12 weeks, 12 weeks, 12 weeks...

We've made it to 12 weeks today!!! I just got back from my appointment. Things look good...strong heartbeat, good size, gaining weight (finally) thanks to fabulous dinner at the club (adult Christmas dinner with Grandma Shirley),a very delicious dinner Christmas Eve (Grandma Becky's round steak) and a scrumptious Christmas breakfast (Grandma Shriley's annual Christmas breakfast...yum!). I'll throw in "less stress" which probably helped too. ;)

I feel so blessed to have so many of our families close by. We had mounds of fun seeing everyone at Christmas time. Brian's family is huge on both his mom and dad's sides. We spent most of the Christmas week with all of them. I'm so impressed by the close relationships his cousins have and am so grateful to be a part of it. We spent Christmas night with my family. We had a blast playing games and enjoying one anothers company.

Good things come from Christmas goodies :)

So, I dropped off some goodies at my dr's office today. I didn't get to bring it with me Tuesday because my kids had messed with the tension on my sewing machine and I couldn't finish my goodies project. I stopped in today, delivered the goods and my dr asked if I wanted a peek. Um...YES!!! It was fun to get a quick peek at everything. Looks good!! I am so grateful for my dr's compassion. Made my day:]

I bought one...

I couldn't stand it any longer. I was totally convinced last Sunday that it was over. My pregnancy symptoms vanished. No more nausea, dizziness, vomiting, trips to the bathroom all night, growing and stretching discomforts, exhaustion...you name it. It was all gone and had been for 3 days.
Every time I've had a m/c the symptoms usually started to disappear. I agonized for two days before my appointment on Tuesday. I had planned that if I had a d&c on Tuesday then I should be ok to go to the family parties starting Thursday pending no trips to the ER like last time. My doctor could tell that I was upset. I hadn't slept for two nights. I cleaned my house at 4 am just incase I'd be down for a day or so. Pathetic huh...
Luckily, everything checked out. Baby was moving around like it couldn't find a comfortable spot. Heartbeat was good and the placenta was looking better than it had before. I asked him about not "feeling" pregnant anymore and he said that many of his patients have this happen. He said it's normal. I have been very happy everytime I've thrown up or had dry heaving spells. It's been a crutch for me. I knew that everything was ok at that moment.
My doctor feels that if we can make it past this next week then he'd feel comfortable about the remainder or atleast until my placenta fails which will be around 34-36 weeks.
I broke down and bought the fetal monitor yesterday. If the baby dies this week I can send it back. If everything works out then I'll sell it later.
For now, we are going to enjoy Christmas, spend time with our families and celebrate the birth of Christ.

Ski School

I promised a pic of these little ski bunnies. I don't have any action shots though. Maybe next time:)

We spent most of the lessons with cousin Vic (boy in black)and friend Heather (who is hiding behind Brook's lovely skis). Calvin said there was a girl from his school class that what in his group.

They did have a lot of fun. Brook got a little more experience than Cal. She stayed after with Heather and her family the last two lessons. She loves skiing!! Calvin did really well. He only went up the lift once during his lesson. His instructor said he only fell once and that he was proud of him.

They wanted me to go up the lift with them to show me how great they are doing. I strapped on my ski's and headed up with them. I thought that we were going to have a nice easy-going run while they carefully worked on the things they learned in their lessons. We started down as a group. Cal and Heather were the first to fall. Heather popped right up and was off again. Calvin was upset. He got back up slowly and started again. He decided to take a different hill than going around the easy way. He shot down about 25 yards and crashed. Ski's and poles went flying. He was really upset. He got back up and we talked about snow plowing and turning back and forth so he wouldn't go so fast.

He started down again snow plowing and turning really nicely. Then we hit a little hill and down he went as straight as a rocket. I think he skidded on his face atleast 5 feet once he hit the snow. Again, poles and ski's went flying. He is a tough little kid. He got back up, put his ski's back on and headed down again only no snow plowing at all. It was rocket time again and he crashed hard. One of his ski's was sticking straight up in the snow. It was stuck tip down about a foot. His poles were scattered about ten feet in two different directions. I was sure he'd broken something but he was ok. He was extremely tired though. I would be too if I fell that many times. I am so proud of him for giving it a try. I know he'll get better the more he practices and builds the muscles in his legs.

Fortunately, we were at the bottom, phew!! Then he announces, "Let's do it again!" Being such a great mom, I said "NO WAY, we are going home!" I spent the whole run gathering up ski's and poles. That's not how I roll. Plus, I was super worried about falling.

I am so happy that these kids had this experience. I love being outdoors and I want them to have opportunities to grow to love it as much as I do.

Oh the weather outside is...

delightful!! The kids had a blast skiing today. The weather was much better than the first day. They can't wait until next week when they get to ride the lift. Next week I'll take pics of my little ski bunnies:)

I'm getting to old for these kind of scares...

I had just gotten through telling my aunt and grandma that all of my miscarriages were found using ultrasound. When I got home last night I was getting my bedding out of the dryer and putting it back on my bed when I felt something not normal, serious gushing. Yep, I thought for sure I was starting to miscarry. I called my doctor and he said that I'd been down this road before and to just come see him in the morning.

I am so grateful for my doctor. He is very understanding when it comes to a history of miscarriages. Fortunately, we did see a heart beat and the baby is measuring 8 weeks and 5 days. He thinks that the placenta is trying to attach and that it's normal to have some bleeding.

He said that with most patients he tells them not to worry but with me and my history he wanted to make sure everything was ok. He did jokingly offer to give me an ultrasound machine to take home. That would be so awesome!!!

What's new in our world...

I haven't blogged about the kids in a while so I wanted to fill you in on what they've been up to.

Calvin and Brooklyn have been venturing into the wonderful world of skiing. We signed them up for the Deseret Ski School this year. They've had one lesson and will have two more this next two weekends. I am positive that Calvin will love it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him try the snowboarding world. His personality fits that sport. Brooklyn is a lot more cautious than Calvin. She doesn't like to get hurt so I think she'll stick to the skiing.

So far, they have both enjoyed going. They have a few friends and cousin Vic is also in the program. The first lesson it was pretty darn cold. It was snowing pellets at them but they seem to concentrate on the lessons. It was fun to hear them tell me all about their first day.

They learned enough to get to try out the tow rope. Calvin zipped up the tow rope then skied straight down as fast as he could. I've never seen a kid run on skies but he did to get back to the tow rope as quick as possible. It was fun to watch.

Croy is growing leaps and bounds. He is quite the chatter box. He is very entertaining. He likes puzzles, counting, Between the Lions, the word "NO" and following the kitty around. When Brian is home you'll usually find the two of them playing together. Brian has taught him to count to seven. It's really cute. He loves to say "bye, see you later alligator" which usually happens after your close the door. He likes seeing the kids come home from school. He grins, says an exuberant "Hi!" and follows them around the rest of the afternoon.

One of his favorite things to do at my dads is raid my dad's snack stash. He knows exactly what he likes. My dad is pretty good about it too. I think Croy will be replacing a few of the snacks as a Christmas gift. :)

Brian is enjoying his new job. I'm loving his new normal 8 am to 4 pm hours. JOYOUS!! I love knowing that he'll be home everyday at the same time. He is really good to jump in a team tag with me all evening.

We have been extremely blessed this season as always. We are surrounded by friends and family who we love with all our hearts.

Still Ticking...

Update...as of Tuesday afternoon the heart is still ticking. I have an appointment next Thursday and that will be a big tell tell for us. The 9th week seems to be a scary week. More than anything, my prayers have been more about excepting what happens. Having peace about the future is more important to me now then understanding. Thanks for your support everyone. Love you all!

A pleasant surprise!!

I been blessed with the stomach flu twice in the last month. The second was so bad that I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom so I slept on the bathroom floor in between sessions of vomitting. Gross, I know! I couldn't get out of bed with out the room spinning to go to my husband grandfathers funeral. I felt so bad. He was a wonderful man who was a great example of one who did everything he could to take care of his family. I've heard nothing but beautiful memories and a family filled wonderful funeral. I'm sorry I missed it and I will miss him!



All weekend I've been tired and nauseous wondering if I was going to get it again. Monday morning I gagged while brushing my teeth then lost my breakfast right before taking my kids to school. I took a test and, voila, +++!!

The best surprise is that I found out yesterday we are SIX weeks already. Can you believe it? I can't...I'm still in shock. We both are and we are still processing everything. We both agree though that we are scared to start planning anything too far into the future. I know I'm telling prematurely but I don't want to go down the road of a miscarriage again without my friends and family support. I hated telling after the fact. We weren't going to tell until I ended up in the ER and needed help with the kids. I needed to be able to talk to my allies.

So, I'm asking for your prayers. I love and appreciate all of you!! Lets hope the end stats are 4 for 9! Woot woot!!

Retail therapy only lasts so long...

We finally finished our new floors...except caulking the floor boards. Woo hoo!! I love them. I love that they clean up so easily and quickly. I love that I know they are clean. Carpet looks clean but is it really?

We started looking at flooring last August. We'd talk to a few different places and look at few different options. Meanwhile I was preggers, about 8-9 weeks. The morning of my nine week appointment I started to get excited about everything. We had decided that if everything went well then we'd tell our news.
Every appointment I had gone to I had braced myself so I wouldn't be so disappointed. Quick note, no matter how prepared you think you are when they tell you the heart has stopped beating it still hurts the same. I would even say more because you were unfortunately right.
Since we'd been looking at flooring I decided to bury myself in bids, best offers/deals, etc. I tried my hardest to ignore what had just happened. It worked for the most part but as soon as I had any down time I'd think of what happened. Why, how, why us, what did I do wrong, etc... Once the floor was completed and I didn't have anything exciting or challenging to think about the depression hit full force. I have to say it was shorter lived though. I have some friends that I'd try to run with but sleepless nights were too much for me. Thank you ladies!
FYI...I've come to terms with what has happened and I know that I didn't do anything wrong to cause our loss. I've learned how to move on this time. Still not sure if we want to venture down that road again, 3 for 8 doesn't give us the best odds. Nuff said:)

BUT...I do LOVE the new floors!!

So beautiful!!

I absolutely adore this quilt. Follow me here, Brian's Aunt Tamara's mil, Bonnie Houghton, made this for Tamara's son and new dil. She calls it "Twinkling Stars." Not only is the quilt beautiful but the view behind it is breath taking.




I love love love country quilts. I would cover my whole house in them. The time that is put into these quilts is priceless.


My sister, Sandra, knows how much I love them. I don't know if you remember this quilt she made for Croys bed. It's fabulous!! Now I need to learn how to really make these. I attempted once but it wasn't good.

One word...

AMAZING!!!

I spent the evening with Brooklyn, Grandma Sandra, Grandma Becky, Aunt Debra and Karen. We went the Blue Iguana for some yummy dinner and the to the Capitol Theatre for a show. It is a must see especially if you have little kids. I wish I had brought Calvin. He would have loved it. The characters costumes are genius!!! They really brought those animals to life and going up and down the isles with them was one of the highlights. A great time was had by all!!

Summer Concert 2010

Every summer Aunt Jane holds a violin concert. It's great to see how much these kids have improved over the year. They play quite a few of their songs that are in their books. They also get to have fun with a few fiddles songs. My favorite is "America the Beautiful." They did an amazing job! Then they finished it off with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

The whole group

When the littlies don't know a song they sit down and wait for one they do know. They are so patient!

Brooklyn

Sarah, Brooklyn's cousin. Sarah started when she was a tiny 3 year old, Brooklyn was able to start just a few months later at 4 years old.

This is Sarah's little sister, Savannah.

Brooklyn with Aunt Jane

The Kids with Great Grandma Shirley


This little bit of cuteness was sitting in front of me. This is Emily, Sarah's and Savannah's little sister, who is a twin. Her twin brother was off visiting others. I love her eyes. She is adorable!!

Calvin with his many many many faces.

And Croy, who did pretty well through the whole program. He became comfortable with his surroundings and started venturing off. He checked out of few ladies purses and kept throwing his sippy cup into the flowers. So cute and so fun!!

Do you ever... Updated

have weeks where you just can't get your head back up to the water level? And if you finally do, there is a force that shoves you back under? I need a life vest to lean on this week. I should be doing my Saturday cleaning and all I want to do is go back to sleep.

What I should do is a little service for my family and ignore my filth for an extra day. Today would be a good day to be lazy in the sun at a swimming pool while watching my kids splash in the cool water or take them to a lake to catch baby frogs (cool) and crawdads (eww...).

Well, Happy Saturday ya'll!

This is how you make everything better!! Seven pounds of deliciousness!!! Thank you Costco")

We're moving on up...

to a big boy bed. That's right, Croy is now in his own big bed. The crib is coming down tonight and I have reclaimed my bedroom.

Woo hoo!!

Mary's Lake

Hiking is so refreshing!! I love the cooler air, the smell of the pines and spending time with my favorite people!!

Our family

Brooklyn


A beggar, how can you not feed that adorable face.


Ellie, my favorite sis in love!! Seriously, she is one of my close friends who I love dearly!!


Croy playing with Brian's hat. Soooo cute!!


Brooklyn, Calvin, Alice, Brad and Vic.


Me and Croy, I'm not mad. I just don't love my brace face smile yet;)


Brooklyn, she is growing up so dang fast.


Brian, Croy and I enjoying some rest at the lake.

Brian with Croy in the pack. I love seeing dad's spending time with their kids. It makes my heart so happy!


Croy, isn't he so cute!! I need to give a shout out to my cousin, Liz, who is making these adorable monster t`s. Click here to check out her blog.

COUSINS!!! Nothing is more fun than hanging with cousins. Calvin and Vic are buddies. We have a great time with them.

See, didn't I say we have fun;)

Brad, Ellie, Vic and Allie. They are so awesome and a blast to spend time with. Brian and Brad are 16 months apart. They grew up the best of friends. I love to hear the stories from their childhood. They had the best of times growing up together.

Vic, isn't he a handsome little guy. He is a great kid.

And Allie, isn't she adorable!! She has piercing blue eyes with light blond hair. She is so cute and so fun.

Thanks for the great day guys!!!!

I needed to hear this...

It never ceases to amaze me how the gospel lifts us when we are down. There is always a story, scripture, talk or lesson that touches my soul. It is there to comfort when we are worn out whether physically, spiritually and emotionally. I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to be a part of my family. I am grateful for Brian and all that he does for me. I am so very grateful for our kids. They are a gift that I never thought I'd have. Each one is so unique. Each one brings their trials and triumphs. Brian and I get to share the joy of each one of them. I am truly blessed to be here at this time and to be a wife and mom.

I love Pres Uchtdorf

Summer Treats

Watermelon, who doesn't love watermelon. We love it at our house especially with frosting and bugs. Ha ha!!

We had a few extra kiddo's at our house today so I decided to whip out my Betty Crocker (ok, Laura's Betty Crocker icing) and make a fun treat.

The whole crowd ;)

I think they liked them")

Brooklyn

Heather

Joshua

The three amigos

Jack

Calvin & Noah

Calvin

The best part is that they were quiet for about 5 whole minutes. Ah...

I love this time of year!!

Summa time:) Swimming, camping, eating dutch oven and family. We had a family reunion this last weekend. Mucho fun!! I love the mountains. East Canyon is GORGEOUS this time of year.

BBQ chicken...perfect!

Peach cobbler...yum:)

Rocks, who doesn't love rocks

Croys 1st time swimming at a pool.

Brooklyn

Calvin

Croy
Life is great!!