Banta Family Update

Wow! It has been a long time since I have updated our blog, so I will try to sum up our life changes....I am currently 5 months pregnant with a baby boy. We are thinking of the name Rigdon, but haven't made any final decisions yet. The pregnancy is going good and I am getting quite the belly.

Ainslee is busy as ever, living up life as an only child while she can. She loves preschool and can't wait to start kindergarten next year. She still loves dance, but wants to take a cheerleading class next year. She has so much natural talent, but gets bored in ballet. She is also involved in a theater class that will be performing The Wizard of Oz in May. They get their part assignments after the Christmas break. She is all drama and shines in this class. She is eagerly waiting the birth of her baby brother, but has no idea how much he is going to "ROCK" her world! It will be a big adjustment for her, but a much needed one.

Jacy is busy living his dream as a lineman. He loves the job, but doesn't enjoy the commute to SLC. He is also eagerly waiting for the birth of his baby BOY, but is secretly trying to figure out how he is going to fit in all of his wakeboarding time with a new baby! I am sure his boating time won't suffer too much.

We currently have our house listed for sale, but don't know for sure if we want to sell it. We originally put it up for sale so we could get something bigger to accomidate another child. Pretty sad that we have outgrown our house already. The truth of it is that we just have too many toys! Not only is it a pain in the butt to clean the house on the spur of the moment everytime someone wants to come look at it, but we aren't quite sure if we really want that bigger house payment that goes along with a bigger house. We haven't found anything we just have to have, so as of now, we will probably end up down grading on some toys and turning the playroom into a baby boy's room.

Well, sad enough, that is all that has changed in our lives since my last post. Hopefully, I can keep our blog updated more often now that we are welcoming a new addition to the family. We love and miss everyone and hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Family Update

Hey everyone, it has been awhile since I have updated our blog so I thought I would catch everyone up. Ainslee had her dance recital last week and did amazing! She is definitely a performer. She loves to be on stage and is enjoyable to watch. She has this essence about her that makes you smile while she shines. She has been invited to join her studio's competition team next year. She is so excited. There is a summer class she will be taking to help her prepare for the upcoming year. She will also be graduating from her first year of preschool this week. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I am glad she has one more year until she starts kindergarten though, I want her home as long as I possible. She has also been spending as much time as possible, riding horses and doing pee wee barrel racing with my mom. She is a brave little thing. Last month she was getting ready to do the barrel pattern when the horse she was riding took off. She held on as long as she could, but when the horse got to the end of the arena and turned, she fell off. I thought that would set her back and scare her a little, but boy was I wrong, she was back on within minutes and mad she didn't get her turn. I can't believe how fast she can go from this prissy, blond little girly girl, to a tough horse, riding cowgirl. She brings light into our lives and keeps us on our toes. We can't imagine life without her.

Jacy is still working in Salt Lake City. The commute isn't that much fun, but he has made some great new friends on the new dock. He has even joined a city basketball team with some of the guys. Their games are on Wednesday nights. It is quite interesting to watch a group of "rowdy linemen," most whom haven't even seen a held a ball in years, try to play a game, as a team, when they don't practice. It makes for some exciting games. Basketball is not Jacy's forte, but it has been great to watch him step out of his comfort zone and have a good time. I am proud of him and the team for their determination and humility which has helped them even win a few. Jacy's real passion for the summer is boating. He can't hardly wait for the weather to stay warm long enough to get his boat in the water. He took it out last weekend but decided to wait for more of the ice to melt to get in the water. He was looking forward to Memorial weekend where he would get an extra day on the water, but it rained, of course. I don't know what else there could possibly be for him to fix or replace in the boat, but he has practically lived in it for the last couple of weeks.

Well, we think we have found an answer to at least one of our fertility problems. I have been on Clomid for the last 7 months, which has made me a crazy woman. Since we weren't having any success, they eventually did some other tests and found that I had an ovarian cyst that was smashing my left fallopian tube. The fertility meds caused ovarian hyper stimulation, made my cyst grow larger, and started causing me pain. I ended up having surgery last Tuesday which hopefully, solve the problem. The recovery wasn't too bad and I am looking forward to throwing out my fertility meds. I can finally be sane! We are hoping that the surgery and having my fallopian tubes flushed open will lead to a successful pregnancy. Until then, we are going to spend the summer on the lake, while trying to keep up with our busy little diva.

PATIENTLY waiting for summer!

I don't think my husband is going to make the wait. He finally got a boat last summer and we lived on the lake in Utah and Idaho. By the end of the summer Jacy was getting pretty good at wake boarding but the summer ended too soon. Now, he can't wait to get out there again. I am surprised he isn't sleeping in the boat yet. He has been going to boat shows, frequently searching KSL for anything and everything he could possibly want to replace on the boat, and bringing home all sorts of boating catalogs. I started getting burned out by the end of the last summer, and as excited as he is this year, I am worried about making it through another nonstop, summer on the lake. Don't get me wrong, we have a ton of fun, but I am a fair weather maiden. I am game when it is a HOT day, but I don't do cold water or weather. I know I should have thicker skin growing up in Idaho, but I guess I am a wimp. I finally took our summer pictures off my camera and so thought I would post them for my husband to drool over. Don't worry honey, you only have approx. 3 more months to wait.

Turning 30!

We couldn't decide whether we were eating icing on the cake or pure food coloring? Yesterday was my 30Th Birthday! I can't believe it! I don't know if I should be depressed about getting older or excited about officially becoming an adult? Either way, there isn't anything I can do about it, except live life to the fullest. I need to acknowledge my many blessings and stop focusing on the things I can't change. I have a beautiful, full of life, little girl who puts a smile on my face everyday. She can be challenging sometimes and is definitely an "only child", but she can also be the sweetest thing ever. She gives my life so much meaning. I am so thankful I get to share her with a loving, supportive husband. He has been there for me through thick and thin. Even though we have been through a lot together, we have came out on top every time stronger and more determined. I also have the best family and friends out there. I will never be able to thank them enough for everything they have done for me. They give me hope and a strength that is unimaginable. I am so blessed!

Jacy's Job Update

Yah! Jacy received a job he bid for at the Salt Lake City dock. He will be doing the same job for the same company, except as of the 11th, he will be at a different location. We are excited about it because now the company can't place him. He plans on commuting until a job opens up in an area we are interested in moving to. We are hoping for one in Shelley, Idaho, but that probably won't happen for a couple of years or so. Until then, we will stay in Clinton. No other big news for us, I guess we are not that exciting!

How It All Began.....

Hello all, we are new to the whole "blogging" thing, but decided it would be a great way for our family and friends to keep up on our lives. Ainslee is growing so fast and we don't live close to most of our family, so this way everyone can watch her grow up. For those of you whom we haven't seen in awhile, we are still living in Clinton, Utah. Jacy finished his apprenticeship in September and is now a journeyman lineman for Rocky Mountain Power. He has been bidding jobs and is hoping to get one in our area. We have recently decided that we would like to end up in the Shelley, Idaho area whenever possible. Jacy hopes to bid and get the next job that opens up there. I know it is amazing that Jacy has agreed to live that close to Rexburg, but he has been spending more time hunting with Ragan and wants more. That weird, huh? Jacy and Ragan spending time together. I will be lucky if I ever see my husband again if we move there. They will probably want to move in together! Ha Ha!
Ainslee is in her first year of preschool and is loving it. She has learned so much in just a short time period. I can't believe how fast they pick things up. She is also taking dance once a week but dances pretty much non-stop every other day of the week. Dancing, singing, and barrel racing is what she spends all of her free time doing. As much as she practices, she has to have a future in one of them. She is girl all the way through, from dressing up and putting on make-up to being full of drama! We love every part of her though and can't wait to have more just like her.
I decided to stay home so I could spend more time with Ainslee a year ago last November. I really enjoy being able to spend as much time as I do with her and to be the one to raise her instead of paying someone else to do it. I miss the social aspect of working, so I decided to start selling Pampered Chef last May. That way I am able to get out a couple times a month and have some adult time. I didn't know about it at first, especially since I couldn't even cook an egg, but that is changing. I have learned more than I could have ever expected while filling my kitchen up with some great products. Jacy is loving the fact that I can cook a complete meal now and it is actually edible.
Well, hopefully we will be able to keep everyone up to date on things going on in our lives and post lots of pics of our little miss Ainslee! We love and miss you all.