The year's update

OK so my last post said April 2009, wow that was a long time ago. So much has changed life is not what it use to be, but there are no complaints and I am excited for the future. Thinking back since then, some special things to me are, Kendall is now 17 months old, she is a Montroy and I can't imagine life without her. Claire was baptized last year, she was breathtaking in her dress that I made her. What a great experience that was for everyone. She was baptized 3 times, because for the first time ever Damon was nervous and it got the best of him. She also picked up piano, and loves it soo much. Kaylee is getting ready for first grade, she took jazz dance this last year and is sooo good! She has the best strut. She is strong and confident, and I love her to death. Corinne is 3 and not potty trained! Driving me crazy, but I am trying to be patient for her schedule. Her hair is finally growing a little, she is a firecracker and holds her own with her big sisters. No one gets in her way. Damon is still moving forward with Vision Electric, he works hard, I hope it gets easier for him some day. He loves his Ice Hockey league and to teach his girls to play softball. Last summer he was both Claire and Kaylee's head coach. This summer he is just doing Claire. It is a favorite past time for all of them to play ball together. I love it. As for me, well I discovered boutique fabrics and patterns and got addicted. A whole new world of fun and creativity at my fingertips, but all for a price. So I have enjoyed a few of the patterns and fabric but not all. I am trying to take pictures of the things I make, to keep better track. Maybe someday I will get a photo library up here. Last fall I was feeling like I needed to move on in life and was looking for something else to do besides Sycamore Hills Apartments (it has been 10 years). While discussing this with my wise sister Chrissy, she said "why not go back to school" I had never thought that would be an option and I had never thought about it. Within one week I was enrolled and started classes online. My science courses for the Dental Hygiene program had expired three years prior so I had to start all over. I took accelerated courses for Anatomy and Physiology I and Chemistry 109. It turned our whole life upside down as I struggled to get back into the school frame of mind and think about something else besides poopy diapers and car pool. Every spare moment into the late hours of the night I was reading studying and stressing over school. Damon took over all evening and weekend duties at home and I made it through the semester getting a B in each class. That was OK, but I was discouraged. The Spring semester I took A&P II online and microbiology on campus. That added a whole new level of difficulty trying to shuffle the kids around so that I could be gone every Tues. and Thursday from 10-3pm. I have the most supporting family ever. My mom and sister Chrissy took on the challenge with smiles and words of encouragement as they pushed me out the door everyday to catch the light rail. I don't know how I would have made it without the help of those two amazing women. I love them sooo much. It was crazy, but I LOVED being back in the classroom and soaked up every minute. I was much less stressed and learned how to be more efficient with my studying and came out with A's in both classes. I was so excited! I had applied to the Dental Hygiene program and was denied because I didn't have all my pre-requisites done by Jan. although you can get in as long as they are done by that May. I was so discouraged, but I registered for A&P I again for this coming fall so I can get my B up to an A and have the best chance possible to get into the program. You need almost all A's to get in, so that is what I plan to do, and will apply again in Jan 2011. In the midst of all this school my great parents decided they needed to serve a mission. So while they are gone we could live in their house and pay for my school, while we rent our house out. They are amazing people who want to serve the lord full time more than anything. My dad has given up his lifetime of work to a management company and they are leaving everything behind to go. They got their mission call to serve in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission as CES missionaries and will be serving 18 months, reporting September 6th to the MTC. We are all so proud of them and excited for their great new adventure. I remember when I was leaving on my mission, my dad would come watch me pack and say he wished he could jump in my suitcase and come with. He loved his mission and wished he could go again. And now as I watch them prepare to go, memories of my own mission frequently flood my mind and I wish they could pack me up and I could go with them. A mission is an experience of a lifetime, I loved mine with all my heart, and I am so happy they have made it, and are going to have those amazing experiences together. So this summer we have all been packing and cleaning and de-junking as we attempt to combine two households into one. The big move is in less than two weeks and we will have renters in our home. You never know what life has in store for you. So many twists and turns, jumping forward, and stepping back. I love my life, I love the Lord, and I love the amazing wonderful people who are my family. I am so blessed.

Corinne is two!

Corinne's blessing day

3 months old. First trip to Temple Square

6 months old

9 months at Jack and Kelly's wedding

14 months old wearing her first pair of Vans, while watching her dad skate boardLearning to walk over 4th of July

Mexico 2008

Happy Birthday Corinne! We love you so much our sweet baby girl.

Kendall's Blessing Day

On March 29th Damon gave Kendall a name and a blessing at church. It was a wonderful day, and we filled two long benches in the chapel with family members. Thank you to all who came we love you all so much!The cousins: Lynlee, Derek, Natalie, Asaunda, Taylor, Corinne, Claire, Kendall, Kaylee, James

My Family who was there (my dad had to leave for a meeting and my mom is taking the picture)

Aunt Karen, Lynnlee, Natalie, Jeremy, My cousin Jessica, Blake and Chrissy, Asaunda, Taylor and James, Damon, me, and the girls, My brother Robbie and his sweet girlfriend Katie, my sister Caitie(the babe with reddish hair) and my mother-in-law Jan.

A Colorado Winter

This has been an interesting winter. Almost no snow, temperatures in the 70's and then for spring break the big storm hits. We didn't get the worst of the storm but we finally got enough snow to build our first snowmen of the season. And I bet it will be our last, because, as typical Colorado weather goes, it blizzards one day and then the next is warm and sunny and all the snow melts. I tell ya, it is the best of both worlds! So last weekend we had beautiful weather and Damon broke out the grills with some awesome ribs. And this week we had fun in the snow! We made this first snowman. I did the base, Kaylee made the second ball for the tummy, and Claire made the head. But in the process of making the head she made a ball way too big. So, we thought we would save it for the base of a second snowman. Claire is the snowman ball making Queen! When she went to make the middle ball for the second snow man, she made it huge! Larger than the other one, it took the both of us to roll it into place and we barely did it. Then it took the both of us to lift the middle up and then we did the head. Kaylee and Corinne were done with the snow for the second snowman. It was so fun to finally have a chance to play in the snow!

Professional Snap Shots

I have some of the best visiting teachers you could ever have. They are so kind, fun, giving, and take great care of me. One does an awesome job cutting my hair and the other is an amazing photographer. She wanted to take pictures of my girls and here is the result. I just love them!! If you are in the Denver area and want to take advantage of her talent you can see her website at: professionalsnapshots.com
This is the "ti ti" that aunt Caitie made Kendall. All the girls have to have their Ti Ti.I love these of her in my hands. Tammy somehow got my hands to look so soft and un-scarred. This is Kendall in her blessing dress. My mom made it for her, along with the other girls blessing dresses. What makes them so special and what I love is that on each dress she has used the left over material from when she made my wedding dress. Kendall's jacket is the material from my dress. With each girl, each dress has less and less material from my dress, we were almost out this time. But as always my mom manages to pull off the impossible and makes another special beautiful dress.

Tammy did such a great job with the girls. Kendall was grumpy and crying the whole time, and Corinne would not hold still, then got real cranky towards the end. Some how she managed to come up with some fabulous shots!
Thank You Tammy!!!!

Kendall Anne

She will be one month one on Sunday, so I need to get this up before it is way too late.

February 6th and 7th my mom and I spent two fun days at this sewing convention. We walked all day, took classes and learned how to properly alter patterns, do silk screening, make rugs and all sorts of fun stuff. I was 8 months pregnant, just a few days into my last month. I got looks everywhere we went, maybe it was because of my waddle and sprint to every bathroom we passed. Anyways I came home Saturday tired and sore! That night I woke up at 2:30 in the morning with contractions starting and I had to pee! The funny thing was I couldn't seem to stop. As I was lying in bed I kept wetting my pants! I wasn't sure what the problem was. I mean, I still had a month to go! I was either so overly worn out from the past two days and wetting my pants, or my water broke and I was leaking. So to be sure of what this might be I continued to "wet my pants" till 7am when I decided there was no way I lost that much control over myself and it had to be my water. We called my mom, she came and got the girls and Damon and I headed downtown to the hospital. Indeed my water broke and they hooked me up to what was going to be a long day. I was only dilated to a two maybe three and 30% effaced, and my contractions were not coming regularly or strong. I couldn't believe my water broke, this was my fourth kid, and my water only broke with the first one. I still had3 few weeks to go!

Well, soon after they hooked me up and gave me the epidural they noticed her heart rate would drop with each contraction. It would recover after each contraction, but it was taking a longer time to do so as time went on. They said I might have to have a c-section if they couldn't get this to stop or if i didn't deliver soon. But I was not dilating, and then her heart rate dropped and didn't recover. Within minutes I was rushed into the operating room and hoisted onto the operating table. They upped my epidural and there were at least ten people in the room. Damon came running in zipping up his blue onesie and snapping on his hat, sat down and held my hand at they went to work. I get real emotional with drugs and I fell apart and cried the whole way through. She came out purple with the cord wrapped around her neck once, but real tight. She was born at 2:26pm at 6pounds 1 ounce and 19 inches long. We feel so blessed to have her and that she did come three weeks early. If she had waited she may have not made it with the cord around her neck and a few extra pounds. We love our new baby girl and our family of six! My incision had a minor complication and didn't close all the way. I had a four centimeter hole that was 3cm deep. A nurse came to my house every other day for the first two weeks to clean and pack my wound. It has closed now and things are getting back to normal. My wonderful Mom would not leave me alone for the first week and a half and was at my house every morning to take care of me and the girls until every evening when Damon could take over. Kendall is the first of our babies to sleep in our room and the first to not eat and sleep well. So we are dying from lack of sleep as we experience our first "real baby" as my mom puts it. This last weekend I had, had enough and went and bought everything I could find for upset baby tummies. Gripe Water is our new best friend and is the only way, any of are getting any sleep now. So thing are getting much better, she is eating better, sleeping better and much more relaxed during the day now that her tummy doesn't hurt all the time.OurGirls

Corinne was not sure about this new addition that kicked her out of the baby position :)

She like to suck on her fingers or thumb, whichever she can find first.

Our beautiful baby!