Parent Day-Kindergarten 2015

 Hallie was excited for her 1st parent day. The kids and herself in the class had been working hard to make sure they had it all just right. They each recited a poem, wrote a word on the board, and the class sang some songs to show they had learned the days of the week and how to count to 20. Then Ms. Hansen her teacher gave each of the kids an award. Hallie got hers for being a good helper that helped Ms. Hansen remember to get everything done she had told the kids they would do in the day. Hallie was really excited about the medal and then we got to do an art project with them. It was a lot of fun. Hallie is on the 2nd set of reading books and has already met and surpassed most of the requirements she has to have to advance to 1st grade. This girls loves to learn and is so smart! She says some of the funniest things and acts well beyond her age. She is a huge help to me both in how responsible she is and how eager she is to help me with just about everything. Gracie has a great example to look up to. Last week I was having a hard time, I felt like the girls weren't listening and I didn't have much patience. Matt was out of town which made it that much more stressful. I lost my patience, yelled, and put the kids to bed early. After I got them tucked in I felt guilty and apologized to both girls. The next morning before they were awake I was reading parenting articles about how to get your kids to listen without yelling. Hallie came in and asked what I was doing. I explained to her what I was reading and her reply was, "Those will be really good for you." I couldn't help but laugh...oh the honesty of children.

Baby #3

On Sept 9th I was a nervous anxious mess this is the day I was supposed to start my period. When I didn't I wasn't sure how to feel excited....scared. Having miss carried less than 6 months earlier I now had a tainted view of what should be one of the happiest times in my life. I wanted so badly to be pregnant but was worried I would once again have to go through the heart break of loosing a child. I talked to Matt who suggested I waited for a week! There was no way I would go crazy so the following morning I took a test and it showed up positive faster than I remember any test I had taken before. Once again the flood of mixed emotions. My ob had suggested calling and getting on progesterone to help establish a healthy pregnancy as soon as I got a positive result. I called them as soon as they opened and within a couple hours we were on our way to the pharmacy.  

For the following weeks every time I felt funny I was sure I was miscarrying. I was driving myself crazy! I finally decided to take it to the Lord to ask for help and my prayers were answered. I finally got to the point that I realizes that all I could do was to take care of myself to ensure a safe and healthy place for this little sweet baby to grow. I felt the reassurance of my Father in Heaven's love for me and feel like this pregnancy will result in us being allowed to raise this little person in our earthly home in our eternal family. Although that doesn't keep me from worrying I try to remember the small whisperings of comfort I have had and cling to them on my rough days. Having had a miscarriage with my last pregnancy it totally changed my perspective on when we would announce we were pregnant. Within days of finding out I had told both my sisters and my parents. I felt like last time I needed support and no one knew I was pregnant so I was dropping a big bomb shell when I told them. Matt and I also chose to tell a few close friends that have been very helpful the times I have been sick or needed a break in some way but mostly just to have someone to share my fears and hopes with.  I for the most part had been feeling pretty good until 6 weeks hit. This happened to be the week I also had Nic's kids. I was concerned to say the least so once again I turned to my Heavenly Father and asked for help I was able to make it through the entire week feel well and having the energy I needed to take care of each of the kids. But once Jill came to pick them up the deal was over and I was back to feeling not so good. As strange as it sounds I was relieved that I was sick....often sickness is the sign of a healthy pregnancy and if that's what it takes to get a healthy sweet baby to us I can handle being sick. Symptom wise so far I am so tired like more tired than I ever was with either of the girls, I am also starving...like all the time starving. I eat at least every 2 hours! I crave so many things so randomly its crazy. One day its Mexican, the next Italian. Matt has been amazing as my delivery guy picking me up what sounds good on his way from one place to another. I went through a couple weeks that only french fries sounded good and I ate at least one order a day...lol glad thats over at least for now.  I drink a lot of sprite mixed with lemon lime Gatorade as well as coke they both do a pretty good job at settling my stomach. I also have to pee quite frequently and get nauseous pretty easily. Week 7 was hard...really heard I got the stomach flu on top of everything else and it made for a long week and weekend in Vegas and traveling alone with the girls. This week I hit my 8 week mark and got to go to the Dr for the 1st time. Once again I was a nervous wreck but everything went really well. I love my Dr and her bedside manner is prefect for me. I asked a ton of questions and wanted her to explain everything on the ultrasound. The baby is actually measuring a couple days ahead of my estimated due date which I say is May 19th but Dr. Boheen is thinking the 20th either way it wont matter since this baby will probably be here before then anyways. Dr. Boheen thinks it is a boy...how she knows that I have no clue but I'm ok with that. Really at this point I will take either boy or girl I just want it to be healthy and fully intact. Because of my Ulcerlative Colitis I am considered high risk. For the remainder of my 1st trimester I will go every 2 weeks and if at that point everything still looks good they may extend them to a month until I get further along. Dr Boheen knows what a worrier I am and said if I need to come in before that to call and she will get me in just to make sure everything is good. Here is our little friends at 8 weeks measuring 8wks and 2 days.

I am cautiously optimistic that all will go well. I am getting more excited all the time. I am excited for everyone to know so I can talk about it openly but we have decided to wait a little longer since we miscarried about 9 weeks last time. Also Tiff(Matt's sister) is coming into town this weekend and we don't want to ruin her weekend by announcing now. So for now it is still our little blessing of a secret.

Update:We are now 12 weeks!!! I am starting to feel better and more relaxed all the time. Im getting more excited but it will be easier to be excited when I don't feel sick all of the time!! My cravings have pretty much disappeared but I still feel just as sick if not worse. I take my progesterone for 2 more weeks and I'm wondering if I will feel better once I stop taking it...I guess we will see. We announced to Joy we were pregnant(see moving post) and the remainder of his family through a picture message on Halloween. It said "Its no trick that we will be adding a little treat to our family come May."

I have been having some chest pain the last couple days I went to the dr today when it hadn't resolved itself. They ran a bunch of labs and a new ekg with very little to report. They are thinking it is a viral plural effusion that should remedy itself and to just take it easy. This week has been really hard for me, I have had a bad attitude. I usually can find the silver lining in things but being sick, Matt always being gone, never getting a break, and this on top of it has made it really difficult. Im excited for winter. For the excuse to stay inside, watch movies, cuddle, and make cookies. I feel like I spend more quality time with my family in the winter. Im hoping things get better soon at this point this is going to be the longest pregnancy ever!

Halloween 2014

 For Halloween this year we spent the morning just hanging out, watching Halloween shows and pretty much taking it easy. I put Gracie down for an early nap and once she got up we headed to Sure Steel for their office trick or treating. They have such a fun bunch there. They did walking tacos, meat and cheese trays, and of coarse lots of treats. The girls walked around to all the offices trick or treating before we settled in the conference room to eat our food. Matt's boss was so cute with all of the kids he took turns trying on some of the kids head covers(hats, helmets, ect)

 Gracie looked so cute in her hat I just can't get over how perfectly it fits her personality

 And Hallie of coarse wanted Mark to wear her Elsa hat.....but it didn't quite fit

By the time we got done we had spent more time there than we had anticipated and only had 5 minutes til the ward trunk or treat started. So with all the candy the kids had gotten trick or treating on 2 different occasions we asked if it was ok if we ditched out on the trunk or treat and they were totally fine with it. So we ran some errands to get some things for packing and headed home to meet my dad to have dinner and hang out before he headed back to Nic's house to sleep over and go duck hunting. The girls had more fun passing out treats than I think they had trick or treating. All and all it was a pretty slow and quiet day. I will be so glad when I am feeling like myself again. Happy Halloween everyone!

Our 1st Moving Experience...Joy to the rescue!!!

So first I guess I should update what is going on in our lives. Let me start by saying this is seriously the most stressful time I think we have even had in our little family. So many changes and not nearly enough time. A couple months ago Matt and I were talking about how with the interest rates rising that we are no longer saving what we will end up paying in interest to build our house so we decided to look into selling the house. The original plan was to put it on the market in the spring and then break ground as soon as we sold but when Matt and I both thought and prayed about it we felt like we should put it up for sell now! So that upped our time line we called our real estate agent and set up a time to meet. Since having refinanced to a 15 yr mortgage 2 years ago we have paid down our mortgage much more than we had the previous years we had owned the home on a 30 yr. This gave us the flexibility to sell for what our house is worth and not have to bring cash to the table. But really it is time to get out of this house we aren't making equity like we thought we might with the market gaining ground so we took the leap and the house is now officially on the market. At the same time we had been looking at lots and found one we thought would work really well for us. We have a current offer in on it and found out last night they decided to pull it off the market for a time until they decide what to do with all of the excess dirt on the lot....first blow to what we were hoping would be a smooth transition. I'm funny right. So anyways when the real estate agent came through she did a bunch of staging with us. After we had met Matt and I decided we would have to have a storage unit for all of our stuff both while we rent and build and while we are selling. We decided it would be best to have out unit in Mountain Green/Morgan area so we would have access to it once we moved more easily. We also found the best rates there so it worked out well. We borrowed a neighbors trailer and loaded up the suburban and one evening we were off. Just as we got off the highway to the unit we blew a tire and of coarse had no spare. So I called the neighbor we had borrowed it from and they said they had a spare that we could come get it. It was 6 and now all the tire shops were closed so it was really our only option. Matt's mom happened to be headed to Salt Lake so I called her and she was great enough to pick up the tire and come rescue us. We got it switched without to much of a problem. By now it was getting dark so Joy stayed and hung out with the girls so we could have the light from her car so we could see what we were doing. 

 Our little haul stuck on the side of the road

While Matt put the jack away I tightened the lug nuts on the tire. When Matt came back he was talking with his mom and said, "Look at my wife 3 months pregnant and still doing hard stuff!" It only took a moment before Joy realized what Matt had said. They she started screaming about how excited she was and how that is the greatest way anyone had ever announced they were pregnant. The whole thing was pretty funny. It is always super fun to get a reaction like that when you announce you're pregnant. Then there were a few hugs and we all headed our separate way. 

About a mile down the road the same tire blew again!!! By now it was dark and Matt was beyond frustrated. What was supposed to take an hour was taking way longer. I find at times of high stress either Matt or I manage to hold it together mostly for the other one and this time it was my turn to keep it together and make a joke out of it. We decided to go unload the suburban and then come back and transfer the stuff from the trailer to the suburban until we had hauled all of it. I called our neighbors to let them know and to try to decide what to do with the trailer. It was a single axle and isn't registered so anyone could pick it up on the side of the road. Luckily we were just off the street of an office building so we slowly pulled the trailer into there where there wasn't lighting so people wouldn't be able to see it as well. Then we unhooked the trailer and headed for the storage unit. Then our neighbors called and said they had just realized that he had a car dolly from work that he had used for work that day that they would come and put the broken trailer on the dolly trailer and get everything take care of. Matt and I were both grateful and relieved. We unloaded and headed back to the trailer. We unloaded the trailer and tried to figure out what had happened to both tires. What we found made us both feel pretty stupid. One of the folding chairs had slide when we turned to get off the freeway, the tire had rubbed the plastic cover off the leg of the chair, and the metal leg had sliced the tire til it blew the tire out and TWICE this had happened and we didn't notice! 

Anyway then our neighbors arrived we loaded the remainder of our stuff on their new trailer and took it to the unit. By then Tyler had arrived to help us. I really did feel so blessed that we had help that night I don't know what we would have done alone. The boys all pushed the broken trailer on to the dolly and we were off. After a 5 hour ordeal we had officially moved our 1st load for moving and announced we were pregnant to Joy! So all in and all it wasn't a bad night I just hope from now on we can keep things more simple..lol. While we were moving things our neighbors said that things are easy when you never try to improve your life and when you are trying to do better and what you're supposed to do the adversary works against you. Having that said it makes me nervous for the rest of this little adventure we have embarked on but I can't wait to see the end result once its all completed.

Family Pictures Oct 2014

Last week Matt took a day off and we went and had family pictures done. We had them done at a place called Camera Shy. I really liked it they were reasonably priced, had helpers to get the kids to look and smile, a ton of back drops, and it is all inside so I didn't have to worry about the weather. It was probably one of the most stress free photo shoots we have ever done. And we are very happy with how they turned out

 These 2 hams are so fun and the light of our lives

 Our sweet Hallie is an amazing big sister, very loving/compassionate, and a super photogenic kid. There weren't many of her pictures that didn't turn out

 Our Gracie goose is full of life and energy. When she is around its hard not to have a smile on your face. Her vocabulary is amazing. She loves to read, play games, do anything Hallie is doing, and play outside. She is 33 months...I can't believe she is almost 3 

 This shows the true logistics of our house. Matt is always so fun and silly it creates a great balance for my logical and sometimes serious side.

 Oh how I love this man of mine!!! He is my everything!

Even though family pictures can be a lot of work they always seem to be worth it. I love to look back and see how much the kids have changed even in such a short time.

Hallie's Oct school Stuff

They did several fun and festive things at school this month for Halloween. I think Hallie's favorite was the Halloween carnival. They played games and had treats. Quite a few kids in Hallie's class have birthdays in October so they spent pretty much the whole month celebrating.

Fall Days

Occasionally I have a day where I feel well enough to be productive and those days I seem to over do it and pay for it later but such is our lives right now. Last week we had a day where I had volunteered to take dinner to one of my friends in the ward that is pregnant and super sick. I was hoping that since I was trying to serve others that the lord would give me the energy that I needed to take care of my obligation and sure enough it seemed to work. The girls and I made Lion House rolls, chicken and wild rice soup, and sugar cookies. Hallie has really started to take an interest in cooking and I find she eats better when she actually helps make it. She was so excited to roll out the dough for the rolls and here she is spreading the butter around before we cut them and flipped them. I have always loved to cook/bake when something sounds good and it makes it even more fun that now I have a partner.

Im excited fro one day to have a bigger kitchen with a big island for all my cooking/baking. But for now Im grateful for the memories that we are making in this kitchen.