Aiden's big night!

Well, he did it. I wanted to put this night off for many more months, however, I know how much this kid wants to grow up, so we tried out a big boy bed last night. I was grumpy to start off with, which didn't help, but Scott was patient and made sure that he stayed in his bed. Twenty minutes later, he was in snooze mode and stayed there until 6:30 this morning. I guess I can't be too upset over the fact that he was up that early compared to his usual 8 am. I guess the excitement needs to wear off a little bit. So, another one down (or on the way) and now we can start working on Camden's room. We will have to see how nap time goes today....

 

Ethan was really happy to have his brother in his room. (For how long, I am not sure, but we will only encourage the positive, right?) When Ethan woke up this morning and Aiden was gone, he had a minute of worry. He really tries to look out for his brother most of the time. I can't ask for that all the time...that's not normal!

 

I think we are going for a new style of shirt wearing in this picture. Actually, I think this is his attempt to take off his shirt...nice try!

 

 

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And, it always makes it easier when you use your head to get into bed. It took Ethan forever to figure out how to get in and out...Aiden five seconds!

Another week of fun...

Another week has flown by, and I can't believe that the 24th of July has come and gone. It always seems like summer is really coming to an end when the 24th is here. We had a great time watching fireworks and having bbq's with both sides of the family. I love living by my family and having the chance to have good memories. Scott also had a long weekend, and it comes with a bittersweet ending. This was his last long weekend because he no longer has every other Friday off. Stupid economy! We took Cam to Cherry Hill for the first time on Friday (no he didn't get in the water, and I didn't dare show up in a bathing suit!) It felt so nice to be out and enjoying the things that I love to do in the summer. It has been hard having a summer baby because I don't want to stay inside. Plus I feel bad for my two oldest who are used to doing at least one fun activity a week. Oh well, I know it's temporary! On Saturday, Ethan and Scott got to go up to the Uintah's to my parent's cabin property and help dig out huge logs from the pond. Ethan was a great little helper and loved spending time in the rhino with his Dad and Fammie and Bomps. They saw three moose and one deer. I love that my kids will have the chance to enjoy the outdoors with my family and Scott's. Here are some pictures of their adventure:















E really loved telling me about his Bompa driving through the water and almost "skunking" it. (dunking it) He thought it was soooo cool that the water came in and almost got his feet wet.

As for me and the other two boys, we didn't do much. I realized that Aiden really does love Ethan and they do play well together, although in the middle of the day when I am breaking up another fight, it doesn't seem that way. Aiden really missed his buddy and had to make do with me. He was bored.

Cam is doing really well...he sort of got his days and nights mixed up but I think we are back on track. He slept from 11 until 3:45 last night. Not too shabby for a 3 week old! We love him so much and can't believe that he wasn't supposed to come into this world until tomorrow, and really can't imagine life without him--boy parts and all. I love my little family and sometimes can't believe how blessed I have been. Really, does it get much better that this?




By the way, I wish I could capture more pictures of Aiden. The kid won't sit still or won't quit doing things that I have to get after him for. I will do better to capture his cute face too!

Babokanush!

So, if any of you have seen Kung Fu Panda, that might sound familiar. Since my boys have seen it, we have heard a lot of hi yas and babokanushes around our house. Ethan got the chance to go to a birthday party tonight for his buddy Bentley, and when I went to pick him up he announced to me that he had punched Bentley. After investigating, I found out that (according to Ethan) Bentley hit him first. So, when Ethan told the story to his dad, he said, "Dad, I did the Kung Fu Panda, cuz that's my move." Where do they come up with the stuff they say???

What we've been up to

So, this week has been interesting and challenging and fun. I don't know how I would have made it through the changes without my mom and sister. They have been lifesavers for me and my kids. I am so lucky to have such great family! Overall, I have to say that the older boys have adjusted pretty well...but that could still change. The only thing that I have noticed is that they are bored here now because we were doing so much up until the end of my pregnancy and now things have come to a standstill for them. But they have been troopers and great kids overall. The baby has been awesome...sleeping for almost 5 hours at night some nights. I got really lucky! We have spent a lot of time in the backyard swimming pool to cure our cravings for a float in the lazy river at Cherry Hill. Ethan got to go to the hill on Saturday with his aunts and uncles and cousins and had a blast. He always loves it when he can spend time with bigger kids. Saturday night our ward had a neighborhood kids parade around the block in celebration of the 24h of July this next week. It was fun to see the police department out to help us by starting off the parade with their sirens and lights. Ethan rode his bike the whole way and had fun ( I think) Once again, my sister came to my rescue and helped me with that because Scott was out of town. Aiden was mad because he didn't get to go, and was really mad when they rounded the corner and he still wasn't able to go. However, my sister threw him on her hip and away he went to finish the parade with everyone. Poor kid...I am sure he feels really left out of a lot of things. We are looking forward to another week of challenges and fun. But I am glad that Scott only has to work 3 days this week!

Road trip!

I have been thinking about how to put into words something that has really hit home to me. My family has been so blessed in so many ways that sometimes I think that those blessings are easy to take for granted. I may not have the perfect home, or the perfect body, but I have a beautiful family blessed with health and love. I have realized over the past few days that this is truly the most important thing in my life and I need to focus only on that--the other things are merely a perk. Scott had the opportunity to go on a little guys trip this weekend with a couple of good buddies from high school. It was planned at the last minute that they would drive over to Denver and see a baseball game, and return the next day. The one catch in the whole thing is that one of the friends has cancer and has been given a sketchy outcome. They ended up having to take their friend to the emergency room because he couldn't stop bleeding, and I am sure that is a real wake up call for him and everyone around him. I can't imagine what he has been feeling or thinking or worrying about. I can't imagine going through what he has gone through. This person is amazing...he has the greatest laugh. I love when Scott is with him and they start cracking the jokes or quoting movie lines together and laughing because only they know what they are laughing about. (Both of them are really quick with movie trivia and if you are smart, you never want to play a movie game with them!) I know that this person has been through a lot in his life and has overcome and fought through many hard things. He is an amazing father to his little girl--dedicated to her and her well being. He is a genuine person...easy to like, easier to love, and a person that you just want to be around. I hope that he knows that he has touched my life and made me want to be a better person. The other thing that Scott learned this weekend is that Craig collects aromatherapy shampoo and conditioner for his travel bag. :)

"But I was in the yard...."

 

This picture was captured a few minutes too late, but I can't let this one not be documented. Earlier tonight we had family over to visit us and Ethan wanted to be outside. We said we were fine with that as long as he stayed in the yard where we could see him. He played out there for a while, and then some of our family left. My sister happened to look out the window and see that Ethan was standing in our front yard with his pants and underwear down around his ankles. She casually mentioned that to me, and I looked out the window to see Ethan peeing in the grass right there for everyone to see. As you can see, he isn't too far away from the sidewalk. We couldn't help but laugh hysterically, and Scott went to the door and said, "why were you outside with no pants on?" "Did you pee in the grass? we don't pee anywhere but in a toilet inside. Peeing outside is only for when we go camping." Ethan's response was, "But Dad, I stayed in the yard!" Love him!

The torture chamber

By that I mean torture on my heart. Cam has had to be under these dumb lights since Friday night because of jaundice and let me tell you, it has not been fun. It means that he has to be under constant supervision 24/7 because if the goggles fall off, he runs a risk of burning his eyes with these lights. Scott has been amazing and has stayed up most of the nights and then I have taken the early shift. We thought we were in the clear on Saturday when the doctor called and told us his count was down and to keep him under the lights for one more night and then he should be good. Well, at about 4 today the doctor called again and for some reason they ran his blood again and the count from yesterday was actually wrong--it was a 15. So, Cam is back under the lights for another night and off to the doctor for another blood draw in the morning. Scott also has to go back to work Monday, so I get to see how it is with 3 kids around. I am feeling pretty confident. My older boys have been great so far. But then again, Scott has been around to distract them. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we get a good blood draw tomorrow, and that we can be done with these lights. I have learned that the more kids I have, the softer I become. I think it is supposed to be the other way around. As you can tell from the pictures, this hasn't been so bad for Camden, just me!

 

 

 

More pics and a little info...

So, the first few days home have been better than expected. Ethan is in love with the baby, but he also wants to be the first one to be invited to hold him, help, etc. There is a real jealousy issue between him and Aiden. He said to me the other day, "Mom, I really love our new baby." and I said, "I do too. What about Aiden, do you love him?" and he said, "No." So, there is some work to do with that. The other thing that Ethan has said to me is, "Mom, when are you going to have another baby in your tummy?" Yea, not going to happen for a while. Maybe not at all. But I have to say after my delivery this time, it is not out of the cards. Camden was by far my easiest delivery, beside the fact that there was a potential for a C-section. But I had an incredible nurse that flipped me around every half hour so I would dialate and voila! it worked. There is something amazing about having a newborn in your home...they bring such a sweet, innocent spirit and I love having that around. Aiden loves the baby but hasn't shown a lot of jealousy yet. I keep waiting for that to happen when Scott goes to work next week. He runs around the house saying, "Z bebe." We have dubbed him our little french man. And the sleep thing isn't so bad yet either, but then again, that could change. I love being a mom and am so grateful to have 3 beautiful boys to care for and teach. There is really nothing better in life! And for all those times I was sad about Camden being a boy, well let's just say it was love at first sight!

I'm in love

Can you blame me?

Camden was born on Monday at about 3:45 p.m. weighing 9 pounds 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He has lots of light brown curly hair and the best squishy cheeks perfect for kissing. We are so lucky to have him in our family and love him so much already!

Congrats!

I know that this is a few weeks overdue, but I wanted to tell my brother congrats on getting engaged. We are excited to have Lyndsey in our family! The big day is September 6th, and we are all looking forward to it. Now, I just hope Lyndsey knows what she is in for....love you Matt!

We had a happy fourth!

We had a great time over the fourth keeping ourselves busy to overlook the anticipation of Monday. (Well, I guess that was for me!) It started out on Thursday night at Eaglewood Golf course for fireworks. I love going there because of the echo off of the mountains. The boys had a great time riding in the wagon and having treats. They also loved running down the hill and climbing back up again.

On Friday, we started off at the Kaysville Parade to catch candy and see a glimpse of our niece waving like a princess. It was great because she was the only girl still waving when they went by, and we sat at the beginning of the parade. Aiden had a great time keeping up with the big kids...just like always, but every once in a while he would come and climb up on my lap and rest. (Those moments are rare with him, so I took in every minute!) Ethan had a good time with his uncles and Aunt Heda, and I have to say thanks because I was pretty immobile with swollen feet. I was grateful that they were there to help us out.

We had a little fun at the Cherry Hill, but because of the wind we didn't stay long. Ethan wanted to be brave and try Cardiac Canyon, and got on but he wasn't allowed to go with Scott so he had to go by himself. That didn't go over very well and his ride was cut short. But I have to say, I was very proud of him. He all of a sudden has a real brave streak in him. So, after that we walked down to the blue slides and the boys went crazy. They love it. Aiden can't stop giggling when he realizes that it's his turn.

We finished off the night with a bbq at Grandma and Grandpa's house and then decided to walk down to the DATC for more fireworks. I don't really know what I was thinking because that required me to scale a fence, which I did, but let me tell you it wasn't pretty. The best part for me was realizing how lucky we are to live where we do with the freedoms we have and all the opportunities that brings to us. I have a great life and it is only about to get better on Monday. And by the way, no pictures of the mega prego...it's not pretty!

The time has come

We are scheduled to have a baby on Monday if there is room at the hospital. Otherwise Tuesday for sure. Can't say that I am really ready, but, I guess there is no turning back now! I just want to get the delivery over...that is the part that freaks me out. I did get spoiled and reminded of how sweet and wonderful a newborn is last night when my new little niece Madison came over and snuggled with me. However, my boys didn't think it was so great that mommy had a baby in her hands for an hour. Ethan thought it was ok until he figured out that he can't feed her and Aiden climbed up on the couch, climbed behind me and started kicking me in the back. Guess that is sort of a sign of things to come. Better me than the baby! Anyway, we are off for my final days at Cherry Hill (you better believe the boys will still go) and to try to not think about pushing a head out that was measuring full term two weeks ago.....ugh.