I Still Fit

I always keep the pack and play up in my closet for various reasons.  Michael asked to take his nap on my bed.  I agreed, but when I checked on him, I found this.....I love funny sleeping pictures! 

Mixed Reviews

We had our ultrasound today.  We had very mixed reviews on the results.  Baby #4 is another BOY!!!!  Poor Isabelle.  She is so upset, crying and crying about her baby sister or lack thereof. As much as Mike and I would have liked another girl as well, we are excited for all these healthy boys.  That swingset will be worth its weight in gold. :) Bring on the energy, dirt, holes in the knees, and wrestling matches!  I sure do love my boys!!!

The Monster Project

The movers broke our "starter" swingset.  We did get a check for it, but hadn't replaced it, just set it up as best we could. The kids have been playing on our unstable attempt at swings since we moved or always in the neighbor's yard.  We decided it's time to "upgrade."  We've been looking around trying to figure out what we wanted and finally a week ago, Saturday morning, we just decided to go get one.  The kids were ecstatic, to say the least.  They were squealing for all of Costco to hear.  They were extremely disappointed when they found out it would take a million years to finish.  Mike worked so hard on it in all his "spare time" and got the playhouse with slide finished on Tuesday evening so they had something until he could get it finished.  The slide got put on 30 minutes after my parents arrived (next post), which means, there was lots of good views and entertainment for us, but little attention for grandma and grandpa for a bit.

Saturday he worked about 8 hours on it into the night.  He pointed truck headlights, set up construction lights and worked til 10 that first night. The kids had fun just being outside running with anticipation excitement.




With Mike's tools out for a week, Luke was in heaven!  This boy and tools......



This was just before the slide got put on.  Have I told you we live in a perfect spot for us?  There is a little girl across the street who's also 5, and our next door neighbor has 5 and 2 year old girls.  We have open backyard policies and all the kids just enjoy the space and collection of yard toys.  We now have the big hit. Meaning my backyard is always full. :)

Luke, Gianna, Michael, Ava, Isabelle, Aryana (aka Lilly).  These kids play together constantly!

The slide was done and I caught Luke's face on camera.  He was SO cute!!!


Picture before the first trip down.


Mike worked on it a little bit each day, but finished it up with my dad yesterday.  The swings are a big hit too.



Thanks to Mike for all his hard work!!!!  The kids have already made up his work time in entertainment time.  I LOVE the sights and sounds from my backyard.  It's been so nice to sit and watch the kids in the yard in the evening shade.  I see some fun/relaxing summer evenings over this summer as I get too pregnant to move.

A Street!

As I said before, our last house was lame for kids really riding toys.  We had just a small square driveway the kids could ride in circles in and then a long gravel driveway.  It has been fabulous living actually on a street, a quiet street, and the kids can ride up and down and up and down forever.

Meet scoot-a-loo and Isabelle.  She named her scooter and has really mastered it.  She also named her bike Princess Celestia.


Michael still prefers the tricycle because he has mastered it and can go really fast.  He's getting the hang of his bike, but abandones it for speed.  Our driveway has a slight slope to it.  He loves to go to the top, lift his legs and go!!!!  Which is so fun, but he has to have someone car spotting for him.


Luke loves either the trike or Michael's bike.  He's happy with whatever is available.  He sits and waits for someone to push him on the bike, or scoots around on the trike.  He cries when the other kids are out and he doesn't get to be.


She took a turn driving Luke up and down the street.  These two are so cute together.


I'm definitely glad we live on a pretty quiet street.  3 kids going in all directions and only one of me and only one kid that is always good about getting out of the way for cars.  Michael is getting pretty good, but I still need to watch closely.  Luke is still completely clueless. I had to abandon cleaning out my truck while kids run around and play, because I spend more time digging Luke out of the street than actually cleaning.

Just Like Riding A Bike

The last few weeks Mike's been teaching Isabelle to ride her bike without training wheels finally.  Our last house there was no place for her to actually ride her bike in a straight line, only circles.  We were so excited for our perfect dead end and cul-de-sac cross roads to let kids actually ride bikes! She picked it up the first night, but has such a timid personality when it comes to situations she can get hurt in, she wants you running next to her "just in case."  She's doing great!

"Just like Mom"

Today I made meatloaf. It turned out perfect.  I have finally "arrived." We all know cooking is not my strong suit.  I have other redeeming qualities. :) My mother in law is a wonderful cook!  Everything she makes is delicious! We never go out, which means I literally cook 7 days a week, but you'd think I have hardly cooked a day in my life.  I always feel sorry for my husband going from her cooking to mine, (lucky for me there were a few years of him fending for himself in between). Anyway, this meatloaf has a funny story behind it I want to pass along. Years and years ago, I asked Mike's mom for her meatloaf recipe.  She read me her recipe card over the phone but threw in "some" and "a few" and "until it looks right" amounts and off I went.  It turned out awful.  Over the years I kept trying and it never turned out anywhere close! Mike kept accusing me of not following the recipe, even though I was perfectly following along.  So a couple of years or so ago, when she was visiting, I asked for a meatloaf demonstration....seriously, how hard is meatloaf?  It looked and tasted great, but I didn't compare it with my recipe. So with new hope, I tried and tried again.  NEVER turned out right still!  Finally a year ago, she was visiting and not only did I watch like a hawk, but I wrote down everything she actually did....um...nothing close to the recipe I had been trying to make all these years.  She's such a fabulous cook she can just throw things together and they always turn out fabulous!!  The first time I tried it, it was good and gradually I've been perfecting it.  It's finally up to snuff!!!  You know you have reached a good spot with the hub when you can recreate one of his favorite meals, "just like Mom."  It only took 9 1/2 YEARS!!!!!!  I can't help but laugh now every time I hear the word meatloaf. Oh so funny!

Now while making my meatloaf tonight, my back was to the fridge.  I kept hearing Michael getting water with cups in small amounts and was talking to him.  I even commented "Wow!  Thirsty boy!" and he said, "Yeah!" I felt like I was completely aware of the situation. Turns out in the 4 minutes it took to put together a meatloaf tonight, Michael created a slip and slide in my house.  We have a long tile hallway that goes from the master through the house to the complete other side.  It was covered in a thin layer of water and he had the biggest achievement smile on his face.  "Look at my slip n slide mom!" 7 towels later, my floor was mopped for the 2nd time today.  (Of course it was the day I ACTUALLY mopped my hallway!!!)   What a funny day! I wish I took a picture, instead words will have to do.

Camping

Our ward had a ward campout on Friday night.  Mike planned on getting home early...didn't happen.  We planned on leaving immediately when he got home....didn't happen.  Finally at 7 all Mike's business was done and we jumped in the car, throwing in the towel on camping and taking the kids to Chick-fil-A for dinner.  We weren't even out of the neighborhood and really wanted to go camping. So we turned around, threw everything in (we were all packed and ready to go) and headed out.  We stopped and got McDonald's for the kids, I had thrown our tin foil dinners in our oven when Mike got home after 5 assuming we weren't going camping, so they were hot at my feet. Off we went.  We got there around 8:30 and Michael was already asleep for the night, but we got the tent up, a fire going, and eating our warm tin foil dinners and it was all worth it. :)  I love camping. We stayed up late, slept great and had a wonderful time. Camping is another mostly stress free activity with lots of little kids.  They are in heaven with dirt, trees, exploring and sunshine.



Who doesn't use the table as sand paper for your Cheetos?



On the way home, we stopped for a "hike."  Florida ravine means lots of stairs and the closest thing to a hike you get around here.  It was beautiful.



We listened to the beginning of conference on the way home, and put the boys down for naps.  You know it's a great time when everyone looks like this....Pure exhaustion.


None of us made it to the end of the first Saturday session.  Thank goodness for DVR's. :)

Lack of Fall

With our hectic, homeless fall, I never made my pumpkin bread or cookies last year....I've been dying for them, so we had a little fall in April. :) I only had time for cookies, but the bread is on the docket for this week. The kids were sitting by the oven waiting.  I must not make goodies often enough!

Easter Fun

For Easter we had a ward Easter party on Saturday.  Fun stations and finished up with an egg hunt.  Kids had fun.  Then I spent the rest of the day cooking for the Sunday Easter dinner we had at friends' house.








Sunday morning, an Easter bunny hid plastic eggs with candy and money and brought a small basket of goodies.  I'm pretty sure I'm killing the Easter bunny part.  I have no problem still doing the eggs and basket bit, but the Easter bunny thing has never settled well with me.  Then Isabelle was asking all sorts of questions about him/it.  With Santa there's enough folklore that he's a man, how he gets in your house, why he comes, etc.... The Easter bunny is a mess.  Why in the world does a bunny poop eggs?!?!  Anyway, I digress....The kids had fun.  Luke was a chocolate mess for days, Michael has eaten everyone's candy and Isabelle has been planning how to spend her $1.65. Haha. I do love each kid has their own egg color.  They are hidden just for them.  Isabelle is pink, Michael is green, and Luke is blue.





Church was good.  Kids sang in Sacrament Meeting. I was thinking Michael would be scared with his first time up there, but he marched right up there with sister.  At first I was shocked!  Then as he started waving like he was in a parade I began to not be so shocked and just nervous what was next.  Oh, jumping, making faces, and more waving, with very minimal singing.  It was embarrassing  but cute at the same time.  We have since discussed proper performance etiquette....we'll see what mother's day brings. :) After church, we went to friends house, had another egg hunt and had a yummy dinner.  This year I didn't do sugar cookies and we didn't actually dye our eggs.  FAIL!  I absolutely LOVE those two traditions, but they just didn't happen this year.  I had 2 dozen boiled eggs ready to go.  I didn't use any of them for a few days in hopes we got it done a day or so later....by Thursday I busted out our white eggs and we just started eating them. :( Next year, next year....We also give the kids a Christ/church related gift.  This year we got the kids their own small primary song book.  They carry them around singing songs they know, but not on the right pages.  It's pretty adorable.

Baby Mode

I find it unfair that even all the strangers around here are in on our secret purely because they see me and you, my family and friends, don't.  So time to spread the news.  We get to stay in baby mode a little longer! Baby #4 is on it's way.  I'm 14 weeks, ETA is Oct 2. We are beyond surprised and excited and somewhat overwhelmed already.  If someone had told me during our infertility time that I would end up with 4 kids, I would have laughed in your face.  I am once again humbled and grateful at the Lord's plan for our family. I cannot wait to have another baby!  I love babies!!!!  I'm not gonna lie though, every time I start to think about 4 kids in not alot of years, I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.  It's going to be pretty crazy (not to mention messy) around here for a little while until some of these kids grow up a little bit, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I don't want to wish away this sweet time while they are young.  I hope I can embrace the crazy and just enjoy all my babies!  

Isabelle pretty much has been praying for a baby sister since she could talk, but she took a couple month break for a bit.  Just a week or so before I found out I was pregnant, out of the blue she started praying for it again.  And she got Michael on board when it was his turn to pray, "Make sure you pray for a baby sister."  He says, "Please bless us to have another baby brother." The kids also have all been obsessed with dolls before they knew a baby was coming.  They are ready for another sibling to torture. 




This picture makes me laugh. Somewhere, I have a picture of Isabelle with Abby and Sarah in the high chair feeding them something when she was younger than Luke.  Not much has changed.




This was when we told the kids.  We showed them the ultrasound picture and told them it was the new baby.  Isabelle was screeching and then said, "Are you for reals?"  Where did she even hear that phrase?!   We are so excited to make this adventure even more adventurous with another crazy cute kiddo!