Catching up and a Big Thank you!

Before we get this post officially started I just wanted to thank everyone for their sweet and kind comments about our fun news (aka baby #4).  Usually the more kids you have the less people get excited over the news, but luckily this time I still felt the love.  So thank you!

I will be 14 weeks tomorrow which means good bye morning sickness!  SO excited!  It has been tapering off for a week or so now and I am loving being able to like eating again and also not having to eat every hour.  The only down side is that I can't feel the baby move yet (very normal), so I find myself getting nervous about whether everything is still going ok.  Since technically I don't really feel pregnant at the moment.  I think these nerves are just going to be a part of this whole pregnancy journey so I better just get used to them.  My next appointment is next week and it will be nice to hear the heartbeat again.

In light of the morning sickness easing up I have been recreating our life schedule and getting back into a better routine this week.  We even did some preschool activities (we hadn't done any since official preschool time since before Christmas!).  The kids were excited and I felt like a little bit better mom.  I am still tired in the afternoons and move slowly during the hours of 2-4 pm but we are doing SO much better.

The spring cleaning bug has hit me and I want to redecorate and reorganize things.  The nursery (baby's room) is killing me and I really just want to know if we are having a boy or girl so that I can get to painting and decorating it.  We also sold our piano to give us some more needed space in our living room.  Within an hour of posting it online we had ten people in line to buy it.  It was a beautiful piano if I do say so.  The kids were pretty sad that we sold it, and I won't lie that it made me nervous too.  Eventually I want my kids to learn how to play the piano so we will need one again in the future, but I am hoping that we can get a little bit smaller one then.  Hopefully we will be able to purchase one when the time comes.  Also I hope our basement is finished by then too (better be!) so that things aren't so cramped in the upstairs living room.

A few other events that have happened in the last few weeks are general conference weekend and Mykelti's bridal shower that Corinne and I hosted in Utah.

General conference was a semi relaxing weekend at home.  The kids were bouncing all over the place so at times it was hard to actually hear the talks, but we had fun.  We had yummy waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on Saturday afternoon and then the kids and I hung out at a friends house while the husbands went to the priesthood session Saturday night.  We even tried to nap in between sessions so that we wouldn't nap during the sessions.  It worked for the most part.  ;)

Sunday morning we pulled out the new camera and tried out the self timer mode.  We didn't have a great spot to set the camera and I don't have a tripod so these are the best that we got.

      The weekend after conference we headed to Utah for Mykelti's bridal shower.  Corinne and I hosted it at my mom's house.  My mom was so sweet and helped us with many of the last minute prep (that ended up being a lot of stuff since the food prep was a lot).  Thanks mom!  After prepping all day Friday for the shower, McKay and I took the kids to Provo to visit his mom for a bit.  We went to In and Out for dinner and then walked around by Bridal Veil Falls.  The kids were in heaven and on the hike/walk and got very dirty to prove it.  haha!  I am really trying to just be good this year and let them get dirty, but it does take a lot out of me to not try and stop them as they slide down the dirt hills!

This was a pre-walk photo so everyone was fairly clean still

Saturday morning we had the bridal shower and it turned out great!  I enjoyed hosting it for Mykelti and chatting with all of our family.  The food was pretty great too.  We made sandwich wraps and then had salads, fruit, and yummy desserts. 

I had Corinne take all of the pictures for the shower (she got some cute ones too- Like when Jensen decided to open our present with the cute little Victoria Secret night gown in front of everyone!) and then she left her camera at my mom's house so I will have to post the pictures she took on a later date.  

Here are the few that I got before the shower started.  Can't wait for her wedding when Larissa will be there too! 

After the shower we had the special privilege of going to the temple with Mykelti while she took out her Endowments.  So sweet to be in the temple with my family.  Of course Corinne took the pictures at the temple too... so they're coming.  

We are down to a week and a half before Mykelti's wedding.  They took their formals tonight.  My mom sent us a little sneak peek photo from the session and seriously they are amazing!  They are a beautiful couple and we can't wait for April 30th to get here!

Anyways, moving on with this most random post.  We will finish with some "everyday" photos of the kids.  Just them doing what they do best.  These days they are all about playing outside and friends.  Jensen is enjoying all of the neighbors backyards and giving his mom a workout as a search for him daily.  Well I joke and talk about their naughtiness (is that a word), but in reality they really have been good sports through all of the morning sickness and I am happy that I get to focus a little more on them these days.

  

  

   

Pregnancy #4- The Details

I am in the mood to talk pregnancy these days.  So here are more details then you probably care to know about baby #4's pregnancy. I like to write things down because it is amazing how easily I forget the little things- so here we go.

This pregnancy has been very intense mentally because of the two miscarriages that I had right before it.  After my first miscarriage in Sept of 2015 I was still very optimistic and felt like everything would be fine in the future.  I know that unfortunately many women have miscarriages and that it is often just a part of having children.  When I got pregnant soon after the miscarriage I tried to stay positive.  I had morning sickness with it so I assumed everything was fine.  When I went in for my 10 week appointment a week before Christmas I was shocked to hear that I had once again lost the baby.  I was not prepared to have two miscarriages in a row and I was so sad and pretty confused about what our plans should be moving forward.  

After discussing things with McKay we decided to try one more time to have a baby.  I guess we were following the old third "times a charm" saying.  My doctors could not see anything that was obviously wrong with my body and they assumed that I should be able to carry a baby.  So they agreed that trying again was just fine.

Once again we were blessed to be able to get pregnant quickly.  I was pretty nervous in the beginning and decided to call my midwife and see how early I could get an appointment to help calm my fears.  Normally they get you in between 8-11 weeks for your first appointment, but this time they let me come in at 7 1/2 weeks.  The week before my appointment the kids and I were in Utah.  I didn't plan on telling anyone about the pregnancy yet, but morning sickness hit me that week and I ended up spilling the beans to my parents to help explain why I was acting so weird.  I literally spent that week in a fog trying to let the kids have a fun week, but in the end they watched a lot of Disney junior and ate a lot of cold cereal and chicken nuggets.  

My first appointment went well and I got to see the heartbeat at the ultrasound.  The baby measured 6 weeks 6 days.  My due date stayed the same and is October 20, 2016.  Relief came for a few days and I was excited that things were going well.  But then lovely pregnancy hormones took over and my mind started worrying.  I lost our other baby at 6 weeks 5 days so I felt like things could definitely still go wrong.  On top of that I felt good for a few days during weeks 8 and 9.  While normally that should be a good thing it made me SO worried.  I thought that for sure I was loosing this pregnancy too.  The next 3 weeks I stressed and worried, pretty much all day everyday.  It wasn't just the fact that I wanted this pregnancy to work, but I felt like our entire future of having kids was riding on it.  I felt like if this one did not work then we may not ever get to have anymore children (McKay and I have always wanted a large family).  I realize these are dramatic thoughts, but that is how I felt.  I couldn't tell a soul that I was expecting and I could barely admit it to myself.  I just didn't want to be blindsided again so I just tried to bottle up my emotions and focus on anything but the pregnancy.

Finally the day came for my 11 week appointment.  It was actually on April Fools.  The doctor tried to find the heartbeat at first with the doppler, but was unsuccessful because I was still early on.  So back to the ultrasound room we went.  Words cannot describe how nervous I was as I prepped for the ultrasound I just prayed over and over that things would be ok.  McKay was there with me and we even brought Declin as a distraction.  The ultrasound was super short but luckily they were able to find the heartbeat and the baby was growing right on schedule!

So much relief came after that appointment!  I could finally admit to myself that we were actually going to have a baby!  The day was a beautiful spring day and McKay and I were on cloud nine.  We spilled the beans to the kids as soon as they got in the car about the new baby coming and they were SO excited.  We went to Red Robin to celebrate since I had been craving a burger.  ;) It was an awesome day and one that I will remember for a long time.

Thankfully I have had a lot of peace since that day and am now enjoying this pregnancy.  Yes I have morning sickness, but it should be going away in the next 2 weeks which will be so nice.  I am also pretty tired, but if I nap for a little bit in the afternoon I usually have enough energy for the basics of life with three little ones.  I even bought a couple new baby items the other day just because I couldn't help myself.  ;)

Overall this pregnancy has been easier then Declin's (besides the anxiety in the beginning).  I think part of it has been easier because of the supplements that I have taken pretty faithfully since my miscarriage in December.  Also I think that it has helped that my kids are a little bit older then they normally are when I am going through the morning sickness.  This baby and Declin will be 25 months apart which is still very close in age, yet will be my largest gap so far.  Adalyn and Jensen are 16 months apart and Jensen and Declin are 21 months apart.

One question I get asked is if we are going to find out the gender before hand.  Yes!!  We did not choose to do the gender test (really don't know why) so we will have to wait until the 20 week ultrasound to find out what this little one is.  I am SO excited!!

Another question I keep getting asked is if we are going to finish our basement since we will now have 4 kids and 2 kid bedrooms upstairs.  I would love to get it finished, but we haven't quite saved the money for it yet.  So the set up when the new baby comes will be- the three older kids sharing our largest kid bedroom with Adalyn and Jensen on a bunk bed and Declin in his crib.  The baby will have Declin's old room that is used as a nursery (although I plan to repaint and decorate it).  After our purging of tons of items in our home last summer this set up should work out just fine and I don't feel like things will be overly crowded.  The toys are all pretty much kept downstairs with carpet for the kids to play on which helps bring the clutter down to a manageable level.

Here is my first "belly picture" at 12 1/2 weeks.  I have gained about 10 lbs so far which is very normal for me in the first trimester.  When you have to eat every hr. to keep the morning sickness at bay and you don't throw up the weight comes on pretty fast.  Luckily things average out during the rest of the pregnancy when I am no longer sick.

 Something that has made this pregnancy special is that I get to be pregnant with lots of family and friends.  There are 3 of our siblings that are also due in October which will give our little one plenty of cousins his/her age.  Plus one of my really good friends here in Idaho is also due in October.  She and I have had lots of fun going to Zumba and prenatal water aerobics together.  When you are going through something as intense as pregnancy it is always a treat to have others who are going through it with you.

Overall we are SO very grateful for this new little spirit that will be entering our lives.  McKay and I love being parents and it is such a blessing to have each one of our children.  I adore the newborn stage (call me crazy, I know!) and my happiest moments in my life are when I am rocking my newborns.  The time goes by SO fast and soon they are growing up, so today I am dreaming about our soon to be newborn and imagining those special moments after they are born that I get to spend caring for them and cuddling their sweet newness (is that even a word, probably not).  



p.s. I feel like I need to include a little note from my heart here- This is my blog where I share my family's journey.  I know parts of this post sound dramatic and may sound like I am complaining.  I wanted to explain it the way that it felt in my heart.  But please know that I realize that this trial that my family went through is tiny and pretty much nothing compared to the trials that many of you have gone through or are continuing to go through.  Please know that I pray for many of you daily that you too can have the desires of your hearts.  I wish we didn't have to suffer hard things, but I know that they are there for a purpose and hopefully through them we can all come closer to our savior.  I love you all and want the best for each of you!      



  

 

 

            

Spilling the Beans

Well technically only one bean....

Baby #4 is on its way!!!

We are thrilled, humbled, nervous, blessed, grateful, and many other emotions.  This has been an adventure for our family and we are praying and hoping for a happy ending this time.

AND... things are looking well!  Baby is healthy and growing.  I am 12 weeks along and our due date is October 20th.  I have had two ultrasounds so far and both times the heartbeat was perfect and measuring right along.

The kids are SO excited!  It truly makes this journey even more fun knowing how excited they are to have a new baby.  They are good belly watchers and tell me daily that my tummy is growing big ;)

To make this fun announcement we I decided to recreate our announcement picture from when we were expecting Declin.  So here is a little #throwback for your Thursday (I even put Declin in the same shirt Jensen was wearing).  Although I am happy to report this year's round of pictures so WAY easier to accomplish then they were in 2014.  Thankfully!

Well I have so much more to say about everything, but we will save it for another day!  

18 Months- March 24, 2016

Oh ya know... My baby turned 18 months old last week.  Of course the big excitement with this age is nursery.  He was excited to go and we were excited to send him.  Win win!  Normally as a mother the ages of 15 months- 24 months are hard months for me.  They are fussy from teething and want to be independent, but aren't very good at it yet.  They usually regress in the sleeping department and you get to spend a lot of time chasing them down and trying to figure out what they want from all of their grunting, pointing, and screaming.  But for some reason Declin hasn't been too challenging.  It is probably because he is my third and I have finally realized that it is just a phase that they will grow out of, but I also think there are a few factors that have helped make the transition from baby to toddler easier.

He is talking (ish) which helps us understand him.  Plus Addie is a huge help in keeping him out of trouble.  She loves being a mother to him and often wants me to go away so that she can mother him.  He is doing ok in the sleeping department and only wakes up once or twice a week for a cup of milk.  So while toddlers are busy we are enjoying this stage with him and watching him learn.

So far the hardest thing has been his terrible eating habits.  He is a very picky eater and has refused to be fed by anyone besides himself since 8 months old.  He wont even let us feed him a piece of candy from our hands.  He has to have it in HIS hand and then he will put it in his mouth.  He has finally gained some control with the spoon so things are not quite as messy as they used to be.  I know he will eventually eat his vegetables (because he will have no choice), but for now the only vegetable he wont spit out are carrots and peas.  And even then he has only started eating those in the past month.  Before that he refused anything that was not bread, milk, or fruit.  Grrr!

He loves baby dolls and constantly asks for you to find one, wrap it up in a blanket, and then let him rock it and show you how cute it is.  He also loves giving hugs and will make the rounds to every member of the family.  Once the hugging is done, he usually turns into a kitty and wants you to love on him all over again.  I love watching him give hugs because he seems to mature so quickly when he does.  Often times I am amazed he is only 18 months, but he is such a tiny guy people often think he is much younger.

He still enjoys sorting and moving objects in and out of different containers.  Because of this, he is a great helper when we are cleaning up.  He has started to love reading books and will actually sit still for a short story.

He also has the older neighborhood girls wrapped around his finger and they like to play "house" with him when they are outside.  This weekend when we would check on him in the backyard he was often wrapped up in a blanket laying down in the little play house as happy as can be.

We are so happy to have him in our family and enjoy his sweet spirit.  

Holy Week and Easter Sunday 2016

A few days before Easter my mom called and apologized for not being more festive during the Easter holiday when we were kids.  Of course I had no idea what she was talking about.  No we didn't go all out crazy each year.  But there was always fun to be had and a great Easter basket sitting out on Easter morning.  I have great memories from Easter growing up.  I think moms have the right to celebrate holidays however we want to celebrate them (it is one of the great perks of being a mom).  Kids remember even the smallest things and love whatever comes their way.

This year I found my perfect version of Easter and how I want my family to celebrate it. It was definitely not over the top, but I think we all enjoyed it and I truly felt a special spirit in our home all week as we looked forward to Easter Sunday.

We started out on the Sunday before Easter reviewing and remembering each day in Christ's final week on this earth.  I followed the suggestions made on Mercy River's blog  about how to have a Christ-centered Easter.  We read the scriptures she suggested, watched the bible videos, and did the fun hands on activities for each day.  Adalyn and Jensen are getting old enough that they could grasp the simple and basic concepts from each day.  We may have skipped one or two days but the over all topic of the week was Jesus's death and resurrection.

Easter Sunday morning I put a picture of Jesus outside their bedroom door so that it was the first thing that they saw when they woke up in the morning.  I really wanted them to remember who we were celebrating.  I also hung other pictures from the savior's last week in the dining room and we all had a great time reviewing them as we ate breakfast.

In years previous my kids have been a little freaked out about the Easter bunny idea.  I mean the idea of a giant bunny coming into your home at night is a little creepy.  So McKay and I decided that we would just drop the Easter bunny idea and just say that their Easter baskets are a gift to celebrate Jesus.  Well of course this year the Easter bunny finally clicked and they would not be swayed from the idea that their baskets were from the Easter bunny.  So we didn't fight it and just went with it.

At McKay's house as a child the Easter bunny hid each child's basket somewhere around the house.  So we have kept with this tradition and the kids have fun looking around the house for their baskets.  Addie found hers first and was SO excited about her new Easter dress.  I was excited too!

We tried to have the things in their baskets point to Christ or the church in some way.  So the older kids got small scriptures and their own scripture cases, CTR rings, coloring books for church, and of course some eggs with candy in them.  Declin got some Scripture Scouts CDs (children's songs about the Book Of Mormon) and some mini books to take to church.  They were all thrilled with what they got and enjoyed eating lots of candy right away.

      

After a fun morning of Easter Baskets and french toast we snapped a few pictures of the kids in their Easter best and headed off to Logan, UT for a baby blessing of their newest Pace cousin.  

I am convinced their is nothing sweeter then a new baby girl in her blessing dress.  Baby Sadie looked like an angel and we were happy that we got to be there for her special day. 

After church and a nice Easter dinner the kids got to do a little Easter egg hunt.  Addie and Jensen enjoyed it, but Declin just wanted to jump on the trampoline.  He is obsessed with jumping.  This was our only egg hunt of the year so thanks to Aunt Natalie the kids didn't have to miss out on this fun tradition. 

Here are all of the kids waiting to go outside for the egg hunt.   

The rest of the afternoon the kids played outside with the daddies while the moms chatted inside.  After a fun-filled day we drove back to Idaho that evening so that McKay could go to work the next day.  

I am so grateful for the spirit of hope and love that we were able to feel this year for Easter.  I know my Savior loves me.