Happy Birthday Jarrad!

I'm a little late in posting this because this past week 4 out of the 5 of us have had the stomach flu. I'll be glad when all of the sickness is over...yuck! Anyway, on November 18th Jarrad turned the big 34. We didn't do a whole lot on his birthday since he had to work, but I made him a carmel pie since he doesn't like cake and the kids made cards and sang happy birthday to him. On Saturday, my mom watched the kids for us so we could go out for lunch for Jarrad's birthday and it was really a good time. It's nice to be able to have a date every once in awhile.

Then, on Sunday Jarrad's parents and grandpa were able to come up and see our new house. The kids were really excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Asay and we all enjoyed their visit. So, even amongst the puking and sickness we still had a good couple of days celebrating Jarrad's birthday. And, to think I met Jarrad when he was 22! Time flies when you're having fun! Happy Birthday, Jarrad!

I love my crazy kids...

This picture is from Zoo Boo in Ft. Wayne

I don't know if it's the weather or all the Halloween candy the kids are still eating, but my kids have been hysterical lately. There are many times throughout my day where I want to run into my room and lock the door and never come out. Then they will do something so funny that I will laugh so hard that I cry. I love to laugh. Laughing can get me out of my worst moods, which is why I think Heavenly Father blessed me with such funny kids. So, I wanted to write down some of the funny things they have said or did lately so that I won't forget them.

Talan cracked me up the other day when he was playing on our sit and spin. Most of you know what a sit and spin is, but the new ones have a Simon says game on them. The sit and spin will say, "Simon says spin." And , if you do it correctly it will do another command. But, if you spin when Simon doesn't say, it will make a losing sound and say, "No, Simon didn't say. " So, while Talan was on the sit and spin this is the conversation he was having with the toy.

Talan: "Simon did say!"
Talan: "What is wrong with you?"
Talan: "Simon's a jerk."

By the time he said Simon's a jerk, he decided it was time to walk away from the sit and spin. I was laughing all day after that.

The other day while I was in the car taking Talan to preschool, I asked Kylen what his name was and his answer was Jesus Christ. At first, I thought I didn't hear him right so I asked him again and he said Jesus Christ again. Part of me was laughing and part of me was looking out for the lighting bolt! Jayden and Talan think this is hilarious and now Ky thinks he's funny, so if you ask Ky his name don't be surprised when he says Jesus Christ. Jarrad and I think he says this because when you close your prayers you say, "In the name of Jesus Christ," We try to correct him, but what can you do. For now, our kid thinks he's Jesus.

Then there's Jayden, who has my sick personality of laughing when people get hurt or do something disgusting. He cracks me up because he'll do almost anything for money. I will try to get him to eat gross things for money. Then, he'll think about it and then barter the price if it's something really gross. I know, I'm just as bad as the kids and I admit it. On Saturday, we went to a Chinese Buffet and they had crab legs and mussels. Well, Jayden comes back with both of these things on his plate. The crab legs are fine, but the mussel was disgusting. So, we all watched as his put the mussel in his mouth and we all watched as 10 seconds later it came back out on his plate. I was still gagging when I told him I would give him a dollar if he ate the rest of the mussel. His reply was, "That is not even worth it." It must have been bad, he'd usually do anything for a dollar! Words cannot express how much I love my kids and the entertainment they give me freely everyday!

Trick or Treat

Running to their first house

Kylen

Talan

Jayden

October has been a very eventful month for us. We moved into our new house and I started coaching high school gymnastics. It has made for a really crazy month. I feel like I don't remember most of it.

Here in Warsaw they celebrated Halloween on Saturday and the kids had a blast doing it in our new neighborhood. Jarrad and I however felt a little out classed, as atleast 6 or 7 families in the neighborhood went trick or treating on their Gators, golf carts and Polaris vehicles. We went the old fashioned way of walking and pulling our little red wagon. :) I felt like the scholarship student in a private school. LOL We got to meet a lot of our new neighbors, so it was a good time. Jayden is really into Star Wars this year so he was Luke Skywalker. Talan was Tony Stewart and Kylen was Elmo. It was really fun this year since Ky is old enough to understand what's going on. On the other hand it was a little sad because my babies are growing up!

New house here we come!

On Monday, October 25th, this house will become our new home!!! To say we are excited would be an understatement. As most of you know, we moved up to Warsaw at the end of July and have been living with my parents until our home in Indy sold. We ended up leasing our home to a very nice lady who plans on buying it in a few years. This really became a blessing in disguise because now Jarrad and I won't take such a huge loss on our home, and we will actually be making some money each month from it. We are going down to Indy this weekend to clear out the rest of our stuff and will begin moving our things in to our new house Monday afternoon.

This house may seem a little underwhelming from the outside, but I'm completely in love with the inside and the yard. Our yard is .77 acres, which is a huge difference from our .19 in Indianapolis, and it backs up to lots of trees. The best part of the whole house is the finished basement that has a theater room and lots of room to run. The boys are in major need of space where they can get some of their never ending energy out! The boys have loved living with grandma and grandpa, but I think everyone involved is ready to get their own space back. I'm dying to get my own closet back! We're grateful to my parents for taking all of us in so we wouldn't have to live apart. We're so excited to get into our house and start the next chapter of our lives. Too bad we're not rich, it would be so nice to pay movers to do all the dirty work!

Talan had a fight with the monkey bars...

These were the said monkey bars, but this wasn't the same day

and lost!!

September 4th ended up being an eventful day for us. After coming home from Indianapolis, we decided to take the kids to Center Lake park. That last for all of 5 minutes when I saw Talan going up high on the monkey bars. I was at the kiddie playground part with Ky when I noticed this and yelled to Jarrad to go get him. Well, long story short, Jarrad didn't make it and he fell really weird and landed on his left leg wrong and started screaming. If any of you know Talan you know he is an incredibly tough kid. He never cries when he gets shots or when he goes to the dentist to get cavities filled, the list could go on and on. So, when we got him to stop crying we tried to have him walk, which he wouldn't do and continued to cry once we got home.

At this point I knew something was wrong and felt we should take him to the ER and make sure it wasn't broken. We went to the ER got x-rays and ice etc. and then the nurse came back and told us it wasn't broken and just to continue to ice it and take Tylenol as needed. So, for the next couple of days we did this and still Talan refused to walk on his leg and would wake up at night crying that his leg hurt. Jarrad and I were at a loss, because we were told it was not broken and there wasn't any swelling or discoloration, so we were trying to make him walk thinking he needed to work it out. Before this, he was basically crawling around the house, so he would try his hardest to limp around. Come Friday, he was still limping pretty badly and I just had a feeling that I needed to take him to see and orthopedic doctor. I got him in at the last doctor I called and sure enough, he had a hairline fracture in his left leg!

Words cannot explain how ticked off I was at the hospital! I had been making my 4 year old try to walk on a broken leg for 6 days!! What made me livid was when I picked up the x-rays at the hospital before taking them to the ortho doctor, I took a look at the x-ray and saw where the break was myself. How pitiful is it that I saw a break where a doctor or radiologist couldn't! Talan ended up getting a blue cast and all of the family and his preschool teachers signed it. Talan being Talan, took this all in stride and the only thing he complained about was that in order for him to walk on the cast they gave him a little black boot shoe that fits over his cast. He said, "Mommy, do I have to wear this to preschool?" I said, "yeah, why?" Talan said, "but I don't want to because it's not a cool shoe." It made me laugh, so Jarrad took a marker and made it look like a Nike shoe.

So, I learned two things from this...never, ever in your life should you go to KCH!! The second is always trust the mommy instinct, you know your child better than anyone else. I just feel so bad that it took my six days to follow my gut instinct. Lesson learned!!! Also, in case your wondering, I filled a complaint with the hospital and got all my money refunded! I think that was wise for them because I was ready to sue if they didn't. I have to admit he looks pretty darn cute with his cast and he gets it off on Friday!!!

Catching Up!!!

There have been a lot of changes in the Asay household these past few weeks!! One major change is that we are now living in Warsaw and have been for the past 3 weeks. Jarrad started his new job as a Materials Manager for Navistar and seems to really like it. He is still working longer hours, but we're hoping that will change some once he hires a couple of employees that will work for him. He also found out recently that he will be making a trip to London for a week on a business trip and I'm completely jealous and want to fly out with him!

We are currently living with my parents until our house sells in Indy and the kids are in heaven! I don't think they will want to move to another house with all the attention Grandma and Grandpa are giving them. I was worried about how cramped everything would be with our big family and three dogs, but really it's not bad, the only difficult thing is finding places to put all our clothes! :) One of the nice things has been being able to take the boys to the lake and letting them swim and play in the sand. I was also excited about how nice the Warsaw library is, it even has video games you can check out which is a major plus for the boys.

Today was also Jayden's first day at school as a 2nd grader!!! I can't believe how fast time flies! He met his teacher yesterday at the open house they had and was super excited when he found out that he gets two recesses at this new school. I always hated in Franklin Township how he would only get 1 recess and it would be at the end of the day! I thought that was completely ridiculous, so I was really glad to hear he would be getting two recesses this year.

Well, those are some of the things we've been up to for the last few weeks. I'll try to upload some pictures later, I'm using my parents computer and I'm not sure how to download pictures on theirs yet. Keep your fingers crossed for our house to sell soon!!! We found a house we really want!

Zoo time

Getting ready for his first pony ride
You can tell this is past his nap time

Jarrad on the rollercoaster, you can't see Talan he's beside Jarrad and Jayden is in the cart after Jarrad you and kinda see his head.


Ky really concentrating on the pony

A family picture on the train

Looking at the Walrus

The boys loved the penguins

Jayden touching a shark

This past Saturday I told Jarrad I wanted to do something fun with the kids, since we have been focusing on getting our house on the market and the kids have been stuck in the house a lot. So, we decided to go to the Indianapolis zoo before we move and I'm so glad we did, the kids had a blast! It was of course really hot and a little crowded, but we still had a great time. Jayden and Talan got to touch the sharks in Oceans part, which they thought was pretty cool. They also got to ride the zoo rollercoaster a couple of times and while that was the highlight of their day, I wanted to puke afterward!

Kylen had a couple of firsts, since he couldn't ride the roller coaster we let him go on a pony ride. I thought for sure he would scream, but he loved it and didn't want to get off. He also was very excited about the train ride we all went on and was not to happy about getting off. If was a very much needed family day, and when we came home all of us took a nap. That was the highlight of Jarrad and I's day. :)

We're Moving!!

It's official!! We are moving to Warsaw the weekend before July 26th. I'm really excited about moving home and the kids are super excited about being close to Grandma and Grandpa Lipply! Jarrad got a new job working at a company called Navistar. He will be the Material Manager of a new section that is making all electric FedEx trucks. It's not a Japanese company so that will be a change since he won't be able to use his Japanese, but it seems to be a great company and hopefully he won't have as much overtime and we'll get to see him more.

Now here's to hoping that our house sells quickly, so we can buy a house with a basement!!!

A birthday party and 4th of July fun

Kylen lovin the water
My Talan

Trying to get up the wet bounce house

I think they might be a little big for that pool

A truck!

Another one!

Instead of blowing out the candles, he smacked the cake

Another great birthday cake made by Jarrad

With everything being super crazy for us these last couple of weeks we decided to go up to the Asay's to celebrate the 4th of July and Ky's birthday since most everyone would already be there. Kylen's actual birthday isn't unitl the 9th, but it just worked out better if we celebrated it early. I'm really glad we did it that way because it was a lot of fun.

All the cousins played in the little pools in the front yard and Kevin and Michelle brought over a bounce house, which the kids loved! Kylen got spoiled with lots of truck toys and Jarrad made him a "Bob the Builder" birthday cake. And, to top it all off he got to end his party with fireworks! I think he really liked the fireworks, but he didn't really care for the noise. We also got to meet Gemma, Kathy's little girl! It was a really great day!!

A great garage sale deal

A couple of weekends ago, on my way to order new carpet I saw a neighborhood garage sale so I decided to do a quick drive through. And, I was glad I did because I found an early birthday present for Ky. I had been wanting to get him a Jumpstart trampoline for his birthday, but they are $79 at Target and that would be all he would get from us. Luckily, as I was driving through the garage sales I saw a Jumpstart trampoline! I thought for sure it would be too expensive as most people price stuff like that high at garage sales, but when I got out to look at it, it said $15!!!! I couldn't believe it, so I asked the lady if she would hold it while I got some cash, she did and Ky couldn't be happier!! I love it when I find good deals!!!

Swimming Time!

Jayden jumping in the deep end


Jayden doing the stomach float.


Talan getting ready to go down the slide.



T coming out of the slide!

Every summer we sign the kids up for swimming lessons and they love every minute of it. Talan can't swim by himself yet, but he has no problem going all the way under in the water and he is starting to learn how to doggy paddle. His favorite thing beside the slide is jumping into the water.

Jayden has really come along in his swimming. He can swim by himself for a little bit. He jumps off in the deep end and swims back to the side. Is it good form? No. But he is really proud of himself and it puts me more at ease to know that if he fell in deep water he could get himself out. Yesterday, was the last day of swimming lessons, but we have all summer to swim in our community pool!!!! One of the many reasons I love summer!

Happy 7th Birthday, Jayden!!!

Wow! Time flies when you're not paying attention! On May 31st, we celebrated Jayden's 7th birthday. I'm still in denial that I have a seven year old. We celebrated his birthday at Southeastway Park with a couple of Jayden's good friends and family. It's a nice place to have it since our house isn't very big and it can get crowded very quick. Not to mention, the kids love getting to play on the playground. We had pizza and cake and then Jayden opened all of his great gifts.

Jayden wanted Jarrad to make him a motocycle cake this year and I think he did a great job considering he was suffering from some major jet lag. He got home from Japan the night before Jayden's party, so it definitely wasn't a restful weekend. I think Jayden had a great time. Happy Birthday, Jayden!!! We love you!

Soccer Time!!!

With their trophies.

Jayden and his coach. Jarrad was the assistant coach.
Jarrad coached Talan's team.
It's hard to see, but Jayden is the one in running form.


The boys had their last soccer game of the season yesterday. It was perfect soccer weather and the boys loved their new soccer trophy. Jayden improved a lot this season. He was a little timid at attacking the ball and hustling to it at first, but by the end of the season it looked like a whole new Jayden. He made two goals this season and did a really good job.

Talan also had a blast playing soccer this season. He technically wasn't old enough to play, but Jarrad and I talked to the staff and they let us put him in anyway. Talan's favorite thing in soccer was trying to elbow and shove people out of the way trying to get to the ball. We had to keep telling him to keep his elbows down, most of the parents would crack up. All in all, he did a really good job for barely being four! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to having my Saturdays back!

Good season boys!

All Pro Dad

The boys! From the way T is standing, I don't think you could ever deny he is an Asay boy!

Go T!

Brotherly love

Go Jayden!

What Talan was born to do!

This past Friday, Jarrad took Jayden and Talan to an event called "All Pro-Dad." It was held at the Colt's practice facility along with all of the Colt's coaches. Jarrad heard an advertisement on the radio for it and knew he had to take the boys. Basically, it was just for dads and their kids to get a chance to bond and do fun football activities together. The boys had a blast doing the obstacles and running the football field. Jarrad ended up kicking a 25 yard field goal and came home with a $25 gift card to H.H. Gregg. When the boys came home they were talking non-stop about all the fun they had with daddy. I think it is an experience they'll remember for awhile. They have a great daddy and they love him to death!