Pregnancy Questions

So, two nights ago I was sitting watching TV and I noticed that I was getting hives on my leg. A few minutes later my arms started breaking out. Within fifteen minutes my legs and arms were swollen, red and hot with huge welts all over. I took some Benedryl and it seemed to calm down a little but they didn't go away totally. The next morning I had a few on my arms and legs and during the day they would randomly pop out again. Last night the same thing happened. During the night my feet and ankles got huge and I had them on the bottom of my feet. I was DYING!! I was talking to my friend Diana and she said that she had them this week and someone told her that it was 'winter itch'. When she looked at mine she said that hers didn't get welts like that. Is it just the pregnancy that is making it worse, or is my body freaking out at something else? I am putting this out since almost all of you have been pregnant and wanted to know if any of you have had this and what you did. I'm sick of itching all the time!! Benedryl isn't really helping too much, my body really doesn't like being pregnant!!
HELP!!

Good News

We are adding a new addition to the Leishman family. We are very excited to be having another baby. The kids are very anxious and happy to have another sibbling. It's going to be very interesting to see how our life goes with a baby again. Our kids are so easy right now, they can all do so much for themselves, I think I will have to be re-trained on taking care of a baby again. I'm thinking around the beginning of August, so the kids will start school right after the baby gets here. It will be nice to be able to have time alone with the baby while all the kids are at school. All of the kids are going to be such a big help, this baby will probably be spoiled like crazy, but that's the way it goes! I'm excited to start buying baby stuff again. We have given almost everything away so too bad, I guess I will have to go buy new stuff!! The kids and Steve have been really great so far. I don't have the best pregnancies, and they have been such a big help.

Happy Thanksgiving

Scott and Chrissy came to be with us over Thanksgiving. It was so great to have them. My kids really enjoyed getting to spend time with them. Steve put Scott to work sheetrocking the garage. The kids loved their new dog Tinkerbell and we are so glad they have a dog so my kids can get their fill without us having to have one!! We spent some time hiking around Garden of the Gods. We love that place and we never get tired of going there. Lizzie was in one of her moods that day, but the rest of us enjoyed it. I'm glad we had a break from the snow on Friday afternoon so we could go.

Sam's 11!!!

Yesterday was Sam's birthday. We went to Cold Stone on Saturday night with Flemmings and Sunday we had spaghetti and brownies for her birthday. (She loves spaghetti!!)
She decided for one of her presents from us she wanted to go get a manicure with me, so today we did that, it's fun to have a girl who loves to do 'girlie' things, but is a tomboy at heart!!
She is such a fun girl and we are so glad that she is part of our family!!

Go Utes!!

This is Steve's Utah tie (in case you can't see it well enough) We had so much fun watching the game with two families that are BYU fans and two families that are Utah fans. It was a GREAT GAME!! It's such a fun rivalry and it's kind of fun that we have such good friends that are BYU fans, and they are good sports when they loose! GO UTES!!!

All dressed up and nowhere to go

Lizzie and Claire love playing dress-up. They love to put make-up on. Well, on Monday they couldn't find Lizzie's make-up so they improvised...marker. It works just as well and boy does it really last!! The funny thing was that when they put it on for lipstick it got on their teeth and lips and it was pretty funny! Ok, so I had to scrub her face. Jen said the Claire's wouldn't come off. The next day you could still see the marker. OOPS!! Claire was embarrassed and wouldn't let me take a picture, but Sam bribed Lizzie with candy. She will do anything for candy.

Playing ketchup

So, I am trying to update...bear with me!

Happenings

Steve went to Moab, again! He had a great time and he is feeling very comfortable on his bike! I'm not sure that's a good thing though.
At Trey's final football game there was a parent's powder puff game during half-time. Steve and Lee had a great time playing with some of the other parents.
Our family went to Castlewood Canyon Park, it was so great. We hiked along the river and enjoyed being able to do this in November, what an awesome fall we have had.
I am still running outside in shorts and a short sleeved shirt...it's great!
We had the primary program yesterday and it went so well. The kids did a great job and the sang like little angels. I learned a lot doing this and I'm hoping next year will be a little easier after knowing now what to expect.

Sam

Sam had a great season with Pride White '98! She made a lot of great friends and is improving a lot.
Trick-or-treating with friends is always fun, even when you are banged up skiier!!
She is loving middle school and turning 11 on Sunday, YIKES!!!

Trey

Trey played flag football with his buddy Payton.
Trey finally let me cut his hair! Yeah, his hair isn't in his eyes, or hanging down the back of his collar.
He got new glasses--bifocals!! Hopefully he will be able to see now!

Lizzie

Lizzie turned five.
We went to Castlewood Canyon, it was so fun!!
Claire and Lizzie are still BBF!!
And, yes, she is still sucking her thumb and twisting her hair. Will it ever stop?
She wants to be a rock star when she grows up, but for now Queen Elizabeth will do just fine!

Little Mommy

So, Steve was in Phoenix, Lizzie wouldn't go to bed so she was in the family room playing. I look over at her and she is holding Trey's RC car and talking to it like a baby. She then tucks it in and reads it a story. It was so funny.

Ryan's Home

Ok, so he's been home for a month now...I'm just now getting the pictures put on. It was so great to see him. The kids were so excited to see Ryan again. We got to mom and dad's around 12:30 am, they were trying to jump out of the car before we even put it in park. They ran to the house and were so excited. Of course getting them to bed was a joke, but they finally setteled down around 1:30. 7 am they were awake wanting to wake Ryan up. We convinced them to wait until 9 to get Ryan. They did not want to be away from him the whole weekend. It was just like he had never left. They hung out in his room and wanted to ride everywhere with him. He took Sam and Trey to a movie. We went hiking with Michelle and Luke and we were there to celebrate Lukey's 1st birthday. What a little sweetie he is. I'm so glad we were able to be with them for a day. Ryan did a great job with his talk, too. He was the only speaker for sacrament meeting!! He did a fabulous job, it was fun to hear him speak Guarni and Spanish. He is so cute and I'm so proud of him. I'm so glad we live close enough that we were able to come see him.

I'm a slacker!

Seriously, you wouldn't think it would be that hard to keep up with this, but oh my word!! the sad thing is that my journal looks even worse than this. The kids have all gone back to school. Sam is totally loving Jr. High. She is playing the trumpet and taking a really cool class where she is learning about building houses, construction and stuff like that. It's really been fun for her. It's nice to have her home an hour before Trey so I can hear about her day and enjoy her for a while.
Her soccer team is really great. She has a great coach who was a track runner in college so he really believes in making the girls run. I love that! the only problem is having the games so far away. Driving three and a half hours to watch a game is a little annoying...
Trey is doing well in school. He started out in a third/fourth combined class. After the third week they decided they had too many students and they brought in a new teacher for the third grade class. Trey was really bummed because his best friend Peyton was in his class and after they split he wasn't anymore. He was pretty sad on the last day of their combined class. I think the new teacher will be great for Trey. She has been a reading specialist for years. That will be a blessing for Trey!! He starts football on Saturday and he is very excited. Peyton is on his team, so he feels a little bit better!!
Lizzie is so fun. I am starting to feel a little bit sad that this is her last year home. Today she was at school and I didn't run this morning, so I had two and a half hours to myself. Yea, you would have thought that would be good, but I was bored after an hour. When my kids were younger I really was excited about having time to myself, now...it's funny how your life changes so much!!
Lizzie is learning so much in school and she loves it. She is also doing a music class on Tuesday mornings that she absolutely loves!! They talk about a different composer every week and they listen to music from that composer. They learn about rhythm, Rondos, beats, feelings of music. It's really great.
I have had a really great month. I have finally rejoined the life of running. I am able to run my thirty mile weeks again, and hopefully I will be able to continue to gradually add more miles. My first ten mile run in over a year was so fabulous!! I am doing a 14 miler tomorrow and I must say I am a little nervous. I haven't run that far before..ever! I'm sure I will be able to do it, it just wont be pretty!!
Steve is still having fun with his dirt bike, he is going to Moab next month.
So, I have only been interrupted four times since I started this...hence the reason my posts are few and far between!

I forgot to add a major highlight to the day. Cindy and Christina driving an hour to come cheer us on. They made the cute necklaces that we all have on, they even made on for Sam and Abbie, too. It was so fun to have their support. We really have such amazing friends!!

Triathalon

I did my first triathalon on Saturday. It was so much fun! I was able to train with my friends and it was so fun to have them at the race and enjoy our families there, too!!
Sam and Abbie did the kids fun triathalon after the adult one and it was so great! They did a great job and I was so proud of her. When I was ten there would have been no way I would have done that. It was so fun to watch all of the kids go through the race. There were five year olds doing the race. It was very well organized, too. They had their own time chips and they had their numbers on their arms just like the adults did.
It was a fun day and I'm so glad I was able to share it with my family and friends.
I loved coming around from the bike and seeing my kids and Steve there yelling for me. The kids race over the finish line with me at the end. It was so great!!

This week

Who gets strep in the middle of July? Oh, that would of course be me or my children. Sam and Trey both had strep. I took them into the doctor and the nurse says, "it took about 30 seconds for the test to come back positive." Lovely. So, last week we hung around the house with two sick kids. Not fun in the winter, but really not fun in the summer!!
By Friday they were feeling much better, we went 'camping' Friday night. Actually, Johnson, Jensens and Flemmings went camping over night and we just came up for the evening. It was POURING rain when we got there. Of course my son was running around in shorts and a t-shirt without a rain jacket..what are you going to do? It is an absolutely beautiful area. Driving forever on a dirt road was a lot of fun in the minivan, but the scenery was worth it. After it stopped raining we cooked foil dinners and made s'mores. We had a lot of fun and I'm so glad we can drive an hour and be in the mountains again!
Last week in church Lizzie was having a rough time in sacrament meeting. I had to take her out and as I was standing up she says "Where are you taking me woman?" It took all of my strength not to laugh at her. Where does she come up with these things? She is so funny. She waits to go to the bathroom until the very last second. When she makes it to the bathroom after much jumping around trying to get her pants down, she begins to sing "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" It cracks me up.
Sam has started soccer again this week. It's so fun to watch her progress and learn so much and enjoy the sport. She is so cute and I'm just amazed at how big she is!!
Trey is still deciding what he wants to do. He is still doing cello, but we are debating between basketball and swimming and baseball. Oh, decisions, decisions!
Steve and I went mountain biking last week and I made it to the end of the trail this time. I guess I am doing much better, although I still scream when I am going downhill through very 'scary' rocks. But, that's what mom does every time she water skiis and she is a great skiier, so I guess the legacy will live forever!!
Mom and Dad had their one year mark this month. Sometimes it seems like they have been gone forever and other times it feels like they haven't been gone very long. I know they are loving their mission and the next two years will just fly by for them and they will be so sad to leave their missionaries. Doug and Geri are having a very different experience. I have to admit it's hard for me to even imagine how these people can survive in such horrible conditions. We are so spoiled in America and we have no idea! It's good for us to be reminded by the experiences of others. I just know that the missionaries are being watched over and that they are doing what Heavenly Father wants them to do. I am so grateful for the life that I have and the amazing family members that are such great examples for me. I love them so much and I am so proud of the six members of my family serving Heavenly Father!!

Updating

This is exactly why I don't do well with scrapbooking. I take a month off and I'm totally out of it!! We had a very busy June and I'm finally getting back into the routine. How much do I love summer?! The kids and I go to the pool, go on hikes, stay up late and not have to worry about homework....
I have been training for the Triathalon and it is going well. I think it's probably the best weight loss program I have ever tried. It's so nice to have three different things to keep my interest up. I am not a very good swimmer, but it is coming slowly. I enjoy the bike rides with Jen and Steve and the running is always fun for me. I really feel like I am doing something different all of the time. I am still doing my yoga four or five times a week and so my hip is surviving pretty well. I just hope I don't die on race day!!
It is so nice to live somewhere that I have friends that are active and enjoy doing the same things I do and to live in an area where I can enjoy so many outdoor activities. Did I every mention how much I love living back in the West again....sigh...it's really great!

Julie and Colby

So...Julie and Colby came to see us for six days!! It was so great to have them here. I forgot my camera every time we went anywhere....I was still recovering from coming back from Utah and my brain was left somewhere on I-80.
We had a lot of fun with them. We went to Helen Hunt falls, we took the Cog up to the top of Pikes Peak, we went to the pool, went to a Sky Sox game where the kids got baseball mits and got to play catch out on the field before the game and we tailgated in the parking lot, went to Garden of the Gods, and Julie and I went on a bike ride. She had a six hour layover in Denver on their way back to Boston from Salt Lake so the kids and I picked them up at the airport and grabbed some lunch and went to Cherry Creek lake and played at the lake for a couple of hours. I wish they could come every summer. It was so great to have time with them. We miss being close to them and so it was fun to have them here with us for a while.

Fourth of July

We had a great fourth weekend. Steve and I went mountain biking. I have to say I did much better...still not great, but better!! We then had a block party. The kids did a bike parade and played games and played. Of course it was the hottest day all summer and we didn't go to the pool...nice how it works that way! We then had a B-B-Q at Carlson's and then went to the fireworks at Memorial Park with friends. It was a very fun, full day and the kids did great!! On Saturday we went to the Sky Sox (AAA baseball team) game. We had a box with Steve's work. I tell you what that is the way to go with kids!! Food, couches, room for the kids to roam around and GREAT fireworks after the game. If I had enough money I would do that on a regular basis. Very fun!! I also gave my first sharing time as the new 1st counselor in the primary presidency. It went well, but I'm glad I don't have to do that every week!!
Steve has scout camp this week so the kids and I are finding all sorts of ways to stay busy and keep me sane!! We went to a parade for the rodeo last night. It was fun and the kids are very excited about going to the rodeo tomorrow night...Steve took the camera so I wont have pictures but I'm sure it will be great fun!!!

Painting with Pudding

The cousins painting with pudding at grandma's house. Trey had so much pudding on his glasses he couldn't see out of them. Lizzie and Jayden had more on their clothes than the table and all the kids had a blast!!!