LONG Overdue

I'm sure my mom thinks I forgot that I promised her this picture. I didn't forget- I was just trying to find a fun centerpiece to make the picture look better... I failed miserably because as you all know, I hate decorating. It's not my thing. It probably never will be. Instead you all get to see my fruit. ANYWAY... Some of the fun of having my parents here for Christmas was getting to shop for a new dining room table. Our old table was great when we got it- it fit perfectly in our kitchen of the townhouse we were living in... it was great when there were three of us... it was OK when there were four of us.... but now that Leah refuses to sit in her high chair, it just doesn't work anymore. So, my parents helped us get a new one while they were here. Through a random course of events, we had eight chairs for our old table. We decided to keep them rather than buy new ones. Eventually I will get around to painting them so they go with the table... I just haven't been that ambitious yet. So, Mom- here it is... it's great, we love it... we mostly love that we all fit around it. :)

27 Weeks

I suppose it's time for another picture. I'm not very good at keeping people updated, am I? I will be 27 weeks tomorrow- it's still hard to believe I'm closer to the end than the beginning. I got all my blood test results back last week- everything looked fine, so no worries there. Next week I have my second ultrasound. They are already concerned about my fluid levels and where my placenta is sitting. This pregnancy feels a little like deja vu except the problems are starting earlier than they did with Leah. Or maybe we know what to look for better this time. I guess that's just the way things go. I'm not worried. I have a great doctor and have complete confidence in his decisions for my pregnancy. I'm actually hoping this will be very much like Leah and I can have this baby three weeks early too. :) I'm spoiled, I know. So, that's the update. Still no name picked out... we'll get to it eventually. We moved Alexa into the spare bedroom and are in the process of moving Leah out of the crib and in with Callie. Once I get home from Washington we'll make the move. I've boxed up all my little girl stuff to take up North to my sister. It's so nice to have it out of the way! It's also shocking how much stuff you can accumulate after having three girls. I will be glad she is the one storing it now and not me. So, things are moving along. I have no complaints except for being tired all the time, but that's old news... I'm always tired. The girls are good- they are excited for their brother to come. Leah has started to point to my stomach and say, "baby". I only wish she knew what it meant for her future...

The Big 3-0.

Andrew's birthday was on Sunday... I'm a little slow in sharing that bit of information. I think Andrew is probably grateful I'm slow. He's not the type to want fanfare from people. So, in typical Andrew fashion, we had dinner and ice cream cake- just the five of us. It was lots of fun. The girls were far more excited than he was. Alexa went through the drawer that has the candles and tried to count out 30. Luckily we only had 26, so we just stuck three on top of the cake and called it good. All the girls sat on his lap and helped blow them out. Andrew and I went out for dinner on Friday night to celebrate early. Thanks to Michelle for watching all the girls. We went to Made in Brazil, which is just off Sunset. (Is that what it is called??) Anyone who hasn't been there, we highly recommend it. It was really busy and we heard the wait can get crazy, but we loved it. How is is possible that we are getting old?! I remember thinking 30 seemed far away and here it is. I'm welcoming our 30's with open arms- may they be even better than our 20's. Happy Birthday, Andrew!! We love you!

So, Leah was playing in my bathroom today while I was in the shower. She does this everyday and usually leaves a trail of tears after she is done... my tears because I have to clean up such huge messes. But, what can you do from the shower but watch the mess unfold?? She just laughs when I yell at her to stop. The one thing I have had to put up on the counter is the Q-tips. She has a tendency to want to clean her own ears, which terrifies me because I don't want her to stick them in too far. Today she carried a chair into my bathroom and managed to reach the box. This is what she looked like when I got out. She is too funny. (They are pink, of course, because we are a house full of girls... I think Callie picked them out the last time we went to the store. Don't worry, we make sure Andrew has the white ones.)

Eww.... Gross!

So, yesterday morning we were eating breakfast and Leah was standing by the back door yelling, "Bird! Bird!" And, being the totally observant mom that I am, I ignored the back door and said, "Yes, there are birds out there." Then she started saying, "Eww! Gross!" So, I thought maybe I should have a look. This is what we found. It was big! This was no tiny sparrow that happened to hit the window. We're not sure what happened to it or how it ended up in our backyard, but we spent the rest of the day listening to Leah and her commentary on the bird. And in typical girl fashion, we waited for Dad to come home and take care of it for us... wouldn't you have done the same thing?

Our New Addition

So, I changed my background to represent the newest member of our family. Does it look boyish? I'm having a hard time with the whole blue thing... not quite used to that yet. Yes, we are having a boy. The girls are thrilled. Andrew is really indifferent to the whole thing. I think eventually he will be excited, but for now it's just another baby. :) As for me- I really thought it was a girl. I felt a little let down by the whole thing. Actually, if you want the truth- I burst into tears when she told us. It's not what I expected and it will take some time to get used to the idea. It means I have a lot to do to get ready and I really hadn't anticipated that. After spending six years with only girls, I have NO idea what I am getting myself into and I have NOTHING that will work for a boy, so I have some shopping to do. I had a friend tell me that I must have at least onesies or something that would work for a boy. Seriously, unless he wants to wear white onesies with pink or purple flowers on them, I really am starting from scratch. This will be interesting. I don't even know how to shop for boy stuff... I guess I'll figure it out.

Where did the time go??

I can hardly believe it's been nearly seven weeks since I posted my last pregnancy picture. Time goes far too quickly when you are trying to keep it as slow as possible. I am 20 weeks today. Half way... how can that be?! I finally felt the baby kick last week. It was about time- I was starting to wonder. I feel great other than the normal wear and tear of a pregnancy, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I have found that with each pregnancy, I feel a little older, my body feels a little more run down, and I get tired much faster than I used to. My kids are tired of hearing me say, "I just need to sit for a minute". And poor Leah- I think she already knows her end is in sight. She is more clingy with each passing day and I trip over her continuously because she follows me EVERYWHERE. Someday I will be glad my kids are so close in age. (I tell myself that in hopes it will make me feel better.) I hope they will be friends like my brothers and sisters and I were.
On Monday we have our ultrasound. I think everyone else is looking forward to it more than me. I don't care whether it's a girl or a boy. I could probably go another six weeks and not know or care. I want the baby to be healthy. Nothing else really matters. I'm sure I'll put a post on once we know... or maybe I'll make you all wait another six weeks just for the fun of it. :) So, any guesses?? I think it's a girl- it feels very much the same as the others. Andrew doesn't say one way or the other. We have a bunch of people who think a boy is in our future. We don't really care. We know girls- we are happy with girls. It simplifies our lives to have another girl. Either way, we will be excited.
*Ignore my kids' messy bathroom in the picture. The counters are too high in my bathroom to see my stomach and their bathroom was in desperate need of a cleaning. Can you see the toothpaste in the sink? Disgusting, I know.

Hmm...

You all know that Andrew put on that last post, right? He says it's his first and probably his last post ever... I suppose he may put on another if the Ravens make it to the Superbowl...

I'm working on getting my life back together after the holidays. I still feel slightly behind. I've got pictures to post and stories to tell; eventually I will get them on here. In the meantime, just know that we are as busy as the rest of you.

Go Ravens!!!

Off to the AFC Championship Game!

Callie's Dance Recital

Callie's dance recital was last weekend. She had such a good time. It was fun to see her on stage doing her thing. They danced to the song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". Callie claims that if Mommy ever kissed Santa, Daddy would be so mad. We think she's right. :)Callie before the recital and Grandma's house. Isn't she a pretty little girl?
Cute girl. She loved her outfit.
Callie's class. She is the second from the right. If there is one thing Callie has learned to do it's shake her hips- she's really good at it.
After the dance is over. This is Callie and her friend Allison.

24 Hours Later...

This is what you get when you live in St. George: snow one day, blue sky the next. We have one large snowball and a fallen snowman in our front yard and a few patches of leftover snow. The rest is gone. We had a fun day playing yesterday. The girls ran up and down the street with all the neighbor kids and were completely frozen when they came in the house.

SNOW!!!

This could be a picture for the record books- our house actually covered in four inches of snow.

Can you believe it?! This is what we woke up to this morning. And, they even canceled school!! Andrew read that this is the first time school has been canceled for snow in ten years. Alexa is so excited; she was afraid the snow would be all melted before she got home from school and wouldn't have a chance to play in it. Now I just have to find some makeshift snow clothes so they can go out and play... that could be a challenge.

13 Weeks and Counting

So, I've always been anti-pictures when I was pregnant. I have virtually no pictures from any of the girls' pregnancies. I decided that since this is my last one, I'd better document the event. I'm just over 13 weeks now. I'm finally starting to feel a little better. If you were to look at me, you probably couldn't tell that I am pregnant. However, I can tell. I'm sure within the next few weeks I will no longer be able to suck my stomach in and my clothes will look too tight. I hate that in between stage: you're not big enough to look pregnant, you just look fat. Anyway, I suppose I'll be giving updates every month now just to have something to do with the pictures I am forcing myself to be in.

Chips

My three girls, much like their father, could live off of potato chips. I'm serious. Callie would rather eat a bag of chips than anything sweet. She'd even pick them over a piece chocolate. One of Alexa's first words was "pips". Callie called them "bips". And Leah calls them "gups". After we've been somewhere, the first thing they do is open the pantry and find a bag of chips. Today I found Leah in the box of chips. I'm still not sure how she got in without tipping it over, but she did it. When she saw me coming she smiled and said, "I gups". I'd be irritated that she squished the bags of chips except she was so cute it was hard to be mad. Besides, they'll eat them anyway. What do I care?

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Last night for Family Home Evening we decorated the Christmas tree. The girls were really excited to get out all the ornaments; they kept saying, "Oh, I want to do that one" like it was the most special thing they had ever seen. Leah was a pain, as all 18 month olds around a tree will be. I won't be surprised if half the ornaments will be broken by the end of the season. The tree wasn't exactly done by professionals (all the ornaments made it in the same two foot radius). But, the girls are happy with it, so we will leave it the way it is and know they had a good time. The girls in position to put up their ornaments. Leah really just got in the way more than she helped.
And, she spent more time pulling the ornaments off than putting them on.
When I asked them to smile, this is what I got. Silly girls.
And this picture was Leah's idea- really. We tried to get her to sit by the tree for one more picture, but she would only lay down; so, the other girls just went with it.

Milestones

So, I'm a little slow in posting these milestones since they both happened over a month ago, but here are the pictures to document them. Leah FINALLY started walking. I guess she was on the same time schedule as Callie was- 16 and a half months. I can hardly stand them by the time they decide to walk on their own. And, Alexa finally decided to learn to ride her bike. She was the biggest pain to teach. She stopped every three seconds claiming that she was going to crash. I finally told her I refused to help her until she was willing to do what I asked her to do. We actually went a good three weeks without even touching her bike because of this. Then she realized that all her friends on our street could ride around all afternoon and she had to stay behind and it wasn't so fun. I was almost convinced that Callie would learn before her. Leah spends a lot of time at this window watching the kids play outside without her. She hates it.


Our neighborhood is perfect for bike riding because all the streets are completely flat. There are six kids down this street that are in Kindergarten this year- three boys and three girls. They all play together really well. It's lots of fun.

Carving Pumpkins

So, this year we got one pumpkin carved... it was a bad day and we were lucky we got the one done. We let the girls decide what they wanted. Their requests were, "a normal smiley pumpkin". Not so original, but they were happy with it.
Leah was particularly excited- can you tell by the smile on her face?

Trunk-Or-Treat

I've got plenty of catch-up to do as far as pictures are concerned, but I'll start with the most recent and work my way back. At the rate I'm going, maybe I will be done by Thanksgiving.
Tonight was our Ward Trunk-or-treat. I think our ward has the best Halloween party. It's more like a carnival than a Trunk-Or-Treat and there are only a few cars that pass out candy- you get some small prize at the games (that are manned by the YM and YW) and your kids don't come overloaded with a bunch of candy they don't need. There's always dinner too. It's so much fun and the kids love it. It's even better because in St George you can have it all outside without freezing to death. We actually had a hard time putting costumes on Callie and Leah because we were afraid they were going to be too hot. This is our girls and a few of their friends. Callie, Jaide, Jacie, Leah, Jocelyn and Alexa. Jaide, Jacie, and Jocelyn are sisters and are about the same age as our girls. Their mom and I are good friends and we love getting together to play. She is also expecting a baby, but before me by a few months. Our girls are all hoping for boys... And, being the total nerd that she is, Stacy and her husband choose not to find out what they are having. The suspense is KILLING the rest of us.

Alexa and her friend Rylee. If you can't tell, Alexa is Hannah Montana. We'll take better pictures on Friday.
Some of my Beehives. Aren't they cute? There were a few who didn't dress up who chose to remain out of the picture... I won't mention any names (but you KNOW who you are...).
Liz, Chrissy, Summer, Dani, Hannah and Brenna.

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately... as most of you can tell. So, what better way to return to the joyous world of blogging than to announce some family news. Yes, the rumor has been flying that I am expecting. I'd like to tell you that it is nothing more than a rumor, but that would be a lie. Here I am again, unexpectedly pregnant with another baby due the beginning of June... that's three out of four. I'd like to tell you that I was thrilled to find out the news, that I just can't wait for another baby to enter our home. That would also be a lie. I cried for three weeks after I found out and tried as best I could to avoid the reality of the changes that will come to our family far sooner than I had hoped. I spent many nights laying in bed thinking why in the world would this happen to me. I have several sisters and sisters-in-law who are all trying and are not pregnant. And here I am- the one person who doesn't want to be pregnant and I am. Life is not fair- it's not supposed to be. The Lord does what he knows is best, whether we know it or not. I love being a mom. I have spent the greater part of the last five and half years feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from this calling of motherhood. I frequently call my mom crying when I think I have had enough and think the Lord must have made some large mistake by allowing me to be a mother. However, I wouldn't trade my three beautiful girls for anything. And we will love this tiny baby that will enter our family in a few short months just as much as the rest. I can almost guarantee that this little spirit will complete our family. There's a silver lining to every cloud, right? How many people can say they are done having kids by the age of 30... maybe even before I'm 30 if I play my cards right.... So, today I am grateful. I am grateful the Lord trusts me enough to send another child to my home. And, I'm grateful my children are thrilled to have a new baby on the way... Alexa says it can stay even if it's another girl. And, I'm grateful for a husband who smiles and says that another baby will be just fine.
By the way, this obviously changes my plans to run the Marathon in Seattle in June. I still plan on being there- I'll just have a new baby along for the ride.

*My apologies to all those family members who I didn't call with the news. I really hadn't intended on telling anyone till Christmas, so I figure if you are reading this, you got lucky.

Happy Birthday to Honor!

Today is my sister Honor's birthday. She is about a year and half older than me, which basically means we hated each other growing up. We fought over everything- she hated me following her around, doing anything the same as her, and really wanted to have as little to do with me as possible. Do you blame her? :) It wasn't till she moved away after she graduated from High School that we began to tolerate each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? And now she is one of my very best friends. We talk on the phone to each other everyday- sometimes more than once a day if the need arises... She listens to me whine and complain about my kids, gives advice when I need it, has great book recommendations, and makes the best desserts of anyone I know. We have been pregnant together twice, which is great because we can talk and compare notes on what is going on. She has four little girls- between the two of us, we make up over half the girl grandchildren population for my parents. I love that she loves my little girls as her own and treats them as such. Honor frequently knows things about my life before anyone else (much to Andrew's irritation- but, when you need to talk and he's at work, what do you do??) Honor truly is the best sister anyone could have. I am so blessed to have her... even if it took us eighteen years to realize what we had.
This is Honor and her husband, Matt. Isn't she pretty?

Butterfly Brigade

One of the things I love about living in the Fields is the yellow butterflies that come out at the end of the summer. Thousands of butterflies can be seen hovering over the fields, flying through the neighborhoods, and lying dead on the side of the roads after fateful collisions with the fronts of cars. My kids also love butterfly season. Callie, in particular. She decided to collect dead butterflies in a jar this year. The picture below is one of her holding her latest catch. Notice her shirt- coincidence? Hmm....
These purple bushes in the front of our house attract butterflies like magnets. It's usually the first place the girls go when they step outside.
Emmie, Callie, Alexa and Rylee. Emmie and Rylee live just down the street. The girls run through people's yards and scour the bushes and ditches just to find a butterfly that isn't quite fast enough to get away. Yeah, it's a tricky business catching butterflies. It's also good that we live in a neighborhood where no one cares that kids run through their front yards all the time...
And this is the end result. A poor butterfly caught in a jar with flowers (the girls think this way the butterflies can eat and won't die) that eventually I set free because I feel so bad for it. At least it occupies their time, right?

So, lately I've had trouble getting my kids to clean up after themselves. It's really starting to bug me. And, they are starting to be rude about it. Today, Callie threw a deck of Go Fish cards around the living room. When I asked her to pick them up she looked at me, smiled and said, "No can do, cupcake." Yeah. I have no idea where she got it, but I had a mixture of irritation and laughter bursting out of me. And, she has yet to clean up the cards....

I can hardly believe that Andrew and I have been married for eight years. At times it seems like we've known each other forever, but when you say the number eight, it doesn't seem to match up. Andrew and I met just over eleven years ago while we were freshman at BYU. Who would have thought back then that it was all bound to work out for us? Andrew was my best friend. We did everything together, talked about everything and spent more time together than I would have thought possible. Did you know that he had to outright tell me that he liked me or I probably would have remained clueless forever? I think that is why Andrew and I have always been so right together: first and foremost, he has always been my best friend. It doesn't mean that we are perfect and that we don't drive each other crazy sometimes, but it does mean that we have a solid foundation built on something that was formed long ago. And after so many years, he is still my best friend- the one I would rather spend time with than anyone else. I feel very blessed to have him. He is a wonderful father to our girls; and even though he lives with raging hormones and girlish chaos, he seems to keep his cool and even enjoys it, I believe. So- Happy Anniversary, Andrew. Thank you for loving me despite my flaws and for being my best friend.

* I'm not sure what went wrong with these pictures when I scanned them in... sorry they look a little odd.

Ugh

Kidney stones- even writing the words make my insides ache and my brain scream in terror. I shudder at the pain that such things invoke. I have lived through the pain twice now. Three years ago I woke in the middle of the night with the worst pain I have ever felt. It required a trip to the emergency room and some serious medication. So, on Monday I felt a pain. It felt familiar. I cringed at the thought of what it could be, even though I knew what it was. So, Wednesday night was my own personal nightmare. Luckily, it is over and I can move on. However, I am now forced to look at my lifestyle and decide what I can change so these awful things don't plague me. I'd even be happy if I could guarantee five years between each episode instead of three. There are lots of factors to take into account in the production of Kidney stones. For me there are two: chocolate and soda. I've got to get rid of at least one of them. I can't decide which. They are my comfort foods, my stress foods, and my yummy just because foods. So, I'm taking a poll. Help me out, please: which do I cut out of my life? I'm sad just thinking about it....

**I also must mention that I have the best group of neighbors and friends around, who took great care of me and my kids (mostly my kids) on Thursday after my ordeal. Thanks Stacy for dinner and taking Callie; Stacy, Kelsie, and Courtney for playing with Alexa and Callie; and thanks to Stacia and Melissa who may have not even known that Alexa was at their house. You guys are great!! And to the rest of you who made phone calls, offers and condolences, thank you for caring!!

Happy Anniversary!

I just wanted to wish a Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents. 22 years!! They are such amazing people- I am truly blessed. This picture was taken about three and a half years ago when I was pregnant with Callie. For those of you who don't know, we are a blended family. He had four, she had five and they had one together. I love my family- they are all so great. We've never referred to one another as step brothers and sisters- there was never a reason because we've always gotten along so well. My parents did such a great job bringing us together. Kudos to any of you who can figure out who belongs to who. Can you guess?

Benja

Benja happens to be the Aunt of my friend, Sam, who lives up North. (Sam lives up North... Benja lives here....) She owns this great Thai restaurant just off the Boulevard. The name of the restaurant? Yep, it just happens to be Benja's. They have great Thai food and an amazing sushi bar. Every time Andrea comes to visit, the sisters-in-law go there to eat. Since Andrea is leaving tomorrow, last night was the dinner. We had a great time and the food was fantastic, of course. I'd recommend it to everyone- and no, Benja did not ask me to put in a good word for the food. Thanks for a fun evening everyone! Andrea, we are going to miss you! Callie actually started crying yesterday when Andrea mentioned that she had to go home. She REALLY loves Andrea and will miss her more than everyone else, I think. I suppose it doesn't help that three-year olds can't comprehend time and she doesn't know how long it will be before Andrea comes back. Oh, to be young and oblivious to the world. In front: Lydia, Andrea, me, Louisa (my mother-in-law)
In Back: Michelle and Carrie

First Haircut

Yes, that's right- she is three years old and I am just now cutting her hair for the first time. I've been holding out because she has this beautiful blonde, CURLY hair at the bottom that I just couldn't let go of. Her hair keeps growing in darker and darker and she is cursed like the rest of us to have stick straight hair. We still aren't sure where that little curl came from, but I loved it. Anyway, is was time. The ends were just too scrappy and uneven. Last night after her bath we stuck her on the stool and took care if it. She was a good sport about it, but only because Aunt Andrea convinced her that it wouldn't hurt and would look great. Whenever I brought it up, she ran away and told me "NEVER!" Thanks, Andrea!I hope I got it straight. She had a hard time keeping her head still. No one look to closely when you see her....
Here lies Callie's blonde baby hair, (well, some of it). May it rest in pieces...

Rock On, Baby!

Last night the girls and I went to an ACDC concert... kind of. My nephew, Austin, has been a part of something along the lines of School of Rock for the past few months. It's a bunch of kids who learn guitar, vocals, drums, etc. and they focus on one band or singer for the term (or whatever you want to call it). So, his group was ACDC; we spent the evening rocking out to some LOUD music. And, we were all pleasantly surprised. They were really good! Callie has found her calling in life- She rocked harder than everyone and never stopped moving. It was a little loud for her, but once we got the earplugs in, she was good to go. At the end of the evening, we went to Blue Bunny for Ice cream and she informed Austin that she wanted to be in a rock band just like him. Fun times I have to look forward to, huh? I hope she doesn't become some roadie for a crazy band at the age of eighteen and we spend months at a time wondering where she is.... Anyway, it was a good night. The girls had fun and want to do it again. So Austin, what band are you focusing on next? This is Electric Theatre- on Tabernacle downtown. It's pretty old, but I suppose that gives it a certain charm. :)

Callie and Andrea. Callie walked in with her fingers in her ears and stayed that way till Andrea got her some earplugs. She chose her own outfit and sunglasses telling me that it was a great outfit for a rock concert.
Austin on guitar. I'm not sure who the kid in the back is, but he had a pretty good voice when it was his turn to sing. There was one crazy seven year old in the band, who was totally in to the music more than anyone else. And whenever he could get a chance to grab the mic, he'd say something really weird in a strange voice. He at least kept us laughing.
A dark picture, but this is the whole stage. There was an area in the very front for people to stand, dance and be crazy. We sat in chairs behind that, elevated above.
Callie, Alexa and I in front of the theatre after the concert.
Callie sitting on stage. Alexa wouldn't want to sit up there with her, but Callie tells us that it was "awesome" up there.
Ice cream after at Blue Bunny. Callie in her rocker roadie pose. Jim, Louisa, Michelle, Callie, Andrea, Alexa and Austin.

Les Miserables

Last night my sisters-in-law and I went to Tuacahn to see Les Miserables. For those of you who don't know, Tuacahn is an outdoor amphitheatre that is built right into the red rock. It's amazing. I worked in the box office our first summer here in St George and still think it was the best job I've ever had. Les Mis was good. I think we all made the comments, "It's not 5th Avenue or Broadway", but it was still good. The music is some of my favorite, and even though I was seeing it for a fourth time, I still got lost in the story. I didn't get home till after midnight, but it was worth it. If I can't spend the evening with my sisters, these three are the next best thing. Lydia, we missed you! Me, Michelle, Andrea and Carrie. Can you tell who hasn't been sitting in the sun this summer? Man, I look WHITE.