six months!

I can't believe it but Isabel is six months old! we have been so busy it feels like she has only been a part of our family for a short time. she is such a happy and silly baby. she laughs at us whenever we play with her. so is a very content baby and is really keeping an eye on her brothers. she is just starting to really get niosy when she wants to. here are a couple pictures of her playing yesterday. Love you Isabel my baby girl!



happy day

talking

Making noise

she loves her binky

update

are you ready? it's been a while since I have posted anything! well we moved into our new house, all came down with a bad cold (I have a sinus infection) and our family has had a lot of personal things going on.
so we are nesting and settling into our house. we are loving it! if you are in Sandy call me and swing by! we still have to do our yard but the inside stuff is mostly done! the kids are loving having there rooms all unpacked. Clay got moved into Colton's twin bed and Colton got our old Queen bed and Isabel is now in a crib. she is sleeping better now that she is in her own room and so am I. so now I am just trying to organize and unpack and heal up. every move we have made has made me sick. this to shall pass :).
on a more personal note my sister is due to have her baby in September and she is having a high risk pregnancy. she has been going to several dr. appointments a week and is getting worn out. please pray she can keep her baby in two more weeks and keep her strength up. for more details you can call me.
Clay's potty training is going ok. he has been a lot of work with the move and getting sick and trying to potty train. I have been tomato staking him (refer to an earlier post for that) and trying to train him up! he is a ton of work right now but it will pay off someday.
Colton's chin healed up great. he can now get back in the pool to swim. and boy is he happy about that! His violin lesson's are going good. he is learning very well and is enjoying that. practice makes perfect! that's all for now folks. I'm going to rest for a bit.

health bomb

HEALTH BOMB #1: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become a modern-day plague. Not only does it contribute to our obesity epidemic, but it has also been linked to:

Pancreas dysfunction, diabetes and insulin resistance
High cholesterol and heart disease
Cancer
High blood pressure
Anemia
Liver damage
Infertility
And more
Sadly, the average consumption of fructose has doubled between 1980 and 1994. Soft drinks and some fruit drinks are a major source of HFCS, but it is also found in many other products, from crackers to salad dressing.
Fructose contains zero enzymes, vitamins or minerals — and it leeches micronutrients from your body.
Why is it found in so many products? Because, after air, water, and salt, it’s the cheapest ingredient in the American food chain (and we know how the food industry likes to save money…)
I’d also urge you to be on the lookout for HFCS in its many “disguises” — conveniently (for the food industry) labeled as chicory, inulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, fruit fructose, and others.
Another major “health torpedo” you want to watch out for is…
HEALTH BOMB #2: Gluten — Wheat (and other grains containing gluten) is NOT your friend. My experience has shown that you could well be one of the estimated 1 in 10 people who have at least a subclinical intolerance to gluten protein. This is actually a food allergy.
I recommend avoiding gluten, even the organic whole-grain types.
Gluten intolerance has been linked to miscarriage, autism, intestinal disease (including irritable bowel syndrome), malnutrition, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and developmental delay in children, just to name a few. Oftentimes, your gluten sensitivity may present with various unexplained symptoms.
Getting rid of these two health bombs will go a long way toward improving your health.


Why do you even need these bars?
Well, I know you probably lead a very busy life, and can't always sit down to enjoy a healthy and relaxing meal.
And for a variety of reasons, you may be inclined to buy and eat one of the many meal replacement or protein bars on the market:
You need something quick and convenient. Perhaps you're late for work and you haven't had breakfast
Or it's mid-afternoon, your energy is flagging and you need a fast pick-me-up
Or you need to lose a few pounds and substituting a healthy bar for an unhealthy meal sounds smart
Perhaps you want to exercise but haven't eaten in hours. Your stomach may be growling and a granola bar sounds healthier than a candy bar or other sugary snack
I understand, but here's the problem.
With so many of these energy bars available on the market today, it can be hard to determine which bar is good for you. What's more, many of these bars are so loaded with less-than-optimal fats and loads of sugar that they aren't any better than eating a candy bar.
Your confusion over knowing which bar to select is not your fault.
The marketing of these bars is very intentional and very slick. In fact, the industry spends millions of dollars to advertise these bars every year.
Now, in a perfect world, I would advise you to forget all about these bars and just stick with healthy foods. That's still the best policy to follow most of the time.
But it's not always practical-or realistic.

toes at last!

Isabel is growing and changing all the time. i feel like I never get the chance to slow down and talk about her. she is rolling all over the floor and grabbing everything she can get her hands on. she is very happy and laughs at us all the time. She just melts my heart every day with her sweet personality. she has this funny little giggle that makes you giggle everytime you hear it. oh and a couple days ago she started to push up on her hands and knees! big girl. this pictures was of her finally getting her hands to grab her feet. she has been trying but only has been able to get her legs, until now!

emergency!

Colton decided to try to jump his little bike off his ramp on the concrete. the results were painful and bloody. the rule is to keep the ramp on the grass, but somehow while mom went in to check on the baby he and neighbor boy had it out on the sidewalk. after to a frantic call to David and a moment to nurse Isabel, I got our shoes on for the ER. David took Clay back to work with him and the rest of us drove into Mt. Hood's ER. by the time we got there he was calm and ready to have it fixed. he took it like a champ and ended up with four stiches. last night he got to take a shower and have the bandage off for the first time. Colton asked if they put hair on his chin like dad's! so funny.


this is the blood spot still on the driveway, he likes to use it tell everyone what happened!

Warning!

so I have been reading into healthier products for me and my family. there is so much great info on all kinds of things you don't even think would be harmful. I hope to start posting weekly some of the great info I learn so you all can use it! this week I will start with SUNSCREEN and Bug repellent. well it is a ton of info but worth the read! I subscribed this doctors web site and they send out a ton of good info. if you want to read more about him or other stuff go to mercola.com and search under suscreen or whatever you desire to know about!


If Your Sunscreen Contains Any of These Chemicals That I Consider Dangerous and Potentially Life Threatening, Do Yourself a BIG Favor…
Dump it in the trash now .
Yes, that’s right. Toss your sunscreen in the trash if it contains any of these questionable chemicals:
Toss your sunscreen in the trash if it contains any of these chemicals I consider to be potentially harmful.
Para amino benzoic acid…
Octyl salicyclate…
Avobenzone…
Oxybenzone…
Cinoxate…
Padimate O…
Dioxybenzone…
Phenylbenzimidazole…
Homosalate…
Sulisobenzone…
Menthyl anthranilate…
Trolamine salicyclate…
Octocrylene…
And, oh yes, let me not forget…
Potentially harmful chemicals such as dioxybenzone and oxybenzone (two chemicals I just mentioned) are some of the most powerful free radical generators known to man!
So if your sunscreen contains dioxybenzone, oxybenzone, or any of the other chemicals I just revealed, I highly recommend you switch to a formula that is safe and healthy for your skin.
And a note to moms … You are undoubtedly very conscientious about caring for your children. But when you lather up your son or daughter with sunscreen thinking you’re doing the right thing, you could in fact be doing more harm than good.
So check the labels on your sunscreen, and throw them out if they contain any of the potentially dangerous chemicals named above. After all, your skin is your largest organ, as your child’s skin is theirs.
How Sunscreens Keep You from Enjoying the Many Benefits of the Sun’s Healthy Rays
As you may know, wearing a sunscreen on your uncovered skin blocks your body’s production of vitamin D. In fact, sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by as much as 97.5 to 99.9%. And interfering with your body’s production of vitamin D by 97.5 to 99.9% may have dire health consequences.
After all, vitamin D plays a crucial role in your overall health and well-being. For example, this superb vitamin is known to:
Support your cardiovascular health
Promote optimal cholesterol levels
Enhance your muscle strength
Produce optimal blood pressure levels
Help maintain a healthy immune system
Support healthy kidney function
Promote healthy teeth
Help keep your bones strong and healthy
Please understand — this list of important benefits represents a tiny fraction of the ways vitamin D keeps you healthy and fit. And, although you can get vitamin D from natural food sources, experts agree on one thing.

DEET – More Dangerous Than You Think!
DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) is a chemical that was patented by the US Army in 1946 and is still widely recognized as an effective mosquito repellent. In fact, most commercial insect repellents are made of varying concentrations of DEET.
Every year approximately one-third of the American population uses insect repellents to deter mosquitoes and other pests. Currently, DEET is used in up to 230 different products in concentrations of up to an astounding 100%.
However, all is not well with DEET…
DEET is a pesticide intended to kill insects! In case that idea by itself doesn’t scare you, read on to discover the health issues it is known to cause.
If It Melts Plastics…
DEET sprays can melt plastic bags and fishing lines. Does that make you wonder what it can do to you?
Please don’t use DEET!
Duke University Medical Center pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia spent 30 years researching the effects of pesticides.
He discovered that prolonged exposure to DEET can impair cell function in parts of your brain – demonstrated in the lab by death and behavioral changes in rats with frequent or prolonged use.i
When these rats had their skin treated with the average human dosage equivalent (40 mg/kg body weight) of DEET, they performed far worse than control rats on physical tests requiring muscle control, strength, and coordination.ii
This is consistent with reports of symptoms after military use of DEET in the Persian Gulf War.
Exposure causes neurons to die in several parts of your brainiii -- including areas areas that control muscle movement, memory, concentration and learning. Abou-Donia says rats given small doses of DEET for 60 days had a harder time accomplishing even the easiest tasks, things as simple as walking.
Heavy exposure to DEET and other insecticides can cause eye and skin irritation, memory loss, headaches, weakness, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, nausea, tremors and shortness of breath. Symptoms can appear months or even years after use.
Abou-Donia believes that although short-term exposure to DEET might not be harmful, he warns against ever using any product with more than a 30 percent concentration. To me, even that seems a dangerous and risky amount to use.
But wait! It gets worse…
Worse Than DEET
“We found that the combined exposure to DEET and other chemicals is more dangerous than just DEET alone,” says Abou-Donia.
Exposure causes neurons to die in several parts of your brainiv -- including areas that control muscle movement, memory, concentration and learning. Abou-Donia says rats given small doses of DEET for 60 days had a harder time accomplishing even the easiest tasks, things as simple as walking.Insecticides aren’t the only problem though. Skin care products containing various chemicals can put you at increased risk of chemical contamination with DEET. Products you use on a daily basis, like deodorants, soaps, make-up and sunscreens (except Natural Sunscreen), when combined with DEET, create greater exposure than DEET alone.
Medications, both prescription and over the counter, can also react with DEET and increase your risk of problems.
Long-term and regular use of DEET – especially combined with these other chemicals or medications – can cause brain deficiencies in vulnerable groups, particularly children.v
Children are more susceptible than adults to subtle brain changes caused by chemicals in their environment, because their skin more readily absorbs them. Their still-developing nervous systems are potentially more affected.vi
Never, ever, ever use any DEET-containing product on infants! And be very hesitant to use it on anyone who you care about – including yourself.

pool fun

super daddy!
the boys were all pretty excited when David would dive for them.
he got some new fins!
Brave little Rhett!

we rented out teh pool in Sandy for Colton's big 5! he had a great time.