Devin & Ruthann Family

10 Points

2011-11-28T20:58:00.001-07:00

Guess what Devin said today when he got home from work and saw that I was still in the middle of making dinner and that 2 of our 3 kids were crying and that the toy room was a mess and that I was pretty much completely frazzled...

He said, "What can I do to help?"

Did you guess that? 10 points if you did. He got about 100 point for saying it.

Yeah, he is amazing. It was so wonderful that he offered to help instead of criticizing for dinner not being done or any thing else he might mention.

There have been a few instances when he walked in and the first words he said to me were something like, "Why does the house smell weird?" or, "Did you make sure the cereal was on sale before you bought it?" or, my favorite, "What did you do all day?" (Men, take note: That last one is seriously the worst thing a man can say when he gets home to his wife and house full of kids.)

It is unbelievable the difference it makes when the first words he speaks are kind.

Peaches 2011

2011-10-10T08:57:00.009-07:00

Annual Utah peach canning day

This year Devin and I canned 28 jars all by ourselves! Like, no help from one of our mothers. We felt so grown up!

Devin making the syrup:

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp fruit fresh

start with 1 c hot water

The set up:

big pot for blanching peaches

steam canner

bowl for transporting peaches from pot to cold water in sink to be peeled

peeling

cutting

putting in jars

about ready to go in the canner

Devin and his creepy molester face

Ta-da!

Aren't they pretty?! They sure are yummy!!!

Pant-less Cowboy

2011-10-09T08:50:00.010-07:00

Henry practicing his cutting skills

with Daddy's cowboy hat

and without pants

"Lemme see!"

Harry Potter glasses

And again, no pants.

Lion

2011-10-08T08:26:00.001-07:00

Jaxon's first Halloween (he was only 3 weeks old for his real first Halloween) he wore this lion outfit. Henry then wore it for his first Halloween too. I got it out to wash it for Ollie to wear it and Henry thought it would still fit him. Even after putting it on and seeing how it obviously didn't fit him, he still thought it did.

And, yes, Jaxon has a fanny pack. He pretends it is his Flynn Ryder satchel. It was in the Halloween box from when Devin was a hideous lion tamer...

Here the boys are pretending to be Flynn and ride Maximus on a chair they overturned...

Little Teeth

2011-10-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Poor Ollie is the happiest baby so when his teeth come in we see a whole new side of him. A side that cries, barely. He wines and cries a little, but mostly sits and sucks his thumb.

This baby and his happy demeanor are wonderful blessings!

St George

2011-10-06T08:45:00.001-07:00

On our way up to Utah for a family reunion we stopped at Del Taco for dinner. We specifically chose Del Taco because they had a kids play place. But, the play place was closed and that was a bummer. You certainly can't tell from the look on Henry's face that he is bummed about it.

Beautiful St. George Temple

On Sunday we went to sacrament meeting at the first building we could find. It just so happened to be a senior branch. So our family was the only one with kids. It was the quietest meeting I have ever been to! Luckily, our kids were exceptionally good that week so we didn't stand out too much. After the meeting an old guy even came up and said our kids were "so well behaved."

That's Henry with a beanie baby bear inside Devin's church shoe. He told Devin to take off his shoe and then used it for a boat for his Yogi Bear. What an imagination!

Ollie was such a trooper in the car

Henry was so tired he fell asleep at dinner. He actually does the frequently, while still chewing.

We went to the dinosaur track museum. Yes, a dinosaur track museum, not a dinosaur museum. Not as cool.

Trying Origami at the museum

Teething on the chair

I sat behind the boys for a while because other people were in the van with us. Here's a few with my super excited kids...

And that's all the pictures I got from our trip. For all the stuff we did, I should have taken more. But some of the other fun things we did include:

Grocery shopping at Harmon's (the best grocery store ever).

My own alone time at Robert's Arts and Crafts! Amazing!

Seeing Devin's grandma, grandpa, aunt, cousin, cousin's husband, and their cute baby.

Swimming in the condo ice cold pool then jumping in the jacuzzi and back in the pool.

Running what felt like 5 miles on a giant hill, but then realizing it was only 2.

Showering in an awesome shower without a door in hot water! (At home our shower is so far away from the water heater the water doesn't get as hot as I would like it. "Turn the heat up" you say, but in the kitchen, right next to the water heater, the water will just about scald your flesh so we don't want to do that.)

Sleeping in a KING sized bed. One of the loves of my life. Some day we will upgrade.

Seeing my amazing friend Lacee and her itty-bitty baby who was born super early. Little baby Olivia is sure blessed to have such and amazing mommy!

Getting 2 pairs of running shoes and 4 pairs of running socks for $125! What a steal of a deal at the outlets in Laughlin! We stayed there on our drive home so we wouldn't have to do it all at once.

Getting woken up an average of 5 times a night because of Ollie's teeth coming in--SO sad!

Getting woken up about 5 times because of second hand cigarette smoke seeping through the door from the room next door during our night in Laughlin. I guess that's what you get for being too poor to afford a nice hotel and falling for the cheap rooms in a casino.

Seeing Josh and Joy and their family (My personal highlight of the trip! It might be Devin's too, but then again it might come second to his Harmon's shopping.)

Creamies.

Oh, yeah, and fixing a flat tire! Maybe we are jinxed because on our last family vacation (only a few months ago) we got a flat tire too! This time instead of it being blazing hot, it was really cold because it was really late at night and just off the mountain outside of Fredonia. I broke down at that point. Devin was a champ, of course. I just couldn't believe it happened to us again! On another long road trip! But, after Devin got the spare on and pronounced it "pretty low" we said a desperate prayer and went along on our way. After the prayer I did feel peace that we would arrive safely and we did! It definitely was a blessing of safety and peace because I was so nervous about that spare!

It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun!

Y Workout and Swim

2011-10-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Because we live a pretty good distance from a city library, museums, parks, etc, there's not much to do close to our house. Plus it is blazing hot in the summer so activities are limited to pretty much indoors. So, we go swimming at the Y a few days a week. I work out while the kids go in the play place and then we all swim together. Sometimes the boys are so crazy in our little stall while we try to eat our snack and change into our swim suits. It probably seems extra crazy because I am usually tired from my workout. But, on this day, they were exceptionally good.

It seems like every time I go another mother comments on how I am brave for bringing all 3 boys to swim. It is quite a circus sometimes, but I don't want to live my life barricaded in my house because I have 3 children ages 4 and under. And sometimes we do make a scene, but all kids do.

Ruining My Life

2011-09-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today Jaxon said to me, "You're ruining my life!" I want to remember he said that at age 4. Yes, age 4. As in f-o-u-r. Like, after 3 and before 5. I thought it was something teenagers say. I literally laughed out loud when he said it because I couldn't believe it. I even said, "What?" so he would repeat it and I could make sure it was really what I thought I heard. People tell me that girls are dramatic, but I say Jaxon is pretty dramatic.

He said it because I told him he could not have more blueberries until he had eaten his cauliflower. I guess that would ruin a person's life. How could I?

Holiday Decorations

2011-09-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've got a question: When putting out holiday decorations, do you put away your usual decorations?

See, we have a big picture of Christ on our mantel. Now I want to decorate that space for Halloween, but I just don't feel right putting spider webs and skulls around a picture of Christ. So I guess I'll take down the Christ picture for the month of October...???

What do my fellow decorators think?

Labor Day

2011-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Since Devin works a full time job, a part time job, and is working on getting his masters degree 2 classes at a time, he doesn't have many days "off." And by "off" I mean where he doesn't have to be any of the above mentioned places the whole day.

So, we were very excited that he was off on Labor Day.

We went to one of our favorite places to go as a family...

Johnny Rockets!

Then we played in the fountain outside. The weather was nice and the boys were so entertained by the fountain, so Devin and I sat with Ollie and talked while we watched the boys play.

Precious:)

Ollie the Little Oliver

2011-09-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that I just think he is the cutest little baby!!!

I mean, I know all parents think their kids are cute, but really?

Is he not just so adorable?!?!?!

Almost crawling...

When he gets sleepy he sucks his thumb.

Jaxon (with his Harry Potter glasses) loving on his little baby!

I am so so so blessed to have these boys!

Henry Turns 3

2011-08-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

For Henry's birthday we decided to go up to the cabin. Nana planned a fun little pirate party that started with popping cannon balls.

Then Jaxon and Henry got into a brawl over who knows what and I sat on the couch to capture the mess with photos. After a few punches were thrown, Devin decided it was time to step in.

(I don't just let them fight it out all the time, but sometimes, yes, I do. They need the chance to figure some things out on their own.)

Ollie was adorable, even when he got sleepy and a little fussy.

After the brawl, it was time to go on a pirate treasure hunt!

The treasure they found was a pirate pinata. Because it had rained on and off all morning we couldn't hang the it outside. So, Daddy tried holding it and with Jaxon swinging the bat I'm sure you can guess what happened. Seconds before, Josh even said, "We all know how this turns out. We should be filming this." He was right. I felt bad as Devin dropped to the floor, but we all couldn't help but laugh!

Yummy red velvet cake (of Henry's choosing)

Devin and Josh went fishing that morning and also caught some crawdads. We boiled them up and tried to eat them. I'm not sure if we'll be doing it again or not...

That's what Jaxon thought of the crawdads:

But they were fun to wear on his finger!

Yep, Ollie is under the couch. He rolls all over when he plays now and he ended up under there.

Little cowboy!

My man even looks attractive in his fishing t-shirt, baggy pants, and hiking boots!

Enjoying the beautiful weather while shooting BB guns off the balcony.

Lucky Henry got some Harry Potter legos from Nana and Papa!

He's so good at playing on the floor with a couple toys.

This is Ollie's crawling stance. He gets into this position and hasn't figured out to drop that right knee. If he does, he automatically falls to his tummy. He's so close, but hasn't quite got it yet!

(He just turned 8 months.)

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful place to go and have family time together. It was such a great weekend!

Happy birthday to Henry!

Training Started This Week

2011-08-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

Since I have decided to run the PF Chang marathon again, I have started training. And, since it's SO stinking hot there is no way I can run outside. I can't wait for the day that it's cool enough to run outside! I especially love running outside during the holidays because it's so fun to see all the decorated houses! But for now, I have to go to the YMCA. If the boys are good and get ready and go to the kids place so I can exercise, I take them swimming afterwards. Here are some pictures from today...

Oliver was putting his face in it like a drinking fountain then sticking his tongue out.

I try to meet my friend Kiera at the Y so we can exercise together and today she brought her boys swimming with us. It's crazy that when we first met she didn't have any kids and we only had Jaxon. Now, between the 2 of us, there are 5 kids...and they are all boys!!! It's so fun to see them all growing up and playing together!

Yeah, so I'm running the marathon again! I know I said I would never do it again, but I was so close to qualifying for Boston that I want to run it again so I can qualify. They actually decreased the time so I have to cut more off my time, but I think I can do it.

Training is very time consuming, but I really enjoy doing it. When I told Devin I wanted to run it again he said with a big sigh, "You do?" Then I told him that I know it takes a lot of my time, but he had to support me. I guess it seems like it takes more time because of when the training falls...during the holidays and wrestling season. But, around the time of the marathon we are planning on trying to have another baby so the timing is perfect. I want to do this for myself before getting pregnant again. And because of the scare with Ollie and the doctor being relieved that my body was in such good shape before getting pregnant that he thought it would heal itself, which it did, I want to be really healthy before getting pregnant again.

So, anyone interested in running the marathon with me???

There is a half (13.1 miles) if a whole (26.2) is too much.

It's super fun!!!

Family Reunion - Manti, Utah

2011-08-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

The awesomely beautiful Manti Temple. We did a session and it was amazing.

Jaxon going out on the canoe. He was fearless, but Henry didn't want to get his feet wet.

We had lifejackets at home, but didn't bring them because we didn't realize we were going to be literally 10 feet from the lake. Luckily, there was a Walmart near by. So, now we have 4 toddler lifejackets:)

Canoe ride with Daddy and cousins!

Henry with his giant lifejacket.

Snack time

Balloon swards and hats! What could be better?!

(I guess Henry thought no pants would be better so he went for it.)

Catching frogs by the lake.

The HUGE screen to watch Tangled. It was so fun for the kids!

Jaxon playing with the light saber he won in the auction.

Mama and Henry and Ollie

Adorable Henry

Playing with cousins and light saber!

All of a sudden the winds picked up like crazy! The kids were running everywhere and thought it was so fun.

Then it started hailing! We ran to the car and waited while Devin helped the guys secure the rain covers to the tents.

Ollie was happy as ever!

We got donuts from Millers on our way out of town.

Then to St. George and our favorite grocery store Harmon's!

3 boys!!!

Devin says he would move to St. George just because of Harmon's grocery store. We do love it!

Dirt

2011-08-17T14:51:00.002-07:00

One of the things we love about our new house is that we have a big yard. Some of the yard is still dirt. I guess if you are Henry, the dirt is the best part!

This kid is so funny! Look how dirty he is!

Yes, that is an alpaca hanging out with Henry.

Yummy!

2011-08-16T14:51:00.002-07:00

This baby is just so yummy!!!

And here's 2 pictures of Jaxon...don't he and Ollie look SO much alike?

Long or Short?

2011-08-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay... I need help deciding: Should I cut my hair short again, or grow it long? Which looks fits me better?

Yikes...I look heavy in that last one. It's those wretched double Ds.

Anyway...on to the short hair...

The problem with short hair is that without volume, it doesn't look like, like the one below...

Again, no volume equals poopie hair.

More a-line...

And Halloween where Devin looks so creepy as a Carnie!

So, be honest! Long or short?

The Big 25

2011-08-14T23:29:00.003-07:00

So I turned 25 this week. I can't mark the "18-24" age group for surveys and anonymous statistical information forms. It's a big deal, I know.

For some reason birthdays always make me think back to the things I have and haven't done in my life. I haven't done much anyone will remember in my life, but here's a few of the things I am proud of...

I got married for all eternity to the most amazing man
I graduated college (Associate degree, but still, it's a degree I am proud of)
I became a mommy
I bought a house (and since then have sold it)
I became a mommy all over again, but this time without the assistance of an epidural (purposely)
I bought a minivan
I completed a sprint triathlon
I raced in a half-marathon
I raced in a marathon and achieve my goal time of under 4 hours
I became much more confident in my home canning abilities
After some scares and blessings, I became a mommy for a third time (again without an epidural)

What things am I currently doing?

Trying to train for some more races. Definitely a half marathon and possibly another full.
Trying daily to be a better mother to my 3 boys (includes trying to keep my sanity in the process).
Trying to be supportive of a husband working 2 jobs and getting his masters degree (again, here's where my sanity is at risk).
Trying to serve the Lord and show my love for him through my obedience to the small and seemingly big things he wants me to do.
Hoping I keep my figure!

Life is so wonderful. It is stressful, fulfilling, sad, exciting, hard, fun, and so much more. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I am happy, healthy, have an amazing family, and food in my pantry. I can only pray my next 25 years will be as good as the last.

Here's how the week went:

10th
Today I had a few favorite moments. One was when I went to the Verizon store to get a new phone. Mine has been in serious danger of completely dying and I have been putting off getting a new one. So, I finally went to get one and my brother came along. I was set on getting one without a data plan and sticking to the cheapest options, but then I started playing with the iPhone. We have a few apple products and love them all. I knew I would want an iPhone if I really knew all it could do. It was really fun to sit and listen to my brother explain tons of advantages, options, and features of the iPhone. So, I gave in and I am so glad I did! I love it! But, the best part about getting my new amazing phone, was the fun my brother and I had in the store together. We don't have many moments like that so I really enjoyed it.

Then...after getting my awesome new phone, my brother dropped me off to have dinner with Devin. It was a birthday date dinner at The Deli. We love that place and this time was no different. Devin told me about work and we talked about some of our future plans. Every time I get a date with Devin, I am reminded how amazing he is and how much we belong together. Date nights are the best!

11th

Today is my birthday! I had lots of favorite moments. The first was when I went out to the kitchen to get breakfast and saw the bowl of cream of wheat Devin had made for me. It's one of my favorites!

Later, Devin came home for lunch and made sure the boys' meals were all taken care of - including dishes! Then, my mom took me, the boys, Jeni, and Joshua all out for ice cream. We got Thrifty ice cream, which was super yummy! Poor Ollie was jealous he couldn't have any yet! He just got Cheerios!

After coming back from ice cream, I got ready and took the boys to spend the night at Nana's so I could go to my Relief Society meeting since Devin wouldn't be home to leave them with. I opened my present from the family of a nail salon gift card (for a pedi), a movie theater gift card, and dinner gift card to my favorite, Buca de Beppo, plus free babysitting! Another date night!

So off to Relief Society I went, happy to know I would have the day to myself (and Ollie) until Devin got home from work when we would go out for another date together!

And...between there sometime my mom and dad brought me a cupcake with a candle so I could make a wish. It was sweet.

That night, Nana had to call because Jaxon was upset that he forgot to give me my birthday card. What a sweet little boy! He told me he did not want me to be sad and think he forgot about my birthday. I told him I knew he did not forget because he gave me super big birthday hugs earlier and it would be okay for him to make a card tomorrow. He feet better after we talked for a little bit. That boy has such a tender little heart. I hope he stays sweet and kindhearted. I am so blessed.

12th

Today was great because I got some nice time to myself. I love my boys more than anything in the world, but it is really nice to have some time for myself too. Ollie didn't stay with Nana and Papa since he is still nursing. He woke up at 6:00, which was kind of a bummer, but, after playing for about an hour, he went back to sleep until 9:30. So...so did I! It was so great! I n.e.v.e.r get to sleep in so it was really, really, really nice! Every once in a while Devin will get up with the boys on the weekend and let me stay in bed, (and even then my sleep is interrupted with noises from the boys playing) but pretty much since Ollie was born, I'm up early to feed him every day. So, anyway, I really enjoyed the peace and quiet that allowed me to sleep in. After a nice workout and playing with Ollie, I put him back down for his nap and was able to do some playing with my new phone to get it set up and synced with my desktop. Uninterrupted computer time is also something I don't enjoy much of, so that was really nice too.

After Devin got off, we dropped Ollie off with Nana and Papa and headed out for date number two for the week. Multiple birthday celebrations are so great. I don't think I've celebrated my own this many times in one year before, but I think I want this to happen every year! It was once again so wonderful to spend the time with Devin. Having him gone Monday through Thursday nights (and every other Saturday) is really hard for me. I love when we get time together. Our date was amazing, then we picked up the kids and headed home just in time to watch an episode of Smallville, only one of the best shows ever!

We still have our movie gift card (none of the times worked for our schedule today) and my pedi gift card for next weekend.

13th

Today my favorite moment was during our cheese party. Yep, it was actually at Elisha and Josh's. They got 9 cheeses from around the world for us to taste. It was so fun! We got a few ideas and plan on doing it again too! It was so fun to visit with Josh, Devin, and Aaron about the creepy expired food store and joke about how weird, yet awesome it is. Adult time is nice. Laughing is even better.

14th

Today was my birthday Sunday dinner. Devin's family came over and made me a beef roast, veggies, noodles, gravy, and fruit. Devin made a (frosting-less) chocolate cake from scratch and mocha ice cream (coffee free). It was all a.mazing! The food was fabulous and the company was even better. It was such a fun week of alone time, Devin date time, and family time. So far, it feels good to be 25!

My mom got me a Road ID bracelet for when I go running. It's awesome! If you are a runner, get one. Find them here.

PS...I did post all about our summer. I cheated and backdated so they posts look like they were done on time:)

Where Daddy Lives

2011-08-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today my favorite moment was when we drove past the school Devin teaches at and Henry pointed to it and said, "That's where Daddy lives!" I corrected him, "No, that's Daddy's work. Daddy lives at home with us." "NO! Daddy lives at his work too!"

It wasn't really my favorite moment, of course, but I want to remember it. I think it's actually a tad bit sad that Henry thinks Daddy lives somewhere else. I mean, I know Devin is gone a lot, but even if it's late, he always comes home. I guess there are days when the kids don't see him at all. Working 2 jobs and taking classes for a Masters Degree is serious business.

4th of July 2011

2011-07-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

After doing fireworks in Vegas with Josh and Landon, these boys wanted to do some more. Devin wanted the $50 pack from Costco, but I said that was too much to spend on fireworks. I came home from Fry's with a $10 pack and the boys were thrilled:)

Daddy Time

2011-07-03T21:09:00.001-07:00

Daddy and Oliver

Adorable.

Sunday afternoon nap time for Henry and Daddy.

Bottomless Toilets

2011-06-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

On our way up to Utah for a family reunion we stopped at a rest stop over the Grand Canyon. The boys were fascinated with the bottomless toilets.

Exploring

Sitting Up

2011-06-24T20:54:00.001-07:00

Ollie is 6 months and sitting up!

Spinach

2011-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Jaxon likes to literally eat spinach raw out of the bag. I fully support it.

Holding Hands

2011-06-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

All the boys fell asleep in the car and Jaxon was holding Ollie's hand. It was precious!

How Many Pics?

2011-06-16T15:16:00.001-07:00

How many tries does it take to get a good* picture with 3 kids under the age of 4?

Who knows? I quit trying after 3.

*good meaning all kids smiling and looking at the camera.

Moving & Going Private

2011-06-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, we are alive, but are SO busy it seems like I hardly have time to breathe! We are in the middle of moving and it is stressing me out!

I have been thinking about making our blog private for a while, and now I think I'm going to do it. If you want an invite, leave a comment with your e-mail and I won't post it. I promise I will get back to daily blogging again after this move! I have lots to catch up on like: our trip to Disneyland, our new house, trips to the cabin...

I do update here pretty much daily if you're interested.

Disneyland!!! May 28 - June 4, 2011

2011-06-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

This summer we took a trip to Disneyland. We just love that place!

The boys were super excited and did pretty good on the car ride.

We had planned on going that evening, but we got a flat tire on the way there and arrived much later than we had planned. Devin was amazing and changed the tire in the 100+ degree weather without complaining once. How did I get so lucky to have a hot and totally wonderful husband? I don't know, but I am so glad I did! So anyway, we hung out at the hotel that night. Oh, we also thought there was going to be a stove, but there was only a mini fridge and microwave. So...Devin went to the store and bought an electric skillet so we could still cook the food we brought and it wouldn't go bad.

Devin's parents came for the last 3 nights so we gave them our bed and we slept in the family room with the baby. Jaxon and Henry could have had the floor, but we didn't want them in the room with Ollie, so we took the couch bed mattress and slept on the floor. I think my back had actual bruises from the springs of that mattress. But it was worth it because we were in Disneyland!!!

"We" consisted of a single and a double stroller, 2 Camelback backpacks, extra sweaters and pants for evening, snacks, diapers, toys...etc. We were serious.

Oh, and a map.

Our hotel was about 1 mile from the park (and 1/2 mile from the parking lot!) so we walked to the park every day except the last day we had to drive because we were without our single stroller.

First ride: Buzz Lightyear, of course!

Pure joy for Jaxon!

Jaxon was brave and did Splash Mountain with Daddy. Poor Henry wasn't tall enough yet.

Winnie the Pooh!

Fam pic with Tigger!

Ollie was such a good sport!

Jaxon wanted Buzz in a "cardboard Buzz box" like in Toy Story 2.

Henry is trouble!

Jaxon fell asleep under the cardboard Buzz box later that evening.

What a cute kid!

Henry waited with Mommy while Jaxon did Soarin' Over California with Daddy. Then, thanks to the parent swap, Mommy got to go with Jaxon too.

Little Ollie:)

Henry did Matterhorn with Mommy. He wasn't even scared!

Meeting Peter Pan!

Toad's Wild Ride

Sward in the Stone

We found a perfect place to have lunch. We ate there almost every day. There were ducks and their babies in the pond.

Small World

I said I'd never buy those huge gross suckers, but then I had a kid who wanted one. Then, another kid wanted one and I gave in. Man, they are huge. And gross.

Ollie!

Playing while in line.

This was Henry's only fit the whole time. He screamed for about an hour while we waited for Wood's ride. Funny how he chose to have his one and only fit on the ride with the longest wait time!

Ollie thought the poles looked yummy. Don't worry, he never got a taste.

This bread caused serious problems. Devin thought it was so cool and the boys wanted it, so he paid 7 bucks for it. He took it to the table and they started fighting over it. So, after the fight calmed down and we finally tried it, we realized it was sourdough. Yuck. Who likes to eat sourdough plain? Maybe some people do, I don't really know, but we don't. So, it was cool, then caused fights, and wasted 7 dollars. Better luck next time.

Ollie trying to eat the camera.

SO CUTE!

Sward fighting between strollers.

This is why we didn't have our stroller on the last day...the wheel fell off! On our way out of the park it just popped off! Then the rest of the walk home we had to stop and put it back on every few feet. We had bad luck with tires that trip!

Captain Hook

Ramen for dinner in the hotel that night!

Small World with Nana and Papa

Mickey's house

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

petting zoo

We were there the day the new Star Tours opened. In the morning, the wait time was estimated to be 7 hours! I bet it was, too. The line was ridiculous! Later on that day, the wait went down to 1.5 hours, so Devin and I stood in line. Devin actually got to do it 3 times! Jaxon loved it and Henry was bummed he wasn't big enough yet.

Fam pic before dinner

Nana bought the boys each a pirates Lego set. They love the pirate guys.

Pooh' honey pots

Brothers playing while waiting for the Nemo ride.

Jaxon's Lego set all put together!

We had such a great time on our trip! Some people aren't Disneyland people, but we totally are! We just love it there. The boys were well behaved and loved every minute too!

Sunscreen - You Should Read This

2011-06-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

I learned about an awesome site that has information about sunscreen. Since here in good ol' AZ we should be using sunscreen daily, I think it is important to know which are safe and which are harmful.

Read this.

This is the one we've been using. And it smells as bad as poo but we've been using it anyway because I thought it was perfectly safe.

What makes me mad is that sunscreen companies put false claims on the packaging and the average consumer has no idea they aren't true. We should be able to believe a label when it says, "Mild as water."

Yummy Thumb

2011-05-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ollie is the cutest little thumb-sucker!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Jaxon graduated from preschool! He was adorable in his cap and gown!

They had an awesome program to show some of the songs they learned during the year.

Jaxon and his teacher, Miss Melissa

Jaxon loves her! He got the "Gummy Bear Award" because he gave the best hugs! It was so sweet:)

A few preschool projects

Brothers & Hair

2011-05-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

These boys are best friends who fight and play all day! I love them to pieces!!!

Slacker

2011-05-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, lately I've been a slacker. A slacker at updating my blog. It's sad, I know.

But not a slacker at being a mommy:)

Updates soon, promise!

Irrigation

2011-05-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

These boys love playing in the irrigation. I remember playing in it when I was a kid and loving it.

I love this troublemakers little face!

Mowing

2011-05-11T07:16:00.006-07:00

Today I had a couple favorite moments.

My first favorite moment today happened was while I nursed Ollie before putting him to bed for the night. It was a beautiful day today--perfect temperature of 75ish, slightly breezy, and sunny--so we had our windows open. Devin was in the back yard mowing the lawn. Jaxon and Henry love when Daddy plays "lawn mow" (meaning he mows and they run around in the grass) so of course they were out there with him. I could hear their laughter when he finished with the lawn and started playing with them. Just sitting there, holding Ollie while listening to my sweet boys play with their wonderful daddy was such a sweet moment where everything in life seemed perfect.

My other favorite moment happened after Devin was done mowing and playing with the boys outside. They all came in for shower time. Devin did the ab wheel (the best ab toner in the world) then told the boys, "Time to show Mommy our muscles." And Jaxon added, "And our naked dance." They did both!

Also posted here.

Lawn Mow

2011-05-10T21:16:00.007-07:00

When Devin mows the lawn the boys like to go out and play "lawn mow."

Then Henry gets sad that Jaxon has the play mower and he got stuck with the Winnie the Pooh cart.

So Jaxon is a great big brother and trades so Henry can have the mower.

And Ollie gets scared from the noise.

And Joey sits and hopes for attention.

Mimi's

2011-05-08T14:13:00.001-07:00

We had a dinner out with Nana and Papa for Mother's Day. The boys were a little crazy, but I fell in love with bread pudding! Who knew it was delicious?! I don't like soggy bread-type food, but this was amazing!

Ollie's shirt is drenched from drool! lol

Camping with Daddy

2011-05-07T14:09:00.005-07:00

The boys went camping a few times with Daddy this summer. I love that they are wearing shirts, hoodies, and their warmest jackets and SHORTS! Daddies are funny:)

These boys love Uncle Josh's camping pop up trailer.

Yummy breakfast!

Daddy took the boys to the fish hatchery. They loved seeing all the fish and ran up and down all the rows of ponds.

Captain Hook

2011-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering, this is Captain Hook.

Watercolor Painting

2011-05-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

One way to fight indoor summer boredom...painting!

Look at those lips!!!

Jaxon colored this guy to make a Harry Potter action figure. He is so creative!

San Tan Flat II

2011-05-05T07:13:00.009-07:00

After I had a nap on Saturday we realized we only had a few hours left in the day to do something fun for the weekend. So, we went somewhere close, affordable, kid friendly, and delicious!

San Tan Flat!

Daddy, J, and Hen, and Batman too because he goes everywhere with Henry, of course.

Mama & Ollie with my yummy salon salad!

Throwing wood into the fire. These boys love it!

Caramel Apples

2011-05-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

The boys have been watching Enchanted and since Giselle eats a caramel apple they wanted to make some.

Henry ended up running around while Jaxon did all the work!

All done! We ate a little bit of the caramel, but ended up peeling it off to eat the apples! It was a fun project to do with little Jaxon.

Safeway Field Trip

2011-05-04T07:11:00.002-07:00

Jaxon's preschool went on a field trip to Safeway to see the all the different occupations there. I was one of the mommies that went to help. It was neat to see behind the scenes at the grocery store. It was especially fun that they gave the kids cookies and hot chocolate before the tour!

Here he is with his friend Bradley. They are so cute (and crazy) together!

Jaxon is growing up so fast!

Digging for Gold

2011-05-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

This kid just cracks me up!

Look what he did here.

Easter at the Cabin

2011-05-02T07:25:00.003-07:00

For Easter with Devin's family, we went to the cabin. It was beautiful and so much fun!

Egg hunt

Henry was Harry Potter for the day

Relaxing with Daddy

This kid is such a little joker.

Little Ollie and Daddy

Daddy took J and Hen to the creek for a while with Uncle Josh.

They didn't catch any fish, but had a fun time!

On our drive home, the boys fell asleep and Devin and I got to enjoy a dinner with the adults while the boys slept in the stroller!

Easter & A Boot

2011-04-30T07:59:00.003-07:00

Since Henry would be walking on his cast the doctor suggested that he get a boot, but again with the cost, so we decided we would make one.

Henry is such a Daddy's boy.

Not too bad! Just a little silly looking!

Egg hunt!

After the hunt his boot already needed to be readjusted.

How he fell asleep like this, I have no idea!

He Found His Thumb

2011-04-29T07:24:00.001-07:00

Look at Ollie sleeping with grandpa!

Ollie is the happiest baby! He sleeps, eats, poops, plays, repeats.

I have tried since Oliver was born to give him a binki to pacify him but he has never wanted one. I didn't care enough to try a bunch of different kinds to find one he would take. I just figured he was fine without one. But...It looks like he had something else in mind!

Uh oh! I don't want his sucking his thumb so I'll have to find a binki he'll take. But, the only times I've caught him doing it is when he is hungry and I don't get to him right away. I better not make him wait or he'll be developing a dangerous habit!

But, it is super cute though!

Potty Training Henry

2011-04-28T07:19:00.001-07:00

Our original plan was to potty train Henry when he got his cast off. But, when we got the news that he would be getting a second cast we decided we were going to do it anyway!

I'm glad we did because Henry has been amazing. He only had like 4 accidents in the first 2 days and then only 2 more in the past 2 weeks! We hardly even ask if he has to go, he just tells us when he has to go.

Here he is telling daddy he was going potty.

Henry's Cast Comes Off!

2011-04-27T07:51:00.001-07:00

We went in and were told his cast would be coming off today! [April 12]

After a small scratch from the saw, the cast came off!

Good thing he had his fruit strip to get his through!

Jaxon was so patient and interested while Henry was worked on.

Waiting for the doctor.

Waiting for the x-ray to get looked at.

Oh, it's still broken! We need to put another cast on!

WHAT?! I think I was more excited to get rid of that dang thing than Henry was. I was such a bummer when we found out he would need anther one! Not to mention the cost!

He picked orange this time. This doctor put a little more bend in the knee and gave him a flat foot so he could walk easier.

It was a tiring afternoon!

I Will Go, I Will Do

2011-04-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Jaxon and Henry wanted to take their tools outside the other day. I told them it was fine as long and they made sure to bring them all inside. Then, I heard them outside pretending they were Nephi and Sam building a boat. It was adorable!

Henry wearing protective eye goggles, of course.

Silly boys!

Him & Her

2011-04-25T20:45:00.002-07:00

I am in the process of putting the pictures from our old computer on our Mac. It has been fun to see some old pictures.

Here we are, Christmas 2005. We had been married 1 year.

12/25/05

5/27/06

4/8/07

6/9/07

8/10/07

12/15/07

5/17/08

5/20/08

12/26/09

12/11/10

New Blog - Favorite Moments

2011-04-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

I added a link on the sidebar, but I wanted to mention that I have a new blog.

Find it here: Daily Favorite Moments.

Jaxon's Current Interests

2011-04-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Jaxon absolutely loves to draw or color or do any kind of art project.

This is my nightstand with remnants of one of Jaxon's art projects.

This is such an accurate picture of Jax: Ironman costume, markers, Buzz, Spiderman cup.

He says he was trying to draw an arrow. But...it looks suspiciously like something else...

Wearing underwear on his head for a Buzz Lightyear helmet. He's got quite the imagination!

These are Batman figures that he turned into "The Wrong Buzz," Buzz, and Woody. His idea was sparked because that green part on the Batmen glows, like Buzz. Then, if you have kids who watch Toy Story 2, you might remember when the gang takes the wrong Buzz from Al's Toy Barn. Anyway, that's the one with the blue belt. Then, we have Andy's Buzz, and Woody.

I love this boy!!!

Oliver Pics

2011-04-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Seeing my baby smile makes me smile:)

March 9, 2011

10 weeks

April 6, 2011

14 weeks

April 7, 2011

14 weeks

Utah Trip Pics

2011-04-11T13:03:00.001-07:00

Finger dancing in the car on the drive

Here is Henry at Pasta Factory. Luckily we got a booth or else we wouldn't have been able to eat there because he needed to lie down. He basically slept the whole trip since he had just broken his leg. This was one of the few moments during the whole trip that he was being his silly self.

Our night in Laughlin was spent in the hotel with Panda Express, and it was really fun. I almost tossed this shower cap, but Jaxon found it and entertained himself with it for the rest of the night.
When he first found it he said, "Is that what they use to make stuff at Costco?" I thought it was funny he thought of the Costco sample ladies when he saw the shower cap!

That black rock is his "lava rock." He learned about volcanos in preschool recently so they were his obsession during the trip.

Henry laying down, of course.

More shower cap fun!

Story time before bed.

I was trying to get them all to look at me, but I actually love how this turned out with the boys looking at their daddy. They sure do look up to him!

My little cuties!!!

Sometimes Henry Surprises Me

2011-04-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Henry surprised me. He did something I didn't expect when I was dropping the kids off at the "Amazing Kids Center" at the YMCA. It was our third day going there. The previous 2 days Henry had thrown a fit when I dropped them off. Before getting there yesterday, I asked him if he was going to cry when I dropped him off. He said no. So, when I took them in there he started heading for the door and saying he didn't want to go. I reminded him that he said he wasn't going to cry. He immediately stopped, changed directions, and walked right in! He is 2 1/2 so agreeing with mommy isn't something that happens all the time. But, on a rare occasion it does and I'm thankful for those times!

Broken Leg Pics

2011-04-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

What a cute face:)

A few days before the break happened. I think he's such a cute kid!

His splint.

On the way to Utah!

Sleeping after church.

Sleeping after lunch.

Drawing on he easel with Jaxon. By now, Henry is running (as well as he can) and climbing all over the place. Yesterday he and Jaxon were playing in the backyard and I had to make him come inside because he wouldn't stay out of the sand box. Poor kid.

He gets his cast off on April 12th!

Broken Leg & Utah Trip

2011-04-05T15:54:00.002-07:00

My long absence started because I got really sick with fever, chills, and the worst headache. Turns out it was a sinus infection. I guess I have never really had one before because I didn't know they could be so miserable!

Being a mommy is though, but being a sick mommy is even tougher. I was sick the few days before Devin has off for Spring Break so he couldn't take time off to take care of me. That was a bummer, but my wonderful mother and father in law came to the rescue and picked up Jaxon and Henry for 2 nights so I could rest with just the baby to take care of. That time was very helpful for my recuperation.

After I recovered, we enjoyed a few days as a family for Devin's break. Then, the night before we were scheduled to leave for a trip to Utah, Henry broke his leg! Yep, poor guy was on the trampoline with his cousins. When he came inside, he asked to lie down. It was around 8 pm so we didn't think it was unusual that he was tired. Then after sleeping for about 15 minutes, he woke up saying, "It's hurting! My leg! It's hurting!" He wouldn't put his weight on it. So, after a trip to the ER for x-rays, we learned that he did, in deed, break his leg. I felt so bad for the little guy. Seeing him lay there in the hospital bed waiting for the results was so sad. He has been such a trooper though. He was taking Tylenol with Codiene for a few days and it made him loopy! I didn't like giving it to him because he would wake up literally every 30 minutes all through the night and when he was awake, he was all disoriented and wasn't acting like himself. Yes, he had a broken leg and was in pain, but after a few days we stopped giving him that medication and switched to plain Motrin, his mood really improved.

The night we were in the ER they put a splint on him. That was Wednesday night. Then, he got his cast on almost a week later, on Tuesday. They wanted to give it time to swell and come back down before getting the hard cast on.

After spending the night in the ER we were debating if we should still go on our trip. It took us a while to stop worrying about other people judging us and thinking we were bad parents for not canceling in light of Henry's injury, but eventually we did and decided that the trip was still on!

So, Thursday morning we were off to see some of our favorite people, Josh & Joy! We were very excited to stay a night with them on our way to Utah. We heard about Josh's adventures with his new job and how Joy's business is doing so well she can barely keep up! We are excited things are going so well for them in their new home, but we sure do miss spending time with them and their family!

After enjoying our visit with them, we headed for St. George on Friday morning. We arrived and went straight to our favorite grocery store, Harmon's, to buy our favorite bread and favorite ice cream treat, Creamies! (Not sold at home--sad!)

No, we didn't drive all the way to Utah to go grocery shopping! It was just one reason ha! We went up to St. George really to get away. Just take a break and spend time in a city we love and have lots of memories. Devin and I lived there after we were first married and we both graduated from Dixie College. It's were I went through the temple for the first time and where I became a mommy. But, anyway, about this trip...

So, that night one of my BFF's from high school and her husband (Lacie and Tayce) came over for dinner. It was so fun to see them and visit. They have been through so much and are absolutely amazing! I'm so glad we got to catch up with them. It was like we never left off!

Some of our other favorite people have moved away recently and relocated to Utah, Cody and Melody, stayed with us for 2 nights. Because of Henry's broken leg we couldn't go out much, but we mostly just wanted to visit anyway. Melody cooked some awesome meals and we all gained about 5 pounds! She is doing Weight Watchers and told me one thing they tell people is, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I think that is a great thing to remember, but some food is just SO yummy I can't resist! We tried watching an old Pippi Longstocking movie, but it was so annoying we had to turn it off. We watched Despicable Me a few times and didn't even get tired of it. I love when the girls blame the little guys for toilet papering the house and the youngest girl and her fluffy unicorn! I laugh at those parts every time!

When it was time to go home we didn't want to do the whole drive in one day so we drove to Laughlin and stayed a night there then drove the rest of the way the next day. It was fun to be in a hotel with the boys. They were silly and liked jumping on the bed until Jaxon fell off and knocked his head on the wall. I have to admit I laughed before I realized he was crying.

Before bed I kept noticing how close to the edge of the bed Henry was getting. I had Devin move him over twice. I just knew he was going to fall off. And, sure enough, he fell off during the night! He was fine, but sometimes I am amazed at (and always thankful for) my own motherly intuition.

So our trip was a success. We got to see people we miss and love. We got to have some delicious food. We got to talk and laugh together on the car ride. Oh, and we got to pay close to $100 per gallon for gasoline!

Pics coming...

20 Days

2011-03-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in 20 days and a lot has happened I need to post about! Finding time is so much more difficult with a baby. Ollie eats about about 8 times in a 24 hour period, and each feeding (with time for eating, burping, and diaper change) is about 30 minutes. That means for 4 hours a day (plus time playing with him!) I am spending time feeding my little baby, which I totally enjoy, but which means I have 4 less hours to do other things, including update the blog. Plus, in the evenings when the kids are asleep Devin is usually using the computer to do homework for his masters classes so I am unable to update then. So, a real update will be coming soon...at least I'm planning on it...

One in a Million

2011-03-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

This little cutie is an amazing sleeper. He usually sleeps from 9 pm to 7 am. (Sometimes he'll eat around 5 am then go back to sleep.) I think it's pretty rare for a 2 month old to do that. My other boys didn't do that until they were close to a year. His long nights worried me at first, but he eats tons during the day and is growing normally, so I think he's just fine. I almost don't want to say it out loud or tell people he's such a good sleeper because I'm afraid I'll jinx it!

I LOVE THIS LITTLE GUY!

He is almost done with the antibiotics for his pneumonia and is doing much better! Seeing him sick was the saddest thing. He didn't smile for 3 days. Poor little guy was probably so miserable. I'm thankful for prayer and medicine!

PS Henry hasn't been waking at night anymore either! He has a few fits during the day, like a normal 2 year old, but his night fits seem to be few and far between now. Hallelujah!

A Little Too Much

2011-03-07T14:58:00.001-07:00

Oliver gets so much love from his brothers it scares him sometimes.

Oliver loves Oma

As you can see, Henry is still in the habit of falling asleep while eating.

Past vs Present

2011-03-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I read this on a friend's blog and was cracking up in agreement so I wanted to post it too. Let me know if you agree with any of these statements:

PAST: how can i get this guy to kiss me tonight?
PRESENT: how can i get out of sex tonight?

PAST: i hate when guys fart. nasty.
PRESENT: i love when my baby toots! maybe then he'll sleep better...

PAST: i love my boobs they are perky and great!
PRESENT: ugh...boobs. saggy and gross. only needed for milk.

PAST: *talking to a friend* want to use the restroom with me?
PRESENT: *talking to your kid* mommy is going to the potty. do you need to use the potty? do you need to go pee-pee in the potty?

PAST: $50 purse? its super cute...ill buy it.
PRESENT: $20 jeans? im pretty sure i can find some cheaper...

PAST: going out with friends at 8pm? thats a little early but ok see you then.
PRESENT: going on a date at 6pm? hmm well it'll take like 2 hours to eat and then that puts us home around 8 and then its bedtime...i dunno can we do earlier?

PAST: the gym is such a great way to meet guys.
PRESENT: the gym is a necessity so the "mom butt" doesnt appear.

PAST: sorry my car is dirty! just move my school stuff and water bottle and running shoes.
PRESENT: sorry my car is dirty! just move the crushed-into-the-seat-cheerios, and lost sippy cup and old diapers and tissues and wrappers and dirty clothes and pardon the stains.

PAST: if its rated PG-13...we'll call it good.
PRESENT: there are little ears. PG is pushing it.

PAST: hey sorry im late! there was traffic.
PRESENT: hey sorry im late! i was walking out the door i got pooped on and we all had to change and then we got in the car and totally forgot the diaper bag and when i went into the house i had left every light on and when we got back in the car i realized i had put the keys in the diaper bag to remember to grab it. and i forgot to grab the bag. and there was traffic.

Can you think of any more?

I'm A Runner video

2011-03-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

This is great!

Despite my sore throat I ran again yesterday. I didn't have my Nike ipod tracker with me so I went for time rather than distance: 20 minutes. The whether was the best part! It was SO nice. My right hip was hurting and my inner thighs are still sore from my first run. But, after a good mile or so I was warmed up and felt better. In addition to running, I am doing arm weights to tone my upper body. Plus, the ab wheel to help flatten my stomach again. That thing works wonders! If you have never tried an ab wheel, I highly recommend it. It is, by far, the best way to tone your abs. I'm so thankful for a healthy body that allows me to enjoy exercise! And the babies that wrecked it! Ha!

You Used What?

2011-03-02T10:45:00.003-07:00

One of my New Year's goals this year is to switch over to as many natural products as possible so we can avoid having harmful and unnatural chemicals in our home (but that's another post...).

So, a few weekends ago Devin and I made our first real visit to Whole Foods. I had stopped in once before, but didn't have much time to browse. In a store like that, where most things are new and unfamiliar, it takes time to read packages and labels so we wanted to take a trip without the distraction of the kids. My fabulous mother-in-law watched all 3 kids so we could go with Elisha, Josh, and Reina.

The guys kind of separated from the girls to go check out some other things. I was checking for cleaning products and shampoo and Devin was trying to find the yogurt he needed to make the vegan chocolate cake for my brother's birthday.

Josh had found some sausage samples the store had out and invited Devin to try them. After picking up a toothpick from the pile and eating the sausage off the end, Devin realized he grabbed a toothpick from the USED pile. SICK! When he told us what he had done, we were cracking up in the store and making jokes about how nasty the person could have been that used it before him and how he might get sick. We couldn't believe he made such a gross mistake! His stomach did bother him the rest of the night, but it was probably psychological...

100.4

2011-03-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

I guess a temperature of 100.4 for a 2 month old means they need to be taken to the ER. I thought it was 101. Yep, I have 3 kids and I don't even know the magic number. I need a better memory.

Anyway, when I took Oliver to the doctor on Monday and he had a temperature of 99 the doc was surprised when I told her it had been 100.4 the day before. I knew Oliver wasn't feeling good, but I didn't know he was right on the borderline of needing to go to the hospital. She said if he had come in with a fever of 100.4 she would have admitted him for monitoring at the hospital and ordered a urine test, chest x-ray, and spinal tap, but because he appeared to be on the way to recovering she just ordered the x-ray. Woah, a spinal tap on my 2 month old baby? That's a scary thought. What a blessing that it had started to come down on its own!

The x-ray showed that he does have pneumonia so he had to get an antibiotic shot and goes for another one today and then will be given an oral antibiotic. Poor little guy! I am thankful he is getting better and I am thankful for medicine to help him get better!

Weekend Sickies

2011-02-28T09:37:00.002-07:00

This was kind of a strange weekend. Friday we were home and I was able to get some work done, which was nice. Devin even helped with some painting.

Saturday Devin worked and I took the kids to a birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza, which was cra-zy! There was so much going on in there...lights flashing, games making noise, tons of kids running everywhere...not quite my thing. I get too nervous that my kids will get lost or stolen. But, once Devin got there to help it was better.

Then, Sunday we stayed home from church because we were all little sickies. Jaxon and Henry have had a cough, but then Henry started to have a fever. My throat was sore. Oliver had been up most of the night before because he was coughing so I slept in the recliner with him. That means I didn't really sleep. He slept all day Sunday and barely ate anything. He did have a cough for a few days like the other boys, but I don't worry too much about a cough. But once he stops eating, I start worrying.

I feels like all I did this weekend was paint, nap, and take care of poor little Oliver. Devin and I didn't get any time together, which is a bummer. I will be taking Oliver to the doctor this morning.

One fun thing we did was make a chocolate cake. My brother's birthday was this month so Devin made him a vegan chocolate cake. It was SO delicious. Since we gave that one away, Devin made another non-vegan one. It was also SO delicious. I have a few pounds to lose and these yummy desserts aren't helping!

Oh, that reminds me, I ran on Saturday! It felt so good. I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes so it wasn't my usual pace, but I will work up to it. I'm a little sore in my inner thigh and shin muscles, but those are the only places. I guess one run in with Jillian Michaels was enough to prepare my muscles for running.

Smallville

2011-02-24T15:07:00.002-07:00

Anyone else a fan of the show Smallville? Devin and I love it! We started with season 1 a couple weeks ago and have watched an episode almost every day since. We weren't into it when it started so we aren't current, but we'll get through the series eventually.

The music from seasons 1 and 2 really reminded us of high school. It took us back to the memories of when we first met and were starting to get to know each other. Besides how great the show is, that was a fun part about watching it too.

Oh, and I have so much to blog about, but hardly the time to do it. I really miss writing. I don't really know how many people read our blog regularly, but I like to make the posts be about more than just pictures of the kids. I think it's fun to write about random stuff and I usually get fun comments. Anyway, I hope to get caught up soon. I forgot how time consuming a newborn is.

Punching

2011-02-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

Jaxon (in his "bad guy" voice while playing with Henry), "I'm gonna punch you in the face."

Mommy, "Jax, please don't say 'I'm gonna punch you in the face.'"

Daddy, "Yeah, we don't punch in the face. The gut."

Mommy (to Daddy), "Oh, right. Not the face, but the gut. That's okay."

Those are the kinds of things we say with a house full of boys.

They wrestle a lot when they play, but they don't really punch or hit each other unless they are in a fit of rage. Do little girls have fits like that?

Jaxon (screaming and crying and holding his thumb), "I got an owie! I need a Band-Aid!"

Mommy, "You aren't even bleeding. Would you quit crying? You're fine."

Jaxon then squeezed his thumb so hard he actually did force some blood out of the invisible cut.

If he thought he was hurt before, he then thought he was dying. How can he sit perfectly still and not cry while he gets 3 shots, yet screams and cries over the smallest little cut?

I was thinking after the thumb incident that I don't know if I'll ever have daughters. I definitely want girls, but I'm not very sympathetic sometimes and I might not be the best with "girl drama."

We Meet Again, Jillian

2011-02-18T09:40:00.002-07:00

Now that I'm able to exercise again, I'm eager to start toning my muscles back to pre-baby form. I prefer to run, but my left knee has been bothering me. It's a total mystery since I haven't exercised at all for so long I don't know why it could possible be hurting. I just hope it feels better soon so I can get back to running. I really, really miss it! And the weather has been so nice I would love to go for a good run out there.

I did the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video after Henry was born and liked it. I did level 1 today and it kicked my butt. The cardio isn't real intense, but the strength portion is hard. How is it that I can hold Oliver in one arm while I vacuume the entire house, yet it burns like mad when I do shoulder press? It felt good to get my heart rate up and sweat a little. Exercising really is a favorite hobby of mine so I'm really looking forward to working back up to being fit again.

Oliver's Blessing

2011-02-17T11:39:00.001-07:00

Our family on Oliver's blessing day.

Mama & Ollie

I would have liked a picture of everyone who came, but I didn't want to attempt it when there were so many people and we were all hungry. So, here's who came: Grandpa & Connie, Jeni, Grandma & Grandpa Done, Granny & Gramps, Oma, Nana & Papa, Elisha & Josh, Reina, Alisa & Danny & family, Jonny & Mindy & family.

Oh, and it was really cold a few weeks ago! This is a fountain by Jaxon's preschool. He had to get out of the car and touch it.

Logan's Roadhouse

2011-02-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

Since running errands on Saturdays pretty much takes the whole day, we have been going out as a family for dinner. As long as we pick a place where the boys don't have to be perfectly quiet, we have a great time!

Last week (Oliver's 1 month birthday!) we went to Logan's Roadhouse. I had never been there before. It was really yummy and so much fun to be out with my boys!

I'm so blessed to have such an amazing husband to be an example to our precious sons.

Henry is a little goofball!

Singing and dancing to the music in the restaurant.

Oliver was a trooper and slept the whole time so I could enjoy some warm food!

Mama and her boys!

Oliver has put on a few pounds:) Look at his chin!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:28:00.001-07:00

This weekend Devin and I had a little Valentine date. We went to the temple and to a cute little Italian deli on Main for lunch.

The temple was wonderfully uplifting as usual. The sealer reminded us that we go to the temple so the Lord can "mold us, shape us, and polish us" to be the person he wants us to be. Then, we go back into the world and they use sandpaper on us to dull and scrape us up. That's why it's important to return to the temple often so we can be close to the Lord and he can continually shape and polish us. I thought that was a great visual example to remember.

I'm so thankful he chose me and that there is no "until death do us part" in our marriage. We will be together for eternity; even death can't break the ties. That is true happily ever after!

We're featured on Busy Bee here for Valentine's Day!

Brothers & Hair

2011-02-14T08:06:00.002-07:00

Henry is a natural at his new role of big brother.

My fun little cutie!

Oliver has lots of hair. Jaxon had lots too, but it was dark and all fell out within a few weeks. Oliver still has all his as of 7 weeks, but we'll see.... I wanted some pictures of it incase it falls out.

(My amazing, handsome husband of course!)

Oliver's hair naturally sticks up like that.

Lovin' tummy time!

Oliver is always getting kisses from these two proud older brothers!

I love it when their little arms don't reach above their head. It's so cute:)

Oliver's First Week at Church

2011-02-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

(Old news, but I still need to document.)

He did great and didn't even get poop on his outfit!

My talented friend Lola made the cute onesie.

One week later. He already grew!

6 Weeks

2011-02-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Oliver was 6 weeks yesterday! And how did he celebrate? By sleeping 8 hours through the night, of course! I am one lucky (and thankful!) mama!

I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital celebrating his arrival. But, on the other hand, it also feels like we've known Oliver forever and he has always been a part of our family. He's a wonderful blessing!

Oliver's First Bath

2011-02-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Newborns make the funniest faces!

Mowing with Grandpa

2011-02-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

Jaxon and Henry both on Grandpa's lap while he mowed the lawn.

Oliver loves Gramps already!

2 weeks old

Henry's New Job

2011-02-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Henry thinks his new job of being a big brother is hard work. He obviously needed a rest.

Sweet Dreams

2011-02-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Posting these pictures is long overdue. They were taken January 4. Oliver was 6 days old.

Kisses from Henry

Smiling in his sleep...SO adorable!

Look Alike

2011-02-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

We recently got Despicable Me from Netflix and watched it. It was super cute and funny too.

Then I saw this picture I took of Oliver and immediately thought that with this face, he looked like Gru. Only like five thousand times cuter. Do you think they look alike?

Has Anyone Seen My Husband?

2011-02-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

First, this is not a pity post. So don't think I'm typing this thinking about how hard my life is. Because that's not what I'm saying. My life is beautiful and I totally enjoy it.

Plus, I know many women are in the same boat as me and would probably give an amen to what I'm about to complain about... (Busy husbands who are overwhelmed with work and school.)

Monday: Devin on the computer all night doing homework
Tuesday: Devin on the computer all night doing homework
Wednesday: Devin gone in the evening for church meeting
Thursday: Devin gone in the evening for Parent Night at work
Friday: Devin gone to wrestling meet
Saturday: Devin possibly gone to wrestling meet, depending on how well they do on Friday. Is it bad that I hope they all lose?

Devin has had wrestling meets on 3 of the past 5 Saturdays and 4 of the Fridays.

Maybe I should join the high school wrestling team so I can spend some time with my husband.

What I Learned from Canning 50 Pints of Jam

2011-02-02T11:19:00.001-07:00

We don't eat jam.

About a year ago my bff Joy (who moved away and I miss terribly!) and I canned tons of jam. We did strawberry and raspberry for the shelf and some for the freezer too. We were so excited to be stocked up with jam for our food storage. Little did I know I rarely ever use jam. Nor does Devin.

So, now a year later, how many pints of jam do I have left? 47.

Target & Fry's

2011-01-31T08:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Devin and I substituted Jaxon's Primary class. The lesson was on the First Vision. I asked the kids if the true church was on the Earth when Joseph prayed to know which church to join. Jaxon answered with, "No, the church wasn't on the Earth then. And they didn't have Target or Fry's either." Hahaha! He's right!

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

2011-01-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Henry had 6 fit-free nights in a row! Then, he had a fit last night. At least he's improving.

And I have to face it: I have quite a bit less free time now that Oliver is here. Time I spent blogging or cleaning or on projects is now spent nursing or changing or holding him. I am definitely not complaining. I just need to realize that while he is this little, I won't be getting as much done in a day.

I am thankful to be a mommy:)

Oliver's Big Day (Birth Story!)

2011-01-24T08:51:00.002-07:00

After 1 fun family day with Devin off work, battling mastitis for 2 days, and starting babysitting (1 girl, 2 days a week) again this week, I finally finished Oliver's birth story!

Oliver was due on Friday, December 24, 2010. Through the whole pregnancy, I had a feeling he would come early, but he had other plans. I did not want his birthday to be on Christmas Eve or Christmas so I was glad when he didn't come those days, but that did mean he was past due. Since I was having so many contractions and I knew my labor probably would go pretty fast, we were kind of on our toes for a few days just waiting and hoping. There were 3 nights previous to his actual birthday when Devin and I thought we would be heading to the hospital. This anticipation and disappointment was frustrating for me.

On Tuesday, December 28, 2010 Devin put on a short movie for the boys so he and I could get ready for the day. While in the shower, he was looking at my "baby tummy," as he calls it. I took a deep breath and when I did so, the giant mass in my abdomen "dropped." Devin and I were both amazed that we saw a visible difference with one breath. I know babies "drop" close to the time they are delivered, but it was strange to witness the actual moment it occurred! I told Devin, "He's coming today."

Devin and I decided to go for a walk. Walking gave me contractions 2 minutes apart, but until this day, they had always fizzled out when we stopped. My mom and dad were entertaining the boys because Devin and I were literally out walking all day. We had walked about 10 miles within the previous few days and 5 on that day alone. I was so tired of walking. It made my feet and back hurt, but at least we got to see all the pretty Christmas lights and decorations while we were out. Also, it was nice to talk and spend that time with all the people who spent time walking with me: Devin, Jaxon, Henry, my mom, dad, brother, and oma. I really did enjoy that.

5:00 - We decided to return home for dinner. I expected the contractions to stop just as they had every other day until now. They did continue through dinner, but were not getting more intense so we told my parents they should go home and we would let them know if we decided to go to the hospital. I didn't want to get my hopes up again, but I secretly thought this was really it. I thought if I expressed it, I would jinx it, so I didn't tell anyone.

8:00 - After putting the boys to bed and realizing that the contractions were not stopping, I decided to take a shower because I thought we would probably be going to the hospital that night. I did not want to go in unless I was sure he was going to be coming soon. After keeping track of over 325 contractions, I was finally having the ones that were making me uncomfortable. We called my parents and told them we wanted to go to the hospital. The plan was for my dad to come and stay with the boys and for my mom to meet us at the hospital. We also texted Devin's sister Elisha (who doesn't have any kids yet), and his mom who both were planning on coming to the hospital.

Elisha asked how soon I thought Oliver would be born after we arrived at the hospital. I told her within an hour. That was what I wanted and expected to happen. I mean, Henry was born within 20 minutes of arriving at the hospital so I expected Oliver to come rather quickly as well. Because Henry came quicker than I expected, I was actually afraid of not making it to the hospital with Oliver. As a result, I ended up getting there a little earlier than I would have liked. I realize now that I should not have compared this birth to Henry's birth, but at the time, I couldn't help it.

10:00 - We got to the hospital. When we were admitted to Triage and told I had to leave a urine sample, put on the hospital gown, and sit in the bed so they could check me, give me an IV, and monitor the contractions for 30 minutes, I about lost it. This was not how I wanted his birth to go. I wanted to walk in, keep my own shirt on, have no IV or fetal monitoring, and deliver right away (again, back to Henry's birth). When Devin and I expressed our dissatisfaction with the hospital's plan, the nurse was taken back. She expected us to "follow protocol" and when we had a different idea of how things were going to go, it took a little convincing by the nurse for me to put that hideous gown on.

We gave her a copy of our birth plan and she called the doctor to review it. For the most part, the doctor was okay with our requests. There were a few things we had to compromise on: I did not want an IV, but decided to go with it. I did not want to be checked, but since my water had not broken yet, I decided I was okay with it too. I did not want any Pitocin, but when they explained it would only be administered after the delivery and through the IV to aid in blood clotting, I agreed.

10:30 - Once I was in the bed and hooked to the blood pressure cuff, the oxygen finger thingy, and 2 fetal monitors, she checked me. I was at a 6. I actually thought I'd be farther along, but the nurse was surprised I was already that far. She said she thought I'd deliver between 12:00 and 1:00. I didn't really put any stock in her guess, I just thought it was interesting she thought she could predict it and was confident enough in her estimation to voice it. To me, it seems like it would not be a good idea to make a prediction because that creates an expectation, which can lead to disappointment if it was incorrect.

11:00 - The nurses said they were going to get the delivery room ready and they would move me in 10 minutes. We were left to wait. Luckily, Devin, my mom, Devin's mom, and Elisha were there to keep me distracted. I had to focus during the contractions, but it was not unbearable at all. While we waited, my supporters watched the contractions on the monitor and tried to figure out what the graph meant.

11:45 - Judy the nurse, who was absolutely fabulous, came to move me to the delivery room. She said it would take her about 30 minutes to get everything ready so she gave us the choice to wait on the bed in the room or walk around. We were grateful she gave us a choice. I chose to walk around. I had been in the bed for too long already and did not feel like my contractions were able to progress while I was just sitting there.

As we walked, the contractions did pick up. Toward the end of our 30 minutes of free time I had to stop walking during the contractions. I was getting tired and started to think about getting an epidural. I knew I wasn't going to get it, but fantasizing was nice.

12:15 - Judy called us back in the delivery room. I hadn't gotten my IV yet so that was her first task. After breaking one of my veins, she decided to try the other arm. Besides that little mishap, she really was great. She was from North or South (I can't remember) Dakota. She said she had attended a lot of natural births before she moved here and people do things differently here in the west. I appreciated that she had experience with natural birth because she was so patient and kind. She also asked questions about how I felt and actually listened to me as I listened to my body. She was so great!

When I sat down on the bed, I saw the equipment where the nurses examine the baby immediately after birth. Seeing that was a special moment because I realized it would only be a short time before labor would be over and I would be holding my little baby. I could.not.wait.

Once it was past midnight, I remember Devin excitedly telling me, "This is it. Today is Oliver's birthday!" That was also a special moment.

12:30 - For the majority of this hour I labored in the bed sitting "Indian style." I spent too much time on my bum. I don't recommend this. My bum is the sorest it has been out of all 3 labors. But, I was so tired I did not want to move. Judy brought in 2 different sized birthing balls for me to try. Devin urged me to try them but I just didn't want to move.

1:30 - I started into the "transition" phase of labor. This is a good sign because it means the baby will be born really soon. This is also the most difficult part. Up until now, the contractions were intense, but nothing I couldn't deal with. But now, these contractions were hard to handle. Plus, I was out of energy and really tired. After walking all day, being in labor for about 12 hours, and due to the fact that it was the middle of the night, I was pooped! I actually fell asleep between some of the contractions. Honestly, at this point, I thought to myself, "I've already done this naturally. Why am I putting myself through this? I don't want to feel the contractions anymore!" Devin kept reminding me of all the benefits of laboring naturally, and I knew he was right, I just wanted it to be over!

One of the signs of this phase is wanting to give up. And boy, did I want to give up! I wasn't thinking about pain medication--it wasn't that kind of giving up. It's a giving up like, "I want this baby the heck out NOW of me so I can meet him and hold him and see his perfect little face." This is also the phase where I start crying at the start of each contraction until the end, then I'm fine in between. It's such a strange emotion--like defeat, or more like total surrender to my body. And, yet triumph because of what I am accomplishing (bringing another baby into our family).

I expressed my frustration to Devin about wanting it to be over and he said something like, "You don't have to do anything. Just sit there and relax and let the contractions do the work." I couldn't believe he said that! I said to him, "Really?! I don't have to do anything? Do you want to sit up here and do nothing? Because I'm pretty sure I'M DOING SOMETHING AND IT'S HARD!" I immediately felt bad for getting upset at him. I knew the contractions were doing the work and all I did have to do was relax, but it does not mean it was easy! (I apologized to him later.)

Luckily, the transition phase is relatively short. I think Judy recognized I was almost complete because she wanted to check me because she thought she would need to call the doctor soon. I was at an 8 so she called the doctor.

I was especially grateful to have Devin and my mom there for this part. Between the two of them reminding me to breathe or relax my shoulders or relax my face, they covered all the bases so I could be successful.

1:45ish - Dr. Kingra arrived and offered to break my water. She assured me that it would just feel like an exam and puncturing the bag wouldn't actually hurt. She said the contractions were pushing against the bag of water so that was slowing down their ability to push the baby down. I am opposed to the medical intervention to onset labor by this method (unless there is a medal reason for doing so) because if it doesn't work it often leads to a c-section, but since my labor had already progressed this far and was with no doubt NOT going to stop, I felt it would be okay to help things along. She said it would pick things up and I couldn't imagine things "picking up" any more, but I wanted to meet my baby so with Devin's agreement, we went for it. I endured 2 contractions while she got her gloves on and her tools out.

It only took her a moment and boy was she right, things picked up! I had 2 intense contractions, and then he was ready to push! Let the grunting begin!

I got up on my knees to allow gravity to help. I was leaning over the back of the bed. I don't know what Devin was doing, but my mom was up at my head telling me it was almost over and lots of other encouraging words. I remember telling her, "Can't they just yank him out?!" At this point I also remember swearing that this was our last child and I was never doing this again! I also thought about how I hope Elisha wasn't totally freaked out.

He pushed once and his head was out. The doctor yelled for me to push and I just thought, "I'm not controlling this; my body is doing it. I can't just 'push.' Wait for the next contraction, lady!" And that next contraction did it! He was born at 2:07 am.

Devin cut the cord while I delivered the placenta. Then the doctor checked for tears. I told her, "Can you please hurry and get out of there?" She acted annoyed at my request when she replied with, "I have to make sure I do it right, Ruthann." I wondered what right she had to be annoyed. I was the one who just delivered a baby and now had someone's hand's up in my business, but whatever. After declaring that I didn't have any tears, she got outta there.

I noticed he wasn't crying and asked if he was okay. I remember Jaxon crying and I tried sushing him and the nurses telling me it was good for him to cry. I was grateful for these nurses for making sure he was fine. After a few minutes when he and I were cleaned up a bit, he latched right on to eat. He ate for a good 30 minutes. The nurses were so nice to leave us alone to do so.

It was amazing. I just cried because we were blessed with another healthy baby boy. I couldn't believe it was over. After waiting through a full term pregnancy plus 5 additional days, Oliver was finally here!

Oliver is here and we're all thrilled!

After he was all checked out by the nurses (who were all great) he needed to warm up a bit with some skin on skin mommy time.

Our family of five!

Oma and her third great grandson!

My three sweet, healthy, wonderful, adorable, crazy boys!

What could be better?

What comes with meeting your new baby brother? Snacks, of course!

Jaxon loves his new little brother!

Sleepy faces

Heading home!

Those first few days are so magical. I loved being in the hospital with nothing to do but hold my new baby. I missed my other boys, but knew once we left the hospital, life would go on like usual and my new baby would start growing up. I wish those first few days lasted longer. I love the newborn stage! He's already almost a month old! I can't believe it! He gained more than 2 pounds in 3 weeks!

He is a great eater and sleeper! He usually eats every 3 to 4 hours during the day. At night, he usually makes it 6 hours! Both Jaxon and Henry didn't sleep that well until they were a few months old so I am SO thankful! Oliver hasn't been fussy once. He's still really young, but I hope his laid back attitude continues. He loves to be swaddled. Sometimes he'll take a binki, but not often. I don't push it much because he's perfectly content without it. He is on a perfect schedule of sleep, wake up, poop, eat, happy awake time, fall back asleep.

Oh, and Henry had 3 fit-free nights in a row! I hope we're on to something! We ended up telling him he could have a Starburst in the morning after breakfast if he didn't have any fits in the night. It usually works to get him back to sleep. Bribery, yes. More sleep, yes. I can live with that.

Oliver's Birth Story...Almost...

2011-01-15T11:16:00.004-07:00

I know, I know... I need to write the story. I want to remember it, but I just haven't been able to get myself to sit down and do it. There is so much to write, it seems overwhelming. So, obviously, I'm putting it off. But, my goal is to write it this weekend. So, today or tomorrow, it will be done and posted for those who want to read it.

Until then, know that rather than writing Oliver's birth story, I have been thoroughly enjoying life as a mother of three cute little boys. They are such a joy (and challenge if we're specifically talking about Henry right now--those dang terrible two's! If anyone ever says they don't exist, they are lying!) and honestly, I don't love every minute, but I do love most minutes:) Motherhood is such a blessing and I thank Heavenly Father daily for blessing me with it three times over!

Isn't he just SO yummy?!

Night Sweats

2011-01-12T14:36:00.001-07:00

I have never really had sleeping problems. (a blessing!) But, ever since Oliver was born, I have been getting SO sweaty at night! We keep our house at 70 degrees right now and it's still a bit chilly for me. I have no idea why I have been getting so hot at night. It stinks because I get hot, sweat, and then get freezing because I'm damp and it's cold inside!

I figured it was just caused by my hormones getting back to their usual levels. I had my 2 week postpartum check up today and asked the doc about it. She said I was right--it was most likely my hormones since I had no other symptoms of sickness or anything else concerning.

Then I read this:

From the moment your baby is born, hormonal changes cause your midsection to deflate, shrinking it back to something closer to its pre-pregnancy state. It takes about four weeks for your uterus to contract to its normal size. All the cells in your body that swelled during pregnancy will begin releasing their fluids in the form of urine, vaginal secretions, and sweat. And the extra fat you put on to nourish the baby will start burning off (especially if you're nursing and exercising). But it takes at least a few weeks to see noticeable results.

I guess that's what my body is doing. It's trying to release extra fluids and get thin again. I'm okay with that.

Lost Feet

2011-01-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Henry's latest bedtime antics include him claiming "my feet are going to get lost." What is he thinking? What does that even mean? How can I explain that it is NOT going to happen? Why is he doing this and when will he stop?!

No matter what I say he can't be pacified. He never had any trouble sleeping until we moved him out of his crib. Even when we took the binki* and he was still in the crib he slept fine. I used to be so proud of the fact that we could just lay him down for naps and bedtime and he would go right to sleep. And, I don't think it's all from the baby because he started doing it before Oliver was born. Some nights, Henry wakes up more times than Oliver!

Advise and tips are welcome.

*What is the correct spelling for binki? binkie? binky? binkey?

Day Old Child

2011-01-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

I stole this from a friend's blog. I love it.

Day Old Child

My day-old child lay in my arms.

With my lips against his ear

I whispered strongly, "How I wish-

I wish that you could hear;

I've a hundred wonderful things to say

(A tiny cough and a nod),

Hurry, Hurry, hurry and grow

So I can tell you about God."

My day-old baby's mouth was still

And my words only tickled his ear.

But a kind of a light passed through his eyes,

And I saw this thought appear:

"How I wish I had a voice and words;

I've a hundred things to say, 

Before I forget I'd tell you of God--

I left him yesterday."

Oliver is now a week and a few days old.  He has been such a good baby.  He eats well and is always content.  At least so far, he hasn't been fussy once.  

This was my first week as a mother of three.  Because I am not watching kids anymore, I am excited about motherhood again.  It makes such a difference in my attitude!  I feel like I can give my full attention to my own kids without the distractions of other children.  Some moments are still hard.  Henry is the tough one right now.  He has serious fits of screaming and hitting.  Those aren't fun.  But, because I have accepted the fact that those moments happen sometimes, and because I am SO thankful that my kids are the only ones I have to deal with, I can deal with them without losing my patience.  

Jaxon has been really obedient and helpful and I appreciate that.  Turning 4 years old was the best thing that happened to him!  His "terrible twos" lasted from 1.5 to 3.  I'm glad those are over.  Only 1.5 years left to go for Henry!

Now if I could only find a good nursing bra that actually held up these jugs, I'd be on top of the world!

Temple Lights 2010

2011-01-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Temple Lights!

The boys loved the nativity and baby Jesus.

This kid cracks me up!

I was so proud when the missionaries asked Jaxon why we have Christmas and he said, "Because we celebrate when Jesus was born." I was knew he knew the answer, but I was excited when he remembered it too!

This was on Monday, December 27. I wanted to do more walking. We probably walked about 10 miles in the few days before Oliver was born.

From This...To This

2011-01-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

This...

(just found out I'm pregnant)

To this...

(2 days past due)

To this!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T09:55:00.004-07:00

Jaxon wanted a yo-yo from Santa this year. He was so excited when he opened it. The elves were smart because they brought him one that automatically comes back up every time. That helped to avoid lots of frustration for him.

Since Jaxon has a bike, Henry needed something to help him keep up. He got a Thomas the Train lights and sounds big wheel bike!

The boys also got Toy Story 2 & 3 and some scripture movies.

Plus, Star Wars Storm Trooper action figures in their stockings!

Cute brothers!

He loves his bike!

After presents at our house, we headed to Devin's grandparents house to see all the extended family. Great Grandpa Done has some fun toys for Daddy and the boys!

Then, playing in the leaves was another highlight of the day!

We love spending time with family, especially on the holidays!

Christmas 2010 Nana & Papa

2011-01-05T09:48:00.002-07:00

On Christmas Eve we went to Elisha's house to celebrate with Devin's family. We had to cut the fun and games short because Devin was sick. I was so worried that I would go into labor while Devin was sick. But later that night I got sick too! So I was glad Oliver hadn't come yet.

The boys got flashlights to play in their totally awesome tent!

Nana made it and these boys will have so much fun playing in it!

I took it easy on the walking this day because I didn't really want Oliver to have a Christmas Eve or Christmas birthday.

Christmas 2010 Granny & Gramps

2011-01-04T17:03:00.002-07:00

I have a lot of blogging catching up to do. It's best when I update daily so I don't get behind. If too many things happen that I want to record, I feel overwhelmed and don't want to ever do it! I want to keep the posts in chronological order, so here's the first of quite a few...

My parents had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas so we celebrated with them on "Christmas Adam," as Devin calls it (Adam came before Eve...get it?) Anyway, here's Jaxon in the Santa outfit that my great grandpa Ivar used to wear when my mom was little. Granny & Gramps made the chimney for Jaxon to play in.

Gramps putting the boys' Harry Potter wands together. They were covered in tape casts within 2 hours because they broke at every connection joint.

"Mark, set, go!"

Henry loves being silly to get laughs from others. He's got such a fun personality (when he's not morphed into his terrible two self).

After dinner and presents we tried convincing Oliver that he should come by going on a walk. As we all know, it didn't work, but the walk did cause a lot of contractions and was fun! I learned all about my brothers big garden project he's a part of at ASU. It's pretty amazing and I'm proud of all his hard work!

4 Days Young

2011-01-03T07:51:00.005-07:00

Mama and Ollie

Daddy & Ollie

His little chin was red for a day or two as it got used to the rubbing it gets when he nurses.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010...

2010-12-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

...is Oliver's birthday!

2:07 am
8 pounds
20 inches

We are in love with him!

Pics & birth story to come...

My Ticker is Wrong

2010-12-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

My baby is not 4 days old. He's not even 1 day old. Or one hour. He's still not born.

I have had over 150 contractions over 3 days that have been within 2 to 5 minutes apart, but they have not caused serious labor. (Those are just the number we've kept track of.) The most frustrating part about it is that with Jaxon and Henry as soon as I started having contractions that close, I was in labor. I never had false labor so 3 times now I thought we would be heading to the hospital. Each time, within minutes of giving a few people the heads up (to come to the hospital or to come get the kids), the contractions just stopped out of the blue.

Physically, I am doing good. I've been more tired than usual because we have been walking every day, a few times a day. Oh, and Henry has not been sleeping good, so that doesn't help. Devin and I were sick from both ends on Christmas Eve, which was not fun, but luckily we were feeling better the next morning for the rest of the holiday activities (besides the middle of the day when I had to lie down for a while). I am thankful I didn't have the baby when Devin was sick. I need him to be there for me through labor and of course I always feel bad when he's sick. I am also glad Oliver wasn't born on Christmas Eve or Christmas. I don't think either day would make a fun birthday.

At my appointment today I actually really liked the doctor. She was upbeat and didn't say a single thing about my blood sugar numbers. She didn't even ask for them. I wanted her to check me and strip the membranes. That was more serious than I remember with Jaxon. (It didn't do anything for Jax, so I figured if Oliver still isn't ready, it wouldn't do anything for him either so I don't see any harm in trying. Though any other induction methods (besides the natural ones we can do at home) I avoid.) When she checked me, she seemed surprised when she laughed and said that I was a "3, almost 4." She said she felt like I was almost there and she could just break my water and I'd go right into labor. I was glad to hear that all those contractions were at least doing something. The doc thinks once real labor starts, it won't take long.

Jaxon was a week overdue. Henry came on his due date. Mentally, I was prepared for this baby to come early and I think that has made each passing day harder. I shouldn't have been set on an early delivery. He's only 3 days "late" so I should just relax and let him prepare and enjoy my last hours as a mother of 2. Because, let's be real, sometimes 2 kids seem like 10. And 10 is already a lot. And I'm asking for more:)

No Christmas Baby

2010-12-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still pregnant.

But I do have stories to tell when I have a minute. Hopefully tomorrow...

No Baby Yet

2010-12-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

My lack of daily posts isn't because we have a newborn around here... It's because Devin is off work so our daily routine is a little different so I don't have my usual time to update.

So here's a little update...no baby yet! I had hoped he'd be here by now, but now that it's so close to Christmas, I almost hope he holds out until after. But, he'll come when he's ready and I don't really have any say in the matter!

Nana's Cookies

2010-12-20T09:17:00.002-07:00

These are some cookies the boys made with Nana.

Look at these goofballs! They sure love going to Nana and Papa's house!

And we made it through the weekend without a baby yet...