Some Things Never Change

I was planning on going to Zumba tonight. Instead here I am at home eating peanut butter m&ms. To be completely honest...I'm not feeling all that bad about it either. I keep telling myself I will get in shape after the new year. That's what I tell myself anyway to keep from getting depressed. Pants still don't fit, shirts don't fit...but hey I have my holiday goodies to keep me happy!

The Ring Does Not Lie!

First off, a big shout out to Jamie and Melanie for planning an amazing Harry Potter Party! Am I the only one that finds that kind of hard to say? It's a little bit of a tongue twister. Another big shout out to who started talking about the ring thing (I don't really know what to call it.)For those of you who weren't there it's the thing where you hang a ring over your wrist and it tells you how many kids you will have and what gender they will be. I don't really believe in psychic powers, but I will tell you...I believe in this! It was really freaky! It went through everyones kids in the order they had them and then continued on if they weren't done. Apparently I have two boys left:) Anyways, when I got home I decided to see if it works on men as well. Let me tell you...it totally does. Kevin got the exact same thing as me; girl, boy,girl, boy, another boy and then it stopped! I was a little nervous that he would have more or something and then that would mean I was going to die or something and then he would get remarried and have more kids with someone else! Is that so ridiculous that I was actually worried about that!? Anyways, I just had to share that with you all...now go and do the ring thing on your husband! I just realized that could be interpreted badly, but I am still not going to delete it :)

A Beautiful Day

When Kevin got home from play practice today I decided that we needed to get outside and take some pictures of our beautiful children, we still didn't have a picture of all three of them that I really liked. We got the kids picture ready and headed outside. Here are a few of my favorite from today.

Janey is getting so big, I cannot believe how old she looks in these pictures. She is so beautiful and she makes me smile every day.

I love Russell's smile in this picture...it really captures his personality. This is the face he wears most of the day:) I also love how "motherly" Janey looks...that is definitely her personality as well.

They were having so much fun falling backwards with Ella on top of them. Those faces are priceless! I could just eat them up!

I love how Ella is all stretched out and looks like she is in charge (she really is).

Things are going great. I finally feel like I am getting into a routine and getting the hang of taking care of three kids. Sometimes it's a challenge but for the most part I am just enjoying them so much! Janey and Russell have really been playing well together the past few days. I almost feel guilty putting him down for a nap because Janey begs me to let him stay up longer so she can play with him. I don't feel guilty enough to give in for long though...I really need my quiet time!

Ella is growing so quickly. She is 95% for height and weight! She is what keeps me sane most of the time and I just can't get enough of her.

Janey has come up with some hilarious nicknames for Russell and Ella and I wanted to write them down so I don't forget. She calls Russell "Marshmellow Kitten" I have no idea where she got it from but I think it's hilarious. If any of you have any idea where this might have come from, please let me know! :) She calls Ella "Sweetie Pie Dream Fish". It's a mouthful to say, but she uses it all the time! The Dream Fish part she got from Barbie in a Mermaid Tale. I just have to laugh every time she uses those names...I love it!

Already Getting Too Big

Ella is eleven days old today! I cannot believe she has been in our lives for 11 days and at the same time I don't know how I ever lived without her. She is the sweetest little baby and is already changing too much. It makes me sad knowing this baby phase is going to end...and yet I look forward to seeing her personality come out and the person she will become. All I can say is I love her to pieces. Since she is changing so much I thought I would leave you all with some pictures of how cute she is as of today! :)

Introducing Ella

Our sweet little Ella finally decided to make her entrance into the world! She was born on September 10th and weighed 8.3 lbs and was 18 1/2 in. long. Although when we took her to the doctor on Monday he seemed to think they weighed her wrong (she only weighed 7.2 lbs) and she was magically 20 1/2 inches long. Hmmm I wonder which measurements are wrong!

Anyways she is such a sweet little girl, I already wonder how I ever lived without her. Janey and Russell are wonderful older siblings. Russell is always wondering where the baby is if she is not in sight.

My mom came to help us out but had to go home today. It was so wonderful having her here. She was amazing and did everything for us. She woke up early with the kids and let us sleep in, she made every meal for us and kept the house clean the whole time she was here. Right before she left she cleaned our bathroom, vacuumed, swept, and did all the laundry and folded it. I don't know how I would have done it without her, so thank you Mom! And of course just having her company was better than anything!

I want to get high

Okay not really, but apparently my body is craving things that could potentially make me high. Smells that I normally do not like now have a strange way of making me want more. Take for example gasoline fumes, spray adhesive, markers, hairspray, etc. You name it and I want to keep on inhaling it. Do not worry I don't indulge myself, but I do enjoy it when I can get a few breaths in here and there. I know so weird...the things pregnancy does to your body!

Stressful Day

I know I have already told alot of you about my "stressful/scary" day on Thursday but for journaling purposes I am writing it down here.
To start from the beginning on Wednesday morning Russell woke up with a little cough. It sounded a little "barky" like it could possibly be croupe. Janey had croupe the week before so I figured he got it from her. He seriously only coughed like 4 times all day on Wednesday. He had no fever no runny nose, nothing. I figured he would be fine just like Janey was. I monitored his breathing all night. In the middle of the night it seemed to get deeper and a little more strained but I figured all was okay.
In the morning I could here him clear down the hall. He was still sleeping and I didn't know whether I should go wake him up or if it was better to let him get rest. At around 9:00 (he never sleeps that late) I couldn't here his deep breathing anymore. I went into his room to check on him and found him awake. He was trying to tell me he wanted out but he couldn't really get the words out. I picked him up and his breathing was so strained that I got worried. I could see the panic in his eyes and each breath seemed so hard for him. I hurried out into the family room and told Janey to put her rain boots on. I grabbed the necessities and we ran out the door. I rushed to the urgent care and just kept praying that they wouldn't make me wait in the waiting room forever to fill out paper work etc (you know how they are). I rushed in and saw that there was someone at every desk already being helped. I think the lady saw the panicked look on my face. She asked what was wrong and I told her Russell was having trouble breathing. She kicked the lady out of her seat that she was helping and I got to go right in. She called the nurse and we went right in back. They gave him a nebulizer and the doctor came in and gave him some steroids to help open his passasgeway. His chest was retracting with every breath, it was a very scary thing to see. They informed me they were going to have to take him in an ambulance to the hospital at which point I broke down and started crying. Janey was being so sweet and so good the whole time. She kept telling me "I'm so sorry mommy" and kept rubbing Russell to help him feel better. I called my friend Melanie to see if she could come and pick Janey up from the urgent care (thank you so much for keeping her all day!) I also called Kevin and told him that I was at urgent care and they were taking Russell to the hospital and he needed to meet me there. Poor guy, I was crying the whole time and I couldn't talk to him for very long so he didn't get any details. He kept trying to call me back but I was always in the middle of something. I can't imagine what must have been going on in his mind.
As soon as we walked out to get in the ambulance Russell took one look at it and smiled and tried to make the siren noise. He is such a silly boy...he was so sick and yet he was still smiling and excited. It made me feel better to see him like that. Janey got to sit in the ambulance while we waited for Melanie to get her. I always wondered what it was like in an ambulance, but I never wanted to find out this way! By this time Russell was doing a little better but was still having difficulty breathing. When we got to the ER Russell saw Kevin walking down the hall and got super excited. He kept trying to say Daddy but the words couldn't come out, it was so sad. They gave him some more treatments and his breathing improved alot! We were in the ER all day. Finally around 4:00 they admitted us into the pediatric unit, they wanted to keep him overnight to monitor him and make sure he didn't relapse. I didn't really want to stay in the hospital overnight but at the same time I was glad we weren't going home because I didn't want anything to happen again.
Kevin went and got Janey and came back so she could see Russell. She was very jealous that Russell got to sleep at the hosiptal and she didn't. Russell didn't fall asleep until about midnight. Apparently the steroids can make you hyper. He was being very sweet though. He just layed there tossing and turning not quite sure of what to do with his hands. He would roll over and rub my back and play with my hair. Even though he was hyper he wasn't bouncing off the walls he would just lay there and check out his hands or pat the bed. Once he fell asleep he slept the whole night. He slept throught everything...the nurses coming in, the annoying monitor that kept going off for no reason...everything! Even though I woke up for everything I was very grateful that he could sleep through it all.
The next morning he was feeling much better. He actually wanted to get down and play. The doctors were very impressed with how much he had improved and the nurse said it was a difference of night and day. He was doing so well that they let us leave around 10:30. I was so glad that we didn't have to stay a whole other day.
This whole experience has really made me reflect on what is truly important in life. I am so grateful for my family, for the gospel and the peace that it brings to me. I am grateful for the spirit that brought comfort, calmness, and just the knowledge that I needed to know what I needed to do.

Here is Russell in the hospital trying to give his toy an air treatment.

Russell and Daddy. It was sad to see him in a little gown, but at the same time it was so cute.

Russell being his own doctor. After many times of being checked out he was quite the pro.

Russell feeling much better the next day. Oh how I love my sweet little boy!

Things I don't want to forget

Cute Janey quotes:
While on our way to the library Janey said "the sun is playing hide and seek"
Janey came inside after riding her bike around our patio and bake and said"Mommy my bike is stuck"
Me: how did you get your bike stuck?
Janey: just because the big rock was there first
sure enough her bike was stuck on rock...I thought it was pretty funny.

A few weeks ago during dinner Janey and Russell spotted a fly inside our window. I didn't think much about it until Janey said "Look Mommy I got it...I'm incredible" She had somehow managed to catch the fly between her fingers. Disgusting I know...but still very impressive!

Russell has the cutest personality. He keeps me smiling all day long. His little facial expressions and his little voice just melt my heart. The way he says Mom...Mom randomly throughout the day is pretty darn cute (however when he says it at 4:00 in the morning it is not as cute:)

I had the best Mothers day ever thanks to my wonderful husband and two adorable kids. I know you all think your families are the Best, but mine really is :) Kevin and the kids treated me to breakfast in bed. It was fun waking up to hear Kevin and the kids having fun together in the kitchen. I wanted to go out and see how cute they were, but it is the rule that I HAVE to stay in bed. They came in and sang "happy mothers day to you" The look on Janey and Russells face as they brought me the food was priceless...too adorable! Kevin took care of the kids all day and Janey would tell me randomly throughout the day "Happy Mothers day...I love you" and then give me a big kiss. What better present could I ask for? She is still doing it and I am quite enjoying it! Oh one other cute quote from Janey. The day before Mothers day were were talking about how Sunday would be Mother's day and Janey said "Mommy, how can I celebrate you" too cute! Anyways, I love my little family and didn't want to forget these cute little things.

It's a.....

GIRL! Or a "sister girl" as Janey has refered to her the last few months. We are super excited! Everything looks good, she's right on target in all her measurements. As I type this I find it very wierd to be writing "her", I can't believe we know already! Anyways I just thought you all might like to know :)

Food Storage

I have been thinking for a long time that I really need to stock up on food storage. I did pretty well last fall trying to buy extra food every month but since then it has slipped my mind. If your anything like me you have no idea what to buy or how much stuff you need. My sister sent me a link awhile ago that calculates how much food storage you will need for your family for an entire year. When you put in the numbers and it shows you everything you need it's a little overwhelming. I like it though because now I know what I NEED to get and how much. Of course I can't go and purchase everything at once but I can start a little here and a little there. Here is the link if you want to check it out...it's pretty cool!

http://www.thedisasterguard.com/

on the left hand side there is a box that says food storage calculator. Click on that and it will take you to the page where you can put in how many people are in your family and then it will tell you how much you need.

Free Picaboo Book

Just in case you wanted to know picaboo.com is offering a free 20 page photobook. I don't know if you can only get the coupon code today but if you do it doesn't expire until 12/2010. All you have to do is enter your email address and they send you the code...easy-peasy!Happy bookmaking!

What's new

I figured since people are going to start wondering why I am getting fat I would let you all know....I am pregnant! I am about 13 weeks along and am finally starting to get more energy again. I had enough energy today to actually clean the house a little, play with the kids, and make applesauce! That's a major improvement from my just sitting on the couch and sleeping all day (or trying to sleep:) We are super excited and Janey is positive that she is going to have a "sister girl". Russell of course has no idea but he sure will be a cute big brother.

Way Too Long!

It has been way to long since I have posted anything...so for those of you who don't want to read a long boring post about the last month...I completely understand!

Before Christmas we headed to Portland to visit Kevin's sister and family and to pick up Kevin's parents. We stayed in Portland for a few days and then came back home and brought Kevin's parents with us. We were so lucky to have them with us over Christmas...the kids absolutely loved having them here!

While in Portland before Christmas I took Janey to see the Nutcracker. We went with my mother in law, sister in law, and her daughters. It was so much fun and Janey was so good! It was the first time I had ever seen it and it was amazing! I shot this picture before I got in trouble:) Too bad Janey was being silly and wouldn't look at the camera.

Janey helps me make Christmas Eve Dinner...and yes....we are wearing matching aprons!:)

While Kevin's mom and I make dinner and prepare for Christmas, Kevin, his dad, and Russell work on building a train track all day long...and I am not exaggerating when I say ALL DAY! They were pretty funny. I guess that's what you can expect when you get two engineers together and I engineer in training!

Here are the kids after dinner waiting to hear the Christmas story. They did pretty good with their little attention spans. Kevin's dad read the story and then we sang some Christmas songs...it was a good night!

After we read the Christmas Story we let the kids open up a present. We let them open up the Super Hero capes that I made them (thanks Katie for letting me get the pattern). As soon as they put them on they were of to save the world! They ran around in them for quite a while and Kevin captured this great picture of them running past each other!

Russell on Christmas morning

Janey on Christmas morning

After Christmas we took the kids sledding. They weren't so sure about it to begin with but ended up having fun.

We had a great Christmas vacation. It was wonderful having Kevin home for two weeks. We did a lot of fun things after Christmas such as the Childrens Museum, the zoo, and just hanging out at home playing wii and relaxing!

Oh yes and I cannot forget the most important thing we accomplished over this vacation....Janey got potty trained! It literally happened in one day...she was so ready and it is so great!