Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to say how thankful I am to have such a wonderful, loving family and friends in my life! I wish we could all get together more often and spend more time together, but I do cherish the good times we share. Here are a few snapshots from Thanksgiving at My eldest sister's house...I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of food, fun, and family! From my family to yours... Happy Holidays.

Halloween...

I seem to be posting about things late, so I'll just keep with the trend... For Halloween Logan dressed up like a hobo -the same costume that my sisters and I wore when we were younger, and Coleton has worn for the previous two years- I was so excited to be able to use it this year! I never thought that Logan would think differently... That is until I tried to get him to put it on. He ABSOLUTELY did not want to wear those weird pants (The jacket he was ok with)... that is until I told him if he put on the costume people would give him candy. So he gave in and of course I had to give him a treat for putting it on.

I was a little worried about how Logan would do with the face paint, but surprisingly he didn't fight it at all! He even loved having two different shoes on... so much in fact, that for the three days following he wouldn't let us put matching shoes on him! What a silly silly boy.

We went out on Halloween with friends of ours to our 4th Avenue shopping district. We got to Trick-or-Treat at all the little shops down the street, there was a costume contest for the kids, and a police officer even pulled over to give Logan some candy! He was a little weary at first, but quickly warmed up at the sight of candy. Logan got quite a few comments from people on his costume, and how it was so cute how he would say 'trick-or treat' (tri-uh-tree) and happy Halloween (ha-ha heeeen). We all had a good time, including Hunter (who slept most of the time in the stroller), but the highlight for Logan was at the very end of the evening. As we were walking back to the car a fire truck drove past, and at first one of the firefighters waved to him (because he was awestruck at the sight of the 'big truck') but then they all hung out the windows and sides of the truck to wave at him!

I can't wait until next year!

Quick update...

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but I've been busy!

So for a quick update on Hunter... He is now 9 weeks old (my how the time has flown) is 22in long and 10.5lbs! He is finally on the growth chart curve at a whopping 25th percentile, and he's not showing any signs of stopping! He is smiling a lot -especially after he spits up on me... like it's so funny to me, but it comes with the territory.

Logan is a good big brother, but like any almost two year old he has his moments when he wants all the attention, has small break-downs, and tests his mommy and daddy's patients. He is really trying to expand his vocabulary... he will point at something and try to repeat the words you say. It is very cute!

Not much has changed with Robert and I... except that today I went back to work. I would definitely prefer to be home with the kids, but bills need to be paid right, and I guess a little adult interaction is a positive too.

I'll post some pictures next time... until then.

Hunter William is here!

I know this is about two weeks late in coming, but it's been a busy two weeks! Hunter William is here! He decided he wanted to join the party on Thursday August 27th at 2:40pm. He is a small guy weighing only 5 lb 14 oz and 17 1/2 inches long. Here is Hunter's birth story...

I woke up Thursday morning around 6am and was having contractions, but they were only 10-15 seconds long every three minutes or so. They weren't that strong so I chalked it up to false labor and got ready for work as usual. Robert and Logan were driving me to work and the contractions were getting a bit stronger but still close together. On the drive I was debating on still going to work or not going and calling the doctor. Well, when we got to my office building (just before 9am) I told my boss that I was going to take the day off just to see what happens.
We decided to go run some errands and walk around the mall to kill some time and see if things progressed any. As we walked around the mall my contractions were getting stronger, but I still wasn't convinced (partly because my dear husband was confused on how to time them). So, I finally called my doctor's office to see if they wanted me to come in or got to L&D to get checked out. I was told to head over to the Hospital, so we took Logan to Nana's house and went on our way feeling a bit excited and nervous.
We arrived at the hospital at 11:55am, was taken to the triage area to be examined and found out I was about 5cm dilated! Things were definitely progressing and I was going to have a baby some time that day. From here on out my sense of time gets a little off track... It felt like forever before the nurse came back to tell us there was a room ready for us, but eventually she did. We got situated in the delivery room and as comfy as can be in a hospital bed. Again it felt like forever while the nurse was trying to start a fluids IV so I could get an epidural... I was beginning to think I wouldn't get to have on and I'd have to do it all natural! Eventually my veins decided to cooperate and the epidural was on it's way (thank God!). The anesthesiologist arrived and got to work (lucky for me this time didn't have a contraction as they were inserting the needle) but had difficulty getting it in the right spot. Nevertheless it was done and my legs were getting numb... so numb in fact that I couldn't even lift my own legs! So I was finally able to just sit back and relax for a minute or two before the nurse told me she was going to get some lunch and that if I needed anything the other nurses were watching my strip and I could call them if I started to feel any pressure. Well, the nurse barely got both feet out the door when I looked at Robert and said "Oh, I feel pressure. Get a nurse." So A nurse and the doctor who would be delivering Hunter came in to check me and I was 9cm dilated and the doctor broke my water (there was meconium in the water so they called to have Peds. on hand). The doc. just waited because she knew it wouldn't be long before I was ready to push, and she was right. It felt like a couple of minutes had passed when I felt the pressure and urge to push. I pushed through 3 contractions (yes three!) and Hunter William was born at 2:40pm. He had a "true knot" in the umbilical chord (which could be a reason for the small size) that is pretty rare and not something they like to see. Crying from the get go, healthy, and beautiful! We are truly blessed to have two healthy, wonderful children, and yes I know I am lucky to have had two fast and safe deliveries... Logan was born three and a half hours after getting to the hospital and Hunter was a mere two hours forty five minutes after getting there. Anyway, I know you're excited to see some pictures, so here they are:




More to come...

Finally, a new camera!

It only took me being 8+ months pregnant and not having a fully functioning camera around to finally break down and just buy a new camera. YAY! Granted it's just a simple point and shoot camera, but it'll take pictures of Logan and Hunter (when he decides he wants to arrive). That's all you need right?! Maybe we will still look into geting one of the others fixed for a back up, but who knows. I'm just excited that I'll be able to share more pictures with everyone now... so here are a few of the first ever pictures with the new camera.

Of course they're of my little monster! What did you really expect anyway? So stay tuned for more pictures, more fun, more kids, and an adventure of a lifetime!

Vacations, Reunions, and Big boy beds...

Robert, Logan and I set off last week for a little family vacation/class reunion. It was so nice being able to spend some time with my Dad, Kathryn, Kellsey, and Coleton! I didn't really want to leave, but you have to go back to reality some time right? We arrived in Page late Tuesday afternoon and pretty much just hung out with the family. We went to the lake -and we all got a little crispy (except Logan)- and had a lot of fun! We bought Logan a life vest and took him further in the water than he was comfortable with at first. He soon relaxed and I was able to hold him out a bit with him kicking his legs to 'swim'. Coleton was doing very well too! He actually got the swimming part and sort of 'doggy-paddled' we were all so proud!

Another reason for our trip was my 10 year high school reunion. Crazy right?!! It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years already, but it was really nice to catch up with some old friends! We had a meet-n-greet cocktail hour at the Marriott on Friday night, then Saturday was family day at Lone Rock (we didn't go because we were already crispy by then and Logan decided to take a 3hr nap right in the time frame of the outing). Saturday evening we went to the Blue Buddha, had some good sushi, reminisced about good times in high school, and had more catch up time. All in all it was a good time. I wasn't sure I wanted to go at first but I'm glad we went.

Now for the Big Boy Bed... When we got home (well the next day really) from our trip we decided that it was time we set up Logan's Big Boy bed. So we went out and bought a "Cars" bedding set because he absolutely loves cars and bed rails for the big bed. He loved 'helping' put it all together, but I think he liked jumping on the bed even more! We moved the changing table into Hunter's room but the crib will still be in Logan's room for now (while we're making the transition). We're going to take our time with the transition and start with naps in the big bed, then eventually move to night time in it too. I am excited for this new step but also sad because my baby is growing up... plus it makes me realize how soon Hunter will be here!

(ahhh... relaxin')

(Jumping on the bed)

Ahhhh.... Thank You!

I just had the most relaxing weekend ever, and it's all thanks to my sister! I can't say thank you enough, Val, you're the best and I think this needs to be made an annual occurrence!



So I left Tucson on Saturday with Logan after I was off work and headed up to Phoenix to my sisters house for an amazing weekend. We were able to spend a little time all together (Dad, William, Kathryn, Kellsey, Coleton, Val, Justin, and Jordan -Robert is the only one who missed out) on the 4th which was great! We had a little BBQ and the kids all had a blast riding the bikes in the driveway. The fireworks were pretty neat and close too, however the kids only watched for a few minutes before the bikes were calling to them again :) All in all it was a great evening.



Sunday morning comes around and our 'Sister's Weekend' has officially started. Dad and Justin graciously agreed to watch all the kids so we (Kathryn, Val, and I) could have a relaxing 'girls' weekend- Thanks again guys! So we left the kiddos in the hands of the guys and got on our way to the Hyatt Regency Resort in Scottsdale. The room was pretty nice but we were mainly thinking of the 10 interlocking pools! So, needless to say, we didn't spend too much time admiring the decor before we changed into our swimming suits and headed out. There were a couple of bars poolside for some tasty-tasty beverages, and the pools were all kept at 85 degrees... nice and cool but not cold! I can't even explain how amazing it felt for my feet and back once I got into the water! Then we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner -we had reservations at The Melting Pot. It's a fondue place that is so good! We had a four course meal starting off with a cheese fondue, then a salad, our entree had all sorts of meat (Chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, and lobster) to cook, then came the dessert. A milk chocolate and marshmallow cream fondue with graham cracker crumbles (think smores) with a variety of goodies to dip in it -strawberries, cheesecake, brownies, rice crispy treats, bananas, pound cake, and marshmallows- and we all stuffed ourselves to the brim! Once we got back from dinner we went back down to the pool for a little while before calling it a night. Again it was soo nice to have that relief on my back and feet!
When we woke up (for some it was more of an effort than others) we thought about going to the pool again, but decided we should have breakfast before we needed to check out and head out to get our massages! So, we had breakfast at the resort -amazing how much people will pay for simple things like pancakes!- which was pretty tasty. While we were there we made a few friends -there were three ducks and several birds who came by to share breakfast with us. The ducks would even eat from our hands! It was pretty neat and Val actually had her first experience feeding a duck by hand and survived! We then all went back to the room to shower and pack. Then we were on our way to get our massages -for Kathryn and I it was our first ever professional massage. I was a bit nervous about it -the getting undressed part really, but you'd think I'd be sort of immune to that being pregnant and having to get undressed all the time for my doctor! It wasn't as uncomfortable as I was expecting, and the massage felt great! The hour went by so fast, but I felt rejuvenated afterwards and I would definitely not hesitate to get another massage now!
Alas, we had to go back and rescue the guys from all the kids, and surprisingly Dad still had all the hair we left him with... So I guess they couldn't have been all too bad for him.
I really enjoyed the weekend get-a-way and the sister time we had together. It was a nice bonding experience and all I can say is thank you and I love you -Let's do it again next year!

I don't have much...

But I thought it has been a while since my last post. So here's a little update:

So far this pregnancy has gone as smooth as with the last one -Thank you Lord- I am however, dreading the summer being further along in pregnancy! It's already in the 100's and I'm burning up... I'll just have to lounge in the kiddie pool we bought last weekend :) Oh, and here's a little peek at Hunter...

Logan is growing so fast both physically and mentally! It's hard to believe that just over a year ago he was a little blob of a baby- so helpless and tiny- and now he's a running-babbling-27.5 lb monster of a boy who I love so much! Here's a recent photo of him -possibly showing us his true side by accident (look at the hair)- you can even kind of see how his nose is healing up.

(Sorry they aren't the best pictures... I took them on my cell phone)

It's a....

So on Friday (4/17) we had our ultrasound done, and we are thrilled to be expecting a healthy baby with ten fingers and ten toes! We were able to determine the gender as well... it's a BOY! He already has a big belly and noggin like his big brother Logan!

Logan on the other hand was not thrilled at all to be in a doctor's office again! I hope he hasn't been permanently scarred from getting his stitches! As soon as we walked back towards a room he got hesitant and didn't want to follow. Even after I assured him they weren't going to do anything to him. Well, he cried through practically the whole appointment, but Robert wasn't going to miss this even for a hysterical child... he only quieted down when the tech. let us hear the heartbeat. It was pretty cute in fact!

We are so excited to be expecting another boy -Hunter- in September (Labor Day no less)!

Logan's Big Trip to The ER!

Sunday afternoon was a day for firsts...

The day started out as any other Sunday would have. Logan and I got up early and went for a walk around Reid Park with our friend Diane. Afterwards we had coffee (Diane and I) at Starbucks. Then we went home had some breakfast and Logan went down for a nap... When he woke up I got him all ready to go to our friend's house so we could get our taxes done (I know I know... I should have had them done about two months ago...).

This is where it all started...

We were just hanging out, waiting for Jodi's husband to get home. We have been to Jodi's house many times before so Logan felt right at home playing with her son's toys, their cats, and trying to play with the dog (he's much bigger than the dogs we have at home). Well, after Craig got home we had lunch (yummy pizza... thanks Craig!) and just as we were all finishing up, getting geared up for some tax fun Logan tripped and fell on the dog (who was relaxing on the floor by our feet) which startled him to say the least.

I saw it all in slow motion... Logan falling... the dog jumping up, startled, and starting to snap at Logan... then he (the dog) pulled back like he realized what was happening... all the while I couldn't force my body to move to catch my baby... and in the end Logan's little nose had a run in with a dog tooth.

At first it didn't look like it was going to be too bad... a scratch maybe. But then the blood came pouring out and no matter how much I wiped it away, there was always more to take it's place. Logan started crying, I think because he was scared at first but later because I was holding him (his arms) down so we could apply pressure to stop the bleeding. As soon as we let him free he was fine -What a tough little guy!- Well we decided we should take him to the ER...

2p.m. Arrive at the ER.

2:30p.m. Jodi leaves to pick up Robert.

3p.m. Logan is finally being seen in triage

Robert and Jodi are back at the ER with us.

4:30p.m. We are finally given a room

5:30p.m. A doctor comes to talk about what needs to happen.

Logan is going to be in a conscious sedation while the stitch up his nose. Meaning his eyes will be open, he may make sounds and even move, but he won't know what's going on or feel anything, and he won't remember any of it. It was very weird and heartbreaking to watch.

6:30p.m. Robert is officially counted absent from work.

7:30p.m. Hospital staff shift change. Logan gets an iv put in place. I think this was one of the hardest parts to see. They (two nurses) had to hold him down in order to get the iv in, and all the while Logan is struggling and crying... at one point he cries out for "Daddy, Daddy..."

8p.m. We're moved to another room so we can cave at least two nurses and two doctors in the room for the procedure.

8:30p.m. Logan is sedated and the doctors do their magic.

8:50p.m. Seven stitches. Starting to recover from sedation.

Logan gets apple juice and even a Popsicle (to make sure he doesn't vomit from the medication) he's a bit 'out-of-it' but is laughing and in a good mood.

10p.m. We finally get to go home!

What a long day!

I would post pictures, but they are very graphic.

Logan slept well and woke the next morning to be the same energetic boy we know and love! He wasn't acting like he was in any pain at all... he was even wrestling with our dogs! I am surprised he hasn't been messing with his stitches at all. It's been a bit of a chore to clean his nose and put ointment on it, but if there's two on one it's much easier! He's healing nicely, and he'll actually get his stitches taken out tomorrow!

Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!

Well, I haven't got any pictures of Logan's first trip to the zoo :( SOMEBODY forgot to charge the camera... ahem... But I guess this just means another trip to the zoo soon :) Logan loved seeing all the animals! Especially the peacocks that are just roaming around the park grounds! He would point and squeal excitedly and say "dow" It's what he says for dog, or cat, or fish, or... well you get the idea. He really does just adore animals though, it's too cute! We thought Logan would get a kick out of the monkeys, but he didn't seem to pay too much attention to them. Although when it came to any sort of large feline... lions, tigers, panthers... he was mesmerized. I don't know what it is about cats that he just is fascinated by, but he is?

I think the next trip we take to the zoo we'll go a bit earlier in the day as it's getting pretty warm here already, but also because the animals should be more active then too! And this next time I promise I'll have a charged camera to get some pictures with so I can share them :)

Huzzah!

So I recently took Logan to the Renaissance Festival (Feb. 8th) along with some friends of mine and their families. Over all I had a good time, but nicer weather would have made it even better. When we got there we decided to go see a jousting tournament as the first attraction... we made our way back to the arena and found seats. Then not 5 minutes into the show it got really cold and started sprinkling on us. Ok, I can deal with sprinkles... but then it started hailing!!! So we left and found shelter to wait it out. A story teller came to occupy the masses while we waited out the rain. Eventually it stopped, but the rest of the day was still cold and pretty wet with off and on rain. We didn't get to see many of the shows we wanted to, but we did enjoy some good food! We saw elephants and even contemplated going for a ride, but I was afraid Logan would freak out and cause the animal to get nervous. So, we just hung out by the fence and watched as others rode them. One of them even tried to shake Logan's hand (which really freaked him out!). And the highlight of Logan's first Festival was the petting zoo! He absolutely loved it and did not want to leave. Here are a couple of pictures of Logan at the petting zoo...

Robert's birthday is today, but we will be celebrating it tomorrow as a family because that's when we could both get time off together. So, we plan on taking Logan to the zoo for his first time. I am so excited to see his reaction to all the animals! Then we'll have a nice lunch and dinner/cake with his family later in the evening. I'll post some pictures of the zoo trip soon.

It's a....

Little blob :)

So we got an early peek at the little peanut (which we did not get with Logan)... it was neat and kind of scary at the same time. The sonogram appointment was just to confirm how far along we are and the due date. The tech said everything looked good, but I was still a bit nervous because I couldn't see any kind of movement (I was afraid there wasn't a heartbeat), but then she pointed it out -whew- By the measurements I was right in my guess and the baby is 8weeks 4days and should make an appearance in the beginning of September. Lucky me right? Extremely pregnant in the dead of summer... what were we thinking?!!? I'm thinking we need to get a pool or practically live at a friends house who has a pool or at least get a summer pass to one that's close!

"But all endings are also beginnings.We just don't know it at the time."

I just finished reading 'The five people you meet in Heaven' by Mitch Albom. It's a good read... a quick one, but a good one. It's about the life and death of a man named Eddie, who thinks he wasted his time here on earth and led an insignificant life. Eddie dies in an accident and finds himself in Heaven where he meets five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he knows it or not. Each of these five people share their wisdom with him, giving him a deeper comprehension to the meaning and purpose of his life. At first he does not understand how these people have anything to do with him until they share their stories with him... then it becomes clear.

"There are no random acts...We are all connected...You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind..."

After reading this I started to think about my Mom a lot! How much I miss her... how much I love her... how much I wish I had done with her... how much it still hurts...

"Life has to end, love doesn't."

All in all, if you haven't read it... you should. It could change the way you see the world, the people in it, and why things happen in your life. Even if you don't take in the message on a deeper level it's still a good story.

Who needs hands? Just dive right in...

So, lately the weather has been beautiful and warm... not winter like at ALL! That is, until we decided we were going to have a party for Logan at the park. The week leading up to the party had been so nice I thought nothing could go wrong. We made all the plans and preparations, got the goodies and gifts, and when we woke up that Sunday morning... clouds... cold... rain... oh my! I thought that maybe, just maybe I would be spared and it would clear up by the time of the party in the afternoon...

Well it's a good thing we moved the party to Peter Piper Pizza because it rained, and drizzled, and was cold all day! All in all it turned out to be a wonderful party with family and friends galore. Logan really made out... seriously the kid doesn't even know what to do with all the new toys he's gotten. He had such a great time playing Ski-Ball and dancing to the music of the other games! The best part for me though was cake time... hilarious...

Christmas Trees and Birthday Cakes!

We had soo much fun this Christmas! I absolutely love spending time with the family, even though I always leave feeling like it was not long enough. This Christmas however, was especially great! The whole family was together, Christmas was wonderful, the love was plenty, there were lots of presents, the food was great, AND it was my son's 1st birthday! What more could someone ask for?