Tis the Season

I'm so excited for Christmas. I can't believe that it is only a week and a half away. The time is just flying by. There is so much to do and I don't feel that I have enough time to get it all done. I've been wanting to do some baking, but with little kids and work I don't know if it will get done this year. I've also been trying to get my sisters gift done so I can wrap it. That's another thing that has to happen wrapping all the gifts. I really only have Wednesday and Saturday to try to accomplish all of it. I feel a little overwhelmed. In a good way though.

I just love the atmosphere of Christmas. The lights and sounds. The music. The goodies. It is so much fun. I can't wait until the 23rd. I have until the 28th off of work and it will be nice to just relax a little and have some fun. We are heading down to Tri-Cities on the 23rd to spend the holiday with my brothers and sisters. It is going to be so much fun to have everyone together. It has been quite awhile since we have been able to accomplish this. Nothing says Christmas like good food shared with good people in a good environment. Christmas should be a blast. Hope you all have a great holiday too.

What better way to start the holiday season then with elf yourself. I think this will be a new tradition in our house. The kids get a real kick out of it, so do I. Just want to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that. I don't know if I will have time to post much as the month progresses but I will try. Love to all of you out there!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I'm 3!

Guess who turned 3? GIDEON! I can't believe that my little 'fat' man is 3 already. No, I don't still call him that. It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. It seems like just yesterday we were surprise with me being pregnant, and now here we are.

Gideon is such a great kid. He is mostly happy, we all have bad days. He loves to play with balls and cars. He also really loves to watch cartoons. Mickey and Spongebob are his favorites. He enjoys playing with friends and going with me places. He loves the park and anything that has to do with the outdoors. This is the first year that he actually likes the snow so that has been fun. He LOVES his big brother and sister and wants to do everything with them. He loves to cuddle. I really like this, and when he sucks his thumb and holds his ear he turns back into my sweet little baby. I love him!

Joe and Gideon are trully buddies. When I have to go to work Joe is so great about doing things with him, and Gideon loves that. He loves to play kickity kick ball (Wow Wow Wubbzy), and hit the ball. He and Joe play those a lot. He is such a great blessing to our lives. I will always be so grateful that we are bless to have this sweet little boy in our family. He is growing into such a great person. He has really become the little conversationalist and will talk your ear off if you let him. What a sweet boy! I love you Gideon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Halloween 2009!

(Cordin as the Scream)

Halloween we pretty fun this year. We did the whole
trick or treating thing with the kids. We all had a
really good time out and about. We headed
over to my sister Bev's neighborhood. The kids
made a pretty good hall.

Here's Gabbie as a witch. Our neighbor was really
nice to give us a bunch of costumes that they
had all grown out of. I didn't want to buy any
this year, so this worked out really well.

Gideon as a Tiger!
He really loved this costume.
He wore it everyday for about a week. It was fun
to see him have so much fun. The kids didn't really
last all that long considering. I can remember going
trick or treating for hours. It was probably because
that was the only candy we really got all year. My mom
didn't buy candy, so when we got the chance
to have some for free we went all out.
Then we would come home and sort through it,
dividing it into the groups of favorite
and not so favorite. And then we would trade it.
Oh the memories. My kids were
pooped out after only half an hour.
They still made off pretty well though.

Here's Brynwen in her little flower costume. I really
like it because she can wear it as a coat too. I think she
had fun, at least for what she was awake for. It was so
much fun to watch them have fun. I really loved it!
Can't wait for next year...

Halloween Fun!

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Look Who's 6 Months Old!

Here's Brynwen in her stroller. She loves to be
outside and will settle right down
if she is mad. She is so cute!

She is now 6 months old and exploring
the world around her. My sweet baby can roll
over from her back to her stomach, and just started
rolling from her stomach to here back.
She can only do this on one side though, which is pretty
funny to watch. She can sit up all by herself. She can
also reach for objects that
are around her. She loves to
'eat' fingers and will suck on any
that are available. She loves
to talk to anyone and everyone. She laughs at
her big brother Gideon when he plays with
her and loves it when Cordin and
Gabbie play with her too. She can clap
her hands all by herself but
loves to play patty cake.
She is such a good baby and hardly ever cries.
She is truly a joy to have in our family!

Here she is in her jumping chair.
She didn't really like it, she didn't know
what to think of it at first, but now that
she has the hang of it, she loves it.
It's fun to watch her bounce in it.

Here she is attaching the parrot.
She loves to eat his tail feathers.
I can't believe that she is already 6 months old.
I just love her and am so thankful for her.

Fast food has got to go!

I just got done watching a documentary called Super Size Me. WOW! It was crazy. For those of you that haven't heard about it, it's about this man named Morgan who only ate McDonald's for 30 days. He was trying to prove that eating fast food isn't healthy. He did just that. He went from 185 to 210 pounds in 30 days. His cholesterol jumped severely and his kidney function was in danger. It was an eye opener.

I will never look at fast food the same again. It is something that I have decided needs to be cut down in our diets if not cut out. I can't believe how much our society relies on the fast food industry. We as a country have become the most obese in the world. It is so sad!

I have to decided that I will not be one of those statistics. I am going to reach my goal of becoming healthy and strong. I will teach my kids proper eating and exercising habits and I will help them to make good food choices. I am rededicating myself to loosing the weight and keeping it off!

Anyway, there's my soap box rant for the month. Wouldn't it be cool if we could send some sort of message to the fast food world. I was thinking of starting something...maybe picking a day that everyone bans fast food. I don't know. Just a thought...

Fall is almost here!

Here it is Sept 12th. How time flies. I can't believe that it is so close to fall. School is in session and the kids are readjusting to getting up in the mornings again, so am I. It has been nice to have some measure of discipline to our lives again. Summer is great but it wreaks havoc on our schedule. We are falling back into our old patterns which is nice.

Cordin is in the 4th grade now and seems to like his teacher this year. I'm happy about this. Last year he had some difficulty with Mr. Curtis. I don't know if it was Cordin just not liking a boy teacher or the work he had to do. This year he has a female teacher again and so far he seems to be doing well.

Gabbie is in 2nd grade. She loves school. She is a very good student and loves to play with her friends. She really likes her teacher this year, even though she didn't get the one she wanted. She does have one of her very close friends in her class, which had made her happy.

Gideon is doing the same. We are home and life goes on without brother and sissy home. Gideon does miss them terribly though when they're gone. He gets very bored with just me. I have been trying to occupy his time with games and activities. We even make it out every now and again. There is a play group that meets once a week that we will be attending starting this week. He wishes that he could go to school with Cordin and Gabbie. Maybe pre-school next year, we'll see.

Brynwen is growing to fast. She is 5 1/2 months old now. She can almost sit by herself and rolls everywhere. She is very inquisitive of everything. She loves her hands. It's fun to sit and watch her concentrate on them. She also loves my hair. She grabs it and puts it in her face tickling herself and then laughs and makes a face, drops it, and starts over again. It's hilarious to watch. She blows raspberries and makes what I can only describe and bird sounds. She absolutely loves her brothers and sister. Whenever they come and play with her she just lights up. She is such a good baby. Growing to big, to fast.

So, life continues to go on. Time just keeps speeding past. I just can't get over that I have a 9 year old already. It seems like just yesterday I was holding Cordin in my arms and now he's all grown up...he thinks he is. Sometimes I wish that time would slow down, or that I could freeze it where it is. Oh well, I guess I will just have to enjoy kids while I can. I just love them. It really is to short of a time that we have them with us. Sometimes I wish they could stay forever. Other times I'm okay with the fact that they will leave the nest. I guess that's just how it is though. Okay, I'm just rambling now...I guess I'll stop.

August is almost gone!

Here we are the middle of August.
I can't believe how fast this year is going.
Before we know it, it will be winter again.
I have had a wonderful summer so far.
Lots of family have come to visit this year,
which is a first for us, and we have had such a good time
renewing families ties.

Jeri and here kids were here for a week.
It was so much fun having them visit.
We did Silverwood while they were here and it was a blast.
Everyone had a fun filled time in both of the parks.
We were sad to see them go, but life has
to return to 'normal' eventually.

My aunt and cousin have also come to visit.
It has been 10 years
since we have last seen each other.
It's good to renew that relationship also.

I really love family. It's so nice to know
that even if you don't see someone for a long time, the
relationship is still there and you can almost pick up where
you left off.

Family is AWESOME!

Summer Fun

OK, the time has come once again to go to Silverwood Theme Park! YAY! We are so excited to go this year because Jerilynn, Joe's sister, is coming with her 3 kids to spend a week and go to the park with us. I think that most of my siblings are going to try to come as well so it should be tons of fun. We are trying to get a big group together so that we can do the group discount, so if anyone wants to join us let me know. We are going on Aug 6 and will spend the whole day there. The water park is so much fun, so are the rides but I can't do those anymore without getting sick. Last year we went as just our little family and had a good time, but it is more fun with more people. So join us and have a fun filled day.

Going CRAZY!

I'm SO ready for school to start! I have got to find something to keep my kidos entertained, they are driving me CRAZY! They are constantly fighting and screaming at each other, Cordin, Gabbie and Gideon. I just need to figure something out that I can have them do that will promote happiness and love and kindness and QUIET! Any suggestions out there? I am willing to try anything!

Catching Up

It's been some time since my last post. Just a quick catch up.

Joe...is loving work. He is having great success in his job and really likes the people that he works with. He has been spending some time in our yard trying to make it look good and has even had some success. He helped DeMarco and Bev put in their yard a couple of weekends ago and seemed to have fun doing it. He was sore for a couple of days, it was a lot of lifting and bending over to put the sod in.

Me...I started back to work this last weekend, and what can I say, it's work. I wish I didn't have to go back but it's a necessity at this point. I hope that someday I will have the choice of whether I have to work of not. I can only hope.

I had a great time with Maggie while she was here. It was fun to spend time with her and Miriam for those two extra weeks. She was able to stay with us for about a week out of that extra time. I have missed her since they moved. Thanks for spending time with me Maggie! We didn't do a whole lot of 'stuff', but had a good time not doing it.

I have been thinking about what I can do at home to earn some income. Piano lessons seem to be what I have been able to come up with. I'm just not sure yet if that is something that my home life will accommodate at this point. Does anyone have any ideas that don't incluse babysitting that I can do from home?

The kids... Cordin has been going to cub scout day camp for the last 3 days. He seems to be enjoying it and has done a lot of fun activities. His favorites have been fishing and shooting the bebe guns. He's also been enjoying the summer with friends and of course video games. He would probably play them all day everyday if I didn't make him call his friends to play. Gabbie is our little social butterfly. She has her list of friends that she calls everyday hopeing that one of them will be able to play with her. A couple of her friends have pools and so she has been able to go swimming a lot already this summer. She is a little fish. She hurt her foot in one of her friends bike tires but that hasn't slowed her down any. Life for Gideon and Brynwen isn't a whole lot different for them. Big brother and sissy come and go and occationaly play with them in between pit stops at home. Gideon loves the park and would stay there all day if I let him. He wants to be a big boy so badly. He's a pretty fun little kid. Brynwen is growing like mad. She loves to smile now and is trying to roll over and pull herself up when on her stomach. She is such a good baby.

That's it for now have a good one.

Cordinism

The other day Joe decided to bring the X box upstairs and plug it into our new monitor. (It's a really nice one that he has wanted for a long time). Anyway, Cordin was sitting watching Joe play Force Unleashed, a Star Wars game that has a lot of fighting in it with light sabers and makes all of the Star Wars sounds, when I asked him to hold Brynwen for me so I could get some stuff done. She was a little bit fussy when I handed her to him but as soon as she sat on his lap she calmed down and started to watch the monitor. Cordin turns to me and says, "Mom, she must like the soothing sounds of death." I stopped for a moment because I wasn't sure I heard him right so he repeated it for me and then I just busted up laughing. Only my 9 year old video game addicted son would come up with that.

Weekend fun

This weekend we went down to the Tri-Cities for Brent's graduation, Jace's birthday and baby Wade's blessing. It was a fun filled weekend. We stayed at Bryan's house and just had a good time. We got to the graduation just as it was starting and had to sit there for about 2 hours. Brent of course was the 9Th to last name to be called. He had a typical Brent response to his name being called. He ran out on stage and did some muscle man posing. It was pretty funny. We had a BBQ for him after and then just hung out as a family. There was a scary moment after the graduation when Gabbie went running out into the crowds before anyone could stop her and got lost in the thousands of people that were there. It took us about an hour to find her. Thankfully a nice woman found her and took her to the security tent. Worst feeling ever not knowing where your child is. I'm so glad that she was okay. It was not the first time she's done that but hopefully it's the last.

On Saturday we had Jace's birthday. It was fun. Bryan got the water slide out and the kids had a blast on it. We had a nice lunch and a few fun games. The kiddies had a great time.

Sunday we went to Wade's blessing. It was so neat to be there as a family. We headed over to Ben's after the blessing and had another great meal with everyone. We also got to see Ben's new house. It's really nice and will be a great place for wade to grow up. We headed out at about 2:30 and made it home safe and sound. It is so nice to have family close and to be able to spend time together. I really love my brothers and sisters and am grateful that we are friends as well as family.

Weekly update

Alright I've been a slacker updating everyone on my weight lose adventure. The past week and a half has been really good. I have followed my eating plan and even done some exercising. I lost 6 pounds for the month of May. YEA FOR ME!!! I am so happy with that. I am excited to keep going as I have seen the results when I do what I put my mind to doing. I love that I have been able to stick with my plan (for the most part) there have been a couple of oops moments, but I am doing what I have wanted to do for a long time. I am changing my life style. I will keep on doing it and keep writing about it. This really does help. Anyway, it's good and I will update again soon.

Memorial Day Fun!

Today we had our (what's turning into a tradition) Memorial day BBQ and birthday party. It was a lot of fun. We celebrate all of the May birthdays in the family and pretty much all of the birthdays for everyone. When all of my siblings are here it is a lot of craziness. Unfortunately Bryan and family couldn't make it, neither did Ben and Tracy, so our numbers were smaller this year. Cordin and Gabbie did have quite a lot of friends show up this year so that made up for it a little. We played water games this year, balloons and water guns, and then we went to the park and did some other playing around. It was good old fashion fun. The kids had a really good time and I think that most of their friends did too. It was a little crazy with all of the extra kids running around and I have to admit that I was extremely glad when it was over and all of the kids went home. I can handle having one or two of their friends here for long periods of time but a whole gaggle of them is something else. I get really rundown and tired. Having this BBQ and birthday party has been a great way to celebrate Memorial Day. Hope that everyone out there had a great day too.

Sunday Update

I missed my Saturday Tell All, sorry. I did pretty well this week. For the most part my food choices have been good. I did have a few slips this week. It's hard to have chocolate and cookies around without eating them. I am down another 3 pounds. Yeah for me! That's 5 for the month so far. I am pretty excited about this and it looks like I may even reach my goal of 7 pounds for the month of May. I just might raise my goal for next month. It's going well and I am very proud of myself for sticking to something for more then a few days. There have definitely been some ups and downs, but it has been worth it to see some results. There it is, not my typical update but a good one nonetheless. Hope you all have a great Memorial weekend. I know we are.

Happy 10 Years! Brynwen's Blessing Dress

(Joe and Brynwen after her blessing)
First off I have to say Happy Anniversary to me and Joe.
We have been married for 10 years! I can't believe
that it has been that long. The time goes by way to fast. It seems
like just yesterday we were engaged and planning a wedding.
I really made the absolute best choice when I
decided to marry Joe. He is such a good man, a wonderful father
and a great friend. Did I luck out of what?! Now here we are
10 years and 4 kids later. I just love this man! He is
my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him.
I LOVE YOU JOE!

Here we are after the blessing of Brynwen. I don't know
where the boys were. Probably off playing with
their cousins. It was a beautiful day!

Me, Brynwen and Joe. I really like this picture. I don't
normally like to look at pictures of myself, but I am who I am
and I should learn to love me for me.

Here is Brynwen in her blessing dress. It was actually
my blessing dress when I was a baby. She looks identical
to me in one of my baby pictures. I am wearing the same
dress in my picture too. I just love that baby.
She is just so cute!

I just love this picture of Brynwen. She is so expressive.
I can see that her mind is working and she really looks
like she wants to say something. You can see a little bit more of the
detail of the dress in this picture. What a sweet heart!

New Photos of Gideon and Brynwen

Gideon the big cheese. I love this picture of him.
He is so charismatic and charming. What a sweetheart.

Brynwen at 6 weeks. She is so cute. I just love
her fat little cheeks, and her puckered lips are so kissable.

This background is one of my favorites. I love how it all blends
and matches her dress.

Here they are together. Aren't they cute?!

This is one of my very favorites. I just love the
look on her face. It's priceless, and Gideon is just the
most handsome 2 year old out there. I sure do love these two.

Saturday Tell All

Here we are, another Saturday tell all.


Monday...Weighed in and was happy to see that I had kept the pound off over the weekend. I did really well in counting my calories today and hopefully will be able to keep it up. I ate well today and walked 2 miles.


Tuesday...Did well for breakfast today. I missed lunch because the pancakes I had were so filling I was still full. For dinner I was very good. One piece of chicken 1/2 c of pasta salad and 1/2 c of potatoes. I did eat 3 small chocolate chip cookies though. It was better than the candy bar I wanted. Joe and I were able to go to a movie and eating before we went really helped me not want to get popcorn and pop, which I didn't get.


Wednesday...Breakfast, lunch and dinner, I did really well today and even got out and was able to walk. It was around 2 miles. Pretty happy with that. It is not as easy as I thought to count calories, but I will keep going.


Thursday...Breakfast and Dinner were good choices. Unfortunately I chose to get a cheese burger and fries for lunch. Not the greatest choice in the world. I will have to do better. I walked 1 1/2 miles today.


Friday...Today has been the worst day ever. Breakfast was a pretty good choice but after that I have just gone down hill. I have had cookies and pudding and all sorts of things that I shouldn't be eating. My will power just gave out today and I made some rotten choices. I didn't get out and walk although I did walk the wal-mart for about an hour. Still not the best exercise there is to do. It was a hard day for me.


Saturday... I weighed in this morning and was surprise to see that I was down a pound. Shock of my life. I will have to work extra hard this week to keep that pound off. No more binges for me. I have to remember to allow myself a treat now and then so I don't go crazy with the treats when they are in front of me. That and to make good shopping choices when I'm at the store.

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was great! We had all of our family here. Joe's parents were here and also one of his brothers and his wife was here from Alaska. All of my siblings were able to come except for Brooke. It was nice to have them come and share this day with us. We blessed Brynwen which was a great way to celebrate Mother's Day. After church we all came back to our house and those that could stay, stayed and we had a nice dinner. I took a bunch of pictures of the baby in her dress and will post them as soon as Joe reinstalls the software. I just wanted to give a little update.

Saturday Tell All

Okay, so this is my Saturday update.

Monday...I started my week off right and I have been doing pretty good, probably not as well as I should be doing, but good. Today I've eaten pretty well. I had a lot of whole grain foods and healthy snacks. I walked 2.11 miles and I feel really good. One slip, I had a brownie after my lunch.

Tuesday...I followed my eating plan really well. I had a healthy breakfast lunch and dinner and good snacks. I walked 2.5 miles and am feeling really well.

Wednesday...My morning was really good. I had a great breakfast, lunch and dinner, but Joe came home with donuts tonight and I succumbed to temptation and had one and a half of another. I didn't walk today because my in-laws flew in and we spent the evening catching up. I feel bad about that and will have to do better tomorrow.

Thursday...I woke up this morning and had some of dad in law's whole wheat pancakes. They are really good and very filling. I had a good lunch and dinner today and am glad that I am sticking to my eating plan today. I walked 2 miles and feel good.

Friday...I have been doing pretty good today. I have been really good about staying away from junk food. The kids ate all of the donuts so they are no longer a temptation. I had a good lunch. I know that when all of the family comes tonight that we will probably go out to eat after our meeting. (Later) Yes we did go out. We went to Rosa's Pizza. I think I did pretty well, considering, I only had 3 pieces of Hawaiian pizza and then I ate a big salad. For the most part I was pretty happy with my choices. I didn't take the opportunity to walk today though. I will have to do better next week.

Saturday...Breakfast was good. A bowl of cereal and some toast. Lunch was pbandj and apples and I haven't had dinner yet. So far I think that it is going well. I plan to walk tonight. Hopefully with Bev.

I have lost 1lb. I'm am pretty happy with this. I decided that I will weigh myself only twice a week. Once on Monday and again on Saturday. I have been weighing myself everyday a couple times a day and it just makes me feel really anxious. This way I will follow my plan for the week and then see the results at the end of each week. If this doesn't work I will make adjustments as needed. I've done a little research and discovered that I should be eating about 2200 calories since I am breast feeding. This seems like a lot to me but I will try it and see how it goes. Counting calories has never been something that I've done much of before so this will be new for me. Wish me luck!

These are some of the things that I had written in my journaling this week. I will continue to write in my journal. This seems to work pretty well for me. That, and knowing that I have chosen to be accountable to my blog and all those out there that read it. Thanks for your support. I will post on it again next Saturday.

Today's the Day!

Today is the day! I've decided that today is the day that I am going to start changing my life. It is time to get rid of all of the weight that I have gained over the past 10 years, emotional as well as physical. I know that it won't be easy, but that's o.k. It's going to be a hard struggle to shed these unwanted pounds, but I know that I can do it. I have decided to start walking everyday. I also have a bow flex that I will work out on 3-4 times a week. I am cutting sugar out of my diet and I am going to eat healthy. I know, I know, there will be times that I will fall and make wrong choices. I will not let this deter me though. I will get back on program and continue until I reach my goal. I want to be healthy for my kids. I want to be around for my children. I want to have the energy to run and play with them. I want to grow old with Joseph. I want to see my children grow up and get married and have families of their own. I want to be healthy and strong. I want to do this for me.

I am hoping that I can count on all of you out there for your love and support. I am going to be posting every Saturday what I have done each week. I will be keeping a food journal that I have to share as well as the exercise program that I follow each week. I need to be accountable to someone and I figured that this is as good a place as any. I am also hoping that I might get some advice from you all out there. What are your favorite exercises to do? What kinds of things do you like to eat that are good for you? Do you have any favorite recipes? Any and all help is welcome. So, here I go. I will keep you all updated as things happen.

Gabbie's Turning 7!

I did a little tribute to Cordin and wanted to do the same
for Gabbie. She is going to 7 on the 2ND of May.
Here are some pictures that I thought were cute.
In this one she is just over 2. She is feeding her cousin Jace.
Even then she loved babies.

Here she is at 2 1/2 gotta love the cheeks!
Those pigtails are pretty cute too.

The spring she turned 3. I just love the rosie cheeks.
She looks like a little imp.

Gabbie almost 4. Again she has her baby.


I'm so thankful to have such a sweet daughter. She is
so fun to have in our family. I will always be grateful that she is
part of my life. She is a blessing to have and such a wonderful
helper. I don't know what I would do with out her sweet spirit.
HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY GABBIE!

Cordin's turning 9!

Cordin will be 9 on the 1st of May. I can't believe that
so much time has gone by. It seems like yesterday he was my
little boy. I was going through some of the pictures that
I have and wanted to share some of the cute ones of him.
This is when he was 4 (I wish I had baby pictures to show,
I don't know what happened to them).

This is his pre-school graduation. He had just turned 5.
Cordin with his teachers Mr. Frank and Miss Mary

Outside at the playground of our old apartment.

Cordin smiling his big cheesy smile. He is a cute kid.

And here his is last fall. He has grown into quite a remarkable young man
I'm so amazed that he is my son. I love him so much
and am grateful that he is part of our family.
HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY CORDIN!!!

The Past Week

I haven't written anything for awhile and thought that I would fill you in on our week, not that anything truly exciting has happened. On Saturday the 18Th Joe's niece and her husband were down from Alaska for a conference in Spokane so we met them on their dinner break. Before that we decided that we would go to Riverfront part and hang out with the kids. We weren't planning on doing any of the rides but ended up purchasing day passed for the kids. Gideon loved to ride on the carousel. He wanted to stay and kept getting in line for it. He was free for the day as long as Joe went with him. I think his favorite ride was the airplane ride. He could have stayed on it all day if we let him. Joe and the kids did all of the carnival rides that they have there. They did not like the Farris wheel. As soon as they got on it Gideon and Gabbie started to cry and they wanted off. It was fun to watch them go on all of the rides. I stayed with the baby and kept an eye on the bigger kids as they ran around. All in all it turned out to be a really fun day there. After we had been there for a couple of hours we met up with Mika and Jason. We had a nice dinner at a local pub named the Steelhead. They had pretty good food for reasonable prices and aloud kids to enter before 9. Gideon was so tired by that point in the day that he was having a hard time, but did surprisingly well. It was fun to catch up with family and just sit and talk. That was probably the most excited thing that happened to us this past week. Everyday is fun with the kids but nothing really significant has happened this past week. We are good. Mostly healthy and just waiting for the warm weather to come back so we can spend our day outside in the sunshine. I'm really looking forward to that.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was so nice. Of course I forgot to take pictures of the kids in there new Sunday clothes. I will have to get on that this next week. I had such a nice time in church. All of the lessons were wonderful, at least what I was able to listen to before Brynwen woke up and wanted to eat. I am so grateful for the ability to go to church and refill my cup of spirituality. It is so nice to be able to sit and listen to a teacher talk of Christ. Our sacrament program was amazing. It was filled with beautiful music and a wonderful message. I really enjoyed it. Especially the music part. I am so thankful that we celebrate Easter. It is wonderful to have the knowledge that our Savior lives! He was resurrected and he lives. I know this. I'm grateful to know this. It is so wonderful to know that I am a daughter of God and that my older brother Jesus loved me enough to come to this earth and fulfill my Heavenly Fathers plan. I am so thankful that I can be forgiven for my sins. That I can turn to my Savior when I am in times of trouble and know that I am loved and watched over. I really do love this Gospel and the knowledge that it gives me.

New photos of Brynwen

Brynwens toes. They are so small. I could just sit and marvel at them all day.

All of the kids together. Joe and I really do make beautiful babies.

Brynwen in her yellow outfit from Aunt Jenny.

Brynwen a few days home from the hospital.

The Story of Brynwen's Birth

Okay, I have a little time to sit down and catch everyone up on the birth of Brynwen. Joe is holding the baby and the kids are watching a movie, so I have a few minutes to get this done.


It all began Sunday morning early. Joe said that I kept waking him up with sounds like I was in pain. I slept through them for the most part, they were not any different then what I had been experiencing the two weeks prior to that morning. I woke up and was sore and stiff which is normal. We all got breakfast and then ready for church which was our Sunday morning. I had been drinking a lot of water the day and night before so I was using the bathroom a lot. I kept on drinking and emptying my bladder because that's what all the books say to do.

At church I couldn't sit for long periods of time because I was so uncomfortable. I got up a lot to walk around. I just didn't feel quite right but didn't give any thought to it. When Church was over I noticed that on the drive home I was having a few harder contractions but nothing I couldn't handle. When we got home, our home teachers were here and we had a nice visit with them. Nothing really changed for me until they left. Joe was in the kitchen with the kids getting them some lunch/dinner. I had gone into the bathroom again and this time I noticed that I had quite a bit of blood when I was done. That kind of freaked me out a little. At that point it was about 4:45pm and I told Joe that I thought that I would probably have to go in that night. That is when it hit me. All of a sudden I was in a lot pain. I couldn't sit down and all that I could do was walk around the room. I called the doctors office and they paged the on call doctor to call me back he did within about 5 minutes and I explained what was happening. At this point the contractions were right on top of each other. I could still move through them and talk but they were getting harder. The doctor told me to come right in because I also needed an antibiotic during the labor process. I called Bev and told her that we needed to go in. She watched the kids for us during the birth. Joe and the kids finished eating their lunch around 5:30.

We got the kids all packed up and got all of my stuff packed up and headed out. We dropped the kids at Bev's house and then headed to the hospital. On the drive in my contractions got really bad. The drive wasn't really helping either. Every bump was excruciating. We really couldn't get there fast enough. The doctor told me to go straight to labor and delivery. Thankfully I had preregistered so that wasn't a big deal. When we got there, about 6:00pm, I was doubled over with the pain of the contractions. The nurse took me back to see how dialated I was. When she checked me I was already 6 centimeters. I was pretty shocked. I didn't figure that I had made it that far. I thought maybe a 3 or 4. They then took me to the birthing room and started the preparations for delivery. I wanted an epidural very badly. They had to give me and IV first so that they could start the antibiotic. Unfortunately it took them about 8 tries, 25 min, a nurse and an anesthesiologist to get it done. I also had to be hooked up to all of the monitors so they could keep track of me and baby. That is when the first sigh of trouble showed up. The baby was in distress and the doctors didn't know why. That is the last thing that any parent wants to here. Her heart rate was 180 which is very high. A normal heart rate would be between 120 and 140. By this time the pain of the contractions was so intense I thought that I would pass out. Once the IV was in the anesthesiologist was able to do my epidural. I was ready for it. It was hard to sit still and concentrate on not moving during the relentless pain of the contractions. They were right on top of each other and on a scale of 1-10 were an 8. I was very grateful when she finished and had the epidural in place. Within about 10 min I was numb enough to relax a little and not think about the pain so much.

It was now 6:35 pm and this is when the doctor came in and said that if I didn't deliver within the next hour of so I was going to have to have a c-section to get the baby out fast. I was worried and scared and anxious. I asked Joe and one of the doctors, he is in our ward, to give me a blessing. It was very comforting and I was told that everything would be okay. Doctor Hess then decided to check me to see how things were progressing. I was 8 centimeters and he broke my water to make things happen faster. That is when it was discovered that there was maconium(sp?) in the fluid. Baby still hadn't moved down into the birth canal which worried him a little. I was now worried even more. I didn't want her to aspirate it into her lungs. Another worry. By the time all of this was completed it was 7:10pm. I was so ready for the baby to come out. I didn't feel a lot of pain but I could feel the pressure of the contractions and was anxious to have her here and well. That is when I felt her little head engage my cervix. I felt her move down into the birth canal and I was ready to push. The nurse ran and got the doctor and by the time he got there I was a +2 station and she was coming. I started pushing and pushing and pushing. They didn't want me to stop. They wanted her out of there. And, at 7:24pm she was born. I couldn't believe how fast it went.

The NICU nurses had come down to make sure that all was okay with the baby. She was covered in maconium but they didn't think that she had swallowed any. They didn't want to take any chances though, and decided to put her in the NICU for a round of antibiotics and to check her blood for, anything. Joe and a brother from our ward came to the NICU and administered to Brynwen and within an hour of that she was off the oxygen and doing 10x better. Thankfully she never grew any major infection in her blood culture and was able to come home after the 7 day round of antibiotics.

Brynwen has been home now for 5 days and we just love having her here. She is such a good natured baby and I am so happy that she is healthy and strong. I know that we have been blessed to be able to bring her home so soon. It was hard to spend that week in the NICU. I will always be grateful that it was for only a week. Thank you to all of you out there that sent your prayers and thoughts our way. We will be forever grateful for you love and support.

SHE'S COMING HOME!

It's official. Brynwen is coming home tomorrow mid afternoon. I am so excited to have her home with us. The kids can't wait to see her for the first time. She is doing so well. I am so grateful that she is healthy and strong. I will keep you all posted as time goes on.

Welcome Brynwen!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we had the baby. Brynwen Dianne Kearns was born on Sunday the 22ND at 7:24pm. She weighed in at 9lbs 9oz and is 22in long. She has lots of long brown hair on her head and looks really cute. There were some complications during the labor process which I will write about later. I am home but because of the complications Brynwen has to stay in the NICU for 7-10 days. Don't panic...she will be okay. The doctors have her on a course of antibiotics that should take care of all that is going on in her little body. I wanted to let you all know that we are both well. Here are a couple of pictures to tide you over until I can really sit down and write some more.

NO BABY!

I went to the doctor this morning and surprise surprise there are no changes. I am so disappointed that my body is not doing what it is supposed to do. I just want this baby out! The doc said that I am still 2 cm but my cervix is still closed and baby is still really high. He is making me go another week before my next visit unless I go into labor. I highly doubt that I will. He wants me to have another ultrasound on the 25TH to see how big she will be. Come on we already now that she is at least 9 lbs. Isn't that big enough. Just GET HER OUT!!! I have been walking and doing all of the home remedies that I can think of and nothing is working. I guess she doesn't feel ready. I am though. I am so done being pregnant that I am even considering having my tubs tied. I want to have this over with.

Lacking baby

A quick update. No, there is no baby yet. I have decided that my body just doesn't want to give up this baby. I go into the doctor in the morning and will find our more. I think if he doesn't let me have this baby this weekend I just may have to hold him hostage until he agrees. I am sooo ready to be done. I just want baby here and healthy. I can't wait to be able to breath again, and to not have a 10 pound weight on my bladder. Yes, that's right, she will probably weigh 10 pounds if not more. Another reason to have her now. There is a lot more pressure in my pelvis so I am hoping that she has dropped some more and engaged the cervix. At least then they can give the necessary meds to really start labor. I will find out tomorrow so expect another update then.

On a side note...Brooke is getting married this weekend. I am excited for her but sad that I won't be there. All of the family is going for it but mine. Oh well, I'm sure that it will be a wonderful time for them. I wish her love and happiness. She's gonna need it. Married life will be quite an awakening for her. Good luck Brooke and Evan.

Baby news and other stuff

This past couple of weeks have been really good. I completely forgot to write about the wonderful sister that I have. Bev threw me a baby shower on the 28Th of Feb. She is such a great sister. It turned out to be a really nice time. Not that I expected it to go any other way. We had it at her house. About 10 ladies came which was great. We had a small lunch and then played some games and opened presents. I received some really nice things that will come in handy when this little one decides to come out. It was a lot of fun to see some people that I haven't seen in a while. We had a great time.

This past weekend I was feeling a little bit under the weather. I was having some dizziness and shortness of breath so I have to take it easy. I really wanted to get my house clean for when the baby comes and was feeling really overwhelmed so I called on my wonderful family to come and help, and they did. Bryan and Rachel came on Friday with Brent and Breanne to start the cleaning process. We worked on getting the kids rooms in order and cleaning the downstairs completely. It was amazing what they were able to accomplish in that evening. Then on Saturday everyone came, all of my siblings, we caught up the laundry and cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen and pretty much everywhere else. It was so wonderful to know that they love me enough to come and help me clean my house. I have such a great family. I think that we are going to make it an annual thing where we rotate through the year to each house and clean it from top to bottom. It goes so much faster when there are more helping hands to get the job done. I will always be grateful to my amazing family. They really are a great bunch of people. I am truly blessed to have them.

Yesterday I had another doctors appointment. I went in a 9 for an ultrasound so they could get an idea of how big baby is. They did a bunch of measurements and they came back that she is around 9lbs now. Which means that she will be closer to 10 by the time she is born. The technician also said that it looked like she has about an inch of hair on her head. I am so excited to meet her. When the doctor checked me he said that I am dialated to 2cm but baby hasn't engaged yet so there is still some time before I have her. He did say that once the process really starts it probably won't take very long. He thinks that I will go sometime this nest week. I hope that he is right. I really don't want to have a 12 pound baby. I go in again on Thursday the 19Th. If I haven't had her by then we will probably induce since I am due the 23rd. Hopefully a baby will be here in the next 10 days. After my appointment I decided that I was done working so Dr. Barrong wrote me a note saying that I needed to go on maternity leave now. I took it into Wal-mart and filled out all the necessary paper work to change my date and am now officially on leave. I am so grateful to not have to work. It was getting really hard. Now I can work on completing that last little details before baby comes. I feel much less stress now that I don't have to worry about having a baby at wal-mart.

We're playing tag!

My sister tagged me so I thought that I would do it,
so here goes!

8 Favorite TV shows:

• Lost
• Biggest Loser
• Law and Order SVU
• John and Kate plus 8
• House Hunters
• Grey's Anatomy
• Smallville
• Ace of Cakes

8 Things I did yesterday

• Went to the hospital to pre-register
• Went to Target to buy some nursing bras
• Ate lunch with Gideon at Target
• Took a nap
• Cleaned up the living room (which was destroyed when I got home)
• Did Laundry
• Went through baby clothes
• Went to work

8 Things I'm looking forward to

• Having this baby!
• Organizing/cleaning my house, with the help of my awesome fam
• Sisters Wedding even though I can't go
• Having my laundry caught up
• Picking out a name for the baby
• Going to Utah this summer
• Being on maternity leave
• Starting my weight loss program

8 Favorite restaurants

• Olive Garden
• Red Lobster
• TGIFridays
• Outback Steak House
• Chili's
  
• Subway
• Panda Express
  
• Tomato Street

8 Things on my wish list

• To loose all of the baby weight that I have gained
• To have an organized and peaceful home all the time
• To be financially burden free
• To be able to travel wherever I want
• To go back to school and finish my degree
• To control my temper, especially with my kids
  
• To win the lottery, even though we don't play it
• To never be sick again

5 People I tag

• Maggie
• Sharon
• Rachel B
• Shanda
• Michelle P

that's everyone of course if you want to do it feel free!

Count down

Nothing really all that new to report. I'm still having contractions, but they are mild and don't seem to be going anywhere. I sure wish that she would come already. Joe was in a meeting the other day at work, they were discussing their monthly plan and what needs to get done, when someone said that Joe will be taking a week off when the baby is born. Harold, his boss, told him that it would be most convenient if I had the baby this week (March 2-6). I would be the hero of the development department. I guess they have some big projects due the week that baby is due, and they need Joe to be there. I told Joe that I would be happy to oblige, but it's up to her when she will come. I keep trying the old remedies, eating spicy foods (which only gives me heart burn) going for long walks, which does seem to stimulate the contractions but as soon as I stop moving they stop. We've tried a few others but nothing seems to work. I refuse to do the caster oil. I guess she is just stubborn and will come when she's ready. The sooner the better I say. As much as I like being pregnant I'm ready to be done. I miss sleeping on my back, and being able to breath. I can't wait to be able to take a deep breath. Another little tidbit of info...Gideon is potty training himself. He loves to be a big boy like his dad and brother so he goes in the bathroom and takes off his diaper and pees in the toilet. He is so cute when he does it. I haven't really started the whole thing yet but if he wants to do it I let him. Just thought you would want to know the news.

Baby Update

I went to the doctor yesterday and had to have my strep test done. The doctor says that everything looks really good and that I don't have to go in next week, so I will be going in on the 12Th for my ultra sound and next doctors visit. He did say that I am dialated 1 centimeter already and that everything is starting along. He said that if I go in to labor before my next appointment they will just let it happen and not try to stop it. I was measuring a bit big yesterday so he's a little concerned about her size as she will continue to gain all that baby weight in these last couple of weeks. He doesn't want me to have a 12 pound baby. More then likely if they feel that she is to big when they do the ultrasound the may induce me shortly after the 12Th. I will keep you all posted!

Almost There

I'm so excited! In just over 2 weeks I get to go on maternity leave from work and don't have to go back for 12 weeks. Financially it will be a bit of a burden but I can't wait to spend the time with baby girl Kearns. No, we still haven't picked out a name. I'm having such a hard time choosing a name for this little one. There are so many out there that I like. The ones that I am leaning toward are Lucy Mae Dianne, Brynwen Dianne, and Molly Jane. Joe still likes Branwyn Dianne but I just can't get over the Bran part. It sounds to much like breakfast cereal to me. I just don't know what to do. I can't believe that I am down to my weekly visits with the doctor already. I go in for another ultrasound next week because they want to measure and guesstimate at her size and weight. It will be interesting to see what they think she will weigh. I think that she will be my smallest. I'm measuring exactly where I should be and even though I'm big (everyone says I'm huge and they think I'm carrying twins) I'm smaller then I was with any of my other pregnancies. I just can't wait to meet this little one and hold her in my arms. What a precious gift we are being given. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly father loves me and is intrusting me with one of His spirit children. I just can't imagine what life would be like without my kids. As much as I complain about them I really do love them and am so happy to be their mom.

Messes, messes and more messes

What is it about kids and messes. I feel like I can't get ahead of all the things that my kids mess up. I went into my room this morning and Gideon had taken some trail mix and dumped it on the floor he then striped my bed of all the pillows and blankets. Yesterday he dumped moon sand all over the living room. The night before that he went into the bathroom and got out one of my smelly lotions and dumped it all over the floor. He then proceeded to slip in it and roll around in it. When Joe finally found him he was covered from head to foot in Love spell lotion. And, all of this has happened since Monday. I can't imagine what will take place in the coming week. I often wonder what he is thinking when he decides to do something. "I wonder what will happen if I turn this over? Will stuff come out? Can I play with it if it does?" What is it about? Is it just a learning process or does he really just want to make a mess that someone else has to clean up. I guess I'll never know.

A day trip

Yesterday we took a day trip to the Tri-Cities. Richland to be exact. We went down to see my brother Bryan and his family. Jackson, who was born at the beginning of Jan, was blessed. It was really neat to be able to be there and share the experience with my family. All of my siblings were there which was also nice because we don't all get to be together that often. The trip down was pretty uneventful. The kids watched a movie and ate the whole time. We did stop at the Chocolate Store and picked up a treat. Gideon was very happy to be out of the car and ran around like a crazy person. It was the first time that I had been in there. We arrived just in time to change into church clothes and get to the church. After church we headed back to Bryan and Rachel's to change and then it was off to her dads house to have a scrumptious dinner. The kids had lots of fun playing at Papus house (that's what they call their grandpa). Jace and Josh got mustangs from papu for Christmas, so the kids pretty much drove around in those all afternoon. There was one moment that was excitingly gross. Gideon comes strolling into the house and says "Mom i'n poopy". I thought no big deal I'll just change his diaper and that will be the end of it. NO it was all down his legs and up his back. He hasn't had one of those in a very long time. We had to strip him down and hose him off. It was quite comical really. I found out that my sister Brooke is engaged to be married. Apparently over Christmas Evan and Brooke decided that they wanted to get married and made arrangements to do so. He hasn't officially proposed yet, but she is going to see him for Valentines day and is expecting to come home with a ring. She wasn't going to tell us this until after she already had the ring but, Tracy (sister-in-law) got it out of her at dinner yesterday. I have mixed feelings about it. We haven't met him yet which makes me a little nervous, and we won't get to until the wedding which is supposed to take place in April. I know, fast engagement. The only things that I know about him are that he is 26, a marine, and stationed in California, which means Brooke will be moving there. That is fine, however I have a sneaking suspicion that once she is gone, we won't see her again. That makes me sad. All in all though, it was a really fun day to spend time with my siblings, eat lots of good food and enjoy just being together.

The Scare of My Life!!!

Today is Thursday the 23rd and my daughter about gave me a heart attack. Cordin and Gabbie were a little late coming home today from school so I was starting to get a little worried. When I heard the door, I was relieved that they were here until the first thing out of Cordin's mouth was "MOM! Gabbie got into someones car and drove off with them." My heart stopped. "What do you mean she got into someones car?!"She said they were going to the community center." I was irate! "Why didn't you stop her?" was my next question. He said that he tried and she wouldn't listen to him. So, I jumped into my car and ran down to the center, but no Gabbie. Now I am worried. I didn't know who's car she had gotten into. Cordin didn't know either. Tons of awful images were going through my head. What if she was stupid enough to get into a strangers car. I've told her time and time again NOT to get into any ones car that I don't know. (Just goes to show how much she listens to me). Now what do I do? By this time I am in tears and tiring to call all of her friends that I can think of. She is no where, then I call Joe who is the voice of reason. "She's probably with a friend." But how can I assume that, right? How do I know that she's with a friend? I have of course by this time jumped to every awful conclusion. Someone has taken her. They have her and I'm not going to get her back. By this time an hour has gone by of me crying and imagining all the horrid things that could have happened to her. Just as I am about to call the police a car pulls into the driveway and out comes Gabbie. I was flooded with emotion. Relief that she is okay, anger that she would do something so stupid (especially since I told her to come home directly from school), but mostly relief. I never want to go through something like that again. And how could another parent be so irresponsible. I would never take another persons child home without their consent. It blew my mind that she/he would do something like that. Needless to say, Gabbie is grounded, and I will have to pick her up from school now until I can trust her again. Hopefully she has learned her lesson and will not make that type of decision again. I think that when she walked into the house and saw that I was in tears she realized just what she had done. I can only hope.

Perfect Angels...NOT!

This weekend was a three day weekend for the kids. Meaning they were home from school today(Monday). Let me tell you...as much as I love my kids and I do love them, I love it when they have school. The constant nagging and crying and begging can get on my nerves. I know they don't act that way at school because their teachers both say that they are so well behaved and polite. Why aren't they like that for me? I'm the one that truly deserves a little respect and kindness, don't I? I'm only the one that gave them life after all. I just don't get it. They used to be so kind when they were little. Always loving and cuddly, perfect little angels. And then they grew into little monsters with attitude. I just don't know how to change it. For example, Gabbie's favorite thing to do is say the exact opposite of whatever we tell her. She doesn't even think about what it is we've asked, she's just on auto pilot. "Gabbie pick up your toy so the dog doesn't eat it. NO!" First thing out of her mouth. It makes me want to pull my hair out. I'm so frustrated. I know that I can't be the only one out there with this problem. Maybe I am though. Any suggestions?

The Good, The Bad and The...

First I have to start off by saying that I am so grateful to be pregnant. I love that we are adding another beautiful baby to our family. However, I have about 2 1/2 months left of this pregnancy and I don't know if I can make it! I am already so big that people keep asking me if I'm due any day. I feel like I can't catch my breath and sleeping is almost non-existent. It doesn't help that we are still weening Gideon from our bed. (We are going to buy a King size bed before this baby is born). He loves to creep in at night and climb up on the bed and squeeze in between Joe and me. Then he kicks and squirms until morning. I just don't have the energy to move him though. I've also been trying to kick a cold that I've had for almost 2 months now. A cough and stuffy nose that just won't go away. Any suggestions? (I think I'll have to talk to my doc about that). The cough is what is killing me. Every time I cough I get this horrible pain in my neck and shoulders. Oh the things we put our bodies through. At least in the end we get to have a baby to show for all that we've been through. Most of the time I really enjoy being pregnant. I guess the lack of sleep this past week has taken it's toll on me. I just had to vent a little.