Ode to Hip Hop!

Hubby got me an Anniversary gift early... I did request this... Hip Hop Abs with Shawn T... I've been doing the exercises almost every day, and I'm proud to say I'm looking better and better! I fit into my prepregnancy skirt yesterday... even a week before would have been unthinkable. Woohoo! Tilt, Tuck, Tighten, WOO! And on Valentine's day, we actually worked out to this with a borrowed projector, and some virgin margarita's. I did my first push-up ever!! This is really a big accomplishment for me. I can do several in a row now!

The Three Wise-Children

Chloe 4 Eva 3 and Gabe 4 months. He's starting to overwhelm them on the chair, or anywhere now. Growing and growing!

Love One Another

I couldn't tell if Chloe was burying her head into Eva's head. After this... Eva refused to pose again...

So, we did a side by side shot... not so pushy-looking... Maybe.

Daddy was helping Eva review her abc's and spelling. She and her snotty, dripping nose were attacking him. 2 against 1... not fair!

We were blessed to have some little Mary's come to our house Friday night, riding their horses. We just thought this was pretty cute. They held act for about 1/2 hour.

Here, too? I think I was tagged....

I have no idea how I can tell I was tagged.. but my facebook told me so... so I'll do this one..
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Planned. Oh yes. I even stood on my head. Yes, I bet you never knew this, but Brian brings it up all the time. He says that's what did it.. lol. I was young... what else can I say?

2 .WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Only for a few months.

3. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? I was like... um.. yeah! okay. yes. we can do this. I have a little alien in me now.. ok.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Ummm... I had lots of options before abortion is even considered... like all the stuff leading up to it?

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20 when she was born... dang I WAS young.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? went to the doctor for ab pain and they took blood tests... ta da!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? We found out together because of blood tests results. the home tests always were negative.. yes.. and he called his whole family in the five minute drive we were apart. He felt like THE MAN.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes

9. DUE DATE? March 21st? I really don't know. They gave me a lot.

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Oh yes! I lost 30 lbs... partly sickness partly broke and starving during this time and our AZ caseworker was a real 'all star' and spent almost the whole time in AZ wondering what he could do for us.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? What few things I could eat without heartburn. I distinctly remember chocolate peanut butter cookies... mm.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The frequent bathroom trips

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Diva

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Well, at this point I didn't know what I would do with girls. I've figured it out by now, I think.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 70lbs- i know. let's move on...

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? My in-laws held one for me, I think

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The shower? I knew.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? no, but I learned something about me that I never couldv'e learned otherwise.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Bay Park Community Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 8am water broke... 4pm she popped out

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Brian...very quickly

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? my hubby- man is he good

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? heck ya. men are that they might have joy- not pain!

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 6oz

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 4pm ( I saw 405 but whatever..I was on good epidural drugs)

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Chloe Leigh

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? turns 5 next month

Little G at 4 mo!

Here are the stats of my little homie G.... at his 4 mo checkup:

13 lbs
23 3/4 inches long
Peach fuzzy hair everywhere except the back of his neck, where the longer blond hairs poke over his shirt collars.

I was so happy to hear that he is gaining all this weight. Three weeks prior we were in the hospital and he was just a tad over 10lbs. It's amazing what happens when they are actually eating (I've pretty much stopped nursing because he was getting really really really dehydrated from not getting enough. I tried, though- I really did!, so no I shoulda thoughts about this decision. )
His favorite things are looking at the girls playing the Wii (they're very animated) and snuggling with his mama. (insert warm fuzzy here) He loves to be spoken to by the other man in the house, of course, but daddy's attention is a lot harder to ascertain for any amount of time than moms.
He's got a routine down... 130, 430, 630am feedings and then every few hours throughout the day. We've started cereal, and he's tried lots of foods. I think his favorites are banana's and sweet potatoes. We'll start the green veggies and try apples again next week.
The girls love it when they can give him a spoonful or two of food. They love to hold him and do rhyme's with him, tuck him in... anything to do to play mommie for a moment. In a minute or two, however, they are more than ready to give me back the reigns as mother of the house.
Daddy loves to make him laugh, and help him to grow up - while I love to cuddle and snuggle him to keep him my baby boy as long as he'll let me.
I am so happy we're a happy and mostly functional family!!

Finding Jesus, and patience!

#1 I had to post this to remember this funny moment in time:

My oldest daughter was overheard yesterday evening exclaiming,
"Oh! I found Jesus! I've been looking for him all day!"

She had a picture of Jesus given to her at church from a teacher and had apparently 'lost' it and had been looking for it all day long. She had 'much rejoicing' when she found Him.

I just thought that was noteworthy... my daughter found Jesus yesterday.

#2 And my younger daughter after having an FHE lesson about praying and how we can pray, who we pray to, etc., said a heartfelt prayer afterward, blessing lots and thanking lots. In the middle of the prayer somewhere she decides to say- (can't imagine where she got this phrase from), "And please bless Jesus, and help Him to have patience." Well, I look at it positively: a. she's listening to my prayers and b. she really feels like Jesus is a person just like us. Maybe He could use blessings.. I'd never thought of that before.

Children are life's best teachers, I think. I love them for their sweet and pure views of life. I wish I could pretend that life was like that, sometimes... but then again I've worked hard on not being the stereotypical naive blonde small town girl. Sometimes it shows better than others!

Pre-Marriage...

B wore his first shirt and tie here.... And pants that weren't falling off *grin*.... My dad helped him tie his tie... My mom made dinner for us, and we danced our hearts content that night!

This was my Junior Prom dress. I helped make it... that's all i really remember here.

My Senior Prom... don't remember this one either.. hmmm... I just had gotten my widom teeth pulled and tonsils out so B had to feed me drugs, bananas, and we brought a soup because I couldn't eat the dinner we paid for.. Ya, I admit... I don't remember much at all.

6 Years!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!
I still remember feeling like I was about to pass out walking down the halls of our church getting ready to do a small but purposeful walk across the front of the chapel to my then fiance Brian where we concreted our love and devotion for each other. I remember my father pulling me along faster as I tried so desperately for that walk down the isle that i was told, "would not happen'', the shock of B's family members from the fastest wedding they had ever attended in their life, my cheeks hurting from smiling so bad and yet my head whirling because I had never pictured getting married in the chapel. It was always the temple. The Mesa temple.... we did eventually get sealed in the Columbus temple about a year later. My picture here captures my head over heels happiness and 'la la la' attitude. We were so young, so.... young. Our bishop gave us a 1 in 10 chance of surviving five years, if I remember correctly. That's thinking positive, right?
Well, After 6 years, we've been through a lot. We've changed a lot. And, B is my wonderfully supportive hubby! Oh boy, do I love him! I think we've come to a lull- a positive one- in our marriage and I LOVE IT! After moving, um... 8 times I think?, in the 6 years, having 3 kids, changing jobs a lot, starting a business, leaving that business I worked so hard for behind in Ohio, and growing together in a way we would have never done in Ohio, we are not even done yet! There's so much more to come, and it's exciting to me. The first year? It took forever. I realized B was a person... socks wedged in the bed covers, computers and computers, chewing where I could 'suddenly' hear him, and oh ya... realizing that boys really do spend a lot of time in the bathroom (hence the jokes). I was a little frightened about what was to come. The odds were against us, and we've CONQUERED! Now I love all the little things that make B, B! What 's better is that he loves me for all my faults, quirks and stuff. I had convinced him before we got married that I was a princess and that "princesses don't poo" Luck would have it that I ended up getting food poisoning right after we got married. That 'cute' lie I said was abruptly put to an end. Then, pregnancy... he still loves me after all that! In fact, he's loved me through it all!
I gave him a storybook of our love today. He still gives me the chills, butterflies, whatever you call it... he's GOT ME! I'm so glad we've been able to make our marriage finer with time. That's the art, right? Like fine wine. I'm so excited for that day when we can try to chase each other around with our walkers someday! How fun! For all eternity, I love him! *sniff*
Funny things we've gone through:
#1 I got sick once and clogged every drain we had in our house while peeing on his foot (this is separate from the food poisoning)
#2 We drove across country with all we owned. I can see it clearly: Brian's hand oustide the window rain or shine December 21st helping to hold our mattress to the Ford Taurus (tied down with a couple straps). We had walkie talkies to communicate so we could pull over to readjust the mattress... again, and again, and again. I was 6 mo. pregnant crammed into our 2 dr. Honda Civic.
#3 Our honeymoon was at a resort. We were given a cabin to stay in for a couple nights I think. I said, "Wow! Look how big this is. We should have a party!" We spent the entire honeymoon driving to and from my moms... I cannot remember why.
#4 Hearing Brian say, "Whose poop is this in the toilet?" and when no confessions were made, having me say, "If it's like this, it's Chloe's and if it's like this, it's Eva's". You know your a mom when.... moment.
#5 I made him ask me to marry him... 3 times. I lost the engagement ring he worked hard to earn. Each time was meant to be more romantic or memorable... only to have it completely the opposite. The third time he asked me was at Don Pablo's while a 21 year old was being sung to while women were throwing tampons around. One landed on the table while he was preparing for 'the question'. Ya.
#6 Pre-marriage: mooning, kissing, walking, dancing, proms
#7 Brian was angry, reversed over my parents big rock in the driveway specifically placed so that drivers could avoid danger... who could miss a big rock? Brian. The gas tank ripped open and leaked out the tank of gas... he got so angry he kicked the 'dumb' rock, and therefore fracturing his ankle where he had to wear a walking cast... all in front of my parents. I bet they were impressed.
*8 Our car was written on with lipstick that showed up "Just Married!" Anytime it rained, people would look, smile and honk! We would be wearing pajamas, jeans... I wonder if they wondered if we really had 'just' gotten married.
Ahh.... time is moving on and B is waiting for me. I'm gone!