Oh look, its Another Update on the Whole Fam!

Well its been a while since I have done individual updates in the Fam, so I figured I would write one up for all you fans.


SAGE
Lets start with Sage. Sage has been in gymnastics for a while. She has almost gotten both her cartwheel and handstand down and does well in most of the other activites. Her favorite thing to do in gymnatics is to climb the rope all the way to the top (which is really really high).

Sage is doing really well in School. She is the second fastest reader in her class and does well in all her subjects. The teacher says she is very kind and never makes the other kids feel dumb. She has made a lot of new friends and as always is quite the social butterfly.

Sage is growing up fast.  She helps out a lot with the boys and I am very greatful that I have her. Although she wears skirts every other day she is still climbing trees and venturing out to get dirty. And she likes her fair share of boys. Although, her Dad says she should stay away from boys till she is 40.

Other than that Sage is just plugging away at daily life. She still fights me on keeping her room clean and she can get very dramatic at times, but we love her and her ability to lighten up a room.

Closeup of Sage in her cowgirl outfit

ASHTON
Ashton is no longer my little boy. He is my big boy. He has really been growing like a weed. He wants to eat all the time and he puts his foot down demanding he gets his way more often than he used to. Before Ashton would always do everything like his big sister. But now he has an opinion on everything. Ashton is discovering who HE is.

In school Ashton is learning fast. He is reading simple books now and learning how to write his letters neatly in the proper way. Ashton takes a lot of pride in his work, and will erase something he finds is not quite perfect to redo it to his satisfaction. This means that he may take a bit longer to do his homework than the average kid.

Ashton is a typical boy who loves superheroes and star wars. Although he can play by himself at times for hours he prefers to be with someone. Ashton is a people person and always will be a people person. He reminds me a lot of his Grandpa Peterson.

Kids and Grandparent (Wilde Side)

On our way to say hi to the Grandparents!

JACE
Jace is no longer a baby. He is hardly a toddler either. He is on the verge of being simply a kid. Jace talks a lot right now. He can repeat practically anything too. Jace can run, skip, jump, and maneuver his little body anywhere. He is very very very... VERY independent. If you help him up onto a chair and he did not want you to, he will literally get back down off the chair and hoist himself up on the chair by himself again. Jace is very particular about everything he does. He knows what he wants, how he wants it done, and who he wants to do it with. And if something is not how he envisions it, he will let everyone know. Having said that Jace is a very loving kid. He gives the best hugs and loves his family and extended family. If you are willing to love him, he will love you back!

RYKER
Our baby is growing fast. He is 1.5 months old. Ryker is a sweety. He does not scream like Jace did as a baby and we are greatful for that. Instead he whimpers and cries fairly softly. He has started smiling but I have not managed to get that on camera. He is still getting up often at night about every 3 hours so that he can eat. So mom is very tired but she sure loves the little tyke. We had a small scare regarding Ryker the other night. His temperature spiked to 101.1 which meant we had to take him into the ER since it was after hours. That turned out to be one long night for mom since she had same day surgery the next day... but in the end, it turned out he simply had the cold that Jace had the week before.

CASSIE
Our kitty is doing great! She has really become part of our family. Although Curtis is supposed to be allergic to her, he has found that she does not affect his allergies at all. Cassie is a pesky people cat. She follows you around all day stepping infront of you tripping you up. She wants attention and will do anything to get it. She loves to attack hair and loves to attack anyone coming up the stairs from the basement. Cassie spends half her days climbing trees and chasing after birds. But I do not believe she has actually killed anything. So she is either clumsy or is merely playing with critters. We love Cassie.

CURTIS
Curtis has been working hard at both his Search and Rescue and Work. This fall has been a bit crazy. For a while he was getting called out to save people at least 3+ times a week. People were falling, getting lost, getting hurt and getting themselves into trouble left and right. But recently it has haulted as it has gotten cold and less people are up in the mountains. So now that he has more time he has been studying for his series 9-10 test and having fun finding, buying, and using some new equipement to cast and make his own bullets for his new Shiloh Sharps Rifle. He has also been busy helping me rent out the rental. In reality things have been really crazy for Curtis lately and have just barely started to calm down.

Casting bullets out of lead.

Shiny!

BECKY
I have recovered nicely from having Ryker a little over a month ago. I do however feel out of shape and need to lose another 10 pounds. So I am attempting to put together some sort of exercise schedule. Tough part is finding the time to do it! I swear I am still losing the baby weight by simply running around being a mom. I would however like to lose it more quickly so hopefully I will figure out some sort of schedule soon. I have a lot of pent up energy and need to exert it before I go insane. Other than that I have been busy with the rental, housework, kids, and trying to sleep. With Ryker getting up as often as he does I am always very tired and try to nap on a regular basis. But naps come sedomly. I am looking forward to the day I get a full nights rest again. I could use the beauty sleep. Even though I am very tired most of the time I feel pretty good emotionally. No postpartum issues and like I said before I have a decent amount of energy. My skip has almost come back (yes if you know me, you know that I will randomly, without thinking about it give a little skip, but only when I am feeling REALLY good.)

I recently had the Essure procedure done on myself to ensure Curtis and I that there will be no more pregnancies. For those gals looking into Essure, I can attest that it is basically painless. No cutting and no smashing. We will find out it it worked in about three months.

And that's a wrap! Halloween was great and the Dudley Family is doing well and we are excited for the holidays and Jace's birthday. Yay for family!

The Guide To Trading Candy

Becky's Thought: Fall

It is Fall!!! Out of all the seasons Fall brings back more memories than Winter, Spring, and Summer combined. I love the Fall. The air is intoxicating. Its crisp, cool, and clear and you can literally smell the changes in nature that occur around you. The mountains light ablaze in amazing yellows, reds, and oranges and beckon to those who live in the valley to come and celebrate with them the arrival of Fall. My taste buds start to crave anything with allspice in it and a fresh apple to be picked off a tree is never too far. When I am outside I can close my eyes and just feel Fall wrap itself around me soothing any fear or worry that may be bothering me.

Not only does the Fall hit my senses but it also brings up many wonderful memories. Fall makes me think of the beginning of the school year. Being a gal who yearns to learn and LOVES school with a passion, these memories are joyful memories for me. The excitment of meeting my new teachers, getting my textbooks and supplies, and meeting new people flood back into my mind. I think of all the amazing people I have met through the educational system. The wonderful sense of accomplisment I would feel while at school. And then of course in the end Fall makes me miss school.

Fall seems to be my season of change which is appropriate since that is exactly what Fall does, it changes things. I became a single mom in the fall, I got to know my Curtis in the Fall, and I rediscovered who I am in the Fall. I also changed my train of thought and view on life in the Fall. Some of these changes bring brief moments of mind numbing pain but overall as the years pass I feel thankful for everything Fall ever brought me.

So all you out there who do not like the Fall simply because it means Winter is coming. Stop worrying about things you can not change and enjoy the brief moment of Fall while it lasts! Besides, Winter is not all that bad. Winter means hot chocolate, the silence of a fresh snow, the sound of winter birds, a blazing fire to cuddle up with your sweetheart, the holidays, and family. And Winter makes you even more grateful for that first flower that pops its head out of the ground as the ground starts to thaw.

Yay for seasons! Especially Fall:)

Ryker Charles Dudley

 A while back ago we went into our OB's office to get an ultrasound done because I was measuring small as usual. And as always even though I was not showing it on the outside, the baby was measuring big on the inside. So my husband and I thought for a while and decided to induce on the 17th of September.

As the date began to creep nearer, I found that I was getting a decent amount of anxiety over my last pregnancy and birth. This was abnormal for me. But I was worried that since my last three had gone so well, it was my statistical turn for something to go wrong. As I fell asleep that night, I found myself to be very emotional and very anxious.

The next morning I felt a little better. We gathered things up and headed over to my parents house to drop off our two boys. Then we headed to the hospital where we arrived promptly at 7AM to begin my long day of inducing the baby. Here is a very quick and shortened version of the labor and delivery.

1- Needles and questions and bags and bags of liquid with various drugs and sugars in them.
2- Contractions start but nothing I could not handle.
3- Dr comes in wants to break my water and encouraged me to get my epidural before he does so, claiming the pain will increase 10 fold.
4- I conscent to an epidural but it only worked on my left side of my body.
5- Dr. breaks water and I swear half of the weight I was carrying gushed all around me.
6- Contractions get more intense and closer together. Half of my body is still feeling all of it.
7- Eventually I have a different Dr. redo the epidural completely.
8- Epidural worked perfectly, Thanks Dr. Fisher.
9- hours go by. Around 5PM I finally make it to a Ten.
10- Wait for Dr for about an hour.
11- Dr comes in tells me to push. I give it one big push and the head came out revealing that the umbilical chord was wrapped around the babies neck twice. Dr removes the chord twice and tells me to give just a little push.
12. Out he came at 7 lbs, 11 ounces, 20 inches long, and screaming his lungs off making everyone raise their eyebrows in astonishment that a newborn could have lungs like that. Baby rated a very high 9 on the health chart. Hair was light brown, eyes to be decided (I think they may be brown, Curtis things they will turn blue like the other two boys).

And that is pretty much how it went. I had a bit of a problem with excessive bleeding and low blodd pressure and had to be under close watch for the night but baby was a picture of health and took to nursing like a true boy.

It took us about a day to come up with the name. And in the end Curtis gave him his first and I gave him his middle name. So officially he is named, Ryker Charles Dudley. And yes for all you treky fans I have heard all the jokes about unisuits and calling him number one.

So far, Ryker has turned out to be a pretty easy going baby. I have not heard those pipes he displayed since his birth. He seems to have a good amount of patience for a baby and he is just so darn cute. He looks a lot like Jace did when he was a baby so my guess is he will grow up to be blond, dark skinned, and have similar facial features to Jace. Time will tell.

And finally, pictures! Cause lets face it, most of you are here to see pictures:)

Grandpa Dudley and Ryker

Grandpa and Grandma Wilde with my boys Ashton, Jace, and Ryker

Dad and Ryker

Mom and Ryker. Note: I want you all to know that I really don't like after birth pictures with me in it since I look like a train wreck. So feel privileged that I put one up for you all anyway with no makeup, crazy hair, and completely worn out.

Mom Dudley and Ryker

I would like to give a special thanks to my parents for watching the boys for me for a few days. And to Holly for helping out with Sage. Curtis is a very protective and caring husband and does not like to leave his wife alone in the hospital in case something were to happen. And of course a special thanks to my husband Curtis for being an amazing husband who obviously loves me more than anything.

Crazy Times

This last few weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness. The following has happened within the last 2 or 3 weeks.

1- We found our family pet. Her name is Cassie and she is a gorgeous kitty cat that loves to follow us around and get into everything that we are doing.

Sage and Cassie.

2- One of our DVD players finally gave up the ghost followed closely by our little TV. This resulted in a new blu-ray player and TV in our room.

3- Curtis finds a good deal on a the gun that he has wanted for a while.  It's an 1874 Shiloh Sharps just like Quigleys rifle from the movie. Now he has been busy with trying to find everything to hand make his bullets.

I am Man hear me Roar!

The kitty was having fun playing with the gun while Curtis cleaned it.

 

4- Our Renters have given their 30 day notice and we are frantically trying to find someone before our lives get more complicated when baby comes. That means a lot of rental showings and going through applications.

If you know someone that may want to rent a 4 bed 3 bath for 1200/month in the Ranches of Eagle Mountain let me know. We will be taking applications till the end of this week.

5- Curtis's Grandma died a few days ago from natural causes in Texas.

6- Life is crazy and I am due to deliver this baby in one week.

So if you see me and I can not even manage to remember you name... this is why. Too much going on right now and little time to deal with things. Good thing Curtis is bringing home Pizza tonight!

I think I can- Becky's Pregnancy

Less than two months to go... Right now the baby is hiccuping inside of me. I would love to tell you that I'm loving these last few months but really I am not. Its fun to feel baby move inside of me up until he jabs me in the hip or ribs. My back has been progressively getting achier and achier due to the added weight gain. I get an occasional sharp painful cramp when I try and do too much. I waddle like a duck when I walk. To get out of bed I have to gain momentum by rocking back and forth on my back often failing at my attempt and tumbling back into bed and then just simply rolling out of bed landing half on my knees and using the nightstand to prop myself up. My energy level has dropped through the floor making it hard for me to actually get much accomplished. I've developed these funny spots on my arm the doctor might think is related to dilated blood vessels... Occasionally my heart speeds up, my pressure drops, and I become dizzy and nauseated. Doc says I need to take my pulse and if it ever gets above 120 he wants to put a heart monitor on me halter style and have me walk around with that for a week or two. Cleaning my house has become even more of a chore. I find that its easier if I just pick things up on my hands and knees without getting up and down. I hate getting myself dressed in the morning because most of my clothes are winter pregnancy clothes and those maternity summer outfits that fit me in my second trimester I have out grown in my third... but I don't want to go out and buy more because this is after all my last kid. I could go on... but I think you all get the jist of what I am trying to say. The fact is pregnancy is no fun for me. One more month to go before I am free of this pregnant body of mine for the rest of my life. Then I will have my newborn baby boy to cuddle and spoil as my final child. I will be moving on to another stage of my life... maybe I should be thankful to be pregnant. To feel this little critter inside of me. To witness and be a part of the miracle of reproduction for the last time. Now I feel a little sad to know I will never be pregnant again... Don't pay attention to me, its the pregnancy brain talking. I can tell you this out of certainty. I love this baby inside of me just as much as I love my other three babies. No matter how it makes me feel physically or emotionally, I am thankful to be able to even have children. So I guess what I am saying is although I am physically miserable, I am happy.

The End

Losing my Go To Girl

I was one of those lucky people that had the opportunity and pleasure of growing up with three Grandmas. I love each and everyone of them for different reason because frankly they are very different people. Recently my Grandma Mangels has passed away. Grandma Mangels was my spunky Grandma full of love and fun. Her and I were very close and spoke on the phone often. I always felt like I could go to her with any problem and she would help talk me through it. She was my Go To Girl. So when I got that first text from my mom that she was not doing well and would most likely not live much longer I was devastated. So what do I do? I call her of course and tell her in tears that she could not die. I needed her. She chuckled and said, " You can talk to me any time Becky. Just go to your memory and remember all that I have taught you." The truth is, she did teach me a lot. She taught me that it was ok to be a little different and weird. She taught me how to love unconditionally. She taught me what it means to be patient but at the same time how important it was to stand up for what I believe in.

Grandma was a hard working gal with a fun sense of humor and an addicting laugh. Sometimes she would start laughing so hard she would turn bright red and run for the bathroom before she had an embarrassing accident. She dressed to match her personality in bright colors and prints. She loved people and people loved her, and she loved me. You see she is not technically related to me by blood. But she is one of those amazing people where that makes no difference. And I could feel that. And that meant the world to me.

Her memorial was held on the 9th of August the day before her 77th birthday. Over 200 people showed up to her service. And about a dozen people approached me to tell me how special my Grandma was and how she had changed their life with compassion and service. Truly an amazing lady.

Grandma, I will miss our long talks. I will miss your smile and witty personality. I will miss your hugs and excitement for life. But I am glad that you are no longer hurting anymore. I am glad that you can finally rest. All I ask is that you keep a good watch over me and be my angel to help guide me when I need it. Till we meet again Grandma. I love you.

Joanne Inez Ferris Mangels, 76 - Daily Inter Lake: Obituaries