the best laid plans...

Plans are made to change, rules are meant to be broken and I can't think of another one. We have had a great couple of months, they have just not been the ones we planned. That's okay.
Tender Care Hospice is doing great, we are slowly growing and spreading out into the valley. We have done some modifications, including some great advertising. We are wrapping our car, for those of you who don't know what that is I have included a picture. Yes my face is on the side of our car! It's crazy! We are building our website and just generally upgrading. I ended up getting my CNA (certified nurses assistant) so I can see patients and help the business-I didn't think that I would like it but I am loving it. It is really rewarding and I am so attached to my patients.
So I haven't gotten to go to school for what I had originally chosen but this is turning out to be great. Instead I'm taking the money I'm earning and hired a personal trainer so I'm learning all and more of what I would have learned. Adam stays w/the kids when I work so he gets more time w/them and I get to get out. It's a win win. I have also found that I can get Adam to change Ian's diapers all the time now, all I have to do is remind him that I change adult diapers and he can't come up w/an arguement! It's awesome.
Ty is doing well-he seems to be grounded all the time though, he doesn't ever bring home his homework. He doing soccer and is great at it, he is getting so big and is soooooo sarcastic-i don't know where he gets it!
Logan is doing well in kindergarden and is going to start swimming lessons again-he loves to swim and loves diving-we might have found Logan's sport!
Ava is still the little doll of the family-she loves to tell everyone that she has boobs and boys have pecks, she likes to tell everyone at the store too! She is always saying something funny. She is such a girl-she will only drink the milk w/the pink lid! It's girl milk, she says.
And Ian is just like Ava was, content to stay a baby forever. He is getting a little bratty and likes to yell at everyone all day unless we are walking around holding him. It's great! He has finally learned how to climb down the stairs so he gets around even better-no more yelling at the top for someone to come get him!
Hope all of you are doing well!

Fun Times

Well summer is in full swing and of course it's been awhile. There is just so much going on! Or something like that.
Adam is still going strong w/his hospice business, he works long and hard but it'll pay off someday. He is enjoying that he doesn't have homework hanging over his head. He still doesn't have much free time but it's nice that he has one less stress
.And now that Adam is done w/school it's my turn! I am going to Eagle Gate College starting Aug 31st to be a personal trainer specializing in post pregnancy exercise-since I've had a bit of experience trying to get my body back-don't laugh! I'm way excited, I just feel too old and out of shape. It's something that I'm really interested in and like to do so why not go to school for it-right? Right.
Ty is doing great and I'm having so much fun w/him this summer-he can really make me laugh. Adam's grandma just celebrated her 86Th birthday and Ty was asking her how old she was and she said "86" so leave it to Ty he says "why are you still alive." Can you believe that!? He is too funny. He cleans for the same grandma and asks me "how much longer is she going to live? I'm tired of cleaning her house." Oh Ty, so sensitive! We have also had to have "the talk" You all know which one I mean, he had me laughing so hard! Just his descriptions! Priceless. He was in a talent show at the end of the school year-he sang a Jonas brothers song while his friends danced. I didn't get to see it but some friends told me it was great. He loves to be the center of attention.
Logan has been in swimming lessons this summer and the teacher was so worried about him because he is so small. But he has done great and can now swim all over the pool w/no assistance. The lifeguards always panic when they see him jump off the diving board-until he bobs up to the surface and swims safely to the side. He is just so small. He is tough though and keeps up pretty well w/his friends and brother.
Ava is a doll. She is also a little tattle tale and loves to play mom to the boys-especially when they are in trouble-she repeats everything i say in her own little growl. She was so excited for her birthday this year-after watching the boys at their parties and opening their presents she couldn't wait for hers. She was so excited for Logan when he was opening presents she would say "oh wow, Logan. Happy Birthday to you!" Every time he opened something. She sang Happy Birthday to herself about 50 times on her birthday and thanked everyone who came through the door for coming to her party. She told me for weeks that she wanted a pink present and once I bought the cake mix for her cake she would ask at least 10 times a day for me to make it for her. Thank goodness that's over!
Ian is cute as ever and looks a ton like Ty which he loves. Ian is not walking yet but gets around just fine. He pulls himself up on everything and uses anything as a handhold-including skin-ouch! He is entering that age that they think that just because they see mom they think she has to be holding them. Or at least watching them eat! He is a little chunk which is so different from Logan w/his little stick legs. Logan put on a pair of Ian's shorts this morning on accident and they actually fit around his waist! they were just a mile too short-Ty and I couldn't stop laughing-it was so funny!
All is well w/the Archers for now. I hope you are all well and enjoying your summers.

Good News at Last

Hello All,
I don't mean to brag (yes I do!) but I have really cute kids, I mean look at them! They are adorable. I don't think they make 'em much cuter. I'm sure you've all been dying to know what's been going on w/the Archers! No? Well here's an update anyways.
Adam is graduating from Weber State University on May 1st w/his Bachelors degree in Philosophy. Yeah Adam! We are all so proud of him, he has worked so hard and has kept going through the years of hard work and change. His professor gave him an A++ on his final paper which shouldn't surprise any of us, he's so smart and articulate. He has also gone and bought himself a business, since there are no jobs out there he created one. Or something like that. It is called Tender Care Hospice, it's an in-home care hospice based up in Layton which is too funny to laugh at since we moved down to Sandy to be closer to work! He is working hard and putting in massive amounts of hours trying to get things going and learn the business. At least school is over and he doesn't have to stress about that anymore.
I am mostly hanging out at home, we got a gym membership last month so I go to the gym every morning and then spend the rest of the day "puttering" (my dad's word) around the house.
Ty is such a great kid! He is playing soccer, which dad is coaching, and trying to get into as much trouble as possible! Just kidding! He is actually in a play right now helping his Uncle Austin. Austin is directing a play at Weber State (Theatre Major) and he needed a little boy so he asked Ty. He is doing great, I can't wait to see it. Grandma said he is fantastic and now she wants to put him in more plays, we'll see how that pans out. We have started a new bribery system w/him, some call it allowance, whatever helps you sleep at night. He gets $2 a week for his chores and loses 10 cents whenever he is bratty, he has been an angel.
Logan is Logan, cute, cuddly and a total whiner! He is doing well in school but doesn't like going anymore. He is really into Star Wars right now and only wants to watch, play or reenact Star Wars.
Ava is potty training.....me! I can get her to "go" on the potty but it's more because I put her on it about 20 times a day then her feeling the need to go. She is such a little girl, I love it. She loves anything princess and loves animals.
Ian is great, such a happy baby. He is learning how to sit up right now and rolls all over the floor to get where he wants to go. He only ever cries when he's tired or hungry and don't ignore him when he's crying for you, oh no! He has quite the little temper!
Everything is great here, the weather is finally getting nice, Adam is hard at work and the kids are happy. Hope all is well w/all of you.

A New Year

Well I've been waiting for something good to post but oh well, I'll update you anyways! Adam is doing well, trying to stay busy after being laid off 3 days before Christmas! Crazy, I know. He has been finishing some basements and volunteering w/Church and staying busy w/his calling. He just got called to Young Men's which is soo perfect for him. He is very very close to graduating from Weber State University, just one REALLY big paper left. He is staying positive and moving forward which is all we can do right now.
I am still trying to get a handle on my kids. I do well as long as we don't go anywhere! The down side to that is I get some major cabin fever. I am getting to know some ladies in the ward and that's been really nice. I am trying to start an aerobics class over in the ward building but I don't know how well that will go over, keep your fingers crossed for me. It gets really boring working out alone.
Ty is playing basketball and doing okay at it, it's definitely not his best sport but he's not terrible at it either. He has discovered that I'm easily distracted and doesn't give me a straight answer about homework and I hadn't noticed until recently, the little sneak! We are back on track though and I'm getting better communication from his teacher.
Logan has discovered the Play Station and wants to spend all of his time doing that, luckily neither he nor I know how to work the game so he has to wait for Ty or Dad so that limits his time on it. He is doing great in school and his teachers tell me that he is very meticulous, which we all already know about him, what w/his OCD.
Ava is so girly, I love it. She carries her dolls all around the house w/her and loves to play w/them. She also loves to accessorize, she wears Hulk sweatbands and a big gaudy bead necklace that Grandma bought her in New Orleans everyday and night. It's way cute. She is always very concerned whenever Logan cries and has to mother him until he is feeling better. She started ballet last week and has now added her ballet slippers to her accessories.
Ian is a great baby and loves to just sit and chill in his chair. He is not very good at night though, he wakes up about three times, he loses his binky and it wakes him up. I am so tired! Other than that he is great. He is very happy and smiles all the time, he also likes to yell. He isn't upset when he yells he just likes it.
Well we are all doing well despite the recession. We will be that much stronger at the end, of course it's only been about a month so I'll let you know how we are in a few months! Lots of love to all and we hope that you are all well.

Happy Holidays!

Hello all,
Sorry that it's been so long, I've discovered facebook and have been spending all my time there, quite literally! Things are great, not much going on but I'm sure that I can think of something funny the kids have been doing.
Adam great, he is so close to being done w/school he can taste it. I can't believe it's almost over. He is working hard and we're just hoping that his job continues to work for him too. This recession is leaving a lot of people out of work. Keep your fingers crossed.
I am trying to fit back into my normal clothes, but the holidays make that hard, especially when I have no will power to refuse yummy food! I'm managing the kids better every day, I just have to keep to my schedule. I'm finding that cleaning the house is less and less important to me though, I'm just trying to survive the day. I love the little monsters though so I guess I'll have to keep them around a little while longer.
Ty is really into sports, he is playing bball right now and is doing great. He is a little to aggressive and doesn't pass the ball but we're working on that. He wants to play football next year and I have to admit that I think he'd be great. Like I said, he is pretty aggressive and would love to have an excuse to tackle someone. It's a big commitment though so we're a little hesitant, not to mention the fact that he could reallly get hurt. We'll just have to see what happens. He is becoming very sarcastic which is our fault, since we're just too serious! Ha, ya right.
Logan is good, he loves preschool and also love to torture his little sister. He keeps asking me what foods he can eat that will make him as big as Ty but the results aren't fast enough for him. He wants to play sports but is way too small and is a bit of a poor sport.
Ava is Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, she is an angel one minute, singing and dancing and giving everyone kisses. The next thing you know she is screaming so loud that the dog has to leave the room. But she's screaming "i'll be nice." Ya, she'll be nice, if you give her what she wants!
Ian is a great baby, he likes to have me in his line of sight at ALL times and gets quite upset when i'm not. He only wakes up once at night and goes right back to sleep after he eats. He is lactose intolerant which is strange for me, I've never had any of the kids affected by how I eat.
Well all of us are great and hope you all have a great Christmas.

The House

Okay, I have finally taken pictures of the inside of the house, it's cold out and I don't want to go outside right now, so I'll get the outside later. I'll get them eventually. We still love this house; the doorknobs, the paint, the baseboards! Everything! We still have some pictures to hang and some nail holes to fill and a few more homey touches and we'll be done. Are you ever really done though? There is always something, isn't there?
Whoever said that once you've had three kids it's easy was lying!! I have three babies, Logan and Ava are still so whiney. And they all lose it at the same time! I think I'm finally getting a handle on things though, I actually went out in public today. Ava's hair wasn't done and I hadn't showered yet, but we were out there getting things done, that's the important thing.
Adam is great, he is starting a new business having to do w/financial management, he is still doing construction but is also doing this now. He is very ambitious and has to be continually moving forward, I can't complain though becasue he is such a hard worker and wants the best for his family. He is almost done w/school, just three more classes and should graduate in the spring. We are so excited, it's a little surreal though because he has always been going to school, what's he going to do w/himself? I know he'll find something to keep him going.
I am just trying to survive four children! That's a joke, I love all of the kids I just find myself looking at all of them and going "Holy Crap! I have a lot of kids!" It's amazing that just having one more made it seem like so many. My in-laws are my saving grace, they help out a ton. It's nice to have the extra hands since I'm usually doing it alone! If everyone thought I was sxheduled before I'm a down right nazi now! Schedules save my sanity. So it's almost nice that Adam is rarely here during the week because he always throws off the system.
Ty just finished his soccer season, it was a rough one. They never won a game, his team got an "A" for effort and that's all I can say about them. He is starting basketball in November, he has never played before so I think we're going to need our family expert (Anth that's you) to give him some pointers. He is very competitive so I'm hoping he catches on fast. We are trying to keep him fairly busy, he is so much nicer when he has activities to do. Ty has been pretty good w/all the kids. He is a fantastic helper when he wants to be but has developed some major attitude. I'm not looking forward to his teens. I have finally let him start picking up Ian w/o my help and have discovered that he is a very calming influence on Ian. He stops crying and just stares at Ty, it's really cute and Ty loves it. Being the big brother suits him well, Ava and Ian seem to adore him. We won't mention how Logan feels!!
Logan is loving preschool and loves to sing the songs he learned, he has really grown up in the last two months, but is still a big whiner! He loves Baby Ian and helps me a lot by rocking Ian's chair when he cries. Logan is my neurotic child, the older he is getting the more OCD he is. He has to wear his pants as tight as possible which is difficult when he's a 4T in length and about a 12 month in waist (that is no exaggeration), he also doesn't like his sleeves to touch his wrists and needs his shoes so tight that the laces break! The benefit to his OCD is that he is a stickler for the rules, I don't need to worry about him or anyone else breaking rules when he is around. I don't like shoes in my house so he will tell anyone who comes in to take off their shoes, so I don't have too! He never misses the dirty clothes hamper either (unlike Ty). So there are some pluses to his neuroses.
Ava is a pill, she is absolutely adorable one minute and one of Satan's minions the next! She has taken to growling out commands to everyone lately, especially to Logan. If I correct him, she copies what I said in a growl, example; I tell Logan he can't have anymore candy and then Satan's minion repeats "NO LO AN CANNY!" in a growl. She is also very stern about rules and always sits on the step leading into the house from the garage to take off her shoes, effectively causing a pile up of people waiting to get in! She still loves shoes and clothes and is becoming picky about her hair, if we get around to doing something w/it. She insists on two "ponies" (pigtails) in her hair and while through a hissy fit if there is only one. I love seeing the differences in boys and girls, she copies so many things that I do, I always put hair ties in my teeth when I'm doing her hair and now she has to put one in her teeth. It is so cute. I'm so glad that I have a little girl, the fits and the drama aside she is adorable and talks in a little sing-song voice, when she is happy. Whenever she said please or thank you it's always "pease, Mom" or "tank ou, Mom" I love it! She is also really cute w/Ian, she calls him "Baby Een" and is concerned whenever he cries.
Ian doesn't have a whole lot to say yet! He is a good baby but doesn't really like to go anywhere, he dislikes his car seat and screams whenever he is put in it. And wakes up about every three hours at night. He is adorable and looks just like Logan, so much so that we are constantly calling him Logan or Mikey (Logan's nickname).
Things are great guys, we are incredibly happy w/our huge family!!! Hope every one is doing great.

He's here!!!!!

Ian James Archer was born on Sept. 20, 2008 at 8:53 pm. He weighed 8lbs even and was 21" long. It was a fairly tramatic day for all of us and things kept going wrong but all is well w/all of us and he is beautiful.
I was having sharp pains and random but hard contraction for two days and two long night, I finally woke up Saturday morning and said enough is enough, we are going to the hospital despite what they're telling me. My doctor was doing rounds that morning, so thankfully he was there. They checked my cervic and he was breech, the little booger. So the sharp pains were him kicking me in the cervic! They gave me several options, they could manually turn him, I could have a c-section or they could manually turn him and I could possibly have an emergency c-section if it put him under to much stress. This scared Adam and I both, we have never had any trouble or talk of a c-section before. We opted for what we hoped was option number 1. It went well though horribly painfully, and my doctor broke my water, and put me on potocin. Ian didn't want anything but to sleep in there, they didn't like that and had to keep shocking him to wake him up, so more talk of a c-section. When I decided that it was time for a catheter the nurse put one in w/o checking my chart for allergies (which I didn't think to tell her about) and we found out the hard way that I am definetely allergic to iodine (major swelling)! And after all of that, he wouldn't drop and just wanted to face my leg, so the doctor kept positioning him correctly but he kept moving back up. So he eventually had to hold the baby's head in place while I pushed and between contractions until he finally came out!
After our tramatic day things have settled well, the swelling has made recovery a little harder than usual but still not too bad. The boys are in love w/him and are constantly wanting to hold him, kiss him, touch him and just generally be close to him. Ava doesn't really care about him, she will just randomly point at him and say "baby."
Grandma and Grandpa had a long weekend w/the other kids. Logan got mad at Ty on Sunday becasue he drew a picture of himself, Logan and Uncle Austin. Logan didn't think that he was drawn proportionately and kept telling Ty "I'm not that teeny, Ty!" and insisted that the picture be redrawn. Ty drew him another picture w/Logan about the size of Godzilla and himself and buildings the size of ants!! Ava is still yelling all of her words, she yells nicely but has not learned volume control. "MILK, PLEASE!!"
Adam was a HUGE help at the hospital, I'm so glad that he was able to be there. He had just started a new project at work and it would be really hard for him to get away, depending on what they were doing, but he didn't have to work on Saturday and Monday it rained so he couldn't have gotten a lot done. So all things considered everything worked out perfectly.
Well, I have to go feed Ian. We love you all.