-training and this is the third attempt. Any suggestions. He will go, but only when he wants to and it's convenient. He's not scared of it, just plain out defiant and /or lazy. Also, what do you do when you have a picky eater? make him eat it, give him a new healthy option, let him starve, make two dinners??? yeah, life is fun isn't it.

Idaho Cabin

I love this idea! Amy- will you be in charge? It would be nice if someone near her could volunteer to co-pilot the effort.

Let's pick a date. We had said that it would be on the second weekend of July, but I don't know if you want it on your birthday every year Amy?!!? Any other suggestions? I guess it all depends on what's available too. I went on www.vrbo.com and checked out a few cabins. They were all wide open for July.

Kami, let us know when you find out more about your family's cabin. For now, we'll just see what else is out there just in case. Sound good? Amy- let me know what I can do to help!!

I'm so excited!! I'm off to make a ticker for the sidebar :)

Amy brought up a good point...

We really should pick who is in charge of the Girl's weekend next year. Everyone please respond to this post with your vote or to volunteer to host next year's girl's night. I'd be happy to host it here, but I'm sure you people out in the easterly regions would like it to be a little closer to home??!?!?

Also, Don't forget to post a photo of your kids in their halloween costumes :) Our ward trunk or treat is this saturday, so I'll be posting next week! I LOVE this time of year!!!

BTW- CONGRATULATIONS to all the new mommies and new babies!! It looks like we'll have another one here soon- i just read Katie's blog. You're so funny Katie!! Anyone know how we could organize a "virtual baby shower?" I've heard of them, but have never done one. We could do that every once in a while, if y'all are interested.

Happy fall everyone!! Miss you all!!

PS we have made a change...

So after 9 months pouring over baby name books looking for a
name for our baby we finally agree on the name Alisa right? Wrong! We brought her home and the name just didn't fit her. We all had a hard time with the name and my biggest fear with the name Alisa was that she would forever be correcting everyone on her name because it is too close to Allysa and that name is very popular right now. So when the name just wasn't fitting and in her few weeks of life not one person pronounced her name correctly (including grandparents!) we were in rather a delema (if that is how you spell that!) I didn't want the child to have an identity issue throughout life and Austin wanted to be able to call her something besides "the baby" so we began hunting again and we both fell in love with the name Ashlyn. (which means "a dream or a vision" in Gaelic for those of you that like meanings of names.) Oddly enough, we never even came across Ashlyn in our nine months of searching (although it is in the baby name book, I double checked.) So we went ahead and resubmited the birth certificate and she is officially Ashlyn Simone Healey. I just thought I would let you all know so if I mention Ashlyn you wont all think that we had baby girl Healey number 6 already. However we had better start picking out names now if we ever want to name that baby! Anyway, Ashlyn is super sweet and we all love her to pieces. She has had a bad run of colic and thrush over the last several weeks though and has felt rather miserable. So needless to say, this is the first moment that I have had to post for awhile. Have any of you dealt with thrush before??? I have some questions if you have! Anyway, Congrats to Britt, Ann, and Jill on your sweet new arrivals! It is fun to see so many little boys with awesome moms comming into this world. It gives me great hope that my daughters will find wonderful, righteous husbands to marry someday!

New Baby

Hey girls wish I wasn't so blog illiterate and knew how to double post. We had our little guy Monday morning. We are all so happy to have this new addition in our home. Zachary Douglas Bingham 7# 12 oz and 19.75 in. long. He's healthy and beautiful. there are a few more details on my blog, I'll post more on this one later.
Congratulations Ann and Brit, I hope you both recover quickly, I think your forced to when older kids are at home. Hope your hubbies get time off to help you rest. Wish we were all together so we could commiserate about nursing and such.

Happy Belated Birthday

Pics of us at wedding in Utah and then some at seaworld in texas. Busy fall. This is only one I can find as 28 year old.

Sorry, I guess this birthday post comes a bit late. I forgot that I had to do it and I am not quite sure what to put exactly but here goes. I had a fabulous time celebrating my 28th birthday...ha ha. My boys contracted the rotavirus...so I spent lots of time that week cleaning up diarrhea and poop. Lucked out with Amelia because she got the new rotavirus vaccine so didn't get it. At least they held it in on my birthday and started again early the next morning. I was in Vale, OR with my in-laws as Trent is in San Antonio for training. His parents actually work in the temple on Wednesdays so it was just me and the kids at home. We just hung out with our puke buckets. Then when they got back, they took me out to eat at the Starlite Cafe, the only restaurant in Vale. And, that's about all. Trent wanted to buy me an ipod but I told him to wait til we got home so we could do the research and figure out exactly what I want. He sent me a cute card though.

As for turning 28...hmmmm. Not much different. Right now I am selfishly in my own world only concerned with me and my family. I am not involved with any clubs or organizations as I have been all over the country and not really settled in anywhere. We've been stationed in Minot for 3 1/2 months but I've only physically been present there for about 5 weeks total. I am getting ready to head back after being gone for 6 weeks. Projects I've been working on are just food storage and parenting strategies. I have been visiting valuesparenting.com in order to be a little better at mothering and am making plans for when I get home. I've develped more of a love for motherhood over the past few months and my three little ones are my prized possessions. We have lots of fun and they are good kids. Amelia is the apple of my eye. Right now I am actually in Texas with her visiting Trent just for the weekend. The boys are still in Oregon. We do way too much traveling, but family is everything.

My mother-in-law has been teaching me to can while I've been here so we have done peaches, pears, applesauce, jam, tomatoes, salsa, and tomato juice. I have been dehydrating tons of fruit that I've bought from the local orchards and farms. It's been great. I am trying to continue implementing raw foods (traveling makes it a little harder) and if I get my workout in, I feel pretty good about life. Things I would like to do more of include reading, triathlons, and playing more piano.

Sorry this is so random. I'm not all that exciting but hopefully doing what's important in life. Happy to hear everyone is doing well and all those little ones are arriving safely.

Belly Shots

These were taken a week and a half ago, I have been meaning to post them. The kids had fun taking these baby belly pictures. I sure have missed seeing you guys and those of you who have also had growing bellies.
We are all so excited for a new baby to be joining us very soon. ten days to go until my due date, so any time now.