Carter's Baptism

Last Saturday Carter was baptized and confirmed a member of the church. It was a wonderful day and felt like a huge stepping stone in our lives as parents! We are so thrilled that Carter made the decision to be baptized and that he has been so intent on trying to listen to and follow the spirit. My parents and Allen's mom were able to come to town for the big weekend. Carter's grandma's gave the baptism and holy ghost talks and Allen baptized and confirmed him. It was a really special experience to watch him get baptized. He has been excited and waiting for his baptism day for so long. Here are a few pictures of his big day:

We had an open house at our home after the baptism and had many of our friends join us. It was a bit stressful to pull it off less than 2 weeks after having a new baby but my parents and Allen's mom really stepped up and helped a ton. Everyone had a great time and we had lots of yummy food!

A couple cute, recent stories that I've wanted to record about Carter:

1. Last fast Sunday we asked him to fast for breakfast since it was the first fast Sunday since he turned 8. He was a bit nervous but we assured him he could do it. A few minutes after we talked about it he came into the bathroom where I was getting ready for church. He said to me, "Mom, I'm not worried about getting hungry any more. I said a prayer about it and the spirit filled me up instead of food."

2. Last week Carter brought home a homework assignment. He was supposed to read a passage and then answer some questions about it. He brought the questions home but left the passage at school. He was VERY upset about it and I told him there was really no way for him to answer the questions without the passage to refer to. He left the room and came back a few minutes later and told me he was going to try anyway. When I questioned him about how he would be able to answer the questions without the passage he said, "oh mom, I prayed that I would be able to figure out the answers without doing the reading." I told him that it might not work out that he would be answer the questions. He interrupted me and said, "mom, are you saying that Heavenly Father can't answer my prayer? I know He can help me figure it out." Needless to say, I was pretty humbled by his faith and knew that he was right in that Heavenly Father COULD answer his prayers.

We are so grateful for Carter and his wonderful faith and commitment to follow the spirit and live the gospel!

My Valentines

Our Valentines day was VERY low key this year. We had a fun breakfast - heart shaped pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Each person opened a small gift and we sent the big kids out the door to school. Their school has a no treats and no class parties policy (which I think is obnoxious for an elementary school, but whatever) but they did allow the kids to bring in cards for their friends and had a few activities. We made Valentine cookies and by the time we were done with the cookies no one felt like having our traditional fondue. We decided to wait until later in the week when Grandma and Grandpa are here to enjoy it with us. Al and I kept it simple this year and hope to sneak out on a date sometime while my parents are here with us.I would like to point out in the top picture that I bought the newborn Valentine outfit for Miss Emery. When I went to put it on her it was WAY, WAY too small. You will notice how the bottom is not buttoned because it did not fit. It cracked us up. In fact, I returned several newborn outfits and a huge box of NB diapers this morning because everything is way too small on her! I'm so grateful for my sweetheart and for our 4 precious Valentines!

Introducing Emery!

She is here!

Emery was born on February 7 at 6:56 p.m. She weighs 9 lb. 4 oz. and is 20 inches long! She has a double chin, leg rolls and dark blond hair. She is the sweetest, most easy-natured baby and we already wonder how we ever existed without her!

For my own record I want to record her birth story. I was to be induced on Monday morning and my instructions were to call the hospital at 7:30 a.m. to find out if they had room for me. I called and they told me to come in at 9:00 a.m. We ran the kids to school and dropped Addison off with a friend and headed to the hospital. When we got there they still didn't have room for me so we waited an additional (excruciating) hour in the waiting room. Finally, at about 10 they came and got us and we got settled into my room. Of course, it takes FOREVER to get everything situated - paperwork, bloodwork, IVs inserted, etc. They didn't start my pitocin until almost 1:00 p.m. It was a long morning. I had been dilated to a 4 for a couple weeks so we were hoping the labor would go quickly.

As per usual with my inductions, things didn't really move along at all for the first couple of hours. My doc decided to break my water to speed things up so I decided to go ahead and get my epidural. I had no idea how fast things would progress with my water broken and I wasn't taking any chances. I got the epidural and have to say it was my best one ever. No pain but I could still feel and move my legs and feel the urge to push. It was perfect. About an hour after my water was broken I felt a ton of pressure. Allen called the nurse and when she checked me I was dilated to a 9! She hurried and called my doctor but it took her another 45 minutes to finish up a delivery and get into my room. It was intense and I wanted to push so bad. The doc finally came in and I was fully dilated. Three pushes later our little angel was here! Overall, it was a piece of cake delivery and probably my best one of all 4 kids. Emery was 2 oz. smaller than Carter but she was born at 39 weeks and he was born at 42. My doctor had been leery of inducing me and after she was born, she kept saying how glad she was that I had pushed for a 39 week delivery. Had we waited, I probably would have delivered a 10 lb. baby!!

{a few seconds old}
{Super proud daddy!}

After delivery Allen hurried off to get the kids from our friends so they could meet her for the the first time! It was totally chaotic when they got there since they were moving me from delivery to recovery. We got a lot of looks as we traipsed through the hospital with all 4 of our kids! I guess we'd better get used to that though! The kids are smitten with her. It is the cutest thing ever but also a bit overwhelming as someone is always wanting/trying to hold, touch, comfort or love on her.

The first night at the hospital was super dreamy. She slept next to me all night and nursed a ton. She is an awesome nurser and latched on immediately with no problems. Allen was able to spend Tuesday morning with us thanks to some awesome friends who took Addison for us. It was nice for him to get to spend some bonding time with her since he had rushed off to get the kids so quickly after she was born. The second night in the hospital was a bit rough. Emery hadn't pooped yet and I could tell she was uncomfortable. Her tummy was super grumbly and hard. She cried off and on for about 4 hours so I finally called the nurse in and we tried a few things to get her to poop. After a couple more hours of sad baby I finally asked for a bottle for her. She wouldn't nurse and I was hoping the bottle would push things through. It worked! About an hour later she had two enormous diapers and was a ton more content. We both only slept from 4-7 a.m. that night though.

By Wednesday morning I was totally ready to go home. Allen took Addison to ballet and then they came and picked us up. This is us right as we were ready to head out the door.

This has for sure been my easiest recovery of all. I have felt awesome the last few days. I keep telling everyone that I find ironic that just a few days after delivering a baby, the most sore thing on my body is my arm where I got a tetanus shot a few hours before leaving the hospital (apparently the new tetanus shots have a whooping cough booster that they are recommending all parents of infants get). I also didn't realize how physically difficult the last couple months of pregnancy had been until I realized that I feel about 100% better immediately after having delivered a 9 lb. baby than I did the previous two months! We're just so happy and relieved to have her here and that she is perfectly healthy.

Being home the past two days has been wonderful and intense. Emery is a dreamy baby - she is sleeping and eating great. My recovery has been amazing and I have not even had engorgement problems (which I'm attributing to the fact that I've set my alarm for every 2.5 hours and fed her round the clock at that interval). The big difference I have noticed is that it is going to be difficult to fulfill everyone's needs all the time. That will be the biggest adjustment for us but hopefully I'll be able to juggle all the balls in my life effectively soon! Allen has been home this week and my parents and Allen's mom come next week. Our ward family has been truly AMAZING and have stepped in and are proving meals (10 days worth!!!) and childcare and are fulfilling every need imaginable! We are truly blessed!!

Lulu is 3!

Yesterday was Addison's 3rd birthday! I spent all day wondering if I would be more sad about her growing up if there wasn't another baby on the way. She is just such a delightful child and I just love this age so I'm not feeling very sad about it.

We started the day with presents and breakfast. I love this picture I got of her before we started the gift opening. My friend made this crown for her for a playgroup bday party she had earlier in the week and she's been wearing it nonstop ever since.

With her gifts:Along with her Disney princess obsession, Addie has fallen completely in love with Toy Story 3. She runs around yodeling (like Jesse) at the top of her lungs. The only thing she asked for was the talking Jesse doll. She also got the TS3 figurine pack, a mermaid purse, an Ariel swimsuit and a princess story book. Allen's mom got her a Belle necklace and my parents sent her a princess blanket that my mom made. She was so cute opening everything and so excited that it was ALL for her. However, her true love is Jesse and I don't think she's left her hand once since she opened her (for real).

She spent all morning playing with her new toys and then we headed out for lunch at Jason's Deli. When we asked her where she wanted to go to eat she would only answer that she wanted Mac n Cheese so we went where we knew she loved their MNC.

(this is a horrible pic of all 3 kids but was the best we got LOL)

For dinner I made her favorite meal - chicken & chives with green beans. She ate 2 plates full! She wore her new swimsuit all afternoon and I couldn't get her to change to save my life. I would have been freezing but she was thrilled to pieces. She also requested Ariel cupcakes for dessert and specifically asked for Ariel plates and cups. So funny

She had a low-key but great birthday and she seriously loved all the attention she got all day long.

A bit about Addison at 3:

• LOVES to wear her pajamas. I make her get dressed in the morning but as soon as we are home for the day she changes back into her pjs. Her favorite pjs are a pair with a cup of hot chocolate on them and she calls them her "chocolate jammies" and cries anytime they have to be washed.
• Loves to be read to, play puzzles, play with her babies/barbies, play in the sink, brush hair, play dress up and watch movies.
• Thinks she is as old as her siblings and thinks she can/should do everything they do.
• Loves her ballet and tumbling classes. She moved to the 3 year old ballet class at the beginning of the year (to get ready for the spring recital) and her teacher told me she is so impressed with how well she is doing. It's seriously adorable!!
• Is our pickiest eater by far. However, we have seen a dramatic improvement the last few months as we've been able to reason with her a bit more. She understands that there are no treats unless she eats a good meal. We have gotten her to eat a ton more things including lots of fruits and veggies lately. She loves mac n cheese, yogurt, pb&j, cheese and crackers, quesadillas, apples, oranges, milk and green beans. She is a total diet coke lover and is always stealing sips of my drinks.
• She is a little performer and gets so excited when a song she knows comes on at home or on the radio. She will sing at the top of her lungs and I'm always surprised by how many words she knows.
• Is super spoiled. Super, super, super spoiled by everyone. She is very hard to discipline and say no to because she's so dang cute and immediately gives her cute lopsided smile and apologizes when she gets in trouble. She really falls apart emotionally when she is disciplined. Her older sibs almost always immediately come to her defense when she is in trouble and "protect" her. It's really cute to see how protective they are of her.
• Is still teeny tiny. Her 2T clothes are still way too big for her but she is tall so she needs them for length.
• Loves Disney princesses (esp. Ariel & Jasmine) and Toy Story. Loves to sing princess songs all day long.
• Is beloved by everyone. Seriously, I've never seen people become more smitten with a child more quickly than they do with her. She has such a fun, lively personality and really draws people to her.
• Loves Harry Potter because C & M do. It's dang funny to hear her try to repeat the spells they teach her. She calls their pretend wands "Expelliamuses" hilarious.

We all just adore Addie. She is so much fun and fills our heart in ways we can't even begin to describe! Happy Birthday baby girl!!

A different week + a few completed projects

My, this week has NOT turned out at all like I planned. I planned on this being the week to wrap up any last minute details before baby E comes next week. But....On Monday morning I got up and got everyone going on the school morning routine. While making lunches I knocked a HUGE jar of minced garlic out of my fridge and it smashed all over the floor. Glass and garlic everywhere. It was a smelly disaster. And that has pretty much set the tone for my week - LOL. I rushed to get it cleaned up as much as possible before I had to run the morning carpool to school. Got everyone loaded in the car only to find that my car battery was DEAD. Crap. Then I realized Allen had both pairs of our jumper cables in his car (WHY?!?!). My friend who I carpool with and my friend across the street could not locate their jumper cables either. Finally, my friend down the street came to the rescue with hers (lesson learned). The kids were 20 minutes late for school and I decided to leave the car running while I ran them in, in case it died again. I ran up to Allen's office so he could check the connectivity of the battery, which was fine. I had an hour to kill before Costco opened so I decided to make a quick run to Target. He thought I'd run the car enough to charge up the battery. Wrong. I ended up having to have my car jumped in the Target parking lot and again in the Costco parking lot (Costco sells batteries but does not replace them). I finally went across the street and had Sears replace my battery but it was literally an all day ordeal.

Tuesday and Wednesday school was cancelled due to the weather. And by weather, I mean extremely cold temps, not snow or ice. I must admit, I'm not the easiest person to live with right now and having the kids home and cooped up for the past couple of days has not been particularly fun for anyone. We've baked, done crafts, watched movies, played games, read, worked on projects, etc. but it has been a looooong week. The kids are back in school today after a 2 hour delay and I feel myself returning to a more stable place emotionally. It's all about being 9 months pregnant because I typically LOVE having all my kiddos home with me.

Since the first of the year I have been Turbo charged getting things done around here. I think it has been a combination of nesting and fear that I won't have time to get anything done EVER again (probably slightly irrational but it's definitely kept me motivated). I have deep cleaned and dejunked nearly every drawer, cupboard and closet in our home. Goodwill is definitely loving me this year!

I've gotten a few crafty projects done as well!

Hair accessories for all the girlies:

(Hair accessories for 3 girls = overwhelming!)

A bit of Valentine Decor (though I have a few more projects that I was dying to do but will have to wait until next year):

I made the ruffle balls the same way I made my ruffle wreath last year. Time consuming but oh so cute!



Recipe Reorganization.

The first year I was married my mom put together a recipe box FILLED with the recipes she made while I was growing up. She included recipes that have been in the family for several generations. It is one of my prized possessions and I have added to the collection over the years. But the recipe box was STUFFED full and was getting unmanageable. I cannot part with my mom's handwritten recipe cards so I decided to reorganize the way I store my recipes. I also find that I'm always printing new recipes to try off the internet and always had a stack of papers I didn't know what to do with. So I put together a binder that now stores all of my favorite recipes with 3x5 page protectors and then I can 3 hole punch anything I print off the internet.

Project 365 Book:

Waiting VERY impatiently for it to arrive any day now. This remains my proudest accomplishment from last year and I'm more determined than ever to keep my blog and book up to date this year so I'm not scrambling putting it together at the end of this year. I've already downloaded all my pictures and journaling into my 2011 book. Hooray!