2009 has come to an end.....

Well, here we are at the end of 2009. It's been an interesting year! The birth of my third son, the death of my best friend from childhood, family pictures, camping in our new (to us) trailer, Shane totalling another car (heehee) and the ups and downs of a job I adore. It's been a strange year, but I think it's definitely been more good than bad....

I think I'm afraid of what 2010 will bring; certainly no babies for me! But I know it's going to bring death and sadness. Oh, I'm sure there will be happiness too, it's just that right now I only know of the sadness that's coming.

But I do have three wonderful boys, Jax will start 1st grade, Hayden preschool; Jake will turn one and learn to walk and run with the other kids. There'll be lots of trips to Nephi for birthdays and holidays, the Ute Stampede and camping at the 1/2 of 10. There will be parties at Grandma Adams' and Sunday dinners and family reunions.

I know there will be good times, but for today I think I'm sad to see 2009 go and afraid of what 2010 will bring me.

Friends, I wish you every happiness and few tears for 2010. Hold your loved ones tight and please, tell those you love that you love them! Happy New Year everybody :D

Happiness

It's a good day :D It's been a GREAT weekend! Today, Shane and I have been married for six years and we are so happy. Are there things about our life that suck? Sure, but we just do the best we can and take everything a day at a time. It seems like things have been really stressful and really icky for a while, but this weekend was just perfect! Shane's parents took the boys overnight last night so that we could go to the Jazz game. The game was GREAT and it was so nice to not have to race home afterwards! We got to sleep in this morning and then went grocery shopping before we picked up the boys and it was so fun! I made enchiladas for dinner and now we're just hanging out watching Real Salt Lake.

I just got word that one of my good friends got her miracle today and I guess that's really what made me think about my life and just how great things are! It'll be Thanksgiving in a few days and I'm so excited to go to Nephi and spend the day with some of my most favorite people.

I know it's pretty "Capraesque" but it's a pretty wonderful life right now!

Don't tell my husband.

Don't tell my husband, but last night I went on a date with someone else. Yes, I left Shane home, cooking dinner and taking care of the kids and I spent the evening with a younger man. He's so cute and really liked holding my hand as we walked. I had to drive, but I don't mind. I had to pay too......



But he was so sweet! He shared his cotton candy with me (which I bought) and at the end of our date he told me he loved me!





I'm so in love with him......wanna see a picture??

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now who out there thought I would cheat on Shane???? You people are sick! :D

Yesterday was Jaxton's school carnival, so we had a date, just me and him. It was a pretty fun deal, lots of blowup slides and silly carnival games. Jax went home with a pocketful of silly toys and suckers. And of course, we couldn't leave without cotton candy!

Happy Assday, flooding urinals and perfataping...

Hello friends! I'm enjoying a lovely, rainy Sunday being so lazy! I've had a fun, busy weekend up until now and it's so nice to just hang around the house. Friday we made the mad dash to Hurricane for Shane's nephew Kyle's wedding. It was fun to see everybody and we took some pictures of all the grandkids together; well, except for Zach, Kyle's brother who is on a mission at the moment, but it was fun to see all of the kids together. They're all growing up so fast and now Kyle is married! It's amazing how time flies....
After the wedding we drove into Washington and saw Marci Jo and that was fun too :D Then we dashed over to Jack in the Box for a quick dinner and to let the kids change into their pjs for the long ride back to Nephi. Shane was outside getting stuff from the van and I sent Jax into the bathroom to change. After about a minute I can hear him screaming, "it's flooding, it's flooding!" at the top of his lungs! I run in there and sure enough, the urinal is spewing forth water and he's "trapped" on the other side of the water from the door. After I made him stop screaming and took him into the ladies restroom I asked him what he had done. He said, "nothing Mommy! I unbuttoned my pants and then the water started coming over the edge and I couldn't get out!" I laughed so hard....
We got to Nephi rather late Friday night and then spent Saturday helping in the "KFC" (Ken's Fun Center) that Gramps had built next to Mom and Dad's. We mudded, perfataped, cleaned up garbage, picked up nails and mostly just had a good time. It's kinda nice to help with it and know that everybody's had a part in building this place that we'll all be able to use.

Okay, so let me explain "Happy Assday." Hayden loves to sing the birthday song, but he can't really say birthday. He used to just sing "Happy to yoooooouuuuu," but now he's come up with some sort of "birthday" word, but it sounds for all the world like "assday." He sang it ALL the way to Hurricane and we laughed and laughed. And then when we hit Nephi and was hangin' out with the fam there, we got him to sing it again. Everyone was agreed, it's definitely "Happy Assday!" So that's the new joke.......so for everyone out there who needs a smile, "Happy Assday to yooooooouuuuuuu!"

Can't sleep.....

I can't sleep...so I'll blog a bit, I guess :D I was thinking today about life, specifically my life. Most people probably look at my life and go, "jeez, I'm glad I'm not her..." And some days I wihs things were different, but mostly I love my life.

I adore my husband. He's so wonderful and puts up with so much from me! We have such a great partnership and I just don't see how my life would work without him.

I have three absolutely darling boys that I fall a little more in love with every day. They are constantly amazing me, making me laugh, and showing me the simple joys of life.

I have two beautiful stepdaughters that continually teach me about living life, loving others and adapting to an ever-changing world.

Are there things I wish were different? Absolutely. Are there things I would change? Some, if I could, but mostly no. Everything that happens to us, everything said, done, thought, changed has made a difference in who we each are and who we are as a family. Is it tough to live my life? Some days....but some days it's the best life I could ask for. What I go through, put up with, figure out every day makes me a better, stronger person. And why would I ever want to change that?

Blessings for today...

1. Erica and the rest of the Tuesday night class. You guys ROCK!

2. My very, VERY supportive co-workers! Tracy, Jen, Chandra, Janet especially! Thanks for all your support and help!

3. Shane, thanks for the steak!

4. Oriental Trading Co., they have such cute scrappin' stuff for cheap!

5. My food tracker, because it's teaching me so much about myself!

Slacking

I know, I'm slacking on the blogging thing, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time. Things are going good though. All the kids are back in school now and so far, so good. We'll see how they are tomorrow night when they get home, but Shane's talked to both of the girls and they're both excited to be back to school. Jax is loving kindergarten, even though he can almost never tell me what he does all day at school! The little boys are doing great, growing and changing and getting smarter. And me, I'm just tired tonight. I have a lot in my head I'm trying to work out and so I'm a little melancholy tonight. But, tomorrow is another day and I'll be just fine....

Good night my friends!

Blessings for today...

What a rotten day!

1. Febreze, because even though my house should smell awful (at least in the bedrooms), it smells like apples and spice.

2. The washer and dryer, because they have been well-used already today.

3. Understanding co-workers (at least I hope they're understanding!) for letting me stay home and be a mom to sick boys.

4. Spongebob Squarepants...I hate that show, but the boys love it and if it takes their minds off being sick, so much the better.

5. My husband, who promises to remake all the beds tonight when he gets home :D


Sick kids are no fun, but there's always something to be grateful for! Have a good day everybody!

5 Blessings for today

I know, I know...I'm such a slacker at this! There really just hasn't been time, but I'll try to do better.....

1. Tracy, Ariel, Jen, Angie and the rest of the fun kids at work that keep me grounded and entertained. I love you guys more than you could ever know.

2. Photos...I love talking them, looking at them, organizing them and scrapbooking them.

3. Ice water from OR...keeps me going all day and I love the folks over there!

4. My mom, who keeps me up to date and entertained...

5. The memories...never doubt a memory's ability to lift you up during the day and put a smile on your face.

Have a good one, everybody....get outside and enjoy the weather before the heat returns!

Blessings for today

1. Chandra and Bill; I know it's kind of an every day thing, but oh well. Thanks guys for letting me leave for a while today to be a mom :D

2. Scrapbooking magazines! I love getting new ideas every month :D

3. Mrs. Coulliette; I'm so excited that you are Jax's teacher and I know it's going to be a great school year!

4. My digital camera; I love taking photos (maybe a little too much sometimes!) and sharing them!

5. The A/C; I love sitting on my couch, right in the line of fire, letting it cool me right off :D

Good night everybody; God bless you all, I love ya!

5 blessings for today

1. Jen, who went and got lunch AGAIN today! She is a rockstar.

2. Gummi worms, they have kept me a little bit happier today.

3. Excedrin migrain; COULD NOT have transcribed today without the double dose I took this morning before work.

4. A night off; nowhere to go, nothing to do but be home with my hubby and all the kids. It's been awhile since we've just been HOME.

5. Amber, Ariel, Chandra, Jen and Kristy; thanks for listening to me vent and making me realize there's not a thing wrong with me :D I love you guys!

Have a good weekend, everybody! And remember, it takes two seconds to put someone down, but it's worth the two minutes to build someone up!

Blessings for today

1. My mom and sisters. Thanks for a fabulous girls night! Can't wait to do it again :D I love you guys!

2. My boys. You are such good kids! I love you so much!

3. Excellent medical care. I know, I work for the company, but Intermountain Healthcare is AMAZING, especially IMC and Primary Children's. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking good care of our Kati.

4. Chandra and Bill. You guys aren't just co-workers, you are friends and I appreciate you both so much!

5. Scrapbooks stores. My own guilty pleasure! I went to JoAnn's last night and they were having a great sale (50% off!!!) on DCWV scrap pads (my fav). I bought 3 and I'm completely unapologetic!

Have a good day my friends. I love you!

TEN things for this weekend

I know, I know; I tried to start a new thing and I've totally slacked since Tuesday. So, to make up for it, we'll do 10 blessings for this weekend. We camped, we vegged, we enjoyed. :D

1. The 1/2 of Ten. Thank goodness Gramps was smart enough 28 ( yes 28!) years ago to invest in 5 acres in Holiday Oaks. It's been the best playplace we've ever had.

2. Grams and Gramps, without whom the 1/2 of Ten would be pointless; indeed, without whom I would not be, along with 14 other fabulous people I know.

3. Green bags; I know, I'm turning into a geeky environmentalist, but these bags are GREAT! I use them for everything!

4. My sweet husband, he puts up with so much and just keeps coming back for more! I love you sweetheart!

5. Aunt Niesa; thanks for bringing over my I spy quilt! It turned out fantastic and the kids played with it all weekend long!

6. Dominoes; again cheap entertainment for the masses!

7. My camera; I am a HUGE believer in capturing memories, no matter how strange! Can't wait to see how all my feet pictures turn out after I'm done tweaking them.

8. A DVD player in the van; smartest thing we ever bought! Makes those "long" trips to Nephi bearable!

9. Jake's portable swing; could not have camped without it!

10. My sweet house; it was so great to pull in the driveway and know that we were home :D

Good night my good friends; God bless you all!

A new old thing

Hello friends! Today I felt ambitious and did something I've wanted to do for a while now. I decided it was time to delete my MySpace account. Does this make me a grown-up? Anyways...I never use it, I don't like it, I'm totally addicted to Facebook and I like blogging here better! But, being not quite as tech-tricky-savvy as I'd like to be, I couldn't figure out how to import the MySpace blog into here! Is there a way? Anyway, doesn't matter as I just printed it off and then deleted my account. I read through it and remembered something that I used to do that I'm gonna start doing again. I used to blog about 5 blessings or things I was grateful for about every day or every other day. There were gaps, of course, but reading those old "Blessing Blogs" reminded me that there are lots of little things in my life I'm grateful for every day. And it's not always the big stuff! Sometimes it as simple as comfy shoes, a yummy Slurpee or a great joke. I don't always have the time or inclination to BLOG every day, but I usually have 5 or 10 minutes to jot a quick note. Sooooooo, that's my goal. I'll still blog when I can and want to, but I'm going to try to post a "Blessing Blog" every day.

So for today, I'm grateful for:

1. Amy--who brought me a yummy Slurpee for no reason! It made my whole afternoon.

2. My job-I can never say this too often, but I work with some of the best, nicest, coolest people on this planet and I LOVE MY JOB.

3. Corn on the cob--it's just not summertime without it!

4. T-ball--the best, cheapest entertainment you can ask for.

5. Facebook--I know, some of you are thinking, "blessing? really?" but I adore Facebook. I've been able to reconnect with old friends, keep up with friends and family and turn acquaintances into friends. Never underestimate the positive power of friendship--no matter how far away you are from a friend, being connected through any means can only make things better :D

Good night my friends, sleep well, be safe.

Jake's Blessing Day!

Okay, I know I'm horribly biased, but how cute is that face?!?! We had Jake's blessing today and he was so good all day! He knew it was all about him and he is a little attention hog! All those grandmas and aunts fawning over him?? Forget it! He's 3 months old and already knows how to work the ladies! After church, everybody came over to the house and we had yummy waffles (thanks Mom and Nichole!) and yummy fruit (thanks Grandma Karen!) and ham (thanks Grandma Phyllis!) and everyone got to visit and watch the kids run around and it was so wonderful! My Grandma Ann (Dad's mom) had never been to my house before and so it was nice to show her around and then her, Dad and Marci took the "Memory Lane" tour over past their old houses in Kearns and the little league field where my Dad spent almost all his free time as a young lad. But the most random thing happened in Sacrament! Today our ward was doing a program of music and stories to celebrate our pioneer heritage (which was absolutely wondeful!). They had gathered pioneer stories from people in the ward to share, which I thought was awesome. The very last story told was shared by our friend Brother Steve Bingham and after the meeting ended, Gram asked me to point him out, so I did and she shocked me to my shoes by saying that the story was about one of our relatives! She has a copy of it in her personal history books and Brother Bingham is actually my relative! How and where and why I'm not sure just yet, but how's that for random? But I'm so glad that we chose to bless Jake today so that Grandma Ann was with us, otherwise, I would never have known about this connection in my ward. Isn't it amazing how things work?

It was such a wonderful day! I wish my brother and his fam could've made it, but beyond that, the day was almost perfect! And so ends another busy weekend and begins another busy week.

Have fun and be safe out there my friends! Love to you all!

Let the summer madness begin....

Hello friends! It's Sunday night; July 5th, and I am enjoying the last piece of my 4th of July divinity from the "Country Store." It's been a very eventful week and it's only the beginning.

First, I went back to work on Monday. I was so worried! I knew I would be okay once I got there, but after being away for 9 weeks, it was strange to think about going back. I worried about leaving the baby boys at daycare, especially Hayden. He's already a mommy's boy and being home with my every day for 9 weeks wasn't going to help that! But he did great and now he loves daycare. Jake doesn't really notice a difference, but the ladies at daycare just love him! He's the youngest and they all love to cuddle him and rock him. But the boys did great and once I got to work, I knew it was the right place for me to be. I LOVE MY JOB! It's so wonderful to be back in the land of the grown-ups! I missed everybody so much and I missed working. Things have changed some, but it's going to get better and better. It'll be a busy week at work, but I'm excited for it.

This weekend marked the beginning of what I'll affectionately call "the madness." We went to the carnival in Nephi for 4th of July and it was so fun! Even though it rained and they cancelled the fireworks, we still had a great time hangin' with the Nephi bunch. We got there and my mom asked if Jax could stay with her this week. And I thought, "what a BRILLIANT idea!" Ute Stampede is coming this week and we'll be there Friday night, so it seemed very logical. I think we'll make this a yearly tradition....as long as Grandma and Grandpa are okay with it! Jax LOVES to stay at Grandma's! And then as the boys get older, they can stay too! But after Stampede, we're blessing Jake on July 19th, the next weekend is Pioneer Day and Hayden's birthday. Not sure yet what we're going to do, but I'd like to go camping. I think that might be the only weekend we have to camp. The next weekend is Shane's family reunion, which is August 1st, then the Memphis RedBirds are here to play the Bees and we have tickets for at least one of the games, then it's my work party at Boondocks, Saturday is Salem City days, Saturday night is the Demolition Derby for the Juab county fair and I think that's the end! How crazy is that? Every weekend there's something!

At least I work during the week so that I can rest up........JUST KIDDING BILL!

Good night friends, love to you all!

Kaitlyn Update

An update on Kaitlyn for everyone.

Two weeks ago, Shane took Kati to her monthly visit in Maryland for the drug study she is a part of. She had many tests done and at the end of that first day, the doctors and case workers met with Shane and Kaitlyn to give them the bad news. Since joining the study in February, Kati has had a 40% overall growth of the cancer in her lungs and in her brain. The doctors in charge of the study determined it best to remove Kati from the study given her lack of progress and the fact that we live so far from the hospital back there. They will continue to track her case from the oncologists at Primary Children's, but she won't have to go to Maryland any more.

Kati was understandably upset (we all were) but we all realize that this will be for the best. The day after Kati came home from Maryland she went to an overnight drill team retreat in Midway. I picked her up after the retreat and she said she really didn't feel good. Her coach told me that she hardly slept the night before and she had coughed most of the night. When I got her home, she talked to her mom and had her mom take her to the doctor...where she was diagnosed with H1N1 flu (swine flu). She had to immediatlely be quarantined at her mom's and we had to make a flurry of calls. For a few days she was really very sick and both Shane and I were terrified. Finally, the fevers stopped and she started to feel better around Friday. She came home to our house last night and spent the day with us today.

She feels a lot better (flu-wise) but she's still having a really hard time with her cough. The week before she went to Maryland, the oncologists found a mass in her right lung about the size of a golf ball that is pushing against the lung wall and causes her a lot of pain. That coupled with a bout of swine flu has taken its toll on her, physically and emotionally. She's tired a lot and sleeps a lot when she can. The position of this newest mass makes it difficult to lay down and her cough keeps her awake a lot.

Today she was in good spirits. We had a talk today about taking things slow for a while and she understands that it's going to take a while before she can get back to normal. She's not always patient, but she's willing to try. We took the kids to the park and took pictures just for fun and then went to Shane's parents' for dinner. His brother Kevan was here and he and Shane gave Kati a blessing, which was great. Kaitlyn felt a lot better afterward and then we loaded up and took the girls back to their mom's.

It's been a scary couple of weeks, but things are getting a lot better. Just, keep her in your prayers, won't you? We know that we're going to lose her, and that it will probably happen sooner rather than later, we just want her last days, months to be peaceful and happy.

Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, offers of help and the hugs and comforting words.

I love you all.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the fathers in my life.

Shane, I love you with all my heart and am so grateful for every day we have together. You are a good man and a good father and I'm so glad we have each other.

Dad, I love you and I'm so glad I got to see you this weekend! You are my hero and I love watching you with your grandkids. No one could be a better "Poppa" than you!

Bob, I love you and thank you for giving me your son. You are a good man, thank you for letting me into your family.

Ryan and Chad, you are great dads and I love seeing you both with your children and my own.

Grandpa, I love you always. You are the best man I know and I wouldn't be the person I am today without your influence, love and support.

To the other fathers I know, never take this task of fatherhood lightly. You are responsible for raising the next generation and they need their dads. Love them, play with them, teach them.

A quickie...

Hello friends! I know it's been a bit since I've blogged, there's just too much happening right now.....

The boys are good! Jax and Hayden are taking swim lessons and loving it. Hayden's always a little hesitant at first, but by the end he doesn't want to get out! Jax is a little fishy already and becoming really comfortable in the water. Jake is growing and growing! He smiled his first REAL smile! It was for Grandma Julie (of course) on Monday the 8th. I can't get him to smile quite as big yet, but I have gotten some little smiles. As soon as I get good pix I'll post them.

Shannon has been an absolute doll lately! She's been such a big help around the house and with helping to keep an eye on Jax and Hayden. She's been great and it's been so great to have her here this weekend.

With Kaitlyn, there's just too much to go into.....She's sick and getting sicker and there's a lot going on with her right now...keep her in your prayers, won't you?

Anyways, I'll try to blog more frequently and I'll let you all know what happens with Kati.
Love you all.....

Slight mental breakdown....

Hello my friends! So, today was an okay day until about 3:30pm and then there was a slight mental breakdown. It's mostly my fault, but that didn't stop me from calling my husband and yelling at him.

Let me preface by saying, I love my husband, I love my children, but I just don't think I'm cut out to be a stay-at-home mom. It's been wonderful to be home, but I can definitely tell that I am ready to go back to work. This has been my hardest maternity leave and I think there are a lot of factors; first, Hayden is still in diapers and running headlong into his "terrible twos." He's darling and so sweet, but if he's unhappy, he will let you know it. He always wants to do things himself, which generally involves a bigger mess and three times as long to complete a task than it would normally take; he definitely gets a little jealous of Jake and lately I have to watch really close because if I'm holding Jake to feed him or whatever and Hayden wants to sit with me, he will throw things (toys, cell phones, sippy cups) at Jake until I pick him up and hold him too. Jax is bigger, but wants a lot of attention too. He's also 5 going on 20 and thinks he can do whatever he wants, so sometimes we argue. Mostly he's a big help, but just like typical brothers they fight and just like a typical big brother, Jax LOVES to torment Hayden. Lastly, some of you may know, some of you may not but Kaitlyn is getting worse. She's on oxygen at night now and yesterday she had scans done and they've discovered a large mass pushing against the wall of her right lung which is very painful for her and makes it even harder for her to breathe. It's a lot going on and after being home all day, Shane gets home and it just seems like there's even more activity and noise and before I know it, it's midnight and I'm putting Jake down and we're going to bed and morning comes too fast and Shane leaves for work and I'm home by myself again. Luckily for me, Shane realizes that I need a break when he gets home so I usually have at least a half hour to myself that I can lock myself in our room or take a shower or go to the store or whatever. We talked about it a little more tonight and agreed that we need to do better about that so I'm going to find a class of some sort at Robert's to take once a week and then on Saturdays I'm going to take a swim class with Hayden for a few weeks.
Okay, long preface I know; longer than the story!

Story goes like this: Occasionally I'm naughty and leave my keys in the van. Usually just when I know I'm going to be back in the van shortly. Yesterday was one such a day, only I didn't leave again when I thought I would. So Shane ended up taking the van to run an errand last night and he took his keys. When he got home, he naturally locked the van......and by doing so locked my keys in.
I had decided today that after I picked Shannon up from school, I was going to go over to work and visit all my friends and introduce them to Baby Jake. I got all of us ready, put the baby in the carseat, made sure everybody had shoes on and shepherded them towards the door. With Baby in one hand, I started to look around for my keys......and they were no where to be found! Needless to say, I was manic, then realizing what had happened, I called Shane, yelled at him, made him call his mother to go pick up Shannon and then sat in the chair rocking Jake, quietly seething until Shane got home. By then, I had calmed down, we fixed dinner, talked and ate with the kids. Immediately following dinner I went to Lowes to have extra keys made!!

But the lesson learned (other than take your keys out of the car EVERY TIME) was, I am not SuperWoman, I am just a mom and occasionally I need a break and that's okay. The important part is to remember to take the breaks regularly so I don't have these slight mental breakdowns........

Goodnight my friends, and remember: no one is perfect, no one can do it all. Take care of yourself, because if you don't, how can you take care of anyone else??
Love you all!

Ramblings....

I know, still slacking on the blogging! I've been kinda busy and stuff! I took the boys (except Jake) to the zoo on Friday. We met my mom, Nichole, McKenna and Brodie, Marci, Austin and Jackson there and it was such a great time! Here are a couple of my fav pix from that day:


The giraffes are always my favorite and I couldn't resist snapping this shot.....

Me and the boys outside the entrance......

Our zoo crew! Well, except for me, but SOMEBODY'S gotta take the pictures!

It was a great day and I totally enjoyed it! I love the zoo and can't believe I don't take the kids up there more often....

Next project: sign Jax up for swim lessons and sign me and Hayden up for swim lessons.

My three sons

Feet big and small and I'll claim them all!

My three sons

Yup, still slacking on the blogging thing, but we'll give it a go today. It's kinda been a busy few days, at least since Saturday!

Saturday we had t-ball in the morning, took the boys for pictures in the afternoon and recovered that night. Sunday was Mother's Day and we went to Shane's mom's, then headed for Nephi so we could BBQ with the fam at Aunt Lori's and then hang out at Grandma Phyllis's for the rest of the afternoon. Monday after I took Jax to preschool I had to run to Provo to drop some stuff off at my doctor's office and then we went to Nephi to see my mom, since I hadn't seen her since she'd been home from her cruise. And then yesterday was Jax's kindergarten orientation and I had to go to the grocery store.

So today I'm just trying to catch up on everything! The laundry is overtaking my bedroom, I need to get Jake's birth announcements mailed and I need to organize some scrapbooking stuff for Jake. We've had a couple of all nighters this week. For some reason, Hayden's been eating stuff that doesn't agree with him and it most often doesn't agree with him at about the same time that Jake is up and wanting to eat. Luckily Jax sleeps like the DEAD so we don't have to contend with him and we can tag team the other two.

All in all, life is good; busy but good and strange. I love being home, but I miss work, but I want to be with my kids, but I crave the adult interaction I have at TOSH, but I want to volunteer for kindergarten, but I want to be back in the office with Bill and Chandra and the rest of the gang. Pretty topsy turvy, right? I guess for right now, I'll just take things a day at a time and we'll see what happens next.

Luvs to everyone!

Randomness on a Thursday night

Okay, so I've kinda slacked on the blogging for the last week! I've really been enjoying my maternity leave! But this is what's weird about it; generally speaking, isn't maternity leave for first, recovering and then bonding with your newborn until it's time to go back to work? I am bonding with Jakers, but really I'm bonding a lot more with Jax and Hayden. Hayden even more so than Jax! I was afraid I would be a crazy person trying to take care of all three of them, but I'm not that crazy! Sure, it gets kinda wild sometimes; like when Hayden is climbing on the kitchen counter trying to find fruit snacks and Jaxton is trying to sneak out the front door to go next door to Corbin's and Jake is crying for his bottle. But mostly we're having a great time!

Jax is playing t-ball again this spring and loving it!

His t-ball games are a scream! He has a really good coach who is incredibly patient with all the kids and they just have a lot of fun! Jax is always really eager and excited to play and every day he asks if it's a t-ball day.

My next plan is to enroll me and Hayden in Kearns Rec's Parent and Child swim class. Jax is already a little fishie in the water and I'll probably put him in swim lessons later on this summer, but Hayden doesn't quite know how to handle the water yet. I figure it's about time he got into fishie mode!

I have another goal for this summer, too. It occurred to me earlier this week while I was at a funeral. I know, weird, but that's how it happened. I don't care how often I have to go to Nephi or how long it takes, but by the end of the year I hope to have life histories done for my grandparents. I know it's morbid, but sometimes you've just got to plan ahead. And if any of you out there have pointers about the best way to go about this, I'm all ears!

Wish me luck :D

How many people does it take to feed a newborn?

Evidently at our house it takes one mommy and two big brothers....

Mostly it's okay, but sometimes the boys fight over who's "turn" it is. And then things get a little wild and Mom has to break it up and take a "turn" all by herself so that Jakers gets fed! Jax is pretty good at it; he knows how to hold the bottle steady and he always asks, "Does he need a burp yet Mom?" Hayden mostly likes to help because Jax is helping, but he gets distracted pretty easily and then the bottle falls out. Hayden does better when Jax isn't around to fight over it with.

So far, both boys are adjusting fairly well to having Jake at home. I wasn't really worried about Jaxton adjusting; with him I was more worried about him being "overly helpful" and trying to pick Jake up by himself or change him, but so far he's been really good. I was really worried that Hayden would have a hard time not being the baby any more. I'm sure there's going to be bumps in the road, but so far, Hayden is pretty good. As previously documented, he likes to help feed Jake and he likes to give him his binkie and he'll run to get a diaper or a blanket, which of course he fights with Jaxton over! He even does pretty good with being "soft" with baby. He likes to come over and give Jake a kiss on the head and the he gets so excited and he'll point and say to whoever is around "Baby!"

So, second "normal" day at home things are going okay. I feel pretty good; sometimes too good! I start in on doing laundry or cleaning stuff up and then realize I'm hurting. Last night I went for a walk (just down the street a couple blocks) and I got so frustrated that I was winded and hurting. Shane had to remind me that although I'm not pregnant any more, I did have surgery less than a week ago! And I can't overdo because then I'll really be down and unable to function. So, we agreed that I will do what I can, but when I get tired or start to feel sore, I stop and rest. Laundry will get done, the house will get cleaned, the little "projects" I want to get done while I'm home will get done, but it doesn't all need to be done this instant. It's more important that I'm okay and the boys are all taken care of!

All in all, things are good, even the waking up at 2 or 4 in the morning to feed and rock my sweet son.

Love you all!

Jake's first night at home

It's so wonderful to be home! Jake did so good last night! He went to bed at around midnight and slept until 4am! A quick bottle and diaper change and he went right back to sleep until 8:30. Right now he's snoozing on his blankie just as content as can be.

So far Hayden's been okay with having a new baby in the house. He likes to come right up to the baby and say "Hi baby" and he wants to help with everything. He likes to get diapers and wipes and Jake's binkie. He's very eager! Jax is coming home later today, so we'll see how that changes the dynamic, but for right now, it's nice to be home!

I feel pretty good today; not too much pain and I'm not very tired either. Thankfully, Jakers let me sleep pretty well last night! Tomorrow will be the real challenge when Shane goes to work, but I think we're going to be just fine :D

Talk to you all then!

Baby Jake at 1 day old

Here we are, second night in the hospital and both Mommy and baby are feeling great! Today brought lots of visitors which was fun! The Grandmas brought the boys over tonight for a visit and it was so good to see them! I know that sometimes they drive me nuts, but I was really missing my boys today!

Baby Jake is amazing! He's eating really well and hasn't been really fussy at all. We're still trying to decide who he looks like, but it's hard to say. He's built a lot like Jax, but he pulls a lot of Hayden faces! Guess we'll just have to wait and see....
Anyways, here's some new pictures of him from today; you guys tell me, who does he look like?

Love you all!

Pictures of Jacob

Baby is here!

Good morning my friends! It's almost been half a day for me at this point! Baby boy made his debut at 7:46am today, weighing 9 lbs 8 oz and measuring 19.5 inches. Both mother and baby are doing VERY well! Right now Daddy is in the nursery giving him his first bath and I'm just settled into my bed; comfy, content, a little sleepy, but already in love with my newest son. After a little back and forth chattering and spending a few minutes alone with my son, we've decided to name him Jacob David Adams. Jacob after Shane's grandfather, David after my great-grandfather. It really seems to fit him and we're already calling him Baby Jake.

I promise to post pictures later on today :D But for now, know that all is well and good! Love you all!

Build A Bear

We did this before when I was pregnant with Hayden, and it was so fun that we had to do it again! We took the boys to Build A Bear so that they could pick out a teddy bear for their new baby brother! I admit, Jax was much more into it than Hayden, but he had a good time too, as you can see from the pictures!

Jaxton pushing the foot pedal to stuff Baby's bear

Checking to make sure he's stuffed just the right amount!

Hug test from Hayden...teddy bear passed!

Afterward, Jax insisted that teddy bear needed a bath before we got his clothes on him and Hayden agreed!

We got him all stuffed and clean and Jax decided that teddy bear needed to have "doctor clothes" just like the ones that they have to wear to the hospital. A fun night and now we're down to just one more night! I can hardly believe it, but at the same time, I feel like we've been waiting for April 22nd FOREVER! Anyways, keep checkin on us on Wednesday! We're scheduled for 7am and have to be to the hospital at 5:30am Wednesday morning, for goodness sakes! Won't it be fun to get four kids up at that hour for the drive???

Good night kids, love you all!

It's really spring!

Hello my friends! Here it is, Sunday and it's been a gorgeous spring weekend. Yesterday was a busy day, but fun (mostly). Shane's aunt took a bad fall this week and she's in the hospital. We went to visit her and took the kids. She's okay, but it's going to take a lot of time for her to be back to normal. So, we're sending good thoughts to her.

Before we went to the hospital it was Jax's first t-ball game! Now, I LOVE t-ball; it's a riot and the kids are just so cute! Jax's team is the Zebras (how funny is that! The kids picked the name) and they have the bright slime green shirts, as Jaxton calls them. They play on the fields behind the Olympic Oval out in Kearns.

It was about what you could expect for t-ball; all the kids run to wherever the ball is, nobody remembers to run to first base after they hit; sometimes the kid hitting the ball would then chase the ball into the outfield. It was a scream! The weather wasn't too bad, a little windy, a little crisp, but nice.

Jax loves t-ball, he gets right out there, hits the ball, he chases the ball. It's so fun to see!

It was pretty interesting to sit there at the ballpark. It hit me when a plane flew over head on its way to SL International that I've spent a lot of Saturdays, in Salt Lake, at a ballpark, with the planes flying overhead. Sometimes it was blistering hot, sometimes it was very cold, but it was always fun! It just seemed to me an odd sort of symmtery that as child I watched my dad at the ballpark and now I'm 31 years old and I'm still at the ballpark on a Saturday with planes flying low overhead and now I'm watching my son play ball. Ever since we've moved here, both Dad and I have been struck with the fact that he spent the first part of his life within blocks of where I'm raising my family now. Sometimes it's a strange old life.
Anyhow, that's what we did yesterday. Obviously, there's no baby news and at this point I don't expect anything to happen until Wednesday, right on schedule! So, my blogger friends, make sure you check in with us Wednesday morning! I promise to update and post pictures as soon as I can. Until then, enjoy this gorgeous weather and get outside! Love you all!

Another uncomfortable night

Hello friends! Yes, here I am. NO, I'm not in the hospital, no baby yet! Unfortunately, I really, really think that I'm going to make it all the way until next Wednesday, April 22nd. It's not so bad, usually. Tonight I've been really uncomfortable and I was really tired today. Baby Boy is moving a lot and he's running out of room! It kinda feels like he's head-butting just under my right rib cage. Oh well, it can't last forever! By this time NEXT Wednesday we'll be at the hospital, hopefully sleeping, baby safe in the nursery and Mommy tucked into bed and MUCH more comfy.
It has been nice being off work, though. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my job and I miss being there with all my good friends (and I'm not just saying that because you guys read this blog!) and I miss taking care of people. But I didn't realize how much I needed this time just to be. I can sleep in (somewhat), I can putter around the house when I need to and just make sure everything's ready to bring baby home.
Yesterday was kind of a runaround day; me and Hayden went to Nephi and had lunch at Gramma Phyllis's, went to the doctor (why, I don't know, she tells me the same things every time I see her) and I was so tired when we got home. It was fun to only have Hayden with me. Hayden was so cute with Gramma Julie and the rest of the family. Today it was nice to not really have a lot to do; just putter. Boy, it's seemed like a long week though. I know it's dragging on because I'm just waiting for next Wednesday, but I can't help it!
Anywho, you guys all know I'll keep you posted :D

Monday night musings...

Hello friends! Here I am, first day off work and I have to admit, it was WONDERFUL! I'm sorry, all my work friends; I do miss you fiercely, but it was so nice to sleep in this morning, have a nap this afternoon and just putter around the house in between!

I think sometime over the weekend Baby Boy has shifted his position. I noticed it Sunday morning when I got up, that he didn't seem as high as before. I've certainly been a little more comfortable the last couple days. And I've had to pee more! Maybe he has dropped! I thought about that yesterday, so today I did lots of last minute things so that JUST in case I do happen to go into labor, I'm ready. The only thing I haven't done is pack overnight bags for the boys; but that's on my list of chores for tomorrow!

Tomorrow I go see my doctor, too. For the last time! If I don't go into labor before, at least at this point I only have 9 days left! I don't know if it's being off work or the baby shifting position or a combination of both, but I really feel a lot better today than I've felt in many days.

Now I'm just relaxin', watchin' the Jazz on the TiVo, and playing on my laptop. It's been a good day and it was a good weekend :D Easter egg hunting in Nephi, a BBQ on the patio and watching the final round of the Masters on TV. Now if only the Jazz can pull off a victory......

Nick Adenhart

I am sad today. Yesterday morning, Nick Adenhart, pitcher for the Angels and formerly of the Salt Lake Bees, died in surgery after being in a car accident Wednesday night involving a drunk driver. Full story here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aral13PErg1V0tyxXs0sT2Spu7YF?slug=ap-angels-pitcherkilled&prov=ap&type=lgns

Nick was a nice guy. Last year he was one of 6 Bees players who participated in "Day out with the Bees" for the Knothole Club. He was right there with the kids, talking to them and helping them throw the ball.

He had a lot of potential and a lot of life left to live; instead, a man driving with a suspended license due to a PREVIOUS DUI conviction chose to drive drunk again and killed three young people in the prime of their lives. Such a waste....

Good-bye Nick. Thank you for the memories. You will be missed....

Blogging on a Friday

Well, here it is, 11pm on a Friday night and I'm home........in my pajamas...........blogging. It's hard not to feel really old! Mostly I think I'm just really tired, but I remember what it was like when 11pm on a Friday night was primetime. Things were just getting exciting at 11pm on a Friday! And now, 11pm on a Friday is the end of the day, end of the work week.

Anyways, enough wallowing. Not much is going on; baby is still growing and growing, but staying put. I go to the doctor again on Tuesday and we'll see what's happening, but I'm betting on nothing. I'm ready for the little peanut to arrive, but I know he'll get here when he's ready. For now, he's just content with stretching and kicking and getting the hiccups and making Mommy uncomfortable!

It's going to be a busy weekend, I think. I have a few things to do tomorrow and I want to start on my newest scrapbook project! My friend Deb at work showed me the cutest thing that her mom made for her little boy. It's an ABC book made with pictures of him and their family and it was so adorable that now I want to make one for my boys. I need to get birthday presents wrapped and then Sunday we're going to Nephi for Gram and Gramps' birthday.

Anywho, now it's 11:30 and I think I'm going to bed. I'm really tired! Good night friends :D

Latest baby updates

Hello my friends! Well, here we are on a Tuesday. Saw my doctor yesterday and so far all is well. She assures me that baby is going to be LARGE, but that everything looks good. We're already scheduled for a c-section on April 22nd and everything is completely normal. Blood pressure is good, fluid levels are good, no swelling, nothing else exciting going on. My doc thinks that I'll probably going into labor on my own.....yeah, that'll happen! I laughed with (at) her and reminded her that my body doesn't know how to do that.

But, whenever Baby Boy is ready to arrive we are ready for him. The carpets have been cleaned, the baby clothes washed and put away. I have diapers and wipes and formula and pacifiers. The cradle is set up and ready and last night I packed my hospital bag. Today I requested my leave of abscence packet from HR. The only thing I have left on my to do list is to take the van to SuperSonic and have it cleaned out and shampooed.

After my insane episode of "nesting" this weekend I am feeling much calmer and more ready. The funny part is I'm at that stage where it's hard to imagine that soon there will be this whole new person. I was in the scrapbooking room yesterday looking at the boys' books from when they were born, it I had the hardest time imagining that part with this baby! Right now, that's the unreal part for me; the being in the hospital holding a tiny (okay, small) newborn, counting fingers and toes, watching him sleep, deciding who he looks like.....

But, that's just about all that's left at this stage! It'll be here sooner than I think and today, I'm okay with that. That's not to say I won't be panicking tomorrow, but for today, all is well!

Have a lovely day, my friends :D

Blogging on a Saturday night

Hello my friends. Here we are on a Saturday night. After a very, VERY long day of "nesting" activities, Shane and I are rewarding ourselves by laying in our most comfy spots (He's stretched out on the couch, I'm kicked back in the recliner with my feet up) and watching the Jazz play Phoenix. We recorded the game (I hate commercials) so we just watch, fast forward when necessary, rewind, or pause as needed.

We worked so hard today! Okay, so Shane worked harder than me, but we got a lot done and still have a lot to do tomorrow. I don't remember being this CONSUMED with nesting with my last two pregnancies. I don't know if that's because both times I knew we were moving soon after, or if it's because I have my own house now.

I woke up about 8am this morning, and being so efficient last night, already had my grocery list made out. After breakfast I went to the store while my sweet man stayed home, fed the boys and scrubbed the kitchen. Once we got groceries put away it was time to start on bedrooms. I was going to go crazy with clorox wipes and furniture polish, scrubbing down the cradle, baby's dresser and the furniture in my room and Shane was going to "help" the boys clean out the toys, shoes and other junk in the bottom of their closet. Got done with that and, I admit, I needed a little nappy. So we took a break and had lunch and I slept for a bit while Shane watched some NCAA games. After break time, we got back to work downstairs in the office/scrapbook room.

Now, most of you know how much I love to scrapbook and I have a room all set up downstairs for this purpose. It's been a while since I've done any "serious" scrapbooking and I've been mostly sick and uncomfortable for the last 8 months, so I haven't really used the office in awhile. Now, my plan (har, har) is that I should be able to start doing some scrappin' when I am no longer pregnant and uncomfortable, but I went down to the office the other day to put some new scrapbook stuff away and I could NOT believe the mess! Now, I partly blame myself, because I had essentially abandoned the place and really, the only person who uses the office is Kaitlyn. Shane goes down for a bit every day to check email and pay bills, but Kati is in there a lot doing homework and using the computer; and evidently, all my scrapper supplies for whatever! Things had gotten way out of control and so today, Shane and I went down to clean it out.

At this point, we're about halfway done; there was just so much to go through, and because of all this "nesting" I wanted to shampoo the carpet in there and we needed to go through the filing cabinets and there was just no way to finish it all today. We have to finish that tomorrow and then get the upstairs ready for carpet cleaners to come on Monday morning. After this weekend, some big things on my "before baby comes" list will be done. Next weekend we've got to get all the other baby gear out of the storage shed to be scrubbed down and put away. So fun and exciting! I suppose it's a good thing I've still got some days left before this baby is scheduled to arrive :D

Good night friends, I hope you are enjoying your weekend :D

Randomness on a Thursday

So, it's Thursday and I'm at work. My doc is out of the country for a few more days and I'm kinda just sitting here waiting for the phone to ring. So, I thought I'd ramble a bit about what's been happening lately.

Last Saturday we had the greatest day! It was the TOSH Open House and we had a special guest. Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz was here signing autographs for about an hour. Shane brought the boys over and we had him sign a jersey for them and we got to take their pictures. At first Jax wanted nothing to do it. When it was his turn, he ran away and wouldn't have his picture taken! So Hayden got his taken:

And as you can see, Hayden wasn't nearly as excited as his mom and dad were, but he still had it done.

We finally coaxed Jax back in line and he did agree to have his picture taken, but only if he could have a snack afterwards:

Of course, NOW all he talks about is meeting Paul Millsap and that Paul is his favorite and when we watch the Jazz on TV, Jax is right there, looking for his buddy Paul Millsap! It's pretty funny, but lots of great memories and something fun to scrapbook later :D

Yesterday I took both boys to the dentist--yippee. Good news is both have pretty healthy teeth. No weirdness, but Jax did have one "cavity bug" that has to be fixed. Needless to say, I'm waiting until AFTER the baby comes to take him in and I will be taking ONLY him that day. For his first time though, Jax was really, really good. He wasn't scared, he let them clean his teeth and do the exam and even x-rays! Hayden wanted nothing to do with it. He did get a little bit of an exam--by virtue of the fact that we laid him down and he started to cry--it was the only way we could get him to open his mouth! But, all looked good for him too! Later I had to take him to the pediatrician to have immunizations though. All in all, he had a pretty rough day! But now he's safely at Grandma's, probably making a Lego mess, and as content as can be.

Our day ended yesterday with Mommy taking the boys and meeting Daddy at the OB's. By then I was so tired and uncomfortable! My doctor says I'm doing well, but that baby is measuring really, really big. So, tomorrow we get to go have some tests done and an ultrasound to see just how big he is and make sure everything is okay :D I don't know if it'll make a difference, but at least we'll know what size clothes to get out (and what ones he's ALREADY outgrown!).

Anywho, that's the latest and greatest news at our house. What's new at your house?

Pregnancy whining

Hello my friends! I'm kinda whiny tonight :( Last night I watched that episode of "Friends" where Rachel is like 8 days over due and she's miserable and gets really mean and picks on Ross and her other friends.

I feel that way and I'm not even close to overdue! The last couple three days I've felt really cranky and the tiniest, weirdest things get on my nerves! What is that all about??!!! Is it just the discomfort that is inevitable at this stage? Is it nervousness about bringing home a baby? I mean, I've done this before, I shouldn't be nervous, right? But I am bringing a third baby home to a crazy house! Jaxton is almost 5 and really into pushing his limits; Hayden is 21 months and a little spitfire and then the girls are here half the time and things get twice as crazy around here.

Now, I'm not complaining about the craziness, that's what a family is all about, but I feel less prepared to bring this baby home than I have my other two babies. And both times I've brought babies home, we've been getting ready to move! There's not a chance of that this time, but there's something going on in my head. Maybe it's just hormones.......

But, tomorrow is a new day, my last work day this week and then I have a busy weekend! It's Scrapbook Expo Friday and Saturday, so I'll be there with my friend Susan helping in her booth both Friday and Saturday. Then Saturday there is an Open House at TOSH that I'm going to help with from 8 to Noon (stop by and say hello if you're around!). And Sunday is just for recovery.

Hopefully my fun weekend will snap me out of my pregnancy crabbiness and then starting on Monday I can start on my list of things to do before Baby Boy gets here.

Take care everybody and be sensitive to pregnant ladies out there! They know not what they do sometimes!

Latest news and happenings

Hello my friends! It's been a bit since I've blogged, but things are crazy busy (as usual).

First, I must tell you all that I am blogging from my very own laptop! I found a refurbed Dell Latitude on eBay and managed to snag it for about $200. I did have to go buy a wireless router and wireless card, but with the help of my favorite tech guru--I love you Brandon!--and a thousand questions later, here I am! Of course, the reason I insisted on having a laptop is for when Baby Boy #3 arrives! I'm such a nut, I know, but I want to stay connected to all my friends and family in the hospital and while I'm on maternity leave from work. And yes, it is my intention to blog while I'm at the hospital and after Baby Boy is born. Hopefully, I can get pictures of him up for all my friends to see the day he's born!

Speaking of Baby, I most definitely have reached the uncomfortable stage! I feel HUGE compared to when I was pregnant with Hayden. I'm feeling a lot like I did when I was pregnant with Jaxton. Huge, uncomfy, waddly......insane heartburn..... I go to the doctor next week and we'll see what she has to say. I'm afraid it will be just the same as last week--it's okay, everything looks good, it's almost over, hang in there. I'll be okay, I just forget that the last 5 weeks takes almost as long as the first 7 months!

Anywho, Shane (bless his heart) is giving my little monsters a bath right now (it's really difficult for me to bend over the edge of the tub at the moment) so I can help them put on their jammies and tuck them in.

Love to all and Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Comfort is a myth at this point.....

Hello my friends. Here we are, another day at work. My work is done and now I'm just waiting for it to be 4:30pm so I can go home.

I'm afraid I've reached that stage of pregnancy where true comfort is a myth. I'm fairly certain now that Baby has had a growth spurt and is feeling cramped in his warm quarters. In particular he likes to kick (or headbutt) into my right rib cage, causing me to stop occasionally and catch my breath. At the end of the day, my lower back is a little sore and my ankles are generally swollen. But, I have also reached the stage of pregnancy when Baby gets the hiccups :D Which is one of my favorite parts. He had hiccups today for almost a half hour and it was really funny.

I've also reached that stage of pregnancy where I am panicking. After our little adventure at the hospital last week, I realized that I am absolutely not ready for this baby! I have NOTHING! I think I was lulled into complacency by the fact that I have millions of hand-me-down boy clothes-both from my boys and my nephews-but Baby needs some of his own things! I have not bought him ANY new clothes; I have bought NO diapers; I have NO BLANKET to bring him home from the hospital in! I'm such a slacker! Baby doesn't even have a dresser of his own-not that there's anything to put in it.... So, now I am looking at ads for dressers and keeping my eyes open for yard sales; if anyone has a dresser they need to part with (preferably tall with 4 or 5 drawers), talk to me, okay? I have to go to Nephi and get the cradle, get the car seat out and wash it, find the base, wash the swing, find the Boppy and wash it, etc., etc., etc.! Wow, there's so much to do and I only have 49 and a half days...

I'm so ready to not be pregnant, but I'm so NOT ready to have a baby in the house.....

Cricuts, pregnant lady paranoia and leaking ceilings

Hello friends! Today it is Friday and it's been an interesting week. Kinda makes me wonder about this old life of mine.....



Monday, I got the email from JoAnns.com that they were having a special sale on Cricuts. $99!!! Can you believe it? I was shocked and knew I had to have one, but then decided that we couldn't afford it, and I probably wouldn't use it enough to justify it and blah, blah, blah. Then, on my way home from work that night, I found a $50 bill! It fluttered in the breeze in front of my car and I stopped in the 7-11 parking lot and THERE IT WAS! I laughed hysterically, called my mom, who wisely told me that now a Cricut would only cost me $49 of my own money and there was no reason not to buy it. As usual, she was right. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the JoAnns store on Tuesday they were sold out :( So, I had to order my Cricut from the website, which was okay, since I had a free shipping coupon, but I still have to wait a few more days until it arrives! So, I had to use bank money instead of cash and now I have to deposit my cash find and my birthday money (since I spent it on my Cricut). But, it'll be fun when it gets here.



Wednesday, I had a mild but debilitating bout of pregnant lady paranoia. PLP is common, and usually results in hysterics, followed by many phone calls to Mom and the doctor's office, the occasional trip to the hospital and finally, embarassment as you realize it was mostly in your head. My PLP began early Wednesday morning. I woke feeling much different than usual. I honestly felt like I was wearing a corset! There was so much pressure in my stomach, my back and my pelvis. But I shouldered on and went to work, but as the day progressed, I realized baby boy was not moving nearly as much as usual. During clinic days when I'm working on the laptop he really kicks a lot because of the position I sit in, but he wasn't doing that at all. And, there were hours in between kicks. Finally, at around 3pm I called Mom for reassurance that I was being paranoid and to relax. Did she reassure me? Tell me to relax? NO. She told me I should call the doctor's office! So, I did, feeling ridiculous, and when the nurse called me back after consulting with my midwife, I was told to go to the hospital!! Okay, now I'm terrified! I left work, called Shane and went to Utah Valley. Of course, I felt Baby kick while I was driving, making me feel more ridiculous. We arrived and got checked in and nurse #1 comes in to hook up the fetal monitor. And she can't find Baby's heartbeat. She leaves the room to find a helper while I hyperventilate. Nurse #2 comes in and immediately finds Baby and gets us all hooked up. The relief was overwhelming once we heard that little heartbeat thumping away. They took some blood and various other bodily fluids and ran some labs and watched Baby on the monitor. After a while, I began to get very uncomfortable laying in the bed. So I would shift my position and as soon as I was comfortable, Baby would go off the monitor. Nurse would come in, adjust the monitor, pick him back up and leave. Then, I would get uncomfortable again, shift positions, become comfortable and Baby would go off the monitor. And so on and so on for about an hour and a half. Finally, labs came back, everything looked good, and they said I could go home. They pretty much attributed everything to Baby having a growth spurt and a quiet day and reassured me repeatedly that I did the right thing by calling and coming in. The pressure has mostly gone away; I still have a lot in my stomach, but not anywhere else, making it all the more likely that Baby did have a pretty good growth spurt. I still feel ridiculous about the whole thing though. I'm glad I went because you never really know what's going on and it's better to be checked and find nothing, then avoid it and have a problem. So ends my first bout of PLP. Let's hope there's no more of that, shall we?



Then, last night, the ceiling in the bathroom had a bit of a leak. You could tell that it had leaked that way before because the last patch job became very visible from the newest leak. Shane kinda wigged for a minute, but I then I realized what had happened to cause said leak. There are two water valves in our basement along the ceiling above the washer/dryer. One of these is for the swamp cooler upstairs that is, coincidentally right outside the bathroom. The other runs water to our refrigerator for the ice maker/water dispenser in the door. Last night, I tried to get water out of the dispenser, but it didn't work. So Shane dutifully went downstairs to turn the valve and make sure the water feed was working. I'm pretty sure he turned the wrong one, thereby turning the water on for our winterized swamp cooler and leading to a flood of water into the ceiling of the bathroom. It wasn't a huge flood, just enough to wet the edge of the carpet in the hallway, run across the ceiling, down to the vanities and onto the rugs. I chose not to worry about it, because, as previously stated, it was obvious this type of leak had happened before. No damage done, no harm, no foul, but I'm guessing my father-in-law will be over sometime this weekend to take a look at it with Shane. I'm just going to pretend it never happened and when they decide to look at it, I'm going to the store......after all, ignorance is BLISS.



Here's hoping that the weekend is quiet, next week is uneventful and my Cricut arrives with no damage due to shipping.



Take care everybody!!

Updates and more

Hello friends! I know it's been a while since I've blogged and I have no excuses.....I'm just busy! And then I decide I'm going to blog, but then forget and so on.....

Anyways, things here on the home front are good. Baby is growing and growing and is very healthy; so far it has been a healthy pregnancy, especially now that the constant morning sickness is OVER! We are all set and scheduled for a C-section on Wednesday April 22nd, unless our little bean decides to come early, but I don't see that happening :D I'm starting to get really excited about having a newborn around the house again and I'm looking forward to all those days of maternity leave and being home with the boys. BUT, I'm really going to miss work!

Isn't that crazy? I absolutely LOVE my job! Well, there are parts I don't like so well, but for the most part? I have such a good job! I work with awesome people and we have a good time and we really help people. I'm going to be sad to be gone for awhile, but I know I have to come back!
**Note: while I was typing this very blog, Dr. Bill came to my desk (which was a surprise, as I usually don't see him at all on Tuesdays) and we chatted for a minute and he asked me what I was doing and I of course replied that I was blogging. He laughed and said okay.....How can you NOT love a boss like that?!?

Shane is doing very, very well. I make no promises, but I'll try to get some new pictures of his handsome face posted soon either here or on FaceBook. He looks so much better than those scary day-after photos. There is some scarring, but it's barely noticeable at this point... I must say, too, I never pictured myself as a van mom, but I absolutely LOVE the van! I love to drive it, I love to ride in it, I love to see it in the parking lot at the end of my work day. I'm totally converted!

Kaitlyn is also doing good. She just got back last night from a week in Maryland where she is doing a drug study for a new cancer drug. So far, she really seems to be doing well with it; no bad side effects and she's actually told us that her lungs aren't bothering her as much as they used to. She goes back on March 15th with her dad, but they'll only be gone overnight. They fly in on Sunday and back home Monday night, so that will be good.

All in all, we're doing just fine! Lots going on, lots to get ready for, but we're just happy to be where we are and doing what we're doing :D

Love to you all!

Nightmare on Christmas Eve

So, as detailed in my last "word" post, I was looking forward to wrapping presents, being off for a few days for the holidays and most of all, SLEEPING IN! As I saw it, my only day to sleep in was on Christmas Eve morning, until my busy boys awoke. Well, as some of you know, my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day plans, for that matter were pretty much derailed very early Christmas Eve morning.

Shane had to work that morning from 6am to 2pm and then once he got home, we were going to load up the boys and head for Nephi for our traditional Christmas Eve at Grandma Phyllis's. Shane kissed me good-bye and left for work at about 5am. I sort of remember him leaving and them I promptly went right back to sleep. I was trying to milk my one sleep-in day for all it was worth!

Some time later, someone knocked on my door. And oddly enough, my first thought was, "I think that's the mailman. I'm not getting up. He should just leave the package on the porch." The knocking was persistent and so I cracked one eye open and looked at the clock. 5:30am. Odd, I don't think the postman comes this early.

I staggered out of bed and down the stairs to the door. Standing on my porch was a Taylorsville City police officer. He asked me if I was Amy and if he could come in. Too stunned to blink, let alone speak, I nodded and motioned up the stairs. He asked me if Shane was my husband. That immediately woke me up. I said yes and asked if he was okay. The officer was far ahead of me at that point, reassuring me that he was okay. He asked where Shane was going and if his "normal route" to work was east on Twilight Drive. Then he asked if Shane had a medical condition. My heart immediately sank as he told me the bad news.

Shortly after leaving for work, Shane had had a seizure and lost control of the car just east of 4000 West and had gone through a fence and hit a house.

He reassured me again that Shane was okay, that he was awake, he did have some injuries, but they seemed fairly minor and the paramedics wanted to get a confirmation that he did have a medical condition. They were taking him by ambulance to IMC. He asked if I was okay and if there were any children home. I told him yes, but that my in-laws didn't live far and I could call them to come over. The nice officer left and I started making calls. I woke up Shane's parents, woke up my parents as I tried to throw on some clothes and think of anything I would need to take to the hospital.

I left the house as quickly as I could, knowing that I would pass the scene of the accident on my way to the hospital. I wasn't sure what to expect, other than lots of flashing lights. It was a shock to see the scene and know that my husband had survived it:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5159121

I arrived at IMC and after a short wait, I was taken back to the trauma room where they had Shane. It was a little surreal being there. The doctors were there talking amongst themselves like they do. They let me come to the head of the bed and hold his hand and talk to him. At that moment, I think we were just so glad to see each other that not much else mattered. The trauma nurse gave me a bit of an update while I held Shane's hand. So far, all the x-rays had come back negative, the head CT scan was negative, they had pulled some glass out of his eye and were at that point, waiting for the eye/plastic surgeon to come in and take a look at him.

After a few hours in the ER, most of it spent watching the very talented Dr. Georgescu sew up Shane's forehead and left eyelid, they moved him upstairs to a room on the eleventh floor. Dr. Georgescu had placed a patch on Shane's left eye because he did have a scratch on his cornea and he wanted the sutures on the eyelid to be protected at leasted overnight.

Initially in the ER they assured us that they would probably just keep Shane in the hospital until that afternoon or evening and then let me take him home. After the nurses got him all settled into bed and everything they told us the bad news: because Shane had hit his head, he had to stay overnight in the hospital for observation. They would check on him in the morning and after Dr. Georgescu came in and removed his patch, they would let him go home.

Luckily, my in-laws had the boys and assured me that they were fine and to just come and get them when I could. I stayed with Shane most of the day and finally, around 7:30pm I knew I had to go get the boys and go home. After all, it was Christmas Eve and Jaxton was expecting Santa to come! Even though I knew I had to take care of my boys, it was so hard to leave my husband in that hospital bed and go home.

The next morning, the boys woke up and instead of opening presents right then, we got dressed I took the boys back to Grandma's. I had to go try to spring my husband! After about a two-hour wait, Dr. Georgescu arrived to give us the final go-ahead to leave. He would have been there much sooner, but he had been told the night before that we had gone home!! But he did arrive to "de-patch" Shane and give us some final instructions so we could get home.

Finally, we arrived at Shane's parents' to enjoy our Christmas. The girls had arrived from their mom's and we could finally all relax.

It was most definitely not my ideal Christmas, but, as I reminded Shane many times during those two days and several times after, we were so lucky. It could have been so much worse. Shane had only minor injuries, no one in the house was hurt. Cars and houses and fences can be fixed, but my life doesn't work without him. And as hard as it was to be without him, I knew he would be there when I came back to that hospital room. And even now, three weeks later we still remind each other that things could always be worse.