Salt Lake

The kids and I went up North last weekend to visit my sister, Siri, and her family. We had a great time, even if we weren't used to the frigid Northern Utah temperatures. Siri's baby is due in January and we had all her baby clothes, so we packed up everything she gave us, plus whatever we'd accumulated for Quinten that he had outgrown and took it all to her. It was more stuff than I had realized and it felt so great to get rid of it. We also took her our swing and rocking/bouncer seat. So, it's official- I have NO clothes in my house that are for a newborn baby. Crazy, huh??
We drove up on Saturday, went to church with them on Sunday, rode Trax downtown to see the lights at Temple Square, ate lunch at Ikea on Monday with Siri and Jack, and then left for home. It was good to get away and I always love seeing my sister; I wish she was closer than four hours- it's just a too little long to be easy. The above picture is of all the kids. We originally wanted a picture of Jack and Quinten's matching PJ's, but Jack would only be in the picture if Callie was too (he loves Callie), so we made it a group shot.
Siri and the kids on Trax. Jack loves trains, so this was great for him. He was hilarious- he kept yelling, "All aboard!" as loud as he could. You'll notice the girls hats and scarves: thank goodness Aunt Siri could outfit everyone... we brought coats, but I never thought to grab hats and such.
Leah spent the majority of the ride downtown this way.
Quinten slept almost the whole time we were there. He was by far the warmest of all of us. Alexa kept saying she couldn't smile because she was too cold. Siri made the comment that the last time she went to see the lights was with me and our friend, Elizabeth, when I was in college. it was the last time I was there, as well. It's amazing that we take for granted the things that are so close to us.

Callie took this picture. Not too bad.

This picture is really our of order, but has a funny story behind it. Quinten was screaming and didn't want to sit for a picture. Jack hates listening to crying- Siri says it really upsets him. I thought this picture was funny because of the look on Jack's face. He looks concerned and disgusted all at the same time.

We had such a good time. I always feel like I'm going home when I go up North. I get to about Spanish Fork and I breathe a sigh of relief and tell myself that I'm home. I suppose I lived there long enough to make it home and because my real home is completely unattainable most of the time, it is a good substitute. It also helps to have Siri there. This time of year is always bittersweet for me- I love the holidays and everything that goes with it, but it is also a reminder that I can't be with my family. When you come from a family of ten kids and you are one of only two that don't live near home, it twists your heart just a little when you know they are all together celebrating without you. I am blessed to have great in-laws nearby. It softens the blow, but doesn't always ease all the pain. Time is a funny thing, isn't it? You think the hard moments will never pass when you are going through them, but they always do. And in no time at all, you are looking back and wondering why you ever thought you couldn't manage. My mom told me just last week something she heard from a friend that made me bawl, but oddly made me feel better too: the Lord can move mountains and part seas for us if He chooses to; but, sometimes he merely shows us the path and makes us go over the mountains or shows us how to build the boat to cross the seas. It's not supposed to be easy, right??

Halloween and Updates

So, Alexa decided she wanted to be a witch this year for Halloween. Sounded good to me, so I made an executive decision that everyone would be a witch this year... really, they were happy with it- I wasn't being mean. It meant no princess costumes, no curly hair, no makeup, no shoes they can't walk in. I'm so sick of all that stuff. This was the easiest Halloween ever and I loved it. Everyone knows I'm much more of a Fall/Harvest person than a Halloween person. I'm always glad to see Halloween pass. Yes, you may call me the Scrooge of Halloween and I'm completely fine with accepting the title. So, here are my three little witches and my little Penguin. This may be the only time the little penguin was awake in his costume. I must have bad timing because everytime the costume went on, his eyes closed. Silly kid. The girls trick or treated in our neighborhood with some of their cousins. It was perfect outside. I had on flip flops and a short sleeved shirt and was fine till we went inside. It's one of the things I love best about St George- I love being able to enjoy the fall colors by actually being in them- not just looking at them through my window. Anyway, the girls had a great time.
My cute little guy. He's so much fun to have around.
Alexa insisted that her had be crooked for the picture... still not sure why. Leah's hair had been in two braids all day, which is why it looks so funky. I figured it was appropriate for a witch to have out of control hair.
Quinten is constantly sticking his tongue out.

Quinten is just over 5 months old now. I can hardly believe it has been that long! A month ago he weighed in at 13 lb. We're happy with it because it's over twice his birth weight. He is finally starting to feel a little like a boy. He grunts a lot more than the girls did and he feels thicker- not so dainty. We started him on solid foods a few weeks ago. He's still not sold on the idea, but we're getting there. He's been rolling around for awhile too. He hates his stomach, so when he rolls to it, he cries. It's quite funny. He is FINALLY sleeping better. I'm only up once or maybe twice during the night now. It was awful for awhile- he hated his bed and loved mine, and since I refuse to have kids sleep in my bed, we were awake sometimes two or three times an hour a few times every night. I think I was so tired everyday that we literally ran on autopilot at our house. My poor kids watched a lot of movies. Quinten has had his haircut again and again. Is this what I have to look forward to with a boy?? I'm already tired of his ever growing hair. And, everyone still comments on his full head. He's like a little ChiaBoy. It has gotten lighter with every haircut. And, the jury is still out on his eye color. I go back and forth from blue to brown. It's still just a muddy mess of color most days. Aside from being a lousy sleeper, he really is the best baby. He's happy and so smiley to anyone who will look his way. We just think he's the best!
This is Leah dressing herself for the day... we stayed home on this particular day. Leah drives me crazy. I love her to death and she can be so incredibly sweet, but she still drives me absolutely crazy. The child spends more time out on our back porch than she does inside our house...OK, it may be a slight exaggeration. (Her timeouts are outside because she screams so loud, hits me, wakes up Quinten, etc... you get the idea.) Am I a mean mom? Probably. Do I feel bad about that? Not so much. I try to remind myself that it's a phase. Isn't it?? She does manage to make me laugh on a daily basis. She was drawing a few days ago and said, "Look, I drew a vampire." I had to think really hard as to where she would have heard about vampires. It took me a couple days, but it was from the Max and Ruby Halloween special. No, I don't read the Twilight books to my kids... which I know went through ALL of your heads when you read the vampire thing. What kind of Mom do you think I am??? We were in the car yesterday listening to the radio and the new Hannah Montana song came on (you know the one- Party in the USA, yada, yada... I don't really know the rest of the words yet.) Anyway, Leah says to me, "Is this Hannah Montana?" How did she know?? I am guessing she actually pays attention to her older sisters even when I don't think she does.
This is Callie during her preschool Halloween program. She loves school so much. I've helped in her class a couple times since the beginning of the year and it's been fun to see how much she has changed in that short amount of time. She makes friends easily and seems to get along with everyone. She has become my helper on the days she is home, now that Alexa is gone all day. And, she makes me laugh. I was getting ready to leave to get my hair done last week and she says to me, "You don't need to get your hair done. Just stick it in a bun and throw it in the oven!" Where do they come up with this stuff?? We had a bit of an allergy scare with Callie a couple weeks ago. She managed to get a small Snickers bar from the Primary program practice and ate it before she got home and I could check it. She came up to me and told me her chest hurt. Alexa then informed me that she had eaten a Snickers. HELLO ALEXA!!! You could have stopped her! Anyway, I got out her Epi-pen, thinking I would have to use it and rush to the hospital. She threw up over and over and over, but her breathing seemed OK. Her lips were a little swollen for awhile and I got up every hour through the night to check on her, but she was OK. I hope it means the allergy is getting to be less potent. We'll have her tested again soon to see what's really going on. Callie still sings and dances every chance she gets. Andrew and I love watching her. She really is entertaining!


The big girls recently got haircuts. They are so happy with shorter hair! I am glad only because it's less to wash, dry, and brush. Alexa's big news is she lost another tooth a couple weeks ago. She also has four more that are loose. She loves talking about her loose teeth and about who has loose teeth in her class... we are quite sick of it. She's doing great in school and still loves it, of course. She loves to read and will sit down and completely zone everything else out just to read a book. It's great! Her best friend will be moving the end of December, so we've been trying to prep her. Alexa is still quite shy around people she doesn't know well. We can always tell because she folds her arms, looks down, and has a scowl on her face. She looks like she has an attitude, but really it's her nerves getting the best of her. I'm constantly telling her to keep her arms at her sides, chin up, and smile! She hates hearing it. :) The other day I had her and Leah in the bathtub and I was leaning over the edge to wash Leah's hair. Alexa says to me (with a laugh), " Mom, your stomach looks like you're going to have another baby!" Thank you, Alexa... thank you.

That's about all for us these days. This was a long post... phew.

David and Angie's Wedding

A couple weekends ago, Callie, Quinten and I went home for my little brother's wedding. It was such a quick trip; I always find myself needing one more day when I go home- just one day to sit at my parent's house and do nothing. It never happens... I'm just glad we got to be home for a couple days. We had such a great time!! Callie was asked by David and Angie to be the flower girl in the wedding party. She was thrilled, of course. The wedding was great, the reception was so much fun, and we had a great time with family and friends. We LOVED Angie's family- they were so wonderful. I always think it's a good sign when you get great in-laws; David is very lucky. I had it easy the day of the wedding- my Dad and stepmom kept Quinten for me, so I was pretty much on my own. Callie ran around with her cousins the whole time and loved every minute of it. She looked beautiful, of course, and everyone kept telling me how pretty and sweet she was. I think so!! There will probably be a lot of pictures to follow- mostly for the sake of the family who may not have seen them. Sorry to everyone else who may find them boring. :)

This is Callie showing off her cool shoes. These were her gift from Angie, who was wearing matching shoes. Callie LOVED them.
This picture is totally out of order... not sure how that happened. I know it's blurry, but I had to put it in because the story behind it is so funny. It's blurry because I was shaking because I was laughing. This is Callie walking down the aisle of the church with the ring bearer behind her. As she drops a pile of leaves, he comes behind her and stomps on the pile with both feet. It was hilarious. He was such a cute kid.
Isn't she just so pretty??
Callie with Grandma and Grandpa before they left for the church. It was great- they took Callie to the rehearsal on Friday night and I got to stay home, and they took her to the church early for pictures on Saturday and I got to come later. Unfortunately, I forgot her pretty sash (as you can see in this picture, it's missing). I had to make a mad dash down to the church to take it to her, which really cut into my getting ready time and my dropping off Quinten time. We still made it; it was just a little more rushed than I had hoped it would be. My sister Karen was my saving grace- she watched Quinten and let me use her car so I could run to the church.

My cute parents.
My little brother Damon, his date Nikelle (someone tell me how to spell her name so I can get it right, please....), and my sister Honor. I tried to convince Damon he didn't need a date because he could just hang out with me since I didn't have a "date" (Andrew, of course) with me. He didn't go for that. Want to know what he told me?? "I guess if I can't find a date I can hang out with you." Talk about being chopped liver....
Honor and her husband Matt. And the ball of sweater she is holding is Quinn.
My sister, Karen, and I.
Cousins: Jacob, Callie and Brielle. They ran all over that reception area. It was so fun to watch all the fun they were having. :)
Angie and Callie showing off their matching shoes.
Angie, David and Callie just before I dragged Callie home; she would have stayed all night if I had let her.
This is the day after the wedding. Grandma with Quinten and Callie. We love going home to visit. Callie cries everytime we say goodbye to my parents- she hates to leave them. We wish we lived closer to home so we could visit more often. I tried to console her by reminding her that her other two sisters had to stay home and didn't get to come at all... she liked that. :) As a sidenote, Alexa and Leah had a great time with Andrew and Grandma and PopPop Hench, who took care of them while Andrew was at work. So, we think everyone won over the course of the weekend.

The Babies

This is a picture of Quinten (on the right) and his cousin, Quinn. Honor, my sister, laughs and says Quinten looks like he has a hairpiece on... OK, he needs another haircut. This picture was taken just before my brother's wedding last weekend when I was home. Quinn was born just three short months after Quinten. Today was his blessing day. We wish we could have been there!! We had intended on getting pictures of all the new babies together while I was home: Quinten, Quinn, Charlotte (my brother's baby born in August) and Ryker (my cousin's baby born in June)... I ruined it by leaving Quinten at my Dad's house during the wedding. Sorry everyone!! Just think of the torture we will have to go through next summer when we try to get pictures of all of them and they will be mobile! Ugh...will we manage to get a decent picture?? My sister, Siri's baby will also be added to the group by then; she is due the middle of January with another boy. It's just been a baby season for our family- what fun! I love it that they will have cousins to play with when we all get together.
I plan on posting wedding pictures soon. I've got some great ones of Callie, the flower/leaf girl. I'm just too tired to do it right now.

Toothless Grin

So, here's the picture of Alexa's toothless smile in all it's glory. For some reason, she had a hard time smiling a REAL smile for me... So, this will have to do. I am also pleased to report that the other bottom tooth is now loose as well. She is thrilled.
Alexa heard from Kinzlee that if she wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy, she would respond. Kinzlee asked the Tooth Fairy what she did with all the teeth she collected. Alexa, of course decided that a proper question would be: how do you get the teeth to other people? After all, "she can't give them to babies, their teeth just grow in by themselves." She also decided that it was illogical for the Tooth Fairy to give them to adults because the teeth would be too small. So, a big THANK YOU to the Tooth Fairy who came to Kinzlee's house and told her that she gave the teeth to other people. I hope you had a good laugh at our expense... especially when you heard what the Tooth Fairy had to come up with in order to satisfy our curious daughter.

So Cute

My good friend, Melissa, was at Old Navy last night and found these shirts for our girls. Aren't they so cute?? Kinzlee called this morning and told Alexa that her Mom had bought them matching shirts and she wanted them to wear them today. Alexa ran down to her house and left for school from there, so I had to catch them on the way home. We just love Kinzlee. If she wanted to move into my house tomorrow, she'd be welcome. We will be more than sad when they move... devastated would be an appropriate word, I think. Let's just not talk about it, OK??

I am a LIAR...

Yes, I am a liar. But, what choice do you have when your six year old is about to ruin the novelty of the Tooth Fairy for the rest of the family?? Alexa lost her first tooth this morning. It's obviously been loose all week, so she's had too much time to think about what will happen to the tooth when it finally falls out. This was a conversation we had at the dinner table this week...unfortunately, Andrew wasn't there, so I had no backup...

Alexa: Mom, is the Tooth Fairy real?
Me: Well, what do you think?
Alexa: I want you to tell me the truth. Is it or not?
Me: I really want to know if you think the Tooth Fairy is real.
Alexa: I think maybe it's real, but I want you to tell me if it is or not.
Me: Well, I think there is a fairy who does come and take your tooth and replaces it with money.
Alexa (staring RIGHT into my face): And that's the truth?
Me: Sure.

WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE???? She had yet to lose a tooth. The other girls were sitting there. I couldn't possibly ruin it for the whole family before we even got started. They already don't believe in the Easter Bunny because of her. (Long story) I can't let her superior logic ruin everyone's fun all the time. Can't I put on some of the girls' dress-up fairy wings and be a fairy for a few minutes when they lose a tooth? I'm sure there is a way to justify lying to all my girls right in their faces...
I will put up a picture of Alexa- I just need to take one first. :) She pulled it out herself while brushing her teeth this morning. I hope they are all that easy.

Callie Starts Preschool

Callie started preschool a couple weeks ago. Excited doesn't even describe the way she felt. She is so happy to be in school and I am happy to have her gone a couple times a week. What do I do with only two kids at home?? It hasn't exactly been what I envisioned yet, but hopefully we will settle into a routine soon. What I did the first day of school with the two little ones should be a post of its own...I'll just say it was not what I wanted to be doing. Callie wanted everyone to see her backpack in this picture. Yes, it's almost as big as she is. She was quite jealous of Alexa's first day of school post and the comments that people left. Alexa claimed they were HER comments and Callie was determined to have comments for her first day of school as well. So, if you feel inclined... Callie will be thrilled. :)

I just put this in because I thought it was a funny picture of Leah. She is a little sad when Callie leaves, but we are managing. I was hoping that it would end up being nap time for her, but she has since decided that naps are no longer a necessary part of her schedule... she's killing me.
The walkway to preschool is rock shaped like feet. Leah thought they were cool.
Miss Keri, Callie's teacher. Thank goodness for hand sanitizer... We have been living with bottles of the stuff all over our house lately. Yes, I am paranoid.
Callie and her best friend, Jaide. They kind of stick together like glue... it's really cute.

Quinten

I just thought I would add this picture because he's so cute. Quinten is the sweetest, most lovable, best baby ever. He's already three months old... can you believe that?! We all just think he's great.

Purging

So, a few days ago the girls decided to play in my closet while I was getting ready in the morning. They do this often; however, this particular day was "get all of Mom's shoes out" day. As I watched them and was irritated at the mess I would no doubt be cleaning up later, I realized there were a lot of shoes that I haven't worn in a LONG time. So, I decided that maybe it was time to purge my closet. The top picture shows all the shoes that were in my closet (I bet half of my shoes are flip flops, which I suppose is fitting since I live in St. George...); the bottom shows what I have left. I've decided to do the same with my clothes. Why do I keep things that I continuously pass by year after year?? So, if I haven't worn it in the last two seasons, it's history. I think I won't have much left when I am done, but it will feel good to get rid of the junk. How much does one person need anyway?

What Exactly Do I DO???

I've been asking myself this question the last couple weeks. Maybe it's the whole school starting and getting into a routine thing that has stemmed my questioning. Everyone has something that they do, right? Well, I've been having a tough time figuring out exactly what that thing is for me. I don't like to scrapbook, I don't decorate, paint, refinish furniture, make jewelry, or anything of the sort. I actually hate most crafts and quite honestly, even if I liked them, I am not good at any of them. I don't bike, go to the gym, do yoga; I can't run yet because my hips still ache from having a baby. And let's be serious- I haven't really ran for any good length of time since I trained for the marathon when I was pregnant with Leah. I'm actually a fairly good cook, but don't like it- I only do it out of necessity. I don't bake, crochet, knit or make quilts; I can sew, but I'd rather buy it than make it... I have incredibly crafty sisters who are always coming up with some cool thing to make. I didn't get that gene; it totally and completely passed me by. I'm not that great of a housekeeper- my house is never spotless. I'm not a party planner- I buy my kids' birthday cakes if they want something cool- I would never even WANT to attempt to make a cool cake. I don't like wrapping gifts to make them look beautiful- I think it's a waste of paper and ribbons, actually. I don't sing, play the piano, or any other musical instrument for that matter. I don't speak any foreign languages. So, WHAT DO I DO???

The question has truly tortured me. And then I decided this: everyday I raise three little girls and a tiny baby boy. It is an exhausting and somewhat daunting task at times. It's not glamorous, most of the time I don't get a thank you for it, quite frequently no one even notices the hours and hard work I put into it. Most of the time the job I have performed looks like I never even did it. And yet, I do it again and again, always knowing that the outcome will be the same. Right now, with these four little kids living in my home, it doesn't matter that I don't DO anything else. Someday when my four little ones are not so time consuming, maybe I will want to decorate or paint a wall in my house. Maybe making dinner will become a pleasant experience instead of a burden. Maybe I will have the time to run without feeling rushed. But, for right now maybe it's a good thing that I don't DO anything. There are no projects undone, waiting for me to finish them; I'm not longing to be somewhere else because I know there is nowhere I need to be. For now I will do my dishes, finish my laundry, pick up my living room, and if I'm not too tired when it's all done, I will read a good book. For now, I am content doing nothing.

Quinten's First Haircut

So, we did it. Actually, my friend Selma did it. Quinten's hair officially became an eyesore and had to be cut. It was out of control. It was unmanageable. It was just too darn long. On Saturday I was walking Callie down to play with Selma's kids and she invited us in for a short visit to her hair salon (aka her kitchen...). It was quick and painless and he looks a million times better than he did. So, thanks for saving Quinten from more bad hair days because of his mother's lack of ability to do a boy's hair. Selma, I owe you! And, thanks for taking the pictures to document this big event. :) Ice cream? Let me know when you want to go!
The before shot. Look how long it looks!!
The after shot.... so much better.

Our First Grader

Today was the first day of school. WE ARE SO GLAD!! It was time for everyone's sake. Alexa was practically bouncing off the walls waiting to leave... that will teach her to get up early, huh? :) Alexa's teacher is Mrs. Bosh. And, the real highlight of the whole thing is that her best friend, Kinzlee is in her class. They are thrilled! And, as you can tell from the picture below, they wanted to dress the same for the first day of school. They both had these dresses that we probably bought last year (Melissa, is that right?? I can't remember). They wore leggings under them because they are getting a little short to be dresses... Kinzlee has managed to grow more than Lex- surprise, surprise. Alexa's can still almost pass for a dress. Anyway, they thought it was cool and loved that their teacher said something about it. Funny girls. I snapped the picture below after their walk home- they were both red, hot and sweaty... and I think they were both chanting something about air conditioning. We love Kinzlee and will be pretty much devastated when they move.... or they could just decide to stay.....
Alexa loved every minute of her first day and can't wait to go back. Lunch was great, three recesses were great, the waterbottle in the back of her chair is great- you get the idea. I'm so happy that she is happy and that this transition was conpletely painless for her.

Everything at home went well, too. Callie and Leah had a great day together- luckily. If someone could promise me that everyday would be like today, I would be a happy mommy. Wishful thinking, right?? We'll just have to wait and see what the year holds for us. Callie doesn't start Preschool till September, so she's a little antsy now that Alexa has started school. We'll just have to stay busy enough until then!
Kinzlee and Alexa after their walk home. We are so lucky to live just a few blocks from the school in such a great neighborhood. I am lucky that I don't have to take Alexa and pick her up everyday!

Quinten's Hair

OK, we know he was born with a lot of hair, but it just keeps getting longer and longer... This last picture was taken yesterday- It is so long that the whole curl thing it is doing was not intentional. And I'll admit, in the picture it looks stupid. I promise it doesn't look as stupid in person. His hair is the first and sometimes only thing people comment on. I know he has a ton of hair, but he has a cute face too; let's focus on that for awhile... So, do you cut a two month old baby's hair or do you just let it grow?? I don't know. I've never done this whole boy thing before....

Quinten's Blessing

Yesterday we blessed Quinten. It was a great day. We somehow managed to get to the church by 8:35... miraculous, I know. All of Andrew's family in town was able to come and be with us. It was the first blessing of all my kids that my parents had to miss. However, spending three weeks with them in July more than makes up for it. Andrew gave him a great blessing and Quinten was fairly quiet through the whole thing. Actually, I couldn't hear him at all, but Andrew said he was a little fussy at first. He slept through most of church and all through lunch afterwards- even with a crowd of noisy people in our house. He woke up just as the last people were leaving. So, that will explain all the pictures with him in his carseat- we didn't want to wake him, so we left him alone.

Like my flip flops?? I was wearing real shoes earlier...
It was a different experience listening to the blessing of our little boy as opposed to our three girls. I kept expecting Andrew to say "she" (which he didn't). Quinten is a special little boy- we love him so much.


The cousins. It's completely impossible to get a good picture of that many kids. Poor Brandon and Austin, who are the oldest by quite a bit- I always feel bad that they have to pose for cousin pictures with our unruly little ones.

We're here... Really.

So, I've been on a blogging sabbatical of sorts. It's been quite nice. Now, of course, it will take me three weeks to catch up from all that we have done in the last month and all that I missed before this little break I took. The kids and I have been traveling the last few weeks. We drove to my parents house for two weeks and then spent a week at the Oregon coast with my parents and as many of my siblings who could make it. We had an amazing vacation. Andrew flew up for the trip to the Ocean and then drove home with us. We are all feeling the effects of being spoiled having so much family around. Quinten thinks he needs to be held all the time, the girls, who played with cousins almost nonstop, want friends here to fill the void, and I miss having my mom in the same house as me to pick up my slack with the kids! We will slowly get back to normal- it will just take some time. We missed the worst of the July heat here in St. George and I think a trip to Washington will become our tradition every July. We nearly froze when we first got there, but loved every minute of the dramatic climate change. I've lived away for long enough that it no longer feels completely comfortable going home. My parent's house is always the same and I love that- it's everything else that feels odd. Some major differences:
1. There are hardly any mini vans. Funny that I would notice, but there are just SO MANY here.
2. I am a young parent- people stared at me if I had all the kids with me. And, a few times I only had Quinten and people would make comments like, "Oh, just wait till he starts crawling, you'll love that stage." Hello. Done that a few times. BTW, hate that stage....
And, I saw people that looked at least fifteen years older than me who had small babies in strollers with no other children... weird.
3. I felt like in any public place I watched my kids like a hawk for fear that someone would try to snatch them away from me. Yes... a little paranoid, I know.
4. Rain doesn't stop anyone from doing anything. You just go along like it wasn't really there and you don't really change plans.
5. People have really pale skin in Washington... even if they think they look tan. :)
6. My parent's ward had the tiniest primary. And, I think my kids were the loudest kids in Sacrament meeting. It was kind of embarrassing.
7. Traffic, traffic, traffic. I am SO not used to it anymore.
8. The produce is incredible there. My kids lived off of fresh raspberries while we were there. I loved it.

I love going home to visit. It's never long enough and I'm always sad to leave, despite all the things that I'm not used to anymore. I'm really just spoiled living where I do right now- I know that. I will consider it a great blessing because you never know when it could change.
So, I will post pictures from our adventures soon- I just need to sort through all of them.

Callie's Day... FInally!!

Yesterday was Callie's birthday. We have a definite birthday season in our house and Callie is the tail end of it. It's hard for her to have to wait through the rest of our birthdays since she is the last one in our family for the whole year- especially because Leah, Quinten and I are are within a couple weeks of each other. So, we try to make her day exactly how she wants it to be. Hopefully we did just that this year. Her birthday celebration(s) lasted three days, which is unheard of in our house. On Thursday we took Callie and her best friend Jaide to Pirate Island Pizza for dinner. Grandma Louisa and Aunt Andrea met us there.
This is the girls while we are waiting for our table. We had a great time, but Andrew and I are positive you pay for the atmosphere more than the food... not an easy thing for us because we love good food.
Saturday was Callie's actual birthday. She didn't wake up till almost 9 o'clock... she looks a little tired in this picture, huh? We tried to rush the morning festivities because she wanted to go hiking for her birthday.
Callie is all about music. Seriously. You'd think she was 14, not 4. Her presents consisted of a guitar, Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers CD's, and a Camp Rock dance mat. Not to mention the Camp Rock microphone from Grandma and PopPop, the Tinkerbell soundtrack from Andrea and Mike, and all the music junk she already has.... trust me, the list is LONG.
We headed to Zion National Park for the morning with Andrea. We "hiked" the trail to the start of the Narrows. We got to ride the buses through the park, played in the river, saw some not so wild squirrels who had no problem getting too close for comfort, and almost got caught in a torrential downpour. Just as we made it back to the bus, the clouds let loose. We timed it perfectly. And because of the cloudcover, it was perfect hiking weather. We had a great time.
I added this picture just because I thought it was beautiful. You'll notice the blue sky- I now know how flash flooding can occur before you even realize what is happening. The weather changes so fast!
Today we spent Father's Day with the family. Callie got to have her"family party" while we celebrated. We sang to her and she blew out her candles. Cupcakes with ultra pink frosting (so gross) and root beer floats were her requests. I think she was happy with her weekend. We love her so much. She has the funnest personality- we love that she loves to perform. It's great to watch her dance and sing all over our house. We hope it is something she will always enjoy. Happy Birthday, Callie!!

I'll Be Completely Honest With You...

So, I'm not one to hide what I'm thinking- I'm fairly open about how I feel when it comes to life's issues. So, here the latest: I hate nursing. I've always hated it, never thought it was this great mother child bonding experience, and all the benefits of it- well, I can refute the claim on several of them. Some of you may know that I didn't nurse Alexa. It was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. She couldn't do it, I was in so much pain that I could hardly stand it, and I just wasn't producing any milk... yeah, it was probably stress related or something- I will admit to that. I can remember laying in bed when she was a few days old and hearing her in the bassinet next to me and wanting to cry while I thought to myself, "Do I really have to get up and try to feed her?" It was awful. So, we switched her to formula when she was a couple weeks old and she did great. I felt guilty about it for a long time. It didn't help that I lived in Provo where everyone has babies and I swear I was the only one not nursing. OK, I know that can't be true, but it felt like it. I felt somewhat like a failure that the only thing I really had to do for this little baby was feed her and I couldn't even do it the "best" way. OK- so, I got over it. It was really a good thing for me to experience for a few reasons. It allowed me to truly decide for myself that I really didn't care what other people thought, and that has really stuck with me. Anyone who knows me now knows that is my attitude on almost everything. I'm not looking for approval from anyone and I am completely content to do what works best for me, not what is accepted as the norm. So, I told myself after Alexa that with future kids, it didn't matter how they were fed. If they could nurse- great; if not, I'd be the first person to stick a bottle in their hungry little mouths. For some bizarre reason, Callie and Leah had no problems nursing- I nursed them both for a full year and hated every minute of it. Sure, it's convenient in the middle of the night to not get out of bed to make a bottle and yeah, formula can get expensive, but the other "benefits"? Callie and Leah were both plagued with ear infections, had tubes put in, and are still my sick children. Alexa is NEVER sick. So I don't buy the whole "breastfed babies are healthier" bit. And for the "breastfed babies learn faster and are smarter"- do you know Alexa? You can't tell me she is behind because she was bottlefed. She is WAY beyond her years and I don't say that to brag- it's just the truth. So, this brings me to little Quinten. The kid can't suck for anything. In the hospital it would take me 45 minutes to get him to latch on so he could eat for 3 minutes. 2 lactations specialists and 4 nurses later they decided it may just take him a couple weeks to catch on- they had no answers for me. Well, a couple weeks later and the kid still didn't do it. He's too little to starve until he figures it out... which was one of the nurses suggestions. NO THANKS. So, I'm done. I'm done pumping and feeding him bottles- it's driving me CRAZY. I'm done trying. He's just not going to do it and I am happily switching him to formula. My nursing days are over and I am more than relieved to see them fade into the distant past. Besides, bottlefed babies can be fed by their Daddy, which means I get to leave my house sometimes for more than two hours at a time. Who can complain about that?? OK- thanks for reading my lengthy soapbox sob story... leave it to me to tell everyone all the junk no one really wants to talk about.

Updates

So, Quinten is now over two weeks old. He is doing great. He's actually gaining weight- we just wish he would gain it faster. He is so tiny that we have spent the first two weeks changing his clothes about ten times a day because he pees out of every diaper he wears- his legs are too skinny. And ten times a day is no joke- just ask my Mom. Sad, huh?? Well, sad for me. I have been doing one load of laundry a day that is just his clothes and blankets to try to keep up with him. Hopefully we will pass this obstacle soon. He is such a good baby- as all fourth children should be. He still is a little confused about day and night, but we will get there.
As for me- I feel great. I'm tired of course, but other than that things feel pretty much back to normal. More than anything it's just nice to be wearing normal clothes again. I am SICK of matenity clothes. I have AMAZING friends and neighbors who have taken great care of my kids and our family since before Quinten arrived. While my Mom was here she made the comment that I live in a neighborhood from another era: the kids just run around from house to house and everyone watches out for everyone. It's true- we live on a great street with great people. We are very blessed.
I have lots more pictures to post- my birthday, Leah's birthday, Callie's dance recital, Alexa's last day of school, family pictures... hopefully I will get to it soon. Until then, you will have to be content with just Quinten. Isn't he cute??

I know he looks sad and pathetic in this picture.... but. he was asleep and looked so cute till the flash went off on my camera.... I must have really bugged him. :)

Quinten

So, it's finally over!! Quinten James Hench was born on May 27th at 12:58 AM. He weighed in at 5lbs. 15 oz. which seems small, but we think he's big compared to what Leah was! He was just over two weeks early and we are glad to be done. I wish I could report that labor was a breeze- the hospital was slammed with women in labor and everything took longer than it should have- I had to wait an hour and a half for my epidural and had to wait over a half hour for my doctor to finish with another girl before I could start pushing. Even with all the delays, it still only lasted six hours, so I guess I should feel lucky. We are now home and everything is going fine. It's always an adjustment having a newborn around. Leah is taking it the hardest, of course. She has yet to make a sentence that isn't with a cry or a whine in it. Hopefully that will pass soon. The girls have spent lots of time with friends and family. My sister-in-law, Lydia is amazing and spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening with the girls the night we had him. They had a great time with her- she even took them all swimming! We love her so much! Thanks to everyone else who helped and came to visit. We will keep you updated as time goes on. My mom will be here on Saturday and we are anxiously awaiting her arrival. The picture above is Quinten right after delivery- he hadn't had his bath yet, so he probably looks a little gross.
Just after delivery- you can see I'm still hooked up to everything... I hate IV's.
Andrew and Quinten- it still doesn't feel like he is a boy yet. I have called him a she or her several times and have had to catch myself.
All his sisters. Leah walked in the room and I was holding him- she looked at me and said, "Mommy hold me."
Getting ready to leave the hospital. It always feels so good to get my own clothes on again and to get up and walk around. I could have stayed one more night, but I get so sick of doing nothing. However, the food was great this time. They have a menu that you call and order from so you get exactly what you want. Loved it!

Are You Sick of These Yet?

I think this may be the last post where I have to update anyone on what is going on with this ridiculous pregnancy. So, here it is, as quickly as I can get it out so I don't bore everyone. Fluid levels have dropped again, dialated to a 2+, having contractions even as I write. My doctor wants me to try to hold out till Tuesday if I can, then he will just induce me. My fluid will be too low and I will probably be dialated even more than I am now. I am on partial bed rest so I don't lose more fluid than I need to within the next few days. I have amazing friends who have been inviting my kids over so I can lay low and they even brought dinner last night. I am very blessed. That's about it. The next time I write about this, I should have a new baby... crazy, huh???

I've Had It...

I have absolutely had it with:

1. Little girls who think that screaming is an acceptable form of communication.
2. Being followed around by children and dogs to the point of stepping on them because they are so close on my heels.
3. Two year olds who think that waking up at 6AM is OK. It's not OK... it's just not.
4. Six year olds who never think life is fair and that the whole world is only out to get them.
5. Children who think that I should be at their every beck and call and then throw massive tantrums when they have to wait for me to finish what I am doing- even if I am going to the bathroom.
6. Two year olds who feed dogs your chapstick while you are in the shower and can do nothing about it.
7. Cleaning up messes that appear faster than I can keep track of. How do children create so much chaos in such a short amount of time??
8. Doctors appointments. I am sick of them. I am sick of shipping my kids off to whoever will take them two or three times a week. Can we just have this baby already and be done with it??
9. Telling a certain two year old to leave the dog alone. I wish he would take a large chunk out of her hand so maybe she would get the idea that he doesn't like to be bugged by her.
10. The fact that Andrew can walk out of a room and be left alone if he so chooses. They leave him alone and he doesn't even have to ask. Seriously.... If I walk out of a room I am either followed or they yell at the top of their lungs to see where I am and what I am doing- even if Andrew is home and is with them. I can hardly stand it!!
11. Children who think they cannot be happy unless they are playing with a friend. Why are my kids so needy?? If they don't have friends over I get to hear about it for hours on end. Why can't they play with each other? Why do they think it's my job to constantly entertain them?

I've had it.... I have really just had it.....

Blah, Blah, Blah

It almost seems silly to update anyone on what is going on with my pregnancy. Same as last time- my fluid levels dropped again. They are now below normal. If they drop again by next week, then they will be worried. It just means more Dr. appointments and more time away from home. People are FINALLY telling me that I look big enough to be having a baby soon. I suppose that is a good thing. Even Andrew says I look bigger. I don't really care how I look. I'm just sick of being uncomfortable and wish it would go away. Maybe next weekend... that is what I am shooting for. School gets out on Friday, so anytime after that and I will be happy.

My Life in a Nutshell

Sometimes I wonder about my life... what on earth possesses me to do some things and keeps me from doing other things. Do you ever feel that way? Today has been one of those days. I am wondering why I ever agreed to let Alexa get a fish for her birthday TWO years ago. Yes, that is right- it was the fish that kept on living. No one cared about the thing two weeks after we bought it, I was usually the only one to feed it and I was certainly the only one to clean the nasty fish bowl. Well, those days came to an end today... and it was all my fault. Note the empty fish tank above as you listen to my tale of woe. I cleaned out the stupid bowl, which was disgusting, I might add. I was in the process of moving Dave back into his bowl and as I dumped the water out of his little cup, I neglected to get the net under him fast enough and he slipped down the drain. Actually, he got caught in the black flappy part of the disposal and I couldn't decide if I should try to grab him or just let him go. In my moment of indecision, he slipped right down. Did I unnecessarily let him die? Probaby. Was it a calculated murder? I can't decide. I hated the thing- everyone knew that... but, I didn't really mean to for him to go like that. And, to make matters worse, I let the water run to make sure he really went down, but I guess I needed to run the disposal because the water was backing up.... I never saw him, so I had to run the disposal. He's REALLY gone. Alexa ran to her room and cried; called me a mean mom- the usual. Callie said he must have gone to the ocean like Nemo. Thank goodness for Disney movies, right??
This second picture is an embarrassment. It's taking a lot out of me to post it... this is the baby's room. I just can't manage to get the motivation to clean it. Baby presents, boxes of diapers and wipes, bins of the girls clothes that need to be sorted, half of Leah's clothes that still need to be moved to her new room, the baby's carseat and swing, a bouncer seat that needs to be put together, piles of baby clothes that have the tags cut off and just need to be washed... the list is endless. I have NO desire to get any of it ready. NADA, ZIP, NONE, ZERO, ZILCH. What is keeping me from getting it done? I have no idea. I'm sure I'll get my act together sometime soon... I'm just not sure how soon....

Another Update

More doctors appointments today. Everything still looks good. My fluid levels are lower than last time, but are still within the normal range. No news is good news, I suppose. Only five weeks left... if I go full-term.... what are the chances of that? :)

Are you Shocked??

Let me introduce you to Jimmy. Jimmy is my sister's dog. Jimmy will be living at our house for the next few months until my sister and her family figure out where they are moving to... and if they are moving. Their house sold (FINALLY!!) and Jimmy needed a place to stay. Shocked, aren't you? Most of you know that I am not an animal person. In fact, I vowed that our pet fish would be as good as it got for our kids until they moved out of our house and decided for themselves if they wanted a pet. I don't think having Jimmy at our house will change my mind... Andrew asked me if it would. I'm still not an animal lover- probably never will be. I do, however, love my sister and am glad we can help them out. The girls are thrilled. It will take us all a few days to get used to each other, I think. They follow him around get on his nerves, but I am hoping that will die down soon. So, anyone who wants to meet our temporary addition, stop by!

Isn't it great to be Loved??

I have to laugh sometimes at the open door policy that has somehow been put into effect at my house. I don't mind- it just makes me laugh. And, I'm really not sure how it happened. It has been really hot here this week, so on Monday we pulled out the slip and slide and the sprinkler. Each of the girls invited one friend. The picture above shows you what we ended up with. Seven friends plus my three kids. They all had a great time and when I had my fill, I sent everyone home. Today, we started out with one friend at the house- I think we now have three roaming around. Nope- make that four... I just went and checked. I'm glad that my kids have good friends and that they feel comfortable here.
Leah refused to go down the slip and slide, but she loved the sprinkler once I got it out.

This is Callie and her best friend Jaide. They would play together everyday if we would let them.

Soccer

So, I am finally getting around to posting a couple pictures of Alexa playing soccer. Actually, neither of these pictures are of her playing!! She is having a great time with her team. Several of the girls she knows from church or school, which has been a lot of fun for her. It has been fun for us to watch her steadily inprove as the weeks have passed. She is getting more aggressive... in a good way... and finally understands what she should be doing out there. Last week she scored her first goal- the funny part is she didn't even know it. :) I think this is a sport she will stick with and we are glad. Callie is now starting to ask when it will be her turn to play. Someday soon I am afraid our Saturdays will be busier than we would hope for them to be. With four kids so close in age, it is inevitable that they will all be doing things at the same time.

Oh Hannah....

So, on Friday night I took Callie and Alexa to see the new Hannah Montana movie. First of all, that theater was packed. It's my own fault for taking them to a 7:00 showing of ANYTHING on a Friday night. We stood in line outside waiting for tickets forever, then had to go straight to the theater to find seats with no popcorn because the lines were so long at the concession counter. Callie was really upset. I think they hadn't turned their A/C on yet because the theater was on the warm side. It's a good thing no one wanted to sit on my lap. Anyway, the movie pleasantly surprised me. We all liked it and the girls think we should buy it after it comes out on DVD. So, if you want a fun night with your girls, take them to see it- we had a great time. And, Callie and I did make it out for popcorn and drinks somewhere in the middle of the movie. Alexa says we missed a funny part- something about Jackson getting bitten by a crocodile??

Family

We had family pictures taken while I was home in March. Here are a few of the results. I know it looks like a lot of people, but for us as a family- we all stood around and felt someone was missing. It's probably because we now have families of our own to add to this group. It's always so much fun when all of us get together...even though it doesn't happen very often anymore. I LOVE IT!!

My sisters and I. May I just point out that we were in my parents backyard at 9AM and it was foggy and FREEZING. My teeth were actually chattering. Doesn't it look like a green heaven behind us? It's one of my favorite things about going home- all the green. And, I actually like the foggy, rainy weather too... I just like it looking out my parents big picture windows.

Just the kids. My sister Honor made a comment on her blog that she and I have been pregnant in the last three family pictures. I think she is right. What awful timing!! Heaven knows why they have to put us right in the front and center...