Meet Jace Mervin Dudley AKA mini Curtis

On Thursday December 16th Curtis and I took off at 6am heading for the hospital in Orem to get induced. About 12 hours later after the inducement was started Jace Mervin Dudley was born at 8:17PM weighing in at 8 lbs 3 ozs, and measuring 20 inches long. Jace immediately showed the entire room that he had lungs and let out a good cry. If you are wondering what he looks like, he looks just like Curtis. Not sure he got too much genetic material from mom.

We all stayed in the hospital till Saturday morning and then returned home. Jace is doing well but is a bit yellow and is having to undergo biliruben light treatment right now. We are hoping that he will recover soon because the poor boy must be tired of getting his heal poked and blood drained every day!

Mom has had her fastest recovery yet! She is still a bit tired and worries too much as always but is doing fine.

Ashton and Sage are loving the fact they have a new baby brother but are sad they cant really touch him much since he is on lights. Ashton tries to be as helpful as possible even though he is disgusted with dirty diapers, and Sage is just happy she has a baby in the house.

Finally Dad is LOVING his little baby boy like nothing else and is very willing to help out in anyway. He is very protective and loves to just hold Jace and bond.

CDud and JDud

Just after Jace was born. Mom is really tired... can you tell???

Look at those eyes!!! Ive been looking at those same eyes for a year now!!!

Look how sweet he looks... and look at those lips! So kissable.

Finding Perfection

The day after Thanksgiving, our family took off with Grandma and Grandpa Dudley to find our Christmas tree near Vernon. We all dressed warmly, packed some lunch, a toboggan, and a saw and made the hour drive. Unlike Heber there are no white firs in this area but plenty of Pinyon Pine and Juniper. Curtis wanted a pine that was not too tall yet pointed at the top and thick and full. The problem with this combination of traits is that Pinyon Pine tend to grow more round than pointy unless you get a very very young tree. But we were determined to find a good tree for our family.

We took the truck and set out in the slippery snowy roads till our road literally ended with no where to turn around. So back down we went in reverse directly next to an edge. A little nerve wracking for most of us in the car… a bit exciting for me. We finally parked on the edge of the road, took out the toboggan, put the kids on it and headed out to find the perfect tree. Almost three hours later none of us had found a tree that would do except Mom Dudley who said if she had a permit, one in particular was calling to her. So we packed everything up and headed to another location. As the gals and kids ate lunch, the guys set up the hill to scope out a tree. They came down with a few in mind, ate lunch themselves and then took me up there to look at the line up. We quickly chose one that was a little short but healthy, fat, and full with a point. Reminded me a bit of how men used to like their women before thin was considered beautiful. Curtis cut the tree down and carried it carefully over his head to the truck, tied it down and hauled it out.

Our tree may not have been very large… definitely not the typical Christmas tree, but for our family it’s perfect and its filling our house with the smell of Christmas.

Kids were content with being pulled around while eating baked goods.

Grandma and Ashton Looking for a tree. Ashton was a trooper and did very well in the snow.

My man is sooo studly with sharp cutting objects.

Cutting down the Christmas tree. Took Four hours to find it!!

Curtis and Grandpa happy to have finally found the perfect tree.

Little baby Dudley turns out to be big baby Dudley.

Yesterday I went in for a routine Ultra Sound to make sure the baby was doing well and growing like he should. Turns out our little baby boy is "big" for his age weighing in over 6 pounds. Doc thinks that if the baby is carried full term that he will be around 8 1/2 pounds maybe more. Because baby is ahead of schedule we went ahead and scheduled an inducement, a week before his due date, for the 17th of December so that we don't have him so close to Christmas( doctor is still confirming this date so it is subject to change). I'm personally hoping he comes on his own before that time. My body fights the drug that hospitals use for inducing mothers. Am I concerned about a big baby... heavens no. Ashton was born 9 lbs 10 oz. Big babies from my experience are easier to care for because they feed better, and sleep for longer periods of time. At least my Ashton did. Also I would like to comment on the baby floating to the right of this entry. After looking at the pictures produced by the ultra sound I have come to a conclusion that it does not represent the baby well. Our little baby is not Floating and bouncing around. In fact he is very much squished in everyway. One more thing about utrasounds... when the lady tells you that the picture on the screen is your babies face and you cant make it out... well its slightly concerning;). Nah im just kidding. Im sure this boy is just as handsome as his dad:).

Blinded by Search and Rescue Trick Or Treaters

Halloween was fun for the family. Both kids decided on what they wanted carved in their pumpkin, and then had Dad carve it for them. Sage being the little future Biologist and animal lover that she is, chose a bat. Ashton of course chose Jack the Pumpkin King from Nightmare Before Christmas (One of his all time favorite movies). Using a paring Knife Curtis did a marvelous job carving out all the details in both pumpkins. We however found that we neglected to get the small candles that go into Jack o’ lanterns so we improvised and put candles in them that were just about as tall as the pumpkins themselves. Needless to say our porch smelled like burning squash.

The kids then got dressed in their costumes. Both of them decided that they wanted to be Search and Rescuers like their dad. The costume was pretty simple. We put climbing harnesses on them, a backpack, and a hard helmet that was labeled Search and Rescue with an attached light.

Now the kids were ready to go… but the skies were grumpy that day and were dumping rain on everything. No trick or treaters were out… seemed that no one wanted to brave the storm. And then… there was a break in the clouds. Kids including our own stormed out into the roads with parents following close behind with umbrellas. Ashton and Sage both had rather large bags that they insisted on carrying themselves. As Ashton’s bag got fuller I could tell he was having a hard time with it but he refused to even let me help a little (thanks to Curtis for teaching him be more independent.) But as the night wore on Ashton began to trip over his bag because he was tired and as stated before the bag was too big for him. He finally let me hold half of the bag. The night sky had darkened by that time… so on came the helmet lights. Ashtons light was about dead due to long bat nights but Sages had fresh batteries. As sage knocked on doors she was always answered with a surprised adult that was blinded by her overwhelming bright light. Once they regained their site they were always overjoyed to see a costume that was “different”. That night they were called, Miners, Cavers, and Rock Climbers. Sage and Ashton always corrected each person by telling them they were indeed Search and Rescue in which everyone replied, “Well that’s even better”.

As the night came to a close both kids were content with the number of houses visited so we set home to have soup and go to bed. Dad carefully went though each piece of candy for safety purposes and collected his tax by choosing one piece of candy per bag. And that was the end of a day where dozens of people were blinded by out two little trick or treaters.

Hurry Hurry its Getting Cold!!!!

As the cold weather is creeping in our little family is trying hard to get so much done before its too late or too uncomfortable. Curtis has been busy with his garage project. He now has a four point hydraulic post lift in the garage that he uses to lift the 69 convertible mustang up in the air making it possible to park three cars in the garage. It is a dream come true for Curtis! Not only does it allow us to put more things in the garage, it also allows Curtis to work on the mustang's undercarriage with more ease. Now all he has to do is more organizational tasks in his man cave and he will be momentarily done (He will always find something else to do in that garage).

Becky has been making sure that the family gets out and does a few activities while the weather is still nice. This last week we visited Pumpkin Land in Orem and the Hogle Zoo. The weather was perfect for both occasions. No rain just perfect temperatures and lots of sun. Here are a few pictures of October's ventures.

LIFT

It speaks for itself

ZOO

My little Gorillas

She is filling out the turtle nicely!

Kids on the Elephant trunk that sneezes and makes all sorts of noise.

This Male Gorilla was separated from their other Gorilla because they had been fighting... sounds familiar...

This room is one of my favorites! It has the large fruit bats and all sorts of cool creepy things.

Ashton was scared but managed to give us a smile.

And Curtis calls me a Gorilla!

These guys were a lot of fun. Curtis now wants one.

Ashton LOVES drinking fountains but this one he adored.

PUMPKIN LAND

While at Pumpkin Land Ashton tried the Monkey bars. You would think he was in a nightmare.

It said for 4-10 year old... so who cares if Ashton is 3. He can do it!!!

Sage Climbing as usual.

We ended up being in the corn maze for way too long. The kids and I started to get frustrated and wanted to take shortcuts. Curtis made us do it the right way. On top of it all while stuck in the maze Ashton about peed his pants.

Kids with Casper in the Corn maze.

Getting Bigger and Bigger and Bigger... ugg

So a lot of people have been asking me how my pregnancy is going. So I thought I would write down a few thoughts and experiences with this soon to come baby boy of ours.

Baby Dudley by calculation was conceived on April 1st. Curtis and I had no idea that things would happen so quickly but God seemed to have wanted us to get moving with our little family. Both Curtis and I were excited when I found out I was pregnant. I was a bit surprised that I got pregnant so quickly but at the same time not too surprised because I have found that my body is a supreme and efficient baby maker.

My first Trimester was as usual nauseating. Although I found that it was not as bad as my past two kids. Maybe my body is just getting used to this whole creating another being thing. I did however throw up often for about two months. Curtis loved me through it all trying his best not to nauseate me further then what I was already struggling with. Good thing the man is not as stinky as most! My second trimester went rather smoothly. I worked through half of it and remained active with family activities and child rearing. I had no issues till about the last month of my second trimester... I found that my blood pressure was VERY low for me. When I sat down I would have a hard time breathing. One day while driving back from Provo just after I had lunch with my dad, I found that I was having a really hard time breathing. I could literally feel my blood pressure drop. Cold sweats soon followed... and then I started to lose my eyesight. I promptly pulled over to the side of the road, locked my doors (Ashton was with me), turned on the air conditioner full blast, and laid down. A few minutes later I woke up after fainting and threw up my Chinese lunch all over myself and the car. Ashton was informing me from the back that I was being gross, as I was trying to figure out how long I had been out. Needless to say I spent the rest of that day in the hospital as they ran tests on me and monitored me and the baby. Everything came out normal and the doctor came to the conclusion that the baby was in a position that was sitting on one of my arteries cutting off oxygen to my heart and making me pass out. Later on I found out the same thing used to happen to Curtis's mom when she carried him. So I have decided that it may be hereditary:).

After that fun experience I was told that I should no longer drive long distances, and if I decided to drive, I had to get out every 15 minutes and walk around to get my blood flowing.

My Third Trimester has just begun. I'm feeling rather big at this point but know I still have a ways to go. Curtis has fun playing and talking to the baby in the evenings. It is very easy to feel this little guy because he is constantly active! (Which makes it a bit awkward for the nurses to monitor him since he is never in one spot for very long.) We still have not decided on a name. And in fact we have only one in mind for now. We will see if we can come up with others before the big date arrives.

Sage and Ashton are both very excited to meet their new baby brother. Ashton kisses and hugs my belly all the time and tells everyone that he will be getting a new brother soon. Sage is excited to help me with the baby preparations too.

That is about it. Hope that answers everyone's questions!!

Conquering Colorado and Moab

Recently, within the last month our family took a few trips to both Steamboat Springs in Colorado, and Moab. Here are a few pictures from these excursions.

Sage on a horse.... ish

Ashton on the horse in front of a store that advertises more than any other store I have ever seen without the use of TV or Radio...

A flyby formation called the missing soldier in honor of our soldiers who have gone missing.

Becky and her big belly in an airplane. Curtis's dream come true!

Sage and Ashton in an airplane at the air show in Steamboat Springs



Sage, Ashton, and Becky at Dead Horse. Having the kids run around this place and Canyonlands was a little nerve wracking for Becky. One little slip and bye bye kids.

Sage and Ashton at Dead Horse point not far from Moab. Both of them insisted on lots of pictures.

This always gets my heart beating faster... They call this a waterfall because its straight up. Some people have actually been know to make it without help. Those who try either make it or fall into a hole that is extremely hard to get out of. For those who are wondering, we opted for help:) See if you can see the cable helping us stay upright.


So I have been having problems with low blood pressure due to the little guy in me... but this little maneuver brought that pressure right up! We came pretty close to tipping... Here is a short video before those who were filming decided they should maybe focus more on helping than filming.

Family Trip

Montana

Just recently our little family made the drive up to Polson, Montana to visit my Grandma and Grandpa at the Miracle of America Museum http://www.miracleofamericamuseum.org/. The drive up there went smooth except for a small detour we took when missing an exit sign for about a half hour. When we arrived Grandma had a turkey in the oven waiting for us, and a camper for sleeping in. The following days were fun. Curtis searched for a Geo Cache for a short time that was on the museum grounds and wandered through the museum finding a lot of things of interest. Ashton stayed focused on the “buffalope” and the “box” (fox) that were stuffed and mounted. Sage took it upon herself to visit with each child that came to the museum escorting them around and showing them where the fun things for kids were. Grandpa of course put Curtis to work washing cars. We also had the opportunity of releasing weed controlling bugs onto Grandma’s land. The beetles were actually rather pretty!


Curtis looking for that Geo Cache

Kids and I at Grandma's land after releasing beetles. Ashton is upset because he did not think he got to help.

Dad driving the train with Sage, Ashton and some random girl Sage was showing around. Ashton is hidden behind Dad.

Ashton happily helping Dad and Grandpa wash cars. He loved the fact he could see himself in the shine!
On our second day there, over 200 model T’s and their drivers visited the museum. This made the day a bit crazy but the model T’s were amazing!!! Both Curtis and I helped at the desk and Sage at the end of the day came in and said, “Im tired. It’s been a busy day”. Ashton was busy showing the older people his favorite displays and making friends to the point they would not leave till they had a picture of him. It’s rather odd and funny when people are taking pictures of your kids when you have no clue who they are. That day Curtis even helped someone fix something in the engine of a Model T. Yep, Curtis is the “wonder boy” as my mom so perfectly put it the other day. To top off that day, Grandma and our little family headed to the fishing docs where Ashton fished for his first time. Ashton actually caught a fish… a baby one that is. Unfortunately it bit off more than it could chew and swallowed the hook too deeply making it impossible to remove it without killing it. The next morning we took off for Seattle.

Seattle

We arrived around 4PM in Seattle. Before even going to the hotel we took off for waterfront and visited Pikes Place Market and Ivars fish bar. On the way up to the market a Native American who seemed slightly intoxicated told Curtis and I how special our kids were by singing us a song called “Red Hair” in his native tongue. It was quite a treat. After that we passed a wall just covered in chewing gum. Disgusting, yet we took a picture anyway. We arrived in the market just in time to see a fish flying through the air followed by joyous cries. At the market Ashton took a ride on Dad’s shoulders and Sage held my hand as we tasted jellies, fruit, and cheese. It was not too long when both Sage and Curtis had enough of the large crowds so we made our way to Ivars where we had fish and chips, chowder, and had fun feeding the seagulls. We returned to our hotel to soon be greeted my by uncle Leons large family.

Sage Feeding the Seagulls at Ivar's

The next day was the family reunion. That was a wonderful event full of Wildes and happy people. Smiles and laughter filled the scene as we ate good food and talked. Sage had fun with her cousins and Buffy the labradoodle, and Ashton acquainted himself with Grandma and Grandpa and his other relatives. We left decently late but had a bit of a mishap with the car on the way back to the hotel. Thanks to the help of my Cousin, and Aunt and Uncle this only set us back about a half of a day but despite everything we got home safely after spending the night in Boise with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dean (Thanks guys).

Wildes everywhere!!!! Happy reunion.

So.....

So Sage was hoping for a girl... Ashton was hoping for a boy.... I was hoping for a girl.... and Curtis just wanted a healthy baby. Well... both Ashton and Curtis got their wish. After Sage found out she tried to use all her magical powers by waving her hands in the air and wishing it into a girl ... but alas to her regret it still remained a boy. But on the bright side Sage agreed that she would help take care of it even though it turned out to be a boy. As for the rest of us we are all excited to have this new little one even though that means Sage and I will be out numbered ;) Now for a name.... Boy names are hard!!!

Once Upon a Time (Catching up on History)

Once upon a time not long ago there was a girl. This girl had a home teacher who was a very good home teacher indeed. He gave regular lessons and a treat here and there and the kids loved him so. One day this home teacher looked at the girl and thought to himself, “ I know a man who would be a good match, maybe if I introduce them… just maybe she’ll find him to be a good catch.” A month or two passed and they still had not met but had heard so much about each other. They had common friends and the girl knew one day, she was bound to meet him in some special way. She decided it would be less awkward if she introduced herself, so she wrote him an email addressing herself. It did not take long before the man wrote back with novel of great length. The words he wrote impressed the girl so she continued to write figuring he would be a great friend. Question after question was asked until over a month later they finally had the chance to act. For that girl wanted music and the man had a lot… so one Sunday afternoon they finally met face to face. That girl looked into the eyes of the man she felt she knew, for decades upon decades even though that may not be true. The man looked back and in his hand he held a snowball that came flying before a word had even left his mouth. They found themselves on the couch sharing music for hour upon hour, until the girl had to leave. It did not take long before the two grew fonder and fonder of each other and one Sunny day that man got down on his knees in front of an arch so delicate and neat. He asked that girl if she would be his wife, and asked the kids if it would be ok if he could be their Dad. Everyone had smiles on their face as it was agreed that would be great. Not long after, the two were married, and with this began a new story, of a little family of two boys and girls, they are called the Dudley’s and they love each other more than anything in this world.