One Big Happy Family!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2012-02-26T09:30:00.002-08:00

Today is my mom's birthday.

One year ago we were celebrating her birthday with all her friends at a restaurant. It is so hard to believe that just 5 1/2 short weeks later, she was gone.

She was such a trooper! She didn't feel good but was such a good sport at her party. She was surrounded by the love of friends and family and she loved it.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We love you and miss you more than you could ever know!

Random Fun

2012-02-22T20:24:00.008-08:00

Because Mother Nature has completely fallen asleep at the wheel and we are having amazing weather, Trevor was able to take his first bike ride. And much to his daddy's pleasure, he LOVED it!

At a different time, we drove to school to pick the kids up and had the bikes in the back. My little family rode home while Trev and I had the luxury of taking the truck. Kurt thought getting exercise after school and before homework might help Kayla focus better at home. Uh, nope. Just wore everyone out and then we had cranky kids with less time to do their work. Oh well, we tried.

Trevor LOVES to bounce. Anyone who has tried to hold the little guy quickly realizes that he just wants to jump in your lap. Well, we took Evan to a birthday party at Bounce U and they had these little bouncy horse things and Trevor LOVED it. He just bounced and bounced and bounced the whole time.

Since work has been slow and we had some time on our hands, Kurt decided to do a service project for the kids school. Since it is new, they are still building the playground and such on what used to be a parking lot. There used to be this planter that the kids would run across and a lot would trip so Kurt got permission to tear it out. He didn't hesitate - anytime the boy can demo something, he loves it. So here is the torn out picture:

The kids of course wanted to get in on the action. Since Evan is in Kindergarten and has only a half day, he would spend the rest of the day "working" with the guys. They guys are so good with him and let him help.

I think there may have been of little wanting to be on "this side of the fence" with all the kids out there. The younger kids would just hang on the fence watching us work. It was really cute. I will have to get a finished picture. The play structure, which was donated by the Sacramento Kings, was all washed off today so hopefully, fingers crossed, everything should be open tomorrow. The kids are so excited!

And while Daddy was working at the school, me and Trev would hang out with him. We start training our kids young around here. =)

Alex is our foreman and has been with us for about 11 years now. That just seems crazy but it's true. We absolutely love him. He is an amazing guy with a strong moral character and integrity. We have been so blessed. Well he took 2 days off because his parents were coming from Mexico to visit and he hadn't seen them in 12 years! Can you believe that? And what did he want to make sure they got to do? Meet his boss. So awesome. So he brought them by. Now they don't speak a lick of english and we don't speak a lick of spanish so it went pretty much like this:

"Hola"

Smile.

His mom was so sweet though. She gave me a big hug and just kept saying stuff to me. I would just smile and look at Alex for the translation. You could just feel their awesome spirits. They were "good people,"; know what I mean?

Just real good people!

Only with the 4th baby

2012-02-16T20:36:00.001-08:00

We never would have done this as first time parents. Nor as second or third time parents.

But this is what we have sunk to as 4th time parents:

Yes, that would be our then 6 month old with an Oreo cookie.

We hang our heads in shame.

Anyone who knows Kurt knows he has 2 things running through his blood - brownies and Oreos. Well, we now know the apple didn't fall far from this tree.

The funny thing was up to this point Trevor would not eat any food of any type - baby or grown up. We had some friends over for dinner and since we lacked any other dessert, we broke out the Oreo's. Trevor was sitting on my lap and when I grabbed my 2nd cookie he attacked my arm trying to pull it down to his mouth. I finally relented just to see what he would do.

Apparently the Oreo gene in his blood had been activated and he knew just what to do.

He made his dad so proud.

He loved it!

60 seconds of pure Heaven!

Just look at that face!

Living in 2 totally different worlds

2012-01-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

So right now we are totally living in 2 different worlds.

Our downstairs is looking pretty good. I have de-cluttered every room and my new slogan "a place for everything and everything in it's place" is being followed pretty nicely. Ok, honestly, I am following the new slogan. The kids? Not so much but I try really hard not to go to bed until everything is picked up and put in it's place. It is not always freshly vacuumed or dusted but it is decent. Oh, we cancelled the cleaners back in November. It was fun while it lasted but the market slowed down and so we cut expenses. Plus, having a dog and kids and a cleaner just doesn't make any sense. Seriously, after 1 day the place was a mess with dog hair and kids stuff again so it was easy to cut that one. Maybe when my kids are older or something. Anyways, I got sidetracked, sorry. It is so wonderful to wake up to a clean house. If someone were to only see downstairs, they might think I have my act together. However . . .

Upstairs? A totally different story. While cleaning downstairs, I would take whatever belonged upstairs and just place it in that room. Since I hadn't organized that room yet, the item didn't have "a place" so it just got set somewhere.

Well life has gotten busy again. When we first came home and I started cleaning/organizing the kids were still out of school and I could just clean. Now they are back in school and this homework thing is really crimping my cleaning abilities. I haven't been able to attack upstairs like I did downstairs and with everything not having "a place," things have gotten crazy. Every room is a disaster. If someone were to only see our upstairs, they would think I had totally lost control.

So . . . downstairs = happy me, upstairs = blah. . . honestly, I just don't look anymore.

O-well, I'll get to it eventually. I just hope it is sooner rather than later.

What to blog? What to blog?

2012-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

I have had so many blogging ideas running through my head and no time to blog so this morning I am not sure where to start. So I decided to blog them all, so be prepared - it's a little long! Here is our week:

Trevor Stories:

This little love bug . . .

is growing up so fast! I finally got him eating baby food this week. He just kept raspberry-ing it out all over me. Feeding him was very frustrating. But I think we finally mastered this week. Woo Hoo!

Funny story - Since we have had Trevor I feel like we should have another one. Even when we were still in the hospital. I know, crazy, but true. Now that doesn't mean that we will. It seems the more kids I have the harder time I have deciding to have another. Wow 5 kids - that would be a lot. So for now, no more but here is the funny story. After Christmas we went to UT to see Dad and Julie (blog about the trip to come, I promise!). Before we left, Trevor was not sleeping good at all. I think it is a teething thing because it comes and goes. Anyway, on the trip he was beyond horrible. I was up 10-12 times a night, not much sleeping going on. So I started telling people on the trip and when we got home that if Heavenly Father wanted me to have another one, He should have made this one a great sleeper because there is no way I could do this again. Well, on the 3rd night after we got home, Trevor started sleeping through the night. And he did for a full week - EVERY night. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Just kind of funny.

A cute story - Trevor doesn't really dig his crib so when he wakes up from a nap and I go get him, I talk to him before I pick him up til he is happy and laughing. I want him to know that his crib is a happy place. I say "don't cry. Just call "ma ma" and I will come get you" and we talk or sing and he loves it. Sometimes when I am walking up the stairs to get him, I will call out to him "mom's on the way. Here I come" and he will stop crying and waits for me. So cute. Well, the last few nights he has been waking up once and I just give him his binky and he goes back to sleep but last night I decided that I was not going to get up and give him his binky and that he would just have to put himself back to sleep (which he does a good job of during nap and bed time, just not middle of the night time, of course). So at midnight he woke up and I laid in bed listening to him fuss. He would fuss, be quiet and then let out a wail that sounded like his little heart was just breaking. The second time he did it, I realized what was going on: He would fuss, then call out "Am, Am" and then be quiet and then wail so sadly. I realized that he was calling to me "Am, Am" and then waiting for me to come and when I didn't, his little heart broke with sadness and he would just sob. Then he would try again "Am, Am." It was so sad and broke my heart when I realized he was waiting for me and I wasn't show up. So I immediately got up and went to him, scooped him up and rocked him. The "Am" in me just couldn't resist. I cuddled him under my neck and we both were in heaven. And then he slept the rest of the night.

I always thought that the more kids you have, the more you learn from your mistakes (and not repeat them) and the more experience you have as to what works and doesn't. Turns out you are really just more aware of all the things you are doing wrong. Oh well, Trevor and "Am" slept contently the rest of the night.

* * * * *

So new year, new budget. Last year with the passing of my mom, being pregnant and having a baby, I just didn't pay much attention to the budget. We had one but that was nice. I didn't ever look at it but this year is "get back on budget year!" So it is back to meal planning and my Walmart / Sam's Club run at 7 am on Saturday morning. The first Saturday, Kurt had work he had to do so I took Trevor and Hailey with me. During the shopping trip, Trev got tired so this was our invention for shopping with sleepy baby:

It worked rather nicely. He was happy, warm and snuggly and we could shop. Win - win. Now if only I could shop like that!

* * * * *

Every Christmas we put a village above our tv on our mantle and this year was no different. On my cleaning rampage, I was taking down the village and putting all the Christmas stuff away under the stairs. While I was under the stairs, Evan decided to decorate the mantle "6 year old boy style":

Here is a closer shot:

Yes, that is a remote control monster truck, a remote control helicopter, a remote control police car, an empty candy tube and a partially deflated green balloon. Nice! We let it stay for about a day. Man, I love that boy!

* * * * *

Our first baby turned 11 last Tuesday! Can you believe it? We definitely can't!

Happy Birthday Kayla!

Sorry for the dark picture. I took it in the car before we left for school and it wasn't the best lighting, obviously.

She wanted money for her birthday but it just didn't seem right to just hand her a card of money so we made a scavenger hunt out of it. It turned out to be a lot of fun.

* * * * *

Update on the cleaning project:

So I hit a little slump in my cleaning rampage this week. There were several reasons: 1) had to do all the year end stuff for the business, 2)as mentioned before, budgeting and planning for the new year, 3) the next room was Evan's and I had a hard time "getting started." The boy wouldn't get rid of anything so I battled between being mean mom and just getting rid of stuff or nice mom and letting him keep stuff. Nice mom won but then had to figure out a way to organize it all, 4) maintaining the already cleaned areas and keeping them that was proved to be harder than I thought. The kids just don't appreciate cleanliness like I do, 5)with meal planning came shopping and with shopping came groceries and with groceries came a mess. My shelves in the garage have started bowing from the weight so I had asked Kurt to build new shelves but he had a lot of work and couldn't build them right away so I didn't have anywhere to put them. See:

They spread to the floor. Then came the whole "in order to make room in the garage for the shelves, the guest bed that was stored in there (from when Evan moved downstairs) needed to go back into Evan's room and Evan's bed needed to go back up into Trevor's room." So it became this whole ordeal just to put groceries away and I needed my "man power" to help me. So anyway, it has been quite the week of small progress waiting for my honey to have time to finish the shelves.

Almost there:

Getting closer:

(Notice all the stuff on the counter in the background and all the stuff on the floor. The whole garage was like this - stuff everywhere! But no more!)

And then Saturday came. Oh, lovely Saturday.

We spent the whole day in the garage working and cleaning and most of all THROWING STUFF AWAY!

It was awesome!

Here is our best idea EVER:

Why didn't we think of this years ago? Hang the life jackets up! Duh!

As you can see, we have a ton of life jackets and usually they are all over the boat and when the boat is out, the left behind jackets are all over the garage. There is no good way to stack or organize them . . . until we thought to hang them up. Awesome!

Got bikes all over the garage?

Not us, not anymore:

All cleaned up:

Notice no more food all over the floor - awesome!

My new cupboards / shelves:

That trash can is actually our new dog food holder. So much cleaner (and now the dog can't help himself to snacks).

Usually you literally cannot see this part of our garage floor. Between shoes, groceries, bikes, helmets, skateboards, skateboarding pads, etc. it was a hazardous zone but not anymore:

I love it! We seriously spent ALL day out there and weren't done until dinner time. Kurt and I kept going out and just enjoying our clean garage.

What did the kids do while we worked all day?

Well, they helped when we needed them to but mostly they did this:

Cardboard boxes from the new shelves. Hours of entertainment!

Pull it with a rope:

Ride on it on your skateboard down the driveway:

Make a human "hamster-wheel" contraption:

I am completely obsessed . . .

2012-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

with totally purging my house of all clutter.

We went on a road trip (blog about that to come) and it was funny how being out of the house and out of our normal routine made me see things differently. And I didn't like what I saw because it was all clutter!

Clutter drive me crazy. I can't stand to have things just to have them, if that makes any sense. So during our 2 - 12 hour drives, I planned, I scheduled, I dreamed of how I was going to get rid of all clutter.

I am giving myself 8 weeks to do the whole house. Here is my schedule:

Week 1 - kitchen

Week 2 - family room, dining room and under the stairs

Week 3 - downstairs bathroom and bedroom

Week 4 - upstairs hallway and toy room/office/school room

Week 5 - girls room and bathroom

Week 6 - boys room and laundry room

Week 7 - our bedroom and closet (scariest room to do)

Week 8 - garage

So far I am ahead of schedule. I have the kitchen, family room, under the stairs and downstairs bathroom completely done and I am only on day 4. Sweet! (When I said "obsessed," I wasn't kidding. I have been majorly OCD about this.)

What am I going to do with all the stuff I am getting rid of? Why the mother of all garage sales, of course! I can't stand doing garage sales but with the amount of stuff I am getting rid of and the quality of stuff, I think we could make some good money. Anything that doesn't sell, we will donate. All my "good for sale" are currently being stored in Kurt's boat. He's thrilled! Actually, when he see's all my hard work and how nice everything is looking, he is very supportive.

So here are some finished pictures:

The kitchen drawers

The spice cupboard

(used to hold plates and dishes)

The biggest change:

The craft cupboard

I should have taken a before picture. The doors literally would not shut because of all the stuff that was jammed in here. And I mean jammed. Not organized at all but now:

Heaven!

Ahh, it feels SO GOOD to get rid of stuff. I can't wait til the whole house is done!

Was this on your Christmas list?

2011-12-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Wandering through Sam's Club one day we found this:

What family doesn't need a gigantic caterpillar?

The kids were in heaven.

All I could see was the amount of stuffing that would cover my house when Cody got ahold of it.

So we had fun playing in the store:

and then said goodbye to Mr. Giant Caterpillar.

Continuing the tradition

2011-12-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was born my grandparents have bought me a new Christmas ornament every year, usually with the year on it. I have an ornament that has my birthdate on it and an ornament that has "My First Christmas." These ornaments are 34 years old. It seems incredible to me that we still have them. Over the years some have broken some but mostly I still have all of them.

My mom started the same tradition with my kids. Every year she has bought them an ornament. This year I wanted the tradition to continue so off to the Christmas store we went.

My mom's friend owns a Christmas store in Folsom. This store has every kind of ornament imaginable.

Want a pickle ornament?

They got it.

Want a cactus?

They got it.

Want a jaguar?

They got that too.

My mom has gone here every year to get the ornaments so there was no where else I was going to go. Ok, it was a little nerve racking with Evan. It is not the most child friendly store - lots of things to touch or knock over. We made a "pointing only" rule to try to limit the amount of touching.

Here are our goods:

Trevor's

(I wrote his name on it)

Evan's

The boy loves monster trucks!

Hailey's

A jeweled butterfly

Kayla's

A Fairy with a bird

Kayla, as usual, was having a little trouble deciding which one she wanted. She was choosing between 3. I saw this one and said "that looks like one Grammy would have picked" and after that there was no more indecision. She went for the one that looked like Grammy's choice. So sweet.

I knew it might be emotional picking out ornaments. I did really good until I got to my final choice. My mom loved angels. I mean she really LOVED them so I wanted to get an angel to hang on our tree to remind me of my mom. That's what got me. I started tearing up and trying to keep it together while I searched through blurry eyes. I enlisted the help of the kids. Here are our choices:

The kids liked this one because it lights up and the colors change.

This one spoke to me. It is a pretty glass ornament with a beautiful green dress.

I hope my mom is happy with our choices. I am sure she is.

We will continue this tradition and some year we will buy our grandkids ornaments. Man that seem weird! Our grandkids . . . the way time is flying it will be here before we know it.

34 years old and still growing up . . . but just a little bit.

2011-12-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

I am what some would call a picky eater. Always have been. Drove my parents crazy.

I am sure there is a more politically correct name for it now. Maybe "taste bud challenged" or "texture sensitive" or . . ., I don't know, something cool like that.

Well this has been a big year for my pickiness. I have discovered 2 foods that I now like.

The first:

Mmmmm ~ Blueberries!

Love them.

Totally addicted now.

I eat them like they're candy.

And the second?

Would never have ever thought in a million years that I would eat them EVER!

Let alone like them.

I went to a Relief Society dinner and they served them. I didn't want to leave them on my plate like the picky little person that I was so I decided to try them.

And discovered that they were scrumptious.

(I even ate my friends that she couldn't eat because of a nut allergy and they had almonds in them.)

What were they?

The nasty, forever feared:

Green Beans

My poor mom tried for 34 years to get me to eat them and I refused. I am sure she is so proud of me now and saying "see, I told you that you would like them if you tried them."

Maybe in another 34 years I will discover that I like other things like tomatoes or onions or avocados or cheesecake or . . .

But I wouldn't hold my breath!

5 months old already

2011-12-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I have no idea but if you find out, let me know. I would like to slow it down just a bit.

Trevor is growing soooo fast! And I mean that literally. He is 4 POUNDS heavier than any of our other kids at this age and is wearing size 12 months clothes. Did I mention he is only 5 months old? I think he is trying to catch up to his siblings or something.

So the other day I noticed that I haven't posted any pictures of Trevor since he was 6 weeks old (1st day of school pictures) and that wasn't even about Trevor. So here is a plethora of photos of Trevor.

About 1.5 months

Twiners - she was so excited to match him.

We went camping when he was about 7 weeks. We spent one day at a lake and this is how he spent his time most of the day:

2 months:

Almost 3 months:

3 months:

Kurt's Grandma made this beautiful blanket

1st Halloween:

Scarey, scary picture of me but the best we have of Trevor. He was a candy corn baby. This was coming off the week of NO SLEEP AT ALL and after walking a bazillion miles with Trevor in the front pack and Trick-or-Treating with the kids. The kids are getting older and not wearing out after a few houses anymore. I was a mess but he is cute.

4 months:

Just before he turned 4 months old he cut his first tooth. I couldn't believe it. All the others were 8, 9 or 10 months old. He was an early bird getting 2 teeth at 4 months.

He mastered sitting up at about 4.5 months. He doesn't like laying down at all which is why he was a little slower than our other kids on rolling over but the quickest on the sitting up.

I love this picture of my boys. They both crashed our bed during the night. Kurt and I didn't have much room. In fact, I am not sure where we fit in the bed?

This is what he does while I fold laundry. Well, this and knock over my piles of folded clothes =)

Thanksgiving:

Trev and his friends

5 months:

This is so funny - Kurt took this picture of him and Trevor the other day. He is fake sleeping but aren't they cute!

So many of my pictures were on Kurt's computer and so I haven't blogged about a lot of stuff. I found a quick and easy way to transfer them the other day so now I have all the pictures. I should be able to blog more often now. Yippee!

Sometimes life is just "ugh".

2011-11-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get into a funk? Where things just aren't right? Where you just feel out of step or something?

Every once in awhile I do and I have learned that if I just acknowledge it and then ignore it, it will work itself out. Like if I don't feed it, then it goes away.

But this time I am struggling. I just can't shake it. I am trying to be positive. I am trying to be optimistic. I am trying to be funny (and, obviously, not doing so good at that). But nothing is working. I am just "ugh". I feel like I just don't fit or something.

I am pretty sure my exhaustion is the #1 reason that I can't shake it. I am just so tired. I haven't recovered from Trevor's little "hey, let's try not sleeping" routine and then after that we all got the flu. I now have him sleeping from about 8 or 9 pm to about 2 or 4 am so I get a good 5-7 hours of sleep (although, I swear it feels like only 2 or 3 when I wake up). So I would think that I would start feeling "normal" again but no such luck. I don't mind the 2 am or 3 am wake up but it's the 4 or 4:30 one that gets me. It is just so close to when I need to get up that my brain wakes up and kicks on and starts thinking of all the bazillion things I need to do so I end up tossing and turning before I finally drift off to a half sleep at about 5:30 or 5:45 and then I am supposed to be up at 6. Which usually doesn't happen so then I jump out of bed at 6:30 already running behind and our mornings are crazy.

Kurt and I used to have this conversation when the older kids were little:

K: If you could do anything, what would you want to do?

Me: Sleep

K: No, something fun.

Me: Sleep sounds fun.

K: No, we are talking about ANYTHING in the world.

Me: Yep, pretty sure it would be to sleep.

I am back to that point. I just want sleep. So I am sure that my exhaustion is just making everything else seem worse.

The other part of my melancholiness is I miss my mom. I think about her all the time. I know if she was here she would listen to all my petty little life stuff and give me a big hug and tell me it will all work out. And I would feel better. I just want a mom hug.

When she passed away I think I was in a shock / denial / fog state; as I am sure most people are. I knew she was gone but you know how you just really don't grasp it? Then we had the impending birth of baby boy to keep my mind busy. Then adjusting to the new baby. Then the new school year starting with the new school and everything. And even though I thought of my mom all through all of those, I don't think I fully grasped that she was truly gone. Now it is hitting me. Maybe it's because life is settling down a little. Maybe it's because the holidays are coming up. Maybe it's because my dad is dating someone (which is a post for another day). Maybe I am just going crazy.

Maybe it is the fact that I realized the other day that our kids don't have a living grandma. I always looked at it like Kurt and I have both lost our moms but it just hit me to look at it from my kids' point of view. And it really bothers me. Every kid needs a grandma. Who else is going to spoil them? Who else is going to listen to them complain about their crazy mom? Who else is naturally and instinctively invested in their day to day life? My kids have been robbed of both of their grandmas before they even got started. And it makes me really sad. Kurt and I both still having living grandmas but my kids don't. And, honestly, it makes me cry. Grandmas are just special. Their love is special.

But I can't do anything about it so harping on it is only going to make me sad. Like I said, I think the exhaustion is making it worse. So as my mom would say, "this too shall pass." And it will. I just need to keep plugging along.

The Importance of Sleep

2011-10-31T14:22:00.001-07:00

One does not truly understand the importance of sleep until one is not getting any.

I don't know what happened but my sleep-loving little baby has done a complete 180 on me. He went from me laying him down with a paci and putting himself to sleep to screaming like crazy at any sleep time, naps or bedtime. He was sleeping all night and now he is up all the time.

I went 6 nights with hardly any sleep. Although, I can't blame him alone. He was the first 3 nights (honestly, he would only sleep 30-45 minutes and then was up again), then the 4th (when he actually slept from 11-4 (5 whole hours!!!)) Kayla was up from 12 - 3:30 throwing up. Awesome. Then the 5th was Trevor again and then on the 6th night Evan was up with a coughing spasm.

Seriously I feel like I haven't slept in a year. I am wiped out! And I can't sleep during the day because I have this business that needs my attention. Luckily, last night (night 7) everyone actually slept. And that means that Trevor slept 5 hours straight and then was up every 2 again.

I think that it is funny that Kurt says "hey, you got 5 hours of sleep last night. You must feel great". Uh, no. 5 hours doesn't make up for the loss of 30. Nice try though.

So that has been our life lately. One sleepy mom. I have learned that I am not a very patient mom when I am completely sleep deprived. Nor am I very organized. Or very on top of anything. Everything is a mess but o-well.

Running was going really good until last week. If I don't have the energy to shower or clean or cook, I really don't have the energy to run. So I thought this week I would get back into it. But I just realized that it is Thursday and I have gone once. Yikes - where did this week go?

Besides the lack of sleep, there is the small detail that bears were spotted in our neighborhood. Yep, thats right - bears. Right smack-dab in the middle of the burbs. Seriously. It kind of took the wind out of my sails for going early in the morning. Cody may protect me but I think bears may be past his limit. It was a momma bear with 3 cubs. Don't want to mess with them! So now I am trying to figure out another time to go.

Oh life. Aren't you full of surprises!

Adventures in Exercising

2011-10-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

"Thinking Time"

So running/walking gives one a lot of time to think. It is wonderful. I can actually have full and complete thoughts without being interrupted a million times. Awesome! So I think and ponder and laugh at myself. It's a great time. I think of all these wonderful blogs that I want to post. All these funny stories to tell. And then I get home and either one of two things happens: 1) I don't have time or 2) I can't remember anything I wanted to post or any funny things I thought of. So frustrating! So this morning I used my phone to jot down thoughts. And here they are:

"The Glowing Chest"

I take my phone with me when I exercise so I can listen to music. The first day I put it in the waist of my elastic exercise pants. Worked good until I ran and then it wanted to slide down my leg. The second day I thought I would put it in my sports bra because that would hold it tighter. Which it did. But what I forgot was that when you start the music, the screen doesn't go off by itself. It stays lit. So I head for the door to leave and Kurt goes "hey hon? Um, we don't really want to be drawing attention to those." I looked down to see my chest glowing. Ha ha ha! We got a good laugh and I turned the screen off. Luckily he caught me before I left the house.

"Protector Dog"

I started taking our dog with me for added protection. We live in a good area but I go at 5:30 or 6 am and it is dark so Kurt wanted me to take the dog with me. The first morning that darn dog jumped and growled at everything and kept glancing behind us. Scared the hibbie-gibbies out of me. What a watch dog! Not sure if he was just being super observant and protective (probably unlikely) or was scared himself (more likely) but he was definitely putting me on edge. So much for feeling safer! Hopefully his size will be intimidating enough; although, this morning he seemed much braver and tougher.

"Breaks, breaks and more breaks"

Taking the dog leads to a lot of breaks. Gotta pee on this. Gotta pee on that. Oh! Look! The sprinklers are on at that house! I must get in the water! (Remember, he is a lab). Geesh! Not getting much exercise done with him around. So I started walking in the middle of the road. Nothing for him to sniff, pee on or play in and sounds safe doesn't it? Well, actually it is. Nobody is up and moving that early in the morning and if they are their head lights let me know they are coming way before they get to me. (And I am talking about our neighborhood streets, not the main busy streets.)

"Sympathy for Mac"

This morning I had a hard time getting out of bed. The last few nights I haven't gotten full nights of sleep (Trevor has been sleeping all night but the last few he has been waking up again. It really throws a body off when it is used to sleeping all night again). So as I dragged myself out of bed and walked down the streets of my sleepy neighborhood, I stared at all the dark houses and it made me feel like Mac on Lighting McQueen. You know, when he is passing the truck stop seeing all those sleeping trucks and McQueen is urging him to continue on to CA. I longed to crawl back into my own bed. But just like Mac, I continued on. Luckily I had upbeat music to keep me awake and no one switched it to sleepy music.

"My Second Line of Defense"

So, like I said, I take the dog. My number one reason for not wanting to take him? You guessed it - picking up the dooty. Really? We have to do this every time? Doesn't matter how long I put him out before we go, he will have to go on the walk. Urgh! But this morning as I walked the neighborhood with my dog in one hand and his full dooty bag in the other, I discovered that it might actually be helpful if one is attacked. If the attacker can manage to get passed my first line of defense (aka: scaredy-cat dog) then he will have me and the dooty bag to deal with. I imagined myself using it like nun chucks, swinging it around and scaring off any attacker.

And this is where I laughed at myself.

Good times, my friends, good times!

Me? Exercise? Are you crazy?

2011-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am. Here is why:

Probably a little over a year ago, a friend of mine wanted a running buddy so she started asking around, put fliers in her kids classes and, I think, asked on Facebook. She was hoping to get 2-3 interested people in hopes of actually getting 1-2 running buddies.

She didn't get 1.

She didn't get 2.

She didn't get 3.

She got 80.

As in 8-0.

E.I.G.H.T.Y.

So she did what any sane person would do - she became a leader of an 80 member running group. And she has done an amazing job! She majored in physical fitness and was totally capable of taking on this monumental project. They had an amazing year last year and are continuing on this year.

Well, I have always wanted to be a runner but there is just something about it that I don't like. Oh, that's right - it's the running part. I'm not a runner. I sprinted through Sam's Club the other day because I forgot something in the back of the store and Kurt was loading things on the belt to pay. I about died. Ok, not really. But I definitely felt out of shape.

Last year I had the perfect excuse as to why I couldn't join her group - I was prego. Sweet. Easy out! Nice!

This year? . . . Still thinking . . . Hold on . . . Almost got one . . . Oh nuts! I got nothing. So I joined up! AHHHHHHHH! What am I thinking! I am crazy. But I am totally excited!

They are not hard core runners. The group ranges from 13 - 60 something year olds. Some only walk. Some only run. And everyone else in somewhere in the middle. She said everyone that has joined up has thought they couldn't do it but found that they could. It sounds like a great program that her and her friend, a doctor, have created. Training officially starts in January but right now is just getting in routine of exercising/walking/jogging. They have a schedule on their website: http://pacificcoasters.wordpress.com/

I think she said the only people who have stopped did so because they got pregnant. So then, of course, we teased that the only way out is to have a baby. So by this time next year I will either be running a marathon or having a baby, depending on how training goes. Either way, it's bound to be an interesting year!

Come be crazy with me! Either you'll get in shape or have a baby. Good deal either way =)

Amazing Changes

2011-10-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Unless you have seen Kayla in one of her melt-downs or seen her cower in fear, you can not appreciate the amazing changes that are happening in her. They truly are unbelievable!

This child would run from any, and I mean ANY, unnecessary attention. She does not like to be in front of people. She does not like to be in the spot light. She definitely does not like to step anywhere near the edge of her comfort zone, let alone, out of her box.

But do you know what she is doing today?

She is running for a position at school to be her classroom representative in the student body. In order to do that, she has to give a speech. In front of her class.

Holy Moly! Where did this child come from?

Last night she was in tears worrying about it and trying to decide if she felt brave enough to do it. Kurt and I both encouraged her but let her know it was ok if she didn't want to. Kayla and I said an extra prayer before bed saying that she decided she did want to go for it and asking for help for her to feel brave and strong today so she could give her speech.

She woke up this morning with such strength and determination. She wrote her speech, practiced and went to school happy as could be.

I am still sitting here in shock. This child has done a complete 180 and it is such an amazing thing to witness. I am in awe. I know that Heavenly Father is helping her so much and He is with her today as she completely jumps out of her box. He is there to catch her and hold her up, if needed. I am so blessed to be her mom and get a first row seat at the miraculous workings of our God.

So, whether she wins the position or not, it doesn't matter. She has already won a much bigger and better prize!

Me, My Mom and Jack-in-the-Box tacos

2011-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

When my mom was pregnant with me she craved Jack-in-the-Box tacos. My dad, being the wonderful husband and father that he is, would get up in the middle of the night to go get her some.

When I was growing up, my mom and I would often, usually at night while watching movies, look at each other and say "taco time" and we would get up and go get some.

One time we even snuck them into a movie theater. Let me warn you - not the best idea. Besides the yummy food smell they emit, they are rather noisy to eat. Apparently people don't like you crunching in their ears while watching a movie. We giggled every time one of us took a bite. =)

Well, I can't drive by a Jack-in-the-Box without thinking of my mom and our late night, taco crunching escapades.

And I miss those.

So, most of the time, I stop and get 2 tacos and a root beer and think of my mom while I crunch away. It doesn't matter if it's 10 am or 3 pm, I stop.

Today was no exception.

It was just me, my mom and Jack-in-the-Box tacos.

(Oh, Trevor too, but he was sleeping)

Our New School

2011-09-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

We are love, love, loving our new school!

It is a new charter school that just opened up this year.

So, yes, we are guinea pigs but so far it is wonderful. There has been the expected hiccups, like pick up and drop off procedures, but overall everything has been really smooth.

The students are amazing. Everyone is "new" to this school so they have all been super friendly. Everyone is in the same boat by not knowing a lot of other kids so they have all grouped together to help each other out. Awesome!

Kayla 5th grade

The teachers are amazing too! We went to back to school night this week and were so impressed with the teachers and their enthusiasm and energy. Everyone I have overheard has been saying positive things about the all the classes.

Hailey 4th grade

And, as you can tell, they wear uniforms. All I can say is I LOVE UNIFORMS! It is wonderful! So easy in the morning. Pick either a red, white or blue top with the school logo and either navy or khaki shorts or skirts. So simple!

My Kinder boy

Kayla is thriving! She was the reason we started homeschooling to begin with and we, especially Kurt, were really nervous about putting her back into the school environment but she is doing amazing! They all are and we are so proud of them!

Wonder Woman Complex

2011-09-19T20:29:00.001-07:00

So about a week or so ago I was digging in a file in my filing cabinet looking for something and I stumbled upon some letters that a friend and I had written back and forth to each other a few years ago . . . you know, using snail mail. I am not sure why I kept these few letters because we had written a lot but, nonetheless, there they were so I read them.

We were talking about how women tend to try to take everything on themselves and expect too much of themselves. They try to be Wonder Woman.

I remember when we were discussing this and I was totally guilty of it. Probably still am but any-who . . .

Over the years I have tried to not think that I have to do everything but it is hard. I want to have a clean house. I want to have healthy, home made meals every night. I want to be at all my kids activities. I want our business to be successful. I want . . . it all and I think that I need to do it all. I have to say that I think I have relaxed somewhat in this.

Well 2 weeks ago I took another HUGE step in not expecting everything out of myself. I did something that I NEVER thought I would do.

I hired a house cleaner!!!!!!

And I love it!

And it is awesome!

And I am totally trying to not feel guilty over it!

Because having a newborn, keeping up with 3 kids school schedules and homework, and running a business is A LOT of work. And this is one step in helping me not take on everything.

And they come back tomorrow.

And I am soooooo excited!

A Whole Lot of Posts

2011-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I have been neglectful in posting lately. I have wanted too but haven't had the time so I thought this morning I would catch up. So there are a few posts following this one.

So, yes, it is 10 am and I am still in my pj's but I have gotten everything blogged on my list that had grown longer and longer.

I now need to start a new list but at least I got this one completed.

Woo hoo!

Have a great Saturday!

Growing up so fast!

2011-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so these pictures are a little old in baby time but I have wanted to post them and just haven't gotten around to it.

So here is Trev in his first big boy outfit (meaning shirt and shorts, not just onesie type outfits).

4 weeks

I was a naughty mommy and let him try sleeping on his tummy for nap one day.

He loved it!

And I loved his little feet.

That is a birth mark on his foot - not an injury =)

He is such a great sleeper!

Here is a video of him "talking" at 6 weeks old. Hailey was filming and since the girl can't control her body for 2 seconds, it is a bit wiggly, just like our Hailey. But cute nonetheless (if you don't get motion sick).

Buying Jeans

2011-09-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

When is the last time you bought jeans?

For me, it's been a couple of years. I don't like shopping. AT ALL!

And here is why:

I was in Old Navy shopping for school uniforms pants and shorts about 2 weeks ago and I noticed that the adult jeans were on sale for only $15! At normally $30, this is a great deal so I thought that I would grab a few pairs for Kurt and myself as we are desperately in need of new jeans.

So I wonder over to the female jeans to grab a few. And I stood in a daze at the wall of jeans in front of me. There was The Flirt, The Sweetheart, The Diva and The Dreamer. Then within each of those categories there was "skinny," "boot cut," "trouser" and then there were color choices. Then you had to find your size. WHAT?

I just wanted a pair of jeans. When did buying jeans become so complicated? Seriously!

So I grabbed a few different styles, colors, sizes and wandered to the fitting room. I happened to find a style, color and size that fit me so I bought a few of that one type.

Whew! Survived another shopping trip. Now it may be a few years before I attempt it again. By then all the styles, colors and sizes will all change again. Yikes!

Any PUG lovers out there?

2011-09-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

A little Webkinz dance party.

Evan LOVES this song.

(Usually he dances better but Kayla was off the screen distracting him.)

Hailey's eyes

2011-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Many people don't know that Hailey has 2 different colored eyes. Sometimes it is VERY noticeable and sometimes you can't tell at all.

I have tried for years to get a picture showing the difference but have never succeeded.

That was until a few weeks ago when we were at a restaurant and the light coming through the window made her eyes very noticeable.

Of course a picture never does it justice but these are the best pictures I have ever gotten.

Our very special Hailey!

Bed Bug

2011-09-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have discovered a trick to getting another hour of sleep out of Trevor.

I just pick him up when he starts fussing in the morning and lay him in my bed and wa-la, he sleeps for another hour. Awesome! I get to shower and get dressed in peace and then I am ready when he wakes up.

It is a wonderful arrangement.

Hopefully it will continue and I didn't just jinx us.

My Boys

2011-08-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I was talking to someone about activity days and I said that I would have my boys with me. And it hit me - I have boys - as in plural. It sounded so strange. Evan has always been grouped with his sisters but now he has his own "club" called "my boys."

It's awesome!

So here are the members of "my boys"

I can tell they are going to be best buddies!

Check out his moves!

2011-08-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

The whole hype behind the Wii was that it got you up and moving to play games and not just sitting on the couch.

Anyone who would argue that playing video games isn't healthy hasn't seen Evan play. Here he is playing basketball. My favorite move is his last one. Talk about being dramatic!

He wears me out just watching him!

Forget the gym. I just need to play basketball with him at his intensity level and I'll be in shape in no time.

I LOVE this boy!

Is he adopted?

2011-08-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

People ask the funniest questions when you have a baby.

You know, like when they ask:

"Is it a girl or a boy?" and the baby is obviously dressed in all pink or all blue.

or when they ask:

"Are they twins?" and you have a 6 month old and a 2 year old.

Funny people.

Well, with Trevor, the question I have been repeatedly asked is:

"Is he adopted?"

Seriously. I am not kidding. It always comes right after the question "how old is he?"

I understand why they ask it. It's because I have been back in my regular clothes since 8 days after he was born. I don't look like I have had a baby.

So then they ask:

"Do you exercise?" No.

"Are you eating a special diet?" No.

"Are you breastfeeding?" No.

"What did you do?" Nothing.

Then I get the stare. They stare at me like I am lying and they are going to stare the truth out of me. I don't know - apparently my body just likes to be one size and it just went right back to it. I still have a little extra "fluff," (my skin is still squishy, not firm) but nothing you can see in my clothes.

It is rather funny. It happened again yesterday at the grocery store. My checker asked "the questions" from above and then called to her co-worker at the next check stand and said "hey, do you believe she just had a baby a month ago?" The co-worker and her customers then turned and looked me over. Lovely. Really - I just wanted to buy my 2 items and go.

So just to set the record straight - I didn't fake a pregnancy and here is the proof: my belly at 40 weeks 2 days.

Maybe I should carry this picture around with me so I can prove I did, in fact, give birth to him.

More adorable cuteness

2011-08-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Napping buddies

1st bath - he did great

Love those legs!

So cute!

Sometimes he sleeps in this really light sleep where his eyes are open and moving around and the funniest thing is that he smiles and laughs in his sleep. I managed to catch a very small laugh. It is 20 seconds into the video and very small but so cute. Sometimes he does like a belly laugh. It is so funny. At least he is dreaming of happy things!

Trau-ma-tized

2011-07-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

That's me. And Kurt. And hopefully NOT Trevor.

He was circumcised yesterday.

Evan was done in the hospital while both him and I were still dazed and confused from the delivery and it just didn't seem like that big a deal. This waiting 2 weeks and doing it at the dr. office is just not right. They took him in another room because they don't let parents be present and he screamed the whole time.

Awful.

True, he was hungry (he couldn't eat 1 hour before the procedure and when I tried to feed him 1 1/2 hours before the procedure, he wouldn't eat. So by the time we got to the drs., he decided he was hungry). Hopefully most of his screaming was from that but to sit there and listen to him cry like that and not know if he was hurting or just hungry and not being able to do anything was AWFUL!

I started crying and Kurt offered to go into the other room but I didn't want him to startle the dr. by him bursting into the room so we just sat, listened, and waited. Luckily it wasn't too long but still - AWFUL! He was fussy the rest of the night, poor baby, but today seems to be just fine.

Kurt and I? Ya, we're still not fine. Apparently Trevor is tougher than us. I really hope it is rougher on the parents than the baby.

So at his appointment he was 9 pounds 10 ounces! Man, this boy is growing like crazy. And he should be because he eats like a horse. I swear he was born ready for meat and potatoes. He chows!

He is such a good baby. As long as that tummy is full, he is a happy camper. The last 2 days he has done nothing but eat and sleep so I am sure he is going to take off on another growth spurt. He is already outgrowing his clothes. It is just happening too fast!

That is one thing I like about going overdue - it delays the start of the baby clock. Once they are born, they start changing and growing up way too fast. As long as I am pregnant I know that clock hasn't started yet. Once it does, it just doesn't stop.

Apparently one of the kids got ahold of the camera in the back seat because I have about 10-15 of these:

Hailey loves to hold him and is constantly asking. She does really good with him too.

Always sleeping.

Kayla loves to hold him too. They are TV buddies.

I tried to set up a "photo studio" to take pictures for Trevor's birth announcements. This picture just about sums up how it went.

He got hungry again so we stopped and fed him and tried again.

I think I got some cute ones so now I just need to spend some time trying to decide which one to use. "Time" being the key word there. =)

I wonder what he is thinking here:

Probably something like: "Guys, I am trying to sleep over here!"

Such a sweetie!

I am bouncing back the fastest with this baby. Not sure why but I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I don't have a toddler to chase after. I can rest when I need to, nap when I need to without having to constantly keep a toddler busy or happy. The kids are amazing. They are quiet when I fall asleep on the couch and feed themselves when they get hungry. It has been awesome. I am truly blessed!

I'm in Heaven!

2011-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

And who wouldn't be in Heaven hangin' out with this crew?

Trevor has arrived!

2011-07-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Everything went really good for the delivery. We showed up at 10 am and they started the pitocin at 11:20. When they broke my water at 1pm, I told them that my last 2 deliveries went really fast after they broke my water but that I had been about 6 cm and this time I was only 2.5 - 3. So they got everything ready expecting me to take off and deliver quickly. But that's not what happened. I got stuck at 4-5 all day long!

The only hiccup in the day was that my first epidural didn't work. It only numbed my right leg from the hip down and I could still feel every contraction. So after an hour of trying to make adjustments, they decided to redo it. The second one was awesome and worked great! I was comfortable all day as we waited for things to happen.

Looking back now, I know the problem and why things weren't progressing like we wanted. My mom and dad had been at all the deliveries of all my babies and this day my dad was at work, not being able to take any more time off. He said he would come by after work to see Trevor but when he got off work, I was still a 4-5 and not progressing. We didn't know how long it would take for Trevor to be born so my dad decided that he would come by in the morning before work to see him.

But a little bit later, my dad was inspired that he should come to the hospital so he called us to let us know he was on his way. My dad walked in the room and I called the nurse in because the contractions had changed and when she came in and checked, I was ready to deliver. They called the dr. to come in. We had to wait 30 minutes for the dr. to arrive and just a few minutes later Trevor was born. We joked that he was just waiting for Papa to arrive but seriously, I think it was true. I know without a doubt my mom was there. We just had to wait for Papa to be there too so both my parents could be there for Trevor's arrival. So special!

Here is Papa:

Me and Trevor. This hospital is really big on skin-to-skin right after birth and any time there after. I absolutely loved cuddling with him.

The kids came down a little bit later. To say they were excited would be a total understatement. They were beyond thrilled! I love Hailey and Evan's faces! Kayla was just as excited but you just can't see her.

Big Sis Kayla:

Big Sis Hailey:

And introducing, for the first time, BIG Brother Evan:

My Little Man:

I guess I really shouldn't call him my "little" man.

He was by far my biggest baby at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 20" long.

Cousin Sierra:

My Life Savers:

Dad & Julie

They drove in Monday afternoon and have been staying with us and helping with the kids. They have been AMAZING! I will truly be grateful for a really long time!

Our family of 6!

Uncle Rick came to visit.

So precious!

Daddy and his boy!

Ready to go home.

Our welcome home sign.

Visitors:

Papa and Uncle Bryan

Auntie April

Big Sis Kayla

Boy, do we love this little boy!

Still Prego

2011-07-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am still pregnant.

I have given up on the hope that my body is going to go into labor on it's own. I have done all the things everyone says to try. Not the crazy stuff like drinking castor oil but the natural stuff like walking, climbing stairs, etc. and nothing is happening.

I thought my body was trying to go on it's own because I was having contractions all the time and my tummy was not happy. Nothing stayed in too long but it turns out that there was a tummy bug going around and I probably had that since now I'm fine.

We went to the dr. on Friday and after all those contractions I had all week, nothing had changed. NOTHING! I am exactly the same as the week before. Are you kidding me? Fine, I give up.

The dr. said we had 2 options: 1) wait and see if anything happens or 2) induce. Gee, with option 1 I might just be pregnant FOREVER so we chose option 2. We have a Monday induction date. 2 more days.

So I am trying to enjoy my last few days of quiet with a wiggly belly. I am trying to appreciate and treasure the last few days of feeling his movements from the inside because soon he won't be there anymore.

I am just praying that they don't bump me on Monday. PLEASE DON'T BUMP ME!

I guess if they do, it is what it is and it will be fine. Everything works out for a reason and if I am meant to be pregnant forever, than it is what it is! Ha ha!

I spent the morning making meals and freezing them and washing our sheets. I even tempted fate and took a nap on our mattress without the mattress pad on. "Gee, I hope my water doesn't break while I am sleeping on our unprotected mattress." Ya, no luck. O-well.

So, here's to Monday, an easy delivery and a healthy baby. I can't wait to meet you Trevor.

A Ticking Time Bomb

2011-07-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

That's what I feel like.

Everyone watches me like I am going to spontaneously combust. Which I guess I technically could - my water could break. It's kind of funny.

I think my body has been trying to go into labor by itself for 2 days now but it just can't figure it out. I don't know - it is kind-of annoying. I have a dr. appt. today so hopefully I will get an

induction date that is sooner rather than later.

Hopefully this is my last prego picture:

40 weeks 2 days

Trail Run

2011-07-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

So tonight we took a trial run to Labor and Delivery.

No, I didn't think I was in labor. Trevor just didn't seem to be moving like normal the last couple of days and I wanted to have him checked out.

Remember on Friday how I ate pizza and walked and nothing was happening. Well, I woke up at 11:30 Friday night with the worst heartburn ever! Horrible, I tell you and I had taken heartburn medicine at 9 pm hoping to prevent it. I got up to watch TV to try to take my mind off of it.

Oh, just for the record, I didn't eat the pizza hoping to trigger labor. We were at April and Rick's and it was just what we did for dinner. I had heard that spicy pizza (and yes, I consider pepperoni pizza spicy) could help trigger labor so I thought maybe that plus the walk would do something. And it did all right - gave me the worst heartburn EVER and made my body cranky!

So I watch TV til about 1 am. During the TV watching I noticed that I was having Braxton Hicks and that they seemed to be getting pretty consistent. I didn't think too much of it because I just don't go into labor on my own so I figured they would stop. By 1 am I was tired so I went to bed. I woke up at 3 am with a really strong contractions. They actually got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, something was happening.

But by 4 am, they stopped. Stinkin' things. Got me all excited and then nothing.

So, since then Trevor just didn't seem to be moving like normal. I kept thinking I should go in to L&D but I felt like I was over-reacting or something. He was moving - just didn't seem "normal." But today, I could stand it no more so we went in.

And of course, as the nurse was putting the monitors on my tummy, he nailed her 3 times with some good kicks. Great - make me look like I am crazy!

But after he settled down from the monitors being put on, he was calm, too calm. His heart rate was in the normal range but it didn't have any of the fluctuation that they want to see. He wasn't moving around.

So she had me drink cold water. Nothing.

She had me turn on my side. Nothing.

Ok, now I am not looking so crazy.

She brought me some juice. She said she also called the dr. and the dr. ordered an ultrasound to make sure Trevor was ok and that he had enough fluid around him.

But by the time the guy showed up to take me to the ultrasound, Trevor was bouncing off the walls. Apparently, he just needed a little sugar (which I had tried before we went in). He was all over the place.

We decided to go ahead with the ultrasound just to make sure everything was ok. We were already there, so why not? Everything was great. He scored an 8 out of 8 on the test they did. Way to go Trevor! It was really cool because one of the things they look for is the baby to be "breathing." And he was breathing a ton - it was really neat to see. You could see his lungs expanding and contracting.

So, apparently the problem was that I wasn't drinking enough fluids. Big surprise there - we already know I have a fluid intake issue. I guess these upper 90 - 100 degree days are catching up with me.

After filling me up on water and juice, Trevor has been moving around all evening. He is one happy camper.

Baby Update

2011-07-01T21:17:00.001-07:00

So I went to the dr yesterday and there has actually been some change. Woo Hoo! This is the earliest I have been 2 cm dilated so maybe, just maybe, I MIGHT do this on my own. That is a very big "might."

Tonight I had spicy (meaning pepperoni) pizza and then took a walk with the kids. So far . . . nothing.

The kids keep rubbing my belly and bribing Trevor to come out. If this boy plays his cards right, he could have some pretty good deals waiting for him when he arrives!

The good news is that the dr. said if I was still prego at the end of next week that he would induce me. Woo Hoo!

The not so great news is that the hospital that I am delivering at has an interesting induction reputation. The dr said he tried to call to get someone in yesterday and they didn't have an opening until Tuesday of next week. Hmmmm . . . 5 days later? Interesting. I have a friend who's sister went in to be induced and was admitted and given the iv and then nothing. They got to busy to induce her so she sat there for 24 hours before they actually induced her. Interesting.

The other kicker is that my dr is on vacation until next Thursday. I have an appt on Friday to see him but if he calls Friday to schedule me, I may not get in til the following week. He said he would call Wednesday to schedule it but is he really going to remember? Probably not.

So, Trevor, if we could just do this on our own, that would be great. What do you say?

Best Buddies

2011-06-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Aren't they just adorable?

Ok . . . I'm Done!

2011-06-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

I love you Trevor but it is time for you to GET OUT!

Momma needs her body back! PLEASE!

Unfortunately, according to my last two dr. appts, it doesn't look like Trevor or my "baby baker" is in any hurry to deliver. Soooo, he will probably follow in his siblings footsteps and go over due.

I have 9 days until my due date and then the dr. will probably have me go past that and then the weekend falls in there so . . . I guess we are looking at at least 14 more days. At least 2 more weeks. Seriously? (Honor, you are probably going to have Isla before I have Trevor!)

I just don't know if the rest of me can make it!

I have swelling like I have never had before.

I have heartburn like crazy.

My legs and arms feel heavy.

I have no energy.

My legs hurt.

My hips hurt.

My back hurts.

Every time I eat, I feel sick.

I am not sleeping. (I know - getting ready for when he is born but come on, I'M TIRED!)

I know, I know - all normal end of pregnancy joys. It is just so hard when you are tired and done.

Kurt so nicely pointed out to me that I am older with this pregnancy. Nice honey. Those are some pretty dangerous words to say to an exhausted prego lady. Good thing I am too tired to come over there and kick your booty!

I have tried so hard not to whine to Kurt because he has been working soooo hard. He has been so busy and stressed that I haven't wanted to bother him. So I just keep going like nothing is wrong. I just keep doing all the things that need to be done. I just keep going. But I have to say that I think I am just about done. I think this is the week when my body is going to say "no more!" So if you stop by my house it is likely to be a mess and the laundry is likely to be all over but oh-well. I can only do so much and right now the "much" isn't very much.

Ok, so on to more happy things. Here is what we have been up to lately.

Here is me at 38 weeks 2 days (last Friday):

I have been blessed with 2 wonderful baby showers. I have the most wonderful friends and family and they have just been so generous! I think I have everything we need for Trevor and I think it is all ready. The only thing I need to do is test out the car seat in the car but other than that, everything is ready. I haven't gotten all the pics from the baby showers yet. When I do, I will post them.

We have been doing a lot of this (first video) and Kurt taught Evan how to do this last weekend (2nd video):

Ya, he is only 5.

We got to see Brittany and baby Kennedy on Friday. Kennedy is almost 4 months old and is so cute!

Evan was so excited to hold Kennedy. He can't wait to be a big brother. He asks me everyday, several times a day "when is Trevor going to be born?"

If only I knew Ev. If only I knew!

It’s about time for me to place my order

2011-06-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I would like to order 1 scheduled induction sometime after July 6th, preferably on an even day (all my kids are odd months and even days). I would like it to be pain free with no pushing. Thank you very much and I look forward to receiving my order.

Now, don’t you laugh! Just such a delivery exists - I have had one. And I would REALLY like another.

Kayla’s birth was not like that . . . at all. I have mentioned before that she was 2 weeks late and when I was admitted into the hospital to be induced, I was dilated to a 0. Yep, nothing was happening. They warned me that it would be a rough battle. We wanted to go “natural” but by the time I got to 5 cm, I was loosing it. I had tried walking, the ball, the shower, etc. and I was at my breaking point so I got an epidural. Hello, epidural! I love you! By the time she was born, I had been pushing for 2 hours, they had turned my epidural off at some point and I was feeling everything again, I was throwing up, Kayla’s heart rate was dropping and they were threatening an emergency c-section. As a last attempt they used the vacuum to help delivery her and she was born. No wonder this kid has anxiety - her entry into this world was anything but calm.

Hailey’s birth was much better. She was due November 2nd and on the night of November 3rd, I woke up at about 11 pm thinking “oh man, I have to go to the bathroom and I really don’t want to get up.” I was laying there trying to convince myself to get up and go when I felt a little gush, not enough to get the bed wet but enough to make me jump up. I honestly thought my bladder had leaked. I was mortified to say the least. Thank goodness I have a husband who sleeps through everything! I got up, went potty and changed. Then I noticed that I was damp again. Hmmm. Brain started thinking about this. You always hear of the water breaking as a big flash flood but I had a trickle. Could it be my water leaking? I woke Kurt up. Now you need to know that Kurt will do anything for anybody at anytime . . . but if it is in the middle of the night, you need to get the boy to wake up first - good luck. I shook him and said “I think my water is leaking.” His response (without even budging) “your fine, go back to sleep.” So I changed again and sat there. Sure enough, I was damp again. Tried again to wake him and got “your fine, go back to sleep.” At this point I just called L&D. That woke him up! We went in and they looked at me like I was making it up. It took a little bit but finally they did believe me. I wasn’t having any contractions but since my water had “broken” they had to keep me. They had me walk the halls and finally at some point, they started the pitocin. I knew this time I wanted an epidural and so when they said the Epidural God was down the hall and asked if I wanted mine, I said “YES!” The greatest part was that the contractions weren’t hurting yet. So I got my epidural. At about 8 am, the dr. came in and I was at about 6 cm. She broke the rest of my water since it hadn’t fully broken. I called my parents (who were with Kayla) and said that it would be a couple of hours and they could come whenever they wanted and then I told Kurt to go get some breakfast from the cafeteria. I was all alone when I felt a weird pressure. I buzzed the nurse who came in and checked me. She started running around. “Don’t cough, sneeze, laugh, or move. The baby is right there and we need to get the dr back.” Um, what? I called Kurt on his cell and told him to come back RIGHT NOW and then I called my parents and told them to hurry to the hospital (they were suppose to be there when she was born). I swear, people come out of the walls when you have a baby. All of the sudden the room was full of people. Kurt came running in after leaving his breakfast in the cafeteria and in 2 pushes, Hailey was born. My parents missed it by seconds. They came in just as Kurt was cutting the cord. What a difference from Kayla’s delivery. Hailey wants me to add that Kurt didn’t get to drink his hot chocolate and to this day, he always tells Hailey on her birthday that she owes him a hot chocolate. She is his “hot chocolate” baby.

Now, Evan’s delivery was the best. I was induced because I was overdue. We checked in and I immediately told anyone who came into my room that “yes, I do want the epidural.” When the dr. came in, I made sure he knew too but his answer was “you have to be in active labor.” When he left, I looked at Kurt and with pure panic in my face (as he retells the story) I said “active labor? But that might hurt.” He said “well, your having a baby. What did you expect?” Honestly, I expected Hailey’s delivery - the no pain method. This ‘active labor’ stuff sounded crazy. But as it worked out, the contractions weren’t hurting when they finally offered me my epidural. Awesome! So I got the epidural and then the rest of the day we relaxed. Seriously. We were prepared this time. We rented movies the night before and brought Kurt’s lap top. I slept all day and Kurt watched movies. The dr would come in and sit next to Kurt on the couch, put his feet up on a chair and ask “what are we watching now?” or “how long do you think I can hide in here before they find me?” It was great. I think I was the most checked on patient that day! Evan was the same - I was about 6 cm when they broke my water and I delivered in about 10-15 minutes. I felt that weird pressure and called the nurse. Of course, it had to be right when the nurses where changing their shifts and no one was available to come in. I kept buzzing the nurses and when one finally came in, she did the same thing. “Don’t move, breathe, sneeze, cough or laugh. The baby is right there.” So the dr came in and Evan just came out. I didn’t even push. See - pain free and no pushing. Awesome.

So that is what I am going for. A replay of Evan’s delivery.

Please!

Pretty Please!

With a cherry on top!

Memorial Weekend was Memorable

2011-06-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

We went camping for Memorial Weekend and, as usual, we had no reservations. Gotta love just winging it. Ok, the dad's like just winging it. The moms? Not so much. I thought we had a site but as we were driving out of town I was informed that we "knew" of some sites but that we didn't "have" a site. Lovely. Turns out it worked out just fine but still, I don't like the unknown. The site was a first-come-first-serve-dry camping site and we were the only ones there Thursday night.

Friday we got up and went to Mercer Caverns in Murphy. It is 16 stories down and 16 stories back up. Luckily they stop a bit on the way up to show you different things so you get to rest.

Here we are going down into the cave:

Evan in the cave

As you come out of the cave, they had you bumper stickers.

You can see where Kurt stuck his.

At least it didn't say "wide load" or something.

Friday night we spent in the ER with Evan.

He gets really congested when the weather changes from warm to rainy and that has been the crazy weather we have been having here in CA. Warm then rainy, then warm, then rainy. A few days before we left, it was rainy again and he was congested. Friday night his cough got more persistent and hacking. During dinner he wasn't acting like he felt good and it looked like he was having a little trouble breathing (he was laying on my lap and his stomach/chest looked like his breathing was labored). When I laid with him to put him to bed, his breathing was really fast and shallow. I called Kurt in and he didn't like it either. We decided to take him to a dr. Turns out the closest ER was 45 minutes away. So at 9:15 pm we left for the ER. Arrived at 10 pm. Got in triage at 10:30 and his oxygen level was low (you know the little finger thingy they put on). Not dangerous low but lower than it should have been. We got into a room at 11 pm. Then we sat and sat and sat until 1 am when the dr. finally came in. He listened to his breathing and called a respiratory therapist. He gave him a breathing treatment. The dr. thought he sounded better but still congested so he ordered x-rays. The 1st set was cloudy and they thought he might have pneumonia. They took a 2nd set, this time with his pjs and sweatshirt opened and they came back totally clear. They think he has asthma so they gave us an inhaler and told us to follow up with his primary. We left a little after 3 and arrived back at our trailer at 4 am. We were a bit tired the next day, to say the least. We just hung out at camp and napped.

Here's Cody just hanging out.

Here is the little boy feeling better.

Sunday we went to Calaveras Big Trees State Park and walked on the trail. It is a really easy walking trail that is 1.5 miles long and takes you through some amazing trees. Absolutely beautiful!

Here is our group standing on top of a HUGE tree trunk that was cut down.

We were here exactly 2 years ago but then there was no snow. This time, a little snow.

Kayla and a massive tree.

Hailey playing in a tree.

Walking in a tree.

My man in a tree.

This was a tree recently hit by lightning. It was amazing to see the force that exploded the tree. Mother Nature is powerful!

On the way home we went past our camp site and further up the road to see what was there. We found some beautiful waterfalls.

Our journey ended when the snow overruled the road. Of course, the kids had to get out and play.

When we got back to our camp site, we walked the trail that goes along the river. Absolutely beautiful, again.

Hailey picked up a slug.

We had a great time but I am exhausted.

Now it is time to focus on getting ready for Trevor. Only 5 weeks left! Hopefully more - if he is like his siblings. They were all late and I am hoping he will be too.

Monkey love

2011-05-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hailey is in love with monkeys. She has decided that she wants to use monkeys for Trevor. Anything monkey she loves and wants to get. It's cute - so our new blog background is dedicated to Hailey and her love for monkeys.

* * * * * *

On Sunday we had some crazy weather around our parts. We were at church when the worst of it hit. Lightning, thunder, rain, hail, total craziness. When we got home, this is what we found:

The kids had a blast playing in it and throwing it at the dog; who absolutely loved it. It was quite cute.

* * * * * *

33 weeks today! Woo Hoo!

Taking a tour of the hospital on Monday night. Getting excited for that. This will be the first time at this hospital. I have heard good things but the rooms for after delivery (recovery rooms??) are shared. I am a little spoiled from our other hospital where I had private rooms so I am not looking forward to sharing a room.

I need to find a new pediatrician. We switched insurance companies a year ago and picked a dr. for the kids. She has been ok but the other day I realized that she would be the one to come to the hospital to check out Trevor and all of the sudden I realized I wasn't THAT comfortable with her. I asked my OB for some recommendations. He gave me 3 but I am not sure how to go about finding out about them and deciding if I am ok with them. Any ideas on how to find new doctors?

* * * * * *

Can I just say that being a work mom is really hard sometimes? Add homeschooling to the mix and it gets really, really hard sometimes. Sigh. One day at a time.

* * * * * *

Mothers Day was ok. We had a good morning and then went to my dad's for dinner. He did a great job cooking a yummy dinner. I did good all day until my dad asked me if I wanted to go through my mom's jewelry. I went to the closet and didn't know what to do. I just stared at it and started crying. I ended up packing it all up and bringing it home. Some day I will be ready to go through it all. I am going to have to hide it though - the girls keep trying to get into it. It is like a treasure box of goodies to them =)

Nesting

2011-05-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

My nesting is taking form as a laundry-crazy-mama. I am so on top of laundry right now it isn't even funny. Every dirty article of clothing makes me want to run and throw it in the washer but I try to control myself and wait for a full load.

I also am into putting the clutter away. Not really cleaning as in dusting, vacuuming, and that type of stuff but more just attacking the clutter. Our poor bedroom became a dumping ground and collected everything. I have been working on one section at a time and it is slowly looking like a room we might actually want to sleep in. I will have to take pics when I get it all done.

Does your husband nest? Mine does. With Evan's pregnancy it was painting. He wanted to paint every room. I managed to limit him to the family room and Evan's room. I was 8-9 months pregnant and on the floor trying to trim the moulding and after those two rooms I said no more. Not to mention that trying to pick paint colors was going to drive me insane. We had 9 color squares in our family room and 9 squares in Evan's room trying to decide what colors to use. I finally told him to just pick something - I didn't care anymore - and I do have to say that he picked great colors.

This pregnancy Kurt is into decorating the house. The poor guy was blessed/cursed with a wife who doesn't like to shop. Blessed because he doesn't have to worry about me spending money. Cursed because our house never changes because I don't like to buy anything new. So Kurt has taken this up lately and here are his goods:

A new picture for the family room:

He finally hung this picture above the fireplace. It has sat up there since Evan was 2.

(That's only 3.5 years to hang a picture!)

We got Evan's new room all set up.

Evan shares his room with Cody (who wanted to be in the picture).

The new rug he got for the kitchen.

Cody is modeling the it for you.

After several years of having princess quilts on their beds (the last few years they have complained that it was way too little kidish), we finally got the girls new bed sets. Kurt found them.

We even got them cute sheets to go with it.

I have to say that I think he is doing a great job!

Up to #3 on "The List"

2011-04-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Doug & Rebecca on the arrival of Grayson Lawrence on April 16th. He is so cute!

With the arrival of Grayson, that moves me up to #3 on "The List" of people having babies. Only Kelly and Jenna to go and then it's my turn. CRAZY!

I think the denial of having another baby is starting to wear off. This week I got the incredibly strong urge to go register and so we did on Thursday. I actually started getting excited looking at all the baby stuff. I still need to go back and finish - having 3 kids and a husband with you really slows down the process and they all started getting warn out.

Also, the nesting instinct has kicked in big time this week. I attacked the girls room the other day. Cleaned out their closet, dressers (Chrissy I have a lot of clothes for you!) and organized all their toys. Whew! Was that a lot of work but, boy, does their room look good.

Then I finally had the energy (or so I thought) to move Evan's room downstairs. I told Kurt "just get the guest bed out of that room and move Evan's bed down and I will move all the rest." Kurt had a design he was suppose to be working on but after I took 2 trips up and down the stairs, I was exhausted and he came to my rescue and moved the rest. Evan is doing great being the only one sleeping downstairs.

Now I have started accumulating baby things in Trevor's room. That sounds so weird - "Trevor's room."

The pregnancy is going good. He seems to be a quiet baby. He isn't a crazy kicker or anything. Most of the time I have to stop and think "have I felt him move lately?" and then sit and wait to make sure he is moving. Which he always does but it is more gentle and "rolley" than kicking. He is a stretcher too. He likes to just slowly stretch out a body part and then curl it back up.

Here is a shot of my 31 week belly:

I didn't realize that I hadn't taken belly shots for 7 weeks. Wow! That time slipped away. Only 9 weeks until my due date. I always go over so I am sure it will be a bit more than 9 weeks but our countdown is into the single digits!

Life is still crazy.

* Staples did in fact lose everything on our computers so I have nothing. Still trying to figure out how to fix that and get a handle on our bookkeeping - especially our accounts receivable.

* Kayla is sick again running 103 fever since Sunday. Today she started with no fever but has slowly increased all day back up to 102.6. I am taking her to the dr. tomorrow if she still has it.

* We are having a really hard time getting back into school work. This week the girls had STAR testing (which Kayla missed) so luckily we didn't have work for a few days.

* The dog is on his 4th ear and skin infection and we have another appt for him on Monday.

Exciting news:

* Kurt has signed more work! Woo hoo! We are now booked a few months out. Amazing! Such wonderful blessings!

* I applied to enroll the kids in a new charter school starting up this fall. Evan has been accepted but the girls are on a waiting list. Hopefully they will get in. I just don't think I will be able to homeschool 3 kids (1 being a kindergardener and needing undivided attention), run a business and take care of a new baby. May be just a bit too much so hopefully this school will work out.

Life is just cruisin' along. One busy day after another. I could sure use a few more hours each day to keep up on things but I guess it will all get done when it gets done.

Birthday Issues

2011-04-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

So today is my birthday . . . and I could really care less. Isn't that bad? All week the kids and Kurt have been asking me what I want for my birthday and I honestly just don't know. Nothing.

I have been feeling blah the last few days building up to my birthday. I have never had issues with my birthday but this year I just don't know.

I think it has mostly to do with my mom not being here.

It could also have something to do with that fact that:

1) I feel fat and everything hurts. My legs, my back, my stomach, my hips. And not to mention, that I feel like I can't breathe half the time and I still have 11 long weeks til this baby is born.

2) I only have 11 short weeks before this baby is born and I have not even started thinking about getting ready. I have bought nothing. Nada, zip, zero, zilch! Luckily I have had friends dropping off baby gear but it has just been piled in the downstairs bedroom. I haven't even had the desire to go through things yet.

3) I am still trying to get caught up with missing 3 weeks of work. Plus, we took the office computers to Staples to have some clean up work done because they were really slow and, just to make life more fun, Staples computer system crashed taking my computers with it. Now I may have lost my whole accounting system. Awesome, uh?

But mostly I think it has to do with my mom. I don't get upset thinking about all those other things but as soon as I think about my mom, the tears threaten and some even spill over.

Someone called to wish me a happy birthday this morning and I didn't answer the phone. I have never done that before. I feel like a melt-down is hiding just below the surface and one "how are you doing" and I will just fall apart because apparently, today, I am not doing good. I don't know. I just wish I could sleep all day. I guess I am just having "one of those days" and it will pass.

So . . . happy birthday to me!

My Mom ~ Feb. 26, 1948 to April 6, 2011

2011-04-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Where to start?

3 weeks ago today my mom was at a dr. appt talking, walking and just being my mom. She didn't feel great but she was here. Who would have thought that 2 weeks later to the day that she would be gone?

None of us, that's for sure.

She has been gone for a week now and I still don't think I have fully grasped the reality of that. I can't believe it has been a week. I am sure that I am still in some sort of shock.

Yesterday we had her funeral. It was beautiful! The service was nice. I made it through giving the eulogy with only a few teary moments. The weather was amazing. We had a luncheon afterwards that was very nice - thanks to all the help we received from friends and family.

As hard and crazy as the last 3 weeks have been, I don't think they could have been any better. We had time with my mom to share and say goodbye, she didn't suffer and linger long, she had a beautiful service. Considering the situation, it was as good as it could have been. I will forever be grateful for that blessing.

Now life has to find a new normal. We have to find a way to deal with the hole that has been left in our hearts.

If you're interested, here is the eulogy I gave:

First I want to thank you all for being here today to celebrate my mom’s life and remember with fondness the way she has touched your own lives. I am certain that she is not far from us, and looks over these proceedings with great joy and tenderness. She would also want all who are here to feel great peace and comfort in the knowledge that life truly does continue beyond the grave, and that love shared between family and friends never dies. I also know that my mom would want this service to be light and cheery so I will do my best to make that happen.

After these services you are all invited back to my parents house for a luncheon. We hope you all can come as we would love a chance to speak with each one of you. There are directions in the back if you need them.

I would like to begin by reading a poem titled:

Gone From My Sight

by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"
Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

I know that as we said goodbye here on Earth, that in Heaven they were jumping for joy and shouting “here she comes!”

When I unexpectedly returned home to the kids last Wednesday morning after staying at my parents for 3 days to help care for mom, the kids asked “is Grammy ok?”

My immediate response was to shake my head no. But I quickly realized that was a very earthly, a very mortal answer. That in God’s plan, Grammy was more than just ok so I quickly changed my answer to “yes, Grammy is ok.” And she is. In fact, she is better than ok. My mom has returned to her Father in Heaven with honor after a wonderful Earthly mission.

We sat on the couch and explained to the kids that there was a big celebration in Heaven as her family and friends welcomed her home and congratulated her on a job well done.

I believe it was Hailey who asked “Is Max there too?” (Max is our dog that passed away 3 years ago) and we said “yes, Max is there too licking Grammy to pieces.” This seemed to help all the kids feel a little bit better. Grammy was with Max and Max was with Grammy.

We also told them that we would see Grammy again. Some day we will each have a turn to return to Heaven and we asked them “who do you think will be the first person in line to give us a hug when we get there?” They all smiled and said “Grammy!”

And if I know my mom, she will probably be close to the first, if not the first, in line for each one of you too for she loved each of you so much. To know my mom was to be loved by my mom. She loved everyone and you could feel it by just being with her.

My mom was an amazing person. She was an amazing wife and mother, and she got to live an amazing life. She was born to Arthur and Gertrude Hammond on February 26, 1948 in Long Beach, CA. Her and her brother Richard grew up on the beaches in Southern California.

In 1970 she met my dad at a party that neither wanted to attend. But fate stepped in and they both went and in 1972 they were married. They were married for 5 years before yours truly joined their family in April 1977. In 1978 they moved from Southern California to Northern California where they have made their home for the last 33 years and made some incredible friendships. In October 1982 Bryan joined and completed our family.

Over the years, my mom and dad were able to travel all over the world. They were able to go to Switzerland, to Alaska. They were able to see the Pope in Rome. They took a Mediterranean cruise where she found her favorite place of all - Portofino. She loved it there! Not only did they get to go to all these amazing places, they were able to share them with some amazing friends; many who are here today.

She taught me and my brother many things. She taught us to be honest. She taught us to be kind. She taught us to care of others. She taught us to pray. She taught us how to express our love for others. She taught us to be happy and look for the best in people and situations. She didn’t teach us these things by telling us to do them. She taught them to us by the way she lived her life; she taught us by example.

Plus, my mom was a lot of fun! I am sure you all have stories of having fun with my mom. I would like to share a few of my favorites with you today.

When my brother and I were about 7 and 12, we rented a Nintendo game where you were an airplane and you had to land on an aircraft carrier. We were getting frustrated because we couldn’t do it. Neither of us could figure it out. My mom came in and asked what we were doing and we explained the object of the game. She asked if she could try. We thought this was funny because my mom was not the most gifted with technology or video games. She took hold of the remote and started pushing all the buttons and to our amazement, she landed the plane perfectly on her first try. She handed the remote back to us and said something like “well, that wasn’t too hard” and walked out of the room. Bryan and I looked at each other and started laughing like crazy. We have laughed over this several times during the years as we thought it was so funny.

Another time we went camping and both my brother and I were able to take a friend. We had a girls tent and a boys tent. During one night a huge thunderstorm came over the camp ground. There was lightning and thunder right over us and it was pouring rain. In the girls tent, we got scared and decided to go to the van for safety. We couldn’t figure out how to get out of the tent and that led us to getting the giggles. Once we managed to get out of the tent and into the van we started telling scary stories and freaking ourselves out. We laughed so hard and had so much fun.

I also asked each of my children their favorite memory of Grammy.

Evan said playing with Grammy. He loves how she used to get on the floor and play cars with him. He has a “city carpet” and they would drive around for hours. I came home one day and they were both laughing hysterically. On the city was a lady sitting on a bench and they had come up with a game where Grammy would say “watch out for Boo-Boo Betty” and Evan would “accidentally” crash into her and they would just laugh and laugh.

Hailey said her favorite memory of Grammy was having a tea party with her. They would get my mom’s real, fine china tea set out and put juice in it. Then they would go outside and drink their tea and just sit and talk.

Kayla said her favorite memory of Grammy was spending the night one night and they were swimming after dark. They had the pool light on and were sitting on the steps in the pool just talking and hanging out together.

It is memories like these that we will keep close to our hearts and remember Grammy.

Family was very important to my mom. She loved to do Sunday dinners. We loved Sunday dinners too, not just because of the delicious meals she always prepared, but because of the love she also brought to the table.

My mom was an amazing person. I have used that word a lot today - amazing. I don’t know a better word to describe her.

My dear mom lived her life well and she continues to live inside each of us. She will forever be in our hearts. I love you mom!

Sometimes Life is Hard . . . But Keep Counting Your Blessings

2011-03-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I won't lie - life is hard right now. Really hard. It seems like most of my "worlds" are out of control, I am not sleeping good (as you can tell by these 2 posts being at 3 and 4 am - I've been up since 2) and feel like I am just barely hanging on. (I am actually doing better than that sounded). I am trying to remain positive and not get depressed or overwhelmed or completely lose my mind and I am doing this by counting my blessings. When I start to get upset (like today in the middle of the produce department), I start listing the things I am thankful for and it really helps. So here are some of my blessings:

1. First I am grateful for my amazing mom. She is the best mom - always loving and kind. Anyone who has ever met her has loved her. She is an amazing role model for me and a huge blessing in my life. (See next post for an update on her).

2. Heavenly Father - I know He is there for me. I know all my strength is coming from Him. I am so thankful that He is aware of me and my life and my needs. I know that all these blessings have come from Him and I am truly grateful!!

3. My husband - wow! I can't even tell you what a great husband I have. He is always there for me. Holds me when I need to cry, motivates me when I need to be motivated, makes me laugh (even when I really don't want to). He truly is my sanity right now.

4. My amazing kids. I honestly have to say that I think I have the best, most amazing kids. Sorry - they're all mine. =) These kids are such troopers! They have had a frazzled mom lately and what do they do? They are always saying: "mom, what can I do to help?" or "mom, look what I did without you even asking me!" or "mom, I just want to hug you." Truly awesome kids!

5. Trevor - he is such a huge blessing. I have to say that honestly, since I am not sick anymore, I forget all the time that I am pregnant. With so much going on, I just forget. That is until my body starts hurting and telling me I am doing too much or when he starts kicking and squirming. Then I put my hand on my stomach and tell him how much I love him, how much he is wanted and how special he is.

6. My immune system - When the girls were so sick I just kept praying "please don't let me get sick" and I didn't. Such a huge blessing. And now, Evan is getting sick (hopefully just a regular cold) and I keep praying the same thing, "please don't let me get sick." And so far, my immune system is winning (knock on wood!). I am so thankful for a healthy body.

7. Work - so while this is also a huge source of stress, I am so thankful for the jobs we have right now. Kurt has signed 8-9 jobs in the last 2 weeks. HUGE BLESSINGS - every single one of them! We both know this and we are both extremely thankful.

8. Food - sure there are more take out containers in my fridge right now than left over tupperware ones but I am thankful for the food that we have to eat. I am thankful for the fruit and veggies that I have to eat. This was a hard one because all I want to eat right now is junk but I am very blessed to have healthy, fresh produce in my fridge that I can eat any time I want.

These are just some of my blessings. I am getting tired again - it is almost 5 am now - so I should go back to bed. I feel better having (once again) listed some blessings.

Thank you Heavenly Father for these and all the other blessings in my life!

An update on my mom

2011-03-25T03:09:00.001-07:00

So my mom is having a hard time right now. But you would never know it if you asked her. Her response is always "I am feeling better." Even when you can tell by her voice that she isn't, she will say "I am feeling better. I just need to get past this and I will be all better." She is not one to complain - a nurse even told me one day "Linda wouldn't complain if her big toe was on fire" and she truly wouldn't.

About 6 or 7 weeks ago we noticed that her balance was a little off, she seemed to get confused and her speech was a little slow or she couldn't find the right words. It wasn't extreme but we were watching her, trying to figure out what was going on. Then one day she called me from mag (she still goes every other day for 4 hours of magnessium treatment) and told me the nurses didn't want her driving home. I had Kurt drive me down to the Infusion Center where I sat with her for the remainder of her treatment and had them explain to me what happened. Apparently she came in and wasn't herself. She was way off balance and her words were slurred. The nurses, being extremely worried, took her straight down to her dr. so her dr. could see her behavior. They were thinking that she had had a stroke or something. The dr. ordered an MRI of her brain and blood work to see what was going on. The MRI came back perfect. Nothing wrong. The blood work showed that her calcium levels were high and, apparently, high calcium levels lead to confusion, balance problems, etc. They said that there are meds she can take to lower the calcium levels. Ok, so her mag is low - she can take mag for that - and her calcium is high - she can take a med to lower that. So all should balance out, right?

We went to the dr. appt in February thinking that that was the case - just add the calcium reducing meds to her treatment and everything should be ok. Well, I guess calcium doesn't work that way. The calcium going up is a sign that the disease is progressing. So while there are meds they can give her to lower it, the fact that it went up is not a good sign. And boy, can you tell when that calcium is off. Poor thing would get so confused and loopy. But the meds would do their job - after a day or so we could tell that her calcium level had come back down and she was herself again. At the February appt the dr. also switched her chemo. The PET scan showed that the cancer was still contained in the liver but it was more active than they wanted - meaning the chemo wasn't doing it's job. Another sign that the disease is progressing. The dr. told us over 3 years ago that there would come a time where the chemo just wouldn't work any more and she was thinking that we might be at that point but she wasn't ready to give up and switched the chemo to try something else. This is when my mom asked if she was still going to be around for Trevor's delivery and the dr. said she didn't know. Slap in the face - didn't see that one coming.

So for the last month we have waited to see if the chemo was going to be able to turn the disease back around. And during that month we have watched my mom struggle to be herself. The confusion has come and gone but every time it goes, it seems to leave a little bit behind. She is very aware of what is going on but she gets confused and can't remember things or fully comprehend things. And she sleeps a lot. And she feels sick a lot.

We went to the dr. yesterday (Wednesday) and found out that the new chemo isn't working either. Her numbers show the disease is continuing to progress. Which we basically knew just by how she had been feeling and acting but it is still devastating to hear.

It just breaks my heart because she never complains. She sits there listening to the dr. and I am not even sure how much she is fully understanding and she says "if I could just go in the hospital for a few days and get some medicine, then I will feel better again." But not this time mom. Man, how I wish there was some medicine to make her feel better - I would do anything to get it. But there's not.

And then the dr. starts saying things like: Hospice, home care, pain management, hospital bed at home, oxygen, when to take her to the hospital/ER and I start thinking "holy cow - this is really happening." She is letting us know our options should we need them but what? I really don't want to hear any of this.

Then we start talking about her safety because with her balance being off, we don't want her falling when someone isn't at home. Or when she gets really confused, we don't want her doing something to hurt herself. So today (Thursday) I went and spent the day with her. She slept most of it but we had ice cream together at 10 am because that is what she wanted. Have I mentioned that she never complains? I could tell by her breathing that she was hurting and I asked her if she needed any pain meds. She just simply says "ya, I think I will take some now." Her liver is now enlarged and it causes her pain but she never complains.

I am no where near ready to lose my mom. I don't even know how to deal with that but I really don't want to see her suffer either. All I can do is love her, be there for her, spend time with her, help her feel safe and secure and pray to Heavenly Father that he will take care of her. He knows whats best for her. I can be a tool in His hand to do whatever it is that she needs. That is my mission right now.

Family Fun

2011-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were lucky to have Jared here visiting for a bit. He has a seminar this week in Tahoe and so he was able to fly out a bit early to spend time with his CA family. We didn't get to see Jared for about 6 years and then in the last year we have been able to see him 3 times. It has been fun to spend time with our VA family. He flew into Reno, which is about 1.5 - 2 hours from our house. Unfortunately, he picked a very stormy weekend to come and it took him 5 hours to make the drive. We are so grateful for his willingness to make the crazy, snowy drive and especially grateful for his safe travel!

He arrived at about 6 pm Friday and we spent the evening with April, Margo and her family. Then Saturday we spent the day together too. Even though Margo is so close, we hadn't seen them in awhile to it was nice to catch up with everyone. Then this morning (Sunday) Jared made another crazy, scary, snowy trip to Tahoe. I think Jared has had his fill of snow driving for awhile.

And wouldn't you know it - I didn't get one picture of everyone together. What a slacker I am!

* * * * * * * * * * *

About 2 weeks ago we took a family drive. Kurt had found this road a few years ago and we hadn't traveled it since so we thought we would explore it again. Kurt remembered it having a lot of waterfalls so we thought this would be a good time to go. And it did not disappoint.

The waterfalls were right off the side of the road.

Kayla did her usual protest of not wanting to go but, as usual, as soon as we got there, she had a great time! And she got ahold of the camera and took a picture of every single drop of water she saw! It was so cute. And we got a ton of photos. Here are a few:

Then at one spot we found a cave to go in. At first the kids were hesitant but once Daddy went in and proved it safe, the rest of us followed. It was a lot bigger than we thought and went a ways back in. The beginning part had a low ceiling and so we had to hunch over to walk through. After a little bit, my back and abdomen muscles started screaming "hello . . . remember we have an extra 15 pounds hanging out front?" and so I turned around and sat out front. Farther into the tunnel, the ceiling rose up and Kurt could walk upright.

At one point you have to cross the river on this really old bridge. It is kind of a funny bridge because it moves so it is kind-of scary but we made it across no problem.

We took a trail down to the river. The kids found stacks of rocks piled up and wanted to make their own stacks.

More water:

Family Picture:

We came out through Foresthill where there was snow. The kids were dying to play in it. It lasted about 2 seconds since the girls had on flip flops but at least they got to touch it.

Gotta love having family fun!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and our past week

2011-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

The joys of having older sisters that put funny things on you in stores!

Good thing he's a good sport!

I tured 24 weeks yesterday and I swear my stomach has popped out in the last week. I bump it on everything! All of the sudden it just seems to be in my way all the time.

I gained 5 pounds this last month. This is definitely going to be my heaviest pregnancy. Usually I loose weight at the beginning and they tell me to eat, eat, eat. Not this time. From the very beginning (even though I felt so horrible) I have gained the exact amount I was suppose to every month. Except last, when I gained 5 instead of 4. Oh well.

Our last week has been filled with this:

And lots of this:

And this:

Last Thursday Hailey came down with 103.5 fever. She ran between 102 - 104.2 til Sunday when it went away. Then it came back Monday afternoon. I took her to the dr. and the dr. thought she was starting to develop pneumonia so they put her on antibiotics. She is doing much better now. Kayla started the fever late Sunday and has been down ever since. Her fever broke last night at 11 pm and (FINGERS CROSSED, KNOCK ON WOOD) hasn't come it back. Hopefully we are at the tail end of this nasty bug!

So for the last week, Evan and I have been house bound. The office had to move home so I could still work so our dining room became the office:

I kept Evan home from preschool all week because he had a slightly stuffy nose and I was afraid he was getting sick and would carry the germs to school. The poor boy is going crazy at home. He created a "surfboard/skateboard" yesterday that kept him entertained for awhile.

This is where I drew the line:

And let's not forget poor Cody. With 2 of his playmates out of commission, the poor dog is getting a little bored too. Yesterday he wouldn't leave me alone. He just kept begging me to play.

So that has been our week. I am so thankful that Evan, Kurt and I have managed to stay healthy. FINGERS CROSSED, KNOCK ON WOOD

Hopefully we stay that way!

Congratulations!

2011-03-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

I have failed to congratulate the arrivals of our family/friends babies as they have arrived. So . . .

Congratulations to Brian and Lisa on the arrival of Carter Jack on January 10th! He is absolutely adorable.

Congratulations to Kerrie and Mitch on the arrival of Ty on January 31st!

And

Congratulations to Tommy and Brittany on the arrival of Kennedy Noel THIS MORNING at 2 am!! We heard it was a crazy delivery - Kennedy is 4 weeks early - but at last report mommy and baby were recovering nicely. We will continue to keep them in our prayers that everything will continue to go smoothly.

It is so exciting to see all these new little babies join the world!

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

Time is a funny thing

2011-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I realized that I still had 5 months until this baby is born. 5 whole months. Holy Cow - I'm going to be pregnant forever! Everybody else's pregnancies seem to be going so much faster than mine.

Then today we got the devastating news that the dr. isn't sure if my mom will still be here to meet this baby.

And all of the sudden 5 months seems like nothing. Seems like a blink of an eye.

And, honestly, I just don't know how to handle that.

It's a . . . It's a . . .

2011-02-14T20:15:00.001-08:00

You didn't think I was just going to tell you that easily, did you?

So a few years ago I heard of this company that you can have the gender of your baby sent to and they will make a cake - blue on the inside for a boy and pink for a girl. You then have a "party" and cut into the cake to find out what you are having. I thought it sounded fun but at the time didn't think we would be having any more babies.

Originally, we were going to have the kids stay home and Kurt and I would come home and make a cake and let the kids cut into it to find out what the baby was. Then plans changed and the girls wanted to go with us so we decided to invite friends over for dessert and have our "Grand Cutting" to announce the gender of our baby. Being Valentine's Day, we weren't sure how many could come but we ended up with way more turn out than we expected - so cool!

So I have made you wait long enough.

Drum roll please!

Our baby is a:

BOY!!!!!!

Evan is going to get his little brother! We are very excited and happy. Kurt, of course, is claiming he knew so all along and why didn't I believe him?

And yes, eating blue cake is weird and gross looking but it still tasted good!

So here is our Trevor:

(And yes, it is going to be Trevor. After all this time, we just can't name him anything else).

Profile

Face shot

(looks way better in person - the photo of the photo doesn't do it justice)

Leg

Cute little foot with his toes!

He was a little stinker too for his ultrasound. He had his legs crossed so we couldn't tell what he was. She did a little wiggling of the wand on my stomach and he moved his legs but kept one foot in the way. Finally she got a good shot. He also wouldn't move into a position for her to get a profile shot. He wouldn't drink anything for her to get a shot of his stomach either. She went out to check the schedule and luckily I was the last one so she had more time to spend trying to get him to do what she needed. She had me walk around and drink MORE water (after I had already emptied most of my bladder because it was going to EXPLODE!). She then got the profile shot and one of his stomach that she wasn't thrilled with. She said I might get called back to get a better shot of his stomach - oh, bummer. I might have to go back and see my baby some more!

Oh, and the best part - he was playing with his toes!!! It was so cute! She had me roll onto my side hoping that it would get him to move into a better position but all it did was make it easier for him to reach for his toes. It was absolutely adorable! He kept grabbing them.

Seriously, I could have stayed there all day watching him!

Welcome to the family Trevor!

We love you!

Me vs. the dog . . . again

2011-02-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

When I was about 37 weeks pregnant with Kayla, I went over to my parents house to make them dinner and I took our dog with me. Max was about 60 pounds and a nightmare on a leash. He was always pulling and tugging but I thought since I was only going from the car to the house, I could manage. When Max got out of the car he immediately started pulling on the leash. I went to yank on the leash to get him to stop except for the exact moment I yanked, he decided to come back to me. The result was that there was no 60 pound weight at the end of the leash when I tugged so I fell backwards onto my bottom. Luckily my dad had just pulled up so he helped me up and helped me get everything into the house. I called Kurt who thought we should call Labor and Delivery just to see what they said. Of course they said to come right in to have me checked out. So instead of cooking my parents dinner, I spent the evening in L&D being monitored (and trying to convince them I landed on my bottom and didn't hit my stomach at all). Kayla was fine and me - I just had a sore bottom.

Well, last night I had another run in with our dog; except this time it was 90 pound Cody. Now, Cody is better on the leash then Max but does have moments when he forgets to behave so you have to watch and make sure you see other people or dogs first and then he will sit and watch them go by.

Well, here's what happened: We went to go for a family walk but only made it 2 houses before we stopped to talk to a neighbor. The husband needed a tool to work on his bike and so we walked back to our house to get tools out of Kurt's truck. His truck was parked in the street so they were working on the bike on the driver's side of the truck (kind-of in the middle of the street). Kurt handed me the leash and I was standing at the back, drivers corner of the truck talking to Evan who was across the street on the sidewalk wanting to cross. I saw the girls cross the street in front of the truck but it didn't register in my brain that their friend was with them and that Cody would be excited to see her. I was focused on my conversation with Evan and was totally unprepared for the dog to take off.

It is amazing to me how something can happen so fast yet you have time to think a million thoughts. Cody took off around the passenger side of the truck so I got spun around and yanked toward the sidewalk. The leash must have been wrapped around my hand because I couldn't let go. He pulled me to the sidewalk, over the sidewalk, over some grass and over our sidewalk going to our front door before my hand was free (sounds farther than it was but my point was that the level of the ground kept changing on me).

I felt like my feet should have been flying out behind me the yank was so hard - my shoes literally flew off (you think I'm kidding, don't you? I'm not. Kayla had to go and pick them up - they went in 2 different directions). I have no idea how I managed to keep my feet under me. I was thinking: if I fall, I need to get my knees under me to take the brunt of the fall, except I can barely keep my legs going right now, I won't be able to pull them up enough to protect my stomach. Okay, so I need to get my hands down first to stop the fall from hitting the baby, except my right hand is being held in front of me by the leash and I can't pull it back. So I need to roll onto my back so I don't fall onto the baby, except, again, my hand/arm are being pulled forward, how am I going to get my body to turn?

I then realized that if I fell, with only my left hand available to help me, I would probably take a direct hit to my front side. Someone up above was looking out for me, or my guardian angel was right there holding me up because I still don't know how I managed to keep my feet under me just enough to prevent a fall. I felt like I had been shot out of a rocket - it was crazy. It scared me so bad.

I went inside, sat down, calmed down and took inventory of all my parts. Everything seemed to be okay. My thumb on my right hand hurt, probably what the leash was caught on, but it was okay. My hips and a muscle on my right lower abdomen were sore but they had just got yanked pretty good so what did I expect? Overall, everything seemed okay; except my heart was still racing a mile a minute.

Once I was calmed down, we proceeded on our family walk and man, Kurt was on that dog like no tomorrow and boy, did he behave! But it is safe to say that I will not be holding the leash the rest of the pregnancy.

I keep thinking of all the things that could have happened, especially if I had fallen on the baby but I stop myself and say a prayer of thanks that everything is okay and that the baby is okay. I am so blessed!

And today is the day! Come on 3:00!!!! I can't wait!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with love!

Hailey's Creation

2011-02-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Kurt got a new app for his ipad that allows you to play with photos and text and all sorts of fun stuff. Well, Hailey got ahold of it and had some fun. Here is her creation that she told "I had to post." Being the obedient parent that I am, I listened.

I swear my kids can pick up any app in seconds. I haven't even had a chance to play with it and she is way more knowledgable than I am with it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So do I look pregnant yet?

This is last weekend. I was 18 weeks 3 days. People still tell me I don't look like I am expecting. Which didn't bother me for awhile but lately has really started to bother me. Being the worry-wart that I am, I got myself all worked up one night that something was wrong and I was awake from 11 pm - 3 am. It was a rough day the next day. Kurt keeps reminding me that I was small with all of them.

I had a friend say that I must have some strong ab muscles to hold the baby up/in. Ya, that's it. My abs that I work out once every . . . NEVER! Let's blame it on my abs though - I like that!

The baby has been moving a lot lately so that reassures me that everything is fine. Every time I feel it move, I tell myself that the baby is perfect and happy in there.

Only 2 days until our ultrasound. I can't wait! I am so excited to find out what we are having (and to actually "see" that everything is ok).

Hope you all have a very special Valentine's Day!

I will keep you posted on the gender update!

The Prego Pizza

2011-02-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

A client told Kurt about a new restruant in our area that is a sit-down, full-service restruant but also has a small McDonalds style outdoor play structure for the kids. They said it was great - you get the nice service and food and the kids get to play. Well, we thought, we gotta try this out.

We went for a late lunch - about 1 or 1:30 and it was perfect because it was quiet and no other kids were there so we could let ours play outside without worring about them. We sat right by the door so they could come and go as they pleased. Kurt and I actually got to talk and "hang-out" just the two of us for most of the time. We actually sat for about an extra 1/2 hour after we were done eating, just to talk. Usually it is get out of the restruant as fast as possible because the kids are bouncing off the walls but this was different. The kids loved it and had a great time and we really enjoyed it too. It is a pizza /pasta place called Skipolini's off of 65. The food was good too. The pizza seemed 'fresher' than a Round Table style and they definitely didn't skip on the toppings.

I noticed a pizza on their menu called: "The Prego Pizza - Our world-famous labor-inducing masterpiece . . . It really works!!" So what is on this so-called masterpiece, you ask? Here ya go:

Salami, Pepperoni, Ham, Mushrooms, Olives, Bell Peppers, Extra Onions, Sausage, Ground beef, Linguisa, Extra Garlic, Parmesan and Oregano

If you ask me, I think anyone who eats all that is going to get major stomach convulsions so I don't doubt that if you eat that at 9 months pregnant, you will go into labor.

As a bonus, not only will you go into labor, you will have some awesome breath to go with it!!!!

So all you ladies expecting, if you get to the end and get desperate, here is your solution. I just suggest you pack some breath mints!!!

A Quick "Hello"!

2011-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by . . . here is a quick recap of our last 2 weeks.

* * * * *

I am finally feeling human again. Woo Hoo! The neausea (sp?) has finally subsided and I don't have that constant impending doom feeling that I am going to have to run to a bathroom at any second. It is AWESOME!!

* * * * *

We finally are working again! A double big WOO HOO! After not having work for half the month of November and the WHOLE month of December, it is nice to be working again. It was actually a mixed blessing because Kurt was home during the time I was at my sickest so he could take care of the kids and the house. But it sure is nice to have him working (and some income) again!

* * * * *

Only 2 weeks until we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. The debate is getting more and more heated in our house as the time grows closer!

* * * * *

I attended an awesome parenting class a week ago. It was an all day seminar and I learned a lot. I came home and crashed-coursed Kurt in it and it has made a big difference in our house. I can't wait until I have more time to share it all with you!

* * * * *

We have had big changes in our ward. Last Sunday there were ward boundary changes and for the first time in 11 1/2 years, I will be attending a different ward. I was baptized in my previous ward, married in my previous ward, blessed all my babies in my previous ward and now we are on to something new. I have never switched wards before and I am actually really excited. Something new and different. Don't get me wrong, I am going to miss everyone from my previous ward and they are all special to me but I am looking forward to the change. Give me a week or two and I am sure I will be crying and missing everyone and everything but right now I am excited. Yesterday, they changed Stake boundaries and now our previous ward isn't even in the same Stake as us. Big changes!

* * * * *

I am feeling the baby more and more. Actually the little peanut is poking me right now. I just love it. The girls and Kurt have been able to feel it but Evan won't hold still long enough to be patient to wait for the little thump.

* * * * *

Well, I think that sums up our last 2 weeks or so.

Hope you are all doing great!

Babies, Babies, Babies

2011-01-12T08:20:00.001-08:00

This is the year for babies! It seems like everyone is expecting. Ok, maybe not EVERYONE but a lot of people are. I know someone due with a baby in every month this year through July. Crazy!

January - Lisa (Kurt's cousin) is due with a boy.

February - Kerri (friend of a friend) is due with a boy.

March - Brittany (our niece) is due with a girl.

April - Rebecca (our friend) is due with a boy.

May - Kelly (our friend) is due with a girl.

June - Jenna (friend at church) - to early to know.

July - Julie (friend of a friend) - to early to know.

July - Me - Dying to find out!

July - Honor (Kurt's cousin) - to early to know.

So, come on ladies, who is my August? Someone isn't sharing the news!!! I am anxiously awaiting to find out who is filling up the rest of my year!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In other news:

I have actually felt human the last 2 days! Woo Hoo! Turns out I had a stomach virus last week on top of the morning sickness! Wasn't much fun. Spent a lot of time on the couch. I believe Evan watched Cars 4 times on Saturday. I believe I now have the movie memorized.

I am 15 weeks today! For some reason, 16 weeks is so exciting to me. I have no idea why but only 1 more week!

I have felt more little movements. Usually only when I am sitting on the couch motionless for awhile and then I feel the little flutters and pokes! I love it!

I still don't look pregnant and everyone is telling me so. Which is fine. The way my first trimester started I thought I would be huge but turns out I was sooooo bloated it wasn't funny. The last week or 2 the bloating has gone down so I have actually gotten smaller - funny.

Here is me at 12 weeks:

Here is me today, 15 weeks:

Yesterday I wore my first, official "maternity" outfit. It was new and I was excited to wear it. But this is what I had to do to get the pants to stay up:

Ya, it's a jumbo paper clip thing.

Hey, whatever works!

This baby is not a junk food baby. Cookies, candy, chips, nothing sounds good. I have made my favorite cookies (oatmeal chocolate chip - mmmmm) 3 times and every time I don't even want to try them. So sad!

This baby does crave fruit though; which winter isn't the best fruit season. What I wouldn't do for a big batch of red, juicy, ripe strawberries! I have been able to find raspberries that were pretty good and grapefruit. Grapes I struggled to find but I managed to find some ok ones the other day. I had to wait over a week for some pears to finally ripen.

Approx. 5 more weeks until we find out! I can't wait!

Our Baby is 10!!!!

2011-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

WOW! I can't believe our baby is 10.

T-E-N!

That's double digits people!

It seems like yesterday she was born and we were sent home from the hospital wondering what in the world they were thinking letting us leave with her. Crazy people! Couldn't they tell we had no clue what to do with her?

Happy Birthday Kayla!

Kayla is such a sweet girl. She is super artistic and I love to see her drawings; which she does a lot of! She is a great big sister and is getting really good at looking out for the younger ones and taking care of them. She is naturally quiet and shy but is trying to branch out and meet new friends. Kayla has her struggles but she also has this determination to overcome them. We are so impressed with her! Kayla is really smart and does good at school. Even though she doesn't enjoy math, she excels at it! And she loves to read too. She is my outdoors girl. She loves to dig in the mud, explore, create, invent and run. Her favorite game to play is hide and seek because she is a really good hider and, being naturally quiet, she can sit very quiet for a long time patiently waiting for someone to find her. Hailey and Evan usually have to ask me to help them find her.

Kayla, you rock!

We are so blessed to have you in our family. We love you so much and think you are an awesome girl.

Here are some pics of Kayla's first year. Because she was born in the stone-age (aka: before digital cameras), I had to take pictures (very quickly before we came to work today) of pictures in her scrap book so the color and centering aren't the best but it's what we got.

Our due date with Kayla:

Little stinker ended up being 2 weeks late. Yep, I was 42 weeks pregnant. It was a long 2 extra weeks!

This is Kayla's photo taken by the hospital:

I love this picture of Kurt. He was sooooo excited. I can just feel his excitment in this picture. What a proud daddy!
Plus, look how young he looks!

I love this picture of us. It was Thanksgiving right before Kayla's 1st b-day so she was about 10 1/2 months old. We rented a cabin with the Aston's and Hansen's and cut our own Christmas trees. It was so fun! She was all bundled up in Kurt's jacket to keep her warm and she passed right out.

Happy 1st Birthday Kayla!

She loved the balloons from her birthday party. She just played and played in them FOR EVER!

(I couldn't get this one to turn like the others???)

You would never think that today she is scared of balloons.

Look how happy she was!

Feeling the love

2011-01-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am definitely feeling the love of this pregnancy.

I am feeling the love of varicose veins - never had these before and now my poor right leg has been attacked and boy, do those things hurt! It's probably because I always sit with my right leg folded under me. Not any more!

I am feeling the love of itchy skin that keeps me awake at night. Seriously, why does it only itch at night?

I am feeling the love of my stomach at war with my colon and my colon at war with every other organ in my abdomen. It is like WW3 going on in there - all the grumbling and churning, it's ridiculous! And makes me feel horrible!

I am also feeling the love of many other pregnancy side effects.

I honestly don't know if I will come out of this pregnancy in one piece! I am definitely feeling my age or something! I just started crying last night because I had just had it. It felt like this poor body was just falling apart. I am sure it was just exhaustion from not sleeping good that was making everything else feel worse.

The only love that I haven't felt from this pregnancy yet it the movement of my little one.

Actually, I take that back. Sunday I was sitting in church and WW3 had quieted down (it will happen every once in awhile where everyone is happy in there at the same time - not often, but it will happen). Anyways, I suddenly felt one little "thump." At first I thought that WW3 was going to start up because once someone in there throws the first punch, it is all out. It will not go unanswered. But this time it did. No one retaliated. Hmmm - got me thinking. They (the books) say the normal range to start feeling movement is between the 14th week and the 22nd week and I was in my 14th week, so I think I am going to claim it! Woo Hoo!

I just can't wait to feel it more.

The State of CA has "new" tests that you can choose to do if you want. I say "new" because they didn't have them when I had Evan and I don't think they had them a year and a half ago when a friend had a baby. Anyways, it is 2 blood tests and an ultrasound at very specific dates to check for things like neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, down syndrome (trisomy 21), and trisomy 18. Well, I heard "extra ultrasound" and signed right up!

So, at 12.5 weeks, we got to do another ultrasound. So here is our little peanut:

At first he was very still. He must have been napping because all he did was sit there. Every once in awhile we would see his hand move like this:
See it up by his head? I finally asked the lady if he was ok - I could see his heart beating but he just wasn't moving. She said sometimes they are really quiet like that. Plus he was cooperating and she was getting all the measurements she needed. So maybe he was just being obedient? Maybe that's a good sign for the future?

Then after while, he started moving around. She focused on his legs and he was kicking away. So cute! Then he was arching his back (see below) and jumping around, having a good ol' time. I could have sat there all day watching him!

You may have noticed I keep calling him "he". Kurt has me throughly brain washed that it is a boy. We have no definite answer yet, probably not til February, but Kurt is just determined that it's a boy. I am still neutral but refer to it as a he all the time, thanks to said husband. If it's a girl, I am going to have a really hard time picturing it after all this brain washing!

Kurt has reassured me that he will be very happy with a girl too, but that I don't need to worry about it because it's a boy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

What a fun and crazy week we have had. It also felt like the longest week ever but it was a lot of fun.

First, we got to attend Evan's Preschool Nativity "Play." It was a silent play that the kids walked in with music playing that told the story of the Nativity. Here's our little shepherd:

For Christmas, my mom, dad and brother came up in the morning for breakfast and opening presents. And yes, we did get our shopping done before Christmas. Kurt had an idea to take each kid out individually to the store and to take pictures of them with stuff they would want. Then we went out later and got presents from their "list." It actually worked out pretty good and made it very fast. Evan got a bike:

Hailey and her goods. She wanted ANOTHER baby doll. We had given all hers to some friends thinking she had out grown them but apparently she hadn't. She is our "little mommy" and this will be her baby to take care of when the real baby comes.

Kayla opening her art supplies. All her other goodies are on the couch behind her.

Then later in the day we went to my parents for an early dinner. After dinner we went to Margo's for another dinner and party. It was a lot of fun - she did a great job! She made from scratch 30-40 big ginger bread man for each of us to have one to decorate.

Here is Kayla's:

Hailey's:

(apparently she was sampling as she decorated)

And Evan's:

(his theory was to put on as much candy as possible. He did a great job!)

We also got to see some great friends that we haven't seen in YEARS! It was so great to see how big all the kids have gotten and to catch up in person!

Then on Sunday we had friends over to play a new game we got for Christmas. Margo got us a game that we have loved playing at her house. It is called Farkle and it is a dice game and it is so fun! We stayed up way late playing and having a good time.

Monday we rented a movie and stayed up late watching it. Why? I have no idea. It sounded good at the time but I think sleep may have been smarter.

Tuesday we actually got to sleep at a somewhat decent hour.

Wednesday night we were at friend's house hanging out, making cookies and having more fun.

Thursday we went bowling with Margo and April and their families. We had a great time and then we went to Margo's for the evening and, of course, stayed late playing.

Friday we went to our wards annual New Years Eve Taco Feed. It is so YUMMY! Then we had friends over to our house to play Farkle. We were all tired and thought it would be an early night but we were having so much fun and all the kids were playing so well that the night slipped away and before we knew it, it was after 11. Then the kids started falling apart so we toasted at 11:17 and everyone left at 11:30. So close! By the time we got our kids to bed, it was 11:45 and 15 minutes later I heard noise outside. I rolled over in bed, looked at the clock - 12:02! I made it til midnight! I am sure I fell asleep very shortly after that.

Saturday, all our friends came back over for breakfast. Kurt makes super yummy french toast, which had been a topic of conversation the night before, and one set of friends had never had it so we made it for them. And, of course, a serious game of Farkle broke out.

Today has been a very relaxing day. For the last 3.5 years I have taught little kids in church and last week I got a new calling and am no longer teaching the little kids. That means that I got to go to all the adult classes today. It was great!

I think I need another week to recover from vacation break. I am not ready to start school tomorrow. One more week would be great!

We hope you all had a very fun Christmas and New Years too!

One of my New Years Resolutions (ok, my only one so far) is to blog more often. It seems like so much time goes by and I have too much to blog about so stuff gets left out so I am committing to blogging more! We'll see how I do!

"NOTHING FITS"

2010-12-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

That's the fun phase I am in right now.

You know the phase: regular clothes are too tight, maternity clothes are WAY to big. Ya, it's a fun phase!

I am using the rubber band around the button routine to wear my regular jeans. The problem I ran into was that my regular shirts were not long enough to cover the fact that my zipper doesn't go all the way up. I really didn't want every person I saw to say "hey, your zipper's down" so I have been wearing Kurt's shirts. Which, sure, they are long enough to cover up but they are huge on me so I feel like I am swimming in fabric and way too frumpy looking. Oh-well, this will pass.

As for the morning sickness front - I am feeling better. I seriously have never felt that sick - I was sick to my stomach ALL THE TIME and had absolutely NO ENERGY. I seriously sat on the couch all day feeling miserable. But the dr. office called last week and told me my thyroid is out of balance. My thyroid issues started when I had Kayla and I haveto take a medicine every morning for the rest of my life. At my first prenatal appt I told the PA that I was FREEZING all the time. I don't just mean cold - I mean FREEZING. I would have the heater cranked, the fireplace going and I would be wrapped in a blanket and still freezing. I would start shivering when I went to bed until the sheets warmed up. It was a bit extreme. She said that could be a sign that my thyroid was out-of-wack so she tested it. She said that the thyroid being out of balance could cause the morning sickness to be worse. Well, she was right - my thyroid was way off. But of course, between the time I did the lab work and the labs came back and they actually called me with the results, my symptoms changed. I am no longer freezing and the sickness has definitely been reduced. Don't get me wrong - it isn't gone but at least I feel like getting off the couch now. So for the last week I have been playing phone tag with my OB's office and my Primary's office (who is out of town) trying to get someone to retest it to see if it has balanced itself back out. So far, no luck. But I have another appt this week so I will get it taken care of then.

As for Christmas shopping - haven't even started! AHHHHH!

I have decided this just isn't a good time of year to have morning sickness. Thanksgiving just isn't the same when all you eat is rolls and you have to avoid eye-contact with the mashed potatoes because just the sight of them wants to send you running from the room. I don't know what it is but I still can't stand the sight of them! The no energy thing has sent Christmas shopping into a tail spin. Oh-well, this too shall pass. This won't be the first Christmas that Kurt and I are out shopping the last days before Christmas.

I am working on getting a Christmas card out. And by working on it, I mean I want to get one out but have not done anything to make that happen but at least I am "working" on it! =)

Merry Christmas!

A busy, busy week

2010-12-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

Well the last week has been a busy one!

On Tuesday, Nov 23, a 4 year mistake finally ended. 4 years ago Kurt and I bought another house. Originally we were thinking we would move into it. During the last month of construction, we realized the 45 minute drive was a big deal after all and we didn't want to move that far away. We then thought that we could put a killer yard in and sell it; except that's when the market started tanking. We couldn't drop our sales price as fast as the market was dropping. After almost a year of 2 mortgage payments we decided to rent it out. So for the last 3 years we have had renters that helped with the mortgage (rent covered about 1/2 the mortgage - nice!). In January of this year we discovered that we could no longer support that money pit and decided to try to sell it again. And it took 11 months to happen. It looked like all was good until one of the banks came back and decided to change things at the last second. We thought it was going to fall out but by some miracle it didn't and on Nov. 23rd we got rid of a huge mistake. Whew! Does that feel good!

Then Thursday was Thanksgiving! And I have to be honest and say "WE CHEATED!" Before we found out I was pregnant, I told my mom that I would make Thanksgiving dinner so she didn't have to worry about anything. Then the morning sickness started and I thought "how in the world am I going to pull together dinner?" My mom must have had the same thought because a week before Thanksgiving she called me and said that we should order dinner from Safeway. I totally agreed and that is what we did. We only had to heat things up and it was pretty good. Or at least that is what everyone else said. I could only manage to get rolls down.

Then Friday Kurt's dad and Julie flew in from Utah and we had the mad dash to get ready for Saturday because . . .

on Saturday Hailey was baptized!!! She is such a sweet girl and the baptism was very nice. She was baptized with a girl from her class. After the baptism we had a lunch at our house for approx. 26 people. It all went very smoothly and I was extremely thankful for all the help. I will have to post pics later - I think they are still on Kurt's phone. Then that night we went to Margo's for dinner.

Sunday was a relaxing day. We went to April and Rick's for dinner.

Monday was . . . I don't remember much of Monday. Must have been relaxing too.

Then Tuesday we had our first dr. appt! Woo Hoo! Except it was really boring. We just met with the OB Coordinator who asked a bunch of questions. Then we met with the Physicians Assistant and she asked more questions. She had come in with the doppler/heart listening thing but was going to leave without using it so I asked her if it was too early to hear the heartbeat. She said it was but that I seemed level headed enough to not freak out if we didn't hear the heartbeat so she agreed to try. We couldn't hear it - bummer - and no, I didn't freak out!

And the on Wednesday, we got to do this:

Our first picture of our peanut. It is amazing to me that something so small can make me so sick! The circle thing is the yolk sac and the baby is laying face down with it's head under the yolk sac. The ultrasound people were running 20 minutes behind so when we first got in there she said "I am very limited at what I can say" and then proceeded to just click and take measurements. I couldn't see the screen and I thought for sure she would say, "ok, we're all done. Have a great day." So while she was clicking away I was planning my attack as to how I wasn't getting off that table until I had seen my baby. But at the end she was super cool. She turned the screen and explained EVERYTHING to us. She had a good picture of it and said that if we hold really still that sometimes we can see it move and as if on cue, the baby moved. So cool! It was a hic-cup like move - so cute! My official due date is July 5th.

Other than all that going on, I have been sick, sick, sick. I just bounce from one thing to the next just trying to survive. Hopefully this will pass quickly! Fingers crossed!

I just have to say . . .

2010-11-23T17:49:00.001-08:00

that I have the

BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!

He has been so sweet and thoughtful since the morning sickness started.

He has made me sit down and relax.

He has rubbed my back.

He has taken upon himself (I didn't even have to ask or hint) to keep the kitchen/dishes clean.

He has been going grocery shopping with me to help me out.

He doesn't get upset with me when I change my mind (a zillion times!)

He is patient with me when I want to go out and then say I want to go home because I don't feel good.

He does anything I ask him too.

And right now he is putting the laundry away because I feel to sick to move and want to go to bed but it is buried under the laundry.

Isn't he awesome?

I definitely think so!

More Breaking News

2010-11-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

No, I don't have any pictures of anything burning.

No, you won't find this news on any news channel.

No, you probably won't find this news on any other blog.

Are you ready?

WE ARE EXPECTING!!!!

We are so excited! Well, Kurt and the kids are still excited. I was excited for the first 2 weeks and now I am so sick that excited isn't the word anymore. Happy - yes. Excited - I don't have the energy or stomach to pull off excited anymore. Holy Moly - I forgot how INTENSE morning sickness can be! Ugh!

I am about 7 weeks and due in early July. This fits right in with our pattern. Each baby has been born 2 months before the last one's birth month. Kayla was January, then Hailey was November, then Evan was September so it is only fitting that this one be in July. We have a "every-other-month-thing" going on.

This pregnancy has been so different already. I am really hoping it isn't a "bad/something's wrong different" but a "4th baby has to be different somehow" different or a "my body is older" different or a "I haven't been in the early stages of pregnancy for almost 6 years so I forgot" different. I don't know - just different. But I am sick, so hopefully that is a good sign.

The girls are rooting for a girl and Evan wants a boy (isn't that always the case?). I really don't care either way - I would like a boy so Evan could have a brother but I will be happy girl or boy. Kurt, on the other hand, is determined that it's Trevor (and will correct you if you refer to it as a "she" or "it") and is already planning another one if this one is a girl. Ya, right - only if he gets the morning sickness for the next one! Ha ha! So according to Kurt, it will be the Ev and Trev show. Nice - people already have trouble with the girl's names, why don't we make it confusing with the boys too!

It was kind-of funny how we found out. Remember when Kurt was in the ER? Well, a for a few days before that I had been having a symptom that I had never had with any of the others (see, different). Usually my first symptom is exhaustion, complete and total exhaustion and I wasn't having that so I thought, no, it must be a pre-monthly visitor symptom so I tried to ignore it. Well, Kurt was in the ER on a Sunday and that night I was up all night with him because he was snoring so bad from all the meds they put him on. When I am awake in the middle of the night, my mind gets going on ideas and I have a hard time stopping. So I kept thinking "take a test in the morning" and then I would talk myself out of it with all the reasons why I shouldn't. Then I would talk myself into it with all the reasons why I should. Back and forth all night. Monday, I ignored it again. Then Monday night I was up with him again (got a little more sleep but not much) and the same thing. By Tuesday morning I thought "I am just going to take the darn test so I can stop wondering about it." And I did. I honestly didn't think it was going to be positive. I was shocked. I stared at the test for awhile trying to figure out what was happening.

Then I thought "uh-oh, I'm in trouble." Kurt and I always take the tests together. It's always a "we" thing. Oops! What to do? Well, he was still loopy on all his meds they gave him (he just stopped taking them early in the morning) so there was a chance he wouldn't remember me telling him. I thought about telling him "don't you remember us talking about it?"

Ha ha! No, I didn't really think about tricking him. I just sat down next to him on the couch and whispered in his ear that we were pregnant. He was very excited and shocked. We walked around Tuesday in a daze of shock.

Hailey's birthday was on that Thursday so we didn't tell the kids until Saturday. We played telephone with them at the breakfast table. We let each one start one and then I started one with "We are going to have a baby." Went around, no response. Then Kurt tried "We are really going to have a baby." Went around, no response. Then we tried "Mom has a real baby in her tummy." This went around and you could see the wheels starting to think about this. Finally Kayla says "why are we talking about babies? Is it true?" and we said "yes!" They were very excited. Hailey walked around that day watching my stomach like it was going to magically pop out big with a baby. So funny!

Although, I do have to say that I don't think I thought this pregnancy thing through all the way. We went out to dinner the other night for . . . mmm . . . mmm . . . sushi!

WRONG!

No sushi for me! For. A. Whole. Nine. Months. What was I thinking?!?! I sat there watching Kurt eat his sushi while I ate a teriyaki chicken, rice and veggie bowl. Ugh! I think I really could have cried if I tried! So sad! I told Kurt that he has to bring me sushi in the hospital. We'll see if that happens!

Oh well, the things we sacrifice for our children. If only they knew!

So be prepared for months of belly shots, pregnancy updates, and me complaining about how sick I feel (I'll try not to do that too much). Very exciting stuff!

Our Halloween ER Visit

2010-11-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday (10/30), Kurt woke up with a stiff neck - like he slept on it wrong. I spent most of the morning trying to rub the knot out. By that evening he was stiff but moving so we went to our church Harvest Party.

The next morning he woke up a little more stiff. I rubbed it some more and he got in the shower and got ready for church. We were driving out of our neighborhood and he said "turn around, I can't go". His neck was really starting to bother him. So I took him home and me and the kids went to church.

I was sitting in church and I kept hearing this buzzing noise. I finally figured out what it was - my phone - thank goodness I had put it on vibrate! He was calling me and texting me that he needed muscle relaxers. I text him back "right now?" He responded "YES". Ok - I got up and started to leave with the kids. I stopped to tell a friend that I had to get Kurt medicine and that I would be late for my class so could she tell my team-teacher. Her and her husband offered to keep the kids at church and so I left the kids there. On the way home I called Kurt. At this point he was almost to a full panic - "you got to take me to the ER!" What? "Are you sure?" I asked. "YES". So I turned around to get the kids because obviously I wouldn't be right back. My friend offered to go home and watch the kids for me while I took Kurt to the ER.

I get home and Kurt is in a ton of pain. If he moved wrong, the muscle would spasm and he would scream. And I mean SCREAM! There was a "discussion" as to what hospital I would take him to because we switched insurances last January and now the hospital 5 minutes from our house isn't on our insurance. Our new hospital is 20-30 minutes away. He refused to go that far so we went to the one 5 minutes away (we will just have to see what the insurance does). Every bump I hit on the way sent him into a screaming frenzy so by the time we got to the hospital I knew there was no way he would make it 20 minutes to the other hospital; nor would my nerves have taken it.

We walked in and thank goodness there was not a lot of people. The nurse behind the counter could tell he was in a lot of pain and they got us in pretty quick. They put us in a triage area that just had curtains between the beds. The doctor came in and asked his questions and then grabbed Kurt's head and said "I think we need to stretch it out" and proceeded to pull his head. BAD IDEA! Kurt started screaming in pain which echoed through the whole ER. Things moved pretty quick after that. They moved him to a room that had a door that shut (nice!) and got an IV in him and loaded him with muscle relaxers and pain relievers. We had an awesome nurse! She was great. We sat there for probably 4 hours and by the time they discharged us, Kurt was no longer screaming and had much more mobility in his neck. They sent him home with Valume (sp??) and Vicodin. Let's just say he was knocked out for two days!

By the time I got him home, got his prescriptions filled, picked up the kids and fed them (thanks to our friends who not only watched the kids all day but also had a dinner ready for me - awesome!), it was time to Trick-or-Treat. I was exhausted! But the kids got a ton of candy so they were happy.

Kurt is still stiff and sore and worries that it is going to spasm on him again but for the most part he is okay.

It was a very enteresting Halloween this year. I am glad it's over!

BREAKING NEWS!

2010-10-21T15:47:00.001-07:00

This is just way too close to home - only 10 minutes!

I was at work when a vender came in to visit and told me that the Galleria was on fire - that someone had set a fire in a bathroom. He gave me the low-down and I was shocked. An hour later, the kids and I left work and went to get Halloween costumes. I didn't think too much of it because I didn't think it would be that bad. But on the way home, we noticed the black smoke. This was 2 hours after the vender had been in and I was surprised that not only was it still burning but it was a ton of smoke. I couldn't resist - the kids and I headed over. (This was, of course, after I gave them the lesson about staying away from emergencies. Didn't follow my own lesson - oops!)

We could see flames shooting up in this smoke:

It looked like the fire was on the other side of the building so I decided to drive around to that side. The fire was more in the middle of the building so we couldn't see it on this side either but Evan got to see the ladder trucks hard at work!

This is the view from our house. You can still see the white smoke and the helicopter flying around. We can also hear the helicopters.

Crazy! And Scarey! And WAY TOO CLOSE TO HOME!

Labor Day camping trip

2010-09-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

Our Labor Day camping trip was . . . a very fun trip with some craziness thrown in. I guess that's the best way to describe it.

As usual, we waited til the last minute to plan this trip so the weekend before Labor Day we were calling and trying to find a camp site that had 3 openings. Ya, not a great plan. Everything was full. After 14 calls made by our friend Marty, we finally found a spot. It has a "live-in" area up front and then camping in the back. Here is all the fun and craziness that happened:

THURSDAY

We left at about 1:30 to make the 4 hour drive. When we arrived at the camp site we were shocked at the living conditions of the "live-in" section. Holy Cow! How can people live like that? I have no clue! It looked like a place where camping trailers went to die and the people forgot to move out. It was horrible - it was so dirty, the trailers couldn't possibly have moved in decades, and so much junk packed around them, it was gross. In a daze, we drove to the camping area, which was actually nice. We set up camp and Kurt said "lets drive around and find another place." So we did but we couldn't find anywhere with openings because, duh, it's Labor Day. So it was this or go home. We decided this would have to do. Marty and Lorraine arrived later that night. There was a "neighborly dispute" in the middle of the night and was fun to listen to!

FRIDAY

The kids found this cool tree that they could climb and get to the top of. They felt like they were on top of the world - even though it wasn't that far off the ground.

We went to Caprillo Lighthouse. It had a really cool trail to follow.

Our goal:

(Nice job Lorraine catching the light)

Along the way we found 4 deer in the grass. Can you see 2?

We also found some fun trees to play in.

Ah, we made it!

So much fun!

While the dads took the older kids down exploring the ocean, the moms sat with Alyson by the lighthouse. There was this chipmunk/squirrely thing that was not afraid of people AT ALL! We thought Alyson was actually going to touch him a couple of times.

When the kids came back, they had to play with him too.

Of course, we didn't let anyone touch him but it was fun to see how close he would actually come if you held still.

Oh, and we saw a snake! GROSS!

Nik touched it!

This cute little house used to be the lighthouse keepers house. You can rent it for a vacation rental if you want. I think that would be fun to stay out by the lighthouse.

Then we went back to camp and waited for April (Kurt's sister) and Rick to arrive. The guys went down and found out info about renting kayaks. We put the kids to bed early and the adults stayed up talking - it was so fun! We laughed so hard! It was a great time!

SATURDAY

Kurt and Marty went down at 7 am to get the kayaks for later in the day. Then we went to the Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful! In the gardens they had a lot of metal sculptures. You can pick up this bad boy for a mere $64,800! We thought about getting it but decided it didn't fit in with our landscaping style!

Along the trail was a Fairy Garden. Kids could go in and create fairy homes with natural things - bark, sticks, twigs, flowers, rocks, etc.; whatever they found laying on the ground. They had a great time playing in there.

The flowers were unbelievable! We took so many pics of flowers but here are just a few:

Strong daddy!

Daddy and his girls!

We followed the trail all the way out to the ocean. Family pics:

Marty, Lorraine, Nik and Ally

And you know this cute, wind-blown, stuffing-food-in-our-face (thanks Evan) family:

Margo (Kurt's sister), Greg, Josh, Tyler and Sierra arrived at lunch time. After lunch we went to Van Damm State Park to do some kayaking. It was so fun! We found caves not far from the beach and they were so fun to explore! No one was brave enough to take their camera out into the ocean so unfortunately we don't have any pics of the caves!

Tyler and Josh:

Marty and Nik

Josh & Tyler in the far kayak. Margo, Sierra and Greg in the green kayak in the middle. And Marty and Nik in the kayak on the right.

Rick and Kurt:

There they go!

SUNDAY

Sunday was April's birthday and Margo was so smart - she made cupcakes and brought them along! Happy birthday Auntie April!

Hanging out at the campsite. Notice the power cord? Can't go camping without the laptop!

Evan and Cody - a boy and his dog!

April, Rick and Margo's family all left Sunday at lunch time. It was so sad to see them go! We had such a great time with everyone!

Now this is where the trip takes a crazy turn. It seemed like one thing after another kept happening. The last 30 hours were . . . memorable!

We (us and Marty and Lorraine) decided to drive up north to see the redwood trees. The road was so windy (pronounced with a long "i"; as in curvy)! We never get carsick but we all had to pull over at one point because all our tummies were not feeling good. It was crazy but no one got sick!

After we made it through the crazy road we saw a sign for a drive-thru tree. You gotta do that, right? So we followed the signs, paid the fee and then discovered there was a really lllloooonnnnggg line! We had to be at least 60 cars back! And there was no getting out once you were in - one lane road only. So we waited . . .

and waited . . .

And finally, FINALLY, between 1.5 - 2 HOURS later we made it to the tree! YES!

Except our big trucks wouldn't fit in it so we had to back up and pretend!

Marty fit his backend in!

There was no hope of even getting our backend in because of the rack Kurt has on his truck so we just got as close as we could. Here is one shot. Kurt had to get the logos in there! We can right this off as a business expense now, right?

Closer up:

Gotta take one with the dog!

After the tree, we were hungry! So we found a small town on the way to The Avenue of the Giants. There may or may not have been an incident while dining where I . . . um, I mean, someone ended up in tears. Combo of exhaustion and stress combusted and it wasn't fun for anyone. We pushed through and found our way to "The Avenue". The dads really wanted to see a giant tree so we kept driving til we found it:

And it was BIG!

Now we had to turn around and drive back. Because we had made a lot of little stops along the way, we didn't realize how far we had gone. Turns out we now had a 2 hour drive ahead of us and we were TIRED and it was late! Oh, and if you don't know - Kurt and I don't drive good at night - AT ALL! But you gotta do what you gotta do, so we drove.

And then we came to the windy part of the road. Remember how I said we don't get carsick? Ya, I was wrong. Pour Evan got sick all over the place; the boy gave us no warning. So picture this: it's dark, we are on a very windy road with no shoulders and he is throwing up all over him and Kayla (ya, she freaked!), he's crying, she's crying. It was lovely. We had no choice but to stop in the middle of the road and hope no one came flying around the corner. We cleaned everyone up the best we could and drove to try to catch up to Marty (they had wipes in their truck). They had pulled over to wait for us, not knowing what happened to us. We caught up to them and pulled everyone out of the truck and clean up the best we could and drove the rest of the way with the windows down.

We made it back to camp without further incident and went straight to bed!

MONDAY

We got up, cleaned up camp and headed out. We usually follow Marty because, well, he is just a faster driver and we tend to be slower so it just usually works out that we follow him. We stopped for gas in a town and it just happened that we got in front of Marty. And what a blessing that was! We were going down the freeway and all of the sudden Marty comes flying up next to us, yelling at us to pull over. We are clueless as to why but follow him to the side of the road. There was a shoulder wide enough for the truck and trailer but Kurt didn't want to be right on the freeway so he pulled into a big dry grassy area.

Marty, who is usually so cool, calm and collected, jumps out of his truck and comes running back to us screaming "Are you on fire? Are you on fire?" I think: Um, I hope not because we are sitting in a big, DRY grassy field - we are going to launch the whole thing in flames if we are on fire. We have no idea what he is talking about until we follow him to the back of the trailer and see that we have blown another tire (remember our last camping trip?). The tire was smoking, popping, crackeling - it was scarey! We decided to move it off of the grass and back onto the freeway shoulder before it popped and caught the grass on fire.

Apparently this one had gone flat and Marty was honking and flashing his lights trying to get our attention and we saw, heard and felt nothing. Thank goodness he was behind us because it really could have caught on fire if we hadn't stopped. Such a HUGE BLESSING!

The men hard at work:

(I failed to take pics of the last flat tire and I didn't want to miss the opportunity again)

Ya, it seems to have a hole in it!

You can't see it in the picture but the other tire (behind Marty) wasn't looking good either. We were afraid that it was going to go next and we didn't have anymore spares. It was low on pressure which wasn't good. We drove to the next town (20 miles away), checked all the tires and filled the ones that needed it.

We stopped for lunch and when we went to leave, I got in the trailer to help Evan and I realized that a syrup bottle had fallen out of the cupboard, broke it's lid and leaked syrup all over the floor. As we were driving - turning, slowing, accelerating - it was sliding back and forth, leaking syrup as it went. Nice. So on the side of the road I was trying to clean up sticky syrup with no running water. I did the best I could and off we went.

Now, we didn't empty the water tanks at the camp site because we didn't want to use their station. It sloped the wrong way and we didn't want to spend any time in that section of the camp ground so we decided to empty the tanks at a gas station just 5 minutes from our home. We pulled up, helped Marty empty his, then he helped us empty ours.

As we were pulling out of the gas station - POP!

I jump out of the truck and run back to Marty, who is turning his truck/trailer around. I knock on the window, he rolls it down and I ask "how much do you guys love us?"

"A lot" Marty replies.

"Good because we just blew another tire."

Kurt clipped the curb and it hit the tire just right and blew our brand new tire that replaced the blown tire from the last trip. He couldn't hit an old tire, it had to be the new one. So we back up and do this . . . again:

Yep, it's flat.

You have got to be kidding me! 2 flats within 5 hours of each other. And we were only 5 minutes from home!!!! 5 minutes!!! I just wanted to be home. Luckily, Marty's spare fit our trailer and we were able to make it home. We didn't know until later that on his way out of the gas station, Marty clipped the curb and hit his tire too. Luckily he didn't get a flat!

This is the back of Kurt's truck at the gas station.

I think it sums up the last 30 hours of our trip rather nicely:

2 flat tires and a thrown-up-on car seat.

All that's missing is the syrup bottle.

I should have thrown that in the picture too!

Overall, the trip was a lot of fun but, boy, were we glad to be home!

I just have to say that Marty and Lorraine hung in there with us through all of it - the crying, the carsickness, the first flat, the second flat, me cleaning syrup up while pour Ally, so tired and ready for a nap, screamed in the truck. They were amazing! When I was ready to give up, they kept me laughing! You guys are awesome! Thanks for being such great friends!

Exciting News!!

2010-09-15T15:23:00.001-07:00

I FINISHED MY LAUNDRY!!!

Aren't you excited??? I am!!!

I lost count after 15 loads but I got it all done!

Now if only it would stay done.

I have a feeling in a day or two,

more loads will be waiting for me.

Very good job security!

Oh, mountain of laundry

2010-09-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when Kurt says he wants to go camping, I am all for it.

Then there are times when I just don’t want to go.

“Why?” he asks. “Don’t you want to spend time with your family?” Of course I do.

“Don’t you want to get away from everything?” Of course I do.

“Don’t you want to go exploring?” Of course I do.

Then why would I not want to go?

This is why:

This is the laundry that I come home with (and there are 2 loads missing – already in the washer and dryer). It will take me all weekend (probably more) to get all this done. So, yes, camping is fun and it is wonderful to get away and explore but the laundry that is created, well, I could do without that! (That wall is 7' wide and the pile is 3' tall - yikes!)

So if you need me this weekend, I will be slaving away with the laundry.

So exciting!

Oh, and I will post all about our Labor Day camping trip once I swap pics with our friends. We have some good stories to share about this one! Stay tuned!

Mom vs. 3 kids and the grocery store

2010-08-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I had to run into the grocery store for a few things.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Not with 3 kids in tow. Usually my kids are good in stores but apparently last night that wasn't the case.

Somewhere between the parking lot and the doors into the store Hailey decided to throw a fit. Why? I have no idea - maybe because she's 7? Maybe because she's a girl? Maybe because, despite the fact that she is 99.9 percent of the time an easy going kid, she does have her moments and she picked that time to share it? I don't know but for whatever reason she was stomping and pouting and just being difficult through the store.

Kayla and Evan, on the other hand, were acting like circus clowns. Running, laughing, jumping, leaping, being plain crazy. I asked them several times to calm down and walk nicely with me. Apparently, they forgot to turn their ears on or something because they weren't obeying.

About 3/4ths of the way through the store I looked up and saw that Kayla was holding Evans hands behind his back as they were laughing and playing in the aisle. The split second before I could tell her to let go, Evan tripped.

You can guess what happened. Unable to put his hands out to stop himself, he face plants onto the hard, dirty grocery store floor.

THUD!

My heart stopped.

Evan screamed.

I scooped him up and thankfully there was no blood. I thought for sure his nose or teeth would have been hit but it was a miracle that his forehead took the brunt of the blow and, even then, he hardly has a mark today. Scared the hibby-gibbies out of me though.

Even after "the incident" Kayla and Evan continued to do their circus performance through the produce department. By the time I got home I was fried. After the kids had to explain to dad why mom was "done" and sent all the kids out of the kitchen, Dad talked to them and I don't think they will do that again.

Or at least I can hope they won't.

I am a dreamer . . .

2010-08-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

. . . and by that I mean that I dream at night. Very vivid, detailed dreams EVERY. NIGHT. I guess I have a very active imagination or sub-conscience or whatever it is that causes dreams. Kurt's head hits the pillow and he just wakes up; he doesn't remember a thing between the two.

Not me. I call it my "Night Life". Everyone goes to bed when their day is over but for me it's when my Night Life begins. Kurt usually gets a kick out of my dreams. If I start telling him all the stuff and details about them, he usually says "man, all that happened last night?"

Sometimes they are obviously dreams - flying dreams or unrealistic dreams.

But most of the time they are very real and I can't tell the next morning if I am having a memory of something that actually happened, like going somewhere with a friend, or having a memory of a dream of going somewhere with a friend. I have actually had to ask people "hey, have we ever . . ." because I can't tell if the memory is real or not. It's really bad when weeks or months later something will trigger a memory and then I really can't tell if it was a dream or not. It can be VERY confusing!

Usually I have happy dreams. Sometimes I have "saving the world" dreams. I usually wake up very tired from these dreams and tell Kurt "hey, I saved the world last night, what do you expect?"

Sometimes I have very emotionally charged dreams, like:

During our dating time, Kurt and I broke up for a few months. Sometimes I dream that we break up, either in the dating scene or marriage scene, and I will wake up, either in the middle of the night if it is really bad or in the morning, feeling all those sad and depressed emotions from 12 years ago. I will be really upset and it will take me anywhere between hours and the full day to get over it. So weird! Once I woke up and was surprised to see him in bed with me. I remembered the break-up part but I couldn't remember the getting back together part. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize it had been a dream but still, they were a very confusing couple of seconds! I wake up from those dreams and just hug and kiss him and tell him how much I love him and appreciate him.

I haven't done this in a long time and I don't think it's funny when it happens but looking back I always think it's funny - Sometimes I dream that Kurt and I get in a fight. The next morning I will wake up so mad at him and sometimes I can't even remember what we were fighting about but I just know he made me mad and I try really hard to tell myself that it was really just a dream and to let it go. Well, sometimes I am not so good at that and I will be snappy with him. He has learned to recognize those mornings and will ask "oh man, what'd I do last night?" and we both laugh get a good laugh.

During the first 2 years of Kayla's life I would dream about once a week that that girl drowned. It was horrible! It was always the same events just at different locations. We would be at someone's house for a party and I would see her at the bottom of the pool and I would run as fast as I could only in the dream it would be slow motion where I couldn't get to her. It was horrible! I would always run and leap (in slow-mo) into the water and then I would wake up, never getting to her. I would be so upset when I woke up I would go sit in her room and watch her sleep. It's safe to say that I was a crazy mom with that girl around pools when she was little. She was always 2 or 3 in the dreams but I am still nervous around pools.

Sometimes I can tell what triggered them - a movie that I saw or a story that I read or heard. Sometimes they come completely out of left field and I can't explain them or understand them.

Well, I just woke up upset from a dream and I know exactly what triggered it and I feel horrible. It was a guilt induced dream. This dream really struck home and hit me straight in the heart. My sub-conscience is sending me an obvious message with this one and I deserve it.

This week was very busy for us. Evan started preschool and I started school with the girls and it was just a crazy busy, busy week and I didn't call my mom as much as I should have. In fact I can't remember the last day I talked to her. It was probably Tuesday or Wednesday and I feel really bad about that. She called and left a message today and I didn't get a chance to call her back and I went to bed thinking I should have just taken 5 minutes and stopped everything else and called her but I didn't. I didn't make it a priority and that is just plain dumb. I was, and still am, really upset with myself and that's how I went to bed.

I dreamt my mom was sick and in the hospital and I wasn't visiting her as much as I should. And that just bites! I felt the guilt from earlier (about not calling my mom) in the dream and I woke up so upset over it. In the dream the nurse was telling me all the things they were watching on her and it brought back all those memories from last December when she was in the hospital. As I sit here typing this, tears just started rolling down my cheeks because I was just a bad daughter and it just really, really bites! I feel horrible. I want to call her right now and tell her how much I love her. If only it weren't 1 am! Urgh!

At least in the dream I was trying to make it up to her and I took her Kurt's french toast (we just talked about the french toast with friends tonight so that is why that was in there). Anyone who has had Kurt's french toast knows the specialty that it is and what a treat it would be but still, it wasn't enough.

Thank you sub-consciene - message received! I vow to do better. To call my mom more. To be a better daughter. I am so sorry mom! I love you so much and I will be calling you tomorrow morning; or I guess, later this morning!

The night still possibly holds 5 hours of sleep (if I can get back to sleep).

I wonder what else my sub-conscience has in store for me! Maybe I can have a happy dream now, or a super hero dream. Those are always fun!

Mystery Eyes

2010-08-23T22:40:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was going up stairs to go to bed and as I passed the toy room, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

I looked into the toy room and this is what I saw:

It looked like 2 eyes staring at me.

I froze and tried to rationally figure out what it was.

I busted up laughing once I figured it out

(aka: once I was finally brave enough to walk over and flip the light switch on).

Can you tell?

(Oh, and please excuse the messy toy room. It hadn't been picked up in awhile. And this was before it was turned into a school room. Now it stays much cleaner).

2 little beady eyes, it's got to be a critter!

Right?

So could you tell?

Was your first guess a toy truck that had it's head lights stuck on?

You are so smart!

6 more days!!!

2010-08-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

That's right!

Only 6 more days and then I get to put on my "teacher" hat.

Our classroom is all set up:

Our whiteboard is all hung, ready to go:

I feel:

overwhelmed and confident,

excited and worried,

happy and sad,

all at the same time.

I am sure it will be a great year. I just have to get it going and get in the routine and things will go smoothly. It will be an adjustment to our days; they will have to be way more structured then they are now but it will be good.

I can't wait!

Naughty, Naughty

2010-08-18T09:28:00.001-07:00

I got busted - again.

I am still not even drinking 1/2 of the amount of liquids I should be.

Oops!

Why is it so hard to drink so much?
(Said in my whiniest voice possible)

Ugh!